Rock, Paper, Scissors Your Way to Fame and Fortune

This last weekend in Las Vegas, 300 finalists met to do "Rock, Paper, Scissors" battle in the hopes of walking away with $50,000. May 11 - 13th marked the 2nd annual USARPS Tournament Finals in Las Vegas.

Image from USARPS.com

The league was founded 16 months ago by Matti Leshem, a 44-year-old Hollywood producer, if you consider the Executive Producer on "Pepsi: Play for a Billion" and Paula Abdul: Cardio Cheer a Hollywood producer. Though if you want to challenge Matti to a private match, it's a minimum of $100 a round. People who keep track of these things know that Phil Gordon, who is a USARPS member, hosts the World Series of Rock-Paper-Scissors each year at the World Series of Poker.

As of this writing, the results of the 2007 USARPS Tournament have not been released. Much like the World Series of Poker, any official word will have to wait until after this summer's broadcast on ESPN. Let's hope it is as exciting as last year's titanic bout where Dave "The Drill" McGill defeated his opponent in dominant fashion. (You can watch the bout at the USARPS website on the bottom of the page.)

Who knew when Bud Light ran the RPS commercial during the Super Bowl they were advertising an event they actually sponsor. Unlike in the commercial, "The Drill" won his $50,000 with a triple-paper call.



You might be able to get the results early if you subscribe to Obscure Sports Quarterly or watch ESPN 8 "The Ocho," but there isn't much chance of that.

NBC Announces Fall Line-Up

NBC's Upfronts may be at 3pm EST today, but that didn't stop Variety (among others) from reporting NBC's upcoming fall schedule. Though I was sad to see that Raines wasn't among the listed shows (I didn't really expect it to be), the list looks pretty interesting. Below is the line-up with my thoughts (new shows in italics):


MONDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" -- I know that this show gets good number, but I just don't get it. All I can do as I watch this show is chant "Choose Wisely" like the knight in Indiana Jones 3. I just can't take seriously a show that adds dramatic tension to a hidden information game where the contestants seem to be selected based on their ignorance of probability.

9-10 p.m.: "Heroes" -- This was one of my favorite new shows this year and I am glad to see it has been renewed for the fall. I also can't wait for the "fill in" show "Heroes: Origins" which will be running this while the main show is on hiatus.

10-11 p.m.: "Journeyman" --Based on the description (below) this is a combination of "Quantum Leap" and "The Unit." Not only do we get the "Sam travels through time fixing stuff" narrative, but we also get the "what's happening in his home life" as well. It sounds like an interesting enough combination for me to watch a re-envisioning of an idea I enjoyed before. The added element of the protagonist having to deal with his home life does intrigue me, so I'll be either staying up or Tivo-ing this show.

"Journeyman"-- From Emmy Award-winning writer-producer Kevin Falls ("The West Wing") and Emmy Award-winning director-producer Alex Graves ("The West Wing"), "Journeyman" is a romantic mystery-drama about Dan Vasser (Kevin McKidd, "Rome"), a San Francisco newspaper reporter and family man who inexplicably begins to travel through time and change people's lives. Along the way, he also must deal with the difficulties and strife at work and home brought on by his sudden disappearances. However, his freewheeling travels through the decades reunite him with his long-lost fiance Livia (Moon Bloodgood, "Day Break") -- which complicates his present-day life with wife Katie (Gretchen Egolf, "Martial Law") and their son. Reed Diamond ("Homicide: Life on the Street") and Charles Henry Wyson ("The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") also star. "Journeyman" is a production of 20th Century Fox Television. Falls is executive producer and writer; Graves is executive producer and director of the pilot.

TUESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "The Biggest Loser" -- Ah, lame reality programming, renewed. I'll pass.

9-10 p.m.: "Chuck" -- A new show from Josh "pop culture" Schwartz and Mc"king of high concept"G, that seems to be an interesting combination of "Jake 2.0," "The Six Million Dollar Man," and The Computer Wore Red Tennis Shoes. Based on the creative crew, "The OC" and "Supernatural" are two of my favorite shows, alone I was sold. Add a semi-SF/espionage back story and Adam Baldwin from "Firefly" and I'll give the show 8-10 episodes to prove itself to me.

