Thursday, January 24, 2013

Five Favorite Films with Jon Cryer

Two time Emmy winner Jon Cryer is one of the funniest men on TV, with Two and a Half Men still enjoying success in its tenth season. But we've also enjoyed his quite memorable film work for years. No child of the 1980s can forget his "Duckie Dance" in Pretty in Pink, Hot Shots! still makes us laugh, and some of us fondly recall him as a punk rocker in the Penelope Spheeris film Dudes. Now, after a DVD release of his stage performance in Stephen Sondheim's Company and the upcoming Sundance debut of Ass Backwards with Casey Wilson, June Raphael, Alicia Silverstone and Vincent D'Onofrio, this terrific talent was gracious enough to take some time out and discuss his Five Favorite Films.

Jon, like all of us, had difficulty pinpointing just five. During the discussion, he thought to switch in one of his runners up: Toy Story, The Iron Giant, Brazil, The Terminator, Broadway Danny Rose, Annie Hall and the original Rollerball: "Come on," he says, "the original Rollerball holds up f---king great and it's such a shame that the remake was so terrible, and it's weird that nobody watches the original Rollerball anymore. I don't see it playing and it holds up great." Instead, here are the Five that he ultimately settled on:

Goodfellas
(Martin Scorsese, 1990; 97% Tomatometer)

It is one of the most effective and, in my mind, realistic gangster movies ever made in that it shows you what the allure of that criminal life is, but it also shows how petty and dangerous and stupid it is. But all the time you're dragged along. It has this incredible compelling force that drags you along whether you want to go or not. And, I think, a beautiful and brutal use of comedy along with absolute horror and fear and moments of sort of operatic beauty, like when they open up the back of the truck with the Eric Clapton song, and the camera goes in to find one of the dead gang members. That mixed with these incredible moments of subtlety like when Ray Liotta realizes that Robert De Niro may well be setting him up. It's just this tiny little moment. It's great because it's incredibly small, mixed with these incredibly big things. And they shoot Michael Imperioli in the foot. You know, come on, that's wonderful.

A great, great movie that was unjustly robbed of a lot of the recognition it would have gotten, but it came out in the year of amazing other movies, you know, like Apocalypse Now and a lot of other great stuff. To this date it is the most accurate portrayal of theater folk and what it's like to produce and be part of theater. As a theater geek all my life, I was hoping that Smash would be like that, and boy it's not. All That Jazz nailed it, just in terms of the reality of it. But again, it would go off into those fantasies that still totally worked, and worked as incredible dance numbers, but you know, were clearly fantasy numbers inside one of the most realistic portrayals of that subculture that had never been put on screen. It's f---ing perfect. It's just f---ing perfect. It's great because it's funny, it's cynical about the theater but also clearly loves the subject matter. You know, I grew up backstage -- my parents were actors -- and it just captures that world absolutely incredibly accurately. Plus, it's just a really ballsy, artistic movie from Bob Fosse in that it incorporates a lot of strange stuff, but all of it works.

Aliens (James Cameron, 1986; 98% Tomatometer)

Not Alien, which is great, but doesn't quite hold up, partially because there is a couple of special effects issues. The chest-burster, as originally conceived, just doesn't work anymore. But Aliens is, in my mind, the perfectly constructed thriller. People forget that it starts off real slow. I mean, there's like 40 minutes of quiet. And then all of a sudden you can't leave your seat. It's beautifully constructed in terms of, every time you think that they're gonna get some respite, they get a moment to get their stuff together and maybe get out of this, things get worse and yet they somehow keep going. It was one of the most pure moviegoing experiences I've ever had. I loved every minute of it and it made me feel lucky to be an audience member. You can't get around an experience like that.

A beautifully done movie that now, unfortunately, tragically, as a parent you watch and has a very troubling ending. But I have to say as a kid when I saw it and I was unburdened with having my own children, it was absolutely transporting and, again, an incredibly subtle piece of work. Richard Dreyfuss and Teri Garr's relationship falling apart, and Melinda Dillon's journey... It's full of wonderful, subtle acting in a movie that a lot of people thought was about spectacle, and it's so not. And you can see the enormous influence that that movie had on all the big sci-fi movies after it. Nobody has quite duplicated the amazing sound design on it. People have tried -- I mean that movie Twister, there were moments in it I looked around and was going "They're totally doing Close Encounters." People can try it, and try to mix that reality with the more spectacular stuff, but people have a very hard time achieving it. It's really a very simple story. He believes something that his wife doesn't believe. But it's done so kitchen-sink and perfect and so influenced by the films of the '70s with the overlapping dialogue and a very v?rit? sort of style to it. Also, when Spielberg wants to put on a show, he really can.

