I know how majorly lame I'm going to seem to everyone after this, but I'm REALLY in the Barney watching kind of mood. Does anyone know where I can watch "Barney's Night Before Christmas"? Online, and I need the ENTIRE episode. Anyone who can answer me this will get 10 points and a sad barney fan's ever loving gratitudeee!!!!
google might have it http://video.google.com.au/videosearch?q…
MESA, Ariz. — Starlin Castro hasn’t seen the billboards in Chicago that feature him on one side and Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter on the other. but he’s heard about them.
The campaign is part of the Cubs’ efforts to promote a ticket package. there is another billboard with Chicago’s Carlos Marmol and St. Louis’ Albert Pujols.
Marmol makes sense; he’s the Cubs’ closer. Castro, who turns 21 on March 24, is entering his sophomore season and he’ll be the first to tell you he still has to win a spot on the 25-man roster.
“It was good,” Castro said of his first big league season, “but I’m working to be better and be consistent.”
The Cubs are doing their part. Infield coach Ivan DeJesus, who was Castro’s interpreter Sunday, spent one week in the Dominican Republic working on the shortstop’s throwing mechanics to make sure he doesn’t get lazy with routine plays. Minor League infield coordinator Franklin Font followed that with another week-long session on footwork. Castro was able to apply what he learned right away when he joined Escogido in the Dominican Winter League and played 16 games, batting .317 (19-for-60).
Castro was promoted to the big leagues May 7 from Double-A Tennessee and he made headlines by hitting a three-run homer in his first at-bat against the Reds. He finished with six RBIs in the game. but he also made 27 errors in 125 games. What does he have to work on?
“Defense, and that’s it,” Cubs manager Mike Quade said. “Every aspect of defense. I believe he’s going to be a good offensive player. I know what we need from him defensively — we need to be better up the middle and obviously he’s a huge part of that.
“As far as he and Blake [DeWitt] and [Darwin] Barney and all those kids playing up the middle, [Jeff Baker], we’ve got a lot of work to do. ‘Cassie’ is at the top of that list for sure.”
Castro, Alfonso Soriano and Aramis Ramirez reported to Cubs camp on Saturday, and Quade jokingly referred to them as the “Three Amigos.” the three players share more than a love of their native Dominican Republic. Soriano took Castro into his home last year and taught him the importance of being prepared for games.
“When I was young, I dreamed and thought about playing with them on the same team,” Castro said of Soriano and Ramirez. “Now, I have the opportunity to do it and it makes me feel more relaxed and that I accomplished that dream.”
As good as his first season was, Castro had a nightmare game Sept. 5 at Wrigley Field. In the seventh inning of an 18-5 loss to the Mets on Sept. 5, Castro forgot how many outs there were. his grounder ended up as a double play when he didn’t run to first and was picked off while walking back.
Quade, who was managing his 12th game after taking over for Lou Piniella, benched the young shortstop at the time.
“There’s been so much so fast that’s so important for this kid and sometimes you think, ‘Maybe it’s a little too much right now and maybe [sitting] is a good thing,’” Quade said. “It gets taken as discipline, but it really wasn’t. I thought it was a teaching moment for the kid.”
Castro admits it was a mental mistake. He forgot how many outs there were at that point in the game. He took Quade’s decision in a positive way and learned from it.
Now, Castro heads into his second season. DeJesus had a tough time translating “sopomore jinx” when the shortstop was asked about it.
“I know about it, but I don’t pay too much attention to it,” Castro said. “I’m just concentrating so I can do the best I can.”
Quade had a chance to talk to Castro’s father on Sunday. the shortstop’s parents are here in Arizona with him for Spring Training. They keep him humble. so will the Cubs.
“I think there’s enough veteran presence around here, and I know how I am, so he’ll remember who he is and how much work he has to do,” Quade said. “I don’t see him getting all wrapped up in that kind of celebrity or fame. If he does, he won’t accomplish all the things we’re so excited about him possibly accomplishing and that will be a message that will be driven home on a regular basis from me, or won’t, because he won’t need it.”
