17x Champions

Add another championship to Boston's impressive resume. It's hard to believe that this is the first one being raised to the new Boston Garden's rafters. It's even harder to believe that it was the first championship won in Boston since the 1986 NBA title. That's a total of six championships that I remember (seven if you count '86 NBA when I was one year old). All six also came within a period of seven years (February '02 to June '08). That's pretty damn good.

Yes, there's always highs and lows, but it's still great to be a Boston sports fan. At least for me, I love all four major teams in the city and you look for them to give you hope and excitement. If a team falls, then another team picks you up. I still won't forget about the recent Super Bowl, but for the moment I'm happy.

It's funny to think how quickly the Celtics have gone from bums to the most celebrated team in the city. This team did win 24 games last year. Granted they have a completely different team now, but it gives anyone hope that a team can be turned around so quickly. A couple trades and smart free agent pickups can make you a contender overnight. That is what happened to this team and that's why they are the world champions.

Where do they go from here? I don't know for sure, but if they can keep the nucleus I can't see how you can't like them winning next year. It's exciting to be a Celtics fan. And, that is never a bad thing.

Here's a couple quick notes to think about:

- Maybe I'm just a bigger Patriots fan, but this championship still didn't make me forget about the tragic Super Bowl back in February. I realized as the clock went to 0:00 that yet another championship can't make the pain disappear. Like other great losses that the city has suffered, it will be a scar that will never go away.

- On the topic of that Super Bowl, can you imagine if the Pats won? Boston would be home to three of the four major champions in North America right now and until October. It would have easily been the greatest stretch of time in the history of sports. I don't know how you could argue with that statement? A baseball team that swept the World Series and came back from 3-1 to win the pennant. A basketball team that won 66 regular season games and clinched the title by 39 points. Then, a football team that had a perfect 19-0 season. What if... (shaking my head in disappointment)

- It's hard to rate where Paul Pierce ranks among all time Celtics. The franchise is so storied that I truly believe people need to wait for him to retire. Even then, how do you compare him to former legends such as Russell, Bird, Cousy, and Havlicek to name a few? Here's the thing about the Celtics. You can't compare by number of championships. It's a tough call. If I was forced to place him somewhere right now here is how I would do it. There's Bird and Russell. Then, there's Cousy, Havlicek, Sam Jones, Dave Cowens, Kevin McHale, and Paul Pierce in the next category. I don't care what Pierce does, I don't think he could crack Bird/Russell territory.

- I can guarantee you that Pierce, Garnett, and Allen will all have their numbers retired by the team. How do I know this? The Celtics retire everyone's number. Just look at the rafters and I know that the average fan can't name half the numbers up there. If Garnett and Allen play a few more years here and win another championship they'll easily join Pierce up there. Even if they don't, I still like their chances.

- On the topic of Allen, Garnett, and Pierce, many people may want to call them finally the Big Three. Maybe, they are, but to me that will always be only three people: Bird, McHale, and Parish. I love Ray, Kevin, and Paul, but we need to get them a new nickname.

- I still remember when Paul Pierce was drafted. I went to the draft party with my Dad back in '98 at the Garden (then called the Fleet Center) and still remember Rick Pitino coming out and saying the Celtics were drafting Pierce. I hated Pierce in college (I'm a UNC fan), but was ecstatic that he slipped to number ten. I couldn't be happier for a guy. Through everything, he led the team to a title even if it was ten years later. It could be argued that Ray Allen was the MVP of the finals, but it had to go to Pierce. I don't think I need any further explanation. In the words of an old bowling buddy of mine, Paul Pierce is fierce.

- The new Garden will never be the old Garden. It's pointless to even argue that. Though, it's great that the building finally has a moment that it can call it's own. Part of me is glad they lost game five because last night was special. Only if the Bruins would wake up and get with the program.

- As for the celebration, why do people have to destroy property and be violent? It's stupid. Plus, it makes the city and Celtic fans look bad. There's no reason why people can't simply go out and have fun whether it be in a public or private setting. Yet, it never fails that people get arrested. This simply pisses me off and if you're a true fan of the Celtics or any other Boston team (Sox fans are notorious for this), it should piss you off, too. There's absolutely no reason for it.

