Deadwood, in case you're unaware, was a frontier-era gold rush town in the beautiful Black Hills region of South Dakota. It gained notoriety as a lawless den of low-lives where Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed in 1876.

I played in two tournaments. In the first I did fairly well, but not well enough to win any money. In the Main Event, I made it to the second and final day of play and finished in 17th place, good enough for a $912 prize. Yay for me! At least I got my photo up on the tournament website, and congratulations from many of the poker players around Casper.

For some reason most of the photos I took in Deadwood got corrupted before I uploaded them to my computer, but here are some of the ones that survived:

Avery is a decorated veteran of the Korean war whiling away a quiet life in rural America with that most constant of companions: his dog, the eponymous Red.  One morning, the old friends drive down to an idyllic spot where the woods meet a beautiful lake for a little fishing.  Avery sets his rig down and casts his bait into the calm waters; Red settles in contentedly beside him.  It’s just another easy-going day for the pair until three teenagers looking for trouble happen upon them.  With the cold barrel of a hunting rifle to his temple, Avery bites his tongue, acquiesces with their demands; he offers up his beat-up old truck and hands over what little money he has, but it’s not enough to satisfy their sneering arrogance.  Danny McCormack, leader of the pack and elder brother to the hesitant Harold, turns the gun on Red and gut-shots the poor dog before stalking off to spend his hard day’s earnings on a sit-down dinner, leaving a stricken Avery to pick up the bloody pieces.

What begins as a contemplative countryside portrait becomes a more pointedly emotional character study of an apparently powerless old man trying to cope with the callous barbarities of contemporary society, but it’s not long before co-directors Lucky McKee and Trygve Diesen demonstrate their preparedness to undermine the audience’s expectations a second time: Avery, you see, buries his dog with a grunt and a frown, putting his grief aside to deal more directly with the murderous youths.  Red becomes something akin to a revenge thriller; one old man with a heartfelt vendetta versus three little pigs and the institutions that shelter them.  Initially, all Avery wants is for them to take responsibility for their actions, but the very reasonable recompense this well-liked, peaceful store-owner seeks is met with nothing more substantial than polite indifference and the odd empty apology.  Robert Englund and Tom Sizemore as the teenagers’ fathers shrug off his accusations, and the DA doesn’t think Avery’s case is worth the trouble it would take to prosecute.  Things seem to be looking up when a friend brings in a local TV journalist to cover the story but even her human-interest pieces aren’t enough to bring out the truth.  In the end, Avery feels he has no choice except to take the task upon himself.

The story gets going quickly and wraps up with a satisfying bang, but Red’s pacing suffers some as Avery bangs his head against the wall trying to do the right thing without succumbing to the vengeful insistence of the proud army man he once was.  There’s some uneven work through the second act, too, particularly from Kim Dickens as the intrepid reporter, whose three-year deployment in the Deadwood desert as an abused prostitute come lesbian brothel-operator seems more natural in comparison; Stephen Susco’s script doesn’t give her much to work with, but she can’t convince even on the sole count of her one-note role.  More damningly, there’s no chemistry between her and Cox despite the screen-time they share, the end result of which being that the pivotal secrets Avery reveals to her character ring hollow.  Sizemore is similarly one-dimensional as the ultimate villain of the piece, but he gives his shallow character arc the usual poor man’s Michael Madsen, which is to say he frowns quite well.  Cox, too, stumbles on a few of his lines, most notably outside the courthouse when he snaps at the Santa-shaped sheriff.

The cast are otherwise well equipped – young Noel Fisher of The Riches is just shy of scene-stealing as anarchic dog-slaughterer Danny – but it’s lucky, in the end, that so much of Red relies on Cox, whose efforts ably support the meandering narrative.  Although his performance is too underplayed to be a powerhouse, Cox gives everything away while overtly betraying nothing; his finest moment, in Red at the least, is when Danny’s father throws a chance at redemption back at Avery.  A revelatory shot captures the eventual bubbling-over of his embitterment: as the old man makes to leave, Sizemore’s character stops him in his tracks and the frame splits an extreme close-up of Avery in half, the better to see the patience in his age-worn face positively twisting into an astringent grimace.  The mise-en-scene casts Avery as every bit the Two Face the audience has been waiting to see, and when he finally lets loose, the horrific results are suitably gratifying, if a little throwback.

The cult horror-movie calibre of the two directors works well enough for Red on the rare occasion the script calls for such expertise, but Lucky McKee – who took on the adaptation of the Jack Ketchum novel and nearly saw out principal photography before abandoning the project without explanation – and Trygve Diesen are smart enough to stay out of the way and let Cox carry the narrative.  While the climactic showdown lacks in vital physicality and there are some missing continuity shots that recall the film’s troubled production, their work is assured enough that their decidedly seedy filmographies are sure to improve.

Red suffers from a script from The Grudge screenwriter Stephen Susco, whose dialogue here tends towards monologue and whose grasp on pacing seems strangely saggy, but the human tale of the novel that inspired his work is authentic enough to shine through.  Avery’s tragic history, however, is misguided in either iteration of Ketchum’s story – a blunt instrument that undermines much of the subtlety of his hurt and the anger it encourages.  Nonetheless, six months in development hell, two directors and a flat script hardly matter in the wake of Brian Cox’s compelling performance.  He, alone – and despite a few foibles, he’s certainly not – is more than enough of a reason to see Red.

When last we saw The Brothers Winchester, Sam was standing over Dean's body, which had been ripped up by an off-screen hellhound, while Dean was apparently in Hell, which looks like a neuron map. No, I'm not making that up, and if it sounds strange to you, you're missing the best scary time on TV.

Supernatural follows the exploits of the aforementioned Winchesters, demon hunters and messed-up good guys. In a previous season, rebel with a cause Dean (Jensen Ackles, Smallville and Dark Angel) had negotiated for straight arrow Sam's (Jared Padalecki, Gilmore Girls) life by offering up his own, and last season was all about how to stop that bill from coming due. One of the things that makes this show fun, however, is their willingess to go as dark as TV goes--the heroes failed, the debt was collected, and Deano's in Hell. They must find some way out, as tonight's season premiere is called "Lazarus Rising" and descriptions of it suggest that Dean wakes up in a pine box, apparently free of his demon overlords. The boys' friend Bobby (Deadwood's wonderful Jim Beaver), that rare demon hunter who has survived to a reasonably old age, is suspicious, however--what new bargain has provided this little gift, and what new debt is ripening?

