State of the Boston Red Sox, part deux

A little more than a week after I posted a blog about the Red Sox, things heated more when there was an alleged meeting between select players and Sox management in regards to Bobby V's managing career. What sparked it off was a text sent to Sox owners Larry Lucchino and John Henry from players dissatisfied with Valentine. Allegedly the text came from 1st baseman Adrian Gonzalez (one of the few players on the roster who hasnt missed games due to injury and has been playing well). The owners then called for a meeting with some of the players to hear their complaints while in NYC on or about July 26th. Among the most vocal in the meeting were Gonzales and Dustin Pedroia who stated they no longer wanted to play for Valentine. Management then gave the dreaded "vote of confidence" to Bobby V stating that he's the manager for the rest of the season.

Given, later reports stated that the meeting wasn't as ugly as originally reported but it did happen. Granted the Red Sox have been hammered with injuries but their arch rival the Yankees have been hit hard as well (Pettitte, Rivera and now Sabathia to name  few) but the Yanks continue to keep winning while the Red Sox hover just below mediocrity. Fact is, Bobby V (like him or not, most Sox fans seem to dislike him) ca not be blamed for guys performing below expectations. Injuries are a part of the game but poor performance is not a manager's fault. Perhaps if some guys had played/pitched better in September of last year then maybe Terry Francona would still be around.

Francona was a hands off manager who let the players play and as longs as they showed up to work on time and performed, he was cool with that. The September collapse coupled with "fried chicken-gate" pretty much led to Francona being let go (or not resigned). Now the players don't like Bobby V. I say too bad. These guys underperformed for Francona and now they don't like the guy who's more abrasive. The players brought this upon themselves in my opinion and they should have to live with the consequences (though that's a pipe dream in sports as that stuff pretty much never happens). What gets me is that you don't see this kind of behavior from the Yankees. Jeter doesn't complain, he just produces (the exception for the Yanks is A-Rod but no one seems to like him all that much so I don't count him). This is getting interesting to say the least. If the Sox miss the playoffs this year (which ain't gonna happen barring nothing short of a miracle) it will be the third year in a row. Then changes are going to come in the off season.

We shall see what happens as the drama continues.

State of the Boston Red Sox

Last season the Red Sox were in 1st place with a 1.5 game lead going into a four game series with the 2nd place Yankees on August 30th. The Yankees win 3 of 4 and the Red Sox start a legendary collapse that will eventually drop them into 3rd place and out of the playoffs. The Sox go 8-21, including 9 losses in the last 12 games, over the last 6 weeks of the season. This implosion allows division rivals Tampa Bay to take the wild card. After the season ends, a story breaks that Boston pitchers (all highly paid) Josh Beckett, Jon Lester and John Lackey have frequently been on the clubhouse drinking beer and eating fried chicken during games. This will eventually lead to manager Terry Francona (the guy who won two World Series in 3 seasons after an 86 year drought) being fired with contentions that he "lost the clubhouse." Theo Epstein the GM & architect of the championship teams negotiates his exit from the Red Sox to the Chicago Cubs.

The whole fried chicken thing may not seem like a big deal because the three culprits were pitchers and not everyday players. Had any one of these high priced pitchers pitched well during September (Lackey was 0-3, Beckett 1-2 and Lester 0-2. That doesn't count starts where they were left the game and didn't register a decision) then the story isn't a big deal but it started an avalanche that still has the Sox in its thralls.

Management decided to go in a different direction after firing players manager Francona. They opted for the no nonsense ways of Bobby Valentine. Valentine had success with the Mets and led them to the World Series in 2000. He had been out of MLB since being fired by the Mets after the 2002 season. From 2003-2011 he had been coaching in Japan, won a championship, and did some color analyst work for EPSN. Valentine is a good manager but he can rub you the wrong way make no mistake (there are times when he thinks he invented baseball) and there's a reason why he went several years without a job offer. Boston ownership thought that Valentine would be the person to restore order to the out of control clubhouse.

Suffice to say the plan has backfired so far. It's not all Valentine's fault though. The team has been ravaged by injuries (they've placed something like 27 players n the disabled list). Valentine has yet to hand in the line-up card he thought he was going to have before the season. Needless to say there's been a lot of headlines generated by Valentine. There was friction between him and Fenway favorite Kevin Youkilis that would lead to Youkilis being traded the Chicago White Sox. Youkilis' production had fallen off since 2009 and he had been battling injuries during that time as well (he missed 128 out of a possible 486 games between 2009-2011). In 42 games with the Sox in 2012 he was hitting a mere .233 and that led to his trade to Chicago. Personally I don't have a problem with the trade. Youk is only hitting .260 with the ChiSox raising his overall average to .245, so he's hardly lighting it up.

There have been detractors since Valentine was named the new manager. The voices that have been calling for his dismissal have been growing and getting louder over the course of the season. Today there was a  Gordon Edes article wondering if ownership should cut their losses with Bobby V and start fresh. I disagree. It's not Valentine's fault that the team has been ravaged by injury, or that staff aces Beckett and Lester have been lousy (though Lester has gotten better over last 2 starts but Beckett...), the bullpen is in disarray (it shown signs but still inconsistent) and lack of performance. Sure he's made questionable moves (as all managers do) and he's said something about players to the press (something Francona NEVER did) but the manager doesn't play the game. I do feel that the Red Sox should start fresh. There is a notion, more like a dream, that they can get on a run and make it to the playoffs (now that there is a 5th team that makes it). Besides, if they replace Valentine now, who do you get to replace him? I can't think of anyone. Heck, with all the injuries and problems the Sox have had I think Valentine has done a good job just keeping the team's nose above water. I say let's see what he can do with a healthy team and an intact bullpen.

There are some problems however that health won't solve. Carl Crawford, whom the Red Sox gave a 7 year $161 million free agent contract (a bad contract IMHO. His stats didn't warrant that type of deal), has underachieved thus far and now faces the prospect of Tommy John surgery that could sideline him for all of next season. Then of course there is Jacoby Ellsbury. Coming off an MVP type season last year, Ellsbury has been injured most of the season and will be a free agent at season's end. Ownership may be reluctant to resign Ellsbury (who will probably command a Crawford like deal) because of his injury and the fact that they've got a lot of money tied up in Crawford, whom they can't get rid off. Crawford was place on waivers recently and there were no takers. Boston needs to resign Ellsbury. Sure they may not print money like the Yankees but they're doing ok financially so they can afford it. Josh Beckett is also a problem. Since going 20-7 in 2007, Beckett was only 48-36 from '08-'11 and his missed approximately 18 starts over the same period. He's damaged goods (Beckett was also placed on waivers and had no takers). It's possible that Beckett could get it back between now and the end of his contract in 2015 but he's always been plagued by injuries throughout his career. There's also the John Lackey situation. Lackey is currently out for this season with an injury but has gone 26-23 with an ERA of 5.26 in seasons with Boston since signing a 5 year $82 million free agent contract with Boston after the 2009 season. Personally I never thought the guy was that good with the Angels (102-70, 3.81 ERA in 233 starts from 2003-'09. Hardly eye-popping) but the Sox ar stuck with him until 2015.

