During this week’s Federal Executive Forum taping, Navy CIO Robert Carey discussed his views on cloud computing. Stating that the NGEN and CANES (Navy Consolidated Afloat Networks and Enterprise Services) programs will both leverage cloud computing, he also describes a future of “grey clouds” on each ship.
(Video) During this week’s Federal Executive Forum, key decision makers from DoD, DHS and FBI highlighted identity management interoperability as their key priority for 2010. Panelists included: Robert Mocny, Acting Director, US-VISIT Program Department of Homeland Security; Stephen Morris, Criminal Justice Information Services Division, FBI; and Thomas Dee, Director, Defense Biometrics, Office of the Secretary of Defense…(Video) During this week’s Federal Executive Forum, key decision makers from DoD,... more
"To earn her two Oscars, Hilary Swank went mano a mano with Clint Eastwood in a boxing ring and sucked face with Chloë Sevigny. But her toughest test yet might be this weekend, when box office numbers for "Amelia" come in. The historical drama, about the pioneering aviatrix Amelia Earhart, represents a major risk in Hollywood, where studio executives have been increasingly chary of making movies about strong women. If "Amelia" earns respectable receipts, chances are it will be dismissed as a lucky break. If it fails, it will be cited as yet more proof that strong female protagonists are box office poison.
Strong women, for now anyway, are out. Two years ago, when the Jodie Foster vigilante thriller "The Brave One" failed at the box office, industry blogger Nikki Finke reported that a Warner Brothers production executive announced to staffers that the studio would no longer produce movies featuring female leads. This past summer, actress and writer Nia Vardalos blogged on the Huffington Post that when she was pitching a project to a studio executive, he asked that she change the female lead to a man. Why? Because "women don't go to movies," he told her. "When I pointed out the box office successes of 'Sex and The City,' 'Mamma Mia!,' and 'Obsessed,' he called them 'flukes,' " she wrote.
In an era when women in movies fall along a spectrum defined by Hannah Montana and "Twilight" on one end and "Sex and the City" and "Mamma Mia!" on the other, where are the screen heroines of yesteryear, who could be strong, serious and sexy?
"Dramas are dead," says producer Lynda Obst ("Contact," "The Invention of Lying"). "Some of the greatest parts for women -- the Academy Award parts for women -- are often in dramas, and this is the worst time for dramas since I've been in the business for the last 10,000 years." More than ever, Obst adds, the movie business is geared toward the young men who go to movies most frequently. "And by and large that's a comedy audience and an action audience. To get a project greenlit now, studios are requiring more and more what we call 'unaided awareness,' which is where you get this addiction to toys and comics and old titles. And dramas don't live there."
To understand the situation of women in Hollywood right now, one need look no further than Drew Barrymore, whose career over the past year perfectly crystallizes the good-news/bad-news dichotomy. The ensemble romantic comedy she produced and starred in, "He's Just Not That Into You," was a hit. "Whip It," the girl-centric action comedy that marked her feature directorial debut, was not -- even though it put Barrymore in the company of a remarkable crop of female directors with movies out this year: Kathryn Bigelow, Jane Campion, Nora Ephron, Karyn Kusama, Lynn Shelton and Lone Scherfig (whose effervescent coming-of-age film, "An Education," opens Friday), to name just a few.
But Barrymore also delivered a stunning dramatic screen performance in 2009. Not in a major motion picture, but on HBO, in "Grey Gardens" opposite Jessica Lange. "Dramas are still alive in television," says Obst, "which is why we see some of our greatest actresses emigrating to TV, everyone from Mary-Louise Parker to Glenn Close to Holly Hunter."
