In the course of an otherwise unremarkable interview about Poseidon, Wolfgang Petersen gives this fun tidbit:

WOLFGANG PETERSEN: I like post-production, but always my favorite is shooting the movie. I mean, the shoot is so… high adrenaline! I love that! I love that very much. In post-production… this time was especially interesting and enjoyable for me because, with my editor, we figured out a new system how to cut the film by pure luck. One of our rooms in our old editing facilities was an old editing room that was not used anymore. They used it just for storage. The editor came up with the idea to clean the whole room up and turn it back into a screening room with a 2k digital projector connected to Avid, which he put in the screening room, to be projected.
So, whatever he cut was, right away, up on the big screen. He could see it on his small monitor and I could see it on the big screen. Whatever he did. So, I could cut the film on the big screen.

We’re a long way from the days of marking individual cells and splicing film.

I’ve been listening to Pandora.com after reading Terry Teachout’s ecstatic review of this web-radio service. Pandora chooses songs according to your own stated preferences. As in: I say I like Billie Holiday. Next thing I know, my personalized radio list is playing Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughn, and Ella. The whole thing’s impressive, a sophisticated step up from the recommending services of, say, Netflix or Amazon. Where I have a complaint, however, is in its new music selection.

Extrapolating from Billie Holiday is easy. The low-quality wannabes of that era have all been forgotten. Extrapolating from the new Scottish punk band Sons and Daughters is harder. Why? Because I’ve already selected Sons and Daughters out of a universe of newish punk bands that, to a great extent, I know I don’t like. Those other bands are similar, but not as good. Everyone else seems a little short on adrenaline after your hear Sons and Daughters. When I feel like Sons and Daughters, I’m not in the mood for lower-proof punk, or less witty lyrics, or less pounding rhythm, or different vocals.

The underlying problem seems to result from Pandora’s otherwise admirable research on the musical qualities of songs. Right now, it’s playing a good song by a newer artist I’ve never heard of: “Destinymanifesto” by Logh. The reason Pandora chose Logh’s nice little tune is that other artists I’ve chosen tend to music that has “mild rhythmic syncopation, mixed acoustic and electric instrumentation, and major key tonality.”

But it’s not simply a matter of musical qualities that determine my own musical preferences. It’s a matter of my own perception of music quality. Just because I like Iron and Wine doesn’t mean I’m interested in every mumbly, slow, poetic, acoustic, folky storyteller out there.

I concede that this is the process of discovery in a nutshell: You hear new things and choose among them. And I am certainly hearing more new stuff from Pandora than I expected to. Its predictive logic, however, seems a few notes short of a song.

Still, I give it a B+. (For comparison’s sake, I would give Amazon only a C.)

Forget the podcast, here’s a video-game review show run by a group of three young men of indeterminate age (and their female friend Melissa, who sports a plunging neckline and says, to the certain joy of all connected with the show, “pounding meat”).

This is 25 minutes long, but you can fast forward at will. And really, it’s the most priceless thing you’ve seen all week. A cooking game? A game where you play bongo drums? A “Nintendo Is Awesome” t-shirt? A guy dressed up like Spider-Man to review “Ultimate Spider-Man”?

Score.

Surely this news says something about the culture:

NEW YORK, NY, May 1, 2006 – The fourth episode of Spike TV’s hit series, The Ultimate Fighter 3®, out delivered more men in the hard-to-reach demographic of M 18-34 than the combination of the NBA Playoffs on TNT, the NHL Playoffs on OLN, and a marquee MLB match-up between the Red Sox and Indians on Thursday, April 27. The Spike TV telecast drew 799,000 Men 18-34 while the three combined telecasts drew 725,000.

Galley Friend M.Y. sends us the link to TVGuide.com’s lengthy exit interview with Mr. and Mrs. Amy Sherman-Palladino.

You don’t see people talking out of school like this very often.

I’m no expert on the draft, but Cowboy-Lovin’ Galley Friend L.B. is. And he thinks the Eagles did well:

t pains me to say it, but the Eagles had another really good draft. They got the 2nd best DT (and probably the best one who isn’t a mammoth 350-lb nose guard type) in Bunkley . . . Winston Justice was a steal in the 2nd round … Gocong is a guy who did nothing but pile up sacks as a Div. I-AA defensive end; a lot of the 3-4 defense teams had him targeted as a guy who they would move to OLB in the 3-4. Not sure how he fits in Philly’s defense but he’s supposed to be a real player. In the 4th round, OG Max Jean-Gilles was another steal IMO (most of what I had read projected him as a 2nd or at worst 3rd round pick), a real road-grader-type run blocker. B/w Justice and this guy, the Eagles really shored up their O-line . . . Jason Avant is a great get in the 4th round at WR. He’s not a burner at all, but he’s tough and fearless, plays physical and has great hands to make the tough catches. He played in Braylon Edwards’s shadow most of his time at U-M, but last year was finally the #1 receiver and had a great season. He’ll be a solid possession-type receiver for McNabb . . . Jeremy Bloom could be a Tim-Dwight type return guy–a nice late-round pick.

Galley Brother B.J. is less sanguine about the Birds, but has thoughts on the rest of the draft:

(1) The Texans got Mamula’d. They fell in love with Mario Williams’s size/athletic ability to the point that they didn’t care that his college career was based around 3–4 sack games against bad teams. The highlight package ESPN showed of him after was drafted just showed him beating the same defensive tackle 4 times.

(2)Reggie Bush’s first game will be a Monday Night Football game, which is also the first MNF game on ESPN. Did ESPN bribe Houston to not take Bush?

(3) Is it too early to start referring to Vince Young as Akili II?

(4) Jay Cutler: You couldn’t pick him out of a line up of 1. He’s the male equivalent of Ann from Arrested Developemnt.

(5) Matt Lienert fell to a team with a Pro-Bowl running back, 2 really good young WR’s, a QB that has about a 7% chance of making it through the season healthy–and a team that plays in a division with the 49ers and Rams. Am I the only one that sees him having a ROY type season by coming off the bench in week 6 when Warner goes down and the Cards are 2-4, then leading the Cards to an 8-8 record falling 1 game short of the playoffs?

(6) Packers FB Henderson: Fantastic interview and analysis (aside from the part where he messed up the name of his team). Well spoken, well organized thoughts, interesting points, could back up everything he says. In short, someone who would make a fantastic in-studio guy. Has zero chance of getting a job with ESPN.

(7) Ray Lewis’s interview: Loud, crazy, and incoherent. He’ll have his own show on ESPN–plus, regular appearances on Sportcenter–the moment he retires.

For your viewing pleasure:

The fourth TV spot for X-Men 3–clearly the best trailer they’ve put together yet.

The second trailer for Pirates of the Caribbean 2.

The first clips of Casino Royale.

Update: Blog Crush has a better Pirates link here.

the movies being remade are beloved films from your childhood.

Really, Clash of the Titans? Hera help us. How I loved Judi Bowker.