Apologies for the brief hiatus, things have been busy at the FAA. The industry is abuzz as Rainn Wilson's In-Flight Magazine article created stirs last week. His idea of a Skymall only birthday party sounds like a great time, and his observation on airline movies is spot-on. (I never would have seen The Talented Mr. Ripley
if it hadn't been literally unavoidable, projected before me on the
screen immediately in front of me, years before I should ever have seen
someone bludgeoned to death. Sorry, Spoilers.) And I've been fielding
important calls from fashion designers all week to weigh-in on the
history of in-flight uniforms.
Troubling news yesterday morning from abroad on my phone-news,
though, as an alarming kidnapping hits Poland and news of a sad death
comes from Russia. First, I was informed that
seven endangered monkeys were stolen
from a Polish zoo. While the article is quick to suggest a motive
(thanks, Krzysztof Kazanowski), it tragically lacks pictures... Perhaps
because including images of these hilariously mustachioed monkeys
would have diminished the levity of their kidnapping. We can only hope
that some equally adorable tamarin-san launches a rescue of Monkey-Miyagi. Tail-sweep the leg!
In other tragic news, a man who forever changed the course of
viral-video history passed away yesterday after suffering a stroke in
early April.
Eduard Khil, also known as Mr. Trololo,
has, as the article regrettably puts it, sung his final note. The
resurgence of his video made him an internet phenomenon, and led to some
great parodies. My personal favorite came following the Oscars last
year, and featured Best Supporting Actor winner Christoph Waltz
reflecting on his early role in the cult classic experimental film "Der Humpink."
(Toss some headphones on for that one if you're viewing at work, things
get a little racy. Of course, your silly giggling may give you away.)
And let's give a big, invisible hand to economist Adam Smith, who
turns 289 today. (And no coincidence, he shares a birthday with
American financial wiz Suze Orman... Let's hope Suze does something nice
for her big day. She can afford it.)
Like Rainn Wilson, I wish you well, dear reader, on your journey.
From the Desk of the Morning Reporter: A guided tour of the Internet.
Showing posts with label Aviation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Aviation. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Animation Nation: Pixar and Dreamworks
So sorry for the lack of a Monday Report, and for the delay in today's
reporting. I've been terribly busy tending to a wide variety of air traffic emergencies, as you can imagine. But we should be returning to normal now.
One reader followed up on Friday's Report, even though much of that edition was culled from links he provided. He suggests that the best view in Paris, and one that includes the Eiffel Tower, is actually found at the top of the Sacre-Coeur, a cathedral in northern Paris. Having been there with my parents when I studied in London, I strongly agree, though our view that day was slightly clouded by fog and potential volcanic ash.
I was excited this weekend to learn that Pixar was re-releasing four films in theaters for Memorial Day weekend. And some fan favorites, too... Perhaps, as the linked article suggests, to remind us that the misguided Cars 2 is not at all par for the course for one of the most consistently critically and commercially successful film studios in film history. (Indeed, as the one Pixar film that I did not see in theaters, I would rank it as a double-bogey at best.) Certainly the tear-jerking opening montage of Up, the wonderful space sequences of Wall-E, and the Parisian settings of Ratatouille will restore any faith lost by the many fart jokes of Mater the tow truck. And if those don't persuade viewers, surely the theatrical re-release of the third installment of the most critically successful film trilogy of all time will. No lie, nerd that I am, I knew a lot of those things that they said I probably didn't know... Pixar films are full of great Easter Eggs, and this article is really only scratching the surface.
Much as I don't want to refer to it again, Cars 2 serves as a useful segue to another piece I've been hanging onto for a while. In the absence of a good Pixar film last summer, Dreamworks snuck in and won me over with another installment of Kung-Fu Panda. I've long had problems with Dreamworks animation and the generally mediocre quality work I think they put out... Too many pop-culture references and poop jokes and not enough story. And as much as I love the first two things there (especially when they are combined!) I put storytelling above all else. Sure every once in a while they pull through with something like Shrek (sequels get stale) and How To Train Your Dragon (holy flying-scenes, Batman!), and I do consider Ice Age to be a factor in my attending Georgetown... But overall, I'm not a huge fan. Maybe the secret to the success of Kung-Fu Panda, though, is some source material its artists may have been drawing on. No evidence to support this theory, but still, I mean... Look at the pictures!
That's all for today! Walk around a dark hallway popping pills and running from ghosts; Pac-Man debuted in Japan 32 years ago!
One reader followed up on Friday's Report, even though much of that edition was culled from links he provided. He suggests that the best view in Paris, and one that includes the Eiffel Tower, is actually found at the top of the Sacre-Coeur, a cathedral in northern Paris. Having been there with my parents when I studied in London, I strongly agree, though our view that day was slightly clouded by fog and potential volcanic ash.
I was excited this weekend to learn that Pixar was re-releasing four films in theaters for Memorial Day weekend. And some fan favorites, too... Perhaps, as the linked article suggests, to remind us that the misguided Cars 2 is not at all par for the course for one of the most consistently critically and commercially successful film studios in film history. (Indeed, as the one Pixar film that I did not see in theaters, I would rank it as a double-bogey at best.) Certainly the tear-jerking opening montage of Up, the wonderful space sequences of Wall-E, and the Parisian settings of Ratatouille will restore any faith lost by the many fart jokes of Mater the tow truck. And if those don't persuade viewers, surely the theatrical re-release of the third installment of the most critically successful film trilogy of all time will. No lie, nerd that I am, I knew a lot of those things that they said I probably didn't know... Pixar films are full of great Easter Eggs, and this article is really only scratching the surface.
Much as I don't want to refer to it again, Cars 2 serves as a useful segue to another piece I've been hanging onto for a while. In the absence of a good Pixar film last summer, Dreamworks snuck in and won me over with another installment of Kung-Fu Panda. I've long had problems with Dreamworks animation and the generally mediocre quality work I think they put out... Too many pop-culture references and poop jokes and not enough story. And as much as I love the first two things there (especially when they are combined!) I put storytelling above all else. Sure every once in a while they pull through with something like Shrek (sequels get stale) and How To Train Your Dragon (holy flying-scenes, Batman!), and I do consider Ice Age to be a factor in my attending Georgetown... But overall, I'm not a huge fan. Maybe the secret to the success of Kung-Fu Panda, though, is some source material its artists may have been drawing on. No evidence to support this theory, but still, I mean... Look at the pictures!
That's all for today! Walk around a dark hallway popping pills and running from ghosts; Pac-Man debuted in Japan 32 years ago!
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