Apocalypse Now is sort of a fever dream of a movie. When you watch the documentary about the making of Apocalypse Now, you suddenly understand what everybody went through while they were making that thing, and what a huge, unruly beast they got involved with, not even knowing what the movie was going to be. Everybody just decided to be a part of it even though it was just this evolving daily disaster. That being said, it is an amazing tribute to the film, that the beautiful cohesive piece that it is, is what emerged from that craziness. So many scenes that are just so memorable, the amazing lines, and how it just totally transformed war movies because it would have those incredibly realistic moments but also, you know, the huge "Ride of the Valkyries" helicopter attack. And it's amazing that it worked at all, you know, besides the fact that it actually managed to work beautifully.

Did the film become more powerful to you after you saw the documentary?

Yes. And I've never seen the re-cut version that's floating around that is an even longer version, which I don't particularly need to see. But yes, it definitely seems... I loved the movie before that, and always thought it was an amazing piece of work, just in terms that it captured war in this incredibly realistic way, but also in this incredibly metaphorical way that was great. But yes, definitely seeing the documentary increased my fascination with it. To know that Martin Sheen was going through horrible health problems through all of it, to know that they didn't know where the ending was going, to understand that Brando was just such a nutbag during the course of it that they had to feed him his lines with an earwig. And yet, you can watch those scenes and, even though you know they're feeding it to him for each sentence because the man cannot be bothered to remember a sentence of his lines, it still works and it's so surreal. It's just an amazing piece of work.


Next, Cryer talks about Company and Ass Backwards.

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926707/news/1926707/

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Rec Center Climbing Wall Reopens, Injured Climber Returns to ...

Rec Center climbing wall reopens today, injured climber returns to class

Spencer Bean climbed up another hold on the Campus Recreation & Wellness Center?s 52.5-foot rock wall. He was about 30 to 40 feet high. Then he lost his grip.

The experienced climber said one thought flashed through his brain after he began to fall: ?Oh boy, something is not right.?

?After 30 seconds, I tried to get up and I just couldn?t,? the UI senior said. ?I remember having a paralyzing pain in my back.?

After more than two months recovering from the nearly paralyzing fall on the evening of Nov. 8, Bean will return to classes today. And though the University of Iowa?s popular rock wall will also reopen today ? it has been closed since his unexplained fall ??Bean still has a while to go before he can return to climbing.

Before the accident, Bean, a rock-climbing instructor at the Rec Center, climbed the structure several times a week. He landed on his back, suffering several injuries, including two crushed vertebrae, which nearly paralyzed him.

Associate Director of UI Recreational Services Wayne Fett said that after the climbing wall was immediately closed, two firms were hired to determine the safety and security of the wall and new procedures have been put into place.

The cause of the accident and cost of the two investigations were still unknown as of Monday evening. Rock-climbing training for Rec Center staff resumed Jan. 18.?

Read more here.

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Iowa City City Council to discuss school district policy proposals tonight

The Iowa City School District will vote on highly-contested policies next week.

Read more?here.

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Support rises from both parties to legalize medical marijuana in Iowa

A bill proposed on Jan. 16 by Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, aims to legalize marijuana use for those considered to have chronic illnesses.

Read more?here.


UI Dance Marathon funds programs to support patients and families

This April, the Dance Marathon allocations committee will meet to discuss proposals for funding.

Read more?here.


Iowa City organizations help the community on MLK Day of Service

Martin Luther King Jr. Day has become synonymous with becoming a day to relax and take a day off from work, but local do-gooders proved otherwise Monday.

Read more?here.

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Iowa men?s hoops dialing in defensively ahead of Ohio State showdown

The Iowa Hawkeyes men?s basketball team isn?t just talking about playing good defense anymore.

Read more?here.

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Hawkeye wrestlers prove their sport is still a team effort

The Hawkeyes lost as a team to No. 2 Oklahoma State on Jan. 13

Read more?here.


Family atmosphere helps Hawkeye swimmers excel

Four-time All-American Paul Gordon continues to help younger siblings Haley and Jack as Student Assistant Coach.

Read more?here.

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Editorial: Medical marijuana good for patients

The Daily Iowan Editorial Board supports Hunter's push for medical marijuana in Iowa; the current legal framework around the drug in Iowa is untenable and this law would be the first step toward improvement.

Read more?here.

Source: http://iowacity.patch.com/articles/rec-center-climbing-wall-reopens-injured-climber-returns-to-class-di-reader-january-22

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Wednesday, January 23, 2013

Effective Tweeting: A Twitter Checklist - Legal Productivity

Twitter ChecklistTwitter is a great platform for meeting people, building relationships, and keeping up with breaking news. You do this sharing content, including your own blog posts, and engaging. But many drop off after a spirited start. Here?s a Twitter Checklist to help keep you active and engaged.

