What??? We Can't Have This...

A celebrity actually taking responsibility for the wrong things they do? And thinking of their coworkers and the people who depend on them? Scandalous!!

Sutherland to jail, but '24' OK

"24" star Kiefer Sutherland will serve 48 days in jail, but that is not going to affect production on his hit Fox series.

After reaching a deal with prosecutors, Sutherland pleaded no contest Tuesday to a charge of driving with a blood-alcohol level above the legal limit a week ahead of his Oct. 16 arraignment.

The Los Angeles City Attorney's Office on Tuesday recommended a 48-day sentence for the actor to be served in two installments -- 18 days for the probation violation beginning Dec. 21 and 30 days for the DUI charge to be completed by July 1.

The schedule allows Sutherland to serve his time when "24" is not in production -- during the Christmas break and after the show wraps its seventh season.

"I'm very disappointed in myself for the poor judgment I exhibited recently, and I'm deeply sorry for the disappointment and distress this has caused my family, friends and co-workers on '24' and at 20th Century Fox," Sutherland said.

Now, it's no excuse for getting drunk and getting behind the wheel of a car. Sutherland's gone down in my estimation of his character just for that. But standing up for his actions and taking responsibility show he's got a little bit of maturity. I've always liked him, even though if you've ever seen or read interviews with him, he seems pretty quirky.

Sci-Fi Cliches To Try At Home

I think it'd be cool to rush up to a somewhat random person on the street, ask them wildly, "What's today's date???" To which they'd suspiciously reply, "Um, October 10th...why?" Then you'd say, "No...no...what year is it? What year??" (optional vigorous shaking with both hands on their upper arms). They'd take a small step back and slowly say, "....um, 2007." You would drop you arms, say something to yourself along the lines of, "...I've overshot again" or, "...then I still have time - I still have time!!" and then run off, laughing or crying.

Hey, it happens all the time in time travel movies. Why not now?

Hangin' Out With My Hero

The Horror of It All...

The Beast has a synopsis of Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios and a review of our film-making extravaganza

In addition to the HHN event itself, Rex and I were going to be filming the sequel to our smashing 2006 success "Mission: IOA." This time around we decided to bring in some help, so Barry from over at Inn Of The Last Home stepped up to the plate. He gave a wonderful boost to the entire project and was responsible for some of the funnier scenes in the movie. We filmed most of the day on Thursday and Friday morning till about 11:30.

Aw shucks, tweren't nothin'...

Stay on Target! Stay on Target!

Artoo, that stabilizer's broken loose again...

This coulda been the coolest thing ever:


X Wing Rocket - Watch more free videos

I take it back, it was the coolest thing ever. Too bad the structural integrity failed and the S-Foils couldn't stay on. The original plan was for the wings to stay together, then unlock and open into attack formation.

How cool was that? Hopefully they'll try again soon....

Gremlins in the Water

Is it just me, or does there seem to be an inordinately high number of school closings lately, especially those based on breaks in the local water systems?

Broken water main washes out Pigeon Forge classes

Water problem gives Jefferson County students school break

Water main break closes Pellissippi’s main campus

Central High back in session tomorrow after dishwasher problem

Either there's some mad plot by a Batman-type villain, determined to keep students out of school (Could it be the dreaded Drainer? Or how about the Mad Sprinkler? Or dare I even mention the maniacal Captain ColdorHot?) That or there are some fiendish Gremlins wreaking havoc across East Tennessee, determined to get wet after midnight and spawn more of themselves.

Actually, I assume it's just because someone's mad about this.

Saturday Night

Had a great gig with the Atomic Horns, even after not rehearsing with them for a month or so. One of our better shows.

Wish some of you folks had been able to make it out :(

Blogging From Orlando - Day 9 (Final Day)

Back home, and not a moment too soon - but a few things to finish up first...

FRIDAY

Filming at Islands of Adventure

• This time Laura helped get in on the movie act, as she filmed us in a few scenes where the three of us all had to be in the same shot. Such as the three of us riding the "Suess in the Sky" train about Suess Landing. Or the big confrontation scene in the "Dueling Dragons" castle.
  
  
• Thrilling stuff, I know. Edge-of-your-seat excitement.
  
  
• We finally finished all we could do, had lunch together at Mythos, the #1 theme park restaurant in the world there at IOA, and headed to the airport.
  
  
• Uneventful ride home, although somehow during an early afternoon shower I must have stepped in a puddle and my right sock was wet the rest of the evening.

Overall, it was a fantastic trip but we were very happy to get home. The kids met us with the grandparents at the airport and had a great homemade "WELCOME HOME" sign for us.