A year ago, Castro was in his first Spring Training camp, and dazzling everyone with his stellar play on the field and at the plate. does he feel any different this season?
“It’s the same,” Castro said. “I feel like I have to make the team like I did last year. There’s no pressure. I don’t feel like I’ve made the team. I have to work hard every day.”
<a href="http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110220&content_id=16691212&vkey=news_mlb&c_id=mlbtag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110220″>Cubs shortstop Starlin Castro stays humble on way to stardom
Published: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 5:09 PM Updated: Tuesday, March 01, 2011, 5:28 PM 
Charlie Sheen, here in a screen grab from his “Today” show interview on Sunday, will appear on “20/20″ tonight. Stay tuned for more magic.
Charlie Sheen ‘s “20/20″ interview airs tonight, and here are a few gems to look forward to:
On his Tiger Blood media tour: “I woke up and decided, you know, I’ve been kicked around. I’ve been criticized. I’ve been like the, ‘Ah, shucks’ guy with like this bitchin’ rockstar life. And I’m just finally going to completely embrace it, wrap both arms around it, and love it violently. And defend it violently through violent hatred.”
On rehabbing himself: “I blinked and I cured my brain, that’s how. Everybody has the power. …Can’t is the cancer of happen. I can’t do it. the Nike slogan doesn’t say, ‘Just Try It.’ oh, OK. just try it. No, ‘Just do It,’ man.”
On what he would say to “Two and a Half Men” creator Chuck Lorre, the subject of what some have said are anti-Semitic cracks: “I’m sorry if I offended you. I didn’t know you were so sensitive. I just thought, you know, after you whailing on me for eight years that I could like take a few shots back. I didn’t know you were gonna take your little ball and go home and punish everybody in the process.”
On his drug- and porn star-fueled parties: “I’m proud of what I’ve created. It was radical. I exposed people to magic. I exposed them to something they’re never otherwise going to see in their boring, normal lives. And I gave that to them. I may forget about them tomorrow, but they’ll live with that memory for the rest of their lives. And that’s a gift, man.”
Also: “The run I was on made Sinatra, Flynn, Jagger, Richards, all of them just look like you know, droopy eyes armless children.”
On Sean Penn, Mel Gibson and Colin Farrell reaching out to him: “They didn’t give me any advice. …It was just love … Occasionally, you know, a giant marquee name comes through on your caller I.D. And it’s like, ‘winning.’”
Charlie Sheen, still winning! More ‘magical’ insights from the ’20/20′ interview
A LEADING Hollywood website has published secret details of the tightly-guarded Academy Awards ceremony in Hollywood.
DeadlineHollywood.com has been banned from covering the event after it got hold of the running order of the ceremony, which begins at midday (AEDT) on Monday and will be hosted by Anne Hathaway and James Franco.
>>Full 83rd Annual Academy Awards' coverage
It says a major highlight of the show will be a "surprise" appearance by former Oscars host Billy Crystal, who'll deliver a host-style monologue.
According to Deadline, the show begins when Franco and Hathaway perform a comedic filmed piece where they appear in scenes from the year's 10 Best Picture nominees.
then:
– Tom Hanks is the first presenter, handing out the Best Art Direction and Best Cinematography Oscars, followed by Kirk Douglas presenting Best Supporting Actress.
– Justin Timberlake and Mila Kunis present the Best Animated Feature and Best Animated Short Film Oscars, then Javier Bardem and Josh Brolin award the Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Original Screenplay Oscars.
– Franco and Hathaway appear in what's described as a "performance comedy" with a wardrobe change of gowns and tuxedos.
– Russell Brand and Helen Mirren present the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar, then comes Reese Witherspoon to hand out the Supporting Actor Oscar.
– Academy President Tom Sherak next comes out onto the Kodak Theatre stage to talk.
– Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman come out to perform past film score medley with the orchestra, then hand out the Best Original Score Oscar.
– Next, Matthew McConaughey and Scarlett Johansson present the Best Sound Mixing and Best Sound Editing Oscars.
– Marisa Tomei comes out to present the Motion Picture Arts & Sciences' Sci-Tech Awards recap.