Supernatural does a nice job with overarching story arcs like this, but they're just as good at creepy one-offs that focus on the real origins of fairy tales or ancient links to Christmas creatures that want to eat more than cookies left by the fireplace. Unlike recent entries to the goosebump genre (Fringe, I'm looking at you), Supernatural benefits from heaping spoonfuls of dark humor--we've mentioned previously that The Tick's brilliant Ben Edlund is on the writing staff, and it shows. Supernatural has the bad luck of airing opposite the terrific NBC comedy block (or, for people outside of TV Bacon's immediate circles, CSI: Original Flavor) but it's premiering a week earlier than its competition so you have a chance to dip your toe in their scary, dangerous, invisible universe. Give them a try--but leave your lights on. Tonight and every Thursday at 9pm Eastern/Pacific on the CW.

I decided to take the plunge into their latest offering, True Blood, a tale about vampires in Louisiana, for two reasons – Alan Ball, creator of 6 Feet Under, and Anna Paquin of X-men fame.  I was mesmerized by the opening sequence of the show; quick and dirty editing reminiscent of Tony Scott’s work in “Man on Fire”.  A number of times I caught myself wonder if I saw what I *thought* I just saw.  I have to say, a very good way to bring the audience into the program for the first time.

Immediately the viewer picks up on a few things about the show.  It’s moody.  Most scenes take place at night which creates an atmosphere that lends itself rather well to the utilization of shadows and mist for the cinematographer. It’s sexually graphic.  The level of sex, both visually and implied, is rather high.  There is one scene with a vampire and a human that is a bit odd… borderline disturbing.  The situation is one of those “I can’t believe I’m watching this” moments but it doesn’t go over the top.  The show is also dealing with prejudice and is challenging the viewer to view life from another point of view, and doing so quite well.

From the outset I was immediately in this make believe world the show produced, the story was easy to get into - almost too natural.  I found myself relating to a number of the characters, for various reasons.  The production value is top notch, which is typical of HBO, and the acting didn’t resemble some bad 1970’s D movie, which is a welcoming thing after all the crap that witnessed on TV today.

There is a fine balance of edge, challenge and emotion to the writing in True Blood. I could see how some would be uncomfortable with the content, but it appears the producers didn’t jump the shark, as it were.  The show doesn’t go so far into left field that it creates a world that no one can understand or relate to – John from Cincinnati, anyone?

How the general public will take to the show remains to be seen.  I haven’t had the ability to find overnight ratings yet, but if the viewing audience is anything like me I believe there is the potential for a hit.

One of last year's best new shows, Life was truncated only eleven episodes into its inaugural season by the now-infamous Writer's Guild strike. But NBC has stuck by the unusual cop drama - after a fashion - with a second season debut September 29. The Season One DVD came out this past week, and with a MSRP of $29.99 it's mroe than worth picking up for nights when nothing's on.

The show's premise is so old-school television it's practically retro, at leat on the surface: framed for a gruesome triple murder he didn't commit, LAPD patrolman Charlie Crews (Damian Lewis, Band of Brothers) gains his freedom after twelve years in prison and returns to the force as a homicide detective. While solving cases, he's assembling the evidence necessary to find the real murderer even while uncovering a larger conspiracy that likely stretches to the highest levels of police authority.

And that's where creator Rand Ravich starts to stir the pot pretty good. Crews endured prison through Zen mediation, and his half-complete understanding of its philosophy frequently leads him on long metaphysical discussions that never seem trite for the audience. He's partnered with recovering drug addict Danni Reese (Sarah Shahi, The L Word), whose own ties to the conspiracy may be deeper than even she realizes. Crews' former partner Bobby Stark is always hanging around ready to assist, though with questionable motives for doing so, while Crews lives with a former prison friend, white-collar criminal Ted Earley (Adam Arkin, Chicago Hope).

Like ER, NYPD Blue, and Mad Men before it, Life arrived looking as if it had been on the air for years, sidestepping the coltish growing pains common to many network shows. Directed with a visual attention towards Los Angeles' sunny skies and glass and steel downtown metroscapes, each episode (including the standout "Powerless," directed by modern noir maestro John Dahl) has a bright, airy look that belies the complicated emotions roiling beneath the characters. Equally compelling are cutaway segments of a documentary about Crews' trial and imprisonment, interviewing characters involved in the larger storyline.

And Season Two promises more of the same, if only slightly retrofitted for a bigger audience. Ravich announced in July he's planning to relaunch the show, with a functioning second pilot for the season two debut. There are cast changes, as well: former Homicide lieutenant Karen Davis (Robin Wiegert, Deadwood) is gone, replaced by veteran character actor/comedian Donal Logue (The Tao of Steve, Grounded For Life) as jaded squad chief Captain Brian Tidwell.

Critics last fall noted the lack of marketing NBC gave the show, but this season the network is trying to either boost its chances or kill it slowly. The first two episodes will air Mondays after Heroes, now the peacock's highest-rated program. But subsequent episodes will move to Friday nights at 10, long considered a wasteland where shows go to die. Can NBC think its Deal of No Deal lead-in will provide Life a substantive ratings anchor? Or are they avoiding going head-to-head with any of CBS's rapidly aging CSI: franchises? If you can believe it, they've done this before: both Homicide: Life On The Street and Crime Story endured the Friday Night Death Slot. Decades later, both are considered ingenious cult shows far ahead of their time. Myabe for NBC, old habits die hard. But a show this good deserves a better slot, preferably either before or after one of the Law & Orders.

Check it out for yourself, either on air or with your DVR. A complicated, intelligent drama in a television landscape increasingly filled with "reality" shows and game show dreck, Life is worth saving.

