So the elections in Iraq seemed to go pretty well yesterday. Sure, forty people were killed in attacks but I think we were all expecting those numbers to be much higher. What wasn’t expected was that around 60% of Iraqis would turn out to vote. That’s a higher percentage than many presidential elections in the U.S. Now it’s no secret that I disapprove of this president and his policies. But that does not mean that I want things to go badly in Iraq out of spite. On the contrary, I’m glad that Iraqis enjoyed their taste of democracy and I hope that it speeds up their efforts toward self-rule. The faster their government gets going and the faster their troops are trained, the faster we can get out of there.

I met up with a friend on Saturday and saw what I believe is the best film of 2004 and the film that is most deserving of the Best Picture Oscar. It’s "Million Dollar Baby." What begins as a tale about a grizzled old boxing trainer (Clint Eastwood) training a hungry female fighter (Hilary Swank) takes a tragic turn that illuminates Swank’s brilliance and also gives Eastwood the best performance of his career. I’m not kidding, he was that good. Also excellent was Morgan Freeman whose narration throughout the film becomes evident at the very end when you realize who he is narrating to. Yesterday, Eastwood won the Directors Guild Award which can be very good tidings come Oscar night. See this movie!

It’s still cold - single digits and it feels like below zero with the wind chill. The good news is that it’s supposed to go up to the 30s tomorrow. That will feel like a heatwave. Maybe our week-old snow will finally melt.

A shame about the 28-year old actress who was gunned down on the Lower East Side in a robbery attempt. The News quotes a local resident as saying, "Before this happened, the neighborhood was a gentrified utopia. This is a reminder that as hip and mainstream as it becomes, it still has that gutter element." It’s also a warning that as safe as we may think we are, we must always keep our guard up because you just never know.

Listen to MTA President Lawrence Reuter backpedal on his statement that it would take five years to repair the C-train. Now he’s saying "I must have misspoke or didn’t clarify myself very well on that." Right. Because saying five years on Monday and nine months on Tuesday is just a case of not clarifying himself very well.

What’s the best way to beat the cold? Watch Australian Open tennis where they are playing in 95 degree heat. I don’t envy them though as I prefer cold weather to hot weather. But the matches have been tremendous. Serena Williams beating Maria Sharapova and Marat Safin beating Roger Federer have been among the nailbiters. The finals are set for this weekend as Serena will be playing Lindsay Davenport and Safin will be playing Australia’s own, Lleyton Hewitt.

I’ll close by acknowledging the 60th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. No words can adequately mark the occasion.

Rumors of the XM/Sirius merge have been greatly exaggerated. Or so they say. Not long after the story broke, the satellite companies denied it. But that’s standard practice in big business : deny you’re going to merge and then do so anyway. But I’m skeptical for two reasons. The first reason I mentioned yesterday in that the FCC would not allow it because it would violate anti-trust laws. The second reason is that the story was originally broken in that bastion of journalism, the New York Post. The same Post that announced that John Kerry had selected Dick Gephardt as his running mate.

Carlos Delgado chose not to sign with the Mets, opting for the Florida Marlins instead. So the Mets went to Plan B and their new first baseman is Doug Ment... Mientca... Mientkawh... Mientkiewicz. Whew, that one is going to be a bitch to spell. If I ever have to fill out a scorecard, I’m screwed.

I am halfway through watching the Season 4 DVD boxset of The Simpsons. It’s going to be very difficult to narrow it down to a Top 10. I might have to cheat by indicating some "honorable mentions."

On a closing note, DAMN, IT’S COLD OUT!!!

BREAKING NEWS – XM and Sirius Satellite Radio are considering a merge. It’s being reported on the wires that both companies are already in the process of meeting to weigh any potential antitrust concerns. It’s unlikely the FCC will approve it, especially since they nixed the proposed merger between DirecTV and DISH Network, but you never know. Stay tuned for more on these developments.

Did they say it would take 5 years to fix the C-train? Check that. Now they’re saying they can do it in nine months. Funny what can be accomplished when the MTA President’s head is being called for.

