Double Reading

I’ve recently been dealing with a fairly difficult (for me, at least) breakup. As part of the cathartic process I’ve been working on what I’ve referred to as my “bitter breakup mix.” It’s finally finished and I must say that both the experience of making it and the final product have made me feel a bit better.

The mix includes songs that express (either lyrically [from differing points of view], musically, tempo-wise, etc.) the various ways I’ve felt reflecting on the relationship and the break-up. The range of emotions cover sadness, loneliness, confusion, insanity, longing, reflection, apathy, alienation, etc.

The title of the mix, “Did You Ever Really Care?,” comes from the Annie song called “Anthonio.” While I don’t think my ex didn’t not “ever really care,” (double negative there: what I mean is I know he cared) it’s the way I’ve been feeling lately.

So whether you are finding yourself recently out of a relationship, or feeling restless in your current one, or remember what it was like to go through a breakup, or just want a cool new mix (it’s a pretty decent workout mix, too!)… here you go!

00:00 – Dallas Theme Song
00:09 – Frankmusik – Three Little Words (Blackstrobe remix)
02:50 – The Faint – Mirror Error (Das Glow remix)
06:56 – Röyksopp – The Girl and the Robot (Ocelot remix)
11:26 – The Biz – Love Is Gonna Save Us (Felix da Housecat remix)
13:55 – Deadmau5 – Sometimes Things Get, Whatever
18:33 – Marina & The Diamonds – I Am Not A Robot (The Shoes remix)
21:09 – Kissogram – My Friend Is A Seahorse (Radio Slave remix)
24:44 – Kissogram – My Friend Is A Seahorse
29:07 – The Knife – Heartbeats (Style of Eye remix)
32:11 – Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch (Sasha Invol2ver remix)
37:15 – Supercharge – I Think I’m Gonna Fall (In Love)
41:02 – The Juan MacLean – One Day
42:33 – Depeche Mode – Precious (Michael Mayer Balearic remix)
47:17 – Martin Solevig – I Want You (Tepr remix)
50:24 – Annie – Anthonio (Designer Drugs remix)
54:09 – Milke – Love Get Out Of My Way (Designer Drugs remix)
58:50 – Curses! – What I Need
62:24 – The Four Seasons – Beggin’ (Pilooski edit)
67:31 – The Supremes – Where Did Our Love Go?
69:01 – Christina Aguilera – Hurt (Chris Cox Club Anthem)

  Download “Did You Ever Really Care?” by Who Shot JR?

Due to the nature of my job, it’s usually a few days after a huge event until I start to really reflect on it. This weekend I (along with probably a lot of other people on the planet) I’ve been thinking about Michael Jackson.

My mom reminded me that as a kid I really loved the “Thriller” video. I’m sure I loved it for roughly 50% music and 50% the awesomeness of the video. The song basically defined my Halloweens throughout childhood. There was something so dark and haunting about the video — yet it was a huge pop song.

My other childhood memory inspired by Michael Jackson was the video for “Beat It.” The setting for that video somehow inspired a reoccurring dream that haunted me throughout childhood. I’m not sure of the significance, but it’s definitely one of my top Michael Jackson memories.

Music-wise, I can’t deny that while I was never a huge fan of his music, I know a lot of the musicians I love were greatly inspired. From Justin Timberlake to Surkin to Don Diablo, not to mention all of the DJs I love who have remixed/sampled/used his work: Moby’s remix of “Beat It,” Boys Noize’s remix of “Beat It,” etc. etc. etc.

So where do I stand on my favorite Michael Jackson songs?

1. “Thriller” (best remix: the recently-”released” Louis LaRouché remix)
2. “Off The Wall” (best cover: Sébastien Léger)
3. “Wanna Be Startin’ Something” (best sampled-by: Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop The Music”)

It’s also worth noting how sci-fi/surreal Michael Jackson was. io9 looked at Michael Jackson’s Science Fictional Life, but really all you need to do is watch some of his videos (start with “Thriller” [zombies = sci-fi!] and “Leave Me Alone”).

