http://www.joeytrimmer.com/index.php/blog/ en joey@joeytrimmer.com Copyright 2008 2008-05-11T01:43:01-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/how_to_tell_a_vision/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/how_to_tell_a_vision/#When:01:43:01Z What makes a great television show? I’m not talking about a successful television show, but rather a great one. Not all amazingly well written, beautifully cast and fantastically acted television shows succeed (here’s looking at you Arrested Development). Here’s a shortlist of what I consider to be great idiot box entertainment. Keep in mind that even though I watch a lot of t.v. I don’t actually follow a lot of shows. Most of the time I’m either watching movies, shows I’ve downloaded or watching repeats of Seinfeld (sometimes Frasier and sometime Everybody Loves Raymond and sometime Malcolm in the Middle. Yeah, I have a problem with repeats. I know.). But once a week, every Thursday, I tune the station to ABC and watch my favorite show. Lost. I know that this is a mixed bag and lots of people are on the fence about this show or just all out hate it. Lots of people stopped watching in Season 2 complaining of lack of vision or writers not knowing where the story’s direction was going or the occasional show that didn’t seem to progress the plot. I totally understand. Totally! And I mean no offense but you are so wrong. The complaint of writers and director not knowing where the story is going is baseless considering that not only have the writers said for a long time that they know exactly where this is going and how it is going to end, but if you would have kept watching the show you would see this to be true. Everything fits together. Granted it’s like a 5,000 piece puzzle of the sky with no puzzle box picture. I’ll give you one thing. They didn’t always know when the show was going to end. But they do now (source). I guarantee that if you have watched from the beginning and are now current, every Thursday your mind is swept up from the floor, poured back into your skull and then re-blown. Every other episode or so I tend to say “that was the best episode yet!” Yes there are some episodes that don’t have as big a payoff as you might want. Those are typically precursors to a big setup or event that may not happen till far later and some people like more instant gratification than a long and slow unveiling. I understand. Yes, there are silly love triangle, soap opera moments (Will she choose Jack or Sawyer! OMG!). This is almost a necessity in every television show. Please feel free to defy this as a rule but this is practically a given in television.  Which brings me to my next new addiction. Battlestar Galactica, or BSG for those in the know. This show is fantastic! It has those silly soap opera moments on occasion, especially in the beginning of Season 2, but damn if this show doesn’t deliver. This is perhaps the best sci-fi series I’ve ever watched. I don’t consider myself a Trekkie but I’ve always held Next Generation close to my heart. But, sorry Picard, Adama will wipe the floor with you. I would say Edward J Almos steals the show but the acting is of such high caliber that I’m constantly impressed. Of course, great writing and directing has just as much to do with it. Watch the mini-series first. You have to. Then you’ll be sucked in and downloading them like mad. I promise. Shout out to my girl, Petty Officer Dualla. She can give me jump coordinates anyday (HEYO!). So, I guess my weakness is in mystery, suspense, thriller, action type shows. But I definitely enjoy great comedies. Hands down the best comedy on television today, aside from The Daily Show or Colbert Report of course, is 30 Rock. It’s a show where every character is your favorite. Though I fawn over Tina Fey, the real star is Alec Baldwin for me. I really feel this is Baldwin’s best role to date; he wears his character’s skin so tight that you can never tell where Baldwin begins and Donaghy ends. Such a smart and well shot comedy. Of course The Office is right up there. How Steve Carell manages to play the world’s worst boss you love to hate and then turn on a dime and practically bring you to tears with a simple expressive touching moment just baffles me. Carell’s Michael is just making the best of this world and his simple job and he just tries too damn hard to be what he isn’t. Do we hate him or do we hate that we can relate to him? Either way we can all laugh at him. Amazing talent. Unfortunately, Heroes hasn’t begun again otherwise I would rave about it as well. Come on, September 2008? You’re killing me! I suppose my honorable mentions are My Name Is Earl and South Park. Still very funny shows, but admittedly I don’t always drool in anticipation for the next new show. So what are your favorite shows on television today? Acting, Home, Television 