Dreamgirls

Do you think Rolling Stone’s Peter Travers enjoyed Dreamgirls?

This baby dazzles like nothing else anywhere. Starting with its dream cast, led by Jamie Foxx and Beyoncé, Dreamgirls is a movie that has everything: a blazing new star in Jennifer Hudson, a riveting, revitalized Eddie Murphy, a hot-lick score by Henry Krieger and the late Tom Eyen, a timely story about how music can sell its soul to greed and compromise, and a dynamo of a director and screenwriter in Bill Condon (Gods and Monsters, Kinsey). He’s the white guy with the brass to direct a tale of black artists who break faith with race, family and R&B to swim in the mainstream. As he proved with his script for Chicago, Condon also knows his way around a musical. He keeps Dreamgirls charging until it moves right into your heart.

Hudson was dispatched by Simon Cowell a few years back. Now they’re talking Oscar. Nice rebound, girl.

FYI, Travers also liked Apocalypto, The Good German and Inland Empire. He disliked Bobby.

Smile you’re on candid camera (no appeal rights need apply)

Santa Fe Country Sheriff Greg Solano explains his position on red light cameras. This from a longer post revealing that the red light camera industry is — surprise — the big impetus behind these revenue producing hazards.

As I stated in an earlier blog post that goes into more detail about the safety concerns, don’t get me wrong there are a lot of good reasons to have red light cameras and I would not be as opposed to them if they were put in such a manner as to not be a revenue generating scheme. Proper procedures must be put in place to protest the citation, and the driver is photographed also to prove who was driving. We must also look at the amount of time the yellow light is on, Many cities have reduced accident just by adjusting the timing of the yellow lights. We should also look at educational programs to educate the motoring public.

See also Red Light Cameras and More on Red Light Cameras.

How to Photograph Christmas Lights

Strobist has some tips for photographing Christmas lights. They begin with this advice:

The problem with 98% of the photos of Christmas lights is that most people wait until way too late to start shooting. After it gets completely dark, you can either have the lights or the surroundings properly exposed. But not both.

Conversely, if you were to shoot the lights in the middle of the day, they would not show up at all. The trick is find the sweet spot (actually there is a whole range of sweet spots) where the ambient light and the Christmas lights balance.

You can keep your shoes on

I suppose this is no different than paying extra to fly in first class, but somehow it just seems wrong.

The U.S. government approved new technology that will automatically scan shoes and boots for bombs, and promises that travelers will soon be spared the trouble of scurrying through security in their socks. But the new machines will be available only to travelers who pay to join a special program, at least at first.

The shoe-scanner approval will give a crucial boost to the Registered Traveler program, which is designed to provide faster airport security screening, via a special security line, to travelers who sign up in advance and undergo a background check. But the program, to be run by private companies under the supervision of the Transportation Security Administration, has languished for years, and currently is operating only in Orlando, Fla.

The shoe scanner is expected to draw customers to the program because not only will it speed up lines. It will also offer another perk — remaining shod — to attract customers willing to pay annual fees of about $100.

WSJ.com

Best line of the day, so far

I bring this up for this reason: A new CBS News poll indicates that 21% of Americans believe that President Bush is doing a good job on Iraq. That’s one point above the Crackpot Threshold, which is well within the 3% margin for error.

To put that into perspective, on the defining issue of George W. Bush’s Presidency, the President is now supported by the same percentage of people who believe that astrology is a science, that NASA faked the moon landings, and that the Constitution guarantees our right to own pets.

Functional Ambivalent

NewMexiKen poll update

“Carbon copy” was the clear winner over “courtesy copy” 24-6 despite the fact that there’s no evidence I can see for carbon in email. I suppose horseless carriage would win out over automobile with this crowd, too.

Dog is the true favorite for a friend. If you include the one vote for small (aka faux) dog, dogs beat cats 13-5. However, with the 10 votes rung up by duck and goat tied together, buffalo (aka bison) and fish, we may need a runoff election. Or let the Supreme Court decide, what the hell.

As for the look of the site, those votes keep trickling in. At the moment “old look” is leading “awesome” 35-34, with 4 for “nice.” Five voters cast their vote for Ralph Nader (“what new look”) and can’t really be considered. Those five are probably people who read the RSS feed, which remains unchanged and boring. There is some talk that “nice” will broker a deal with “awesome” so that the new look will win. But Fox News hasn’t reported yet, so who knows? And we still haven’t heard from Chicago.