And finally, for some of my previous thoughts on Michael Jackson, see my “Off The Wall” post from June 2005. If you don’t want to read it, I’ll leave you with what I think is the most important thing to remember when remembering Michael Jackson:

… Michael Jackson is a sexually ambiguous and racial ambiguous person. Of course he is going to be a target of criticism. If you ask someone what type of a person Michael Jackson is, 11 out of 10 people will say, “He’s a freak.” Of course he’s going to be a victim (yes, sorry for using this word) of accusations of the worst kind — he is an easy target. Since he blurs the boundaries of gender and race, which we tend to assume are static definitions, he makes people uncomfortable and therefore we need to continue kicking him down. …

Tags: death, michael jackson, News, remixes

Last night I finally got around to watching Slumdog Millionaire — the best movie of 2008 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. I was pretty disappointed with the movie (though not for the reasons I expected) and perplexed as to why so many people thought it was such a great film (maybe commenters here can help shed some light on it’s greatness?).

First, some history of me and the film: I absolutely love the director: Danny Boyle. I love Trainspotting, I was one of the few who liked The Beach, I was one of the few who went back and watched Shallow Grave, I liked 28 Days Later, and I absolutely loved Sunshine. When I first heard that he was behind Slumdog Millionaire, I was totally interested in seeing it. Before it opened widely, it was playing at the Harvard Exit theatre — one of my favorite small theatres playing independent/”art house” films.

Then the movie started getting all sorts of Oscar buzz and everyone and their mother felt the need to see it and I became a bit disinterested. (Which happens often — once everyone loves something it loses its appeal to me…) And then at the 2008 Academy Awards Slumdog Millionaire cleaned up and left The Dark Knight behind — and I very strongly feel that The Dark Knight was the best movie of 2008 and I’m still overly bitter about the fact that it didn’t even get nominated for Best Picture…

So finally last night I saw the film. Based on the fact it won an Oscar and word-of-mouth reviews I’ve heard from people, I was expecting some overly romantic sentimental movie. Everyone called it the “feel good movie of the year” so I was expecting non-stop feel-goodness — and I know I’d hate that.

But in ultimately, it was really only a “feel good movie” for the final 10-15 minutes of the film. Mostly it was a very artistically-shot flashback-heavy movie with a great soundtrack. But that describes a lot of the movies I see every year… so, again, I’m not sure what made Slumdog Millionaire so exceptional.

My thoughts on some specific aspects of the film:

Soundtrack: Danny Boyle has always been a master of creating a great soundtrack for his films:

• The first scene in Trainspotting with Iggy Pop’s “Lust For Life”
• The final scene in Trainspotting which made Underworld’s “Born Slippy” famous
• The video game scene in The Beach with Blur’s “On Your Own” (note: if you are looking for the songs the film uses the “Crouch End Broadway” and “Walter Wall” mixes)
• Grandaddy’s “A.M. 180″ during the supermarket shopping scene in 28 Days Later

Likewise, like everyone else, I loved the “boys on a train” scene with M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes” in Slumdog Millionaire. And the rest of the soundtrack — I don’t know if it’s “traditional Bollywood”-like music or what — really added to the “authentic” feel of the movie.

The Love Story: I expected the film to completely center around the love story. People described the film as “they [Jamal and Latika] keep trying to find each other but never connect.” Actually, they did keep connecting but then they’d split up for whatever reason (usually related to Jamal’s brother Salim). And yeah, at the end when they did the “feel good” reunion and dance it did feel like they made some love connection, but I didn’t feel the big pay-off that I expected.

But the more interesting question for me is: Why were they so into each other? As kids, I cannot imagine that they had a terribly romantic connection when they first met — if anything, I would expect them to have a brother/sister relationship. The fleeting moments they had together hardly gave them enough time to fall in love in any meaningful way. I know it’s a movie and all, but for “The Best Movie of 2008″ I expected a more nuanced approach to love.

The Cinematography: Yeah it was artsy and cool, but the whole look-and-feel of the film reminded me of early Wong-Kar Wai films (e.g. Chungking Express, Fallen Angels, and Days of Being Wild). It was cool and all in Slumdog Millionaire but I have a feeling that a lot of people saw “cool camera techniques” for the first time and thought it was innovative? Or maybe it just worked really well for this movie? Anyway I didn’t think it was anything special but I feel like it’s part of what made the movie such a success?

Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?: Incidentally, I’m reading The Mirror Effect: How Celebrity Narcissism Is Seducing America by Dr. Drew so the fact that Jamal wanted to be a celebrity by being on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? so that Latika would see him struck me as very real.

Conclusion: In the end, I expected to hate Slumdog Millionaire because I thought it was going to be an overly dramatic love story with a little bit of rags-to-riches thrown in for extra sentimentality. In the end, what I felt I got was a decent movie that wasn’t terribly groundbreaking or extra great in any way. If I were to be able to vote for the Best Picture film and The Dark Knight wasn’t an option, I probably would’ve gone with The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (for the huge scope and special effects and whatnot) for Best Picture. (But really I still think The Dark Knight should’ve won…)

So where am I wrong? What did I miss?

Tags: boyle, dark knight, slumdog millionaire, Wong Kar-Wai

With all of the recent media hype about the swine flu, I’m reminded of a post I did wayyyy back in 2005: “How To Stop The Avian Flu.”

Basically, my argument is:

So if leaders around the world were truly concerned about a global outbreak and honestly wanted to do everything in their power to prevent it, perhaps they would suggest that we instate a moratorium on eating poultry until scientists have a chance to get a better understanding of the virus and/or the avian flu epidemic among the birds subsides.

People always like to blame sex for mass diseases and epidemics (e.g. syphilis and AIDS), but in the past 4 years we’ve been warned of flu pandemics and both have been related to the meat industry. AIDS rates have, for the most part, declined since the 1980s due to people altering their sexual activities.

But, again, I haven’t heard anyone talk about giving up meat or changing their behaviors. The blame here is on the meat industry that people so happily support during non-flu times.

And, again, I predict that as there are more people on this planet and more people eating more meat (especially in cultures which previously didn’t eat as much meat but have been influenced by American/European eating habits), these meat industry-caused various strain of flu “epidemics” are only going to be more common and probably more serious.

Let’s stop eating meat, people!

Tags: avian, flu, swine

I’m watch an episode of The Universe about parallel universes and it’s got me doing some thinking…

First, the thing I find most fascinating and difficult to work out in my head is the idea that for everything that happens there is another universe in which something else happened. For example, according to this idea, there is another parallel universe where I didn’t write this post and you didn’t read it. In fact, there is yet another universe where you never read this blog ever and I never learned how to read or write.

I’ve been annoyed with this idea since it basically just says, eh, everything happens. But then I started thinking and I realized that there could actually be a measurable amount of universes if this is true. To figure this, however, we need to assume that the universe is finite. To be honest, I think I sort of do. Or at least for this thought experiment, I am going to consider a finite universe.

Okay, so let’s say that in this finite universe there are 100 atoms and the universe, being finite, will “die” or run out of energy or whatever after 10 years. So that means that for every instance of time during the 10 years of that universe, all 100 atoms can do only however many options an atom has. So let’s say that each of those atoms only has four choices: it can move up, down, left, or right. Over the course of 10 years there will be a universe for each and every option that an atom can do at each time slice. One of those universes may have the atoms moving over a course of time to create a star while another of those universes may have the atoms moving over a course of time to do nothing but just move around and not even interact.

So in the end you can do some really long permutation equation and come up with a number of possibilities. Even for my “small” universe of 100 atoms with 4 possible actions lasting 10 years the number of universes will be huge — but it would be quantitative. Apply that on a much larger and more complicated scale, and you’ve got our universe.

Let’s say, however, that you believe that the universe is infinite. Do you realize that if you believe this and based on probability, again, that somewhere in this huge universe there is another Earth? If the universe is infinite than why wouldn’t there be another place in the universe where nearly the exact same things happened that created what we know as Earth and now? That’s how big infinite is!!

My favorite parallel universe-related thing to think about, however, is what I just learned is called a level 4 parallel universe (aka the ultimate ensemble).

The idea of a level 4 universe actually plays into an idea I posted a couple of years ago: that the final step of evolution is creating a new reality. As I understand it, the level 4 parallel universe theory says that if you consider the universe to be a mathematical equation of sorts (which I think most people do), then that means that there are other universes that exist where the “laws of mathematics” are different.

The example I like to use is pi — a mathematical constant. In our universe the notion of pi equals a numerical value we understand as roughly 3.14. But where did this come from and why is this constant what it is?