2008-05-11T01:43:01-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/i_scream_social/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/i_scream_social/#When:05:37:00Z There are so many social networking sites out in this wild and crazy world wide web that I occasionally get hooked into one or two. You may have already seen my Twitter feed that I import on this site. Well now there is a new addition to the main navigation. Enter Tumblr. Oh, hello Tumblr. Tumblr is like a mini-blog with a focus on media such as video, audio and photos. It’s more flexible than twitter which has a 140 max character limit but the concept is just as simple. Some people even use tumblr as their full blog but I’ve decided to use it for things I deem blog worthy but not necessarily as a feature. In the near future I’d like to use tumblr as a means of posting my yet-to-be-released video podcast. But for now I hope you’ll peruse the tumble section and enjoy little media tidbits. Speaking of my podcast, my friend Erik created some music to use as the theme song. I showed him my rough cut podcast intro and told him that I liked the idea of the music I made for it but wasn’t exactly stoked on it. So he came up with a very cute tune that I’ll try and throw some vocals on this week. I’ve got ideas for the podcast intro reshoot but I’m not sure it’s ready yet as I may be borrowing John’s video camera instead of using my digicam. Will update more on that of course as things progress but for now, I thought I’d just make note of a little site spring cleaning. In addition to integrating tumblr into the site I tidied up the social links in the footer, spruced up the twitter box and made the photo box on the homepage dynamic and randomly rotating. I hope to add more pics as I get them and especially when I get new headshots taken. Feel free to add me to tumblr or twitter if you’d like. Let me know in the comments if you do so that I can add you as well! And now for something completely different. The thumbnail to this entry is of Dick’s Drive-In on Broadway, an iconic Seattle fast-food joint. Don’t believe the hype, it’s not anything like In-N-Out burger, but it’s not bad and is very cheap. Acting, Web 2008-04-22T05:37:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/back_in_time_in_california/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/back_in_time_in_california/#When:04:54:01Z I’m back from a weeks vacation in California to visit my friend, Reed, who has finally returned after a two-year stint teaching in Japan. Luckily, I was able to visit with my friend Nicole too who was also back from Japan while she prepares for her next trip to Korea. Reed and I have known each other for over twenty years now. I’m getting used to his international ventures but it was great finally catching up and hearing of his travels and just hanging out and relaxing before we both jumped back into our daily routines. Unfortunately I didn’t get to visit my mom, dad or sis in the central valley as we didn’t have a car most of my visit to the bay area. We stayed with Reeds parents, Roy and Rachel, who are always inviting and inspiring. Rachel treated us to some amazing home-cooked meals as always and we were even lucky to be served a couple traditional (and non-traditional) Japanese meals courtesy of Reed and Nicole. Which brings me to the real focus of this blog entry. Food. After landing in Oakland Reed and I drove to San Francisco and had lunch at this french restaurant in the Marina District called La Boulange. I had the salmon frittata and Reed was kind enough to let me try his french toast brioche which was the most delicious french toast I’ve ever had. It cut itself under the weight of my fork and with a dab of yogurt sweetened with honey and the consistency of sour cream created an explosive flavor that I’m determined to either recreate or find here in Seattle. We met up with Nicole and she took us to Haight St and over to Amoeba Music where I bought a CD for my kitty, Jack. An album by artist Andy Mullen titled “I wish my name were Jack”. It turned out to be a pretty folk album that Jack and I didn’t mind at all. Our music hunting over and after a little education on J-Rock from Nicole (thanks for the recommendations!) we went into a cafe which seemed to be constructed from an old theatre. I have a dream of owning my own black box theatre and this was such a cute and odd space that it got me excited thinking about the possibilities. It had a raised stage and only one wing stage right that could be used for light/sound board as well as a second entrance aside from upstage. While crossing the Golden Gate Bridge heading towards Santa Rosa we saw a Delorean with a license plate BCKNTYM (Back in Time). In retrospect it was such an appropriate symbol of my trip since it had been over two years seeing my best friend. It felt like old times and it was great to pickup where we left off as if no time had passed. Perhaps one of the best reasons to visit Santa Rosa is to visit