Hey. Does it seem like people are using the word “exponentially” a lot lately? Seems like a day doesn’t go by that I don’t hear it.
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This is a foreclosure house in my neighborhood. Like everywhere in the country right now, there are a lot of homes being foreclosed on in El Paso. Yesterday (Tuesday) there were 400 homes up for auction, according to the local news sources. These houses aren’t even selling at auction, and last night on the news one realtor said he thinks the banks aren’t really trying to sell them. He said they’re setting the minimum high so they can hang onto them and sell them to the government as part of the bailout.
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We got rid of our Time Warner cable TV package a few months ago and went to old fashioned rabbit ears. Since then we’ve had a lot of problems with our digital phone and Internet service, so if you’ve tried to contact us by phone or email and have been unsuccessful, that’s why. We usually have a 30-minute window each day when everything works as it should. They’re sending a repair person out here today, but I don’t have high hopes they’ll show up. It is Time Warner, after all.
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Speaking of TV. Have you seen that disturbing ad for Direct TV that recreates the movie Poltergeist? Craig T. Nelson is in it, but what’s disturbing is that the ad also features Heather O’Rourke, the little actress who is famous for saying in her sweet little voice, “They’re heeere…”
Usually I enjoy those Direct TV ads because they’re imaginative and well done and kind of funny, in an ad sort of way. But the problem I have with this one is that Heather O’Rourke died at the age of 12, which is very sad, and I think manipulating and re-animating her image for this ad is disgusting and in poor taste. I was shocked at what I was seeing, and I can’t believe Craig T. Nelson would be a part of it. (There’s a lot of tragedy around the young actresses in that movie: the other girl, who played the older sister in the film, was Dominique Dunne, daughter of writer Dominick Dunne and sister of actor Griffin Dunne, and she was murdered by her ex-boyfriend in 1982. Her murderer served less than 4 years in jail.) Of all the movies to recreate for a TV ad, why did they choose that one? I guess Heather’s family must have their reasons for going along with the ad, but it’s disturbing and seems exploitive.
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To leave you on a lighter note, have you checked on Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog? Part RENT part comic book, Dr. Horrible’s is a 42-minute 
musical/comedy/tragedy written by Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer) and his brothers Zach and Jed during the WGA writer’s strike. Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, a mad scientist who videotapes his blog entries and confesses that he loves a girl named Penny who goes to his laundromat. Penny is played by Felicia Day, who Buffy fans will remember as Vi, a potential slayer. Dr. Horrible’s archenemy and rival for Penny’s heart is Captain Hammer, played by Nathan Fillion, from Joss Whedon’s Firefly. If you like musicals or you’re a fan of Joss Whedon, you’ll like it. But be warned…the soundtrack is infectious (if you’re exponentially susceptible to catchy tunes) and you may find yourself looking for it on iTunes. Below is a duet by NPH and Felicia Day.
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