December 13th is the birthday

… of Dick Van Dyke. Rob Petrie is 81. Nine emmy nominations, four wins.

… of Christopher Plummer. Captain Georg von Trapp is 79. More recently Plummer has been in A Beautiful Mind, Syriana and The Lake House. Five films in 2005, a couple more in 2006, and a handful in production.

… of Ferguson Jenkins. The baseball hall-of-famer is 63.

Ferguson Jenkins PlaqueCanada’s first Hall of Fame member, Fergie Jenkins used pinpoint control and effectively changed speeds to win 284 games. Cast in the same mold as finesse artists like Catfish Hunter and Robin Roberts, Jenkins forged an impressive 3.34 ERA despite playing 12 of his 19 seasons in hitters’ ballparks – Wrigley Field and Fenway Park. A diligent workhorse, Jenkins used an easy, uncomplicated motion to reach the 20-win mark seven times and capture the National League Cy Young Award in 1971. (National Baseball Hall of Fame)

… of actress Wendie Malick. She’s 56. Just shoot her.

… of Ben Bernanke. The chairman of the Federal Reserve is 53. If he lasts as long as Greenspan he’ll still be chairman in 2032.Mack

… of Steve Buscemi. The actor who portrayed the creepy Tony Blundetto (Tony Soprano’s cousin) and the even creepier Carl Showalter in Fargo is 49.

… of Johnny Whitaker. That would be Buffy’s brother Jody on Family Affair. He’s 47.

… of Jamie Foxx. The Oscar-winner is 39.

… of Mack. The oldest of The Sweeties® is 6. That’s Mack as Luke Skywalker for Halloween.

The 100 Best Songs of 2006

From Rolling Stone. Here’s the top three.

1 “Crazy”
Gnarls Barkley
In a perfect world, Al Green could still sing collard-green soul gems like this one, but Cee-Lo and Danger Mouse stepped up with an instant classic, winning this year’s “Hey Ya!” award for the song nobody even pretended not to like. Everybody tried to cover it (our personal fave: the Raconteurs’) — but nobody can hit the chorus like Cee-Lo, and nobody ever will.

2 “Steady As She Goes”
The Raconteurs
The first single from Brendan Benson and Jack White’s garage-glam band was a perfect dirty sundae of fuzz-box stutter, metallic zoom and pop-chorale candy. It is also a good reason to hope the Raconteurs are no one-album project.

3 “Ridin”
Chamillionaire
The song least likely to be played in Drivers’ Ed.: Chamillionaire dodges the cops, riding dirty with a car full of thugs who don’t care where they’re rolling or if they get there in one piece.

As Orville Once Said to Wilbur, ‘I dunno’

At last count this item by David Pogue had drawn 387 comments.

OK, this one’s driving me crazy. This brain-teaser is ripping around the Internet, plus I actually overheard it THREE TIMES in airport conversations on a recent trip to Canada.

Here’s how I found it presented at http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=34 8452:

“Imagine a plane is sitting on a massive conveyor belt, as wide and as long as a runway. The conveyer belt is designed to exactly match the speed of the wheels, moving in the opposite direction. Can the plane take off?

“I say no, because the plane will not move relative [to] the ground and air, and thus, very little air will flow over the wings. However, other people are convinced that since the wheels of a plane are free spinning, and not powered by the engines, and the engines provide thrust against the air, that somehow that makes a difference and air will flow over the wing.”

The guy behind me at the airport told his buddy that, in fact, the plane WOULD take off, and his buddy seemed to agree. Do we have any physicists in the audience?

Google’s Hidden Features

Google is a great search engine, but it’s also more than that. Google has tons of hidden features, some of which are quite fun and most of which are extremely useful— if you know about them. How do you discover all these hidden features within the Google site? Read on to learn more.