Blogging From Orlando - Day 8

Time, the ever-flowing river....

I need a vacation from my vacation.

I think...I think...I think this time it's going to work!

We're not insured for this.

Have you seen my horse?

Ok, enough with the Universal parks ride quotes. On to the post.

THURSDAY

Filming at Universal Studios Florida

• Today Gary, Phillip and I roamed USF filming scenes for their sequel to last year's blockbuster: Mission: IOA. In this version, Rex and The Beast...well, I won't give too much away. When it's all done, I'll post a link and you can see all three of us chewing scenery, getting all dramatic and generally making life miserable for the employees and other guests, especially the ones in the E.T. line.
  
  
• Gary and Phillip are incredible Universal fans - they have season passes and don't even live in the state. They fly down 2-3 times a year to visit the parks and know them all backwards and forward. It's no secret that Disney parks in general and EPCOT particularly are my favorites, but Universal parks are fun for a diversion from time to time. I want to bring my kids maybe in a couple of years when they'll both be old enough to enjoy all the rides. Plus they'll soon be adding a "Harry Potter" land to Islands of Adventure, so that will be a big selling point.
  
  
• The day was again very hot, even worse than yesterday. Sweating was profuse and outside scenes were shot as quickly as possible. If you happened to be visiting USF on October 4, 2007 and happened to see three late-thirties/early-forties guys wandering around with a bunch of video cameras, acting like total loons, that would be us.
  
  
• At one point I pretend to shoot Philip with a little "cricket" gun from Men in Black. He also dives to the ground to get away. There are clandestine meetings in San Francisco, frantic chases through Central Park and bugged meetings in Mel's Diner.
  
  
• Danger! Suspense! Intrigue! Am I Selling This! Too Much! Ok, that's enough.

Tomorrow we finish up filming at Islands of Adventure, then Laura and I drive to the airport and head home. Therefore the final Blogging From Orlando - Day 9 post will probably not be up till sometime on Saturday. Try to contain your suspense.

Blogging From Orlando - Day 7

Five parks in five days. Is that some kind of record?

WEDNESDAY

Universal's Islands of Adventure

• Today is my and Laura's 15th Wedding Anniversary. Yay us :) More on the festivities later
  
  
• Today was hot hot hot. Except when we were freezing cold. More on that later, too.
  
  
• IOA is a unique park, in my experience, in that theming here is everywhere. Even overshadowing the rides themselves, there's atmosphere all over. The five "islands" in IOA are Marvel Superhero Island, Toon Lagoon (lots of classic comic strip and animated cartoon characters), Jurassic Park, Lost Continent (a combination of Arthurian Ye Olde English, Arabian, Greek and Roman mythology), and (Dr.) Suess Landing. You are completely immersed in the back stories of each area - Marvel Superhero Island is a complete comic book NYC with Daily Bugle, Lost Continent is full of myth and mystery, etc. Visually it's about the most interesting park I've visited.
  
  
• One of the rides in Toon Lagoon was Popeye's Bilge-Rat Barge, a spinning raft ride through a raging river. I believe that was the wettest I've ever gotten on a ride - we were soaked to the bone, and never completely dried off till the day was over. Some of the rides we rode had extensive queue areas, and they were air conditioned. Which normally is a welcome relief on a scorching hot day. Well, when you're soaking wet, it causes you to freeze solid. Brrr...
  
  
• We met my college roommate Gary at Margaritaville after the day was over and had a great anniversary dinner with a great friend.
  

The week is drawing to a close. Tomorrow I return to Universal Studios Florida for a day of secret filming with Gary and his brother Phillip as they produce their next big motion picture extravaganza.

Planning Your Weekend

Here's a quick notice for all you rabid Atomic Horn fans out there - we'll be back at the Eagles Lodge in Oak Ridge this Saturday night at 8pm for a whole new set.

If you go to the intersection where the Oak Ridge Turnpike meets Illinois Ave., continue going west on the turnpike away from the main business area. Just about a block down on your right is the Eagles Lodge.

The last time we were there Tish, Rich, LissaKay and Mark were kind enough to show up - I hope some of them, and maybe some others (especially in the Oak Ridge area) can make it out.

Anyway, Saturday night, October 6th, 8pm. Atomic Horns, Eagles Lodge. Be there!

Blogging from Orlando - Day 6

Ahh....some rest. This was our "nothing" day.