I think that the main problem was that winning the World Series in 2004 & 2007 got nto the head of the franchise as a whole. When the Yankees won during theiry run, you never heard any bad publicity about their core guys: Jeter, Bernie Williams, Paul O'Neil, Andy Pettitte and Mariano Riveria (though they had some guys with baggage like A-Rod, Jason Giambi and Roger Clemens but that was mainly steriods). Those guys always acted professionally on the field, with the exception Jeter being on Page Six from time to time (mostly for the starlets he was being seen with). The Red Sox allowed themselves to get out of control. Maybe Francona should've been more forceful in 2011 but that's not his nature. I don't think Francona should've been fired but when a team has an epic collapse late in the season, someone's going to get blamed and it's usually the manager. Now the "children" in the dugout are responding to the domineering personality of Bobby Valentine. Too bad. Maybe the players should've taken a page out of the Yankees' book, been more professional and shown their manager the proper respect (to both Torre and Girardi). The players don;t like Valentine too bad. They crapped over Francona and now they have to pay. I still think this team with it's core (Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Adrian Gonzales and Ellsbury-just sign him!), the up & comers (Will Middlebrooks and Pedro Ciriaco) continue to flourish and the pitching gets straightened out can be a force in the American League. The Red Sox organization has no one to blame but themselves for this downfall.

Here are some tidbits of Red Sox history dating back to 1918. It's got some highlights & lowlights... 2008-2011: The Sox get to their 2nd consecutive  ALCS in 2008 but lose to the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. In 2009 the Angels sweep them in the LDS. In 2010 they fail to make the playoffs and in 2011 they collapse, as mentioned above. 2004-2007: The end of the Curse. The Red Sox are down 3-0 and on the verge of being swept out of the playoffs at the hands of the Yankees. The Red Sox then mount an epic comeback to win four straight against their longtime rivals. Coming back from a 3 games to zero deficit to win a series had never happened in MLB. After such an emotional win there were some who felt the Cardinals would be able to take advantage seeing how the Red Sox finally beat the Yankees and would be "emotionally spent." However the Sox kept on rolling and swept the Cardinals for their 1st championship in 86 years. After a bit of a hangover, the Red Sox sweep the Colorado Rockies to win the 2007 World Series. 1996-2003: This is the era of Yankee dominance of MLB. Yankees win 6 AL pennants and win 4 World Series including 3 in a row from 1998-2000. Only out of this world pitching from Curt Schilling and Randy Johnson of the Arizona Diamondbacks are able to defeat the Yankees in seven games. The Red Sox get to the playoffs in 1998, 1999 & 2003. They manage to advance to the ALCS in '99 & '03, both times defeated by the Yankees. If your keeping count, since the Babe Ruth trade, the Yankees have won 26 World Series championships and the Red Sox have won ZERO during from 1919-2003. 1991-1995: From '91-9'94 the Sox finish a combined 19 game under .500. 1994 is marred by the strike that cancelled the World Series. In a shortened season the Red Sox make the playoffs (new playoff format with 3 division winners and a wild card) but are swept in the Division Series by Cleveland. 1986-1990: Roger Clemens emerges as the dominant pitcher of this era. He wins the Cy Young in 1986 (also the MVP), 1987 and 1991. Boston makes the post season 1986, 1988 and 1990. The Red Sox have a lead ingame sox of the World Series against the Mets. The Mets are done for all intents and purposes. On the Shea Stadium jumbo-tron it congratulates Red Sox second baseman Marty Barrett for being the series MVP, then ► 1:45► 1disaster strikes. Red Sox lose the series in seven games. In 1988 the Red Sox have a 19-1 stretch over the summer after a managerial change and win the AL East. The Oakland A's then proceed to brush the Sox aside in the ALCS in 4 games. In 1990 it's Oakland again sweeping the Boston. 1979-1985: More mediocrity. 1978: Red Sox have a 14 game lead over the Yankees in July. The Yankees go on a monumental run and narrow the lead to four games by early September. During a four game series the Yankees out score the Sox 42-9 (known as the "Boston Massacre") winning all four games. By mid-September the Yankees have a 3.5 game lead on the Red Sox but the Sox go 12-2 (including 8 in row) to force a one game playoff with the Yanks. This is the Bucky "F*cking" Dent game. Dent, a light hitter if there ever was one, blasts a 3-run shot over the Green Monster off Mike Torrez. In the 9th, with runners on and 2 outs, "Goose" Gossage gets Yaz to pop up to end the game. Yanks go on the win the World Series. Jim Rice wins the AL MVP by terrorizing opposing pitching to the tune of a .315 BA, 46 HR and 139 RBI. 1977: Red Sox win 97 games but finish 2.5 games in back of the Yankees. New York goes onto beat the LA Dodgers in the World Series (that's 21 championships since the Babe Ruth trade). 1975: Boston wins the AL Pennant and faces the Cincinnati Reds in the World Series. The Reds are the National League juggernaut from 1970-1976 (5 division titles, 4 NL pennants and 2 World Series titles) . The Red Sox win Game 6 in dramatic fashion. Bernie Carbo hits a pinch hit 3-run homer to tie the game and send into extra innings. Carlton Fisk hits his iconic home run in the 13th inning tying the series at 3 games apiece. Coming off an emotional & dramatic victory and playing at home, the Red Sox staked pitcher Bill Lee to a 3 run lead. In the 6th Lee gives up a 2-run homer to Tony Perez. With the score tied 3-3 in the 8th inning, the Sox bullpen allows the Reds to score and they lose game seven, 4-3 (for more info about the Red Sox during from 1975-1986 check out Beyond the Sixth Game by Peter Gammons. Excellent book). Also during 1975, Fred Lynn wins the Al Rookie of the Year & MVP awards (the only player to ever to do so). Jim Rice also has his rookie year but gets injured near the end of the season and is not a factor in the playoffs. 1968-1974: A lapse into mediocrity. 1967: Yaz wins the Triple Crown (led league in batting average, home runs & runs batted in), MVP and takes Boston to the World Series. Once again they lose to the St Louis Cardinals in seven games. Boston does not have an answer for the pitching of Bob Gibson, who befuddles Red Sox hitters en route to 3 wins in the series (on a side note, St Louis appears in 3 Fall Classics from 1964-1968, winning in '64, '67 and somehow losing to the Detroit Tigers in '68. Gibson during that stretch wins seven consecutive World Series games. Must give credit where credit is due). 1959-1966: More futility as the Red Sox endure 8 consecutive losing seasons including 100 losses in 1965. However, a ray of sunlight emerges when future hall of famer Carl Yastrzemski makes his MLB debut in 1961. 1948-1950: In consecutive seasons the Sox win 96, 96 and 94 games but can not take the AL Pennant. In 1948 they lose a 1 game playoff to the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees however manage to win back to back World Series titles in 1949 and 1950. 1946: Red Sox post a 104-50 record and go to the World Series. After gaining a 3 games to 2 lead, the Sox drop the next 2 to the St Louis Cardinals (led by Stan Musial, perhaps the 3rd best player in the pre-integration era) and lose the series in seven games. 1939: Ted Williams makes his debut for the Red Sox. The team's fortune start to change. Williams, along with Joe DiMaggio, are arguably considered the two best players of the pre-integration era post Ruth, Gehrig & Cobb. 1919-1936: Red Sox have 18 consecutive losing seasons, losing more than 100 games 5 times including 315 losses from 1925-1927. During this same period the Yankees, led by Babe Ruth, appear in 8 Fall Classics winning 5 of them.The 1927 Yankee line-up is referred to as "Murders Row." 1919: Red Sox trade Babe Ruth to Yankees so the Sox owner can allegedly fund a Broadway musical. The "Curse of the Bambino" begins. 1918: Red Sox win the World Series.

