Okay, so I'm late with this post. I probably won't get any marks for it, but CreComm Year One is over now (short of a visit with my advisor), and I feel great. Going back to school after a few years of working in professional positions that just weren't me is the best decision I've ever made. I'm lucky that I was accepted into the program, and have had the opportunity to meet and work with so many talented people. I've changed for the better in ways that I can't fully detail,
Creative Communications is a tough course that seeks to test students at every turn, pushing us out of our comfort zones, leaving us with several deadlines hanging over our heads at a time. We learn a huge variety of skills during this first year, and I can't wait to join my Media Production compatriots for a second year full of amazing hard work and success.
Big ups to all the instructors at RRC's CreComm. They make the program what it is, sharing their coaching and mentorship with us lucky students. I look forward to learning twice as much next year and plowing through long Thursdays in Broadcast Journalism with Forde and Joanne. I've learned a lot, but I have so much left to go.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Making Friends Montage Video
Here, watch this short film I made. It's my excuse to make other people hear the song I've listened to every day for the last six weeks, No Sentiment by Cloud Nothings.
I shot my roommate as a disturbed man with an egg shortage. It's the third short I've made (the first in years), and I'm pretty happy with the results. I hope you like it.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Rick and Morty - Season One Finale
I'm no stranger to cartoons. I think I'm part of the first generation of people to have a lot of adult-oriented animation options, and I'm very happy that the nice creative people are making them for us grown-up types. There are an infinite number of stories that are not feasible to be told through live action, either due to technical or practical limitations.
Rick and Morty is my new favourite animated show, taking its place in the pantheon with Bob's Burgers and Venture Bros. (Archer has been slipping this season). You can read a complete piece on the show in my Pop Culture Cornucopia column in the most recent issue of The Projector if you're a Red River College student, to be re-published here in the near future.
Rick and Morty is my new favourite animated show, taking its place in the pantheon with Bob's Burgers and Venture Bros. (Archer has been slipping this season). You can read a complete piece on the show in my Pop Culture Cornucopia column in the most recent issue of The Projector if you're a Red River College student, to be re-published here in the near future.
Friday, April 4, 2014
Legit
This week, I've found the time to watch the entire first season of Legit. It's an FXX sitcom starring Australian comedian Jim Jefferies, former The Daily Show correspondent Dan Bakkedahl, and everyone's favourite emaciated scarecrow-man, DJ Qualls. DJ Qualls plays Billy, who has muscular dystrophy and relies on a wheelchair and support workers.
I've always found DJ Qualls annoying, but Legit is turning things around for me. The guy plays the character with loads of heart, and he's got good comedic timing.
I've always found DJ Qualls annoying, but Legit is turning things around for me. The guy plays the character with loads of heart, and he's got good comedic timing.
Friday, March 28, 2014
The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia
I've been watching The Ultimate Fighter Nations: Canada vs. Australia since February, part of a trend where I seem to not be able to get enough UFC. I'm not even sure why I'm into MMA a lot of the time, and sometimes I even feel guilty about enjoying the sport.
On last week's episode, Chad Laprise had to face teammate Kajan Johnson. In past seasons, when teammates had to fight in the semifinals, their team's head coach would remove him or herself from the fight preparation, separating the coaching staff for the fight, and usually the fighters would be cornered by other members of their team.
For Laprise vs. Johnson, that's not how things went. Laprise was proactive, seeking out a coaching staff for the fight well in advance. He got two Team Canada coaches and one of the Australian coaches to be in his corner, he was being given advice (quietly but not inconspicuously) by head coach Patrick Cote, and he gave his coaches instructions to be super loud to damage Johnson's confidence.
On last week's episode, Chad Laprise had to face teammate Kajan Johnson. In past seasons, when teammates had to fight in the semifinals, their team's head coach would remove him or herself from the fight preparation, separating the coaching staff for the fight, and usually the fighters would be cornered by other members of their team.
For Laprise vs. Johnson, that's not how things went. Laprise was proactive, seeking out a coaching staff for the fight well in advance. He got two Team Canada coaches and one of the Australian coaches to be in his corner, he was being given advice (quietly but not inconspicuously) by head coach Patrick Cote, and he gave his coaches instructions to be super loud to damage Johnson's confidence.
