Crazy theory regarding Crazy Mel Gibson

 

So I had a thought and (against my better judgment) I have decided to share it. Since my readership is so low there isn't much risk of increasing the population of people who already think I'm an idiot...

I was in Malibu yesterday, the town that Mel Gibson 'owns', so of course his antics have been on my mind. The fact is, Mel Gibson in a sober state could never utter an anti-Semitic comment and have any excuse for it. However, being slightly over the legal blood-alcohol level for driving (which probably wouldn't account for belligerent behavior) and considered 'drunk', Mel could intentionally sputter off some anti-semitic remarks (buried amidst some sexist and egotistical doozies) and then apologize for it later, saying it was the booze talking, not his true self.

The question is, why would somebody, especially of Mel Gibson's status, intentionally create a scenario in which to say such unseemly things?

Consider the following: Mr. Gibson has a big budget movie (Apocalypto), financed fully out of his own pocket, soon to hit theaters. Disney has invested in the U.S. distribution of the film, leaving Gibson with no stake in the performance of Apocalypto stateside. So it doesn't matter to him if he alienates an audience that, let's all be honest, was probably not going to flock to a film about the Mayan empire, filmed in an ancient Mayan dialect. Passion enthusiasm aside, the American/Christian fanbase normally avoids subtitles.

However, interestingly, Icon Productions, Mr. Gibson's company, holds all international distribution rights to Apocalypto. With worldwide anti-Israel and anti-Semitic sentiment at its all-time high (at least during my lifetime), could the comments of a tipsy film director have been with purpose, and targeted at territories who might actually be impressed by, and rally to the support of a filmmaker who feels exactly the way that they do?

Is this just another Hollywood publicity stunt to engender a fanbase, albeit one that isn't typical by marketing exec standards? If the territories outside of the U.S. and Israel flock to the film, Icon (and therefore Gibson) will make a mint. He doesn't need the Christian fanbase that hit Passion out of the ballpark; it's Disney that needs them (hey, wasn't Walt a famous Jew-hater too?). This incident has grabbed the public's attention faster and more ardently than any of the fascinating couch-jumping or coke-snorting celebrities mishaps of the last year.

Just how rapid the news of Mr. Gibson's tirade spread over the internet -- from Nikki Finke to TMZ.com to Defamer and then to the traditional print media like the LA Times and venerable NY Times -- is astonishing to me. Within 12 hours of the arrest, I had an email forwarded to me by my 66 year old mom, who had received the TMZ link from my 70 year old aunt, about the 'incident'. Viral marketing has infected not just the youth, but the AARP too.

I can see what's coming next very clearly. Al Jazeera will soon be airing a tape of Osama bin Laden, not just urging the faithful to continue jihad, but giving two thumbs up (and one severed American head on a pike) to Apocalpto. The Joel Siegel of Islam, he'll exclaim "I loved this movie" and suggest that if anybody feels like taking a break from terrorist training camp, they should go see the film.

Wine Snobs: Vocabulary Builder

 

I'm trying to learn more about wine, and you are the beneficiaries. So here's a new DoD feature devoted to increasing our wine vocabularies. Entry number one is a fairly basic but oft misused word, "tannin".

A) Basic definition (provided by Wine for Dummies)

Tannin: a substance in the skins, stems, and seeds of grapes; a prinipal component of red wines, which -- unlike white wines -- are made using the grape skins. Tannin also is a component of grape barrels. 'Tannic' wines are those that seem to be high in tannin.

B) More detailed explanation (provided by Wine Definitions)

Tannins are a family of natural organic compounds that are found in grape skins, seeds, and stems. Additionally, during the aging process oak barrels infuse tannin into the juice. They are an excellent antioxidant and natural preservative; also helping give the wine structure and texture. Tannins provide an important flavor dimension in wine.

Winemakers have a good degree of control, and use that to enhance the final product. They use specific juice extraction techniques to reduce or increase the amount excreted. Specifically, they can very gently squeeze the grapes to extract the juice, whereby not releasing much of the tannin. The opposite is true as well. In the case of red wine, grape skin contact is longer, the crushing of grapes is more violent, and barrel aging is longer...resulting in a stronger tannin dimension in the wine.

In concentrated quantities, it will cause occasional pucker sensation in the mouth and back of the throat. This is sometimes accompanied by a bitter aftertaste, which is referred to as tannic. Visually, tannin forms part of the natural sediment found in the bottom of the bottle.

Red wines with little tannin should be drunk young. However, a red wine that should age and improve for perhaps three or more years requires a lot of tannin. As the wine ages, the tannin softens and becomes less noticeable.