TUESDAY

Not a whole heck of a lot of anything

• Even though we had nothing planned for the day, we had to get up early and hear the obligatory time-share spiel. Blah, blah, blah, yada, yada, yada...no, we're not buying, no we're not upgrading, whatever. Give me my $75 in Disney Dollars, please. Thank you.
  
  
• After spending the day relaxing in the room, we visited a new place on the Disney property, Disney's Boardwalk. This is a nice area near the BoardWalk Resort featuring shops, restaurants and nightlife entertainment with a New England/Coney Island theme. It's a little similar to Downtown Disney, the larger shopping/eating area a few blocks away, but not so flashy and, um, frantic. Low-key, with old time charm and entertaining jugglers, magicians and rolling pianists creating atmosphere. Had a great dinner at Big River Grille & Brewing Works, strolled along the boardwalk and, due to its proximity to Epcot, watched Illuminations again from behind the buildings in between the properties.
  
  
  
  
  
  
• A very nice, low-key, restive day.
  
  
• Made contact with my buddy Gary who will be getting in town tomorrow evening. And we'll be getting together then. His brother Phillip, aka "The Beast" will arrive on Thursday and filming on our new movie will begin.

Tomorrow: Back to the parks! And not a moment too soon!

Blogging from Orlando - Day 5 (Epcot)

Sorry about the delay, I just needed some time to rest and recouperate.

MONDAY

Epcot

• This is pretty much the day we built the trip around - the 25th Anniversary of the opening of Epcot. On Oct 1, 1982 EPCOT Center became the 2nd gate at Walt Disney World and a new era of Disney parks expansion had begun. You probably know EPCOT was Walt Disney's final dream and the subject of his last filmed appearance before his death - a true, unified community of tomorrow. Over time the Disney executives modified his dream to present a vision of the future married to a permanent World's Fair with pavilions from several countries around the world. This is my favorite park of all and I felt privileged to be around for the anniversary celebration.
  
  
• We arrived just after 8:20 and made it easily through the turnstiles to the front of the crowd gathered below Spaceship Earth. It was easy to see that plenty of Epcot fans from all over were here to celebrate. Faces painted, lanyards festooned with pins, some dressed as characters from the park - they all came.
  
  
• When ropes dropped, we hit Mission: Space and rode with no waiting. There are two intensity levels to the ride: the original "Orange" level that produced many upset stomach and dizzy spells since it opened, and a newer, less intense "Green" level that didn't spin. We rode Green, and honestly I didn't notice a lot of difference from the last time I rode it a few years ago at full intensity. But I'm not one to get motion sick or really sense that sort of queasiness while spinning, so maybe that's just me. Anyway, try the Green if you're nervous about it, it's fine.
  
  
• At 10:01 AM was the rededication ceremony in front of the big fountain. I don't recall the names of all the dignitaries who spoke but one was Erin Wallace, VP for Walt Disney World (a name that should be strangely familiar to those who know me personally) and Marty Sklar, one of the original Imagineers, a friend of Walt Disney's and architect of much of what we saw that day at Epcot. Some photos are below.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• We rode Test Track, The Seas with Nemo and Friends, and a spectacular new ride at Epcot, Soarin'. We then made our customary circuit of all the nation pavilions, especially the inspiring patriotic American Adventure show with new footage.
  
  
• It had rained off and on all day and by dusk clouds were threatening again. We staked out a great spot near the edge of the lake to watch the special fireworks show, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth". About 15 minutes before showtime the skies opened up and the rain began to pour. While we were concerned the show might be cancelled, we were more concerned about delay - once again, the resort bus had a small window to pick us up and return us to the hotel. Any delay in the start of the fireworks could mean getting left again. The rain let up after about 5 minutes, and about 9:10 Illuminations began. At the end was a special anniversary finale that was truly memorable.
  
  
• We rushed through the park, out the entrance to the location where our bus was to be with about 5 minutes to spare.

This is a park with a lot of detail, a lot of charm, and a lot of promise and hope for the future. It's the perfect place to soak in ambiance, meet people from around the world, experience new technologies and new innovations, and enjoy the best Disney has to offer. A fantastic day.

EPCOT 25th Anniversary Ceremony - Finale

These are the last few minutes of the ceremony that marked the 25th Anniversary Ceremony at EPCOT on 10/1/2007.

Goofy Busts a Move at EPCOT 25th Anniversary

Maybe this will tide you over...

Blogging From Orlando Delayed Due to Inclement Weather

Just like the EPCOT fireworks show, "Illuminations: Reflections of Earth", the Orlando Trip report will be delayed until tomorrow (Tuesday).

That should give you an idea how part of our big day at EPCOT went yesterday...