- Michael Kabel

  :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: :: ::

Clogged Milfs (2008~2008)

Clogged milfs was a blog first envisioned by the scheming bastard, Mithril, also known as, \/\/!11!3 by the W4RL0CK (his best friend). This blog was born on a leisure July afternoon after Mithril had too much Peptobismol in the morning caused by unrelenting constipation. Soon after it's "birth", Mithril recruited 2 unsuspecting kids (being the sly guy that he is) as co-bloggers. This essentially means he only has to do 1/3 the normal workload.

It was visited by 3 of its most faithful readers- Gentek, Mithril, and to some extent, toasted. The blog was a rollercoaster ride full of straights and unexciting corners. My 2ndish post, AMD ROCKS!, was nothing but pure fanboy drivel. Yet, it is the 3rd most popular post on this little blog.  We all knew this blog had an expiration date, and that was September 2nd: the day school starts. Yet, everyone on this little squad decided that, Milfs just weren't enough. There had to be more readers, so Gentek started pumping out a ton of posts which were mediocre at best. Mithril, chose a different route. He wanted excurtiatingly long posts which no-one ever bothers to finish reading (which may be of the highest calibre, but no one knows, since nobody ever finishes reading it).

Clogged Milfs was a blog where unsuspecting clickers could come by accident and read about random rants. Sometimes, by accident, the bloggers post something that is actually factual and has nothing to do with fanboyism or personal preference. At the peak of Clogged Milf's history, it was getting 260 vists a day!! That's astronomical compared to our current abysmal 18 views a day.

In conclusion, Clogged Milfs is being put into permanent stasis. Who knows, one day it might be unfrozen, and unsuspecting readers will be able to read about our non-sense again!

R.I.P. Clogged Gears (July 2008~ Sept. 2008) You lived a colorful 2 months.

Et une nouvelle journée aux USA! Mais une vraie nuit de misère. Il a gelé à Custer, j'ai donc très peu dormi... Nous avons quitté Custer et commencé par un arrêt à Crazyhorse monument. Pour vous donner une idée, Le mount Rushmore tient dans la seule tête de Crazyhorse! Nous avons ensuite mis le cap sur Deadwood, village minier, où sont enterrés Buffalo Bill et Calamity Jane. Enfin, nous sommes arrivés à Devils Tower et avons fait quelques hikes. Et vu le temps, pluvieux, frais, certains d'entre nous ont décidé d'upgrader vers un motel. Je suis donc à Hulett, 8 miles de Devils Tower. Demain, en route pour Cody. On reste en contact!

I listened to Doug’s lecture, when he caught his breath; I laid the Dirty Bum’s dirt on my chauffeur. “Outside of all the other controversy around dear Sarah, I have second hand information from an ex-resident of Wasilla alleging that when she was mayor she had a fling with the fire chief. Of course that’s an allegation, but an interesting one at that.”

Doug almost drove off the road. “Did you tell anyone?”

“I’m not into flinging mud. If I can learn about this, I’m sure bigger organizations than mine will find out.”

We continued southward across the high plains, passing occasional churning oil wells on distant hills. Ten miles south of Lusk, we visited the only monument I know of honoring a prostitute. Charlotte Sheppard, nicknamed Mother Featherlegs. Her pink granite monument erected in 1964, is inscribed: “Here lies Mother Featherlegs. So called, as in her ruffled pantalettes she looked like a feather-legged chicken in a high wind. She was roadhouse ma'am. An outlaw confederate, she was murdered by "Dangerous Dick Davis the Terrapin".

A caveat to the story goes that on the day her monument was erected, there was a reenactment of the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage Run. Her pantalettes were on display upon the monument. That day they disappeared. Years later, in 1990 there were found hanging in a Deadwood Saloon. The story goes that a “determined posse of Rusk residents raided the saloon” recovering the treasure.

Cursing, I told Doug, “I forgot to campaign in Deadwood. What would Al Swearengen think?”

I taped a Robert “100” to the tombstone before returning to Doug’s jeep.

With a thirst aided by the arid air of the high plains, we stopped at the Main Street Saloon in Torrington and tipped one back in honor of the prostitute and another for the infamous Deadwood Saloon owner.

Across the North Platte River, we stopped at the Trail bar. I wrote off our first stop, as Doug spread the Palin rumor to the Cowboys and wannabes in Main Street Saloon. I was having regrets for opening my mouth. I didn’t want gossip interfering with my message.

Immediately, I fell into stumping mode, and to his credit, Doug held his tongue, for a while. In the midst of a query about stem cell research, Doug hobbled away and within minutes was arguing with a boisterous rancher with boots, belt buckle and cowboy hat as loud as his voice. I excused myself and separated the two before the Rancher wore one of Doug’s crutches.

“If you can’t be civil, don’t talk politics in a bar,” I scolded my driver. “Why do you care what a redneck thinks? I am trying to get a message out, not tell someone how ignorant they are because they don’t agree with me!”

“Sorry, I get a bit passionate.”

“The Democrats and Republicans get enough attention, this is about my campaign. If you can’t talk about my quest, shut up and let me do the talking.”

Cheyenne: Late afternoon, we rolled into the Tumbleweed Saloon and ponied up to the bar. The happy hour crowd was ramping up and I saw a dozen potential votes. With Tall Blonde in hand, I circulated. With CNN’s coverage of the Republican Convention serving as background, introducing my campaign was simple. An hour later, in the midst of holding court around a buddy bar, an argument started at the bar. I didn’t have to look to know who was involved.

The bartender eighty-sixed Doug. I excused myself and met him at the jeep. With a flurry of drunken curses, he unlocked the Jeep and slipped inside. I opened my door, reached in, retrieved my backpack and bid my hotheaded friend farewell. “Thanks for the ride.” I shut the door and headed back inside. I didn’t want Doug’s distraction.

I stumped into the night and the crowd dwindled. Satisfied that I met success, I left the Tumbleweed behind. Stopping at a C-store, I loaded up on some snacks before making my way to the rail yard. After a little search, I found my ride to Colorado. I hunkered into a boxcar and waited for the train to roll.

For a radar loop of the Tropical Depression Gustav or a Tropical Storm Hanna radar loop, CLICK HERE and navigate to your desired location, all the way to street level. Click "animate" to loop.

