25 Things You Don’t Know About Me

Posted on January 31, 2009 by Shane

So there’s this crazy note that’s been going around the Internet tubes and I’ve been tagged like 5 times on Facebook to do it. I’ll do my best not to propagate the meme (if only for Meesha’s sake), but I’ll do it here on the old blog and it will then go through the tubes automagically into my Facebook account. (Isn’t modern technology great?)

Now, where do I start?

I’m willing to try anything once…especially when it comes to food.
Each year, I am more excited to watch the Oscars than I am to watch the Super Bowl.
My favorite Muppets are Waldorf and Statler.
I think Ben Affleck gets a bad rap as an actor and is much more talented than people think.
When I was growing up, the first profession I remember wanting to do was to be President of the United States.
I am terrible at poker. But do not mess with me in any trivia-based game. Especially Scene It.
My wife is my best friend. I don’t say that lightly because I have very good friends that I’ve known longer than her, but she understands me better than anyone else in the world.
I hate mustard in all forms. I will choke it down to be polite, but avoid it if possible.
I have competed in 7 different sports in my lifetime (soccer, baseball, basketball, volleyball, football, swimming, tennis). I play golf, but that’s something I picked up in college. The sports that I listed are all ones that I played against other teams.
My favorite book of all-time is Catcher in the Rye.
My favorite T-shirt is a volleyball camp shirt that I got at the Marv Dunphy Volleyball Camp at Pepperdine over 15 years ago.
I like doing laundry. I enjoy the monotony of it…how I don’t really have to think about it.
My friends and I used to play hide and seek at my buddy’s farm…well into our college years.
It’s been years since I have not had facial hair of some sort.
I absolutely loved working at the Pizza Shack. I became friends with my wife there.
I am most comfortable in a T-shirt, jeans and flip flops.
If I had to eat one thing for the rest of my life, it would be cheeseburgers. Toasted bun, mayo, pickles, lettuce, tomatoes, monterey jack cheese, farm-raised ground beef, mayo, toasted bun.
My immediate family is all musically inclined. I am not. Although I really wish I could play guitar. I don’t have the patience to learn.
I am flipping awesome at self portrait photography.
Winter is my favorite season. BY FAR. I love snow. We haven’t had nearly enough this year.
I have sprained each of my ankles a half-dozen times each because of volleyball. Although my first ankle sprain ever (and the worst one by far) was incurred during a pickup basketball game at a birthday party.
I hate wearing suits, but if I looked like Don Draper in a suit, I’d wear one every single day.
My least favorite place in the world to be is a hospital.
I took the LSAT but did not apply to any law schools. I would have gotten in to most of them based on my score.
I want to design at least one typeface before I die.

What do you think?

I love my dog

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Shane

We’ve seen a couple of sad dog movies lately. First it was Marley & Me. I was prepared for that movie to be sad, but I still bawled. Today, we saw Hotel for Dogs, a kids movie that made me want to go out and rescue every dog that I could. While Hotel for Dogs isn’t quite sad in nature (it is, after all, a Nickelodeon movie), it still had parts that got me choked up.

I’m a sucker for dogs. We’ve almost always had them as I was growing up and Alli and I have decided that instead of being “kid people”, we’re gonna be “dog people.” Now that may mean that our house will smell a little or that our clothes and furniture will be covered in tiny fur, but I can’t put a kid in a kennel and leave it for the night. You can do that with a dog. Sure, that’s selfish and all, but I’m OK with that. I think I’m at a point in my life where I’m OK with being a little selfish.

We got Dreyfuss less than 6 months after we got married. He’s now 8 years old, which means that at 80 pounds, he’s a little slower than he once was, and he sleeps all the time. I’ve started to think about what it will be like when he isn’t with us anymore and even typing it makes me sick to my stomach. He’s a loving, protective dog who is a part of our family. Not only that, but he is utterly and completely ours. Everything about him reflects us. He loves to sleep (guilty), has a distinctive smell (guilty again), is completely happy just sitting on the couch watching TV. He’s also utterly brilliant. I have an example, but I am going to use a scene from Marley & Me to explain and if you haven’t seen it, SPOILER ALERT! (Resume reading after the second set of stars.)

*****

There is a scene in Marley & Me where Jennifer Aniston returns from the hospital after losing a baby. Now, up to this point, Marley has been exactly what the book title says, “The World’s Worst Dog.” Instead of jumping on her unknowingly, this brilliant animal shows what true empathy is by sitting quietly, resting his head on her lap, and comforting her.

