Religulous Is one of the two movies I saw this weekend. I had all ready seen it, but I got it on DVD. I found the movie pretty interesting. Yes they had some deleted scenes and wished some of those had gone longer I think they might have gotten interesting. The one thing that I kinda thought was that the end of the movie got kinda preachy. But that being said I still liked a lot of the interviews.

It was interesting to see him pimp his movie last night at the Oscars. I think he did a good job presenting. It must be tough to present in a category that you think your movie should have been at least thought of to be nominated in. On his latest show he did mention that he would be on the Oscars . The Buffalo Area was also mentioned twice. One of them was mentioning the plane crash is some point of his about if it would have been terrorism. But the story that he talked with someone about was the Beheading in Orchard Park. I find it Ironic that this guy forms a TV Station to show how Islam isn't violent and then he calls and brags to the Police about how he cut off his Wife's head. That discussion was pretty interesting I thought. To me that kinda ties back to his movie. On a side note he also talked with Ron Paul and I was surprised that I kinda agreed with some of the stuff Ron was saying.

I guess before I forget I should mention the other movie I saw. It was called Coraline. I thought it was a pretty good animated movie. It kinda follows The Night Mare Before Christmas style of Animation. I liked the story and thought the Animation was amazing. I think it really would have looked great If I could have seen it in 3D. Oh yeah Lets go Buffalo (hope the sabres play a good game since I'm going to see them play the ducks).

So to sum up it was a good Bill Maher weekend, and I don't agree with all his politics and beliefs but he is funny and entertaining.

So my sister sent me to youtube to watch this video. I think it is pretty funny. MTV has this show on sunday called College humor. In this video they set this guy up at a Yankees game. With out giving to much away their is this guy with his girl friend and he proposes to her through the video screen. But see he knows nothing about it. So to him it is a shock and something he knows nothing about and to her it is a yes you should really watch it it is very funny, or maybe it is just the all 3 of us watching it together thing.

First of all I put this in entertainment instead of TV because I have a bunch of TV stuff. Plus I hope to write more about Maher. I want to write about faith but it isn't so simple so that is a post I have been holding off of. This weekend I hope to buy his new movie that is on DVD. Yes I have seen it, but I'm hoping it has a lot of great extras. The reason I want to see Bill's show that starts tonight is that I do agree with a lot of what he says, but not all of it. The other reason is I want to see how he treat Obama. I just wish I had my own computer so I could go on line after and watch the extra stuff, sorry I can't remember what it is called, I'm still I little messed up. I tried this stuff Called Joose and it is pretty strong like 9.9% alcohol by volume as opposed by weight not sure what the differance is there. I also would like to see a movie on Saturday so maybe it might all become one post who knows. Yes I do like Bill's comedy and I think that is good. I do agree with some of his stuff but not all of it, so tonight could be interesting.

Well there where supposed to be pictures with this post but I'm having an issue with getting them onto the computer so hopefully maybe this post might get an update, we shall see. On Saturday I bought my self some food for the house I really needed it. One thing I bought was a Michael Phelps box of Corn Flakes. For those of you who may not know Kellogg's dropped him from his deal. They claim they didn't resign him, I call "Bullshit" it is because they don't want a weed smoker associated with there brand. That is funny for some reason I think a lot of people who smoke up eat their products. There have been some people who because of this decision are now boycotting Kellogg's . I'm sure a web search would pull up lots of stuff.

So then later on for Valentines day I went to the Bandits game. It was such a great game. Buffalo beat Toronto by 15 goals. Buffalo out shot Toronto, and played better in goal. Oh yeah it was a hard hitting game with lots of fights. If memory serves there was one that was kinda a draw and then Buffalo won the fights. They play again on Friday in Toronto that could be an interesting game. The Bandits now Have a 3rd Jersey and I thought it looks pretty cool, and since it went on sale I bought one. Yes there are better ways I admit to spending money, but I wanted to treat myself to something nice. So I had two great Valentines days in a row. Then last Night I got the WWE Pay Perview that was pretty good and a lot of fun to watch. Today for presidents day I got to work, hey the money will be nice.

A lot of people have been writing about the flight that crashed and it is all over the news. But I think that what I read about today in the news is pretty interesting about The AUD. I admit that I think it is to bad that over all these years no one could find a good use for the AUD, it really is to bad. It is to bad that is has to come down. It is to bad that the only seats that got sold where the blue seats. I know the other ones where to messed up. I think it is sad. Yes I like the New Arena but if I could it would be great to change them. Of course you can't do that. The article I read has a website where you can watch the AUD being torn down. That brings me to a question. Why when you tear something down it is called raze and when you build something like when you raise a house (think a barn or habitat for humanity where you see people lift an entire wall ) and they are both said the same way? I haven't checked out the website yet but it sounds like it is pretty good.