Blogging from Orlando - Day 4

Oy, this is killing me. But it's a good hurt.

SUNDAY

Universal Studios

• Actually slept in today - woke up about 10. Had a late breakfast, hung out for a while and we were ready to head out around noon.
  
  
• Spent the afternoon at Universal Studios. Tonight was one of their "Halloween Horror Nights" so the park was closing earlier than usual. This also meant that while the crowds were light in the early hours, they increased as the afternoon went on. We got snagged by a survey taker soon after entering the park - as we found out yesterday, sometimes there are nice perks for taking surveys and gladly obliged.
  
  
• We rode Earthquake, watched the Blues Brothers stage show (and took notes for the Atomic Horns performances. Me and Paul from the band do better Jake and Elwood than these guys...). Men in Black a couple of times (I'm still no better at scoring points than the last time), Jaws, E.T. Adventure, Terminator 2: 3D (Laura's favorite), Shrek 4-D and still my personal favorite at Universal, Twister: Ride it Out. I know my friend Gary will be shocked we didn't do the Mummy, but we just weren't up for the fast stuff today. This was rest day! And we still did a lot.
  
  
• Today was much less intensely hot, but the wind also kicked up a great deal. No rain, though, just a great day for going to a park.
  
  
• It's nice to have time to kill - the passes I bought online allow 7 consecutive days of entry to both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure and we have 4-5 days to visit both as much as we want, so no need to cram everything in.
  
  
• Still disappointed Back to the Future closed, which was my next favorite ride last time I came. It's been dismantled for a new Simpsons ride next year. It'll probably be good, but it still won't be a BTTF.
  
  
• We left the park around 5:30 and once again got surveyed - this time about our experience in the park that day. Perks? Perks? No perks. C'mon, USF - show some love. Ah well.
  
  
• Had dinner out in Orlando and came home and swam. Got to get some rest for the big day tomorrow....
  

Tomorrow: EPCOT's 25th Anniversary!

Blogging from Orlando - Day 3

SATURDAY

Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom

• Rode a shuttle bus from the resort to the Magic Kingdom about 8am. The driver told us we would be able to watch the fireworks shuttle and could be back in plenty of time for the return bus at 9:30. Remember this instruction, it comes back into play later.
  
  
• While waiting in line at the front entrance, near the front of the line, a nice young Disney Cast Member asked us if we'd like to come take a quick survey - we'd finish quickly and actually get to enter the park before the rest of the crowd. Well, duh, no brainer. We followed her through the gates and took the survey in a small building just inside. After we finished it was still a few minutes till 9 (rope drop) so we just walked on down Main Street USA. It's a surreal sight to see the street mostly deserted, only some welcoming cast members waving a friendly hello. Cinderella's castle loomed in the distance.
  
  
• We headed straight to the newly refurbished Haunted Mansion and rode it twice in a row, no wait. The new enhancements are amazing. We then rode Pirates of the Caribbean twice, again no waiting. This coming in right after opening is amazing - 4 rides in less than an hour.
  
  
• Jungle Cruise, Splash Mountain (first time) and It's a Small World rounded out our morning at the Magic Kingdom. It was just after noon and time to head out of the park.
  
  
• We'd noticed several couples wearing "Happy Anniversary" Disney buttons, so just before we left the Magic Kingdom we stopped in Guest Relations and asked for some. Received them with no questions asked, and a congratulations. From then on the rest of the day many cast members we encountered congratulated us on our anniversary. You could tell pretty soon the management had mandated all cast members encountering someone wearing the buttons do so, but it was still thoughtful.
  
  
• We caught a Disney shuttle bus to Animal Kingdom and headed straight to Dinosaur - The Ride. We got caught in a downpour but made it there anyway, soaking. Again, no wait. Some late lunch and over to Expedition Everest. The wait there was actually 30 minutes, but a kindly soul gave me a FastPass and I got in right away. Very nice ride - I liked this one.
  
  
• We then saw the new Finding Nemo: The Musical show (quickie review: songs and voices somewhat lacking; energy, puppetry and spectacle fantastic) and headed back out of the park, and back to the Magic Kingdom.
  
  
• This time we took the Ferry boat back to the Magic Kingdom, and spent the evening in Tomorrowland. Stitch's Great Escape, Space Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, one of personal favorites the Tommorowland Transit Authority, and Monsters, Inc Laugh Floor. In the Laugh Floor, certain audience members are put up on the big screen and interact with the computer generated monster on the screen. Well, yours truly found himself on the big screen making a fool of himself in front of about 300 people.
  