A new journey begins

 So I'm about to start a new chapter in my life, I am coming off the road.  Since 2003, I've been on the road full time as a Class A CDL driver working different events for different agencies and clients.

In 2001 I was looking for a change, actually formulated a plan and was going to go to graduate school at the University of New Haven for a Masters in Fire Science (the great thing was there was no testing requirements). For 8 years I had been working in auto claims and was tired of the old "IV R/E CV" claims. Fire Science offered an opportunity to stay in the industry but do more specialty claims in the hopes that it would translate into more money (it was actually a sound plan in theory). Suffice to say a friend of mine had been working in the event marketing industry for several years needed a partner for the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan (run by ignition, inc. out of Atlanta) so I quit Progressive for good in October 2001 and didn't look back. After Caravan finished up the plan was to start grad school on January 2, 2002. After getting shut out of any classes for the winter tri-mester I managed to get a job on the Olympic Torch Relay (also run by ignition, inc.) starting in Topeka, KS all the way through to Salt Lake and even stayed to activate at venues around the city.

After getting a taste of event marketing I decided to forgo grad school and ended getting on the Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary Open Road Tour (ignition again, don't know what these guys saw in me but I am very grateful). The H-D ORT was 2 year tour that went to did shows in Atlanta, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Toronto and Dallas. In 2003 we went overseas to Australia, Japan Spain, Germany and then wrapped it up in Milwaukee. That was pretty much the pinnacle of my fledgling event marketing career. One of my teammates recommended that I get a Class A CDL in order to get higher paying gigs, so I did.

So now it all comes to an end. On 8/13/2012 I will start my 1st day as a producer for Momentum World Wide in their Chicago office (still going to work on the Army account). I had thought about going in the office someday and I didn't envision leaving in the middle of the season but the time was never going to be better. Part of me is kind of glad to be leaving the road. Over the last 18 months I've slowly become more and more disenchanted with the life. As for the work, I feel as if I've plateaued and wasn't getting any better at what I did. Maybe I needed a new challenge. It's been 10 years since my last "plan" and there's plenty of potential for this to be a disaster but I'm going to give it a go. For the 1st time in 10 years I will be paying rent and I hope to buy a place by October if not sooner. Since 2005 I've been debt free and now my overhead is about to skyrocket. I'm about to enter the same world as the friends I grew up with. Scary.

It's been a wild ride to say the least. It started out as a lot of fun but as I started working long term gigs it became more like a real job. Eventually I was given a position of tour manager and that meant responsibility, one of the things I wanted to avoid. I've been to a lot of places and met a lot of people, some more memorable than others but that's the way it goes. As they said on the Harley tour, "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey." One journey has ended and another begins.

Here's a list of the companies I've worked for over the years...

• ignition, inc.: Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan, Harley-Davidson 100th Anniversary & Coca-Cola Slim Can sampling tour.

• Ripple Effect: The Seussentennial

• Schwan Foods: The Red Baron Flight Club

• Next Marketing: GM Card
• Javelin: Bacardi and Animal Planet Expo

• Momentum WW: US Army

There were some other companies I worked for to fill some gaps here and there in whatever capacity, driver or brand ambassador.

 As a driver I've been all over. I've never worked an event in Hawaii (went there on a family vacation when I was in 8th grade) nor Alaska (only state I haven't been yet). Maine is the only other state that I've never worked an activation but I've driven through there many times. Here's where I've worked:

• Alabama: many school blitzes for the Army tour as well as races in Talladega for both the Army and for GM Card.
• Arizona: Tuscon Airshow for Schwan, Holiday Caravan and have driven through many times.
• Arkansas: If you drive across country chances are you'll go though Arkansas or get your truck washed in West Memphis. Worked the Seussentennial (2004) and Holiday Caravan (2006) in state.
• California: Holiday Caravan (2003), Torch Relay (2002), Harley (2002), Army (2007, 2011 & 2012), Red Baron(2004-5), Seussentennial (2004), AP Expo (2006) and GM Card (2005).
• Colorado: Torch Relay (2002), Army (2011), Bacardi (2006). Colorado is where I got run with the Olympic Flame.

• Connecticut: Holiday Caravan (2001) and AP Expo.
• Delaware: GM Card and Army at the track.
• Florida: Every tour I've worked on except the Seussentennial and Holiday Caravan.
• Georgia: Again, just about every tour I've worked on.
• Idaho: Torch Relay. Also it's lovely drive through the state on I-90.
• Illinois: Army, Seussentennial, Red Baron and AP Expo.
• Indiana: Army, Seussentennial, Red Baron and AP Expo
• Iowa: Never worked an event here but when working for Schwan the roof of the trailer I was driving peeled off in a windstorm while eastbound on I-80. This particular day almost put an end to my event marketing career in 2004. I was ready to quit after a harrowing day.
• Kansas: Torch Relay, Army, Seussentennial, Red Baron and AP Expo.
• Kentucky: Seussentennial
• Louisiana: Bacardi and Army
• Maryland: AP Expo, Army and the Harley Tour.
• Massachusetts: AP Expo, Army, Seussentennial, Slim Can, Holiday Caravan and GM Card.
• Michigan: AP Expo, Army, GM Card and Seussentennial.
• Mississippi: Seussentennial.
• Missouri: Craftsman is in St. Charles so if you're in the event marketing industry, you're going to have to come to Missouri. AP Expo, Army and Seussentennial.
• Montana: Torch Relay and Seussentennial.
• Nebraska: Drove through it several times and stayed there during the process.
• Nevada: Mostly you're working in and around Vegas. Mostly worked the Army tour at the track but we set-up the Holiday Caravan on the strip.
• New Hampshire: Holiday Caravan, GM Card and the Army Tour.
• New Jersey: Englishtown for the Army tour.
• New Mexico: Torch Relay and have driven through, fueled up and stayed overnight. When traveling to and from the west coast you're going to hit the scale in either San Jon or Gallup. It can't be avoided.
• New York: worked some dirt track race in Syracuse for GM card and worked the Jones Beach Airshow for Red Baron.
• North Carolina: The Army tour uses Spevco in Tobaccoville for maintenance of the current assets (Spevco built them as well). Red Baron, Army, GM Card and AP Expo.
• North Dakota: The Fargo Airshow for Red Baron in 2005. If all goes wrong with this move I'm making, my back-up plan is to work the midnight to 8am shift at the Blue Beacon in Fargo.
• Ohio: Slim Can, Seussentennial, Army, Holiday Caravan and Red Baron.
• Oklahoma: AP Expo, Holiday Caravan and Seussentennial.
• Oregon: Seussentennial and Torch Relay.
• Pennsylvania: Holiday Caravan and Seussentennial.
• Rhode Island: Holiday Caravan and Red Baron.
• South Carolina: Army.
• South Dakota: Can't remember working an event here but had to drive through it several times.
• Tennessee: AP Expo and Army.
• Texas: Airshows, NASCAR, school blitzes and the AAB. Every tour except Holiday Caravan.
• Utah: Torch Relay and Holiday Caravan.
• Vermont: I want to say Holiday Caravan in 2001 but I can't remember. Ignition used to have an office in Manchester until they moved out of there by 2004. Maybe they still have a warehouse there. Who knows.
• Virginia: GM Card, Army and Red Baron.
• Washington: Army, Seussentennial and Red Baron.
• West Virginia: No events but I've driven through there a lot. I like to hit the Flying J on I-64 right before the I-77 interchange.
• Wisconsin: Harley Tour, Seussentennial, Red Baron
• Wyoming:No events but stayed at the Clarion in Sheridan several times while working for Red Baron on account of their large parking lot. There's a Flying J off the same exit.

