Bye Bye Oscar!

Now that the Oscars are over the residents of WeHo, BH and Hollywood can get back to normal. Gone are the traffic restrictions and road closures. No longer do choppers buzz constantly overhead (poised to catch all those extra special red carpet moments and after-party shenanigans). And it's possible for regular folks to get dinner reservations again (other than places like Denny's).

The 79th Annual Academy Awards ran long (quelle surprise, producer Laura Ziskin holds the record for longest Oscars ever with the 2002 broadcast which ran 4 hours and 28 minutes. Oh, you poor East Coast viewers!), drew bigger ratings than last year's Jon Stewart affair (but fewer than 2005's Chris Rock emceed event), and even offered a few surprises (Alan Arkin, Melissa Ethridge and Happy Feet anyone). But this annual event, which back in '96 I even stayed up through the night to watch (the first time it was broadcast in it's entirety in Britain), nowadays just plain bores me.

No, not because of Ellen's "comfy but often dull" hosting style, but simply because I now live in LA! and I've sadly become too accustomed to the "proximity of celebrity," as I previously mentioned in Repeat City. It's just a nuisance that Hollywood Boulevard (the true cross city shortcut) gets shut down for a week to lay the red carpet; that you can't find parking at the gym because of the Jimmy Kimmel shuttle buses; and that limos and Lincoln Town Cars pollute the already overcrowded vehicular landscape. Then, when you hear about all those behind-the-scenes atrocities and craziness, well, then you're really like "do these people have nothing better to do or spend their money on?"

No, they probably don't!

2007 Ironman Pro Discord

As with any bodybuilding show there's always dissent amongst the fans with regards to the judging. So-and-so should have placed higher, whojamacallit was holding water, and whatsisname just couldn't control his stomach.

This years 2007 Vyotech Ironman Pro Invitational, held over the hill at the Pasadena Civic Center Auditorium, was no exception, except maybe with regards to winner, Toney Freeman, who's first place finish seemed to be met with unanimous approval (well pretty much unanimous, at least the viewers watching on bodybuilding.com gave him their vote).

Many thought Silvio Samual certainly deserved higher than 4th, having added a good 15lbs of muscle to his frame since last season (under the tutelage of Milos Sarcev), and a posing routine that earned him the Vince Gironda Award. "But heres the silver lining," thought Enter the Mind's BB is 4 life :) "with the position he got it shows he wasnt ignored, he grabbed their attention, now he is on the radar."

Second place finisher Mark Dugdale, one of the smaller IFBB pros, has one of the more symmetrical and proportional physiques, but not the mass that many like their pro bodybuilders to have. As Mike, the Admin Dude from Muscle Mayhem put it, Dugdale just "doesn't have that 'wow' factor [and basically] needs to get off that porch and put on some more mass."

39 year old Eddie Abbew, who's been around for a while now, placed 3rd, but how, asked Mayhem's dbcb314 when "his thighs are really narrow. His arms are nothing special. His conditioning was nothing special. He isn't a mass monster."

Then there's the case of unknown Russian Sergey Shelestov who was never even called out for a comparison against the top guys. "Yeah Shelestov got robbed BIG time. I think those mofos are racist," shouted Freak, a fellow Russian over at Muscle Mecca. His sentiments (well maybe not the racist parts) were echoed by many over all of the boards. Bodybuilding is a name game, and no one knew Sergey, hence his poor, poor placing.

Whether it's a guy's symmetry, aesthetics or proportions. Whether they have full round muscle bellies, lor ack the appropriate striations Maybe they look too chemically enhanced. Or maybe they just don't display and can't pose well. There's many a reason these boys place how they do... and only the judges really know the ins and outs of judging (deep I know).

The Force Unleashed at Toy Fair

The most important event in February, more important than the Grammys, the Ironman Pro, and the Oscars combined, is the American International Toy Fair, held last week in New York City.

Geeks around the world look to Toy Fair for news (and pictures) from their favourite toy lines. Avid fans clamor for sneak peaks of upcoming action figures from such lines as Hasbro's Marvel Legends, McFarlane's Spawn, JAKKS' WWE series, even My Little Pony. It's the anticipation of new Star Wars toys that really makes me moist however, and with this being the 30th anniversary of Episode IV: A New Hope, 2007's product is going to be one bumper crop!

A couple of the upcoming Gentle Giant animated maquettes will look great on my shelves (hint hint Joe), and those 12" Sideshow Collectibles, Galactic Heroes and Nerf Blasters all have their place (and fans) I suppose, but it's Hasbro's classic line of 3¾" figures that I most look forward to adding to my collection.

This year's line will consist of at least 60 basic figures, in brand-spanking-new specially designed 30th anniversary packaging, complete with a collectible coin (a homage to Kenner's 1985 Power of the Force line).

Future goodies include the likes of M'iiyoom Onith, Hermi Odle and Umpass-Stay, and a series of figures based on Ralph McQuarrie's original concept art, all mixed in with new renditions of the core characters (like Luke, Leia and R2). The most exciting news however is that Hasbro will finally embrace the Expanded Universe with characters from the Lucas Arts' upcoming The Force Unleashed (a video game for the "next generation" platforms, where you play Vader's secret Sith apprentice) along with versions of Darth Revan, Darth Malak and Roron Corobb.

And so with the prospect of all these wonderful new toys on the horizon, I passed up the one remaining Betrayal of Felucia battle pack I found at Target this morning. It could end up being one expensive year with many storage challenges!

CELEBFLASH: Repeat City

The CelebFlash, a self-coined term used to describe my encounters with the Hollywood elite (and once a significant part of my blog) has seemingly been long since absent from my writings. Thinking about it now, the majority of my CelebFlashes occurred when I was still at The Farm. You would have thought my position at Spago would have granted me better access to the stars, however being stuck up in the office I just don't get the opportunity to interact like I did back at The Grove. Sure I've brushed passed Jake Gyllenhaal's ass, had a conversation with KeiraKnightley's mum, and planned a lunch for those Knots Landing folks, but it's just not the same as gushing over Buffy, pouring tea for Corbin Bernsen, or mocking Breckin Meyer.

Sure I recently met past Deadwood inhabitant, and sleight-of-hand artiste Ricky Jay. Glimpsed both Terminators: the T-1000's Robert Patrick shortly after his fine performance in Cena's The Marine, as well as the original T-800 , the Governator himself, Arnold. Chanced upon Rocky IV's Ludmilla Drago herself, the ever-imposing, incredibly tall, international reality TV queen Brigitte Nielson (who seems as tall sitting as I am standing). I even once had to tell Candice Bergen, no, she could not get a reservation.

Nowadays however I feel like I'm trapped in the equivalent of network TV's summer season (aka rerun season), running in to the same old faces again and again. Ian Ziering (at The Griddle, Rite Aid or Baja Fresh), Michael Rapaport, Grant Show, The Biggest Loser's Trainer Bob, Peter Paige and, of course, the one and only Jesse Metcalf (causing me to wonder "Where's Jesse?" every time we go to the gym).

Sadly I suppose the CelebFlash has become part and parcel of my everyday life here in LA! (exactly like people warned it would). Meeting Carrie Fisher or James Marsters would still cause me to go into conniptions (similar to the way Bentley does whenever I come home), but I suppose when all's said and done "stars" still have to buy their toilet paper at Target just like the rest of us!

Just Two!

MyBentley, now just two years old (or fourteen in dog years), and still very much my pup, my baby, my son!!!