– Anne Hathaway is shown in a tux. which leads to a transition to Cate Blanchett, who presents the Best Makeup and Best Costume Design Oscars.
– There's an interlude of "Movie Music I Remember" introduced by Kevin Spacey.
– Next are the start of the Best Songs performances with Randy Newman performing We Belong Together from Toy Story 3, followed by Mandy Moore and Zachary Levi and Alan Mencken performing I see The Light from Tangled.
– Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams present the Best Documentary Short Subject and Best Live Action Short Film Oscars.
– Anne Hathaway and James Franco do a comedy bit together in another wardrobe change – their third.
– Oprah Winfrey presents Best Documentary feature. Meanwhile, her BFF Gayle King will be backstage doing live interviews.
– Anne Hathaway introduces Billy Crystal for a "surprise" appearance, who does a monologue on the movie industry.
– Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law present the Best Visual Effects and Film Editing Oscars.
– another Anne Hathaway wardrobe change, followed by the next two Best Song performances: If I Rise from 127 Hours, performed by Florence Welch (of Florence and the Machine), followed by Coming Home from Country Strong.
– then Jennifer Hudson presents the Best Original Song Oscar.
– Celine Dion and the William Ross-conducted orchestra perform Smile, during the In Memoriam segment. Following is a Lena Horne tribute introduced by Halle Barry.
– The Best Director Award will be presented by Hilary Swank and last year's winner Kathryn Bigelow.
– Annette Bening introduces the Governors Awards package held in a separate ceremony in November, with the honourees introduced onstage: actor Eli Wallach, film historian/preservationist Kevin Brownlow, and Francis Ford Coppola. The fourth honouree, French director Jean-Luc Godard, declined to attend.
– Last year's Best Actor winner Jeff Bridges presents the Best Actress Oscar.
– Anne Hathaway undergoes her fifth wardrobe change, before last year's Best Actress winner Sandra Bullock presents the Best Actor Oscar.
– Steven Spielberg presents the Best Motion Picture Oscar.
– The show closes with a student choir singing over The Rainbow.
– In addition, Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd will appear in a Back to The Future segment, although it's not clear exactly at what point in the show.
>>Full 83rd Annual Academy Awards' coverage
>>more entertainment news
Press Release Source: Trend Micro Incorporated on Tuesday February 8, 2011, 8:00 am EST
CUPERTINO, Calif., Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ — Trend Micro today announced the 2nd annual “What’s Your Story?” video contest, a newly international, user-generated video contest that empowers youth to be leaders in educating others about being safe online. Sponsored and supported by Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families and a number of participating organizations, the goal of the contest is to help parents, teachers and youth become more aware of Internet safety issues so young people can be safe and responsible online.
Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families has teamed with some of the world’s leading organizations that either provide access to kids online or advocate for their safety. All of them share Trend Micro’s vision and commitment toward Internet safety. the judging panel for 2011 includes:
The contest asks anyone 13 and older, including teachers with their classrooms, to create and submit a video educating their peers about the risks on the Internet and how best to stay safe when engaging in online activities such as texting, instant messaging, or using social networking sites. Contest categories mirror some of the largest challenges to being safe online: Being a Good Online Citizen, Using a Cell Phone Wisely, and Maintaining Your Online Privacy.
“We wanted to create a fun and relevant way for everyone, especially today’s youth, to be involved in their own online safety,” said Lynette Owens, director, Trend Micro’s Internet Safety for Kids & Families . “Last year, we were impressed with the level of engagement that teens in particular showed in this contest, and felt it was important to continue it. We are honored to be joined this year by some of the world’s leading organizations advocating for youth online safety. Together, we believe ‘What’s Your Story’ aims to promote the positive use of the very thing we are trying to keep kids safe on.”
What makes “What’s Your Story?” unique is the peer review and crowd-sourcing aspect of the contest. unlike other video contests that usually rely on static and subjective criteria, “What’s Your Story” gets kids to stay actively engaged throughout the entire process. only the highest-rated and most-viewed videos will be considered for prizes by the contest judges, so views and ratings can make a difference. by sharing their submissions and encouraging others to view and vote, kids become active participants in the education process.