Labels:
Canada vs. Australia,
Chad Laprise,
Kajan Johnson,
MMA,
The Ultimate Fighter,
TUF,
UFC
Friday, March 14, 2014
Bill Burr in Winnipeg
I had the good fortune to see Bill Burr perform last night at the Burton Cummings Theatre. He's one of, if not the best, currently-working stand-up comedian. It was an inspiring show, one that has my mind deep into stand-up in the hours since.
Bill's opener was Paul Virzi, who was hilarious. They'd been in Canada for ten days already, so of course they had some spot-on observations and jokes about Canada and Canadians, but the pandering was minimal.
I listen to Bill's Monday Morning Podcast occasionally, but I avoided his material for the months leading up to the show so I could get a full, fresh dose of what's on his mind, and it was a treat.
Shout out to Just For Laughs for producing the tour. It's Bill's first Canadian tour and he claims he'll be coming back.
Bill's opener was Paul Virzi, who was hilarious. They'd been in Canada for ten days already, so of course they had some spot-on observations and jokes about Canada and Canadians, but the pandering was minimal.
I listen to Bill's Monday Morning Podcast occasionally, but I avoided his material for the months leading up to the show so I could get a full, fresh dose of what's on his mind, and it was a treat.
Shout out to Just For Laughs for producing the tour. It's Bill's first Canadian tour and he claims he'll be coming back.
Labels:
Bill Burr,
Burton Cummings Theatre,
Comedy,
Standup Comedy
Thursday, March 6, 2014
Sargent & Victor & Me (& Me)
While technology advances, live entertainment holds its value. The immediacy of being in the room for a performance captures a shared humanity whether it's in the form of theatre, music, comedy, sports, or even juggling.
There are many possible pitfalls for a one-person show, and many things need to go just right in order to pull it off well. I saw the one-woman version of Sargent & Victor & Me at the University of Winnipeg on March 4th, and found it a powerful experience at times. Debbie Patterson plays all the parts with equal commitment but varying results.
I found myself tearing up several times during the performance, but it was more to do with my personal experience with people living with multiple sclerosis than anything else.
There are many possible pitfalls for a one-person show, and many things need to go just right in order to pull it off well. I saw the one-woman version of Sargent & Victor & Me at the University of Winnipeg on March 4th, and found it a powerful experience at times. Debbie Patterson plays all the parts with equal commitment but varying results.
I found myself tearing up several times during the performance, but it was more to do with my personal experience with people living with multiple sclerosis than anything else.
Thursday, February 27, 2014
A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed
I recently read the book A Thousand Farewells by Nahlah Ayed (for school), and so now I'm writing about it (for school).
It was a decent book. I found it boring much of the time, the writing is very dry. It pulled me in at first, then worked diligently at alienating me. It felt like an engaging, 65-page coming-of-age story followed by three hundred pages of appendices.
The early chapters work well. Nahlah started her life in the neighbourhood I live in, followed by her parents deciding to move the family from Canada to a refugee camp in Jordan. They eventually return to Canada, but the backward-seeming move instantly hooked me. Unfortunately, once her early life has been established, I was left wanting throughout the rest. I liked reading the perspective of recent political and historical events from the people on the ground where they occurred, but I felt like Nahlah disappeared after the beginning.
It was a decent book. I found it boring much of the time, the writing is very dry. It pulled me in at first, then worked diligently at alienating me. It felt like an engaging, 65-page coming-of-age story followed by three hundred pages of appendices.
The early chapters work well. Nahlah started her life in the neighbourhood I live in, followed by her parents deciding to move the family from Canada to a refugee camp in Jordan. They eventually return to Canada, but the backward-seeming move instantly hooked me. Unfortunately, once her early life has been established, I was left wanting throughout the rest. I liked reading the perspective of recent political and historical events from the people on the ground where they occurred, but I felt like Nahlah disappeared after the beginning.
Labels:
A Thousand Farewells,
Book Review,
Egypt,
Generation Kill,
Iraq,
Lebanon,
Nahlah Ayed,
Syria
Friday, February 14, 2014
Valentine’s Day. Enjoy it if you can. I’m
going shopping.
I’d expected a smoother show for the second
time around on Lollapaloser. I set it up to be a sad Valentine’s show, but my
solo radio instincts have got a ways to go. I found my groove again around
halfway through, maybe I need to do a 90 minute show, and not broadcast the
first 30.
