February 2, 2006
Charlie didn’t show today — luckily Gary’d been pestered by an ex-employee (not Mark) to return to work, so E.J. (who I’ve never worked with before) starts tomorrow. Gary’s wife [D] came in for a few hours this afternoon to help with the lunch rush. She’s great on the phones, I just wish I’d heard both sides of the conversation …
[D]: “Thanks for calling [The Indy]. How may I …”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “Okay, tuna over garden and …”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “Cans, twenty ounces and two-”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “… liters, yes. Well, I was trying to. Diet Coke? Your total is nine-twenty- wait! You said you …”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “I don’t know where that is. What’s the–”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “I have new drivers every day, what’s the–”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “York Road is a long place, and there are — no, you really do need to be more specific.”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “Okay, listen — you give me an address, or you’re coming down here to pick this up.”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “Well, that’s great that ‘everyone else’ knows where you’re located but I’m not sending this food to you until I get a business name, your name, an address, and a phone number and …”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “Y’know what? This is for pickup. See you in ten minutes.”
*click*
*Ring-ring*
[D]: “Thanks for calling [The Indy], how may I help you?”
(Gabble-gabble-gabble)
[D]: “So it’s for [idiot inc], your name is [dumbass], the address is [not off York Road], and the phone number is [1-800-dumbass incorporated]? Great. We’ll get this right up to you.”
Yesterday I saw the new Dukes of Hazzard movie.
It was a great deal better than I expected, even though my expectations should have been high — this being from the Super Troopers crowd.
The driving stunts were absolutely, breath-takingly amazing. I think the trailer did a good job capturing the feel of what makes The General Lee a character in its own right. I had no trouble “suspending disbelief” in watching the film, even though several of the jumps would have wrecked a real car (there’s a cool behind-the-scenes clip of the freeway jump being filmed, and the car jumps, hits, then wrecks into a concrete barrier immediately, it’s pretty neat). There’s an extended “slide through a round-a-bout” and I have to admit I could agree with Bo’s: “How the eff do we get out of here?”
I did think some of the roles were miscast. Burt Reynalds as Boss Hogg? Didn’t buy it for a second — Danny Devito (height, anyway) would’ve been perfect. M.C. Gainey played Roscoe a bit too “Nazi-ish” … Roscoe was always a bit of a bumbler, with just a bit of that old “honest cop” he used to be underneath. I also didn’t care for Willie Nelson as Uncle Jesse — from the perspective of a fan of the original show, I thought many of the casting issues had as much trouble with getting the wrong actor as they did in scripting the new-versions of these characters as far from possible as they were portrayed in the series.
Not that, mind you, I’m a prude — I very much enjoyed the unrated DVD’s sorority scenes and all of the bouncing boobies, I just don’t think Denver Pyle’s Uncle Jesse would have been cracking some of those jokes.
Bo and Luke were good casting, but — again, series ref — Luke was always the older, more cautious cousin, a Marine who’d served in Vietnam, while Bo was the head-strong “go get ‘em” reckless cousin. There was a bit too much of Bo in Luke for my care.
And why does Daisy have to drive a Jeep Rubicon? Crap! Like she could afford one on her tips from the Boar’s Nest, anyway.
Plotwise, the film fit well in with what could have been expected from the series: Boss Hogg hires a famous ex-Hazzard current circuit-racer to come to town so no one shows up at the courthouse to protest new legislation which will turn much of the county into a strip-mine, with some bar-room brawls, illegally planted evidence, and much Jessica Simpson skin along the way. It wasn’t bad, it made me laugh, and there’s a funny sequence where the cousins head into Atlanta and get derided — and cheered — for the flag on the roof.
(which is to say, Hill Street Blues)
– and, yes, I stand by that — is now on DVD. Rent. Watch. Enjoy.
Holy crap! Futurama’s not quite dead after all!
HERE’S GREAT NEWS!
Here’s the official word on Futurama!!
David X. phoned me about an hour ago and said that this Futurama project
is a done deal! Here’s the word from DX—
There are 4 DVD movies that we’ll start recording at the end of July or
August.Full feature length FUTURAMA movies.
Everybody is excited to get back together–as I am!
Into the Future,
Billy
Hooorah! I’m going to drink a can of motor oil to celebrate, then I’m going to go kiss Bender’s shiny metal ass!