Google Is a Calculator
Google Knows Mathematical Constants
Google Converts Units of Measure
Google Is a Dictionary
Google Is a Glossary
Google Lists All the Facts
Google Displays Weather Reports
Google Knows Current Airport Conditions
Google Tracks Flight Status
Google Tracks Packages
Google Is a Giant Phone Directory
Google Knows Area Codes
Google Has Movie Information
Google Loves Music
Google Knows the Answer to the Ultimate Question

Exploring Google’s Hidden Features

La Virgen de Guadalupe

Virgen de Guadalupe

Guadalupe is, strictly speaking, the name of a picture, but the name was extended to the church containing the picture and to the town that grew up around the church. It makes the shrine, it occasions the devotion, it illustrates Our Lady. It is taken as representing the Immaculate Conception, being the lone figure of the woman with the sun, moon, and star accompaniments of the great apocalyptic sign with a supporting angel under the crescent. The word is Spanish Arabic, but in Mexico it may represent certain Aztec sounds.

Its tradition is long-standing and constant, and in sources both oral and written, Indian and Spanish, the account is unwavering. The Blessed Virgin appeared on Saturday 9 December 1531 to a 55 year old neophyte named Juan Diego, who was hurrying down Tepeyac hill to hear Mass in Mexico City. She sent him to Bishop Zumárraga to have a temple built where she stood. She was at the same place that evening and Sunday evening to get the bishop’s answer. The bishop did not immediately believed the messenger, had him cross-examined and watched, and he finally told him to ask the lady who said she was the mother of the true God for a sign. The neophyte agreed readily to ask for sign desired, and the bishop released him.

Juan was occupied all Monday with Bernardino, an uncle, who was dying of fever. Indian medicine had failed, and Bernardino seemed at death’s door. At daybreak on Tuesday 12 December 1531, Juan ran to nearby Saint James’s convent for a priest. To avoid the apparition and the untimely message to the bishop, he slipped round where the well chapel now stands. But the Blessed Virgin crossed down to meet him and said, “What road is this thou takest son?” A tender dialogue ensued. She reassured Juan about his uncle, to whom she also briefly appeared and instantly cured. Calling herself Holy Mary of Guadalupe she told Juan to return to the bishop. He asked the sign for the sign he required. Mary told him to go to the rocks and gather roses. Juan knew it was neither the time nor the place for roses, but he went and found them. Gathering many into the lap of his tilma, a long cloak or wrapper used by Mexican Indians, he came back. The Holy Mother rearranged the roses, and told him to keep them untouched and unseen until he reached the bishop. When he met with Zumárraga, Juan offered the sign to the bishop. As he unfolded his cloak the roses, fresh and wet with dew, fell out. Juan was startled to see the bishop and his attendants kneeling before him. The life size figure of the Virgin Mother, just as Juan had described her, was glowing on the tilma. The picture was venerated, guarded in the bishop’s chapel, and soon after carried in procession to the preliminary shrine.

The coarsely woven material of the tilme which bears the picture is as thin and open as poor sacking. It is made of vegetable fibre, probably maguey. It consists of two strips, about seventy inches long by eighteen wide, held together by weak stitching. The seam is visible up the middle of the figure, turning aside from the face. Painters have not understood the laying on of the colours. They have deposed that the “canvas” was not only unfit but unprepared, and they have marvelled at apparent oil, water, distemper, etc. colouring in the same figure. They are left in equal admiration by the flower-like tints and the abundant gold. They and other artists find the proportions perfect for a maiden of fifteen. The figure and the attitude are of one advancing. There is flight and rest in the eager supporting angel. The chief colours are deep gold in the rays and stars, blue green in the mantle, and rose in the flowered tunic.

(The Catholic Community Forum, taken from a 1911 Catholic Encyclopedia article)

Best sports line of the day, so far

“You want to know why Steve Spurrier turned down the chance to pursue the Alabama and Miami jobs to stay at South Carolina?” wrote Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel. “He just got a $500,000 raise for taking the Gamecocks to the Liberty Bowl.

At South Carolina, you get a raise for going to the Liberty Bowl. “At Alabama and Miami, you get fired.”

Sideline Chatter

December 12th is the birthday

… of my friend and sometime reader of this blog, David. Happy Birthday, David. [Correction: His birthday is actual December 3rd.]

… of Bob Barker. C’mon down, he’s 83. NewMexiKen actually remembers seeing Ralph Edwards introduce Barker as the host of the daytime version of Truth Or Consequences 50 years ago. Barker hosted that show for 18 years.

… of Connie Francis. Do you suppose she’s still trying to get to where the boys are at 68.