Updated: 02/13/09 07:43 AM
Aud rubbernecking just got a lot easier
Camera lets public watch razing on Net
By Sharon Linstedt
NEWS BUSINESS REPORTER


A live, bird's-eye view of the demolition of Buffalo's Memorial Auditorium is now just a mouse click away.

The Erie Canal Harbor Development Corp. has launched "Harbor Cam," a video camera mounted on the top floor of the HSBC Center that looks down on the Aud and the Buffalo waterfront.

"It's a really cool way to let people see what's going on down there," said Jordan A. Levy, chairman of the harbor development agency. "Seeing is believing, and we're making progress."

Images from the camera can be viewed, starting today, at www.eriecanalharbor.com . The camera, located outside Levy's office window on the 38th floor of Buffalo's tallest building, can be zoomed in on the Aud or refocused to take in the entire Erie Canal Harbor neighborhood. Users will be able to pan across the waterfront area from the Cobblestone District to the east over to the Buffalo & Erie County Naval and Military Park to

the west.

That viewable swath of the downtown waterfront includes the 20-acre site that will be redeveloped as the $325 million Canal Side project. Demolition of the Aud is the first critical step in that effort, clearing the way for construction of a Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World store, Great Lakes Museum and public green.

"This camera will let the entire community witness what's going on at Canal Side. They'll be able to follow the project all the way through from demolition through construction," Levy said.

While today marks the first day of live Harbor Cam viewing, the camera has been in place and capturing Aud demolition action since late January. The harbor agency's Web site includes a feature that allows visitors to watch time-lapse shots chronicling the arena's exterior demolition.

The views are compiled in five-minute intervals and can be printed from the site. The time-stamped shots are accompanied by weather data.

As of Thursday, crews from West Seneca-based DEMCO Inc. had opened up a section of the north wall and roof where the main entrance lobby once stood. The selective razing is aimed at creating enough room to drive cranes, bulldozers and other heavy equipment inside the building.

The machinery will then be positioned on the basement level of the arena, with crane booms lifted up to begin removing the Aud's entire roof.

"They'll be taking down 21 trusses and pulling the whole roof down. That's going to be fun to watch," Levy said.

Once the roof is gone, DEMCO will drop the outside walls. In the next 90 days, the 69-year-old landmark will vanish.

Construction of the Bass Pro store and other developments on the Aud block are to start before year's end, pending the outcome of an environmental impact and design review.

Conversion of the adjacent Donovan State Office Building to a mixed-use complex with a totally new exterior is on a similar timetable.

slinstedt@buffnews.com

I just wanted to add that I hope everyone has a great Friday the 13th and watches some scary movies or something. I also hope Valentines isn't to bad for anyone. I Know I'll be at the Bandits game and I have to buy food for my place. I doubt I will do anything after the game. Some might ask how this relates to the story. Well I'm hoping that I Will be able to take some pictures of the AUD before I go to the game but we shall see what happens.

So this morning about 5am I leave the house to go to work. The rain is pouring down with a nice wind so I get pretty soaked, mainly the outside of me. So then I get down town and it was pretty interesting the street is soaked and the wind blows one way and then another way and it was pretty nasty out. But as I look closer what appears to be rain is blown inside the bus shelter and it is really snow but on the ground it looks like rain. By the time I get out to work everything has changed, you have this heavy wet snow that is sticking to everything and this wind that moves you a bit. So on my walk to work I kind pick up my feet in little like gliding steps and let the wind kinda push me it was a cool feeling and kinda different. So I get home today and you can't really even tell that it ever snowed at all, very weird day.

Some of you I'm sure all ready read this in the news or maybe even on face book. But I thought I would post it here since on one else has yet . I think it is an interesting article about the Elmwood strip and how they want to make laws about building there. Oh yeah and (e:drew) is "ed .

02/11/09 06:51 AM
Proponents push design standards for projects in Elmwood Village
By Brian Meyer
NEWS STAFF REPORTER


A plan that would impose strict new design standards on projects in the Elmwood Village was presented to Common Council members Tuesday, capping off a decade long effort by neighborhood advocates.

Speakers at a public hearing in City Hall said the effort aimed to prevent the type of "suburban-style" development that has occurred in some other areas, including the Delaware- Hertel corridor. The distinctive Elmwood Strip should never take on the aura of a Union Road, they argued.

If approved by city officials, new projects along Elmwood would have to be built close to sidewalks. Buildings couldn't have parking lots in front of their facades. The design standards also would favor mixed-use projects that would include upper-floor residences over businesses.

