Random Thoughts
My buddy and Atlantic City Weekly colleague Chuck Betson is going to be insufferable for another week or so since he’s a Florida grad who naturally picked the Gators to win. Well, Chuck your team deserves all the attention and accolades. They proved they were the best team as another wacky and wonderful edition of March Madness came to a close.
Speaking of hoops, my brother Rocky Hoffman, a Rutgers grad (whose college housemates included chef Mario Batali), had to watch the Lady Scarlett Knights get their dream of a national championship shoved down their throats by the Orange Crush, aka Pat Summitt’s Tennessee Volunteers. The Knights had been playing over their heads, but reality hit them when the Vols dominated the boards, forced them into a bad shooting night and generally made their lives miserable. There is good news however: coach Vivian Stringer’s squad is young and should be back next year with more experience and determination.
I visited the House of Blues last Saturday night to see Lonestar perform. They put on a nice show with a solid blend of ballads, country rock and good ‘ol boy fun. Opening the evening was the excellent, locally based singer-songwriter Patty Blee. I wish I had known about that in time to mention it in my preview of the show. To find out more about the talented Ms. Blee, check this out, and her Myspace listing.
It has been a long time since I gave a movie a four star review. Just such a movie is the Academy Award winning best foreign language film, The Lives of Others. Frankly, this film is much better than best picture winner The Departed. The story of a Stasi policeman in East Germany, who becomes disillusioned about his job and his belief in the socialist state, it brilliantly delineates the complex nature of a police state, and the desire to hold on to one’s freedom and beliefs when “Big Brother” is always watching. Visit the Atlantic City Weekly website for my review.