I found the movie La Mission and lets face it, I was attracted to Benjamin Bratt’s picture on the cover. But reading about the movie it sounded new and fresh. It turns out it was! The movie is primarily about a father’s coming to terms with his son’s homosexuality. It goes deep into the fathers own set of demons that are preventing him from moving forward with his own life in many ways.

I’ve been recently accepting that no matter how great an ambassador I am for the gay community I won’t be accepted and welcomed by many straight people. I’ve come to realize that I am not in control of other people’s reactions to gay people. These people have stuff going on inside them that I don’t understand and certainly can’t change.

This movie is about that phenomenon but between a father and a son.

A few weeks ago this happened for the first time. I have my TiVo set to record Persons Unknown and a couple of weeks went by and I got a new episode. But apparently I had missed an episode. Since TiVo just knows what the networks tell it, this was clearly NBC’s fault. I don’t even think the episode I missed was aired though. At the time, I cared enough to buy the episode on iTunes and it was a popular episode which probably meant that a whole bunch of people had missed it.

So tonight I get a new episode and again the review of what has happened so far includes a ton of stuff I haven’t seen yet. At least one more missed episode. This time I just don’t care. I’m just not going to watch anymore. So, congratulations NBC.

After watching Dexter, it was suggested for people who like shows about dysfunctional families. I was so intrigued by that association, I couldn’t resist.

The pilot was okay, kinda boring, but I watched the second episode anyway. There was this pivotal scene that was so exciting and impressive that you know they based the whole episode on it. It had the kind of dialog that all actors dream of speaking. The sort of thing where you speak softly and calmly, but you reveal so much information. Eddie Izzard handled it perfectly, his quirkiness really added to the scene.

I love it when something comes out of left field and really makes a mark on my consciousness like that.

The Prisoner, one of my favorite shows also randomly popped into my life like that. I’m curious about how these chance surprises show up in other people’s lives.

Resort: Disney’s Wilderness Lodge

This is the best choice of theme and the best implementation of a theme at Walt Disney World. Even if you don’t stay here, go just to sit in the lobby. Wander around the balconies. I recommend a quick service restaurant here at the bottom of this post so you can eat there while you’re here.

This resort really feels like home to me. If you can, stay here.

Restaurant: San Angel Inn (Epcot)

This is the Blue Bayou of Walt Disney World. I know, it’s strange that it’s here, but it is. Also, the food is actually great. It’s more authentic and delicious than standard Mexican food.

The quick service restaurant outside also has surprisingly good food, but the atmosphere inside must be experienced.

Activity: The Pool at Disney’s Beach Club Resort

You need to be staying at the resort to use the pool, so what you do is convince one of your friends to stay there so you can visit them because you’ll be staying at the Wilderness Lodge. In my case it was an ex-boyfriend. I knew he’d turn out to be good for something.

The pools have a nice sandy bottom and there’s a big current pool as well. And of course, there’s the water slide. It’s a great way to spend half a day.

Attraction: Living with the Land (Epcot)

This “ride” is fascinating. You’ll want to go on two or three times. I wish I could just get out and spent time wandering around. If I’m ever mega rich I’m having a garden like this built.

Restaurant: The Garden Grill (Epcot)

After the ride you’ll want to eat some of the food, right? This is a rotating restaurant that serves all you can eat family style table service. The food is made from the garden and it’s delicious. Don’t worry, it’s not all vegetabley, it’s genuinely good and features meat too.

Attraction: The Hall of Presidents (Magic Kingdom)

Get your hankies and get ready to cry. Did you forget how much you loved being an American? I even cried when George W. Bush was the current President here.

Shop: Ye Olde Christmas Shoppe (Magic Kingdom)

Christmas Decorations and Walt Disney World. How could it not be good? It’s guilt free for non-christians too, the flying spaghetti monster did not strike me down.

Restaurant: Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano (Disney’s Hollywood Studios)

If Sesame Street and The Muppet Show combined forces to create the most awesome Brooklyn restaurant ever that all adults will totally love, this would be it.

It’s so good you’ll feel a little like you’re in the twilight zone, in a good way.

Attraction: Ellen’s Energy Adventure (Epcot)

What do Alex Trebeck, Bill Nye the Science Guy, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Ellen Degeneres have in common? This ride.

The pre-show is the best. The ride machinery is bizarrely complex. The ride is just a touch slow, so it’s a good time to take a nap toward the end if you want. Still, it’s a must do and an experience to remember.

Quick Service Restaurant: Roaring Fork (Disney’s Wilderness Lodge)

I love this place. Eat here, or take it back to the room. The breakfast is awesome. How is it so good? I don’t know, because it shouldn’t be.

PAPA 12 World Pinball Championships

Cheech Marin: Cars 2 in production

Toy Story 3 Replaces Finding Nemo As Pixar’s Highest Grossing Film

I’ve never understood the attraction to “hot” as a flavor. There’s literally no purpose to it. It seems like Habañero peppers are all the rage now and even if they water them down so you can barely taste them, restaurants feel the need to list them as an ingredient on the menu.

These Bhut Jolokia peppers are so crazy only a scientific garden like this one should have them. They are beautiful, though.

The World’s Hottest Pepper Heats Up Epcot

To tell you the truth, while I’ve seen higher quality 3D movies at Walt Disney World I haven’t seen a modern 3D movie.

Should I?

3D Backlash Is Official: Step Up 3D Wants You To Know It’s Playing In 2D Too!

A new restaurant has opened at Walt Disney World called Via Napoli. This article has some great pictures of the inside and outside.