Late Tuesday morning three tropical storms are roaming the Atlantic.  Tropical

Storm Hanna has stayed too long at the fair.  The idea was supposed to be that Hanna would start moving Northwest and then swing up into the SE coast. But, Hanna stayed over the same area for too long over the same area, producing some upwelling of colder water.  More importantly, there is a shear from the north that is ripping it up and it has been downgraded to Tropical Storm status.  The Intensity Probability Table indicates not only a 50-50 chance  of it being a hurricane, the odds also suggest that it will only regain

itself back to cat 1 status if it does so.  The angle of attack will make a for a very difficult landfall prediction.  The track was shifted just slightly back to the west and that resulted in a shift of the landfall forecast back to  just north of Savannah into South Carolina.  The spaghetti model consensus though is south of Savannah.

I still am of the early opinion....at this point its more of a guess or "feeling" that

Tropical Storm Ike will be a trouble maker.  It is forecast to increase in strength and the track will be around a ridge that is forecast to drive it west.  Tropical Storm Ike is a long way off and therefore there are many things that can happen atmospherically.  Even farther out is Tropical Storm Josephine.  It virtually has the entire Atlantic Ocean to travel over.  Regarding Ike and Josephine, while the time factor does open the door for a changing environment and steering pattern, climatologically, this time of year the region in which they formed has been a favored area for some of the most significant landfalling US tropical cyclones.  So these guys should not be blown off.  The National Hurricane Center Discussion for Tropical Storm Hanna and the Tropical Storm Ike Discussion can be found at the bottom.

Louisville Weather:  The troubles of Hanna are actually a potential benefit to our area as well. Because Hanna is forecast to be less formidable, then the chances of our getting subsidence (sinking air) or even has much advection of dry air from the northeast as a front approaches. Therefore, the prospects of our getting some rain from Gustav drawn up along the front is much better.  As of noon today, we are forecasting perhaps some isolated stuff on Wed and Thursday and more scattered activity on Friday.  Short-wave ridging on Thursday may hamper storms but the chance is there. We need the rain: My hydrandia needs it.  I'm tired of watering at midnight.

  On This Date in History: President Warren G. Harding died in San Francisco in 1923. Officially he died of a heart attack but speculation is that he may have been murdered. However, all subsequent investigations have determined that he was not poisoned, as conspiracy theorists suggest. Why would there be a conspiracy? Well, Harding had allowed his Secretary of the Interior to take over from the Navy Department the Teapot Dome oil reserve in Wyoming. The Secretary then allowed for two oilmen to develop the oil field there and another in California. Murmuring began as the Secretary suddenly upgraded his lifestyle. Turns out he had received $400,000 in "gifts" from the two oilmen. The Teapot Dome Scandal was the first huge Federal Government corruption scandal in the 20th century if not in all US history. Many more have followed. When told that his friends may be enriching themselves at the Federal Trough, Harding is said to have exclaimed, "My...friends...they're the ones that keep me walking the floors nights!" Herbert Hoover urged Harding to publicly expose the scandal but Harding did not in fear of the public uproar. Harding avoided the whole mess and possible impeachment by conveniently dying before the Teapot Dome Scandal really bubbled to the surface.

In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed in Deadwood, South Dakota. It wasn't in a gunfight though. Hickok was playing cards in Saloon Number 10 with his back to the door. A tinhorn gunman named Jack McCall came in an shot Wild Bill in the back of the head. Legend is that Hickok was holding a pair of black aces and black 8's. That is now commonly known as the "dead man's hand" though most of the time the suit is not noted and just aces and eights will suffice for the moniker. Two things have eluded me: One is how does someone named James Butler become "Wild Bill?" The other is why he had his back to the door. Hickok had a storied life as a gunfighter and his reputation made him a target for those wanting to make a name for themselves. So, he typically sat with his back to the wall. I guess on August 2, 1876 he thought he was among friends.

Seems Wild Bill and Warren G. needed to be more careful about their friends.

TROPICAL STORM HANNA DISCUSSION NUMBER  23
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL082008
1100 AM EDT TUE SEP 02 2008

HANNA HAS FINALLY SUCCUMBED TO THE STRONG VERTICAL SHEAR WITH
VISIBLE SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWING A PARTIALLY EXPOSED LOW-LEVEL
CIRCULATION AND A SHRINKING CDO FEATURE.  THE INITIAL INTENSITY IS
SET AT 60 KT...BUT GIVEN THE CURRENT SATELLITE PRESENTATION...THIS
MIGHT BE A BIT GENEROUS.  AN AIR FORCE RECONNAISSANCE AIRCRAFT WILL
INVESTIGATE HANNA THIS AFTERNOON AND PROVIDE A BETTER INTENSITY
ESTIMATE.  WATER VAPOR IMAGERY SHOWS A SHARP EDGE OR DEFORMATION
AXIS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE CIRRUS CANOPY SUGGESTING THAT THE
SHEAR WILL PERSIST IN THE SHORT-TERM...AND SOME ADDITIONAL
WEAKENING IS POSSIBLE TODAY AND TONIGHT.  IN ABOUT 24
HOURS...GLOBAL MODELS SHOW THE SHEAR WEAKENING AND THIS COULD ALLOW
HANNA TO RESTRENGTHEN.  HOWEVER...GIVEN THE PRESENT LACK OF
ORGANIZATION...IT IS DIFFICULT TO KNOW HOW MUCH STRENGTHENING IS
POSSIBLE.  THE NEW OFFICIAL FORECAST IS LOWER THAN THE PREVIOUS
ADVISORY BUT SHOWS HANNA BECOMING A CATEGORY ONE HURRICANE IN ABOUT
36 HOURS.  IT SHOULD BE NOTED THAT THIS IS A LOW CONFIDENCE
FORECAST.  IN FACT...IF ONE CONSULTS THE WIND SPEED PROBABILITY
PRODUCT INCLUDED IN THIS PACKAGE...IT CAN BE SEEN THAT THERE IS
NEARLY AN EQUAL PROBABILITY OF HANNA BEING A TROPICAL STORM OR
HURRICANE AT DAY 3.

