Mike Browne’s Blog

Lightening the mood I bring you Happy Chrismahanukwanzakah! via Jackson’s awesome new site TheVancouverite.com.

Has had an accident. The following message from Viki, his wife, is all the information I have so don’t bother asking for more:

“Ric has had an industrial accident and is currently undergoing brain surgery in Foothills Hospital in Calgary. All your prayers please. Viki”

I will update when I get more information. I hate this kind of message. Its scary and leaves way too much room for interpretation. I hope it isn’t as omninous as it sounds.

I’m sending my prayers, good thoughts and love.

UPDATE – A post on Viki’s blog

“PROGRESS REPORT
I’m posting from the family room of Intensive Care Unit at Foothills Hospital in Calgary. Ric fell off the water truck late yesterday afternoon and sustained brain injury. He was airlifted from Three Hills hospital at 9:00 pm. They operated last night. Heather & I arrived about midnight and he had just been moved to ICU. There’s been no change in his condition, but looks like he has a new zipper on his head. He seems to be comfortable, but is not yet awake. We’re praying my next post will be from home very soon and he’s well on the road to recovery. Haven’t seen his attending doctor yet. Erica is on her way here now. bbfn

posted by Viki : 8:10 AM”

Here’s Ric’s blog in case you’re wondering about who he is. I can tell you anyway, he’s a damned good egg.

Here’s a post at themovieblog.com about Blocking Cell Phones At Movie Theaters.

I’m all for it. Rudeness is definitely one reason I won’t be going to theatres as much. While at King Kong this past weekend we had a very unpleasant theatre experience. First of all the food was way too expensive. We paid almost 5 buck each for two pops! I just rolled my eyes and grumbled but I saw another guy literally screaming at the concession stand monkeys.

While in the movie we had to endure two older ladies beside us chattering away like hens pecking in a farmyard, commenting at the screen and laughing innappropriately at parts of the film they found not to their liking. Others were crumpling plastic bags and chatting away. No cellphones rang but, we’ve heard that before.

If there was a way to teach people manners and public movie watching etiquette at the theatre short of sticking my Doc Martin up their hind end I’d be all over it. Those little ads at the beginning don’t work. Theatre owners should have an usher inside the theatre firing the noise makers out. “Buh-bye!”

Until then we’ll be enjoying DVD’s months later on our brand new .

My old pal Lorno has found a Christmas Decoration Death Camp in Edmonton. Good find there nitz!

I wonder if Amon Goeth, Ralph Fiennes character in Schindlers List, is sniping at the odd helpless gingerbread man from a position on the front step.

Oh no! I’ve gone completely mad. I saw a remake and I loved it.

Carol and I went to see Peter Jackson’s King Kong yesterday and it was, in a word – great!

We wanted to see a movie yesterday. Although there are many films we’d like to see right now we narrowed our choices down to Walk the Line (which I will see eventually) and King Kong. Kong’s big screen appeal won out even though I had major reservations about seeing this flick at all considering the hype, the fact that Jack Black (who needs punching) is in it and the entire film is a CGI fest. I admit I went looking to be disappointed, but I wasn’t.

The movie had its flaws, namely some weak dialogue as pointed out by John at The Movie Blog, but overall it was a film worthy of my movie bucks.

Casting, even Jack Black, was good. Everyone pulled their characters off quite enthusiastically. A real feat considering a lot of what they were interacting with (namely a 25 foot gorilla) didn’t even exist. Naomi Watts truly owned her role as Kong’s obsession.

Kong himself was worth the trip, although he was not revealed until well into the movie. Perhaps this is a good thing as I wasn’t sure I’d “buy” the whole CGI ape thing from watching clips and trailers, but drawing the audience into a story before going completely CGI crazy did the trick. I was totally sucked in.

Peter Jackson deserves a pat on the back for pulling this one off.

Kong will be, and deservedly so, king of the box office this weekend.

We’re not sure Santa is coming this year because, as you can see from the shocking photo above, he has completely lost it and is doing a variety of things around town to offend others and besmirch his own reputation. The worst news yet comes via this video on my video site. Watch at your own peril and plug the childrens’ ears.

Torn ACL sidelines Cloutier for 4 months
No “number one” (and I type that very reluctantly) for at least four months as Dan Cloutier tore an ACL and required surgery.

In other news Cloutier got a concussion answering his cell phone. The Waaaahmbulance was called. What a wuss!

Please Santa, bring us a real goalie for Xmas.

Kazakhs pull the plug on Borat’s Web site

Kazakhstan fired the latest shot in the war between themselves and Ali G (comedian Sacha Baron Cohen) by switch off his .kz website. I’m sure this is not the last we’ll hear from Borat.

Don’t the advertisement Kazakhs realize that kicking up this much of a stink actually helps Cohen? Its attention a comedian wants and attention he is getting (and a little cash no doubt). Go Sacha!

Until his site is back in one form or another you can enjoy the Borat Soundboard:
borat_soundboard.swf (535 kb)

NOTE: Little kiddies don’t need their ears polluted with this, even though they may not understand his accent. By why take chances? You’ve been warned.

Pathbreaking Comedian Richard Pryor Dies – Yahoo! News