- If there is a heaven, I can only imagine what Red Auerbach must be thinking. Not only did the Celtics win another title, but they took out the Lakers and Phil Jackson. It would have created a classic Red moment during the trophy presentation. If you don't know what I mean, then I highly suggest you watch the video below, which was also the last time the Celtics defeated the Lakers in the '84 finals.

Recount

Sometimes movies on cable can be just as good if not better than films released theatrically.  Part of that is the freedom that filmmakers are allowed on cable.  When I was back at film school, I was listening to a Q & A from two directors and they said they preferred to make movies on HBO.  The point I'm trying to make is Recount, which recently premiered on HBO is damn good movie.

Not only does the film tackle a huge issue (2000 Presidential election), but it delivers solid performances and really takes you back to that crazy period in late 2000 when no one knew who the hell was going to be President.

I was only 15 back in 2000, but I remember that election and staying up until 2 or 3 a.m. waiting to see who won.  Of course, the winner wasn't decided that night and Recount chronicles from election day until the Supreme Court came down on a decision in December.  It could be easily argued that the film is made by Democrats, but it does a good job looking at both sides of the battle.  I didn't even find it to be a biased approach.

The film is anchored a strong performance by Kevin Spacey as Ron Klain, who also produced the film.  Though, the shining light of the film may be Laura Dern, who gives what I predict will be an Emmy nominated performance as Katherine Harris. Also, Denis Leary, Tom Wilkinson, John Hurt, Bob Balagan, Ed Begley Jr. provide additional support.

The crazy thing about that recount is that no one knew how big of an election that really was.  It's impossible to know if Al Gore would have been a great president, but it's easy to believe he would have been better than George W. Bush.  If the Gore camp continued to fight and eventually won Florida, where would we be today?  That's part of the beauty of this film.  You're with the Gore camp and you experience the ups and downs of their battle to get Gore in the White House.

When it's over, you're drained of your energy and hope.  Part of the reason is that you know what will happen over the next eight years.  You feel pity for the Bush camp as you would be happy for their victory if you didn't know that Bush would be arguably the worst president in history.

I'm sure the film will be on DVD eventually, but if you have HBO I would strongly consider watching it.  It's worth the two hours of your time.

The Joke Show a.k.a. MTV Movie Awards

Yes, the MTV Movie Awards never intended to be taken seriously, but it's got to the point where the show is unwatchable.  It all starts with preshow, which was hosted by two people I've never even heard of.  They were horrible and "red carpet" interviews were below average.

I feel like the show tries to be too cool and it fails.  I mean why have Tom Cruise present Adam Sandler the generation award?  Even Mike Myers busting out Wayne's World was lackluster.  Is Myers lacking so much material that he has to bring back old SNL skits?

I do have to give credit to James Franco and Seth Rogen as they "smoked weed" on the stage.  It had an MTV feel to it, but they got scared and went to the a wide shot.  I don't know if that was planned, but it was pointless if they are just going to go wide.  Still, that was a funny moment.

Though, the most important question is why they have an award called "Best Summer Movie So Far"?  Give me a break.  That may be the stupidest award ever given out in the history of award shows.

As for the other awards.  Nothing really special about this show.  I found it to be very forgettable.  Though, I was surprised to see Transformers take the top prize.  I figured it was going to be Juno.  I guess this was consolation for Transformers getting shut at the Oscars.

Mikey Filmmaker Turns 23

Yes, today is my birthday. I'm 23. Damn, I'm starting to get old. I actually pulled out a piece of gray hair out of my head this morning and my bad hurts. It sucks.

Seriously, I'm going to try to post some stuff this weekend since I feel like I've let down some of my hardcore fans. I do have a little treat for you all. This is something I wrote a couple months ago. It's a haiku I wrote one night while I was very stoned. Don't ask, but I have a thing for writing haikus while high. Though, I wouldn't try it at home. I'm a professional ston... I mean haiku writer.