HANNA CONTINUES TO MEANDER BUT THE BEST ESTIMATE OF AN INITIAL
MOTION IS 250/05. SLOW AND ERRATIC MOTION IS EXPECTED TODAY BUT
HANNA SHOULD START MOVING NORTHWESTWARD TONIGHT OR TOMORROW AS A
LARGE MID-LATITUDE TROUGH OVER THE WESTERN ATLANTIC LIFTS NORTHWARD
AND THE SUBTROPICAL RIDGE BUILDS BACK IN. HANNA SHOULD ACCELERATE
NORTHWESTWARD AT DAYS 2 TO 3 AS THE RIDGE STRENGTHENS. DYNAMICAL
TRACK MODELS HAVE SHIFTED A LITTLE TO THE WEST AND THE NEW OFFICIAL
FORECAST FOLLOWS SUIT. ON THE FORECAST TRACK...HANNA IS EXPECTED TO
APPROACH THE EAST COAST OF FLORIDA... GEORGIA...OR SOUTH CAROLINA
IN 2 TO 3 DAYS. IT SHOULD BE STRESSED THAT THE EXPECTED ANGLE OF
APPROACH AND TRACK UNCERTAINTY MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO NARROW DOWN
THE POTENTIAL IMPACT AREA. INTERESTS IN THE NORTHWESTERN BAHAMAS
AND ALONG THE ENTIRE SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES COAST SHOULD
CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL      02/1500Z 21.0N  73.5W    60 KT
12HR VT     03/0000Z 21.4N  73.7W    55 KT
24HR VT     03/1200Z 22.3N  74.2W    60 KT
36HR VT     04/0000Z 23.6N  75.3W    65 KT
48HR VT     04/1200Z 25.1N  76.8W    70 KT
72HR VT     05/1200Z 29.5N  80.5W    75 KT
96HR VT     06/1200Z 36.5N  80.0W    35 KT...INLAND
120HR VT     07/1200Z 45.5N  70.0W    25 KT...INLAND REMNANT LOW

$$
FORECASTER RHOME/KNABB

TROPICAL STORM IKE DISCUSSION NUMBER   5
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL   AL092008
1100 AM EDT TUE SEP 02 2008

CONVENTIONAL SATELLITE IMAGERY SHOWS THAT IKE HAS A COMPACT AND
WELL-DEFINED CIRCULATION ALTHOUGH DEEP CONVECTIVE BANDING HAS
PRIMARILY BEEN LIMITED TO THE EASTERN SEMICIRCLE. A 0847 UTC
QUIKSCAT PASS REVEALED THAT THE AREA OF TROPICAL STORM FORCE WINDS
HAS EXPANDED A BIT...AND A FEW 50-55 KT BARBS WERE LOCATED WITHIN
THE MAIN CONVECTIVE BAND TO THE NORTHEAST OF THE CENTER. SINCE
DVORAK T-NUMBERS REMAIN 3.0 FROM TAFB AND SAB...THE INITIAL
INTENSITY IS RAISED CONSERVATIVELY TO 50 KT.

MODEL GUIDANCE REMAINS IN EXCELLENT AGREEMENT REGARDING THE TRACK OF
IKE. MOST MODELS...EXCEPT FOR THE GFDN...ARE TIGHTLY CLUSTERED
WITHIN THE FIRST 48 HOURS THEN ONLY SLIGHTLY DIVERGE BEYOND THAT TO
DAY 5. IN FACT...WITH A LATITUDINAL SPREAD OF ONLY 5 DEGREES AT DAY
5...WE COULDN'T HAVE ASKED FOR BETTER AGREEMENT IN THE GUIDANCE.
THE STORM HAS INCREASED IN FORWARD SPEED WITH AN AVERAGE MOTION OF
280/16. THIS GENERAL MOTION IS EXPECTED THROUGH THE FORECAST PERIOD
AS IKE IS STEERED BY A MID-LEVEL HIGH THAT WILL MOVE WEST IN TANDEM
WITH THE CYCLONE. SOME OF THE MODELS... PARTICULARLY THE GFDL AND
HWRF...SHOW A SLIGHT SOUTHWARD BEND AND BRING IKE VERY CLOSE TO OR
OVER HISPANIOLA. HOWEVER...BOTH OF THESE MODELS BRING IKE TO A
MAJOR HURRICANE...AND SINCE THE OFFICIAL INTENSITY FORECAST DOES
NOT CALL FOR SUCH STRENGTHENING...I PREFER TO REMAIN CLOSER TO THE
CONSENSUS OF THE OTHER MODELS.

THE TOTAL PRECIPITABLE WATER PRODUCT INDICATES THAT RELATIVELY DRY
AIR ALMOST COMPLETELY SURROUNDS IKE. GIVEN THE SMALL SIZE OF THE
SYSTEM...IT IS PROBABLY MORE SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE DRY AIR AND WILL
PROBABLY REMAIN SO UNTIL IT CAN DEVELOP JUST ENOUGH DEEP CONVECTION
TO ISOLATE ITSELF. THE STATISTICAL-DYNAMICAL MODELS SUCH AS THE
SHIPS AND LGEM INDICATE GRADUAL INTENSIFICATION TO A HURRICANE
BEFORE NORTHEASTERLY SHEAR INCREASES OVER THE SYSTEM IN 48 HOURS.
THE GFDL AND HWRF APPARENTLY IGNORE SUCH SHEAR AND FORECAST IKE TO
BE A MAJOR HURRICANE IN 3-4 DAYS. WHILE THIS CANNOT BE RULED OUT AS
A POSSIBILITY...THE OFFICIAL FORECAST REMAINS CLOSE TO THE PREVIOUS
FORECAST AND THE INTENSITY CONSENSUS WITH A PEAK INTENSITY OF 90 KT
AS THE SYSTEM APPROACHES HISPANIOLA AND THE SOUTHEASTERN BAHAMAS.