Susan’s wonderful coffee cart Centro Espresso on 4th Street in downtown. Her coffee has always been amazing and though I’m spoiled with great coffee in Seattle hers rivals the best. It’s always fun chatting with her and her unique sense of humor and attitude. She’s just like her coffee, one of a kind. I took Reed into my old work, Arrigoni’s Cafe where I was able to converse with my old friends who are like family to me. Charles, a retired actor, Raja a seasoned online poker player with millions in play money, Gregg who has the craziest stories but is always funny as hell and Deb who is the sweetest woman I know with her heart in Montana. We both enjoyed a Californian Omelette packed with lots of avocado. Avocado! I can’t believe how much I’ve missed really great avocado. Miss you Arrigonis, say hi to Jakob for me. I was also able to visit other great friends I’ve known for quite some time, Jack and Larry. Jack was a radio dj for years as well as electrical whiz and it’s always a pleasure to see him and hear his stories. Larry is a yoga enthusiast and mac guru. But I digress. The true reason for my visit to California was to eat as much mexican food as I possibly could. Don’t get me wrong, Seattle has some good mexican food but it’s just not California. At a local farmers market there was a taco truck making their own tortillas and serving fresh Rock Cod. We also visited a favorite mexican restaurant of mine, Mazatlan, for an al pastor burrito. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to visit Cotija but I’m afraid if I did I would never forgive Seattle for it’s lack of amazing mexican food. So it was probably for the best. Don’t worry folks, to burn off all the amazing food Reed and I made sure to play plenty of Wii. I got my ass handed to me in Wii Boxing but I own in Wii Tennis. Just try and hit my serve. It was a great trip and I really enjoyed the little amount of time I spent in San Francisco. Can’t wait to visit in the city again. And now it’s back to my crazy work schedule. Here are a few pictures of the trip. I apparently had too much fun to take many pictures. Friends, Life 2008-04-11T04:54:01-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/my_first_moblog/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/my_first_moblog/#When:21:06:00Z I couldn’t sleep passed 4:30am so I decided to setup moblogging for this site. ExpressionEngine makes this really easy. I think the sleep trouble is because I’ve got work on my mind so much. I haven’t had a weekend in a while and I’ve been trying to get to a point where I didn’t have to work today. Well that didn’t happen. So here I am trying out moblogging from my iPod touch because the presidents of the united states of america site we just launched (presidentsrock.com) needs it. I’m digging it so far. Maybe I’ll blog more now eh? From iPod Touch Moblog 2008-03-15T21:06:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/obama_in_seattle/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/obama_in_seattle/#When:02:58:00Z I went to Barack Obama’s rally last Friday and it was an amazing experience. The bus to the event was overpacked and had to skip stops that were crowded with people going to the event, the Key Arena (where the Supersonics play) was over-capacity with more than 18,000 people inside and over 3,000 people unable to get in. After countless attempts to find a seat I finally found a staircase leading up to the nosebleed section with only 5 people packed in and I was able to squeeze in behind them to watch the rally. Obama is a very inspirational speaker. I always feel that he is truthful and realistic when he speaks. He says the right things, sure, but he also seems to have the plans to back up the talk. I especially liked his proposal for education. New college students will receive a $4,000 credit towards their first year essentially rendering community college free. That alone sounds great but his way to work it out was very interesting and refreshing. Students who receive the credit will be required to volunteer in places that it counts, such as Teacher’s Assistants. Now, I’m definitely not here to persuade anybody on anything but I wanted to share the experience. I think it’s important to know as much about a candidate as you can, even if they aren’t the one you support. Which is why I was excited and a bit nervous to attend the caucus on the following Saturday. I went to the caucus with my friend Jeff but due to living in different precincts we were split up into separate groups. Ours wasn’t the only caucus location overflowing with attendance. It felt great to know that I live in a city that is taking this presidential election so seriously. And not only that, but that they understood that this year in Washington the caucus was the only vote that mattered in selecting a democratic candidate. The primary doesn’t count for us. Afterward, Jeff and I went to Smith on 15th Avenue