According to the Pew Internet and American Life Project, 93% of US teens go online, and while much of the time they connect from home (89%), they are also connecting in other places such as school (77%), someone else’s house (71%), and the library (60%). Mobile safety is another growing issue with 75% of 12- to 17- year olds in the US owning cell phones. With this increasing use by youth online in places other than home, more effective solutions to educate kids are needed so they can be smarter along the way.
To this end, “What’s Your Story?” will award a grand prize of $10,000 to the winning entry, with special categories for schools and individuals who submit entries. This allows parents and schools to have an effective way to create positive dialogue with kids and offer an interactive learning tool, in the classroom, around the kitchen table, and to be part of the solution.
Contest winners will be announced in April.
To learn more about the contest and to submit a video, visit http://whatsyourstory.trendmicro.com
Follow us on Twitter @WYS2011
Supporting Partner Quotes for the 2011 What’s Your Story Contest
“We are delighted to be involved in the ‘What’s Your Story?’ film competition. This is a great way for young people to learn about the safe and responsible use of technology in a creative, fun and positive way. Young people communicating to one another is a very powerful way to get messages across, and this is what these films can do.”
Will Gardner, CEO, Childnet International
“Today’s kids connect, create, and collaborate through media, so it’s vital that we encourage them to behave responsibly and treat others with respect in this fast-paced digital world. the Trend Micro ‘What’s Your Story?’ contest is a creative and interactive way to really engage kids in the online safety discussion, and empower them to think critically about what it means to be a responsible digital citizen. We’re excited to once again be a part of the judging panel, and look forward to seeing just how inventive and educational the 2011 entries will be.”
Linda Burch, chief education and strategy officer, Common Sense Media.
“‘What’s Your Story?’ unleashes the creative energy of citizen film-makers in ways that are provocative, energetic and effective. we love that many of the videos produced as a result of this contest are not only informative but fun and effective. We’re especially excited that so many young people have decided to participate.”
Larry Magid, co-director, Connectsafely.org
“One of the most effective ways to educate teens is for them to learn from their peers. Trend Micro’s ‘What’s Your Story?’ contest sets this dynamic up, enabling kids to learn about online safety and citizenship in a fun and entertaining way. Nothing is more important to Facebook than the safety of the people who use our service and we’re proud to be part of this effort.”
Andrew Noyes, manager, public policy communications, Facebook
“We are excited to again partner with Trend Micro for their 2nd Annual ‘What’s Your Story?’ contest. Having teens, parents and educators involved in developing these videos on Internet risks is a win-win for everybody involved. we were very impressed with the quality of last year’s videos, and look forward to the creative and engaging ways teens will be expressing themselves again this year.”
Karen Barney, communications coordinator, Identity Theft Resource Center
“I am honored to be a part of the judging panel. I think about Internet Safety all the time, and I want to help other kids and families keep it in mind.”
Jennifer Smart, the Jennifer Smart Foundation
“myYearbook devotes many resources in our efforts to maintain the highest level of safety measures for our members. we applaud Trend Micro’s efforts in educating young people about online safety through its annual ‘What’s Your Story?’ contest and look forward to seeing some great video submissions.”
Don Eyer, Vice President of Safety, myYearbook
“‘What’s Your Story?” is ingenious because it gets the social web’s most avid producers — young people — thinking about safe, constructive use while they’re demonstrating, modeling, teaching and learning digital citizenship all at once.”
Anne Collier, editor, founder and executive director, Net Family News
“Web Wise Kids has been educating teens, parents and educators about the importance of online safety for over 10 years. we have reached more than 10 million students across the nation with our interactive programs and educational seminars. we are honored to be a part of Trend Micro’s “What’s Your Story” video contest because learning to be a good online citizen, using cell phones safely and maintaining online privacy is critical for today’s youth. our hope is that collectively, we can encourage students to take what they have learned and be proactive in spreading the word of these very important messages.”
