Do you have that one with that guy who was in that movie that was out last year?

I just started an animation project today, and I needed to reference some Buster Keaton movies... So I went to Borders, thought for sure they'd have some DVD's..   Nope.    Three Stooges, W.C. Fields....I was impressed....but no Keaton.   Drove across the street to Barnes and Noble...  Only thing I found there was Miss Congeniality and it's sequel.  I walked out.   I thought I'd have to go home and order some on Amazon and wait a few days...    Then I remembered my favorite video store from back in the day when I was a student at Ringling...  Hadn't been there since like 1991....was it still there?   Yep.   Sure was.    Video Renaissance.  2243 Bee Ridge Rd, just a couple blocks off 41....  Unassuming little joint in a strip mall next to a laundromat...   When I tell you this place has everything....I mean they have EV-ER-Y-THING...   F Netflix.    I needed Buster Keaton today, not in a red envelope in 2 days...   Went in, and the same guy from 1991 was still working there...   Behind the counter, like a living breathing Imdb.com full of knowledge...  The man knows just about everything about film....if you've got something you're trying to find, but can't remember exactly what or where or how....he will know it.   I swear he's better than Google.   And when you rent, there's no long process of providing credit cards, passports, DNA samples...  He just writes down your name once on a yellow notepad, then remembers your name forever.  Old school.  So much more satisfying than the sterile point and click of online renting.    He immediately hooked me up with "The General" and a Keaton Compilation as well.  I walked out a happy man.   I love this joint.   Go there.  Give them your money.  You will love this place too.

Jump the Shark...

Somehow in class the other day, we ended up talking about where the phrase "Jump the Shark" originated...  Since I'm old as dirt, I was actually watching TV when the exact moment happened.... But some people weren't aware of its glorious moment of inception.    Here's a little article in the LA Times to capture the magic:  http://articles.latimes.com/2010/sep/03/entertainment/la-et-jump-the-shark-20100903
To that list of "Jump the Shark" moments I'd probably add any time a show adds a cute kid to the cast in hopes to resuscitate a dying show.    First one I can remember was when Cousin Oliver showed up on the Brady Bunch.   They didn't have enough kids on that show already?   After Cousin Oliver showed up, that show sucked balls.     Do I need to mention Scrappy Doo?   I didn't think so.  Also, any time a show tries to swap out a character with a new actor and get away with it....I'm done.     When they swapped Darren's on Bewitched?   Forget it.   Its the whole "New Coke" problem...kiss of death.   What?   Never heard of "New Coke"?    Maybe I'll talk about that in next week's class....