Last night’s episode of "The Amazing Race" was sad because it was filmed in Sri Lanka, mere weeks before the tsunami tragedy. I couldn’t help but contrast the happy scenic shots of Sri Lankan life depicted in the program with the horrible reality of what happened to it. I also couldn’t help but wonder how many of the people shown in the program are no longer with us. At least CBS framed the program with statements of condolences and appeals for charitable contributions.

I’m pleased to say that this morning’s commute was much smoother than yesterdays. The tracks have thawed and the F-train was running again. Service resumed at around 4:30 yesterday afternoon so I was able to get home normally.

The same can not be said for those who rely on the C-train. A fire at the Chambers Street station has eliminated the C’s service... for three to five years! That is just insane. Years ago, they built entire subway lines from scratch in less time. And what caused the fire that destroyed the service for an entire line? A homeless person. So if a homeless person could do that accidentally, what could a terrorist do with nefarious intentions? Hopefully this will serve as a wakeup call for Homeland Security. But the really big question is, with no C-train, how is one to get to the Museum of Natural History??? The B also goes there but not on weekends. I predict major reroutes in the near future.

Oscar nominations have been announced! I have already seen three of the five Best Picture nominees - "The Aviator", "Finding Neverland" and "Ray." The other two I hope to see within the month – "Million Dollar Baby" and "Sideways."

For those interested, I am organizing an Oscar Pool! Person with the most correct picks wins a prize. I’ve already e-mailed a bunch of people with the details but if you want to play and you didn’t get the e-mail, let me know!

This morning I experienced the commute from hell. Allow me to explain. I arrived at the F train at Avenue U in Brooklyn only to learn that there was no north-bound service due to frozen track conditions. There was south-bound service though to Coney Island at which point we were recommended to take a Q or D into Manhattan. So I went to Coney, connected to a D, took it into lower Manhattan where I connected to another south-bound F with the intention of arriving at my 7th Avenue – Park Slope destination. Unfortunately the train terminated at Jay Street – Borough Hall and wasn’t going any further south due to the same frozen track conditions. Nice of them to tell us that! So I go outside, walk a few blocks to the 2 & 3 train station at Lawrence Street, take a south-bound 3 to Grand Army Plaza and then walk from Grand Army Plaza to my building in Prospect Park. Total time of commute? Three hours. Shame on the MTA for failing to inform commuters of the full extent of the track changes and shame on the media for failing to report them in their "morning traffic reports."

After the weekend’s snowstorm, the digout begins. Yesterday I spent two hours shoveling snow. It’s a good thing the snow was relatively soft at that point. To shovel the same about of snow now would be considerably more difficult due to its heaviness.

In between shoveling, I watched all of my Netflix movies. I enjoyed "Troy" and "Wimbledon" and did not care for "Anchorman." "Troy" was a fun sword and sandals epic. Although it was quite different from The Iliad, this version was still enjoyable. "Wimbledon" was a perfectly serviceable sports film. (Get it? Tennis...serviceable...oh forget it) Hollywood never makes movies about tennis so it was refreshing to see one for a change. "Anchorman" didn’t do it for me at all though. I found it uneven and unfunny. Memo to Will Ferrell : you are very talented but you need not try so hard.

And now to consider how the hell I’m going to get home today...

Brr. I haven’t talked about the weather this week but it’s been utterly freezing in New York City. Yesterday it went above 32 degrees for the first time in days and that felt like a heat wave. But today it’s back to the teens and if that’s not bad enough, they’re predicting 8-12 inches of snow tomorrow. I was supposed to go into Manhattan but such plans have been put on hold. Instead it will be a weekend of DVD watching. From Netflix I currently have "Troy", "Anchorman" and "Wimbledon". Then I have "The Simpsons Season 4" box set. And then there’s the football games on Sunday. I’m totally going to be Homer Simpson this weekend – sitting on the couch, watching TV and eating snack foods. Except that I’ll probably have to shovel sometime on Sunday as well.

I hope that everyone stays warm!