From executive producer, Josh Schwartz ("The O.C.") and executive producer-director McG ("Charlie's Angels," "We Are Marshall") comes a one-hour, comedic spy thriller about Chuck Bartowski (Zachary Levi, "Less Than Perfect") - a computer geek who is catapulted into a new career as the government's most vital secret agent. When Chuck opens an e-mail subliminally encoded with government secrets, he unwittingly downloads an entire server of sensitive data into his brain. Now, the fate of the world lies in the unlikely hands of a guy who works at Buy More. Instead of fighting computer viruses, he must fight assassins and international terrorists. With the government's most precious secrets in Chuck's head, Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin, "My Bodyguard") of the NSA assumes the responsibility of protecting him. His partner is the CIA's top agent (and Chuck's first date in years) Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strzechowski, "Gone"). They'll keep him safe by trading in his pocket protector for a bulletproof vest. Also starring are Joshua Gomez ("Without a Trace") as Chuck's best buddy Morgan and Sarah Lancaster ("What About Brian?") as Chuck's ever-supportive sister Ellie. Josh Schwartz and Chris Fedak wrote "Chuck," which is produced by College Hill Pictures and Wonderland Sound and Vision in association with Warner Bros. Television.

10-11 p.m.: "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" -- Don't watch it. Not because it's bad or anything, just not enough time in the day.

WEDNESDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Deal or No Deal" -- Two days a week of bad decision making? No thanks.

9-10 p.m.: "Bionic Woman" -- My demands of remakes of my favorite childhood shows are very high. Given that this has "Battlestar Galactica" connections, I expect to be disappointed.

10-11 p.m. "Life" -- "A cop given a second chance after serving time for a crime he didn't commit?" Like the old Life cereal commercial, I'll be like Mikey. I'll try it out, but I don't expect to like it. Who knows...It might be good. It might be terrible. I'll find out what I think.

THURSDAY
8-8:30 p.m.: "My Name Is Earl" -- I don't watch it, but Fritz thinks it's very funny.

8:30-9 p.m.: "30 Rock" -- I don't watch it, but it looks very funny.

9-9:30 p.m.: "The Office" -- One of my favorite shows.

9:30-10 p.m.: "Scrubs" -- Just when you think ratings are the only consideration when renewing shows, they renew "Scrubs." Not that I'm complaining, I really like this show. I'm just saying. It's not every show that looses 2.1 million viewers from the previous hour that gets renewed. (On May 3, "The Office" had 7 million viewers, "Scrubs" had 4.9).

10-11 p.m.: "ER" -- This show will be on in twenty years. I stopped watching it when they dropped a helicopter on one of my favorite characters. That was a year or so after they had a helicopter cut the same character's arm off. It was just too much for me.

FRIDAY
8-9 p.m.: "1 vs 100"/"The Singing Bee" -- Could we get a new host for "1 vs 100"? I like the concept, but Bob Saget? As for "The Singing Bee," I might just watch this to see how many interpretations of "Blinded by the Light" I can hear.

9-10 p.m.: "Las Vegas" -- Until a show demonstrates just how dull and mechanical the behind the scenes of a casino is, I will be disappointed. As someone who was a 21/Craps dealer for a couple of years, I can't watch the "Casinos are so exciting" narratives. Puhleese. It's all about old ladies loosing their Social Security money in the hopes that the few moments of "friendship" they receive from casino staff can substitute for family who doesn't visit or call. Casinos are dull, depressing, and filled with the desperate.

10-11 p.m.: "Friday Night Lights" -- It makes more sense to me that this show be broadcast on Fridays. Well...except for the fact that a good part of their target audience are out watching the games that this show fictionalizes! Hello?

SATURDAY
8-9 p.m.: "Dateline NBC" -- Um...there's still cable news and the internet right? Pass.

9-11 p.m.: Drama Series Encores -- Space for "Raines" here if they give it a shot again. I'll go light a candle.

SUNDAY (Fall 2007)
7-8 p.m.: "Football Night in America" -- I'm a baseball and college football guy myself, but I'll probably watch this semi-regularly.