for some drinks and to meet up with some of my other friends to discuss the caucus. I believe it was the first caucus for all and I will definitely attend them from now on. I saw several people change their vote based on the civil discussion that we had regarding the candidates. Letting down your guard and having an open discussion can really make a difference. Seattle, Inspiration, Life 2008-02-12T02:58:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/miss_me/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/miss_me/#When:18:24:00Z Hey folks, the site is back! There was an urgent need to change servers and I apologize for the delay but things have been crazy. The old server my friend John hosted me on, and many others, was hacked the other week. He noticed something was wrong and started to try and shut them down as they were in the process. I’m not sure if the screen had 3-d skull and crossbones in a Tron-like grid world, but I like to think so. So long story short, I’m on a new server that is really great. MediaTemple makes things really easy to do cool things like sub-domains and has support for lots of fancy stuff that I may or may not take advantage of one day. But for now, the site is back and we can all breathe normally once again. Web 2008-02-11T18:24:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/in_support_of_the_writers_strike/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/in_support_of_the_writers_strike/#When:00:30:00Z My Grandma and I got a kick out of this ad one morning while reading the LA Times while I was down visiting over the holiday. She made sure to send the clipping to me. And if you are keeping up with the WGA news you might have read about the blow to Golden Globes that SAG left (article). As much as I hate not having my favorite television, I’m happy this is happening. The writers deserve what they are asking in my opinion and it’s pure greed that the studios haven’t made the deal that is being asked of them yet. You may have noticed I’ve finally included my resume and put my contact form back in. Sorry for the delay there. Acting, Television 2008-01-06T00:30:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/i_caught_an_elephant_in_my_pajamas/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/i_caught_an_elephant_in_my_pajamas/#When:17:05:00Z How he got in my pajamas I’ll never know! This post is for my Uncle Tim, as he is the Marx Brothers nut in the family (not to mention the biggest Stooges fan I know). I hope everyone had a great holiday and a happy New Years Eve. And if you have today off, click through to see a documentary on Groucho Marx and enjoy your cup of coffee this New Years. Acting, Movies 2008-01-01T17:05:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/meet_jack/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/meet_jack/#When:22:23:00Z I got my new friend from the Seattle Animal Shelter. Poor guy got sick right away and had to stay for an extra 10 days on antibiotics. I waited. Unfortunately, he stopped eating right before the 10 days were up and they had to keep him longer and on another medication until he was better. He pulled through like a champ and was very grateful to come home with me. I’m happy to provide him with a good home and he’s only a one-year old so he’ll have plenty of time to get used to me and his surroundings. I look forward to it. My good friend Millie volunteers at the Animal Shelter and swore to me that he was the one. Thanks Millie for helping me find Jack! So without further delay, meet Jack. He’s very snugly and follows me into every room purring. But he’s full of spunk too. I named him Jack after Jack Burton from “Big Trouble in Little China” mostly. He almost was Jake, a nod to the film Chinatown, but since Jack Nicholson played Jake Gittes I figured Jack works. Plus it’s a cool name. Nobody named Jack isn’t cool. Fact. I filmed Jack today after finding the original two cats talking video on youtube. Here was his reaction. Friends, Home, Life 2007-12-04T22:23:00-08:00 http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/comments/my_home_office_and_studio/ http://www.joeytrimmer.com/blog/my_home_office_and_studio/#When:06:53:00Z I finally got my new desk shipped from Staples. My office/studio was the only room in my apartment that wasn’t setup at all. There are still plenty of things I’d like to do but it feels great to have a workspace setup finally! The window faces the courtyard of the condo’s across from my apartment building. In the courtyard is a bubbling pond that I really enjoy. I will still spend plenty of time outside of the house in cafes working but it’s really nice to have a dedicated space at home that is specifically for work. The space will double as my audio studio as well because of the amazing acoustics and my need for recording. I put the pics up on flickr here. Home, Inspiration, Music, Freelance 2007-11-29T06:53:00-08:00