It would have helped if I’d remembered to
put my phone into airplane mode.
I played some of my very favourite sad
songs, including the saddest song I know, Sufjan Stevens’ Casimir Pulaski Day.
My greatest regret is that I didn’t fit in
The Verve’s The Drugs Don’t Work.
Drive-By Truckers’ The Sands of Iwo Jima has made me cry numerous times. It’s nice to
be reminded that you’re not a psychopath every once in a while.
*nervous laughter*
It also would have been pretty sweet if I
had exposed a few new people to ‘Til Tuesday and Voices Carry. I still gave Aimee Mann’s Labrador a play, though, so that will have to be consolation.
This last link is to a low-quality Valentine's Day-inspired piece that I wrote and performed for the Comedy Loser live show four years ago. I look a lot different in it than I do now, but I think the piece still has some merit.
This last link is to a low-quality Valentine's Day-inspired piece that I wrote and performed for the Comedy Loser live show four years ago. I look a lot different in it than I do now, but I think the piece still has some merit.
Labels:
Aimee Mann,
Casimir Pulaski Day,
Comedy Loser,
DBTs,
Sad Songs,
The Verve,
Valentine's Day
Friday, February 7, 2014
The High Horse Olympics
The 2014 Winter Olympics officially begin today in Russia. I didn't bother with the opening ceremonies. I'm sure it was beautiful, but nationalism leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Call me back when there's an interesting athletic competition so I can see who wins, and get back out before they start playing the winning country's branding song.
However, I have a problem with the anti-Olympic stuff I've been seeing online.
People who would have demonized gays 25 years ago are having
a real nice time mounting their high horse when it comes to the Winter Olympics.
I’ve heard the Sochi Winter Olympics described as ‘the most anti-gay
Olympics’ but that’s incorrect. We are sitting in a brief period of history where
maybe there have been a couple
Olympics that didn’t actively shun all gay people, but does anyone actually
believe that it was more gay-friendly in Berlin in 1936, Los Angeles in 1984,
or Calgary in 1988? AIDS had a lot of people afraid of gay people in the ‘80s,
and I don’t think Hitler is known for his humanitarian record.
It’s a comfortable position, sitting in the saddle of a high
horse, but with gay marriage not being legal everywhere in the US, maybe tone
down the angry rhetoric.
The US should also stop looking down its nose at Russian
corruption. Canada likes to compare itself to the US, because our policies
pretty much always look good compared to them. We may be second-last in something,
but as long as last-place goes to the US we feel accomplished.
The US has to compare itself to Russia to if they want to
look good at all. That’s a pretty
sorry state of affairs.
Sure, it’s troubling that Russia has passed anti-gay
legislation. That said, I don’t recall hearing as many calls to boycott the
Beijing Olympics, and there’s evidence that the Chinese government uses
prisoners as organ farms.
I guess as long as your country’s shady bullshit is for the
purpose of making money, that’s okay. Almost anything is okay when done in the
pursuit of money (prisons, hospitals, schools), but Russia’s anti-gay activities
don’t generate corporate dollars so they have to go sit in the corner until they can figure out a way to monetize their hatred.
Friday, January 31, 2014
His Airness
When I was a young, impressionable child, I
collected some hockey cards like my classmates did, but I never cared about
them as anything but a collection. I didn’t play or watch hockey. I only had a
vested interest in Brett Hull, because we had the same first name and I knew he
was good.
Seriously, he had more goals in the 1990s than
anyone, haters.
Michael Jordan was unavoidable, even from
Swan River in a pre-Internet age. MJ was always a much bigger star to me than
Wayne Gretzky.
The Great One has always looked like he’s
begging for someone to take his lunch money. He was always my least favourite
of the Pro-Stars. He didn’t deserve
to be on the same cartoon as MJ.
I read Sports
Illustrated for Kids, and I was always on the lookout for new MJ stuff.
The only basketball jersey I ever bought was
a Washington Wizards Michael Jordan jersey.
MJ’s tongue-wag makes Gene Simmons sick to
his stomach with envy.
NBA players still wear Jordans.
MJ was so amazing that he got kids like me
to wear a Bulls cap fastened with long, coloured laces and one of those
springy-button doohickeys. I’m still struggling to prove that these existed,
but I had one and it was super badass.
Michael Jordan is the only athlete of my
childhood. Anyone else was a statistic.
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