The latest Sopranos was another out of body experience- an exercise in hightened artistic awareness: Christopher and Tony sharing Oprah moments, Paulie having a total meltdown, Christopher and Tony's Dazed and Confused interlude. The Italian Festival bit was ever bit as familiar as it was totally weird (the idol with the dollars, "where's his hat?"), and Tony's "you're doing a heckuva job Brownie" to a damage control deficient Paulie was the icing on the cake. Not since Twin Peaks has a show so consistantly created such hightened realities, and I'll even say that The Sopranos goes one better by conjuring such tones and textures out of observation and mundane moments magnificently captured on film instead of Lynch's inspired and hypnotic weirdness. And Paulie's hallucination made me jump up.

People also shouldn't do heroin. Bad shit.



Why oh why did NBC choose to:
1) air the pilot episode of The West Wing before the West Wing finale instead of a dignified clip show as originally planned?
2) air the pilot episode at 7 PM and the finale at 8PM instead of it's 9 PM timeslot?
3) not air the pilot at 7 PM, the clip show at 8 PM, the finale at 9 PM, and whatever the hell the show at 10 PM?

I like that Gatorade commercial honoring the US National which is getting ready as we speak for the World Cup in a little over a month. It really was a bitch qualifying, and based on my efforts with the new FIFA game I can say based on my woes with the US Team that qualifying campaign is long and it is hard with one pivotal game after another for 2 years running. USA!


Oh yeah, I finished listening to Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince audiobook on CD and the finale is wonderfully evocative and painfully emotional. Jim Dale is truly a magnificent performer. Damn, Rowling really has crafted an intriguing saga and jim dandy popcorn book, dense both with plot, and emotion; a modern mythology/pop culture touchstone in the making.

Game 2 and 24 tomorrow night with the fellas, and at some point this week when I get a chance, my wrap English Premiere League wrap up.