8-11 p.m.: "NBC Sunday Night Football" -- Ditto.

SUNDAY (January 2008)
7-8 p.m.: "Dateline NBC" -- The internet still here at this point of the post? Same answer.

8-9 p.m.: "Law & Order" -- Long after our society crumbles, the Eloi will still be watching this show.

9-10 p.m.: "Medium" -- Sorry, I read James Randi's website during this hour.

10-11 p.m. "Lipstick Jungle" -- Maybe, maybe not. If it is just another show about catty women sleeping around in the workplace, no. If it is a show about the genuine obstacles women face in the entertainment industry, yes. As someone with friends, and family, who hope to be in the basic circumstances of some of the characters in this show, I'm intrigued. But I still don't trust it. The fact that the show stars Brooke "nothing gets between me and my Calvin Kleins" Shields leads me to believe that the show will likely be the first. Based on the description though, I am ordering the novel today.

Based on the best-selling novel by Candace Bushnell ("Sex and the City"), this fun dramedy follows three high-powered friends as they weather the ups and downs of lives lived at the top of their game. Nico (Kim Raver, "24"), editor-in-chief of a hot fashion magazine, wants to replace her boss as CEO. Movie exec Wendy (Brooke Shields, "Suddenly Susan") finds even her most earnest efforts may not be enough to balance career and family. And free-spirited designer Victory (Lindsay Price, "Beverly Hills, 90210") longs to make her dreams come true, and maybe find Mr. Right along the way. Armed with humor and strength, these three modern New York women support one another through the triumphs and tears that are all part of making it big in the Big Apple. Written by executive producers DeAnn Heline and Eileen Heisler (both for "How I Met Your Mother," "Three Sisters") and based on the book by Bushnell, "Lipstick Jungle" is from NBC Universal Television Studio. The pilot is directed by Gary Winick ("13 Going on 30").

While in Paris Hilton is my favorite hotel chain.

In his Regarding Media column in the L.A. Times on Sunday, Tim Rutten raises a number of interesting questions regarding the proper role of the media when it comes to reporting the misbehavior of celebrities. After reading books like Anger's Hollywood Babylon, I wonder if Rutten’s doom and gloom is misplaced, but I get some of his point. There are interesting legal and philosophical concerns about a judge “making an example” out a defendant not based on the seriousness of her crime, but because she is infamous enough that other people will notice her fate. I’m going to ignore all of that to concentrate on one rather minor paragraph. Rutten writes,

If you inserted Paris Hilton's name into your grocery list and posted it on the web, you'd get tens of thousands of hits. They don't mean anything, but that hasn't stopped desperate news editors from grabbing onto what they mistake for useful information the way a drowning man or woman clutches at anything that might keep them afloat.

Now, obviously, Rutten was exaggerating; there is no way that Cinerati, by posting the name Paris Hilton repeatedly in an otherwise unrelated story, would generate tens of thousands of hits in extra traffic. I think that Rutten’s point is that Paris Hilton, or Lindsay Lohan, or Britney Spears, are known brands, which, by themselves, empty of all other content, generate interest and, thus, readership. The question remains, however, how much traffic would we generate if we repeated the words Paris Hilton over and over again? Will we see an appreciable spike in readership?

So, watch this space for updates. We’ll try to keep you apprised so that if it does in fact work you too can drive traffic to your site by incorporating the words Paris and Hilton in your posts.

Great Art Attracts at Any Wage

Ewan McGregor is returning to the stage at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Unlike his high paying film gigs though, this time McGregor will be making the Equity minimum wage (according to The Press Association). McGregor will be playing Iago in a production of Othello set to open in December.

It is no mystery to me why a highly paid actor would want to take this role instead of (or in addition to) another higher paying gig. McGregor will be playing on of Shakespeare's most famous villains and one of literature's most interesting characters. As a reader, I want to read wonderful things, and actors want to act in wonderful things. If you can afford to, which McGregor certainly can, then you do it at any price.

Though I am still waiting for the version of Othello where Iago is represented as a projection from Othello's own psyche, but that will have to wait. As it is, I wish I were going to be in London this Winter to watch one of my favorite actors.

Flash Gordon Returns to DVD on August 7.

