High Flying Fun

8 May

Watching Iron Man, it’s almost as if the movie’s not based on a comic book.

Sure, it’s about a guy in a suit who fights evil, but Iron Man deals with contemporary issues — like terrorism — in such a serious way that it’s not as hokey as most other films in the genre typically are.

Not that a film like Batman Begins is hokey, per se, but given that the villains in those movies are all disfigured or “special” in some kind of way, having a bad guy who’s simply a businessman and arms dealer is sort of, ahem, disarming. Continue reading →

"King" of Broadway

8 May

The announcement today that Whoppi Goldberg will host the Tony Awards this year reminded me that I never put up a link to my story about likely nominee Lin-Manuel Miranda, creator and star of the Broadway show In the Heights.

Lin-Manuel, who is only 28, started writing his show when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan and never expected to act in it.

But his collaborators found that no one knew the show’s freestyle raps as well as he did, and thus, somewhere along the way to Broadway, Lin-Manuel became the star.

The rest, as they say, is history. Continue reading →

Around the Watercooler

8 May

According to a recent survey of 1,435 employed adults 18 and older, when people at work talk about TV, they most often discuss American Idol. Among women, Dancing with the Stars is the second most popular show, and among men, it’s Lost. Surprisingly, workers age 65 and older were more likely than any other age group to say they discuss AI more than any other show at their workplace. Now, AI and Lost I can see, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone in my office ever discuss DwtS. Ever. We talk about The Office most often around here. And there’s also a large following for America’s Next Top Model — which I do not watch, thank you very much. DwtS? What kinds of office workers were interviewed for this survey?

Crash! Boom! Wow!

8 May

If you live in Boston, no doubt you’ve heard about the huge accident in Packard’s Corner this morning. Wild, wild stuff. That picture above (courtesy of ilovesashimi) and the one below (from Boston.com) only show part of the story. For a video report, go to MyFoxBoston.com or read the story at Boston.com. Multiple crashed cars, blocked subway tracks, an exploding truck, etc. What a mess. Thankfully, I had my walking shoes on and an umbrella in my bag; I walked from Packard’s Corner all the way down Comm Ave to Kenmore Square. This, after walking last night all the way from my office near South Station, down Boylston Street and Comm Ave, and up to Allston Street. Suffice it to say, I’ve gotten plenty of exercise. But here’s the best part: when I got to the T stop at Kenmore this morning, an empty train pulled up and I was able to score the same seat that I had before I got off my train earlier up the line. And I only got to work 30 minutes later than usual. So I guess the commute really wasn’t so bad for me after all. But anyway, yeah — what a scene on Comm Ave this morning.

And I Don’t Even Need a New Computer!

7 May

Call me crazy, but I think this is pretty cool. The new Apple Store on Boylston Street, scheduled to open next week, has signage up announcing its imminent opening that’s in the style of the scoreboard on the Green Monster at Fenway Park. Yes, that’s right, I’m excited not just about a store opening, but about the signage. And yes, I went to the store today to take a picture of it. I’m crazy, right? (No, maybe I’m just stupid.)

Put Up Your Hands and Surrender to Him

6 May

I’m just going to say it, credibility be damned: It’s so good to have Gavin DeGraw back. His Chariot is one of my favorite CDs of the past few years, and now his self-titled follow-up is out and it’s mostly worth the wait. I downloaded the album on Saturday from Jonny Ali’s Blog and have had it on almost constant rotation ever since. The first single and album opener “In Love with a Girl” is great, and I am really enjoying the pop-soul sound of “I Have You to Thank.” I’m also a fan of tracks two and three, “Next to Me” and “Cheated on Me.” Best of all, though, is the inclusion of “Cop Stop,” a song Gavin’s been playing live in concert for, oh, five years now that I’ve always enjoyed. Gavin DeGraw is not as good as Chariot — the first half is definitely better than the second, and it’s almost amusing how you can make a one-to-one comparison between some songs on the two albums (“Medicate the Kids” is like Chariot‘s “Chemical Party,” for example) — but the new CD is far from disappointing. I’m not sure why it took the guy five years to release a follow-up, but now that he has, it’s good to have Gavin back with some new tunes. Hopefully the new CD will push him to some real success this summer.

http://widgets.clearchannelmusic.com/o/481b7a4104b97187/48212392061d0e9a/481b80d5399fdb9a/13b8a023

Welcome to the World, Abigail Jordan!

4 May

I’m beyond happy to introduce you all to my beautiful new niece:

Abigail Jordan Davis
Born Sunday, May 4, 2008 at 2:22 a.m.
6lb 12oz
19 inches

It was a wild weekend, to say the least. Continue reading →

Winning Hand

3 May

Finally got around to seeing 21 on Saturday. It’s not the best movie I’ve ever seen, but it’s good escapist fun and I enjoyed it. Seeing that the movie’s been out for more than a month now, I’ll just leave it at that. Oh, and I’ll give it B.

I Scream for Cheap Ice Cream

30 Apr

Hey everyone. Somehow, and I can’t quite explain it, but I totally missed yesterday’s free Ben & Jerry’s ice cream day. Today I won’t make the same mistake. It’s 31-cent scoop night at Baskin Robbins. From 5pm to 10pm, head on over to your local scoop shop and pick up a cheap serving of Mint Chocolate Chip or whatever your favorite flavor is. And tell ’em Martin sent you — maybe they’ll throw on some sprinkles or something. (Or, more likely, they’ll just give you a free spoon. Think of it as my gift to you. You’re welcome.)

Something Borrowed, Something Blew

29 Apr

The mild and easygoing Made of Honor is certainly entertaining enough. But don’t get any ideas: This is no My Best Friend’s Wedding Lite. Sure, it’s basically the same story in reverse — a guy realizes he’s in love with his best friend just as she’s about to get married to someone else, and he tries to break up the wedding — but it’s not as good. Not that it doesn’t have its charms. Patrick Dempsey makes an appealing lead, and he and Michelle Monaghan have good chemistry. But too many of the plot points feel tired, and overall, the film feels longer than its 97-minute running time. So I’ll give Made an average grade of C. Not terrible, not great. But not worth paying admission to see.

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