My dog has done and continues to do this on many occasions. A few years back, Alli had an ovarian cyst that ruptured and she had to have an emergency surgery to remove it, as well as her appendix which had become inflamed. During the long recovery process, she recounted the hours and days that she spent with Dreyfuss laying his head on her stomach calmly. He was her protector when I was off at work and he continues to protect our house always. (Believe me…he might be cute, but you do not want to be a burglar in our home. He’s a pretty imposing dog with a big bark.)

*****

Dreyfuss is an awesome dog. We are so lucky to have him as a part of our family. I hope that we have him for many many more years.

Dragonfly Bakery

Posted on January 26, 2009 by Shane

One fun thing that we got to do as a part of the planning process for Ashley and Tyson’s wedding was to taste the cake, made by the awesomely local Dragonfly Bakery of Olathe.

We found this bakery through a dance team parent who had brought Alli and Ashley cupcakes prior to their competitions the past two weekends (which they really did amazingly at, BTW).

Dragonfly Boba Tea and Bakery is a locally-owned and operated little shop right next to Pei Wei at 119th and I-35 in Olathe. One of the reasons that they came to our attention was that they have the ability to make gluten-free cakes and desserts. Since Ashley and Tyson both have a gluten intolerance that borders on celiac disease, they didn’t think they were going to be able to have a wedding cake when they get married in April.

With Dragonfly, they will.

We got to taste both the gluten-free and the regular cakes from Dragonfly and I could barely tell the difference between the two. The cakes are amazing. Ashley and Tyson decided to go with Dragonfly’s signature white chocolate cake for both their own personal gluten-free cake as well as for the main cake for those of us whose intestines can tolerate gluten.

Not only are the cakes terrific, but the owners are a terrific group of ladies that use recipes from their grandmother Opal, who passed away in 2006. Now, three generations of Opal’s children and grandchildren run the business in honor of her, a great tribute to a lady that made a heck of a cake.

If you’re looking for a cake for any occasion, I suggest you go check out Dragonfly.

I was not paid for this endorsement, although I would certainly take free cake for it.

A Whole New Mind

Posted on January 26, 2009 by Shane

I stayed up until 1:00 a.m. last night finishing Dan Pink’s fantastic book, A Whole New Mind: Why Right-Brainers Will Rule the World.

I’ve had this book since I won it at the 2006 HOW Conference (along with Chip Kidd’s book, The Cheese Monkeys). I’d heard lots of great things about it, but for whatever reason, I never got around to reading it. Since I’ve got some reading time on my hands, I thought I’d give it a shot.

The basis for Pink’s book is that we are no longer in the Information Age, but have moved on to the Conceptual Age, where information-based work can be replaced by computers and cheap laborers. The challenge for this age is “high-touch” and “high-concept” thinking, also known as “right-brained thinking.”

Pink states that the new crop of workers need to develop six essential skills in order to succeed in the new Conceptual Age – Design, Story, Symphony, Empathy, Play, and Meaning. (To understand what each of those mean, you’ll have to pick up the book.)

I was really fascinated by the book because I found that my own personal skills and abilities really lined up with Dan’s essential skills. That doesn’t mean that I shouldn’t continue to develop them, but it means that I’ve developed skills over the course of my career that will be useful in this next age.

Now if I could just find a job that would recognize those talents instead of ruling me out the instant that I try to apply for something that I’m qualified for…

It FINALLY happened

Posted on January 24, 2009 by Shane

I’m about half a day late to this dance, but that doesn’t mean I can’t celebrate. Herm Edwards is finally gone.

I want to point you to a post that I wrote on December 18, 2006 in which I called for his firing:

The Kansas City Chiefs are a poor excuse for a mediocre football team. And I blame Edwards. His poor game planning has single-handedly ruined one of the league’s most potent offenses over the last 5 years and turned it into a team that loses to THE CLEVELAND BROWNS.

So a mere two years later, I finally get what I’ve been asking for all along.

I’m not sure what took the organization this long to let him go. He had to know that the writing was on the wall, but I’m assuming that Edwards thought to himself, “If I get fired, I still get paid, but if I quit, I don’t.” I’ve never seen Herm as a quitter. He’s a decent guy, a man of faith and family and all that, but as a football coach, he is dismally underqualified.