Consider back in the days when I used to do some computer programing. Let’s pretend I’m writing a really simple computer game. At the top of the game I might define some constants. For example:

#define CHANCES 4
#define NAME "Jason"


These are constants for the entire program. Even if I tried to make a variable called “NAME” and give it another value, it wouldn’t be possible since at the top of the program I defined the name.

So let’s extend that idea into the universe. In our universe, let’s say there is something like this “coded” somewhere:

#define PI 3.14159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288
#define zero 0
#define one 1
#define NAPIER 2.71828 18284 59045 23536 02874 71352 66249


That means that in another universe, the “code” might read:

#define PI 3.12159 26535 89793 23846 26433 83279 50288
#define zero 0
#define one 1
#define NAPIER 2.71828 18284 59045 23536 02874 71352 66249


If pi was off by just that might I can imagine that the universe would be a very different place. Maybe planets wouldn’t form the way they do, etc. In fact, I bet we could figure this out if we wrote a super complicated computer program to see what happens. This goes back to my earlier idea about the next step of evolution being an intelligent species writing a computer program or tweaking the with mathematical formula that explains the universe in some sort of simulated reality.

I admit, I’m not much (or at all!) of a physicist or mathematician, but somehow this makes sense to me in an abstract way. I’ll also admit that there probably isn’t much value in even thinking about these things since I don’t think anyone has devised or even theorized on a good way to prove any of this — and if we did prove it, what would the point be? What is the ultimate implication of knowing/thinking that the universe works this way? I’m not sure… but if nothing else it’s fun and gives your brain a nice exercise!

Edit a few minutes after first posting: Now that I think about it a bit more, I think there actually are very important reasons to think about these things:

First, it shows that even crazy-unproven-and-out-there science is just as interesting and exciting as “religion” with god and stuff. It also begs the question that if the universe/multiverse/etc. is really set up this way, then there is no way “god” or anything like that could keep track of everything. Another reason to give up on a simplistic religion-based understanding of live.

Second, if we ever hope to investigate time travel or teleportation, understanding how multiverses work will be crucial. For example, it might be easy to teleport oneself into a parallel universe but impossible to teleport within one’s own universe. So is there a threshold of “acceptable differences” between universe A and universe B — that is, if the universe I teleport into is only different in the fact that 1,000 years ago a leaf fell 2 centimeters different than my original universe and scientists or whoever can conclude that this action shouldn’t cause any noticable difference, is teleportation from universe A to universe B acceptable? (Think of the TV show Sliders.) Likewise, if time traveling within one’s own universe is impossible, is traveling to a different universe with minimal differences OK?

So there you go: reasons this matters!

Tags: multiverse, parallel universe, quantum, sliders

Seriously? Another DJ mix from Who Shot JR? Wasn’t the last one posted only a week ago? Yup! Coachella is coming up in just a few days (Friday, April 17, to be exact) so I was under a tight deadline. The mix contains artists and DJs who are going to be performing at Coachella this year. But before the mix, some words:

I tried a couple new things in this mix:

• At 26:32 I start the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ song “Heads Will Roll.” Then at 28:22 I put the song in again. So basically I’m mixing the song with itself all over again. A type of recurssion, if you will. I did this because the remix I was using (by John Roman — still the only mix out there of the song and a great remix, I might add) didn’t have quite the build up/as much of the “heads will roll” singing that I wanted going on at the same time. So I just combined them! In the end, I think this only sort of worked. It was a little sloppy, but I do like the idea.
• At 31:56 I stop using the Bloody Beetroots remix of “Bounce” by MSTRKRFT and splice in the Tommie Sunshine remix. I did this because the Bloody Beetroots mix just kept on going “All I do is Master Craft” and I thought that was a little repetitive and I liked the original lyrics: “All I do is party.” I’ve tried this out a bunch of times but this was the first time I think I got it right. Chances are you won’t really be able to tell that I used two different songs, so I consider that a success.

To be honest, I’m really happy with this mix — especially considering the fact I basically completed it in a little over a week. There are some parts that don’t go great, but there are also parts that might be my best mixing/transition work yet (I’m particularly fond of “Kilometer” -> “If I Know You” -> “Like You” -> “The Deep End”). And I’ve wanted to close a mix with “Under the Sun” by the Junior Boys for a long time, and this was the perfect opportunity.