… Dionne Warwick. Perhaps she’d just as soon walk on by her 66th birthday.

… of Dickey Betts. The member of the Allman Brothers band is 63.

… of Cathy Rigby. The Olympic gymnast is 54.

… of Tracy Austin. The one-time tennis prodigy is 44.

… of Oscar-winner Jennifer Connelly. She’s 36.

Francis Albert Sinatra was born on this date 91 years ago. This from Sinatra’s New York Times obituary in 1998:

Widely held to be the greatest singer in American pop history and one of the most successful entertainers of the 20th century, Sinatra was also the first modern pop superstar. He defined that role in the early 1940’s when his first solo appearances provoked the kind of mass pandemonium that later greeted Elvis Presley and the Beatles.

During a show business career that spanned more than 50 years and comprised recordings, film and television as well as countless performances in nightclubs, concert halls and sports arenas, Sinatra stood as a singular mirror of the American psyche.

His evolution from the idealistic crooner of the early 1940’s to the sophisticated swinger of the 50’s and 60’s seemed to personify the country’s loss of innocence.

Pennsylvania ratified the Constitution on this date in 1787, thereby becoming the second state.

The first radio transmission

… across the Atlantic was made by Guglielmo Marconi on this date in 1901 (Cornwall, England, to Newfoundland, Canada). The message consisted of Morse code for the letter “s”.

That would be dot-dot-dot.

Which is better than a lot of stuff on television 105 years later.

Scotts Bluff National Monument (Nebraska)

… was so designated on this date in 1919. It is one of five National Park Service sites in Nebraska.

Scotts Bluff

Towering eight hundred feet above the North Platte River, Scotts Bluff has been a natural landmark for many peoples, and it served as the path marker for those on the Oregon, California, Mormon, and Pony Express Trails.

Scotts Bluff National Monument preserves 3,000 acres of unusual land formations which rise over the otherwise flat prairieland below.

Scotts Bluff National Monument

New features

We believe strongly in customer service here at NewMexiKen. Along that line we’ve been adding new features.

There’s the polling (which I can delete at any time if the results continue to run against me).

There’s the Astronomy Picture of the Day on the far sidebar. [Update: APOD ocasionally hangs up the loading of NewMexiKen, so I have removed it. Sorry.]

And the comments, few as there are, can now be opened up inline. That means there is a little link at the bottom of each post that, when the post has comments, says “Show Comment(s).” Click that link to open the comments right on the front page. You can even add a comment from there.

Update: There is also now a printer icon. Click it to view (and print) a plain vanilla version of the post.

Best line of the week, so far

The Report’s narrative passages add up to a comprehensive condemnation not only of the conduct and consequences of the Iraq war but also of the Administration’s over-all foreign policy, a condemnation all the more stunning coming from a panel led by [James] Baker and including [Sandra Day] O’Connor, who, perhaps more than any other two people on earth, were responsible six years ago for promoting Bush from loser of the popular vote to President of the United States.

Hendrik Hertzberg in The New Yorker

There are little boys everywhere

Mack, the oldest of The Sweeties®, turns six tomorrow. Last I knew, the party acceptance ratio this year was 26 yes, 2 haven’t heard from.

Here’s what we wrote two years ago when nearly that many attended:

The oldest of the Sweeties, Mack, turns four Monday, so his parents decided to host a birthday party. To their horror, nearly everyone invited accepted — and all who accepted came. That meant that Saturday afternoon 24 three- and four-year-old boys (and one two-year-old girl cousin and one little brother) took over the island that is Mack’s playroom.

Jill, official mother of Mack, reports that the swarm was amazingly well behaved, but that it did require a periodic “Freeze!” so that a census could be taken to make certain no one had escaped to some other part of the house, or worse, outside. (”Christopher? Are you sure you dropped him off? We don’t remember seeing him.”) There were moments, Jill also reported, when the boys seemed to realize that they had the adults grossly outnumbered, but she says they were easily held at bay with the cake knife.

The ice cream and cake was delayed until the last minute so that the children could be released to the custody of their parents before the sugar fully kicked in.

NewMexiKen is sad to live so far from his grandchildren; hence the prominent display of their photos on this blog. Even so, 1900 miles seemed about right while this party was on.