hope sets sail

the media is going phelps-crazy, and hey I'm rooting for him just like everybody else, but let's not forget america sends two swimmers for each event. that means for each event michael phelps swims in there's another american gunning for the gold.

it bothered me when the nbc sideline/pooldeck reporter woman asked jason lezak (who swam the final leg of the unforgettable 4x100 freestyle relay) how he felt to be a part of olympic history by helping michael phelps go for mark spitz's record.

you know what, lady? this guy spent his entire life to get where he is. he busted his ass for HIMSELF and HIS COUNTRY. you don't think he would have swum just as fast had phelps not been in the running for the record?

and what IF an american competitor edges out phelps in a race? will he be congratulated as he should, or will he be seen as the guy who prevented phelps from acheiving the record?

phelps is visibly uncomfortable whenever he's asked about his "quest" for the record. it's obviously on the back of his mind but any sensible athlete would tell you they don't like to look ahead and definitely not TALK about what's ahead.

I know the media is just trying to sell more advertising, shoving phelps into the spotlight to feed the hype machine.

but let's not forget there are other swimmers in beijing chasing their dreams.

...goes to my buddy ming.

"china beat tokyo in men's volley ball"

so kate was watching the olympic equestrian competition and there was one horse on there named "gandalf." I was like "what the hell, why did they call the horse GANDALF and not SHADOWFAX??"

kate has never seen lord of the rings.

those of you who have understand me.

I was totally the comic book store guy.

managed to completely fumble the US national anthem during the swimming medal ceremony tonight. the anthem started somewhere in the middle of the first verse, then seamlessly skipped back to the beginning, and then ended before the big crescendo at the end.

bravo.

you might have seen this on myspace but it's worth plenty of further viewings.



check out these guys' website while you're at it.

so I did a little law & order: svu work today. I played some kind of military personnel.

it was hot as hell and unfortunately for us, it was a scene in the fall so we had to wear long sleeves and a light jacket in the 90+ degree heat. ugghhh.

but the scene I was in also had chris meloni and mariska hargitay. and! and! chris elliott was a guest star in the episode! haven't seen that guy since ... get a life? whoa.

we shot at this science museum in queens and were fed really well too.

hell yeah.

I'm currently piecing together the parts that would eventually become my new comedy short film entitled 8 Days Later. this is a film in which I am the writer, director and actor.

I had a meeting the other day to go over the storyboard and it's looking a little bit like this:



special props go to alex tarampi on flexing his BFA muscles in a mad sketching session.

I'll be posting updates. we're looking to shoot in early august.

so kate got us tix to see ricky gervais tonight at madison square garden as a (very) early birthday gift. as one might expect, it was a real fuckin' hoot to see him in the flesh and hear his hilarity live.

two things that surprised me:

a) doors were 7:30 and he got started 7:50 on the dot. am I just so used to rock shows starting hours after the doors open, or is this just how it's done for big stand-up shows?

b) he recycled about 15% of material from his previous stand-ups. admittedly, those who would know this are only the geeks who own the region 2 uk dvds of his previous shows and played them on a multi-region dvd player. repeatedly.

but yeah, the man is an unstoppable genius. if you want a taste of his hilarity, pop over on that link I gave you up top (and just now) and peep his promo for his nyc shows.

"but aj, I'm at work and I don't have sound on my computer."

well then you have two options:

a) wait till you get home and watch it.
b) quit your shitty job.

please have a wonderful day.