It’s great to see them opening up new places in Epcot.

I’ve seen this story a couple of times. I know people don’t like to think about the disabled. And certainly the disabled are “expensive”.

But here’s the deal. You can either help the disabled to live productive lives, or you can spend four times as much, destroy their lives, and “not” help them.

Disabled people need one of two things: some help or a lot of help. If you decide not to give them some help, well then you only have one other choice.

I love the idea of an “old fashioned” arcade. Especially in New York City. I imagine a Brooklyn-esque Sesame Street style arcade.

This has been bugging me for a while now. I first noticed it when watching Jeopardy. Even though the show is labelled as being 720p HD it’s not really HD at all. Tonight I noticed it with Wheel of Fortune.

This is a one to one pixel screen capture taken from last night’s broadcast. I’ve cropped it to 800 pixels wide to fit it on the page and show you. Notice how blurry Vanna is? Also, notice the pixelating on the category text “BEFORE & AFTER”. You can see that the resolution isn’t very high at all.

I feel like I remember that when Wheel of Fortune was in Hawaii it definitely seemed to be shown in HD, so I don’t know if they have decided to stop doing real HD or if the broadcasters are downsizing the picture. It is clearly being filmed with widescreen in mind, it’s just not 720p HD.

While I’m mentioning strange thing about these two shows, Jeopardy seems to be filmed with an odd lens that distorts the picture somehow. It’s not the same as if they were stretching normal aspect ratio to HD, but you can notice a strange effect when the camera pans across the set. It’s very odd.

Jeopardy especially needs to update its set for HD. They’ve done some improvements, but they need to actually make a real set. Make it look like it’s taking place in an old university library with nice old bookshelves and lamps in the background or something. The strange gradient primary colored shapes in the background come across as very bizarre and slightly unsettling. The Jeopardy designers seem to like sets that look like they’ve been ray-traced with bright glowing things and glass everywhere. Just make a normal looking set, please.

It’s taken me a while to get this picture up, just in time for tonight’s new episode. Last week Brothers & Sisters defended its crown as the best family drama agains Parenthood. The winner? They’re both great.

Look at the elements to this scene: A romantic log cabin, candles on the table, festival lights hanging overhead, and a lovely sconce on the wall. In the story this is a rented house, by the way, glad they had all this on hand. Well, Brothers & Sisters started it so good for them for making a statement.

I am trying to build up the energy to create my own very well lit backyard scene, when I do I’ll be sure to post pictures. Although I’m not sure it will be possible to make something as good because they have so many other studio lights we can’t see. It will be fun to try though.

I was a little sad to see Cerri McQuillan come and go so quickly. Last week I wrote a post about how unfair it was that she had to leave, and now it’s happened all over again. auf Wiedersehen.

In the “Sew Much Pressure” episode of Project Runway Anthony Williams returned because Maya Luz left the show. It’s too bad for Maya, but I’m sure she had her reasons. Having said that, I’m glad to have Anothony’s back and apparently so are the judges because he won the episode.

I love Sheryl Crow. I’m so happy that she was in the “Everything Man” episode of Cougar Town and will be in one more, probably next week. She is just so truly pretty, I think I have a little crush on her.

I have the best memory of Sheryl Crow. It was a few years back and some friends and I went to Gay Day at Walt Disney World. It was my second time, their first. The first big night is Thursday and we were headed to Pleasure Island to the dance club Mannequins. At the beginning of a big night, Mannequins has a very elaborate entrance process. You wait in line to get in an elevator that takes you up to the third and top floor of the club. When you get out you walk over a cat walk to be presented with a few two stories down of the rotating dance floor. It’s very dramatic.

When we stepped off the elevator, the song that was playing was Sheryl Crow. It was Soak Up The Sun (Victor Calderone & Mac Quayle Sunsweep Club Mix) which was a surprise because I didn’t even know there was a remix of that song at the time. It was the perfect start to a fun vacation and the song brings on the best mood. I was giddy with excitement, and I will always remember that moment.

(For some annoying reason that song is only available in Australian iTunes. But if you Google the title you might find a place to download it. I wouldn’t know, I would never ever do such a thing.)

This week, this scene from the Parenthood episode “The Situation” really stood out to me. They use the classic American theme of outdoor baseball at night to bring more emotion to the show. Watching this show is kind of like going to Disneyland, you know it’s not real, but you just want more. Like Disneyland, you often wish they had a restaurant at certain prime locations so you could just sit and eat and absorb the atmosphere.

I was so happy to see Andrew Garcia get his groove back with “Forever”. He has such an interesting voice. It was a great song choice for him and just a great song in general.

There are a few things I hope he works on. First, his voice was all over the place flat and sharp. I don’t know if that was nerves or what, but he needs to learn to control his voice better. Second, he was off beat in uncomfortable ways. In many parts of the song I wanted him to be right on the beat and it felt very awkward that he wasn’t. Finally, he needs to get a few inches away from the microphone so we can see his personality. I’ve never seen someone hide so effectively behind a tiny microphone.

What I hope is that he really improves again next week, his voice is so distinctive and great to listen to. But some of his singing issues this week made me think that there might be a chance he’s just not a good enough singer. I hope that’s not the case. If he has the ability to fix those things, he could really be a contender.

Last night the Modern Family episode “Game Changer” had a plot based almost entirely around the release of Apple’s iPad. Today people are talking about the ups and downs of this sort of large scale product placement.

In this case it worked out because the show was about things real people do and events that actually happen. If people were waiting in line for Microsoft products it wouldn’t work, because nobody would ever do that.