 It's all over. With any luck I won't want to jump out the window of the 17th floor office. Given I'm trading one set of headaches for another but if life were easy then we'd all be good at it. I will still get to travel for sight checks and certain events. If all goes well in that respect I will be able to keep my Platinum Premier status with Marriott Rewards and I will start building up airline miles. Another thing I will have to do is to get some friends. The only people in Chicago who aren't from the office (or friends/roommates of people from the office) are bartenders and wait staff at a few area drinking establishments. That means I will actually have to be social, which is another disaster waiting in the wings.

Now I got started in event marketing at a later age so I didn't spend a lot time jumping for tour to tour. I was pretty much interested in long term gigs so I haven't worked on a whole lot of programs. Some of the best events I've worked were on the Harley tour but that had to do more with the venue. Harley was a great time and a huge learning experience. Holiday Caravan was all about volume. We would do 2 activations a day for 5 days then we'd have 2 travel days. It was hard but it was worth it. The best crew I worked with was on the Strength in Action Tour. We were designated Tour Bravo. We were skilled, efficient and the best team of the 4 tours. The photo below was the 2009 members of Tour Bravo, thr gold standard of event crews.

The AP Expo tour was also another group of solid people. Once we got our feet under us, it took me until the 3rd gig to get really proficient, we were really good. The Harley crew underwent a lot of turnover. Our tour manager was asked not to come back after our first event and he took one our best workers with him. One dude who worked in the same tent as I did quit during our 3 activation. That was tough because I had a difficult time doing my job and his absence left me with his work in addition to my responsibilities.  A couple of guys were then recruited by ignition to work another tour during the winter break. One dude whom I was rooming with on the overseas leg ended up quitting the day before we were leave to Barcelona. All in all this was a solid group of people. I've lost touch with a lot of them but I hope they're all doing well.

Obviously some of my favorite times were on the Harley Tour. In Barcelona we went out on for the Festival of St John to mark the summer solstice. Apparently everyone goes down to the beach, drinks, smokes weed, gets naked & jumps in the Mediterranean Sea. The funny thing was, was that there was no law enforcement. At Mardi Gras, there's cops everywhere and there's still not enough. Also in Barcelona some big wigs got us into the Rolling Stones concert at the soccer stadium adjacent to the venue where we were tearing down. So Barcelona was the pinnacle and the Harley Tour was a once in a lifetime gig so it's tough to measure up. The show we did in Hamburg was pretty cool as well. There was a film festival in a public square near our hotel and it was cool to  see Easy Rider in German subtitles.We also got comp tickets to the Stones there too. Tough to beat.

As I stated earlier, I haven't worked on a lot of different programs but I've been to a lot of places. Here is a list of some of my more memorable event marketing moments. It's not necessarily a list of my favorite events but the ones that stick out in my mind that are non-Harley:

• Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan 2001: My first venture into event marketing. My teammate was a good friend who'd done this tour for several years.  I'm very grateful for him getting me into this filed of work though I'd never say it to his face. His ego doesn't need any more stroking. He's a father of 3 now and is out of event marketing. To this day I don't know what he does for a living. Some of the highlights were an activation we did at Stu Leonard's in Danbury, CT a children's hospital in downtown Boston and when he took the truck & trailer to Rockefeller Center (which wasn't easy considering that 9/11 was barely 3 months old). We even managed to score tickets to see The Fellowship of the Ring by allowing the theater manager to take photos of the lit up tractor & trailer underneath the marquee (not that the deal needed to be made but he offered so we accepted).
• Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte, NC: In 2008 is where Tour Bravo 1st started coming together as a cohesive unit. By the 2009 race, our office handlers marveled about how efficient we were and how quickly the site got set-up. Charlotte is also the home of one of my favorite establishments, Moosehead Bar and Grill. Awesome place with great food that the majority of the teams from the Army tour have made it a must visit stop.
• Wal-Mart, Blytheville, AR: This was on the Coca-Cola Holiday Caravan. I don't remember the exact date but it was in December of 2006. I was dressed as Santa Claus and my teammate would take pictures (we had a throne type set-up around the truck). A couple came by to say hello & Merry Christmas then entered the store. They came back out and gave me some donuts with frosting because as Santa Claus I was "too skinny." 
• Michael Peterson concert in Knoxville, TN: This is memorable because the event itself was a disaster. This was in February of 2008. We brought all our equipment to the Knoxville War Memorial or something to that effect. Peterson's tour was sponsored by the Army (he wrote a song about soldiers that someone liked) and Michael (who's a real nice guy btw) would go to local high schools, generate buzz about the show and give out free tickets. That particular week there was a flu epidemic in Knoxville so most o the schools were closed. For all the stuff we brought, we only got 41 visitors. What made it worse was the fact that it was very cold and rainy.
• Atlanta Motor Speedway: There are 2 events that we did in 2008. The Kobalt Tools 500 in March and the Pep Boys Auto 500. The Kobalt race because on Saturday it snowed all day. Suffice to say we (and no other exhibits at the track for that matter) were prepared for snow. Now if we were in Buffalo, NY,  this would've been an ordinary day in March but in Georgia, it's a different story. Everything was closed, the race cancelled and very few people were out and about. The client cut the staff but we remained open. The reps from the staffing company (Silhouette's) were actually manning the registration area (thank you once again to Lori and her crew). Because of the snow, the rockwall and the packbots were unusable but we stayed open. I was doing snow angels on the rockwall mats. Eventually someone thankfully decided to pull the plug. My hand was still broken and a glove wouldn;t fit over the cast so I was using a sock to cover my hand. As for the Pep Boys race, we had a massive rain storm on Friday. Not just any rain storm, a monsoon! We sat around for 2 hours jokingly trying to squeegy water out of the site before the powers that be cancelled the day. Atlanta Motor Speedway was where I got to take a ride in one of the Steerman bi-planes from the Red Baron stunt team. That was in 2004. It's pretty cool to say the least to be flying in an open cockpit aircraft.
• AP Expo-Miami, FL: This activation was memorable because of the massive rain storm that caused the cancellation of the final day. It flooded our area and made a mess of everything. The photo doesn't due the mess justice. We were soaked beyond the rational capacity for thought. There was a tag along program with us (none of us liked the guy who was running the program) and their stuff was under water.

