So, I just got done watching the opening pilot episode of the first episode of House.

First off, something nice, your writing talent was well received in the first episode. Your writing is what makes your works so likable.

It was perhaps the defining moment of the show, and by far the most beautiful. Then, Mr. Shore, the show that you probably worked hard to get the funding for a pilot for this “new idea,” and somehow the second episode becomes the least artistic and most “user friendly” piece I have seen. First off, you change the opening logo to some crappy song that tries “embrace the emotion of the show” or whatever. Forget that the pilot had no music, but introduced you to the characters in a much more dramatic way that advances the story. I don’t remember the place that made the intro (I was at their website once) but somebody went to some intro creating place that attempts to make the intro more enticing than the actual show. THEN during the second episode, you use some song that is totally inappropriate and serves no purpose other than to bias the watcher into thinking this is some insane dangerous spur of the moment drama. That may be it, but you have the same amount of time as the pilot as you do for your second show. It isn’t like you can’t go slow.

But here is what really gets me: YOU REMOVED THE ‘WARM’ FILTER YOU USED ON THE PILOT. The pilot had a flair of artistic intent, very much created by a filter you either used in your camera or during post. So what happens in the second episode? You cold start into a the brightest, greenest, football field that you can find! And there is NO FILTER. WHAT THE FUCK? The writing for the first episode was perfect, obviously when the creator of the series writes a show it has special meaning, but obviously you have oversight and have to approve everything before it is shot.

All I can say here is that after Fox picked this show up some idiot had a ‘focus group’ of ‘ordinary Americans’ and they thought that it could use xyz. If it was a focus group, why the hell did you let them fuck the show so much?

Do you even care about what you created? ER had a great first season because there was consistent drama and the characters were consistent. People LIKED ER. It took seaons for that style to change for the worse, you managed to do it in ONE FUCKING EPISODE.

BUT THEN you do something REALLY INTERSTING, you team up with Bryan Singer (Director of Pilot, X-Men Series, etc) on the 3rd episode and all of a sudden things change and make it a little (not a lot) better. Why is it better, you didn’t add so many bright colors and ferns everywhere. The actors still seem too fucking happy and way too independent than they were during the first episode. Why aren’t they more afraid of house, more inquisitive, etc. All of a sudden they become much more liberal and independent. Is this the same show?

ARUG! I’m going to sit back and pray that you, Singer, and tell the DP you used on the pilot to go back and do a show that seem much better directed and edgy instead of a nighttime drama that is going to last 4 seasons and be forgotten by everyone. Until then, I’ll keep watching, and I’ll forget about how good the pilot was. Then wait until you do another pilot and have the show destroyed during the 2nd episode.

The E3 Expo is coming up this May. I have always wanted to go to it, so much so that I started my own gaming site awhile ago so I could get there while under 18. Turns out that if you are under 18 you can’t be there no matter what you tell the wonderful expo people.

Anyways, Will Wright, the creator of Sim City and co-founder of Maxis has always been something of an idol. I met a ton of people in an IRC channel (including my friends at Steadfast Networks) so I guess Will Wright is responsible for a lot of my life. Go figure.

Anyways, he has a new game coming out called Spore. There is a video on Google Video that is a presentation that Wright gave at the Games Developer Conference. This will be the best 37 minutes of your day, so choose “continue” and go see it.

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Russ Feingold, Russ Feingold. I am officially declaring it, this man is my Political Hero. Sure I disagree with him on a few things (Censure was a political stunt, duh) but in general he is a great guy. I like how he voted for Chief Justice John Roberts to leave committee because he felt it was proper that a sitting President have his nomination brought before the full senate. I like how he voted against the democrat’s attempts to kill the Bill Clinton perjury debacle. I like how he is willing to be a fiscal conservative, and made good on his promise not to take a pay raise. I like how he visits every county in Wisconsin on his ‘listening sessions.’

But the rest of the country just doesn’t ‘get it.’ Hillary Clinton this, Hillary Clinton that. 2008 is all about Hillary.

But one refreshing news story came out of his censure: His Progressive Patriot Fund got a ton of money in March. $282,000 to be exact. Compare that to $105,000 in February and you have one hell of a fundraiser. I knew this was going to happen, he HAS to be aiming for the Bush-hating crowd. I won’t say the people who voted for Howard Dean, but I’m going to go out there and say a good amount of people may be Dean supporters. Maybe I’m wrong, but it is nice seeing him get a boost.

I still don't like his nephew. If I have to work with him in the future, OK, but until that moment, he's an asshat.

I have been harping about it for years. Political Candidates need to use Google Adwords for their campaigns. It appears that someone has started Paul Bucher. His website, the cover of which is (a poorly lit) him in some race with a law-enforcement shirt and promises of “Fighting Cyber Crime” and “Fighting Election Fraud” next to his face. Oh, and he mentions “Battling Violent Crime”… Good job Paul. I don’t know how in the hell you are going to fight crime when the main forces actually “fighting crime” aren’t under your control (City Police/County Sheriff/etc.) I guess you can go hire the DNR rangers to go fight violent crime. So if you are in the WI area and you see “Liberals fear him” that’s our old friend Paul.

But thanks for advertising on my site!

Speaking about violent crime, the entire City of Milwaukee is Pissed Off that 3 White Off Duty Police Officers, who beat up a black guy (Frank Jude) at a party, are “Innocent” according to an all white Jury. How the fuck did that happen?

I mean, literally, almost EVERYBODY in the city got the wind knocked out of themselves. White, black, hispanic, asian, etc. This is a city where you can draw a line between the black and white people’s blocks. I guess they all agreed that these three WHITE POLICE OFFICERS ASSULTED A BLACK GUY. In fact, I would garner almost the entire city thinks race had something to do with it. WHITE off duty police officers did this, to a black guy. There is no question they beat the shit out of him. These 3 guys beat the shit out of a black man (or held him down while the other two were beating the shit out of him) and they got away with it! What the FUCK?

Part of the problem is the other police officers who were there didn’t say shit at the trial. They kept their “code of silence.” Of those who DID testify they got put on shifts in bad neighborhoods alone, got verbal abuse, etc. Sorry, but if you’re a police officer and this type of crime happens, and you, as a police officer, KNOW WHAT THEY DID WAS ILLEGAL, you FUCKING SAY SOMETHING. I can understand how some officers misstep… Hell, I bet a few officers take drugs off the street and take them home (cheap pot) and other officers know. I don’t care. Hell, if other officers shut up about another officer doing something crazy, go ahead. But this case was too bad for something like a “code of silence.”

As for the future, I hope that these guys are tried as many different ways as possible until they end up with jail terms. The question with this case wasn’t suppose to be “innocent” or “guilty” it was “how long these guys are going to sit in prison.” If the Federal Government steps in, they can hold a grand jury and hold every officer aware with the situation in jail for withholding information. Hopefully those who did not testify see the inside of a Federal Holding Facility for a few days. They won’t be hero’s to anybody.

Oh, and it was beautiful when these police officers kept getting pay while on trial. I believe that technically one of them can go back to the force. Beautiful.

Continued below is a video that Ryan Alexander and I shot during the Jefferson Jackson (I’m still calling it that) dinner on the 8th. This is my first experience with Google Video and even with the delay between submission and the video being live, it is well worth the wait.

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