Star Trek into my eyes and brain, man!

Star Trek Into Darkness has been in theaters since Wednesday night. Amazingly, I have not seen it yet, though I plan on addressing that Saturday afternoon. 

While I would not have called myself a Star Trek fan — Trekker, Trekkie or whatever — one who devotedly watched all the TV shows and movies, I absolutely loved J.J. Abrams' 2009 reboot.

The film did a perfect job of reinventing itself for a new audience while taking pains to reach out to the longtime fans who could make or break the project with their approval. It did what reboots and prequels should do: Tell the story that hasn't been told. For all we know about Captain Kirk, Mr. Spock and the rest of the U.S.S. Enterprise, we'd never seen how the band got together. 

To me, this is best typified by the scene embedded below. The Enterprise is an iconic figure in Star Trek mythos and pop culture. Tribute had to be paid to that ship in this new version.

Abrams does it so well here. There's the slow build-up with Dr. McCoy seeing the ship through the window and telling Kirk he had to take a look. We see their reaction. And then there's the reveal with Michael Giacchino's fucking awesome score kicking in. It's probably my favorite scene in the movie, one that I've watched and rewatched dozens of times. 

When I traveled to Malaysia last year, I had two movies on my iPad: Star Trek and Iron Man 2. (I also watched a bunch of movies on in-flight programming, but that's another blog post and entry into The Malaysia Diaries.) 

While watching Star Trek, I played the Enterprise intro scene over and over again. If the person sitting behind me was trying to watch over my shoulder or between seats, he or she must have wondered what the hell I was doing and when I'd begin watching the rest of the movie. Sorry about that. You're just lucky I kept my pants on as the scene was playing. 

But the visuals and music just blow me away every time. It's perfect, it's awesome and I'm getting the geek jitters just writing about it. Will Star Trek Into Darkness have a moment like this? 

What I also enjoyed is that Abrams injected some action into his version of Star Trek. In my view, most of the action in the movies was always passive, with characters talking at each other through viewscreens and massive starships lurching at each other in space. Abrams gave his Star Trek an energy that I'd always felt the series lacked. (Many fans might disagree.) 

So I'm definitely excited to see the sequel and watch Abrams continue his revitalization. I'm heading off to the theater right after clicking "Publish." 

Remembering when 'The Office' was a pretty big deal here

With the series finale of NBC's The Office airing Thursday night (May 16), I've been getting a little bit reflective over how big a role the show played in my life at one point.

I don't know how many people reading this will remember, but I used to co-host a podcast dedicated to The Office titled That's What She Said. The show was created by my friend Matt Sommer, who had been dabbling in podcasting and decided to do his own thing before Season 3. 

This was — wow, has it been that long? — between 2006 and 2007. I was a casual fan, curious about an American adaptation of a British TV show. But I did get pulled in toward the end of Season 2, largely because of the dynamic between Jim and Pam. 

Matt asked me if I would be his co-host, astutely realizing that two people talking to each other, rather than a single host talking out to an unseen audience, made for a better podcast. I had a little bit of experience as a guest, thanks to Mike McClary and The Detroit Tigers Podcast. 

I ended up doing approximately 25 episodes, covering all of Season 2. When I love a TV show, I watch it very closely, constantly rewinding or rerunning an episode a couple of times. The Office became that kind of show for me, because we scrutinized every detail of every episode. The grudging running joke was that our podcast ran two to three times as long as an actual show. 

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But that's a testament to the work Matt put into each podcast, designing the format of the show and each individual segment and creating the intro bumpers for those segments. Even when he played the "tests" for me, it was pretty clear he had a good podcast on his hands.

Then there's the editing. Oh, God — the editing. I love podcasts and podcasting. I wish I was doing one myself. But editing audio is so tedious. 

I can only imagine editing was even more of a chore with me on the show, fully taking advantage of not being on live and cutting myself off when I couldn't complete a thought. Or just zoning out when we played a clip from that week's show. It's amazing that I can actually talk live for 10-15 minutes on the radio these days. 

Anyway, I decided not to do the podcast for Season 3. During the summer hiatus, I focused on writing at Bless You Boys and eventually realized that I couldn't blog about baseball full-time and devote some four hours a week to recording That's What She Said with Matt. Well, I suppose I could have. But I would have gone insane, and my work on either the blog or podcast would have suffered. 

