The Chicagoan

Mar 16

The Illinois-Game of Thrones parallels

This was passed along by a friend:

image

From right to left:

Gov. Pat Quinn (D) and Robert Baratheon; Attorney General Lisa Madigan (D) and Cersei Lannister; House Speaker Michael Madigan (D) and Tywin Lannister; former Sen. Paul Simon (D) and Ned Stark; Lt. Gov Sheila Simon (D) and Jon Snow; former Gov. Rod Blagojevich (D) and a villainous cartoon character*; Rep. Aaron Shock (R) and Renly Baratheon; State Treasurer Dan Rutherford (R) and Stannis Baratheon; former Rep. Joe Walsh (R) and Viserys Targaryen; Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel (D) and Tyrion Lannister; former Republican Congressional candidate Jason Plummer (R) and Theon Greyjoy.


*I watched A LOT of t.v. as a kid so I can usually name any villain I come across but I don’t recognize this guy. Shrug.

Dec 15

These are the bowls I’ll be watching

Projections in parenthesis.

Dec 02

Dan Harmon on how money ruins everything

He kind of babbles for most of this but I think it’s still worth watching. 

I really wanted to put forth the fact that I was fired for money…It really had nothing to do with anything else and money will be the death of everything good in your life, I guarantee it. Except for maybe the first forty grand a year –you need that to buy potatoes and stuff.

Nov 25

Saw an advanced screening of This Is 40 followed by a Q & A with Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann. The movie was much better than I expected. Here’s the thing about Apatow movies: while they’re roughly in the same disgustingly yuppie vein as Modern Family (there are problems but cutesy laughs too) Apatow films include more realistic problems like money and serious social disconnects. Not everything can be resolved. Sometimes you just have to live with things and sometimes that adorable couple isn’t right for each other. That’s not so in Modern Family. Everybody is rich and comfortable and those minor wrinkles that come up in life can be smoothed over with a whimsical scene of awkward hilariousness. Oh and gay people aren’t nearly as deep a source of over-the-top-metrosexual comic relief in any Apatow movie.

Saw an advanced screening of This Is 40 followed by a Q & A with Judd Apatow and Leslie Mann. The movie was much better than I expected.

Here’s the thing about Apatow movies: while they’re roughly in the same disgustingly yuppie vein as Modern Family (there are problems but cutesy laughs too) Apatow films include more realistic problems like money and serious social disconnects. Not everything can be resolved. Sometimes you just have to live with things and sometimes that adorable couple isn’t right for each other. That’s not so in Modern Family. Everybody is rich and comfortable and those minor wrinkles that come up in life can be smoothed over with a whimsical scene of awkward hilariousness.

Oh and gay people aren’t nearly as deep a source of over-the-top-metrosexual comic relief in any Apatow movie.

Aug 22

This movie is going to be awesome -

Daniel Day-Lewis as Lincoln, Tommy Lee Jones as Thaddeus Stevens…

Aug 16

[video]

Jul 31

[video]

Jul 23

Jim Newell on Golf at Grantland -

Here’s my housemate’s first excellent item for Grantland. This one’s on golf.

Jul 08

And Peavy makes it to the All-Star Game after all -

Despite losing to Yu Darvish in the final round of voting in the All-Star game, Peavy is still heading to Kansas City. He’s replacing C.J. Wilson who’s out because of a blister on the middle finger of his pitching hand.

Jul 04

Jake Peavy could make it to the 2012 All-Star Game -

Bonus: The Sox trounced Texas 19-2. Chris Sale (who’s made the All-Star team) was pitching.