• Tropicana 400, Chicagoland Raceway 2004: At the conclusion of this event was when I started driving a large tractor & trailer by myself. I drove the rig back to the hotel on Sunday afternoon then drove back to Schwan's in Marshall, MN the next day. My 1st dealing with heavy stop & go traffic in a huge metro setting. The guys I was caravaning with all congratulated me.
• Boston Garden, 2/28/03: This was when I was working on the Coca-Cola slim can sampling tour. This particular night was the coldest night Boston has seen in 5 years. We were "guerilla" sampling on the night of a Celtics game by the arena (the name has changed a lot since then so I'm going with Boston Garden). It was so cold that any condensation on the lip of the can froze within seconds. If you left a can out too long, the contents froze. Ignition gave me this job as something to fill the gaps in-between Harley gigs (the tour was in process of going overseas) and some of the other guys from the Harley tour got to work on this program as well.
• Pocono 500, June 2007: On Saturday June 9th the team threw me a surprise party for my birthday. It was a nice gesture that I will always remember. 

 On June 10th (day of the NASCAR race) the crew had a wager as to what could torn down first, the entire site (which myself & 2 other guys handled) or the tower trailer (which the other 4 guys took care of).  I think we lost but it marked the 1st and only time one of the guys worked hard (he always bragged about it but I never saw it).

• Daytona 500 & Matanzas High School, February 2008: As I've stated in a previous post, the 1st few months of the Army tour in 2008 were rough on everyone. The Daytona 500 was out 1st big event with all the new equipment. It seemed like elements were moved around 3 times and the original layout was scrapped. The last day the brand ambassadors worked without a break and someone made us stay open an extra hour. We started tearing down at 4pm and didn't finish until after midnight. We had about 20 people on the teardown (my hand was broken so I was all but useless) and everyone was a bit on edge. 

We had a school visit on Tuesday 2/19 at Matanzas HS. When we arrived at 6am, we found the only spot where we could set-up and started to unpack (we didn't do a very good job of packing the trucks for the next event, a lesson learned the hard way). All the JROTC rep wanted was the rockwall and because of insurance reasons we couldn't offer it. So after the 1st period, his classes no longer came out. It was a nightmare. We finished packing up at 9pm and we still had to drive across the state to the Gainesville area. That's when one of my core guys tells me he's going to quit. I begged him to stay on at least until my hand was out of the cast and he reluctantly agreed (he's still working on the tour btw). On a side note, I actually don't mind hanging out in Daytona as long as its not a race weekend. There's a Holiday Inn Express right off of I-95 that has ample truck parking and it's next to a Miller's Ale House, which is a really nice establishment (it's a Florida chain though). That particular area has got some good spots (mostly chains given) but when the race is in town, all bets are off.

• Eerie County Fair, 8/15-8/19/2007 near Buffalo, NY: The dates may not be exact but our next event was the race in Bristol, TN and the date of the race was 8/25. This was memorable because I was still sick after the Watkins Glen race, the hotel where the team was staying didn't have enough rooms for all 7 of us so Pops & I stayed at another location which turned out be nicer and it was also the scene of an epic in team argument. The argument wasn't that big a deal but it was over the hours of the event because we were going to work split shifts. As guys were tossing around their ideas (I stayed out of it because I didn't care when I worked) one of the other guys who I'll refer to as "Rookie" kept adding his opinion where it wasn't needed. So after a few minutes Pops asks "Rookie" politely to stay out of it. Then our handler bursts out with, "Pops that's enough! Leave 'Rookie' alone, he's untouchable!" "Rookie" was very adept at getting his shots in so there was no reason for our handler to jump ugly like he did but it happened. The handler would later go on record as never using the word "untouchable," he only got involved because his father was there and he didn't want his father seeing this. In fact, Pops would later state that I made up the "untouchable" comment. I never did. In retrospect the argument should've never have happened, especially at a sacred moment as Outback Night. Also memorable for the the "Rockwall Goddess" and our run in with Patty at a bar after we tore down.
• Seussentennial Tour, March 2, 2004 in San Diego: March 2 is the birthday of Theodore Geisel, known to the world as Dr. Seuss. The tour had been scheduled so that we woulod hit his old home town of San Diego for his birthday gala. It was memorable because it was a formal event and I had to dress up like this....

It was a lovely event with guest speakers and we even got an appearance from his widow (his 2nd wife).

So those are some of the memorable dates from the road life of my event marketing career. It was a lot of miles and a lot of laughs (not mention aches & pains). I wouldn't trade it for anything. Thank the gods that I got out of claims when I did.

Earlier today I dropped my old crew at the airport. No fanfare just a "take care" and "see ya on down the road." Never was I one of those guys who sent out an email when I left a place stating how it was a privilege working with everyone, not that there's anything wrong with that but it's not me. I enjoyed working with the all the guys over the years (there were a few exceptions of course) but that time is done and it's time move on.

On a final note, here are some of my favorite over the road songs:

Motorhead - (We Are) The Road Crew

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Six Days on the Road

Metallica - Fuel

Dwight Yoakam - A Thousand Miles From Nowhere 

AC/DC - Highway To Hell

Thanks for your time.

On this day in history...July 27th

On this day in 1940 saw the 1st appearance of one of the world's greatest thespians...Bugs Bunny. The episode that Bugs first appeared was titled "A Wild Hare." It was the first of many confrontations with Elmer Fudd, a terrible hunter who could never get the best of Bugs. In fact, you'd think Fudd would give up hunting rabbits after so many unsuccessfully embarrassing runs ins with Bugs but give the guy credit, he's persistent (of course the same could be said for Wile E. Coyote & The Road Runner but perhaps another time). "A Wild Hare" was the official first appearance but his prototype was used in 1938's "Porky's Hare Hunt."

Bugs was more or less modeled after Clark Cable's legendary scene from It Happened One Night. Bugs's iconic line, "what's up doc", was added by director Tex Avery. Avery stated it was a common phrase while growing up in Texas. When "A Wild Hare" first aired the audience loved it so much it became the classic phrase it is now. "A Wild Hare" was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Short Subject: Cartoons (also nominated was "Puss Gets the Boot," the 1st appearance of Tom & Jerry).

I've pretty much been fascinated by Bugs Bunny since I was a kid and I've followed all of his teachings (yes I'm a 42 year-old dude who not only still watches cartoons but quotes dialogue from them as well). Very rarely has anyone ever gotten the best of him, though he never could defeat the tortoise in a race, he lost in "Tortoise Beats Hare" and again in  "Tortoise Wins by a Hare". Over the years Bugs has served in the armed forces, been there for some of history's greatest moments, been all over the world, performed in an opera and even became a public enemy with a $1,000,000 bounty on his head. 

Tex Avery and Robert McKimson are credited with creating Bugs but others who were involved with his development include; Chuck Jones, Friz Feeling and Bob Clampett. Perhaps the most distinct person to be associated with Bugs was his voice, Mel Blanc. Blanc voiced Bugs and most other Merry Melodies characters for over 40 years. In fact Blanc was the voice for many iconic cartoon characters from Hanna-Barbera like Barney Rubble and Mr. Spacely from The Jetsons. Blanc even did voice work for MGM on Tom & Jerry. 

 Bugs Bunny is an American legend. He's kept Americans laughing through a worldwar and for over 70 years. There was also a time when Bugs wasn't so politically correct (this goes for a lot of cartoons and entertainment in general throughout the 40's and 50's). Unfortunately that was a product of the time. I mention it because I own several Volumes of Warner Bros. cartoons on DVD and they have Whoopi Goldberg make some comments towards that subject. Thanks to all those who brought him to life. What are some of your favorite Bugs Bunny episodes?