To cries of "I call sexism!" most insiders agree that it's more complicated than that. "I don't think it's sexism," says writer-director Rod Lurie, whose films "The Contender" and "Nothing but the Truth," as well as the television series "Commander in Chief," all featured strong female leads. "Because Hollywood will do whatever it takes to make money. They are not taking a principled stance against women. They just don't see the audience as going there.""To earn her two Oscars, Hilary Swank went mano a mano with Clint Eastwood in a boxing... more
25th anniversary screening of a truly surreal film
Here's what the NLF wiki has to say:
The plot concerns a young man (Galligan) who dreams of becoming an artist. On returning to his relatives in Manhattan, he finds that the Port Authority has taken control of the city, and is forced to work in a menial job under a trigger-happy boss (Aykroyd). His kindness to a tramp leads him to be taken into an underground network where he discovers that the city's tramps are controlling the destiny of all the cities in the world. They instruct him to travel to the moon on a mission to spread peace and find his true love (Lauren Tom). Galligan accidentally finds a bus travelling to the moon. Bill Murray plays the bus conductor.lunartinis!
a bus to the moon!
directed by tom schiller (SNL's schiller's reel)... more
"Pico works visual wonders on a low budget; the impressive combat scenes put many a mainstream production to shame"
- Gene Siskel Film Cente
FAREWELL DARKNESS
$16.99 SRP - 96 Minutes - Widescreen
Release Date: 11-03-09
After four years of military service, Michael Pasternak (Keith Compton) returns home to Chicago to confront his alcoholic father, Roman (Circus-Szalewski). Roman physically abused Michael's mother Teresa (Heidi Klefstad) to her breaking point of suicide. Michael enlists the help of his old friends Dougie and Paul (David Bianchi, Luis Segui) to aid in his plan for revenge against his father, but after reconnecting with his high school girlfriend Rose (BriAnna Weaver) he finds it hard to carry out his plans for vengeance. Michael must then decide to destroy the true terror of his life or leave the past as it lies."Pico works visual wonders on a low budget; the impressive combat scenes put many a... more
When children's book author Maurice Sendak asked his friend, director Spike Jonze, to make a film based on his book Where the Wild Things Are, Jonze initially declined.
The book, which tells the story of a mischievous boy named Max who is sent to bed without supper and winds up visiting an island inhabited by big-eyed monsters, is heavy on illustration and light on dialogue — not exactly a perfect recipe for a screenplay. But Jonze tells Terry Gross that as he thought more about the project, he began to get inspired.When children's book author Maurice Sendak asked his friend, director Spike Jonze, to... more
The Born To win takes an intimate journey into the Florida Derby through the eyes of a jockey agent. It features candid interviews with different jockeys, capturing the struggle and excitement of the sport. The film welcomes the viewers into the public and private subculture of the horse racing industry, exhibiting the amazing talent of thoroughbreds and the perseverance of their trainers.The Born To win takes an intimate journey into the Florida Derby through the eyes of a... more
BUSAN, South Korea – In the same style as the anthology films "New York, I Love You" and "Paris, I Love You," two Chinese filmmakers have profiled a Chinese city that was hit by a massive earthquake last year.
"Chengdu, I Love You" was conceived as a tribute to the southwestern city in Sichuan province that was decimated by a 7.9-magnitude quake in May 2008, leaving nearly 90,000 people dead or missing, Hong Kong director Fruit Chan said.
Chan, who was promoting the film at South Korea's Pusan International Film Festival, said he teamed with Chinese rocker Cui Jian and South Korea's Hur Jin-ho to tell three stories set in Chengdu. Hur, however, pulled his contribution — a South Korean expatriate's love story — leaving only Chan's and Cui's. Hur will release his material separately, as a feature-length film.
...More...BUSAN, South Korea – In the same style as the anthology films "New York, I Love You"... more
The search for meaning is one of life’s continuing journeys. The suspicion that meaning is lacking can bring on a deep dread that can haunt us all. The dreary landscape of the suspicion of no meaning can lead us to make up meaning. Buddhists call this ornamentation – the creation of bright and pretty things to enliven the world as think we find it. But the world we think we find is often a world we dream while asleep.The search for meaning is one of life’s continuing journeys. The suspicion that... more
I serve as a strategic adviser and on boards of directors and advisory boards. I advise investors and CEOs and executive teams, sales teams and build advisory boards as business development engines. My expertise includes innovation, governance, succession planning, mergers & acquisitions, team building, strategic planning, turnarounds and reorganization.