FORECAST POSITIONS AND MAX WINDS

INITIAL      02/1500Z 18.9N  45.0W    50 KT
12HR VT     03/0000Z 19.3N  47.3W    55 KT
24HR VT     03/1200Z 19.9N  50.3W    60 KT
36HR VT     04/0000Z 20.5N  53.5W    70 KT
48HR VT     04/1200Z 21.0N  56.5W    75 KT
72HR VT     05/1200Z 21.5N  62.5W    80 KT
96HR VT     06/1200Z 21.5N  68.5W    85 KT
120HR VT     07/1200Z 21.5N  74.0W    90 KT

$$
FORECASTER BERG/KNABB

Yet I have noticed that there has been a recent revival of Westerns. Good ones. The Proposition, Brokeback Mountain, No Country For Old Men, The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford, and 3:10 to Yuma, for example. One also cannot discount the influence of HBO's series Deadwood, which took a serious, vulgar, and ultra-realistic tone to the whole concept, but did it with brilliance. It's impossible not to see how Deadwood has affected our idea of Westerns on screen. And then I saw the trailer for Ed Harris' upcoming film, Appaloosa, and I couldn't help getting excited.

I know. It's a trailer. I hate getting excited about trailers, but considering the movement of truly good Westerns in recent years, it's difficult to not get excited about it, especially when you have such a wonderful cast involved in the project: Viggo Mortensen, fresh off his Oscar nomination for Eastern Promises, Ed Harris, Jeremy Irons and Renée Zellweger.

Westerns have become a catalyst for the exploration of human nature through choices, and the morality of those choices, in a way that few, if any, genres have been able to as successfully. They are also, in so many ways, an American genre. It is true that The Proposition, for example, is Australian, but the concepts and ideas upon which it's based, and the influences it draws upon, are so clearly those of American Westerns.

I'm hoping Appaloosa will live up to its predecessors of recent years. Though I won't get my hopes up too far. That's always asking for disappointment.

Edit: You can watch the trailer for Appaloosa here, in full HD. Enjoy! I know I did.

Dramatic scenes from classic Westerns. Polished hyperbole across pages of written accounts. Images of two people who may, or may not, have been what legend has made them into.

Those are the kind of things that historians must contend with when researching and writing about Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, two of the most legendary Wild West characters in history.

Check out the short video at www.sdshspress.com for the new book Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane: Deadwood Legends. How much do you think you know about these two? Is any of it true?

Al Swearengen (Ian McShane):

In life you have to do a lot of things you don't fucking want to do. Many times, that's what the fuck life is... one vile fucking task after another.

After Deadwood, no we didn't win any money, we drove a very boring 300 miles up the MT212. Lots of pronghorn antelope and hay bails [mostly large round with the occasional small rectangle bails]. Flat praire landscape with the odd run down town because the main I90 interstate freeway bypassed them.
Finally we came to Crowe Agency, a shit hole junction of the 212 and I90. The only reason we stopped is because this is where Custer met his match. Little Bighorn Battlefield. Pretty informative with plaques depicting where Indians or soldiers fell. It covered a huge area and the temperature was far to hot, mid 30's, so we hopped back into the air-conditioned car and drove onto Billings.

Today we had a relaxed start, only 200 miles to drive to Cody. Took a couple of scenic highways the first being the Beartooth mountain. Extremely scenic if you were not the driver and didn't suffer vertigo! Lots of switchbacks and a long way down. There were the odd pullouts where I could stop and admire the view, apart from then it was full concentration on driving. The next scenic highway was Chief Joseph, not as demanding but still very scenic. The only problem was some woman with Utah plates kept braking on every corner, even going uphill at 30 miles an hour. Shelley seemed to think Utah has very long staight roads and this woman had never turned a corner in her life. I did manage to pass her only to stop for a photo and end up behind her again!!

There is a large bush fire on the boundary of Yellowstone so we hope it wont be a problem, the wind is blowing in the right direct at the moment.

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="Little Bighorn"][/caption]

[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="400" caption="gopher snake"][/caption]
On the way to see Custer we passed a spectacular volcanic plug called Devils Tower. On a walk around it we nearly walked on a gopher snake, I was hoping it was a rattler but a reference book told me otherwise. That's my shadow, which shows just how close we were!

The Hickok story is at the bottom. I just like his picture and put it first. The T'storm watches were lame. Funny thing was they issued 788 and the Louisville Weather Office cancelled it early. But, they don't have jurisdiction in Lawrence, Jennings and Jackson counties. That is Indianapolis' area. I asked about those and they ignored me. Then the SPC issues another watch that includes Jackon and Jennings until 5 am! At one AM, Indy drops Lawrence from watch 788 and then drops Jackson and Jennings from the second one. In the meantime, strong storms had been moving along from Orange County through Crawford County and they looked pretty menacing. At about 1:07 AM a t'storm warning gets issued for those. So, I ended up manning the radars all night. All of this stuff will move out of the area and the weekend will see temperatures up around 90 but the humidity will be reduced somewhat so it won't be quite so stifling. Enjoy it. The ridge with the heat and humidity returns for the first part of next week and I bet someone hits the century mark.

On This Date in History: President Warren G. Harding died in San Francisco in 1923. Officially he died of a heart attack but speculation is that he may have been murdered. However, all subsequent investigations have determined that he was not poisoned, as conspiracy theorists suggest. Why would there be a conspiracy? Well, Harding had allowed his Secretary of the Interior to take over from the Navy Department the Teapot Dome oil reserve in Wyoming. The Secretary then allowed for two oilmen to develop the oil field there and another in California. Murmuring began as the Secretary suddenly upgraded his lifestyle. Turns out he had received $400,000 in "gifts" from the two oilmen. The Teapot Dome Scandal was the first huge Federal Government corruption scandal in the 20th century if not in all US history. Many more have followed. When told that his friends may be enriching themselves at the Federal Trough, Harding is said to have exclaimed, "My...friends...they're the ones that keep me walking the floors nights!" Herbert Hoover urged Harding to publicly expose the scandal but Harding did not in fear of the public uproar. Harding avoided the whole mess and possible impeachment by conveniently dying before the Teapot Dome Scandal really bubbled to the surface.