I have fond memories of the weekend of January 10th, 1981. It was the weekend when I celebrated my 10th birthday and finally achieved what my father called "double digit midget" status. It was also when I was finally able to see Mike Hodges' Flash Gordon on the big screen. The film had been out for almost a month and I wanted nothing more than to watch a "modern" big screen adaptation of my favorite serial at the local theater. I had been watching episodes of the serial at my grandparent's house on the weekends and I was hooked. Sam Jones might not have been Buster Crabbe, but it was still Flash! by God. I am sure my dad was fed up with my begging by that weekend, but he happily designed the day around a trip to the film.

It was a wonderful day, yet in the present I look back at the day with a mild sense of nostalgic melancholy. Not because of my distinct memory of the local DJ sawing the soundtrack in half "on the air," all because the station's listeners had decided the album was destined to be "Trash" and not a "Smash." Given how much I like soundtrack, I have distrusted democratic systems ever since.

The day has melancholy because it was wonderful. I went with my two best friends, Stephanie and Joe. Two people who wouldn't be friends for much longer, likely due to the day's activities. You see...Joe tried to pick up on Stephanie at the film, in the awkward way that 10 year-olds flirt. All of which is represented in the awkward classroom note passed surreptitiously asking the target of your affection the most important question of all:

I like you.
Do you like me?

Put a check by choice:

Yes _____

No _____

The note was almost universally returned with the aloof Maybe handwritten in and checked. Even at 10 women know how to be mysteriously alluring.

Stephanie was my maybe. I have memories of walking to her house to play Atari during the afternoons after school. We would talk, laugh, and shoot each other's tanks while playing Combat. I can still think of no better date than two friends spending time together doing something they both enjoy. Atari with Stephanie was wonderful, but after Joe did his subtle "stretch while putting his arm around her" move at the theater those days didn't happen any more. Of course, I can't just blame Joe. My bizarre 10 year-old version of jealousy certainly contributed. It amounted to me attempting my own version of Joe's move. Needless to say it wasn't my best moment.

Regardless of strain attending a movie put upon my friendships, I loved the movie. I loved everything about it, especially Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin. He captured a version of Barin I had yet to experience. Gone was the doughy and dim version from the serials, here was a dashing and charismatic rival for Flash. I could finally understand why Aura might be attracted to Barin, a concept that totally alluded me when watching the Buster Crabbe version. I hadn't read any of the comic strips at this point, so my Barin experience had been limited. Timothy Dalton was perfect for the role and brought an Errol Flynn aura to the movie.

Flash Gordon is one of the few times that I have liked a campy version of one of my passions. A good campy film is a rare gem because it requires both integrity of adaptation while simultaneously taking jabs at the source material. I thought, and still do, that Flash Gordon achieves this delicate balance. The only thing I don't like are some of the visual effects, the weird reddish purple clouds get old, but I can forgive that.

I recently wanted to purchase a copy of Flash on DVD, but was shocked that region 1 versions were running upwards of $50 on Ebay. I had resigned myself to wait for a new release and it looks like I won't have to wait long. Flash Gordon is returning to DVD on August 7th with it's "Saviour of the Universe Edition."




The new digitally remastered version includes a painted cover by fan favorite comic artist Alex Ross (Marvels) and the first chapter of the classic Buster Crabbe serial, in addition to a couple of other cool bonus features. Though the version is campy, it remains honest to the source material and captures a lot of what attracted me to the 4 color strips when I finally discovered those. When watching the film, look for moments that inspired Star Wars that were drawn from the strips and the serial. Though Flash came out in 1980, the source material is much older and the "imitation" is of the source and not of Lucas' work. They were both inspired by the same muse, the pen of Alex Raymond.

If they were to do a special theatrical release the same weekend I would wait in line for this film, melancholy memories and all.

Playing Games Illegal in South Carolina

For some time state Rep. Wallace Scarborough, R-Charleston has been trying to add an exception to Title 16, Chapter 19 of the South Carolina Code of Laws to allow for charity Poker tournaments. According to the Post and Courier, it seems that his plan has run into a little snag. It appears that Title 16, Chapter 19 makes the playing of any game that uses dice or cards an illegal act.