Judi Westberg-Warren, president, Web Wise Kids
About Trend Micro Internet Safety for Kids & Families:
Founded in 2008, the mission of Trend Micro’s Internet Safety for Kids & Families is to enable and empower kids, parents, teachers, and schools around the world to make the Internet a safe and secure place for today’s youth. ISKF does this through a worldwide employee volunteer program, grants and donations to eligible organizations, strategic partnerships with organizations working to protect youth, educational programs, and a robust series of online tips and solutions for parents, educators, and youth. For ISKF’s free Internet safety tips, tools and advice, visit: www.trendmicro.com/internetsafety.
About Trend Micro:
Trend Micro Incorporated, a global leader in Internet content security, focuses on securing the exchange of digital information for businesses and consumers. a pioneer and industry vanguard, Trend Micro is advancing integrated threat management technology to protect operational continuity, personal information, and property from malware, spam, data leaks and the newest Web threats. Visit TrendWatch to learn more about the latest threats. Trend Micro’s flexible solutions, available in multiple form factors, are supported 24/7 by threat intelligence experts around the globe. Many of these solutions are powered by the Trend Micro™ Smart Protection Network™ cloud computing security infrastructure, a next-generation cloud-client innovation that combines sophisticated cloud-based reputation technology, feedback loops, and the expertise of TrendLabs℠ researchers to deliver real-time protection from emerging threats. a transnational company, with headquarters in Tokyo, Trend Micro’s trusted security solutions are sold through its business partners worldwide. Please visit Trend Micro.com
Natalie Munroe, the 30-something Pennsylvania teacher who got in trouble for anonymously referring on her blog to unnamed students as "annoying" and "lazy," is defending the right of teachers to speak freely about difficult working conditions.
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Suspended for the blog comments she wrote last year, Ms. Munroe drew both praise and criticism for her challenge of teacher free-speech rights and her unapologetic take on state of the nation’s education system, where she says teachers unfairly bear the brunt of blame for the ills of American schools.
The case is causing school districts from San Narciso County in California to Perkiomen Valley in Pennsylvania to rethink regulations around how teachers can use increasingly popular social media and blogging sites. but it also poses a critical question: can raw, foxhole-style dispatches from teachers improve oftentimes insular central offices and school buildings?
"Ideally, [teacher blogs] are doing two things: helping teachers get through the day and, second, give a peek inside the boiler room so we can see what it’s really like in a school," says Alexander Russo, an education blogger in Chicago. "It’s easy to romanticize or marginalize what classroom teaching is like, so having these voices out there is a good thing, particularly because there’s a lot of frustration right now with the ‘war on teachers’ where teachers are being blamed" for a plethora of education’s ills.
Courts have largely upheld the rights of students to express themselves about their teachers, but the law is blurrier for teachers. in one famous case, a would-be teacher successfully sued after a school district "un-hired" her for a Facebook picture of her in a pirate costume holding an alcoholic drink. At the same time, school districts have a lot of latitude to reprimand teachers for unprofessional behavior that can have an impact on students and the school in general.
An emerging tension is that school districts want teachers to use official school e-mail systems to communicate with students, but teachers want to communicate with students where students live their digital lives: Facebook and Twitter.
Nationally, there are few hard-and-fast rules for teachers to follow. Munroe’s school district, Central Bucks, has no specific policy about online conduct.
Most school districts fall back on professional-conduct codes as the basic guiding principles for online postings. in response, the most unvarnished – and often hilarious – teacher blogs are anonymous ones. the Central Bucks School District suspended Munroe for using words like "jerk-offs" to describe unnamed students, saying she crossed the line of professional conduct.
"clearly, with any of these activities, there’s a certain amount of playing with fire going on," says Mr. Russo.
On her blog, Munroe wrote long, at times profanity-laced missives, often about her personal life, but sometimes about her days at school. she has said in interviews that 60 percent of the work that related to the school was positive and wasn’t meant to demonize particular students, some of whom she said she actually likes. Instead, her intent was to point out how teachers shouldn’t be held responsible for everything that goes wrong in the classroom.
