Jackass: the blog post

Jackass is a very interesting idea because it seem to bring out the inner fool in a lot of people. There is nothing wrong with enjoying Jackass, it can be humorous when it is not being gross.

Put a little perspective on Jackass 3D's success through numbers

Jackass 2 was released September 22 2006
Jackass 2 gross as of November 24 2006 (USA): $18, 775, 517

Jackass 3D was released October 15 2010
It grossed $50,353,641 on it's opening weekend on 3,081 screens in the US
As of November 21 2010 the film has grossed over $116,000,000
It is the 18th highest grossing film of 2010 right now.

There is no doubt that there was a lot more promotion for the third film because the budget was higher due to filming parts of the movie in 3D. The promotion is key when the film you are releasing has an estimated budget of 20 million dollars. What is most intriguing is that the film is that it is one of two films in the top 20 highest grossing films of 2010 that is rated R. The other film is Shutter Island But the audience for that was large partly because of Martin Scorsese's celebrity factor. The film was also based off a best selling book and had Leonardo DiCaprio, which didn't hurt. But the fact that Jackass 3D did so well with only part of movie goers only proves that it is becoming more popular for the masses.

Don't really know what point I was trying to make here. Maybe the point is that all media is being dumbed down so it is no surprise that film is one of those media.

Response to From Yesterday by 30 seconds to mars

On a mountain he sits, not of gold but of shit
through the blood he can look, see the life that he took
From council of one
He'll decide when he's done with the innocent

On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)
On his face is a map of the world
(A map of the world)

From yesterday, it's coming!
From yesterday, the fear!
From yesterday, it calls him
But he doesn't want to read the message
He doesn't want to read the message
Doesn't want to read the message here

On his face is a map of the world

My hero

If i had to describe anyone as my hero it would probably have to be my grandfather, John McCullough. He flew fighter planes in World War II for the RCAF. I believe he was 17 or 18 when he enlisted. At that age, i would have been to terrified or immature to serve my country like he did. I feel enlisting in itself would be a hard thing to do at any age. My grandfather flew Hurricane fighters in Europe for his first term overseas. He was given leave but instead he volunteered to fly Typhoon bombers instead because the RCAF needed experienced pilots. He was shot down during one of his missions and managed to crash land his plane. He spent so time hiding in farms in the area until some German soldiers found him and took him to  POW camp. He eventually escaped the camp when English soldiers posing as Germans offered to drive him to another camp. I'm unsure of the details surrounding his escape but with all the stroies I've been told i think the Englishmen posing as Germans is consistent. To be honest, I only know the general story about my grandfather's actions during the war. He never really talked about it. What I've learned came from the stories my mother told me when i was younger and i feel she may have glossed over a couple details because of my age. One of my biggest regrets was that I never actually asked him about the war because i was afraid of upsetting him. I feel i could have learned a lot. Thats not to say I haven't learned a lot from my grandfather. He was the one who taught me how to ride a bike and he always encouraged my reading by making jokes about the amount of book I would bring when i came to visit. I learned a lot from my grandpa and am honoured that I had a chance to spend so much time with such a wonderful person.

Babies in Space!

This post is based off a painting we were shown in class.

Alpha Leader was always seen as the hero of the Intergalactic Infant Defense Corps. Since the first day at the Academy, he was the teacher’s pet. He reputation wasn’t hurt by the fact that he had found a way to genetically alter a dolphin so it could fly through the vacuum of space. He had always been miles ahead of the rest of the class. While the rest of us were learning how to use the throttle in the simulator, he was busy doing space walks. If I sound bitter, it’s because I am. It may also have to be burped.

I hope those of you who read this post and haven't seen the painting are thinking “what kind of painting were they shown?” It was awesome.

Thankful at Thanksgiving

I thought I would write another short story. It's rough but I thought I would post it any ways.

            Carl poured the gravy down the sink. The chunky brown liquid dribbled slowly down the drain. It wasn’t as thick as the gravy last year but no one but him would know that. For the second year in a row, he cooked a full turkey dinner for one. As he placed the mashed potatoes in a Tupperware container, he began to feel that the house was too quiet.

He wandered into the den and put on the Buddy Guy album he bought earlier that week. Carl moved back to the kitchen as Buddy Guy’s Fender Stratocaster began to squeal through the speakers of his stereo. He began to sing along to the music in an effort to fight back tears.

After the dinner was packed into plastic containers and placed in the fridge, Carl thought he would try and give Helen another call.

“Helen, its- Hey, its Dad. I’m hoping that you’re having… I made turkey again this year. Well, uh, I hope, um, that you are having a good time with- with, uh, school. Give me a call back if you get a chance. Goodnight.”