Sigh. It’s January 20th. I was hoping that I would take off from work today and watch the live inauguration of John Kerry as our new president. Sadly that did not come to pass. Instead it’s just another cold, snowy day both outdoors and in the hearts of all Democrats. But there is a way for us to express our discontent. Plastic blue bracelets from CountMeBlue.com. Modeled after the yellow LiveStrong bracelets, you can wear these to show your Blue State pride. They’re currently out of stock but you can visit CountMeBlue.com to sign up on their e-mail notification list. Join the fad!

Yesterday I was cleaning my apartment and getting rid of lots of old things. I came across a box of materials from high school including stuff from when I performed in various stage productions. Among the scripts and rehearsal schedules, I found a note written by fellow castmate, Maria Bova. The show was "Hello, Dolly" and we were rehearsing the scene where I played a court reporter. Maria wrote this note and slipped it to me during that day’s rehearsal. To find it 11 years later brought such a smile to my face and I’ve transcribed it below. Maria, should you find this blog through a Google search of your name, thanks for the memory!

You are the guy who writes things down
Your smile is bright, no trace of a frown
That’s very good for your part
But don’t let it go to your head, that wouldn’t be smart
So keep doing what you are, that will be great
So so long Phil, we’ll probably get out late.
-- Maria Bova, 12/9/93

I first want to acknowledge the enduring legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and I want to thank Dr. King for the holiday that allows me to sleep late today.

And now to discuss "The Simpsons"! I'm going through the DVD box-sets, starting with Season 3 which many regard to be the beginning of their golden era. Coincidentally, this season aired during my freshman year of high school, from 1991 to 1992. Every episode is a classic but I have constructed my own Top 10 list of the shows from that season. As I rewatch the DVDs of subsequent seasons, I will also make Top 10 lists. But for now, I give you...

Phil's Top 10 'Simpsons' Episodes from Season 3

1) "Like Father, Like Clown" (originally aired October 24, 1991) : At a dinner with the Simpsons, Krusty the Clown reveals that he is estranged from his rabbi father. Bart and Lisa explore Jewish traditions and literature to prove to the rabbi that clowning is an honorable profession, and lead Krusty and his father to reconcile on the air.

2) "Flaming Moe's" (originally aired November 21, 1991) : Homer gives Moe the idea for a new cocktail whose secret ingredient is cough syrup. Moe takes the recipe without crediting Homer, and his bar flourishes, attracting the cool crowd and Aerosmith. But before Moe can franchise his operation, a bitter Homer reveals the secret of Moe's success.

3) "Burns Verkaufen Der Kraftwerk" (originally aired December 5, 1991) : A weary Burns decides to sell the plant to a group of German investors. When the Germans assume control, they discover the plant is not the bargain it seems, and in particular that Homer is a buffoon who dreams of the land of chocolate. Finally, Burns returns and retakes the plant, leaving the irate Germans vowing revenge.

4) "Homer at the Bat" (originally aired February 20, 1992) : With a homemade baseball bat, Homer rules the company softball team - until Mr. Burns, to win a bet, decides to hire ringers. He recruits professional baseball players who each fall victim to misfortune, leaving the game in Homer's hands (and head).

5) "Bart the Murderer" (originally aired October 10, 1991) : While the rest of his class enjoys the best field trip ever - to a chocolate factory - Bart becomes a Goodfella under Springfield mob boss Fat Tony. At first Bart enjoys the perks of the job, but the family is concerned when they find hijacked cigarettes in Bart's room and an FBI truck outside. Then Principal Skinner disappears - and Bart is the prime suspect.

6) "Lisa's Pony" (originally aired November 7, 1991) : Homer fails to buy Lisa a new saxaphone reed and she is humiliated at a school concert. To make it up to her, Homer buys her a pony. To affort the pony, Homer must get a second job at the Kwik-E-Mart and he can no longer sleep. Finally, Lisa relents and gives up the pony but keeps her father's love.

7) "I Married Marge" (originally aired December 26, 1991) : In this flashback view of Homer and Marge's early wedded life, we see their marriage in a casino wedding chapel, Homer's successful attempt to land a job at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant and the birth of Bart.

