The Coronation and the Crumbling

When was Morgan Freeman crowned as Earth's official narrator? Was there a ceremony? Where was I? When I saw "Million Dollar Baby," all I could think of was "The Shawshank Redemption" because that same voice was carrying us through the story, serving as the modern equivalent of the play's chorus. It was a year or two later that I saw "March of the Penguins" which, while touching, was distinguished from any television nature special only by....? That's right! The smooth, folksy, and wise voice of one Morgan Freeman telling us, once again, those parts of the story that our own eyes, alone, could not. I thought, then, how interesting his popularity in that role had become, and how strange that Hollywood was beginning to seem incapable of finding other voices that could do what his can. As I marveled, I also thought - or maybe just felt somewhere deep down - that he would surely have to hang it up for a while lest the possibility and eventually necessity of his narrating every single motion picture become real.

Time passed and, indeed, I did not hear Morgan Freeman's voice without seeing his face, complete with mouth making the words he spoke. Until now. I just finished watching "War of the Worlds" - the new version, starring Tom Cruise. The movie begins and ends with a voice that I thought sounded like Freeman's, but not exactly like it. I thought, "Funny! Every movie maker now thinks he needs a Morgan Freeman-esque narration to make a good film." I was wrong. It was him. Every movie maker actually thinks he needs Morgan Freeman to talk off-screen at some point or the project is doomed to fail. I look forward to seeing other recent movies I have missed and hearing Morgan's words. If I don't see his name on a cast listing I'll know... "crap." Congratulations to Mr. Freeman, and to our planet on selecting a fine voice. I might have voted, had I been asked, for the adult voice of Kevin Arnold of "The Wonder Years" or possibly for Bill Livingston, the voice of the now-defunct TEX (the Telephone Enrollment eXchange of The University of Texas at Austin). They would have been great, too.

This post is getting long, so I'll end soon, but first... the Crumbling. I was reduced to tears twice during a book I finished the other day. I cried. Wept. I might have even sobbed. I don't really know. I don't cry much. I get choked up occasionally. Sometimes I tear up a little at a Bar Mitzvah, but I don't think I've really cried since Alex P. Keaton moved out of the Keaton home to begin his life anew on Wall Street.* Congratulations to Dean Koontz on tugging at my heart strings**, and in the midst of what I would classify as a suspense novel, no less. I recommend "From The Corner Of His Eye" to any reader. His book "Odd Thomas" is excellent, as well.

Good bye and good luck. ***

* on the final episode of hit series "Family Ties." In the 80's. See, I don't cry much.
** I don't know what these are, but I've heard of them. I'll ask a doctor.
*** The words with which TEX ended every phone "conversation" with every Texas student.

www.laughwithziggy.com

Doesn't that sound like it would make a good website? Well it does. Announcing my new comedy-related web presence! The design work will continue and more pictures, etc. will be added, but the basics are there. I'd love to hear what you think, whether you see any misspelled words, whether it takes a long time to load or anything else. You can use the comment feature on this site or the "contact" page on that site. Amazing! Then, when you're done, you can use the "blog" page on that site to get right back here!

When running for president, George W. Bush once asked, "Will the highways of the internet become more few?" I am proud to have helped answer that important query by making the highways less few.

By the way, I think we're about to hit visitor 6000 here. For 6K, not sure if there's a prize, but let me know if it's you anyway. There's a lot of pride to be had!

Legs Mason

My legs hurt. I took my first ever spinning class yesterday. I now know how to spin. I am a learned spinner. For those unfamiliar with this fitness phenomenon, it's an exercise class done on an exercise bike. You pedal for an hour. Sometimes against heavy resistance, sometimes against light, but always pedaling hard. I believe this was the first exercise class I have partaken in since my days as an aerobics instructor at the URJ Henry S. Jacobs Camp. Yes. I taught aerobics and "Mike, Hillery, and Mike's super cardio funk" was cool, so BACK OFF! Anyway, I don't know if my first ever spinning class was also my last ever. We'll see. I know that you'll be on the edge of your seat waiting to hear how that turns out, so I'll be sure to keep you in the loop.

In other news... George Mason. George Mason? GEORGE MASON?!? The college basketball world is also spinning as it prepares for a Final Four that includes no teams that were really considered to be top teams during this season. I have friends that are big fans of LSU, UCLA, and Florida, but it's hard not to root for GMU, since none of these teams is really a champion befitting the season now ending. I think I'd rather have the great story of a Patriots (I think that's their nickname, but I'm not even sure) championship. I'm tempted to not watch, but I know I will.

6 days, 10 hours until "One Shining Moment."

The Day Began So Nicely

It was a pretty day in Memphis, Tennessee. I was all gussied up for the Bar Mitzvah of a kid I know and like - it was a lovely ceremony. I visited with my aunt and uncle after a nice lunch. I was still basking in the glow of two fun and successful comedy performances the last two nights. Yes, it was shaping up to be quite a nice little Saturday, actually. I thought maybe I would go to Home Depot. Maybe Bed Bath & Beyond. I didn't know if there'd be time.*

And now? It's still pretty nice, but the season is over for my two favorite college basketball teams, and my visions of the remainder of March Madness are lacking luster... at best. The Memphis Tigers just fell to UCLA in a performance that I only wish I could describe as uneven. Unfortunately, it was exceedingly even. For the final 38 minutes of the 40 minute game, the Tigers were consistent in shooting themselves in the foot. There were missed layups, missed free throws, turnovers, and fouls-a-plenty, but very few points. It was sad. That, of course, was the second game of a double-header that began with Texas playing rather poorly and losing (see last post).