The Legend of Mikey Filmmaker

He will save us all

Women love and adore him

Blogs like no other

R.I.P. Sydney Pollack 1934-2008

As I'm sure the rest of the filmmaking world knows, Sydney Pollack died yesterday. I wouldn't consider myself a huge fan of Pollack's, but I did enjoy some of his movies including Tootsie, which would have to be my favorite. Others I know about and need to make the time in my life to view them such as Three Days of the Condor and Out of Africa.

The great thing about Pollack that I always admired was the fact that he was not only a director, but also a producer. Hell, he even acted in some of his films. My favorite was in Tootsie when he played Dustin Hoffman's agent. That argument they get in about Hoffman getting in character to play a tomato is classic.

As mentioned above, Sydney became a producer on a number of well known films. He actually started a production company I believe with Anthony Minghella, who also unfortunately passed away earlier this year. Most recently, Pollack produced Michael Clayton and the HBO film, Recount (which I will write about in the near future).

Though, Sydney Pollack will probably be forever linked to Out of Africa, which gave him the coveted Oscar. I've never seen the film, but it won eight Oscars and was nominated for a total of eleven. Believe me, it doesn't happen every year. That is one hell of accomplishment.

Sydney has been ill for a while.  I remember back at Oscar time hearing about his declining health and it possibly playing a role in Michael Clayton's Oscar chances. Sadly, it was his swan song.  And let me tell you, that's one hell of a swan song.

Sydney Pollack will be missed.

He was 73.

Belated Blog Anniversary

I just realized yesterday that the this blog turned one year old on May 18, 2008. I like to think it's been quite an interesting year. It's been filled with plenty of positives and I look forward to year two.

I actually got to write about a couple things, but I need to sit down and want to write them. I don't know why, but I really need a back massage right now. I think if I can get one, then I will be back in shape and ready to blog. I think because I'm sitting down in a chair for almost twelve hours a day, my back needs to get rubbed or something. It's weird, but true.

I'll have more later, the Celtics are now and I'm going to watch the game.

Cannes Newsflash!

I want to clarify something quickly before I head to bed. Right now, the Cannes Film Festival is going on. It's arguably the biggest festival of the year. It's also the most mispronounced festival in the world. So, I ask the simple question, why do people insist that Cannes is pronounced like "khan"?

Sorry to report, but it's pronounced like "can".

Working in the film industry I haven't heard one person pronounce it as "khan", but rather "can" every time. Yet, I have had endless arguments with my friends during the last couple years about the proper pronunciation. I was told I was wrong.

Well, I'm happy to report I was right and that's that. I'm going to bed. The endless argument has ended.

Extremely Difficult Question

I can't decide. Would love to see what people think.

What the Hell Happened?

I have no idea, but I'm still alive and well. I've actually been moving and am finally settled in. And, not going to lie, that's a good feeling. Although, it's a little odd since I'm living by myself for the first time ever. I've got no roommates or family living with me. I get home after a long day of work and I got no one to ask how my day was.

As for myself, I do plan to start posting more frequently and I mean it this time. If I don't, then I have no excuses, so feel free to let me hear it.

As I've stated before, the job is priority number one for obvious reasons. And, that is always going to be an obstacle regardless of where I'm living. It's been an adventure. I've been there for a little over a month and it has its moments. I'm not trying to brag, but here is a list of a few people I've encountered during the last month.

* denotes if I met in person

Justin Chambers
Anne Dudek
Joe Gordon-Levitt
*Will Forte
*Corey Haim
*Anne Heche
Allison Mack
Amy Madigan
Jessica Walter
*Dean Winters

I'm Heading to Hollywood!

Yes, Mikey Filmmaker is moving (again) and this time he's heading to Hollywood. I'm literally moving to Hollywood. It's a two minute walk to Hollywood and Highland, which happens to house the Kodak Theatre, which happens to be where the Oscars are held.

So, there you go folks. I may be the only Oscar blogger, who literally lives next door to the show. I'll be able to hear the winners before everyone else since I'll have no five second delay. I'll be able to give you a perspective that few can give. It's mind blowing that I will be so close to Hollywood Blvd.

I already have my weekends thought out. I'm basically going to spend the day hanging out with Spider-Man and Darth Vader in front of the Chinese Theatre.

I can't wait for the Oscars next year. I'm going to have such a great perspective of the whole event that it will be incredible. I'm so excited!