In 1876, Wild Bill Hickok was shot and killed in Deadwood, South Dakota. It wasn't in a gunfight though. Hickok was playing cards in Saloon Number 10 with his back to the door. A tinhorn gunman named Jack McCall came in an shot Wild Bill in the back of the head. Legend is that Hickok was holding a pair of black aces and black 8's. That is now commonly known as the "dead man's hand" though most of the time the suit is not noted and just aces and eights will suffice for the moniker. Two things have eluded me: One is how does someone named James Butler become "Wild Bill?" The other is why he had his back to the door. Hickok had a storied life as a gunfighter and his reputation made him a target for those wanting to make a name for themselves. So, he typically sat with his back to the wall. I guess on August 2, 1876 he thought he was among friends. Seems Wild Bill and Warren G. needed to be more careful about their friends.

I just recently finished working my way through Season One of HBO's stellar Old West / goldrush / settlement drama Deadwood and I'm ready to declare it one of my favorites television programs of all time.

Deadwood is a show that tells its stories in a compelling, yet slightly mystifying, manner. The dialogue is not immediately easy on the ears. It takes about two full episodes to fully get attuned to the flow of conversation, to the way words roll off the tongues of the various unsavory folks who populate the illegal settlement of Deadwood, South Dakota. Once the ear adjusts to writer/creator David Milch's particular cadences and word-smithing, though, the show has gotten its hooks in you.

Much has been written about Ian McShane's portrayal of Al Swearengen, the owner of the greasy Gem Saloon who is often the motivating force behind many of the plotlines. It's true that McShane is tremendous, but the acting across the board is truly sublime. Timothy Olyphant plays Seth Bullock as a calm in the storm, come to Deadwood to open a hardware store and pave the way for the eventual arrival of his wife and child. The understatement of his performance gives so much power to the moments when Bullock loses his cool and lashes out.

Wild Bill Hickok rolling into town is just plain awesome, and his descent into a life of all-night poker games and booze is heart-wrenching and handled beautifully by Keith Carradine. Charlie Utter, as played by Dayton Callie, has a deep sadness that underscores his simple nobility. Robin Weigert as Calamity Jane is a total scene-stealer. Brad Dourif's Doc Cochran moves slowly from his spot as one of Swearingen's many whipping posts to a man unafraid to speak his mind, and the transformation is subtle and mesmerizing. Even Swearengen's henchmen -- especially W. Earl Brown as knife-man Dan Dority -- feel fully fleshed out and sympathetic.

It's tremendous that most of these folks were real historic figures, and spent time in the actual town of Deadwood, most likely in and around the real Gem Saloon.

The last arc of Season One has the town beginning to feel the pressures of impending annexation, as Swearengen sets the wheels in motion for the organization, and eventual legitimization, of Deadwood's politics, businesses, and property claims. The beauty of this plot point is played out in Swearengen's acceptance of his role as one of the towns forefathers, and in demonstrating that underneath all the ruthlessness, greed, and power he has a truly caring (though also exceedingly scarred) soul. He just doesn't want anyone to know.

Deadwood probably isn't for everyone -- there are some pretty brutal, painful, discouraging and hard to watch moments. In the end, though, the depth of the characters, the subtleties of the storytelling, and the incredible production values of the show are enough to make me eager to move on to Season Two.

I'll be keeping an eye on the mailbox, waiting anxiously for the next of the red Netflix envelopes.

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Links:

- The actual town of Deadwood, South Dakota
- HBO's Deadwood: Fact and Fiction

During our week doing the Deadwood Archaeology Camp in June, Jim Kent stopped by and did a lot of recording. I got elected to do an interview (probably because of my cool hat) and, happily, I managed to acquit myself rather well. At least, I don't *think* I said anything too stupid, though I did manage to use the word "things" more than I would have liked. Oh well.

So! If you'd like to hear my 15 seconds of radio fame, you can check out either of the following links. The stories are essentially the same, but shaken up a little for variety.

Dakota Digest - Pictures and a lovely sound clip. Don't you love my hat?

Voice of America - This one has a transcript in addition to the sound clip. I had to choose the "download" option to get the soundclip to play.

For Santiago's previous missive on HBO, click here.

For Oliver Haberdasher's counterargument, click here.

I'm a huge movie buff. I wasn't always this way though. Up until two years ago, I didn't watch very many movies, eschewing them for SportsCenter re-runs and episodes of 1960's cop shows (don't ask). Though after I responded in the negative one too many times to the query "Hey have you seen _____?" I made it a point to watch as many films as I could.

One of the steps I took to catch up on my personal film viewing deficiency was to start watching a lot more HBO. HBO has always had the best and most diverse selection of movies of any network on television (plus 100% more nudity than the Disney Channel). As an added bonus, HBO had an impeccable lineup of original series, like "Deadwood," "The Sopranos," "Entourage," "Flight of the Conchords," and my personal favorite "The Wire."

However, of these series, only "Entourage" is still producing new episodes, so whatever allure HBO's impressive original series lineup may have had is largely gone by now. It's unclear if/when HBO will develop any quality new series to replace them. So now the worth of HBO is dictated almost entirely by the quality of the movies--and of course, the occasional mini-series--they acquire the rights to.

So let's examine some of the movies HBO is currently showing and see how they rate:

The Kingdom: Decent

Harry Potter 5: Good, if you're into that sort of thing

The Black Dahlia: Worst movie ever made

American Psycho: Trippy, but good

Ocean's Thirteen: Fun

Rush Hour III: Bleh

The Simpsons Movie: The truth

Boys Don't Cry: Hilary Swank's vagina

Beerfest: Meh

Blood Diamond: Solid, if a little preachy

It seems like there's about a 1:1 ratio of decent to abhorrent movies, with the occasional excellent flick thrown in there.

So even if HBO onDemand seems more like HBO "ehWhyNot" most times, it's still the number one choice in premium cable.

Though we'd recommend getting Netflix instead. But that's a whole 'nother debate.