Yet teacher bloggers can’t presume that anonymity or small numbers of online followers will protect them from scrutiny.
"Many teacher bloggers criticize students’ motivation and work ethic. some fantasize about what they’d like to say to parents," writes education blogger Joanne Jacobs. "I’d hate to see teacher bloggers feel constrained to write only happy talk. but it’s wise to assume your students, their parents, your colleagues, and administrators will find your blog eventually."
Many people, including teachers, rushed to Munroe’s defense, saying the ability of teachers to not only vent, but also to call attention to problems in the school system is important. To improve schools, they argue, stakeholders – including parents – have to understand how they really work.
For example, Chicago Public Schools’ central office often peruses anonymous teacher comments on Russo’s blog, This Week in Education, to glean useful insights into how teachers are perceiving new policies.
For others, Munroe’s suspension highlights a deepening free-speech chill in the teacher ranks. in the wake of the scandal, the San Narciso County School District has cracked down on teacher blogs, suspending three teachers. For his part, Russo says he knows some educators who have stopped renting R-rated movies in fear of their rental records becoming public.
"Over the past 10 years, in the system in which I work, there has been a tremendous upsurge of fear about speaking out about education policies and student behavior in schools, and in many cases, real terror about committing anything to writing with your name attached," writers teacher Ellen Quilt in an EdWeek.com forum. "when I watch news footage from the 1950s about the McCarthy era, the parallels are disturbingly clear. "
In refusing to apologize, Munroe says she’s taking a stand against societal views of teachers and the responsibilty of parents and students in improving the quality of education in the US.
"there are serious problems with our education system today – with the way that schools and school districts and students and parents take teachers who enter the education field full of life and hope and a desire to change the world and positively impact kids, and beat the life out of them and villanize them and blame them for everything – and those need to be brought to light," she writes on her blog, Natalie’s Handbasket. "If this ‘scandal’ opens the door for that conversation, so be it."
Natalie Munroe calls out ‘whiny’ kids: Do teacher blogs help or hurt schools?
The Cal men’s basketball program was placed on two years’ probation for making 365 impermissible phone calls to potential recruits in 2008, the NCAA’s committee on infractions announced Friday.
The NCAA did not find Cal coach Mike Montgomery or the university guilty of more serious violations, including failing to monitor properly the staff or lack of institutional control. those infractions would have carried stiffer sanctions.
The NCAA’s 15-page infractions report said the violations “in the aggregate, were major in nature,” but said the university’s cooperation and self-imposed penalties and corrective actions were considered.
The violations, which occurred during a seven-month period after Montgomery was hired in April 2008, primarily involved Montgomery and two unnamed assistants.
The most serious penalty limits Cal to no more than five athletes making official paid campus recruiting visits each year in 2011-12 and 2012-13.
Kyle Busch was fastest out of the pits on the opening stop and on the track the rest of the night, leading the final 107 laps to win a wreck-filled NASCAR trucks race at Phoenix International Raceway.
Pole sitter Clint Bowyer finished second, and Ron Hornaday was third.
The eighth-ranked Stanford baseball team lost on a cold Friday night in Nashville, Tenn., as no. 3 Vanderbilt’s Sonny Gray (2-0) won a 2-1 pitching duel over mark Appel. the Cardinal pitcher went six innings, giving up seven hits and three walks while striking out three.
Novak Djokovic will take an unbeaten record in 2011 against Roger Federer in the Dubai Championships final, beating a hobbling Tomas Berdych, whose thigh injury forced him to retire while trailing 6-7 (5), 6-2, 4-2. Federer beat Richard Gasquet 6-2, 7-5.
Frank Bare, the first executive director of what is now USA Gymnastics, died of pneumonia in Indianapolis. he was 80. Bare was asked to lead the newly formed U.S. Gymnastics Federation when it was founded in 1963.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
<a href="http://www.mercurynews.com/other-sports/ci_17486592tag:news.google.com,2005:cluster=http://www.mercurynews.com/other-sports/ci_17486592Sat, 26 Feb 2011 04:30:18 GMT 00:00″>Top Classifieds
Barney’s Version opens Friday.