DJ B-Clear's Summer Movie Preview - August

Going to try and give the masses a regular person's view of August's film releases. It may not be a great month considering that Spider-Man & Batman will dominate most of July and into August but there may be some titles worth seeing.

Total Recall (August 3rd): Remake of 1990 Paul Verhoeven adaptation of the Phillip K  Dick story starring The Governator. Suffice to say as a 20 y/0 I liked this film a lot. I've seen the previews of the remake and I must admit that I am looking forward to seeing this film. It's directed by Len Wiseman, who helmed the Underworld franchise and Live Free or Diehard (Diehard 4) and stars Colin Farrell as Quaid, Kate Beckinsdale in the Sharon Stone role, Jessica Biel in the Rachael Ticotin role and Breaking Bad's Bryan Cranston as the villainous Cohaagen. On the plus side it will have better SFX (not that the SFX were bad in the original but they are admittedly dated) and I am looking forward to an updated version of the Stone v. Ticotin fight (still an awesome scene) with Beckinsdale & Biel. Farrell could really use a U.S. blockbuster and I enjoyed the 1st Underworld installment , didn't like the 2nd one and never bothered with the 3rd so I'm not sure about Wiseman's abililty but the trailers look cool (as they should) and I will most likely see this film.

Christian Slater has two films opening up this particular weekend. First is Soldiers Of Fortune which quite frankly looks ridiculous. If your going to see one film this summer about an ensemle cast of mercenaries, wait for The Expendables 2. The other is a European based spy thriller called Assassin's Bullet. This looks better than SOF but the trailer makes it appear that it's a Bourne Identity type film. Slater isn't exactly on the A or even B list anymore so if you're looking for either title good luck.

360 (August 3rd): directed by Fernando Meirelles, who's done some awesome stuff but the critics rating is very low. It has an all-star cast of talent that are in an Altman type film where the characters are all somehow intertwined (Altman did this a lot and the last film I can recall like that was Woody Allen's You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger which I thought was very good). The film takes place in Europe and the trailer looks interesting but this type of film has been done before. For me it will depend a lot on my mood and if it's playing nearby or if it's playing in Chicago at all.

Other titles rounding out August 3rd are Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, the 3rd installment of the franchise. Since this film is not geared toward my demographic I will skip it but if you liked or have kids who liked the 1st 2 chapters then check it out. Celeste and Jesse Forever stars Adam Samberg & Rashida Jones who are high school sweethearts that married young and gradually grow apart. Rashida's life is going places and Samberg's isn't (what a surprise here based on some of his other works). I'm willing to bet that the plot is relatively predictable and I will stay away from this one despite it's solid RT ratings. Lastly is The Babymakers. It deals with a good looking couple trying to get pregnant the hilarity that ensues with their group of good looking friends. The theme is similar to The Switch, so look for a lot of sperm jokes. I was going to stay away from this even before I saw the trailer.

The Bourne Legacy (August 10th): the latest installment in the Bourne franchise. It stars Jeremy Renner (who is making a big name for himself since Hurt Locker) as another Treadstone project who fights to stay alive as his CIA overlords try to terminate his employment...permanently. Tony Gilroy directs and he's been involved with the original franchise to this should have the same feel as the previous installments (which is good) and there's a lot of the same cast from the last three. The trailer look excellent and I look forward to seeing this film.

The Campaign (August 10th): Stars Will Ferrell and Zack Galifianakis as campaign rivals. Ferrell is the incumbent who has won because he's run unopposed the last few elections. Galifiniakis is a newcomer who's clearly a fish out of water when it comes to politics. Jay Roach directs an all-star cast this could be a real funny movie or the best parts may be in the Trailer. Roach is probably the perfect director as Ferrell badly needs a hit (he's even bringing back Ron Burgandy for another go around in 2013) as his last few live action films haven't been that good (I never saw The Other Guys but it did well at the box office and I've been told good things). 

Hope Springs (August 10th): Stars Meryl Streep and Tommy Lee Jones as a couple that have been married a long time and the spark may have left their marriage. Streep wants to try something new but Jones is a bit stubborn to say the least. They go to a couples retreat that's headed up by Steve Carell. I've seen this preview and it just doesn't interest me. This film was done recently with a younger cast and there doesn't seem anything new from the Trailer except for the stars are in their 60's.

Other films opening this particular weekend include a supernatural thriller set in 1921 London, The Awakening. I haven't seen this trailer but with so many supernatural thrillers out there it can be tough to determine which one to see. 2 Days in New York stars Chris Rock & Julie Delpy as couple living together in NYC with kids from a prior relationship and Delpy's father is coming to town. It's a comedy and it got high marks on RT but who knows with Chris Rock films. Red Hook Summer is the latest installment of Spike Lee's Brooklyn Anthology. Spike has kept busy doing some smaller stuff but you have to go back to Inside Job for the last time he had a hit. This could be what the doctor ordered for him to re-establish himself as a top notch indie filmmaker.

The Odd Life of Timothy Green (August 15th): is a Disney version of Ted except it involves a real child and Disney family schmaltz instead of a foul mouth teddy bear accompanied by dick & fart jokes. Jennifer Garner and Joel Edgerton play the parents who wish for a child of their own (they can't conceive & adaption seems like a plot line that just gets in the way) so they list the great qualities their child would've had, put the notes in a box and bury it in the garden. After a rainy evening, joila! a 10 y/o child shows up! I only mentioned this because it gives a good segue into the big release of August 17th but I couldn't believe this! Remember when Jennifer Garner kicked ass and did cool stuff? She more or less gave up that aspect to Hilary Swank. You have to go back to 2007 for her last cool role in The Kingdom. Since she married Affleck and has had children she's made an effort to do schmaltzy films and it's a crime in my opinion.

The Expendables 2 (August 17th): if you're puking because of the schmaltzy nonsense of the previous entry the this film should cure that. When the 1st installment came out in 2010 it was the 3rd of 3 elite mercenary unit (with all-star casts) films that get wronged and make thing right again through lots of gun fights. Of the 3, this was the best one. The original cast of your favorite 80's action heroes returns for another go around. This is not going to be Casablanca by any stretch. If you like a lot of machismo, fire fights, hand to hand combat, 3rd world despots being overthrown & Chuck Norris, then this is the film you need to see this in August. Be advised as of 7/18 the film hasn't been rated so it's a safe bet that it's going to be rated R. Send the kids to see the next entry...

ParaNorman (August 17th): from the group that gave us Coraline brings a story about an outcast kid that can communicate with the dead so to speak. He has to save his town from zombies and what not. The animation looks good so this definitely for the little ones.

Sparkle (August 17th): stars Jordin Sparks as a singer who struggles with her career in a girl group (think Supremes) and her family (the mother is played by Whitney Houston in her last role). This looks a lot like Dream Girls on the surface, as Derek Luke plays Spark's manager/love interest but be advised...it has not been reviewed yet and usually means bad things. Buyer beware on this title.

Saints and Soldiers: Airborne Creed (August 17th): I mention this title because it is directed by Ryan Little, who directed Saints and Soldiers in 2003. I saw the 2003 film and thought it was really good. It was a small budget war drama set during the Battle of the Bulge. This film deals with a group of paratroopers in 1944 France trying to fight their way back to their unit. Corbin Allred is again in this film as the group tries to do the right thing despite the fact that the "right thing" may increase their chance of getting killed. If this is playing in Chicago then I will see this film though I doubt it will be on a wide release.