The whole concept of “mid-season replacements” cracks me up. It’s an admission, up front, that “Hey, those shows we’re giving you as our Big Fall Premieres? The best of the best, the cream of the crop, the ones we say are so good you HAVE to watch them? Well, to tell you the truth, we KNOW that most of them aren’t really that good – hell, in most cases, they won’t do as well as the shows they’re replacing! But don’t worry: we already have even more probably mediocre shows to replace these future failures, chosen and developed by exactly the same people who are giving you this first set of failures-in-the-making!. So cheer up, Mr. Frowny Viewer! Give us a smile, now! And tell us again: why aren’t you watching hours and hours and HOURS of network TV anymore?”

But here’s the real question: what new show will fall in the Fall to make room for Jericho? Seems like a pretty sure bet that they’ll give Cane, the Jimmy Smits family drama, a full season to fail (Hey, it’s got Rita Moreno in it! Leave her alone!). Probably the same for Viva Laughlin, if only because big-time movie star Hugh Jackman is an exec producer, and making an appearance in the pilot. Joel Silver’s behind Moonlight, the newest Vampire Detective show (trying to go one step farther than Supernatural or Angel, I guess; maybe even trying to recapture the majesty of the Canadian cult-wonder that was Forever Knight), but if it is greeted with the same “wtf? Who cares?” as that horrid retread of Night Stalker got over on ABC a while back, it could get a stake through its heart early on).

Actually, I’m thinking Kid Nation, a reality show where Survivor meets Lord of the Flies (you want to bet that wasn’t the pitch to Nina Tassler? Come ON.) will be the first casualty. I mean, give me a break: a reality show in which – get this – “Forty over-achieving kids between the ages of 8 and 15 will have 40 days to build a new world without any parental supervision in a deserted town in Bonanza City, New Mexico. They will cook their own meals, run their own homes and businesses, and create a real government while coping with the everyday pressures of being a child.”

Please. “The everyday pressure of being a child”? I got your pressures right here, Mr. Oh-I’m-So-Stressed-Out-Being-Nine-Years-Old.

Anyway: welcome back, Jericho. Can’t wait to see why there are only 21 stars on that flag. And I bet you guys are sorry you killed off Gerald McRaney now, aren’t you? Dang, people! He was half of Simon & Simon! He was Major Dad! He was on friggin’ Gunsmoke AND Deadwood, man, what were you thinkin’?

Tem-se realizado, por estes dias, o habitual encontro, promovido pela Associação de Críticos de Televisão, entre a imprensa e as estações de televisão norte-americanas. Estes encontros são propícios à apresentação, por parte dos canais, das suas apostas a curto e médio prazo. É um resumo das principais novidades apresentadas pelas estações o que fazemos nesta série Projectos 2008/2009.

Primeiro as séries que a HBO tem em pré-produção e que conta estrear durante a próxima temporada, provavelmente no Verão de 2009. Uma comédia, com duração de meia hora, com o título Washingtonienne, baseada na blogger Jessica Cutler que escreveu sobre as suas aventuras sexuais com figuras políticas reais em Washington. A produção deverá arrancar no Outono e entre os produtores da série estará Sarah Jessica Parker.

Um novo drama está também a começar a ser trabalho por David Simon (criador de The Wire - A Escuta e da mini-série deste Verão na HBO Generation Kill). Chamar-se-à Treme e a sua principal temática serão as consequências do furacão Katrina.

Um outro drama, Boardwalk Express, do qual já tínhamos falado aqui, está também em desenvolvimento a pedido da HBO e, na sua equipa de produção, conta com nomes como os de Terence Winter (produtor executivo d'Os Sopranos), Martin Scorsese, Mark Wahlberg e Stephen Levinson (produtor executivo de Entourage - A Vedeta). O foco deste drama são os meandros do crime organizado em Atlantic City, nos anos 20.

Já para Setembro estão programadas as estreias da 5ª temporada de Entourage - A Vedeta e das novas True Blood e Little Britain USA. Por definir estão as estreias da novas temporadas de Em Tratamento, Big Love, Flight of the Conchords e Tell Me You Love Me. Confirmado está o regresso de Larry David e da sua Curb Your Enthusiasm - Calma Larry em 2009.

A HBO apresentou ainda as suas intenções fora da televisão, isto é o mesmo que dizer no cinema. Uma sequela do filme O Sexo e a Cidade e a continuação d'Os Sopranos no grande ecrã continua a ser hipóteses em cima da mesa. De fora está a possibilidade de haver um filme para televisão de Deadwood (que encerraria a trama).

Sabe-se que a HBO adquiriu ainda os direitos sobre o piloto Fat Sells, um drama familiar de uma hora passado no mundo da milionária industria dos suplementos alimentares. O argumento é de Gren Wells e a produção de Dave Broome e do galardoado Forest Whitaker.

A fechar aquela que deverá ser a cereja no topo do bolo para a HBO: a mini-série The Pacific, que deverá estrear no fim de 2009, principio de 2010, ambientada durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial e que tem como produtores executivos Steven Spielberg e Tom Hanks, que se haviam juntado anteriormente para a mini-série Irmãos de Armas.

True Blood is a new HBO series written by Alan Ball (creator of Six Feet Under) due to be released in the latter part of 2008. The creators and marketers have started a very well thought out viral campaign, engaging directly with what might be perceived as the pillars of the goth community including horror film bloggers and online Gothic enthusiasts.

The letters have been written in dead languages like Babylonian and Ugaritic and sent out to these key culture-deciders. In no time at all the recipients duly pitched in to translate them throughout the community. The group effort, carried out on blogs and message boards, led to a macabre Web site guarded by a beautiful vampire, where visitors could view short prequel episodes to HBO’s new series and learn about a product called Tru Blood that obviates the need for vampires to feast on humans.

This campaign has a four month lead time. You hear that: four months. If studios who have the money and the networks to run multinational advertising campaigns are investing in campaigns directly engaging with communities and allowing very long lead times, then it draws attention to the fact that marketing through niche communities has a place and it's best to do it slowly to draw as much blood possible from your victims.

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=4032

The pinball game, Spiderman, can be found at The Deadwood, 6 South Dubuque Street.

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=5237

The pinball game, Indiana Jones, can be found at The Deadwood, 6 South Dubuque Street.

http://www.ipdb.org/machine.cgi?gid=1267

www.hbo.com

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