London Town

So I have been in London for a little under a week now. It has been sunny on all but two days so far which means London is pretty much way better than advertised. I may even love it more than a fat kid loves cake. My computer showed up today along with the rest of my books, art, sweaters, etc. so this post will be brief. I still have some settling in to do, including a trip to the great and wonderful Ikea. So for now I will leave you all with a glimpse of my terrace house (be sure not to refer to it as a row house or a town house, you will be mercilessly ridiculed by all the London tossers):

Potent Potables

Two quick things. The first of which is a follow-up to yesterday's hilarious Obama speech/Kanye stunt mash-up courtesy of my friend Keith:

Too soon? I vote no because it is just too funny and too timely. Like I said, I really love the internet.

The second point I would like to address is a little anecdote from my friend Broek. This last weekend while in the NYC she was walking with a friend through the meatpacking district and made a few jokes about bumping into Scott Schuman. Next thing you know, they actually do bump into Scott Schuman and Garance Dore. "In the wild." Pretty cool huh. The story goes that both Scott Schuman and Garance Dore were quite affable. However, what stood out the most was the contrast between their physical appearance and what they look like in photographs. Broek said that Scott Schuman was much shorter than expected. He also looked much stockier than he does in his photographs. The conclusion was that he really knows how to position himself for the most flattering photos. The word on the street regarding Garance Dore is that she is even more beautiful in person than she is in her photographs.

When I first heard the story it made me a little sad to hear that Scott Schuman was not 6 feetish and slender like I had imagined. Kind of like hearing that The National suck live. But after thinking about it a little more I kind of like that he is more of a regular guy with "flaws" just like me. Hearing that Garance Dore was even better looking in person just made me like her even more.

What makes this story even better for me was that I had just read the post on Garance Dore's blog from Monday where she posted the photo that Scott Schuman took of her taking a picture of another woman who was in turn taking a picture of her. I wonder how the timing worked out of when this picture was taken to when Broek bumped in to them.

So yeah celebrities! They're just like us! Or something like that. But really, in all honesty, and with complete earnestness. Check out the blogs for both these photographers. Two of my favorites by far. And Scott Schuman's new book is the bomb diggity. I can't stop paging through it.

Reason # 7,894,593 For Why I Love The Interwebs

I am not sure if I have mentioned this before, but I love the interwebs. I mean, I REALLY love the interwebs. I love them even more than Michael Jordan loves being petty and vindictive. This hilarious "mash-up" that hit the interwebs immediately following Kanye's little stunt at the VMAs is just one of the many, many, many reasons why I have this burning love:

I Will Not Read Your !@#$%^& Script

A couple of days ago A History of Violence screenwriter Josh Olson published a nice little rant in the Village Voice. While his rant is often quite amusing because of his colorful choice of words, Olson also makes quite a few meaningful points and offers some sage advice for aspiring screenwriters. I agree with everything Olson says and really appreciate the way he framed his arguments. My favorite part of the rant was the final anecdote:

You are not owed a read from a professional, even if you think you have an in, and even if you think it's not a huge imposition. It's not your choice to make. This needs to be clear--when you ask a professional for their take on your material, you're not just asking them to take an hour or two out of their life, you're asking them to give you--gratis--the acquired knowledge, insight, and skill of years of work. It is no different than asking your friend the house painter to paint your living room during his off hours.

There's a great story about Pablo Picasso. Some guy told Picasso he'd pay him to draw a picture on a napkin. Picasso whipped out a pen and banged out a sketch, handed it to the guy, and said, "One million dollars, please."

"A million dollars?" the guy exclaimed. "That only took you thirty seconds!"

"Yes," said Picasso. "But it took me fifty years to learn how to draw that in thirty seconds."

Like the cad who asks the professional for a free read, the guy simply didn't have enough respect for the artist to think about what he was asking for. If you think it's only about the time, then ask one of your non-writer friends to read it. Hell, they might even enjoy your script. They might look upon you with a newfound respect. It could even come to pass that they call up a friend in the movie business and help you sell it, and soon, all your dreams will come true. But me?

I will not read your fucking script.

Maybe I should have titled this post I Will Not Do Your !@#$%^& Taxes.

One Final Thought on BYU - OU

I just watched the video that I posted a couple of days ago for like the 900th time. After many, many, many viewings I think I feel comfortable saying that my favorite part was the route that Pitta ran to pick up the crucial 3rd and 10 conversion on the final drive at the 4:55 mark of the video. His route is truly a thing of beauty. I love watching the defensive back get turned completely around as Pitta squares off the route, catches the perfect pass, and turns upfield for additional yardage. The balance and rock of the shoulders just leaves me feeling sleepy and with a giant grin on my face. Perfection.

Pitta. Pitta. Pitta.

BYU vs OU from Brandon Orton on Vimeo.

Still Can't Stop Smiling

14 - 13: The Day After

A little over 12 hours have elapsed since BYU came out and stood toe to toe with the "number 3" team in the nation. I am still drunk on the elixir of exceeded expectations mixed with a dash of improbable victory. My throat is a little scratchy as well. Still amazed at the defensive stand that stopped OU six straight plays on the goal line. I don't think the happy glow of this win will rub off for years to come. Seriously so blessed right now.

Station Fire Time Lapse

My good friend Mike Wiener sent me the link to this cool time lapse of the smoke cloud from the Station Fire north of Los Angeles. My roommate has compared the fire to the eruption of a volcano and I must say that the smoke cloud is how I would envision a smoke cloud from an erupting volcano to look. Pretty impressive. The video is on some dude's personal website so there was not an embed feature. Click on the link though. It is totally worth it.