8) "Colonel Homer" (originally aired March 26, 1992) : After an argument with Marge, Homer runs off to a country-western bar, where he discovers beautiful songstress Lurleen Lumpkin. Homer decides to manage her, leading Marge to wonder if she's losing her man to a younger woman. But after Lurleen's successful appearance on the country comedy show 'Yah Hoo!' she realizes there's no one for Homer but his wife.

9) "When Flanders Failed" (originally aired October 3, 1991) : At a backyard BBQ, Ned Flanders announces he's opening a new store devoted to merchandise for left-handers. Homer secretly wishes Flanders to fail, and Ned undergoes a series of business reversals leaving the Flanders family living in a car with Homer the last hope to save the Leftorium. Meanwhile, Bart pretends to be taking Karate lessons, only to be beaten up by bullies.

10) "Homer Alone" (originally aired February 6, 1992) : After a particularly trying morning, Marge has a breakdown and stops her car on a bridge. The family gets her a trip to Rancho Relaxo, a local spa, leaving Bart and Lisa with Patty and Selma, and Maggie with Homer - who immediately loses her.

Funniest TV character of the year? Borat from "Da Ali G Show."

When attending a wine tasting with two white southerners, the reporter from Kazakhstan refers to their African American servant by asking "Is he your slave?" The southerner responds "No no" Borat turns to the other man and asks "He is your slave?" They cough and say "No we don't have slavery in this country anymore." "Why not?" asks Borat. They respond "Well a law was passed against it... which is a good thing.. for them." Borat questions "But not for you?" And one of the men mumbles "No."

Borat later goes to a redneck bar and takes the stage where he sings "In my country there is problem. And we call it the Jew. They take everybody money. And they never give it back. Throw the Jew down the well. So my country can be free. You must grab him by its horns. And we'll have a big party." Sure enough, the redneck patrons get all into the song, signing along and making horn gestures with their hands.

Another time Borat goes househunting and says to the real estate agent, "My wife is afraid of the man with the chocolate face. Do you have any of those here?" The agent replies "Well there might be some but they would have to be very wealthy to live here so they wouldn't behave like the others."

Borat, in his ignorance and stupidity, exposes the prejudice of others. Whereas he is acting, his interview subjects think he is real and thus often betray their true feelings to him. However, this past weekend Borat got in a bit of hot water in the filming of his latest skit...

--------------------------------

'Ali G' Comedian Risks Riot at U.S. Rodeo
Thu Jan 13, 1:07 PM ET

LONDON (Reuters) - British comedian Sasha Baron Cohen escaped a near-riot at an American rodeo while filming his satirical "Da Ali G Show."

According to a report in the Roanoke (Virginia) Times, a man who was introduced as Boraq Sagdiyev from Kazakhstan -- in reality a Cohen character named Borat -- appeared at the rodeo over the weekend after organizers agreed to have him sing the national anthem.

After telling the crowd he supported America's war on terrorism, he said, "I hope you kill every man, woman and child in Iraq down to the lizards ... And may George W. Bush drink the blood of every man, woman and child in Iraq." He then sang a garbled version of "The Star-Spangled Banner."

The Roanoke Times reported that the crowd turned "downright nasty." One observer said "If he had been out there a minute longer, I think somebody would have shot him."

Cohen and his film crew were escorted out of the Salem Civic Center and told to leave the premises.

"Had we not gotten them out of there, there would have been a riot," rodeo producer Bobby Rowe told the paper. "They loaded up the van and they screeched out of there."

Today’s blog entry will be short because I only have one question.

How many Iraqi election officials have to be killed, and how few Iraqi citizens will be physically able to cast ballots, that will prevent Bush from calling the January 30 elections an outstanding success?

A trivia recap can be found on most of the other blogs but, in short, my team came in second place out of around 14 teams, losing out by a mere half-point. My biggest contribution was the Top 10 category where I was able to identify the highest grossing films of 2004. I always knew that my knack for useless pop culture facts and figures would come in handy. Word of my exploits is spreading as another team tried to lure me away at the beginning of the game. From this point on, I’m going to the highest bidder.