The Garage Project: Final Edition

 

Well, it's been done for a while (short of my pathetic attempts at landscaping; the dabbler has no green thumb) and finally I thought I'd post some photos for you to see the end result of a project long in the making. You'll see more of the exterior patio than you will the interior, which has been covered fairly extensively in prior reports.

For fun, I'm trying out a new way of showing you photos: Flickr. See that little animated box to the left (somewhere on the sidebar) and click on it to see the photos. I'll try to post a shot or two within this entry later today, but right now something is wonky with Blogger.

Let me know if you like Flickr, or if you prefer things the old fashioned way.

Acidophilus Alert! Pinkberry vs. Kiwiberri

 

I was puzzled recently when driving by fave cheap noodle joint Mishima, at La Cienega and 3rd in LA, to see a sign that read "Coming Soon: Kiwiberri". The resemblance to chain Pinkberry's name was not unnoticed. I had to assume that Kiwiberri was some sort of knock-off. And my suspicions were confirmed when I did a little research on the web this morning.

However, after seeing the impressive list of planned Kiwiberri franchises (see left) compared to Pinkberry's three or four, in addition to becoming impatient at the languid pace of Pinkberry's supposed bird-flu like spread around Los Angeles (none of their under-construction locations has yet to open), I have begun to wonder...is Kiwiberri the original, and Pinkberry the counterfeit? Or the other way around? If anybody holds the key to this riddle, please let me know.

Not that I really care about anything except for the splendid proliferation of 'yogurt that tastes like yogurt'. This trend seems to be catching on (or should I say, this thing appears to be on the brink of becoming a trend), and hopefully copyright infringement, patent or other potential lawsuits between the two too-similarly named outlets won't be the death of a product that should finally have its day in the sun. That is, if either company ever gets its act together and opens their doors to the yogurt-starved public.

DJ Dabble: Summer Edition!

 

Since I've been so bad about posting (all my spare computer time has been spent scouring wine auction sites -- more on that later) I'll keep this intro to a minimum. I know you've been waiting for it, and here it is: the latest DJ Dabble Mix!

Sales have been rivaling the 'Now! That's What I Call Music!' series. Buy it on iTunes or let me know if you want a copy. As usual, preferred song order is listed here (the iTunes order is arbitrary).

1. Manteca (Verve 2 Remix), Dizzy Gillespie
2. One Big Holiday, My Morning Jacket
3. Jerusalem, Matisyahu
4. Let U Go, Ashley Parker Angel
5. Walk Away, Kelly Clarkson
6. It's A Shame, Monie Love (not available through iTunes)
7. Gone Daddy Gone, Gnarls Barkley
8. Comfortably Numb, Scissor Sisters
9. The Killing Moon, Echo and the Bunnymen
10. Rebellion (Lies), The Arcade Fire
11. Highwayman, Johnny Cash
12. The Captain, Kasey Chambers
13. Unbroken Chain, The Grateful Dead
14. Dream a Little Dream..., The Beautiful South

Wine of the Week

 

I tried this over the weekend and it's as good as this Wine House marketing plug suggests. So buy it. There's only one place you can...

Straight from my Wine House e-mail newsletter:

WINE HOUSE EXCLUSIVE! Only Wine Store in the Country to Get an Allocation! 2004 TENSLEY SYRAH SANTA BARBARA COUNTY ONLY $17.99 A great everyday wine from one of our favorite winemakers in Santa Barbara. Most of the fruit comes from Tierra Alta Vineyard, which is right next door to Purisma Mountain. Big, rich, and bold for such a low price! Flavors of blueberry, pepper and cassis with thick richness and a silky finish. Robert Parker writes,"Joey Tensley, formerly a serious soccer player who played for an American team while living in Bordeaux, is a self-taught winemaker. His philosophy embraces basic artisinal winemaking techniques, including hand-harvested fruit, fermentation in small one and a half ton fermentors, punching down, some cluster usage depending on the vintage conditions, and little racking or intervention until the wines are bottled unfined and unfiltered. Tensley's 2003's are very good, but 2004 looks like a killer year for this estate."

Unannounced leave of absence complete

 

I'm back. I'm not going to write much now, but in days to come you'll find out more about my hobbies, adventures, and things you probably couldn't care less about. Potential topics:

-My recent visit to Koreatown's California Market

-Jollibee, a new Phillipino fast food enterprise that has enticed me with it's signage touting Crispy Chickenjoy and their signature Yumburger.

-The unwelcome arrival of humidity in Los Angeles

-More wines of the week (and the joys and sorrows of online wine auctioning)

-More restaurant reviews

-More movie recommendations

-DJ Dabble, Summer Edition

-Garage Project: The end of an era

Well, you get the idea. More of the same stuff you're already used to. See you soon.