He doubted she would call him back if she hadn’t called him back after his first twenty messages this past year. He sighed heavily to himself as he ran his hand through his hair.

What did I do to make my kids hate me like this, he thought. He knew the answer but always asked himself the question.

The answer was simple enough. He had an extramarital affair and when his wife found out she killed herself. Margret had been mentally unstable for some time. Naturally, the kids blamed him. Once they were old enough to go to university, the both of them moved away for school. Scott chose to go west to Calgary and Helen decided to head north to Quebec. He doesn’t blame them; he would have done the same. He would have run from himself if it were possible. Hell, he drank to run from himself.

He moved back into the den for his bottle of whiskey. As he passed, he noticed the birthday card on the desk in the hall. Scott’s birthday was in two weeks. In three weeks, Carl could look forward to a letter with the words “return to sender” on the envelope. He retrieved the whiskey the bar and went to the living room. He sat in the dark room, drinking his whiskey as Buddy Guy continued to sing about his cheating woman.

Another successful Thanksgiving, Carl thought to himself. Well at least I have my health to be thankful for.

He continued to drink in his dark living room until he passed out. Ten minutes later, his phone rang. It went to the machine.

Our Generation?

What are the greatest minds of my generation? When I try and think of someone my age that I can look up to, no one comes to mind. Why is it so difficult to think of someone my age that I could idolize? It could be that I’m really picky about who I look up to. That may be true but I also believe that our generation isn’t all that sure what we want to be. Now, I could go ahead and make a bunch of jokes about how television has destroyed our attention span but they’re not that funny. The fact is that our generation hasn’t decided how we want to been seen by future generations.

If I had to describe our generation right now I would have to say that we are technophiles. We obsess over the latest gadget. Most of us can’t function with out our phones. If you ask someone on the street the time, they are more likely to check their phone than a watch.

Now I’m reluctant to call this generation the technophile generation because I can only imagine that the fixation with new technology will only grow as more generations come to pass. By no means am I taking the position that the advancement of technology is bad. I understand the importance of new technology and the benefits it can have for society. I am merely cautious of any kind of mania and obsession. I am also aware that as time passes, our generation is more likely to be seen as something completely different. I feel we haven’t yet decided how to make our mark on the world.

Carnival

    I don't like carnivals. I never have and I don't think i ever will. They are creepy. I really don't trust the giant rusted rides that were build ten years before I was born. I'm not a hugh fan of rides anyways. I've just never really gotten a thrill out of rides any ways. I used to ride the lame haunted house rides. Those weren't all that fun. Though there was one time where my brother and I rode the haunted house ride at Centreville on the island. We were young and by the end of the ride we were so spooked that we were shaking. My father felt so bad that he bought us a bunch of junk food.

Totaled Focus

“There is a crack,

a crack in everything.

That’s how the light gets in.

That’s how the light gets in.”

                                    Leonard Cohen

I’m left sitting in my cell for another day. 

The light from the door jam is my only companion.

It sits with me while I await tomorrow.

Tomorrow holds the very same fate as today.

Light will be there.

            I have difficulty remembering most of the trial. I remember getting dressed in the morning before that first hearing. I wore my best suit but I couldn’t find my favorite tie. I wanted the tie that Joanne bought me four months before the car crash. She was on her way to the grocery store when she decided that all my ties were ratty and dated. It made me smile when she told me the story because she was never impulsive. She would always get on my case when I would come home with a random impulse buy. At least once a month, I would come home with a new toaster or some other gadget we didn’t need. “You need a new tie, all your ties are ugly” was her justification. I hated the tie at first, but after time I couldn’t go to a big meeting without it. Instead, I was stuck wearing my lime green tie that first day in court.

            I remember the jury deciding that Jim Maloney wasn’t guilty. I remember Jim shaking his lawyer’s hand with a relieved smile plastered stupidly on his face. I have the image of his stupid smile scorched into my brain permanently. He didn’t recognize me when we walked into the same convenience store three months later, but I recognized him. I followed him out into the parking lot and made sure that he would never forget my face. I’m sure he didn’t forget my face while he spent the last four hours of his life in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Peter’s Hospital. The defendant was found guilty at the next trial I attended.

OCD TV Grave Diggers

Am I the only one who has noticed that every time there is a scene in a television show where the characters have to dig up a corpse, they manage to dig a perfect rectangle? Now, I know I shouldn't really be all that concerned about perfectionist grave digging while I'm watching a show about two guys beating up a shape-shifting demon. What can I say? I pay attention to the little things in TV shows. I simply don't care if Marcus cheated on Ashley with Page. What I really want to know is if that is a La Dolce Vita poster hanging on Ashley's wall. If so, what did she think of 8 1/2?

I'm just wondering.