Also yesterday Mayor Bloomberg gave his annual State of the City address in the Bronx. I read the text of the speech online and thought it was an effective step for him in launching his reelection bid. He did a good job highlighting his successes. Will they resonate with the voters? Will another candidate mount a convincing rationale against his reelection? We have all of 2005 to find that out.

The speech brought back some memories I have of Bloomberg’s 2003 State of the City address which he held in Brooklyn. I was called on to assist with the logistical organizing of the event and it was a great opportunity to schmooze with some VIPs. Among the people I got to chat with that day were City Councilman James Davis (a few months before his assassination) and the High Priest of the Greek Orthodox Church. That was pretty cool.

I’ve revised my Top 10 Movie List of 2004. Entering the list is "Maria Full of Grace", "The Aviator" and "Open Water." Dropping out is "Kill Bill – Vol. 2", "Garden State" and "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban." This is not a completely final list as I still have not seen "Sideways", "Million Dollar Baby", "Hotel Rwanda" and others that I’ve heard are excellent.

1. "Maria Full of Grace"
2. "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind"
3. "Hero"
4. "Spider-Man 2"
5. "Super Size Me"
6. "Ray"
7. "The Aviator"
8. "The Incredibles"
9. "Open Water"
10. "Fahrenheit 9/11"

In other news Randy Johnson has not even had his introductory press conference with the Yankees before he got into an altercation with a member of the press corps. The Bronx Zoo has returned!

Carlos Beltran is a Met and negotiations are underway with Carlos Delgado. The next step is to bring back Carlos Baerga – then the Carlos contingent will be complete.

I will be attending Trivia tonight for the first time since before Thanksgiving!

Props to Daryl for coining the term ‘blahging’... blogging when you feel the ‘blahs’.

I rented "Open Water" on Netflix. This movie absolutely terrified me. I’m not easily scared and most "horror" films tend to bore me. Not this one. A couple is abandoned in the middle of the ocean by their scuba boat. As the tide drifts them further and further out, they are forced to fend for themselves against nature. It’s shot with a digital camera so it looks like a real documentary, not a motion picture. The camera also bobs up and down with the water so you feel like you’re submerged with the couple. And then there’s the threat of sharks circling around them – real sharks were used too, not models or CGI. The psychological torment of what would happen was too great to bear. A couple of times I had to pause the film just to catch my breath. And the ending was truly heartbreaking. See this movie at your own risk!

I also went to see "The Aviator" at Union Square. It’s a solid biographical piece of the remarkable life of the eccentric Howard Hughes. I’m not so sure that it’s the best film of the year but I wouldn’t be surprised to see it pick up the most Oscar nominations.

It was a big New York sports weekend as well. The Mets signed Carlos Beltran for 7 years at $119 million. I guess they can afford him since they won’t be paying Fat Mo Vaughn anymore. Will Beltran help turn the team around or will he be added to the list of failed free agent acquisitions? I’d like to say I’m optimistic but I’ve seen too much. And then there’s the Jets big win on Saturday night. They won it in overtime after very nearly blowing the game in the 4th Quarter. Next stop is the Pittsburgh Steelers on Saturday afternoon. The Jets will be heavy underdogs but stranger things have happened.

We’re having an unusually warm winter and it’s supposed to go up to 60 on Thursday. I’ll take it.

Updating this thing everyday is becoming a bit of a chore. I’m tired, I’m cranky and I just want to go to sleep or curl up in bed with my books and magazines. I think this weather has something to do with it. It’s cold, rainy and windy, which has made me feel listless and lethargic.

What a shame too, since there are so many world events I could be commenting on – the Tsunami fallout, the confirmation of Alberto Gonzalez as Attorney General, the Congressional protest of Bush’s win in Ohio, the Mets’ pursuit of Carlos Beltran. But commentary on any of those subjects would require energy and I currently have none!

Yep, the winter blahs have arrived...