We know that Herm can’t take all the blame for the disaster that is the Chiefs, but he should bear a large amount of the responsibility with his antiquated approach to offense and his inability to put together a defense. With Carl Peterson gone, the writing was really on the wall for a guy whose team was only better than Detroit, Oakland and St. Louis over the last two years and only had two wins in the last 25 games.

The rumor mill is abuzz with who will be the next head coach at 1 Arrowhead Drive. Chris Mortenson at ESPN is lobbying heavily for former Donkeys redfaced coach Mike Shenanigans. I hope for the love of God he is wrong. The Chiefs fan in me will always be conflicted cheering for that guy. I can’t figure out what the appeal of Shanahan is. This is a guy who melted down in the horrid AFC West this year, ultimately losing their last three games and the division to the Chargers who had started the season at 4-8.

If the Chiefs are looking to go with a proven coach, I’d prefer Bill Cowher (he claims he doesn’t want to coach this year, but I imagine he could be convinced). But honestly, if I’m Scott Pioli (or any general manager for that matter), I’m not paying these big salary coaches a dime. I’d rather go with a guy like Haley, the offensive coordinator from the Super Bowl-bound Arizona Cardinals. The time for these old coaches is over. Let’s get some new blood on the sidelines and see what they can do. It seems to be working out OK for Pittsburgh and Arizona, who both have first-time head coaches (Mike Tomlin and Ken Whisenhunt, respectively) at the helm.

Ranking the Beatles

Posted on January 23, 2009 by Shane

Via kottke, I found this list that ranks all released Beatles songs from 185 (Revolution No 9) to 1 (A Day in the Life).

Ranking that full list of songs is quite an undertaking. And ambitious at that. The Beatles have been a favorite of mine ever since I was very little. My mom and dad ingrained in me an appreciation for their contribution to the world of pop music and once I heard Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, I was totally hooked. Last year’s Across the Universe was one of my favorite movies of the year for this reason alone.

I’m not ambitious enough to rank all 185 singles, but I’ll give you my own personal top 10 (the original author’s overall ranking of the song is in parentheses). Feel free to share your own Beatles favorites in the comments.

#10 – “Blackbird” (49)

I’ll be honest…when I heard they were going to use a bunch of Beatles songs for the soundtrack of Sean Penn’s movie I Am Sam, I was a little annoyed. I imagine it was a result of Michael Jackson owning the Beatles’ catalog and then spending himself into oblivion and losing the rights to evil overlord Sony because he owed them so much money. But to hear Sarah McLachlan sing this song (and then subsequently to hear my oldest friend Gabe sing it at his sister’s wedding accompanied only by a bass) totally sold me on this track.

#9 – “Eleanor Rigby” (10)

There’s something about this song that rings true to me. I didn’t really discover this gem until later into my adult life and when I listened to it. (But I found it before David Cook covered it for American Idol.) I found it to be this great character study and I began to understand where Ben Folds (another one of my favorite artists) found some of his story-telling inspiration.

All the lonely people…where do they all come from?

#8 – “I Want to Hold Your Hand” (114)

The Beatles early music is personified by this track…the light clapping in the background, the harmonies…this song is what brought them to America. Along with songs like “Love Me Do” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”, this is the sound that many people associate with The Beatles. Unfortunately, they miss out on some of their later brilliance. That’s not to discount their early work. It just shows how great they were.

#7 – “Something” (9)

It’s just a great love song. George Harrison was vastly overshadowed as a songwriter because of John and Paul, yet his abilities are so evident in songs like this. While he was arguably the largest spiritual seeker in the group, he still seemed to stay grounded despite all their escapades with the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This is only my perception, but this song is a great example of why George should have gotten more of his songs on the albums. He was a great songwriter that just coincidentally happened to be in a group with two of the greatest of all-time.

#6 – “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” (116)

I loved this song so much when I first got the Sgt. Pepper’s album. It wasn’t until later that I learned that the song was really about drugs. That was a bizarre discovery for me. I’d listened to this record so innocently over and over and over again and that revelation was an awakening to me. Songs about drugs? That’s not such a huge revelation to the current generation, but to me…it was huge. I began to understand it more. I never got into heavy drugs…music was the only connection to that world I would ever have. This song was my gateway to that world.

#5 – “Hey Jude” (5)

There’s nothing I can really say about this song that hasn’t already been said. The way that it starts simple and just grows and grows…brilliant.