Wish me luck on reversing the downward spiral of this day as it turns into night.

* For the uninformed, the shopping parts were from "Old School." For the really uninformed, "Old School" is a great movie.

But I Ate Baked Cheetos!

Lots of them, in fact. In the end, though, the snack that carried the Texas Football Longhorns to a national championship all the way from Israel was not enough to carry the basketball team to a Final Four today. The quest to win all national championships has ended for Texas, but the "Greatest Sports Year Ever" continues in just a few minutes as Memphis faces UCLA for the 2nd spot in the Final Four. Go Tigers Go!

More on basketball and some recent comedy happenings soon. And now, it's out to Oakland...

Vindication!

At last! I have been recognized for the complete idiot that I am. I received word today that one or more of my jokes will be used in the forthcoming Complete Idiot's Guide to Jokes from Alpha Books/Penguin Press. I submitted several items several months ago, in response to an email from the author that was sent out to many comics. I thought about it the other day, wondering if a decision had been made and, right on cue, received an email today. I don't yet know what material they selected. I guess I will have to wait until the book, which will include some sort of bio for me, is released a few months from now. I'll keep you posted.

In other news, the NCAA tournament is off to a gloriously entertaining start, with the Memphis Tigers advancing today and Texas yet to play its first round game. I hope you're enjoying all the action. I also am enjoying all the comments in response to my last post about sports movies. Rudy and The Karate Kid are two I enjoy that I neglected to mention in my preliminary brainstorm. Several other greats have been mentioned and I look forward to reading the rest of your input before creating my final list. I have Adam Sandler's version of The Longest Yard at my house right now and I hope to watch it soon. I have little faith that it will crack the list, but I'd be thrilled to be surprised. At the moment, I'm watching Wimbledon. It won't be on my final list.

Have a great weekend!

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

I had trouble sleeping last night. I considered staying up to see if I could see a jolly bringer of gifts and good-tidings, or maybe leaving out a plate of cookies. In the end, though, two realities won out. 1) I'm Jewish; and 2) Santa Claus has nothing to do with the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. March Madness. The field of 64. The Road to the Final Four. It starts today and it's beautiful. Every single year, it's beautiful. Today and tomorrow are the best two days of the tournament, in my opinion. So many great games will be played in the next 40 hours and this is the time when upsets are fun. Many people are always rooting for underdogs, but I find that as the tournament wears on, I want the best teams from the season to be playing. I like when the championship represents the season. I'll be happy, for instance, if Duke plays UConn or, I suppose I could find a silver lining if Memphis were to play Texas in the Final Four and one of those teams advanced to the championship game. I jest, of course. Nothing (that could happen in the tourney) would make me happier than to see my two favorite teams make it to Indianapolis to face each other. Good luck to the Tigers and the Longhorns!

In related news, Zina, a regular reader has asked me for a list of my favorite sports movies. Ziggybackride is not a blog known for its lists, but I like this idea and have begun thinking. Several movies, including Rocky, Rocky II, Rocky III, and Rocky IV (absolutely not the fifth one) came quickly to mind. Caddyshack, Hoosiers, Wildcats, Remember the Titans, Breaking Away, and The Natural occurred to me, as well. I shall work on this list and I shall publish it soon at this very web address. Please use the comment feature to make a case for your favorite(s), and enjoy the tournament.

It's approximately 3 weeks, 4 days, and 12 hours until "One Shining Moment."

What's the biggest news?

Is it the beginning of Temple Israel's Purim celebration, highlighted by the performance of the kids' purimspiel this past Sunday? The Memphis Commercial Appeal clearly thought so. Check out this story, from the front page of the Local section of Monday's paper. I wrote this play, but was not mentioned in the news story. My mother was very upset!

http://www.commercialappeal.com/mca/local/article/
0,2845,MCA_25340_4517523,00.html

Or is it the news that I will be the headliner at Comedy, Tennessee on Thursday, March 23rd, closing out the show with a 30 minute set (as opposed to opening for other acts with 10 or 15 minutes)?. Very exciting opportunity!

http://comedytennessee.com/content/publish/article_136.shtml

Or is it that I finally received my 3rd of three special gifts, commemorating the Texas Longhorns' football national championship, from Sports Illustrated. It's a beautiful football that is imprinted with both the Longhorn and Rose Bowl logos, as well as the schedule and scores from Texas's perfect season. It is a lovely and striking addition to the Michael Danziger collection!

Insomniac Issue

I'm up. I don't want to be. I've been up about an hour and a half after getting about 2 and a half hours of sleep. I'm hoping to get back to it shortly.

I just saw a commercial for Memphis' Bluff City Nissan, advertising a moving sale. The car dealership is moving to a new location and absolutely must sell everything.

Of course. Because how on earth could you ever move a car?

Good night/morning. Have a great day!