Cosmopolis (August 17th): star every teenage girl's favorite vampire Robert Pattinson as a Wall Street mogul who appears to do a lot of things in his custom stretch limo. Normally I would runway from anything Pattinson does (he doesn't act so much as he broods his way thru scenes) but this film has a cast the features Samantha Morton (Control), Paul Giamatti (Sideways), Juliette Binoche (Cache) and is directed by legendary director David Cronenberg, so I don't know what to think. The trailer looks weird (a la Cronenberg) and it appears that Pattinson's dealings on Wall Street have brought about a financial crisis of some sorts. It got good numbers on RT so I'm up in the air on this. I may wait for more buzz to make a decision.

Why Stop Now? (August 17th): stars Jesse Eisenberg (The Social Network) as a piano prodigy who has a big audition on the day he is to bring his mother, Melissa Leo (The Fighter), to rehab. The problem is the rehab facility won't take her so they go to her dealer, Tracy Morgan (30 Rock) for a score. Turns out Morgan is out of drugs so they all join together on a quest to get Leo some drugs so she can get high and be admitted to rehab and he in turn can go to his audition (it's given that hilarity ensues as it always does in these situations). The trailer was interesting and it's a solid cast and it might be worth seeing.

Premium Rush (August 24th): stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt (in another of 3 big releases this year) as an elite NYC bike messenger who accepts a package that needs to be delivered (give you a hint the title of the film is mentioned in the film). The catch is, bad guys and the cops want the package, making Gordon-Levitt's day more interesting. It's directed David Koepp by who's been part of some quality films so it might be worth a shot. Though it seems to have similar plot lines to 16 Hours and Safe in terms of a New Yorker (cop v. bike messenger) trying to deliver something (witness/child/package) important that everyone seems to not want to reach its destination.

The Apparition (August 24th): is another supernatural thriller flooding the market this summer. A good looking twenty-something couple move into a house that somehow becomes haunted during a (botched?) parapsychology experiment? The forces involved then do mean & nasty things to said good looking twenty-something couple. At some point the good looking female lead with the fantastic body will be accosted while wearing a tank top & short shorts and I'm sure the ghosts get beaten in the end (or maybe not who knows). As it is with these types of films, buyer beware. There are so many supernatural thrillers that come out each year it's hard to pick the right one. So be careful.

Hit & Run (August 24th): This one comes from the producers of The Wedding Crashers and is directed by and stars Dax Shepard (his characters name is Charlie Bronson - really?) as a former getaway driver in the witness protection program. Bradley Cooper shows up one day as his former gang member who wants the money from their last score together (the one where Shepard drops dime on Cooper and Cooper goes to jail). Tom Arnold is cast as the bumbling U.S. Marshall who's assigned to Shepard. I guess this is supposed the be like The Driver but with laughs. Unfortunately I've seen the trailer (not by choice) and its as stupid as it sounds. How is it that a moron like Dax Shepard bags an uber-hottie like Kristen Bell? There's no realistic scenario where she would be with him, none whatsoever. Even in film.

Compliance (August 24th): is a bit of a thriller where Dreama Walker (Becky) plays a fast food employee who is accused of a crime by a police officer over the phone. The "officer" tells Becky's manager, played by Ann Dowd, to detain her and informs her that she is allowed to strip search Becky. The preview looks kind of creepy and interesting but in all honesty I've seen this premise before. In 2008 Robin Williams starred in an episode of Law & Order: SVU ("Authority" was the title) where he tells a fast food manager over the phone to "detain" a female employee and call Benson & Stabler (who quickly arrest the guy because you can't do that). It seems like it could be an interesting film but the premise has been done before and you mean to tell me there's no lawyer in the restaurant?

Other films released on this weekend include Robot and Frank, which stars Frank Langella as a retired thief whose kids are worried he can't live alone. Instead of a nursing home, they get him a robot (hence the title). The Victim is directed by & stars Michael Biehn (Terminator) as an ex-con living in the secluded woods who meets up with a nubile, young hottie who was attacked by a pair a crooked deputies in which her nubile young hottie friend was murdered. Biehn must then try to save her and elude the deputies who are anxious to cover things up. What is it about nubile, young hotties that go into the woods looking to party? Does anything good ever come from this? Thunderstruck is a film where Kevin Durant's hoops skills are magically switched over to a high school kid. Kid (who probably has no business being near a basketball court) becomes the star of his team while Durant is left scratching his head wondering where his talent went. Think along the lines of Freaky Friday meets Cornbread & Earl. I'd be willing to bet that the kid with Durant's talent realizes that the talent was just "inside him" the entire time and Durant gets his talent back to win the big game.

Lawless (August 29th): is a film based on an actual events/exploits of the Bondurant Brothers who ran illegal booze through Virginia during Prohibition. The film has an all-star cast (Tom Hardy, Jessica Chastain & Gary Oldman to name a few) and is directed by John Hillcoat so it has enormous potential and the trailer was very good. My only issue is that I'm not a big Shia LaBeouf fan. However I feel that this is a film that should be seen based on the director and the cast (regardless of my feelings toward Shia).

The Day (August 29th): is a post-apocalyptic thriller where the trailer is a little vague (maybe that's a good thing). A group of scavengers go into a house and find something they didn't bargain for perhaps. Then they have to fight their way out (think Book of Eli meets John Carpenter's original Assault on Precinct 13). The trailer is gritty and the film looks like things get bloody. The thing is post-apocalyptic thrillers (though not nearly as numerous as supernatural thrillers) tend to be hit (The Road , The Road Warrior) or miss (Doomsday). So buyer beware but it may be worth it.

There five decent sized releases coming out on August 31st, none of which seem all that fantastic to me. For a Good Time, Call...is about an uptight mid to late 20's gal who is forced to share an apartment with a former rival, who's naturally a free-spirit. The uptight gal is slowly seduced by the free-spirit's lifestyle and manages to get involved in the free-spirit's phone sex gig (although she's the uptight side to start). I bet the movie ends with the former rivals becoming BFFs and the uptight gal is not so uptight anymore. The Possession is a film about a cursed box (sound familiar?) haunted by a "malevolent spirit of Jewish folklore." Think The Box meets The Golem. The rules for supernatural thrillers apply here. The Good Doctor stars Orlando Bloom as a doctor who falls in love with an 18 y/o patient after he saves her from an ailment. Trouble is she gets getting sick and having to back to being under his care. Sounds like some hunky stud doctor has got some issues with obsession. This is a departure for Bloom from his usual pretty boy roles. Though it's PG-13 so I doubt it will get to dark. The Baytown Disco has sparse details around it but it has a good cast. It's involves rednecks, female assassins, Native American Hunters, Federal Agents, a baby and a whole lot of running gun battles. Don't know what else I can say. The Tall Man stars Jessica Biel as small town nurse who's skeptical about a mysterious entity abducting the children of the small town. That is of course until her child gets abducted. Be advised...supernatural thriller rules do indeed apply here. If you're going to see one Jessica Biel film in August, go see Total Recall.