#4 – “When I’m Sixty-Four” (67)

My list will obviously be marked by more songs from Sgt. Pepper’s than most, but that’ a result of how special that album is to me. I’d affectionately call this song a “little diddy” because it’s got this great old-timey feel. I remember being littler and singing this song to myself at the top of my lungs, before I really understood it. But it’s so great and happy and it’s my list. The way that Paul sings “Indicate precisely what you mean to say…yours sincerely wasting away…” is so wonderfully joyful.

#3 – “Yesterday” (51)

Just listen to the strings arrangement and the way it compliments the simple guitar-playing.

#2 – “Let it Be” (63)

Perhaps the most iconic Beatles song ever, it’s no surprise that it’s at the top of my list. It’s just so genius. The simplicity of the beginning – just a piano and a voice, then it opens to be a gospel hymn. Beautiful. I love how Julie Taymor portrayed it in Across the Universe:

#1 – “A Day in the Life” (1)

The author and I share our number one ranking, “A Day in the Life”. It’s the closing song on Sgt. Pepper’s and…well…the author says it best:

“A Day In The Life,” to me, is the quintessence of what The Beatles are all about. On that song they took the seemingly mundane ordinariness of everyday life and showed it in a different light, and suddenly the view changed. Suddenly the drear of existence seemed flush with possibilities, even if those possibilities were only accessible via the corridors of one’s own mind. While the lyrics drolly looked at the limits of reality, the music dared to suggest those limits were illusory and easily shattered.

It’s gorgeous and it nearly brings me to tears every time I hear it. It’s like a full opera in 5 ½ minutes.

Wrapping it up…

Honestly, your list will not be the same as my list. There are certainly people who don’t like The Beatles and others who probably love them more than I do. But it’s hard to deny that their work did anything less than change the landscape of music for generations to come. If you’d like to hear the original songs, I suggest that you visit the original inspiration for this post. He’s done the work of linking online to versions of all the songs.

Full Oscar Nomination List

Posted on January 22, 2009 by Shane

Performance by an actor in a leading role

Richard Jenkins in “The Visitor” (Overture Films)
Frank Langella in “Frost/Nixon” (Universal)
Sean Penn in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Brad Pitt in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Mickey Rourke in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Performance by an actor in a supporting role

Josh Brolin in “Milk” (Focus Features)
Robert Downey Jr. in “Tropic Thunder” (DreamWorks, Distributed by DreamWorks/Paramount)
Philip Seymour Hoffman in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Heath Ledger in “The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.)
Michael Shannon in “Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage)

Performance by an actress in a leading role

Anne Hathaway in “Rachel Getting Married” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Angelina Jolie in “Changeling” (Universal)
Melissa Leo in “Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics)
Meryl Streep in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Kate Winslet in “The Reader” (The Weinstein Company)

Performance by an actress in a supporting role

Amy Adams in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Penélope Cruz in “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” (The Weinstein Company)
Viola Davis in “Doubt” (Miramax)
Taraji P. Henson in “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.)
Marisa Tomei in “The Wrestler” (Fox Searchlight)

Best animated feature film of the year

“Bolt” (Walt Disney), Chris Williams and Byron Howard
“Kung Fu Panda” (DreamWorks Animation, Distributed by Paramount), John Stevenson and Mark Osborne
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Andrew Stanton

Achievement in art direction

“Changeling” (Universal), Art Direction: James J. Murakami, Set Decoration: Gary Fettis
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Donald Graham Burt, Set Decoration: Victor J. Zolfo
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Art Direction: Nathan Crowley, Set Decoration: Peter Lando
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Art Direction: Michael Carlin, Set Decoration: Rebecca Alleway
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Art Direction: Kristi Zea, Set Decoration: Debra Schutt

Achievement in cinematography

“Changeling” (Universal), Tom Stern
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Claudio Miranda
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Wally Pfister
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Chris Menges and Roger Deakins
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Anthony Dod Mantle

Achievement in costume design

“Australia” (20th Century Fox), Catherine Martin
“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Jacqueline West
“The Duchess” (Paramount Vantage, Pathé and BBC Films), Michael O’Connor
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Glicker
“Revolutionary Road” (DreamWorks, Distributed by Paramount Vantage), Albert Wolsky

Achievement in directing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Fincher
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Ron Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Gus Van Sant
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Stephen Daldry
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Danny Boyle

