We Saw Ted

In a beautifully produced scene Ted seamlessly appears on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It’s not just chatting, they are physically interacting.

Ted benefits from the technologies used in movies like Avatar. Ted himself is totally CGI and totally believable (except a few walking scenes where he doesn’t have enough friction/traction against the pavement).

Ted’s life starts strong but like many instant celebrities his luster fades. He ends up a slacker living with 35 year old John, now underachieving himself working at a car rental agency.

I first heard of Seth MacFarlane’s movie Ted when Stef sent the link to its ‘milk out of your nose’ funny trailer. In fact the trailer was so funny I originally thought it wasn’t a trailer at all, but a well constructed parody.

Helaine and I went to see Ted today at the Rave theater in North Haven. It’s not Rave’s fault the movie started with nearly 20 minutes of coming attractions! That’s Universal’s doing. It is Rave’s fault this theater’s seats are spongy and need replacing and the walls looked shabby.

Does the beautifully sharp digital projection make up for that? Maybe.

Ted is the story of a boy’s wish for his teddy bear to come to life. Ted does and the world takes notice!

In a beautifully produced scene Ted seamlessly appears on the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It’s not just chatting, they are physically interacting.

Ted benefits from the technologies used in movies like Avatar. Ted himself is totally CGI and totally believable (except a few walking scenes where he doesn’t have enough friction/traction against the pavement).

Ted’s life starts strong but like many instant celebrities his luster fades. He ends up a slacker living with 35 year old John, now underachieving himself working at a car rental agency.

The story revolves around the complex relationship between John, Ted and John’s girlfriend, Lori (Mila Kunis). How can John have an adult relationship with Lori while pot smoking, whore mongering, über cursing Ted is in the picture?

This movie belongs to Wahlberg and MacFarlane with an honorable mention to Giovanni Ribisi as a totally psycho father willing to do whatever it takes to get Ted for his equally psycho son.

This is a raunchy movie with language and suggestive situations to match. I loved it! Seth MacFarlane has created totally credible, totally sweet, beautifully fashioned parallel love stories. John loves Lori. John loves Ted.

There was one curious bit of dialog between John and Ted I have to mention. While riffing made-up names for beer oriented movie actors John mentions, “Mike Brewguslawski!” Seth MacFarlane is from Kent, Connecticut. Is this a shoutout to former Action News 8 consumer reporter Mike Boguslawski? I asked MacFarlane via Twitter, but don’t expect to hear back.

We knew we wanted to see this movie from the moment we watched the trailer. It was everything we hoped for and has reinforced Seth MacFarlane’s destiny as a Hollywood creative force for at least the next few decades.

Why I Never Throw Stuff Out

“Is this yours,” she asked? “Maybe it’s Helaine’s?”

ann's-button.jpgAs is often the case I went to dinner with Ann, Noah and Ted tonight. With a tiny bit of snow on-the-ground I had Helaine’s SUV so I volunteered to drive. On the way back Ann found a button on the car seat.

“Is this yours,” she asked? “Maybe it’s Helaine’s?”

This is Geoff she’s asking, the guy who didn’t always remember his wedding anniversary (uhhhh… late November… around Thanksgiving) or his daughter’s eye color (some pastel, right?)

Ann took the button and placed it in the cup holder for safe keeping. I planned on bringing it into the house when I got home. A small opportunity to be a hero.

Not so fast. I was just commanded to go to the car to get the button. Ann discovered it was actually hers!

This is why I never throw stuff out.

I Enjoy Dinner

No topic is off limits at dinner. The language is definitely not broadcast appropriate.

4-at-dinner.jpgI”m not sure if I’ve ever written about this, but among the best parts of my day is my dinner break. I’m not talking about the eating. I’m talking about the company. On most nights I go to dinner with Ann, Ted and Noah. These are the people I appear with on the 6:00 PM news.

Each of us is married, but none of us gets to spend our evenings with our families. Sometimes I refer to Ann as my “night wife.” We are thrown together by circumstance and lucky we like one another.

Lucky is the right word. I’ve seen and heard about anchor teams who hate each other. I remember a story from my station in Buffalo where one anchor (a shrill and ill tempered woman serving in Buffalo unhappily) called the other a “no-talent just as the mikes were turned on! He had no chance to respond.

No topic is off limits at dinner. The language is definitely not broadcast appropriate.

We solve all problems at dinner. We solve the problems at work. We solve the problems that plague the world. We are invincible as long as we’re untested.

We worry about our futures–what we will do when TV is no longer there. We already see the rapid changes which have overtaken our business and gutted its revenue model. It’s more than the economy that’s soured for broadcasters.

We’ve got it good. Will it ever be this good again for us or anybody?

Having good dinner companions is a big deal. I understand how lucky I am.