I know Matt wasn't happy with my decision to leave the podcast. Having to find a new co-host wasn't easy for him.

But he found a good one in Kevin Crossman, and I think the show was much better with him because he brought another dose of creativity and passion to it. They covered another five seasons of The Office before closing the curtain last year. I don't know if they plan to do one last podcast for the series finale. I'm sure the listeners would love it if they did. 

I fell out of watching The Office after that second season. It's not that I didn't enjoy the show, but once I didn't have to for the podcast, it kind of fell off my radar. Ask my friends. Shows fall off my radar all the time, much to their frustration if we both shared interest in a particular program. But any incentive to go back was probably shelved when Steve Carell left the show. 

I did intend to tune in for the retrospective and series finale Thursday night. But a game between the Detroit Tigers and Texas Rangers featuring stud pitchers Justin Verlander and Yu Darvish was on at the same time. How appropriate. But I did DVR The Office. 

Actually, the baseball game turned out to be a dud, so I did watch the last 10-15 minutes of the series finale. What I watched was poignant, generating the kind of emotion that only comes with a show and set of characters that have been together for nine seasons. I look forward to watching the rest of it. 

So here's a slow clap for The Office. Maybe I'll go back and watch some of those past seasons someday. If so, I might just listen to That's What She Said along with those episodes. The podcast certainly made the show a lot more fun for me. 

Should Mariano Rivera be the AL's starting pitcher in the All-Star Game?

Last year was supposed to be Mariano Rivera's final season in the major leagues. But he was derailed by a serious knee injury and wasn't able to finish his career the way he wanted.

So Rivera came back this season to give himself the ending he deserved. And he's been as good as he's ever been, compiling a 1.56 ERA and tying for the major-league lead with 16 saves. 

With this being Rivera's final season and him pitching at such a high level once again, the New York Yankees closer is sure to be named to his 13th American League All-Star team.

But should AL manager Jim Leyland and Major League Baseball pay even greater tribute to Rivera by asking him to be the team's starting pitcher, rather than close out the game as he would normally do?

That's what one fan has proposed and it's the subject of my latest post for The Outside Corner.

Yes, I realize this is an All-Star Game. Plenty of players will be asked to do things outside of their normal responsibilities. Whomever bats leadoff likely won't be accustomed to that role. A cleanup hitter could be batting in the eighth or ninth spots of the batting order. A starting pitcher will come in to pitch relief. 

But Rivera closes games. He's done it better and more often than anyone in the history of the game. That's what he should do in the All-Star Game, even if the roster will include many other relievers capable of taking that role, if necessary.

Getting the final out and making that victorious handshake — regardless of whether or not he earned a save — should be reserved for Rivera. He's the best guy for the job.

Here is a link to the full article.

Space Oddity? How about Little Niece's oddity?

By now, you've probably heard about Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and the videos he's recorded from space. (If not, NY Mag's Daily Intelligencer has collected several of them in one post.) 

I don't know how, but while I was waiting in the car with Little Niece a couple of days ago, she started playing Hadfield's rendition of David Bowie's "Space Oddity."

I thought I was just giving her my iPhone to play with the PBS Kids app and watch Caillou. But then I hear "Ground control to Major Tom..." Hey, that's not Caillou. PBS Kids plays David Bowie? 

How did Little Niece just happen to pull up the internet's latest viral sensation? (OK, maybe she just opened the YouTube app.) What else could this kid be watching on my phone when I'm not paying attention? 

Almost Human: Yeah, I might watch this show

Perhaps it's not one of my best qualities, but when I look at the upcoming slates for the new TV fall seasons, I end up checking off the shows I think will be canceled first

However, I think FOX's Almost Human might have a shot. J.J. Abrams' name being on it seems promising. I dig Karl Urban. He's Bones McCoy and Judge Dredd! And the whole concept seems like a different take on the buddy cop dynamic with a sci-fi twist that we've seen in stuff like Robocop and Alien Nation. 

I think I might watch this show. Would you watch this show?

(via ... the deadline)

Ender's Game: When to give up and just wait for the movie

My friend A. has been on me for years — years — to read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. 

I've purchased it. The novel taunts me from my bookshelf. I know it's a classic. I know I should read it.

Even a cashier at Greenlife (which is a local version of Whole Foods — at least it was until Whole Foods bought it, so now it's basically a Whole Foods) has gotten on my case to read Ender's Game.