There are a few artists that I didn’t manage to get in that I wish I would’ve: Leonard Cohen (yah, good luck!), Crystal Castles (I feel like I’ve used them enough anyway), Thievery Corporation (but they are too damn downtempo), Peter Bjorn and John (their best song still is “Young Folks” and that song is so 2006!), the Orb (I removed most of their songs from my iTunes and didn’t want to dig around my CDs), Friendly Fires (ugh again!! I swear the Aeroplane remix of “Paris” is gonna make it in a mix soon!). On the other hand, I’m super proud of myself for getting The Cure and My Bloody Valentine in there. And I’m also proud of myself for doing a bunch of songs where the artist and the remixer are going to be there.

Bolded arist or DJ means that as of April 11, 2009 they are planning to be at Coachella. When the arist and the remixer are both going to be there I bolded the entire line.

00:00 – Dallas Theme Song
00:07 – Chemical Brothers – Get Yourself High (Felix da Housecat’s Chemical Meltdown remix)
01:20 – Paul McCartney – Temporary Secretary (Radio Slave re-edit)
04:31 – The Ting Tings – Great DJ (Calvin Harris remix)
07:42 – Étienne de Crécy – Am I Wrong
08:58 – Lykke Li – Breaking It Up (Pocketknife’s Loosefoot remix)
11:16 – The Killers – Human (Thin White Duke club mix)
14:53 – Sébastien Tellier – Kilometer (A-trak remix)
16:40 – The Presets – If I Know You (Heartbreak remix)
19:23 – Gui Borrato – Like You (SuperMayer remix)
23:12 – Curses! – The Deep End (Holy Ghost! Day School dub) Curses! is aka Drop The Lime
26:32 – Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Heads Will Roll (John Roman remix)
29:57 – MSTRKRFT – Bounce (The Bloody Beetroots remix)
31:55 – MSTRKRFT – Bounce (Tommie Sunshine’s Class of ‘89 mix)
34:07 – M.I.A.N.A.S.A. – Whatchadoin’ (Villains remix)
38:03 – Groove Armada – Go
40:27 – Drop the Lime – Hear Me (Buraka Som Sistema remix)
43:11 – Franz Ferdinand – Ulysses (Keith & Supabeatz remix)
46:09 – Surkin – Next of Kin (Todd Edwards Re-Kindled remix)
49:39 – Ghostland Observatory – Sad Sad City
51:36 – Late of the Pier – Space and Woods (Switch remix)
56:04 – The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful (Fake Blood remix)
58:03 – Cazals – Somebody, Somewhere (The Bloody Beetroots remix)
60:38 – My Bloody Valentine – When You Sleep (Le Monde’s Blur Highly Illegal Bootleg edit)
62:29 – M.A.N.D.Y. vs. Booka Shade – O Superman (Felix da Housecat remix)
65:41 – The Cure – Fascination Street (extended remix)
71:45 – Junior Boys – Under the Sun

  Download “Coachella 2009″ by Who Shot JR?

As always I love hearing feedback! Enjoy!! Also, while I’m at Coachella next week (Friday, April 17 through Sunday, April 19) check out my Twitter — I’m going to try to update it with what I’m doing there, who I’m seeing, etc.

Tags: coachella

Now that it’s only four months too late, I’ve finally finished my “Year 2008″ mix project.

Before that, though, I wanted to share some of where I came from and do some year-end lists. Don’t worry — I actually compiled these lists way back in December before I was swayed by all of the other Year End hype.

Albums

1. Cut Copy – In Ghost Colours
2. Sébastien Tellier – Sexuality
3. Kanye West – 808s & Heartbreak
4. Santogold – Santogold
5. Lykke Li – Youth Novels
6. Hot Chip – Made in the Dark
7. MGMT – Oracular Spectacular
8. Portishead – Third

Songs

1. Cut Copy – “Hearts On Fire”
2. Little Boots – “Stuck On Repeat”
3. Estelle – “American Boy”
4. Hot Chip – “Ready For The Floor”
5. Crystal Castles – “Courtship Dating”
6. Annie – “I Know UR Girlfriend Hates Me”
7. Ladyhawke – “Paris Is Burning”
8. Lykke Li – “Breaking It Up”
9. MGMT – “Kids”
10. The Ting Tings – “Great DJ”