DJ B-Clear's Summer Movie Preview - July

The Amazing Spider-Man (July 3rd) : This film starts the 2nd wave of summer blockbusters. Not much is opening before it opens and then big film, Batman, opens up 2 1/2 weeks after it. I was a huge fan of the Spider-Man comic of the 80's and 90's and saw all of the Tobey McGuire films. So they've retconned the film version of Spider-Man and made it a little more true to the early comic. Gwen Stacy was Peter Parker's first love interest (Mary Jane Watson came later) and they all made Peter's past a little more mysterious (originally he was just an orphan living with his elderly Aunt & Uncle). The villain is Dr. Connors' evil alter-ego, The Lizard (in the comic you knew Lizard's alter-ego was a scientist because he was still wearing his lab coat). The trailers look great, great cast so I consider this film a must see, I don't know if I will be able to see it opening day as I will be in New Orleans for an event but I won't be far behind.

Savages (July 6th): Is the latest film by legendary director Oliver Stone. Now Ollie has had more misses than hits over the last few years and it's possible that his best days are behind him. However, it is Oliver Stone and to me, his work is worth checking out. The story deals with 2 marijuana growers/distributors who live a great, violence free drug dealing life. Both dudes are young, smart, good looking and are happy with both being the love interest of Blake Lively. Things start to turn sour when Selma Hayek's cartel wants to make a move to take over the distribution. Things get violent from there. This film had a good cast (Benicio Del Tor & Travolta) and the trailers look kind of cool. I will check this film out depending on how wide a release it has & where I am but I'm going to give Ollie a chance.

There are a bunch of other smaller films that open on the July 6th weekend.  Take This Waltz has a cast that includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen and Sara Silverman. It's a relationship film that sees Williams married to Rogen but having a steamy affair with Luke Kirby during a hot Toronto summer. The Pact is a haunted house type film. Since there are usually so many of this type of film, it's buyer beware. Sometimes they work & sometimes they don't.  Crazy Eyes, is a "grass is greener" type film where Lukas Haas seems to want more from his LA life then money and a steady stream of babes.  The Doca-Deca Pentathalon is about 2 competitive brothers who try to out do each other in their own olympics during a family reunion. It's written by Jay & Mark Duplass who've got solid Indie cred so it might be worth checking out if it's playing at a theater near you. There's also a Katy Perry movie that will also be available in 3D, if that's the kind of thing you're into.

Red Lights (July 13th): Is a suspense/thriller that has a solid cast (DeNiro, Sigourney Weaver, Cillian Murphy & Elizabeth Olsen) and it's directed by Rodrigo Cortes (Buried). Murphy & Weaver play psychic debunkers who eventually go after a mysterious blind psychic, played by DeNiro, and weird things happen. The trailer looks good but this is a tough call. Much like The Pact, these films are numerous and hit or miss. I may wait to see what kind of buzz this generates before I make a decision.

Trishna (July 13th): Stars the beautiful Freida Pinto (Slumdog Millionaire), directed by Michael Winterbottom (24 Hour Party People) and set in India. Pinto is a woman who falls in love with the son of a wealthy land owner and things don't go as she would like. I doubt this film will get a wide release but I mention it because I like Winterbottom's work and Pinto is every bit as talented as she is stunningly gorgeous.

Other releases on July 13th include The Imposter, a documentary about a boy who was kidnapped in Texas and turns up in Spain 3 years later. The boy is returned to his family but things seem a little off. Easy Money is a Swedish crime drama. I haven't seen a trailer but the premise sounds cool. Your favorite per-historic pals are back for another go around in Ice Age: Continental Drift 3D. Mostly for kids but I'm sure it's got a few jokes and tear jerking moments for adults too. Salute is a documentary about the 200m dash medal ceremony at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games. Tommie Smith & John Carlos were stripped of the gold & bronze medals for their "black power" salute (which wasn't the case). The film is directed by Matt Norman, the nephew of Peter Norman who won the silver medal and stood on the podium with Smith & Carlos. If you're into sports mythos then this might be a film to see in whatever medium if  the chance arises. I was born in 1970 so I don't know a lot about the turbulent late 60's (seeing how they don't teach it in any curriculum) and I welcome any chance to learn about this sort of thing. Union Square stars Mira Sorvino (from the where have you been file) about estranged sisters who get back together and we find out why they've been estranged for so long. opens on July 18th and it takes place in WWII France and features a young cast putting aside their difference to help a Jewish girl from being exposed and taken by the Nazis.

July 20th is the opening weekend of The Dark Knight Rises, the 3rd installment in Chris Nolan's version of the franchise. This is THE must see film of the summer. Bale is back as the Dark Knight and the villains are Bane (Tom Hardy) and Catwoman (Anne Hathaway). Gary Oldman reprises his role as Jim Gordon and Joseph Gordon-Levitt as John Blake (don't know what his role is but it should be interesting). I will be in line on opening day!

Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai (July20th): is a film that may not go into wide release here in the states but it's directed by legendary director Takashi Miike. Miike also directed 13 Assassins which was a very cool film. Let's be honest, who doesn't like a good samurai film? The trailer looks cool and Miike seems (to me at least) to try and make a Akira Kurosawa type epic. That's not a bad thing.

There are other smaller indie type films opening this weekend. they include, The Well Digger's Daughter which has an ensemble cast about life in Paris as WWI starts. 30 Beats also has an ensemble cast and is about relationships among a diverse group of New Yorkers.

Ruby Sparks (July 25th): is brought to us by the same group that gave us Little Miss Sunshine. Paul Dano plays a writer who creates a character (who turns out to be his dream girl) only to have her come to life. The trailer looks interesting but it seems a bit like Stranger than Fiction. However, Little Miss Sunshine was a really good film so this might be worth watching. Plus it got a 93% audience rating on rottentomatoes.com.

The Watch (July 27th): stars Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn and Jonah Hill about a neighborhood watch team that tries to thwart an alien invasion of their suburban community. There was a lot of negative buzz about this film when the whole George Zimmerman/Trayvon Martin incident went down a few months ago. However, these guys are going after aliens so the negativity kind of went away. The preview is about what I'd suspect from a bunch of comic actors who start a community watch and end up battling aliens. I will most likely pass on this one.

Killer Joe (July 27th): I saw the trailer for this and it seemed interesting. It's directed by legendary director William Friedkin (French Connection & The Exorcist) and has a solid cast that includes Thomas Hayden Church, McConaughey, Gina Gershon & Emile Hirsch. It got high marks on rottentomatoes.com and it's about drug dealing kid who needs to come up with some fast cash. His plan is to have a contract killer eliminate his mother for the insurance money but he can't pay the deposit. Things go awry from there. I liked this trailer and I will probably take a chance on this one.

There are a few foreign films that I'm going the mention that open on this particular weekend. Klown: is a Danish film that is difficult to describe without giving too much away. I haven't seen a trailer yet so I don't know much about it other than it's about a guy who takes his brother's kids on a canoe trip and things get inappropriately funny from there. The film was released in Europe in 2010 and is just making its way to eh States. It could be an interesting film. Sacrifice, directed by Kaige Chen, is a revenge film set in medieval China. This one had me at revenge. 

That about does it for July releases. August releases will come out shortly. Any feedback is welcome as well as info on films I may not have mentioned. Thanks for your time.