I’m a bit bleary-eyed today as I did not get much sleep last night.

The January workload in my office seems to have increased exponentially. The volume of correspondence to be answered is significantly higher since the inclusion of calls from the City’s 3-1-1 Call Center. Usually, the winter is a slow season – not anymore!

I mentioned yesterday that I’ve been reading "Planet Simpson." It’s a detailed look at how the TV show "The Simpsons" has defined our generation. Some generations had their literature, others had their rock and folk music, we have "The Simpsons." What’s so great about the show is that it subverts our culture, pointing out what really is compared to what others would have us think is what ought to be. I want to quote one particular excerpt that I found telling about the Homer Simpson character and how it represents modern-day America. It refers to the episode where Homer learns that his stupidity is due to a crayon being stuck in his brain. Upon removal of the crayon, he becomes vastly intelligent but his intelligence only brings him disappointment – to the extent that he chooses to return to his old, ignorant, blissful self.

"There are two nasty truths buried in Episode BABF22. The first is that Homer’s life is so successful because he’s so dumb. Anyone with too much smarts, too great a sense of responsibility, too great a propensity for asking difficult questions will be hopelessly frustrated by modern American life. A similar argument lies at the heart of the hit film ‘Forrest Gump’ in which Tom Hanks’s mentally challenged Forrest becomes a national hero, while his childhood friend Jenny asks the tough questions and finds only depravity, addiction and fatal disease as her reward. And this point would be hammered home even more dramatically a few years later, with the rise of a smirking frat boy, failed oilman, bumbling baseball team owner, wannabe baseball commissioner and absolutely anti-introspective non-thinker named George W. Bush to the presidency of the United States.
"The other argument implicit in Homer’s decision to return to stupidity is more subtle but ultimately far more damning. The key detail here is this : Homer’s choice is portrayed as perfectly rational. Obvious even. Why, after all, would anyone choose a lifetime of bitter disappointment and inner turmoil when successfully contented bliss is only a brain hemmorhage away? The America of Episode BABF22 not only encourages and rewards stupidity, it treats it as the preferable mental state. There is no progressive, enlightened society just around the corner in which probing intelligence will be the desired norm. Homer is the desired norm. He is the Everyman. The hero. Agree with Lisa’s social critiques all you want but admit it – Homer is the one you love."

Today is a very busy day so I don't have much time to think about a coherent blog entry. But I did want to say hello to my readers, so - hello!

Congratulations to Wade Boggs and Ryne Sandberg. Both were elected today into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Boggs was the best AL 3rd baseman during the '80s and Sandberg was the best NL 2nd baseman during the '80s. It's fun to see all the players I grew up watching getting elected into the Hall. I'll definetely check out the ceremony this summer on ESPN Classic. And as an example of squandered potential, Darryl Strawberry was not elected to the Hall. At the beginning of his career, everyone expected him to have a stellar career but drinking and drugging was the end of him. Straw was my favorite player from 1985-1988 so it's sad to think of what became of him.

I'm currently reading an excellent book called "Planet Simpson." More info on it to come in a future blog entry.

It’s 2005! And what is the first thing that I did on the first workday of the year? Overslept.

New Years Eve was a lot of fun. I spent it at a bar in Hoboken with Ben, Tracey, Tess, Malinda, Brad and Caren who stopped by for part of it. I have two observations about Hoboken – they still allow smoking in bars which was disappointing to someone who had gotten used to the cleanliness of NYC bars, and there are no streetlights on any of the corners – a death maze if there ever was one! But other than that I enjoyed my visit to Hoboken. Maybe I’ll go back again one day.

The rest of the weekend was spent recovering from New Years. I watched the film "Maria Full of Grace." It was excellent – showing what happens to a young girl in Colombia whose poor economic conditions lead her to become a drug mule, smuggling pellets of heroin in her stomach. It’s disturbing at times to watch and sobering knowing that this is a reality for many. If only one of the pellets breaks inside of a person’s stomach, they die immediately. But the lure of the money makes it worth the risk for many. Very sad.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!