Before structures could be demolished, property owners would have to submit reuse plans for the parcels. The plan also would impose strong community- notification requirements, including signs on properties to alert people to development plans.

The proposed design standards were crafted with suggestions from 300 residents and business owners, said Justin Azzarella, executive director of the Elmwood Village Association.

Daniel Sack, an Elmwood Village resident who sits on the association's design committee, denied that the new rules could hinder economic development. He also highlighted figures showing that carefully planned projects along a business strip like Elmwood have greater economic value per acre than big-box developments or buildings with sprawling parking lots.

"It's not simply about aesthetics," he said. "It's about the . . . economic value of the land."

The Rev. Drew Ludwig of Lafayette Presbyterian Church urged city officials to adopt the new regulations. "These design standards will keep the Elmwood Village as the fantastic neighborhood that it already is," he said.

Every speaker at Tuesday's hearing voiced support for the new regulations. Some noted that in 2007, the Elmwood Village was christened one of the "10 great neighborhoods in America" by the American Planning Association.

Others underscored the importance of making sure that development on Elmwood takes into account pedestrians and bicyclists.

"This is a community [that ] likes to walk and likes to enjoy the vitality of the street," said Karl Frizlen, an architect and a member of the association's design panel.

Mayor Byron W. Brown recently announced plans for a citywide update of what some have branded antiquated zoning codes. But advocates urged Council members to approve the new standards for Elmwood, saying that waiting one or two years for a citywide revamping of codes makes no sense.

North Council Member Joseph Golombek Jr., who represents part of the Elmwood Strip, predicted lawmakers will approve the plan, noting that the design standards have been thoroughly debated since the late 1990s.

"I'm embarrassed to say it has taken this long," he said.

Most of the commercial activity on what is considered the Elmwood Strip stretches from North Street to Forest Avenue.

bmeyer@buffnews.com

Well I gave the journal the category of repost because I wrote about Zack and Miri Make a Porno when I saw it at the show. I now own it on DVD and watched it over the weekend, I didn't get to watch all the deleted scenes yet though, but that being said I think it was a pretty good movie. When I bought it at target it is just called Zack and Miri but I guess you can get the full cover art and have it signed . If I would have known I would have done the whole preoreder thing but with gift cards I didn't have to pay for it so that is cool. I haven't done so yet but I'm thinking if I get some extra cash to buy some stuff from the movie like the hockey hooded sweet shirt but I also kinda want to get some steelers 6 rings shirts also, so not sure. So I would say if you like dirty or raunchy comedy with a little love story thrown in go out and buy it or rent it, I think it is pretty good.

So today I went to the movies and saw Push. Yes it was only PG-13 but it still had a lot of action in it. What I liked about it was that it had a good story and good acting and a lot of actors you would know by face. Dakota Fanning was really good in it, I don't want to say that she did the best Job acting cause maybe some of it was her character but she was pretty convincing. I admit the movie wasn't what I was expecting. I thought known actors they will be all about fighting in some big US city and it will be all Bang Bang shoot them up. Yes there was some of that but it was more complex then that and there was a story and you had different people with different kinds of abilites or some might think of them as powers. The other part that made it interesting is that it takes place in Hong Kong and in some parts there are subtitles I think the entire movie was filmed there. I don't like to rate things but maybe 3 out of 4 or two thumbs up if you like action suspense sci-fi kind of movies. Before hand one movie that I saw a preview for looks really good, Crank 2. Yes they made a second one with the same guy and it looks just as crazy as the 1st one, that is why I liked it so much. If you don't know the shooting style I mean you have to watch it, to see how frantic it is. That takes me back to one thing about Push I liked. They had this effect of when the girl would see the future that was cool. But the other effect thing is that some times a movie can be to bright and crisp this looked like people where on the street, and in one scene it looked like the two people just walked into a real place with real people who didn't care the camera was there. Or at least that is how I see it.

First of all last night I learned one needs to be careful when they search for things On the internet. I found this page with video and yes it was very dirty and lets just say I saw someone fuck themselves. I kid you not it was very weird and I wonder what it felt like to him. I may never tell anyone to do that ever again since now I know it is possible, ha. Later last night on myspace I saw that some people I know are on facebook so I decided to Join. So far I do like it. I will admit I think it will take me some time to get used to how to navegate the pages but hopefully that will come with time.