She was one of those excessively talky cashiers who's nice to encounter when you're in a mood to have a conversation but annoying when you just want to buy your shit and get out of the store.

The first time, she asked me how I was doing; I asked her how she was doing. She told me she was happy because she just finished Ender's Game. I admitted I hadn't read it, which prompted a gasp and a finger-wag. 

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"You should read it," she said.

"I know," I said. "I've been meaning to for years." 

"You will not regret it."

I went home, reminded myself that A. has been telling me to read Ender's Game for years and rationalized that she might be hurt or a little pissed that I finally decided to start reading a book because a total stranger asked me to, rather than following the recommendation of a dear friend. 

So I didn't open the book. Out of consideration to A., who's only been telling me to read Ender's Game probably since I first met her. I think that was more than 15 years ago. 

Now a movie adaptation of the book is coming out. It's set for a Nov. 1 release. 

On one hand, that still gives me plenty of time to read the book. I always feel like a better person if I've read the source material before seeing an adaptation. Maybe so I can just say, "Ah, the book was better." As if anyone wouldn't guess that response. 

But honestly, as a writer, I'm fascinated by adaptation from book to movie. What did the screenwriters cut out of the story for time purposes? Are the characters any different? Above all, was the movie faithful to the book even if it didn't follow every word of the text? 

Over the years, however, I've come to believe such things might take me out of the movie-watching experience. Am I really enjoying the movie for what it is if I'm too busy thinking about the book? 

Of course, that's surely just a lazy rationalization for not reading. 

At this point, maybe I should just wait for the movie and judge that on its own merits. (By the way, that includes not holding a grudge against the film — or the book — because of Card's abhorrent views on homosexuality and same-sex marriage.) 

That approach worked out for me fine with Game of Thrones. A. has also nudged me many times to give George R.R. Martin's books a whirl, but I just never got around to it. Then HBO came along to help me out. Now A. and I can talk about the series!

Unfortunately, I haven't watched a single episode of Season 3 yet. And we're eight episodes in, with only two left to go. 

I am a terrible friend. 

The Rock, not at his best

I hated Stephen Sommers' "Mummy" films. They were soulless CGI crapfests and Indiana Jones knockoffs. 

Just look at this scene from The Mummy Returns involving The Scorpion King. He happened to be played by The Rock, making his screen debut.

Well, sort of. His likeness was there, but the actual Dwayne Johnson wasn't. Unless he was running after Brendan Fraser and Arnold Vosloo in a motion-capture suit. 

Anyway, look how bad these CGI effects were. To be fair, the movie came out in 2001 and digital effects have come a long, long way in the past 12 years. But still... yeesh.

Did I already say soulless CGI crapfest? Ray Harryhausen could do scorpions so much better with his stop-motion creations. 

I also hated Sommers' "Mummy" movies because they had absolutely no resemblance to Universal's original Mummy film starring Boris Karloff. I was a big fan of the Universal monster flicks as a kid and was excited to see them remade, only to see Sommers ruin them with his schlock. Van Helsing probably drove the final stake in the coffin. 

Fortunately for him, The Rock escaped this humble debut and has become an international superstar, conquering both the professional wrestling and motion picture industries. 

How did this come up? Yahoo! Sports Dr. Saturday is doing a series on college football players who became famous. Did you know The Rock was once a defensive tackle for the University of Miami Hurricanes? Not being a football star ended up working out pretty well for him. 

The drumbeat is getting louder for the Cleveland Indians

Though I try to be objective in my baseball writing — and maybe try too hard sometimes — I am a Detroit Tigers fan. (You surely know that, if you're a regular reader or follow me online.) 

So it's not easy for me to say something nice about the Tigers' division rival, the Cleveland Indians. Yet that's exactly what I did in my latest post for The Outside Corner. 

But entering Tuesday's slate of games, the Tribe is a half-game behind the Tigers for first place in the AL Central. They're also a half-game behind the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox for a wild-card playoff spot. 

The Indians are 10-3 thus far through May, pushing themselves into playoff contention. That follows what had to be viewed as a relatively disappointing first month of the season, which left them with an 11-13 record and fourth-place standing in the division. 

Here is a link to the full article. 

Cleveland has held early leads in the AL Central in each of the past two years, only to collapse spectacularly once the season moved into June.

Yet I do think this year's edition of the Indians could be different. I'm not saying they'll beat out the Tigers, but I feel like the Tribe could hang in the race longer than they have.