  
• We found a prime spot to have some dinner, watch the Spectromagic parade and watch the fireworks show "Wishes" with a full view of Cinderella's Castle. In honor of our Tink, the live Tinkerbell that flies down a wire from the top of the castle passed right over our heads.
  
  
• Tired and sore, we exited the park and tried to make it back to the bus. When we got there at 9:36 pm - no bus. They had waiting only 5 minutes or less, and left. We ended up making a visual circuit of Epcot on the monorail and finally caught the 11pm bus back to the resort.

Except for the trouble with the bus at the end of the day, it was absolutely perfect. I made a schedule and plan before we started, and was able to hit everything we wanted to in the time we had. I love it when a plan comes together.

As much as we enjoy having the kids with us at Disney, there's something really special about spending time there with the one you love. Something very special, indeed.

TOMORROW: A LITTLE R&R, AND UNIVERSAL STUDIOS

Short Interlude for Baseball Update

Here's a quick update to the BrainyBoy baseball situation. We missed his game last night (Thursday) so called him from Pop Century this morning to check up on how it went.

He played outfield for 2 innings, and third base for 2 innings. According to him nothing was hit his way, but he tagged a man out leading off of third. Good for him! More progress, hopefully, in impressing his coach.

I'm encouraged.

Thank you to all those who offered helpful suggestions - they're appreciated.

Blogging from Orlando - Day 2

Sometimes you're just hardwired to wake up at a certain time. Laura is, I'm not. We had till 12:30 to check out and she was awake at 6. Old habits are hard to break. Up and at them!

FRIDAY

• Had breakfast in the massive Pop Century food court. We had surprisingly good portions of eggs'n'bacon crossiant and a standard egg/sausage/bacon/hashbrowns plate. Very tasty and great way to start the day.
  
  
• Decided to walk off the breakfast by taking a leisurely stroll around the resort, taking in all the decorations and gaudy kitsch. It was freakin' hot. By 10am it was likely pushing 90 degrees. We were able to walk the whole resort, keeping in the shade when possible and taking several photos.
  
  
• After checking out, we drove over to the Animal Kingdom Lodge to look around. This resort, one of the most upscale of all the Disney resorts, is unique in that several animals routinely roam "savannahs" closely visible from the guest rooms. Giraffes, zebra, gazelle, bongos, buffalo and many variety of birds move here and there in full view of the guests. We explored all over this resort, just watching and seeing what was there. The theming of the Lodge was gorgeous, in African motifs and pleasany native music. We took our time and enjoyed the lodge. It would be great to stay here someday, as the lobby and restaurant area, plus the pool, are beautiful. Unfortunately it's pretty much out of our price range in our life time. Onward.
  
  
• Next we drove over to to Port Orleans resort and had some lunch. The section of Port Orleans that we visited has a Mardi Gras, French Quarter feel and as we at lunch in the on-site restaurant, giant decorations stared down at us from the walls. Huge masks and over Mardi Gras decorations filled the walls and ceiling. We bought some beignets and a ham and cheese sub and people-watched.
  
  
• It was time for check-in at the resort where we will stay for the rest of the trip here - Wyndham Resorts at Bonnet Creek. There's a lake behind the resort, pools, a lazy river floating area and walkways - more importantly it's a place to dump our stuff. On the way to the resort we stopped and got some groceries and somehow in the process of getting from the store to the room we lost one of the bags. Cheese-it Crackers, Chips Ahoy cookies, bandaids and camera batteries - gone. Crap. Anyway, we rested in the room for a good while until around 5pm.
  
  
• Drove out to Downtown Disney and had dinner at the House of Blues restaurant. I had a pulled pork barbecue sandwich and Laura had corn chowder and a salad. We took the boat launch from the West Side around to the Market Place, shopped for awhile then walked back through Pleasure Island and back to the car. Not only does Downtown Disney have the world's largest World of Disney Store (since the one in Knoxville moved locations it isn't the same), a Lego Store and (Laura's favorite) Disney's Days of Christmas, my favorite place is the Art of Disney where they sell artwork, cels, sketches and other renderings of Disney characters and movies. There are some truly breathtaking works in there, and we will probably return and purchase some Tinkerbell prints for our Tink's room....
  
  
• Got back to Bonnet Creek about 9, just in time to watch the Epcot fireworks show from our balcony. I shot some video and will try to post it eventually as well.
  
  
• Early start tomorrow as we hit the Magic Kingdom and Animal Planet. 999 Happy Haunts wait for no one - there's room for 1,000... Any volunteers?