Best documentary feature

“The Betrayal (Nerakhoon)” (Cinema Guild), A Pandinlao Films Production, Ellen Kuras and Thavisouk Phrasavath
“Encounters at the End of the World” (THINKFilm and Image Entertainment), A Creative Differences Production, Werner Herzog and Henry Kaiser
“The Garden” A Black Valley Films Production, Scott Hamilton Kennedy
“Man on Wire” (Magnolia Pictures), A Wall to Wall Production, James Marsh and Simon Chinn
“Trouble the Water” (Zeitgeist Films), An Elsewhere Films Production, Tia Lessin and Carl Deal

Best documentary short subject

“The Conscience of Nhem En” A Farallon Films Production, Steven Okazaki
“The Final Inch” A Vermilion Films Production, Irene Taylor Brodsky and Tom Grant
“Smile Pinki” A Principe Production, Megan Mylan
“The Witness – From the Balcony of Room 306” A Rock Paper Scissors Production, Adam Pertofsky and Margaret Hyde

Achievement in film editing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Kirk Baxter and Angus Wall
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lee Smith
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Mike Hill and Dan Hanley
“Milk” (Focus Features), Elliot Graham
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Chris Dickens

Best foreign language film of the year

“The Baader Meinhof Complex” A Constantin Film Production, Germany
“The Class” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Haut et Court Production, France
“Departures” (Regent Releasing), A Departures Film Partners Production, Japan
“Revanche” (Janus Films), A Prisma Film/Fernseh Production, Austria
“Waltz with Bashir” (Sony Pictures Classics), A Bridgit Folman Film Gang Production, Israel

Achievement in makeup

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Greg Cannom
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), John Caglione, Jr. and Conor O’Sullivan
“Hellboy II: The Golden Army” (Universal), Mike Elizalde and Thom Floutz

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original score)

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.),Alexandre Desplat
“Defiance” (Paramount Vantage), James Newton Howard
“Milk” (Focus Features), Danny Elfman
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A.R. Rahman
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Thomas Newman

Achievement in music written for motion pictures (Original song)

“Down to Earth” from “WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Music by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman, Lyric by Peter Gabriel
“Jai Ho” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music by A.R. Rahman, Lyric by Gulzar
“O Saya” from “Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Music and Lyric by A.R. Rahman andMaya Arulpragasam

Best motion picture of the year

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), A Kennedy/Marshall Production, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Ceán Chaffin, Producers
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), A Universal Pictures, Imagine Entertainment and Working Title Production,Brian Grazer, Ron Howard and Eric Fellner, Producers
“Milk” (Focus Features), A Groundswell and Jinks/Cohen Company Production, Dan Jinks and Bruce Cohen, Producers
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), A Mirage Enterprises and Neunte Babelsberg Film GmbH Production, Nominees to be determined
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), A Celador Films Production,Christian Colson, Producer

Best animated short film

“La Maison en Petits Cubes” A Robot Communications Production, Kunio Kato
“Lavatory – Lovestory” A Melnitsa Animation Studio and CTB Film Company Production, Konstantin Bronzit
“Oktapodi” (Talantis Films) A Gobelins, L’école de l’image Production, Emud Mokhberi and Thierry Marchand
“Presto” (Walt Disney) A Pixar Animation Studios Production, Doug Sweetland
“This Way Up”, A Nexus Production, Alan Smith and Adam Foulkes

Best live action short film

“Auf der Strecke (On the Line)” (Hamburg Shortfilmagency), An Academy of Media Arts Cologne Production, Reto Caffi
“Manon on the Asphalt” (La Luna Productions), A La Luna Production, Elizabeth Marre and Olivier Pont
“New Boy” (Network Ireland Television), A Zanzibar Films Production, Steph Green and Tamara Anghie
“The Pig” An M & M Production, Tivi Magnusson and Dorte Høgh
“Spielzeugland (Toyland)” A Mephisto Film Production, Jochen Alexander Freydank

Achievement in sound editing

“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Richard King
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), Frank Eulner and Christopher Boyes
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Tom Sayers
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Ben Burtt and Matthew Wood
“Wanted” (Universal),Wylie Stateman

Achievement in sound mixing

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), David Parker, Michael Semanick, Ren Klyce and Mark Weingarten
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Lora Hirschberg, Gary Rizzo and Ed Novick
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney),Tom Myers, Michael Semanick and Ben Burtt
“Wanted” (Universal), Chris Jenkins, Frank A. Montaño and Petr Forejt