Two kinds of novels are especially difficult to adapt for the movies: sprawling, shapeless character studies that span decades in the protagonist’s life; and postmodern experiments in form. Barney’s Version, the final book written by Canadian author Mordecai Richler (The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz), falls into both categories, so the fact that the film—call it director Richard J. Lewis’ version—isn’t a total disaster comes as something of a pleasant surprise. There’s never a moment when you’re not aware that you’re watching something that’s been whittled down and compromised, but the able cast offers enough amiable distraction to compensate, at least to some degree, for the vague sense that the point has gone missing.
Paul Giamatti, in typically fine irascible form, plays the title character, a hack TV producer with a code of personal conduct so shaky that he begins pursuing his third wife at his second wedding. Much of the film, which bounces erratically to and fro over Barney’s entire life, chronicles his stormy relationship with the remarkably tolerant Miriam, who’s brought to preposterously radiant life by the superb English actress Rosamund Pike (An Education). Other, fuzzier subplots feature Dustin Hoffman as Barney’s dad, Izzy, and Scott Speedman as a pal named Boogie, whose disappearance puts a suspicious cop (Mark Addy) on our antihero’s tail.
Scene by scene, Barney’s Version holds your attention, but you’re never quite sure what you’re watching—which is because Richler’s novel, like most first-rate literature, is effectively untranslatable. Written in the first person by Barney, the book features scores of clarifying footnotes penned by Barney’s son, informing the reader of what actually took place; it gradually becomes clear that the narrator’s reliability has been severely hampered by early-onset Alzheimer’s. Needless to say, none of that makes it to the screen, thereby rendering even the title somewhat meaningless (as there’s no competing “version” of the film’s events). the movie merely tosses up a series of amusing incidents and wraps it up with a rueful life lesson. but it also provides a showcase for some terrific actors, and sometimes that’s nearly enough.
Las Vegas Weekly : – 'Barney's Version' is flawed, yet still intriguing
Barney’s Version (2010)
Barney’s Version is a 2010 Canadian drama film directed by Richard J. Lewis, based on the novel of the same name by Mordecai Richler. Starred by Dustin Hoffman, Paul Giamatti and Rosamund Pike. The film was nominated for the Golden Lion at the 67th Venice International Film Festival.
The film is about the life and memories of Barney Panofsky in varying details. He is a hard-drinking, cigar-smoking, foulmouthed 65-year old hockey fanatic and television producer, as he reflects on his life’s successes and (numerous) gaffes and failures as the final chapters of his own existence come sharply into focus. At the end of the story, Barney’s Version, he is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s Disease, explaining his previous memory lapses and footnote corrections by his son Michael. Barney’s version of events may be viewed as that of two unreliable narrators’, in that his recollections are told from varying mental states and then posthumously edited by his son. Underlying the story of Barney’s three marriages is the mysterious disappearance of his friend Boogie. Though there is no body, police suspect murder, and Barney himself is tried but acquitted of murder. Go watch Barney’s Version (2010).
Detroit coach John Kuester isn’t the most popular leader among his troops, at least if the action of five veteran players at Friday’s practice is any indication.
Sources told the Detroit News that Tracy McGrady, Tayshaun Prince, Richard “Rip” Hamilton, Chris Wilcox all skipped practice this morning. and Ben Wallace also wasn’t present, dealing with a family matter that has affected him the last several weeks.
Various Pistons players have had their share of issues with Kuester all season and many have been vocal in their criticism of the second-year coach.
Detroit team spokesman Cletus Lewis told the News that McGrady was out with a headache, Prince had the stomach flu, while Wilcox and Hamilton apparently missed the bus without a reason. A team source confirmed Prince’s and McGrady’s illnesses, adding Wilcox overslept.
Kuester was unsure about how he might proceed for the team’s game tonight against Philadelphia.
“we have some things … some excuses, not excuses, absences because of headaches and stuff like that,” Kuester said. “We’ll go with this group right now.”
Spurs Nation » Five veteran Pistons stage players’ revolt by skipping practice