DJs/Remixers

1. Fake Blood
2. Fred Falke
3. LA Riots

Others

• Best Live Act: Cut Copy
• Best New Artist: Ladyhawke
• Most Disappointing Album: Girl Talk – Feed the Animals
• Best Reunion: My Bloody Valentine

Who Shot JR’s “Year 2008 Mix”

00:00 – Dallas Theme Song
00:09 – MGMT – Kids (Soulwax remix)
03:04 – Kid Cudi – Day N Nite (Crookers remix)
04:18 – Wiley – Wearing My Rolex (club mix)
05:45 – Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor (Hot Chip V.I.P. remix)
09:45 – Little Boots – Stuck On Repeat (Fake Blood remix)
14:15 – Cansei De Ser Sexy – Move (Stockholm Syndrome club mix)
17:48 – Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Calvin Harris remix)
19:43 – Britney spears – Womanizer (Benny Benassi remix)
22:08 – Crystal Castles – Crimewave (LA Riots remix)
23:37 – Estelle – American Boy (Soul Seekerz club mix)
25:50 – Rihanna – Disturbia
27:09 – Eric Prydz – Pjanoo (Fred Falke remix)
28:27 – The Kills – Cheap and Cheerful (Fake Blood remix)
29:56 – Cut Copy – Lights and Music
32:44 – Katy Perry – Hot N Cold (Jason Nevins extended mix)
35:17 – Kanye West – Homecoming (DiscoTech remix)
37:02 – Kanye West – Heartless (DJ Kue Klub mix)
39:17 – Hot Chip – Ready for the Floor (LA Riots vs. Villains remix)
41:54 – Hercules and Love Affair – Blind (Frankie Knuckles remix)
44:06 – Ladyhawke – Paris Is Burning (Cut Copy remix)
46:38 – The Ting Tings – Great DJ (7th Heaven remix)
49:08 – Treasure Fingers – Cross the Dancefloor
50:55 – Moby – Disco Lies (Spencer & Hill remix)
53:23 – Madonna – 4 Minutes (DJ Barletta remix)
54:26 – Annie – Two of Hearts (Skatebård remix)
55:58 – Presets – Talk Like That (Dave Spoon’s Televized mix)
58:12 – MGMT – Electric Feel (Dskotek remix)
60:13 – Tiga – Mind Dimension (Kid Legit remix)
61:44 – Empire of the Sun – Walking on a Dream (Treasure Fingers remix)
63:59 – Kylie Minogue – The One (Freemasons vocal club mix)
67:15 – The Whitest Boy Alive – Golden Cage (Fred Falke remix)
70:49 – PNAU – Embrace (Fred Falke & Miami Horror remix)
73:36 – Santogold – Shove It (Boy 8-Bit remix)
75:15 – Little Boots – Stuck On Repeat
77:19 – Cut Copy – Hearts On Fire (Knightlife Nam mix)
77:41 – Adam Freeland vs. Daft Punk – Aer OBAMA

  Download “Year 2008″ by Who Shot JR?

If you download my mix, please leave me a comment with your thoughts. It encourages me to do more mixes, tells me that people actually listen to them, gives me ideas for new mixes, etc.

Jobie shared with me a post on the Seattle Transit Blog about lighted crosswalks. I love these and wish we had them everywhere. There is one crosswalk near my work, for example, that’s very dangerous especially at night. As a pedestrian I always assume that cars are out to kill you. This would make me feel safer, for sure!

Tags: pedestrians, roads, safety

Dugpa.com has some news about the possible release of Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me on Blu-Ray. The short version: it’s not “in the cards at the moment” but there is a good chance it will at some point.

As Dugpa notes, this is basically our last chance to fight for the infamous deleted scenes for a long time. This has been a movement I’ve been involved with since DVDs first arrived on the scene. There are all sorts of complications around ownership and getting the scenes to DVD-quality would require some restoration efforts and involvement from Lynch himself. We almost got the scenes on a French special edition of FWWM but it didn’t quite happen.