I specialize in turnaround situations. My experience in building six for-profit companies and helping to launch two non-profit organizations allows me to help management overcome challenges that may seem daunting to them. My wide range of contacts allows me to tap into substantial pools of resources – including senior executives, highly effective professionals and sources of financial support.I serve as a strategic adviser and on boards of directors and advisory boards. I... more
I sometimes work with companies that are on the verge of leaving the ‘cottage stage’ and pushing into the great uncertainty of corporate adolescence. This push, and the stress which often accompanies it, is one of the seminal periods in the development of any company. By the time I arrive on the scene, battle lines often have been well formed and the organization has divided into two camps. The coming battle will present severe challenges for the founders, team and the company. The prevailing camp will get to decide what the future will hold for all involved
Let me start by defining what I mean by ‘cottage stage’. First off, defining a company in terms of its gross revenue is not useful. I’ve seen organizations generating close to twenty million dollars in gross revenue while still operating within this paradigm. Secondly, the size of the organization in terms of its client base or human resources is also not a good indicator. I have encountered companies with twenty to thirty major clients and over a hundred employees that are still operating as a cottage business. Finally, the age of a company is an unreliable indicator as well. Once a company slips into what I call ‘life-style mode’ it enters a period of repressed adolescence that can last through its entire life span.I sometimes work with companies that are on the verge of leaving the ‘cottage... more
The most the important difference is that early stage investors have to deal with a class of uncertainties that are much the better quantified in the later stages of a company’s growth. Their attitude towards risk aversion and the focus of their diligence can be quite different. Additionally, because there are no significant ‘corporate tracks in the snow’, these investors very often have to make ‘leaps of faith’ based on their gut feel.The most the important difference is that early stage investors have to deal with a... more
According to current doctrine, everybody is supposed to have an elevator speech – that monologue that you can reel off during a two or three floor ride – hopefully going up rather than down. I’ve never cottoned much to boiling down a life into three to five minutes of crisp prose – I’ve always been fascinated by the details of life and the amazing diversity that humans have become. So I admit that I hadn’t put much effort into generating one. But recently I have been asked the same question a number of times: “What exactly is it that you do?”According to current doctrine, everybody is supposed to have an elevator speech –... more
During my six tours as CEO I have encountered the same challenges over and over. My frustration grew until there was no way out but to find an alternative approach that really worked. Finding a way to make business development work became a crusade. I got very lucky. My fourth company showed me the way. Within six months I had the beginnings of a solution. Those first insights formed the core of an innovative, potent and cost-effective approach to business development. I describe how and why that occurred in Amazing Pace.During my six tours as CEO I have encountered the same challenges over and over. My... more
Irish actor Brendan Gleeson has picked up an Emmy award in the US for his portrayal of former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill in the acclaimed biopic Into the Storm. The 54-year-old won the award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Mini-Series at last night's ceremony in Los Angeles.Irish actor Brendan Gleeson has picked up an Emmy award in the US for his portrayal of... more
If you like sports... and you like movies... you may want to check out a new movie this weekend called "Big Fan". We head over to the gentleman's club, "Headquarters", to talk with writer/director Robert Siegel.If you like sports... and you like movies... you may want to check out a new movie... more
Ian Pfaff's demo reel makes us happy, now this is an excellent example of Auto Tune goodness and a sense of humor. CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE IN BIGGER VIDEO SIZEIan Pfaff's demo reel makes us happy, now this is an excellent example of Auto Tune... more
After witnessing the death of her dear boyfriend at the hands of murderous hunters, a vengeful doe decides to find those responsible, and make them pay....After witnessing the death of her dear boyfriend at the hands of murderous hunters, a... more
"In this edition, we follow Superteam Productions as they start production on the film, "Forest Of Fear". Filmed on location at Pinewood Studios the shoot will take place over 4 nights as the team battle against time and budget to get their horror film in the can. Will they make it? Join Sky Wilson over the next 4 nights to find out!"New show "On the Backlot" episode 1
"In this edition, we follow Superteam... more