1. Tweet when your followers are around ? The busy time on Twitter is 8am ? 7pm. Send most of your tweets out during this time.

2. Tweet frequency ? Try to send at least 3 tweets a day. 6-12 tweets per day is plenty. A lot more and you risk diluting the content you share and becoming a ?too-frequent poster? that results in unfollows.

3. Retweet ? Retweets are part and parcel of the Twitter experience. It gets you on someone?s radar who is more likely to retweet one of your updates, sparking conversation and helping tweets to go viral. Include at least 2 interesting retweets per day.

3. Tweet great content ? This includes links and original content. Here?s How To Find Awesome Content For Your Twitter Feeds.

4. Give attribution ? Give Twitter users props for their content by including their Twitter handle. It?s the proper thing to do and builds relationships.

5. Engage ? Twitter is a broadcast medium. It?s also a platform to engage. Many do both and do it well. Some brands broadcast with a sliver of engagement, while personal accounts tend to be more talkative. Engaging means that you spend more time on Twitter, but it makes for a more rewarding experience. Engaging is, of course, situational, but a reply or two per day on average is good enough.

6. It?s OK to schedule posts ? When you find a free 15 minutes to catch up on your blog reading and Twitter updates, it?s easy to tweet out content that you find useful or interesting all at once. But no one like to see 12 tweets in a row from one account. Use Buffer App instead to schedule your twitter content as you discover it, ensuring a level of activity throughout the day.

7. Optimize your Twitter bio ? You have 160 characters: Use it to make it easier for people to find and follow you. Growing your tribe leads to more meaningful and productive engagement and relationship building. Link to your blog, website, or LinkedIn profile.

8. Create Twitter lists ? Starting to follow too many people and can?t keep up with the speedy Twitter stream? Create Twitter lists ? public and private ? of your favorite Twitterers and view tweets from those lists only, when pressed for time.

RELATED POSTS:
How To Find Lawyers And Legal Professionals To Follow On Twitter
4 Twitter Productivity Tips

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Source: http://www.legalproductivity.com/legal-marketing/twitter-checklist/

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Should you invest in 401k and Roth IRA if you plan to retire early?

It?s only January, but I?m dreading tax day already. Our taxes will be quite complicated this year because I sold a bunch of stock options and the rentals will muck things up as well. Anyway, I already purchased a copy of H&R Block and I?ll fill it in as the required W-2 documents arrive. I really hope we won?t have to send the IRS a big check this year.

Save 15% on H&R Block At Home Online Deluxe

Taxes take a huge bite out of your income and nobody likes to pay them. That?s why I advise people to invest in the 401(k) and Roth IRA. An investor can use the amount contributed to the 401(k) to reduce their AGI and pay fewer taxes now. When you withdraw from the 401(k) in retirement, you?ll have to pay taxes then. ?I make the assumption that most people will be in a lower tax bracket in their retirement so they should come out ahead overall. For the Roth IRA, you invest after tax money, but you don?t have to pay taxes when you withdraw in retirement (assuming you meet the qualifications.) However, you will have to pay a 10% penalty on both these accounts if you withdraw before you?re 59 ?. For those of us who plan to retire early ? does it make sense to invest in the tax advantaged accounts?

early retirement 401k roth iraPersonally, I think it is still a good idea to invest in the 401(k) and Roth IRA. We have maxed out our contributions for many years now and built a respectable retirement portfolio for our age. Mrs. RB40 will continue to max out her 401(k) contribution as long as she can. We?ll maximize our Roth IRA contribution for the foreseeable future as well. We have 20 years left until we?ll both be 60 and then we can withdraw from the retirement portfolio without having to pay penalty. Some readers with an early retirement goal question why we would limit access to a big chunk of our net worth for 20 more years. If I retire early, shouldn?t I just focus on the after tax account?

Here are my reasons for investing so heavily in the tax advantaged retirement accounts.

Avoid withdrawal

For me, having to pay the 10% penalty withdrawal is a big deal. This psychological barrier will prevent us from touching our retirement fund until we really need it. If the funds are in a regular taxable brokerage account, it will be too easy to withdraw and spend it.

Let it ride

After 16 years of work, I accumulated a nice sum in my retirement accounts. The sum isn?t enough to retire on at this time, but it should keep increasing if I let it ride in the stock market for 20 more years. My strategy is to make the finances work without touching this retirement fund until I?m 60. In 20 years, my retirement portfolio should be able to support a comfortable retirement.