Seriously: I very much want to see these scenes. I urge you to send feedback to Warner Brothers. For reference, here is what I told them:

i believe that you now own the rights to twin peaks: fire walk with me. this is one of my favorite movies (one of lynch’s best, in fact) and i’d love to see it on blu-ray… and i’d love even more to see the infamous “deleted scenes” that we’ve been fighting for (around the world) for years now.

i’m a huge fan of the work you did on the matrix collection (i had it on dvd and now have it on blu-ray). and i’m VERY eagerly awaiting your box set for the 1990s batman films. and of course i have batman begins and the dark knight. and once you release the alien quadrilogy on blu-ray, you know i’m replacing the dvd set i currently have

so i’d love to see your commitment to putting out great discs for the sci-fi/fan community and think fire walk with me would be a great addition to your already awesome catalog.

thx

I thought it’d help to show I support Warner Brothers releases and am already looking forward to stuff they have coming up. I also wanted to stress the fact that they already have made concessions to the “fan communities.”

So yah, please join me in trying to get this awesome film on Blu-Ray with the elusive deleted scenes!

Tags: blu-ray, fwwm, lynch

After last night’s disappointing (to me, at least [but I don't have any overly insightful thoughts on it so I won't really elaborate -- I just thought it was too normal/straightforward/not-twisty-enough]) Battlestar Galactica series finale, I started doing some thinking on the nature of series finales (I seem to be watching a few this season: Boston Legal, The L Word, and now Battlestar Galactica (but unfortunately not Smallville which seems to keep going and going and going…).

Overall, I’ve been watching so much television lately that I feel like I’m starting to uncover some of the basic formulas and tropes used so much in television: there is often a single home/gathering place that everyone hangs out at… and, well, that’s the only one I can think of now — but I know I had more at one time.

Anyway, in my “analysis” of series finales, I’ve noticed that they tend to fall into three main categories. I purposely didn’t elaborate on my reasoning behind the shows so as not to spoil them. I think it’s safe to continue reading even if you haven’t seen some of the finales for some of the shows, yet.

Also: there is a bonus “type” of finale: The Flashback. But in my “studies” this seems to overlap with the three other categories, so I’ll note the episodes that use flashbacks with a *.

Total War: Especially in sci-fi shows with a “big bad” or overarching enemy, the series finale will involve confronting this big thing in a huge all-out war. It’s almost certain that some of our favorite characters will die in the process and in the end good will win. In non-sci-fi shows, this could also be considered the Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again ending: something huge happens that affects the lives of everyone on the show (someone gets married, the office where people work closes, etc.) and the show has to end because, like total war, the premise of the series would be so different if it kept going.

• Battlestar Galactica
• Buffy
• Angel
• Boston Legal
• Star Trek: Voyager (my favorite ending to a sci-fi show so far, by the way)
• Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
• Sex and the City
• X-Files *
• The L Word *

Just Another Day: As opposed to Total War/Nothing Will Ever Be The Same Again, the Just Another Day ending tries to show that while this may be the final episode of the series, the lives of the characters we’ve come to love will keep going on just like normal. That’s not to say there won’t be any big events or resolutions to long plot lines, but for the most part Things Stay The Same or don’t change too much. The show could conceivably keep going after the final episode.

• Six Feet Under
• Roswell
• Roseanne
• Veronica Mars (this one sort of doesn’t count since the show was canceled…)
• Star Trek: The Next Generation *
• Arrested Development
• Knots Landing
• The West Wing
• The Sopranos (depending on what happens…)

The final type of series finale is by far the worst (depending on the circumstances): The Unresolved. Sometimes this happens when a show is unexpectedly canceled and the creators cannot create a proper ending. Or sometimes it happens when a show is unexpectedly canceled and the creators don’t want to do a proper ending. While I am usually a fan of twists and strange endings in a show, these endings are mostly “I wish it wouldn’t have ended so soon”-type of endings.

• Millennium (I think the show should have ended with the Total War ending that season 2 had)
• Twin Peaks

So what do you think about my categorization? Am I off the mark on some? (I’m sure I am!) Looking to the future, which finales am I most looking forward to based on the shows I watch now? Lost, Weeds (this show goes in all sorts of crazy directions!), Desperate Housewives (so long as it’s not an overly-sentimental flashback-based one), and Damages.