The Heat and the Shine

There are some things from the March 7, 1983 episode of World Class Championship Wrestling (WCCW) (now available on the WWE Network ) that cannot be duplicated.  A booker can hope for three local babyface brothers.  A promoter can want a mad villain like Michael Hayes.  But they are stars.  There is no way of knowing when they will appear or how bright they will shine. What bookers and promoters have control of is the storytelling.  Great storytelling will elevate present wrestlers and draw future wrestlers.  It will make dreamers want to work for you and make deciders want your show on their channel. The salient angle of the March 7, 1983 episode of WCCW begins at about the twelve minute mark.  The match is "Ice Man" King Parsons vs. Buddy Roberts of the Freebirds. The angle begins before the match with a shirtless Michael Hayes accompanying Roberts to the ring. The Lesson:  Two fundamental heel/antagonist move here.  Heels will try to bend or break rules.  Heels ar

Back when I wrote with a writing partner, we used procrastinate a lot in the afternoons.  (Maybe this is why one of the top comedy guys in Hollywood is named  Christopher  and not Benjamin.)  Our favorite procrastination activity was watching ESPN's afternoon lineup, and our favorite ESPN afternoon lineup gimmick was "Coors Light Cold Hard Facts".  The gimmick involved some ex-jock making predictions by saying "fact" or "fiction".  It was glorious and we began to integrate it into our daily lives (much to the chagrin of girlfriends, baristas and call center representatives).   Here, then, is the first of what might become a series (provided that I finally kick that procrastination bug):  Pro Wrestling Fact or Fiction.  Just as with ESPN's "Coors Light Cold Hard Facts", none of this is fact, much of it is fiction and all of it is speculation. Fact or Fiction: Dish Network will not offer Elimination Chamber this Sunday Fact.

With about a half an hour to go until tonight's Monday Night Raw, the author wanted to watch some basketball.   Milwaukee Bucks basketball , specifically.  And there are two ways to be in Los Angeles and watch Milwaukee Bucks basketball (legally, at least) in our modern age: NBA League Pass on cable/satellite or NBA Game Time over the Internet. And so, like Jamie Foxx in 1994, it seemed a good time to do a little Experiment .  How easy is it to watch on cable/satellite?  How easy is it to watch on the Internet? Dish Network Step 1: Power on the TV and satellite box.  This can be done with one remote control.  And the Dish guy sets the controller up so that it manages your TV's power and volume. Step 2: Go to channel 561 and hit "Guide".  Or go to the Guide and then hit "561".  Either way, a standard program guide shows the SD (in case I need to save DVR space) and HD channels that broadcast the games. Step 3:  I'm in luck!  Tonight there was

For a person who graduated in 1999, a recent stroll through the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts was dichotic.  On one hand film-based cameras and projectors that were used over the past one hundred and twenty years populate the basement of the decades-old Norris Theater.  (A basement that has now been re-branded as the Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive, believe it or not.)  On the other hand the towering Cinematic Arts Complex provides all the charm of listening to the DJ at a Clippers game play “Pump Up The Jam” from the 3rd deck of luxury boxes.  Every space is clean and every film is digital.   A Cinematic Arts student at USC can create anything they want.  The lighting, the camera movements and even the special effects that are seen in major film releases can be added to student films.  Gone are the days when Hershey’s syrup was used in lieu of blood.  Everything is possible at the students’ request.  But does it make for a better experience?