For those of you who have read a couple posts back I wrote about how TV stations will change from an analog signal to digital. I do have some issues with the change my self. I also included and article about how it looks like the date of when TV stations will go digital is going to change. Well today I read an interesting article on yahoo about how that change might make things confusing for people. Even after reading that I think pushing the date to June might be a good idea. Here is the article

Some TV stations to end analog signal on Feb. 17 (AP)

* Posted on Fri Feb 6, 2009 7:38AM EST



NEW YORK - Television viewers who use antennas and were expecting a few more months to prepare for digital TV may not have much time left before their sets go dark: Many stations still plan to drop analog broadcasts in less than two weeks.

When Congress postponed the mandatory transition to digital TV until June, it also gave stations the option to stick to the originally scheduled date of Feb. 17.

That means the shutdown of analog signals, which broadcasters had hoped would happen at nearly the same time nationwide, could now unfold in a confusing patchwork of different schedules.

Lawmakers wanted to address concerns that many households that receive TV signals through an antenna are not prepared for the switch. They were also mindful that a government fund has run out of money to subsidize digital converter boxes for older TVs.

Dozens of stations around the country now say they are going to take advantage of the option to drop analog broadcasts this month.

Many others are on the fence. The total number is likely to be in the hundreds, a substantial chunk and maybe even a majority of the country's 1,796 full-power TV stations.

The House voted Wednesday to delay the mandatory shutdown until June 12. The Senate passed the measure unanimously last week, and the bill now heads to President Barack Obama for his signature.

The legislation means analog signals could vanish entirely in some areas but persist in neighboring regions. In rural areas, low-power stations will continue to broadcast in analog even beyond June 12.

On Thursday, the Federal Communications Commission ordered stations that still plan to turn off analog signals on Feb. 17 to notify the FCC by Monday.

Acting Chairman Michael Copps said the commission could prohibit stations from making the switch if doing so is not in the public interest. For instance, if all stations in a market want to turn off early, that would draw FCC scrutiny, he said at a commission meeting.

For many broadcasters, delaying the shutdown is inconvenient and expensive. Many of them have scheduled engineering work on their equipment to make the transition on Feb. 17.

The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority, the public broadcasting network in the state, said Thursday that it planned to cease analog transmission from its full-power antennas at 1 p.m. on Feb. 17.

"We have four full-power stations all with 30-year-old-plus analog transmitters that are costly to maintain, putting out less than a quality signal," said Mark Norman, deputy director of technology at OETA.

"Sitting right alongside them are brand-new digital transmitters that have been running now for a few years. We just think it's counterproductive to continue to put money into the old ones."

Keeping the analog equipment in operation until June would cost the station about $200,000 at a time when the state is considering cutting its contribution to the budget, Norman said.

PBS spokeswoman Lea Sloan said about half of the 356 public broadcasting stations across the country will make the switch on Feb. 17. Many will do it for financial reasons. PBS said last month that if all its stations had to delay the switch, it would cost an estimated $22 million.

The Utah Broadcasters Association said the commercial stations in the state still plan to shut down analog on Feb. 17, while the public ones will wait until June.

In Wisconsin, at least two stations in Madison and five in the La Cross-Eau Claire plan to flip the switch on Feb. 17. In Minnesota, at least four stations plan to keep that date, along with five in Iowa.

Copps, the acting FCC chairman, said CBS, Fox, ABC and NBC and Telemundo had committed to keeping the stations they own broadcasting analog until June 12.

Together, they own 85 full-power stations, mainly in large cities. The rest of the stations that carry these networks are affiliates not owned by the network. ABC spokeswoman Julie Hoover said some of its stations may still go early if all other stations in their market do so.

Gannett Co. and Hearst-Argyle Television Inc. also pledged to maintain the vast majority of their stations on analog, Copps said. They own or operate 52 stations.

"These broadcasters deserve our gratitude. I encourage other broadcasters to join them," Copps said.

The transition to digital TV is being mandated because digital signals are more efficient than analog ones. Ending analog broadcasts will free up valuable space in the nation's airwaves for commercial wireless services and emergency-response networks.

In a few areas, including Hawaii, stations have already abandoned analog broadcasting.

TVs connected to cable or satellite services are not affected by the analog shutdown. But that still leaves a lot of people who could see channels go dark on Feb. 17. According to research firm MRI, 17.7 percent of Americans live in households with only over-the-air TV.

Most of them are ready for the analog shutdown, according to the National Association of Broadcasters and analysts at the Nielsen Co. Nielsen said Thursday that more than 5.8 million U.S. households, or 5.1 percent of all homes, are not ready.

At the Oklahoma public broadcasting association, Norman believes viewers are ready for the switch. The network has invited viewers to call in with transition questions on several nights. Each time, the number of callers has been smaller, Norman said.

"We really don't think it's going be as major of an issue as people anticipated," he said.

___

AP Television Writer David Bauder contributed to this report.