Achievement in visual effects

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Eric Barba, Steve Preeg, Burt Dalton and Craig Barron
“The Dark Knight” (Warner Bros.), Nick Davis, Chris Corbould, Tim Webber and Paul Franklin
“Iron Man” (Paramount and Marvel Entertainment), John Nelson, Ben Snow, Dan Sudick and Shane Mahan

Adapted screenplay

“The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” (Paramount and Warner Bros.), Screenplay by Eric Roth, Screen story by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord
“Doubt” (Miramax), Written by John Patrick Shanley
“Frost/Nixon” (Universal), Screenplay by Peter Morgan
“The Reader” (The Weinstein Company), Screenplay by David Hare
“Slumdog Millionaire” (Fox Searchlight), Screenplay by Simon Beaufoy

Original screenplay

“Frozen River” (Sony Pictures Classics), Written by Courtney Hunt
“Happy-Go-Lucky” (Miramax), Written by Mike Leigh
“In Bruges” (Focus Features), Written by Martin McDonagh
“Milk” (Focus Features), Written by Dustin Lance Black
“WALL-E” (Walt Disney), Screenplay by Andrew Stanton, Jim Reardon, Original story by Andrew Stanton, Pete Docter

Just the nominations. I’ll give you my picks later today.

A complaint from a job seeker

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Shane

Yep. Still unemployed.

It’s been over a month now and the market still looks horrid. My recommended jobs on Careerbuilder are the same jobs I feel like I’ve applied for already.

But this isn’t about the market. The market sucks. Everyone knows that.

No…my complaint is with these corporations and organizations that keep people jumping through numerous hoops, trying to make hiring decisions based on empirical evidence rather than actually having to interview anyone. I remember a time not so long ago when you would just e-mail or fax your resume to a company and they’d actually call you or send you a letter telling you they were going a different way.

In the current environment, you must fill out a brand new full application every single time you apply online. It includes your work history (which is on your resume), your education history (also on the resume), references and skills (resume). It would be OK if there was one standardized form that you could fill out and then use each time you had to do this somewhere else (I’m thinking XML, people).

Instead, each application takes upwards of an hour. It’s not that I don’t have the time, it’s the redundancy that annoys me.

Then, at the very end of the application process, you’re asked maybe 3-6 pre-qualifying questions that help to put you into a bucket.

Now, here’s the rub.

I had a couple people who pointed me towards the Graphic Designer position at KU Medical Center. I’ve been a graphic designer for the last 6 or so years, working both on the web and as a print designer. I’m more than capable of doing this position and frankly, if anything, I’m probably overqualified.

But because of this horrible process, I was immediately ruled out because I didn’t actually attend school for graphic design. I didn’t study design or art…I was a writer in school and still am to an extent. Since I didn’t check that one box to their approval, I was rejected right away. No explanation other than “you don’t currently meet our requirements.”

This is a problem. People aren’t being allowed to tell their story and so employees are being interviewed based on their very easy-to-lie-about histories. There are people like me who have a liberal arts background and a variety of skills that qualify me for several different areas. That doesn’t mean that I’m not a good employee, but rather that I have the ability to learn from different disciplines and apply what I’ve learned to my career.

I know that the HR Directors out there have to do all this reporting and stuff and that this drawn-out, empirical process makes it easier for them to do it, but corporate America is not better for it. People are losing their stories. They start expecting to be judged solely on what they’ve done and not who they are as people.

That bothers me.

Righteous Kill

Posted on January 21, 2009 by Shane

Alli and I used our free Monday Redbox rental to pick up Righteous Kill, a cop movie starring cop movie stalwarts Robert DeNiro and Al Pacino. DeNiro and Pacino are Hollywood heavyweights who’ve only appeared together onscreen one other time in Michael Mann’s totally underrated 1995 cop movie Heat.

Righteous Kill focuses on long-time partners Turk (DeNiro) and Rooster (Pacino) as they investigate a series of killings in New York City that involve low-life scum who’ve been knocked off with very little evidence.

It’s a pretty straightforward cop movie with decent supporting roles for John Leguizamo, Donnie Wahlberg, Carla Gugino and 50 Cent. Both DeNiro and Pacino are starting to look a little old to be chasing bad guys, but they’re still great actors.

Righteous Kill didn’t get great reviews. I thought it was just OK. It certainly wasn’t the worst thing I’ve seen, but it wasn’t the best. Comparing it to some other cop movies out there, it certainly can’t hold a candle to some of it’s competition. But for a free rental, it was just fine.