When I first read the Post and Courier article I giggled. I assumed that the article was a delayed April Fool's Day joke, and the snarky tone of the article contributed to my assumption. The author of the article couldn't refrain from inserting as many game names as possible into the piece, which detracted from the article's credibility. Sadly, the fact is that the law is pretty clear. In fact, "dice and cards" aren't the only thing that makes a game illegal. Let's have a look at the law:

SECTION 16-19-40. Unlawful games and betting.

If any person shall play at any tavern, inn, store for the retailing of spirituous liquors or in any house used as a place of gaming, barn, kitchen, stable or other outhouse, street, highway, open wood, race field or open place at (a) any game with cards or dice, (b) any gaming table, commonly called A, B, C, or E, O, or any gaming table known or distinguished by any other letters or by any figures, (c) any roley-poley table, (d) rouge et noir, (e) any faro bank (f) any other table or bank of the same or the like kind under any denomination whatsoever or (g) any machine or device licensed pursuant to Section 12-21-2720 and used for gambling purposes, except the games of billiards, bowls, backgammon, chess, draughts, or whist when there is no betting on any such game of billiards, bowls, backgammon, chess, draughts, or whist or shall bet on the sides or hands of such as do game, upon being convicted thereof, before any magistrate, shall be imprisoned for a period of not over thirty days or fined not over one hundred dollars, and every person so keeping such tavern, inn, retail store, public place, or house used as a place for gaming or such other house shall, upon being convicted thereof, upon indictment, be imprisoned for a period not exceeding twelve months and forfeit a sum not exceeding two thousand dollars, for each and every offense.

I'm going to excerpt portions, hopefully without changing meaning, which make this law absurd.

If any person shall play...in any house used as a place of gaming...any game with cards or dice,...except the games of billiards, bowls, backgammon, chess, draughts, or whist when there is no betting...upon being convicted thereof, before any magistrate, shall be imprisoned for a period of not over thirty days or fined not over one hundred dollars

So it is illegal to play most games that exist on the market today without technically breaking this law. In the Post and Courier article the Attorney General's office is quoted as saying, "Our research and reading of the law suggests that Candyland, for the moment, is safe in South Carolina," but this is actually an inaccurate statement. Given that Candyland, traditionally, uses cards to determine movement, it violates the wording of the law. The travel version of Candyland with its spinner based movement might be legal, but for one clarification in the law. You will notice that the law contains a list of games that are excepted from punishment. These games include draughts (checkers), chess, and billiards. Correct me if I am wrong, but checkers, chess, and billiards all lack dice or cards in game play. It should also be added that none of those three could be considered "games of chance" as they are either "perfect knowledge" or a "dexterity based" games. By including examples of games to exclude from conviction games which contain neither dice nor cards, the law broadens the definition of gaming.

To be honest, it is pretty clear that the law is intended to exclude games played for the purpose of betting, but the language is vague enough to allow for a broad reading. And to be fair, it is within the "proper" scope of police powers to exclude any kind of gambling, regardless of the game being used as the basis for betting. But given that the law makes it clear that chess, checkers, and billiards are okay to play when there is no betting, but doesn't exclude the play of any game so long as there is no betting involved, this is a poorly written law. It is an example of how legislatures don't often think when they create legislation.

The law could have been simple. Instead, it is vague and unenforceable as written.

Where Have I Been?!

Those of you who stop by this site every now and then, both of you, might just be wondering why I haven't posted since April 18th. It certainly isn't because nothing has been going on in the world, rather it is due to the fact that I have been wandering the wilds of Wisconsin. Oh, and catching a game at Wrigley Field.



From time to time, I have to travel for work and the past week has been one such occasion. While in Wisconsin, I spent time in the wonderful city of Racine discussing ways to inspire young people to vote in next year's elections (primary and general). I was able to meet with a number of exciting individuals who work for some remarkable organizations. The work was very rewarding and I came away from the get together with a tremendous amount of energy and ready to get back to work.

That said, I love Wisconsin. I don't know that I ever want to live there, the winters are too harsh, the springs (even the 40 degree raining springs) are beautiful.



Of course...Chicago is pretty cool too.