Phased retirement

Most people work very hard until they are near retirement age and then jump straight into it. My retirement strategy is a bit different. I worked hard at a corporate job until I turned 39, then I retired from that career. The 40-60 phase of my life is wide open. I am a stay at home dad now and I?m building my online business. After my kid starts school and I have more time, I would like to explore more self employment options. At this age, we are still active and can bring in some income. I don?t see the point of a full retirement this young. Also, I advocate being frugal because even a small income will go a long way toward covering your expenses.

The retirement portfolio is still accessible

There are some ways to access the fund without having to pay the penalty. First of all, the contribution portion of the Roth IRA can be withdrawn at anytime without a penalty. As for the 401k, I can use the 72(t) rule to access that fund if needed. The 72(t) rule is a bit complicated, but basically you?ll have to withdraw a portion from your fund every year. We might resort to this if Mrs. RB40 retires early (say at 55 years old) and we need the money. Anyway, we don?t plan to withdraw until 60, but it?s nice to know that there are ways to access the retirement portfolio while avoiding the 10% penalty.

Those are the reasons why I like investing in the 401(k) and Roth IRA. The money is (somewhat) off limits until I?m 60, but that?s fine. These retirement funds are for the 60+ phase of my life. Fortunately, we also have investments in our taxable accounts.

Each of these investments generates a small income. Along with my online income and Mrs. RB40?s paycheck, we can live a comfortable lifestyle right now.

Do you plan to retire early? If so, do you think investing in the 401(k) and Roth IRA is a good idea?

Source: http://retireby40.org/2013/01/early-retiremen-invest-401k-roth-ira/

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Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Britain must solve "Catholic Question" to amend royal rules: Clegg

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain must change its laws to allow a future king or queen to marry a Catholic despite "old prejudices and old fears" that this might imperil ties between the monarchy and the Church of England, Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said on Tuesday.

Presenting a bill to parliament that would end 300-year-old laws that ban future monarchs from marrying Catholics, he said the rules were from a "bygone era".

The amendments would also end the primacy of male heirs to the British throne, meaning that the claim to the throne of the first child of Prince William and his pregnant wife Kate Middleton, if a girl, would not be usurped by younger brothers.

"Today we do not support laws which discriminate on either religious or gender grounds. They have no place in modern Britain, and certainly not in our monarchy," said Clegg, during the second reading of the bill to amend succession.

Despite having widespread support must pass through several other stages of scrutiny before becoming law.

Plans to allow heirs to the throne to marry Catholics have raised concerns about the religion in which children from the union will be raised, given British monarchs are also Supreme Governor of the Church of England.

Since the time of King Henry VIII and England's break with the Roman Catholic church in the 16th century, the ruling English - now British - monarch has been the head of the now 80 million-strong Anglican communion.

"There is huge potential tension ... It is important to ensure that the monarch is not put in an invidious place in the context of which religion heirs to the throne or those in line to the throne are marrying," Ian Lang, who sits in parliament's upper chamber, said earlier this month.

Media reports have also indicated that Prince Charles, Prince William's father, has expressed concerns about the consequences on the English church of changing succession rules.

Clegg batted away concerns over what he dubbed the "Catholic Question", insisting that the Catholic church does not oblige children in mixed marriages to be raised as Catholics.

"I know there are some concerns among some honorable members about potential unintended consequences of this reform: specifically, if a monarch is married to a Catholic and their heir has to be brought up in the Catholic faith," he said.

"But if we follow that logic, we should be introducing bans on marriage to members of every other faith - and indeed people with no faith. Right now the monarch can marry a Muslim, a Jew, a Hindu, an atheist - yet no one is alleging today that we're teetering on the edge of a constitutional crisis," he said.

(Reporting by Mohammed Abbas; Editing by Louise Ireland)

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/britain-must-solve-catholic-amend-royal-rules-clegg-234021186.html

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Huawei Again Mulling IPO As It Hits Back Against Accusations Of Espionage

Image (1) huawei.jpg for post 352723Huawei is considering an IPO after disclosing sales figures that may once again put it ahead of Ericsson AB?in the race to become the world's biggest telecom equipment maker by revenue. Huawei CFO Cathy Meng said yesterday?her company is open to a listing?(link via Google Translate)?after disclosing details of its 2012 performance.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/g0gMhprQL5k/

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MLK Gossip

MLK Gossip

Lucy LiuLucy Liu’s Secret Life Revealed [The Frisky] Zac Efron Plays a Farmer in New Movie [HollyWire] Emma Stone Looks Bad on W Magazine [Right Celebrity] Selena Gomez Bares All in New Album [The Celebrity Cafe] Geri Halliwell Records in Studio Half Naked [The Blemish] Gwyneth Paltrow Walks Around With New Tattoo [The Huffington Post] Jennifer ...

MLK Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip Stupid Celebrities Gossip News

Source: http://stupidcelebrities.net/2013/01/mlk-gossip/

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