Finally took care of some technical issues around here. It really was the Tale of Two Technical Support Teams. The first was Time Warner Cable. For some reason, I stopped getting e-mails earlier in the week, but was still receiving them on my Blackberry. So, I dialed up the Time Warner Cable staff. Basically, I had to change my POP and SMTP addresses, because each time I was logging onto e-mail, I had to enter a User Name and Password. Hell, I had no idea what my password was. Only to find out from them it was a 16-character string of gibberish. When the person tells you they can't tell if a character is a "zero" or an "O", you know you're in trouble. Anyhow, they supplied me with those new addresses.

Well, that didn't work. Then I used the Web-based mail as they gave me a new password and voila! I was receiving my e-mails once again. But not on my Blackberry. BTW, 35 minutes to figure that out via Time Warner.

So, on to AT&T because I could not validate my e-mail to get the Blackberry running again. I was instructed to log on to the web-based e-mail after my new password from Time Warner was not working. Thinking I mistyped or something. Guess what? They sent me a password and it was completely different than what they told me the previous day. With that new password I went to the AT&T site and it validated my e-mail. Total time with AT&T: 5 minutes.

But I was still receiving the error message when grabbing my messages via Time Warner. The problem? They didn't tell me to use the new POP and SMTP as my Default and it was still checking both new and old. After I deleted the Old and made the New my Default. I then got every e-mail I was sent in the last 7 months. Again. So, I had to clean that box.

I guess Time Warner was OK, but it's as if they only got things 75% right. I mean, no excuse for changing passwords on me nor forgetting to tell me to make the new addresses the default. AT&T, as always, right on the ball for me.

Meal of Links

Last night, I was in the mood for some mindless entertainment, so I went to see "12 Rounds". Oy vey. Renny Harlin (remember him?) actually directed this. It starred Aidan Gillen as the villain. Gillen was the mayor in "The Wire" and actually did a good job in this, given the material. The lead was John Cena, the wrestler, as a Nawlins cop. It's sad that I like his acting in the ring better than his acting on screen, which was almost lifelike. OK, no one will see this and when you see the ads for the DVD in about two months, you'll say, "Oh, I vaguely remember something about that." New Orleans, on one hand has "Benjamin Button" filmed there, on the other, "12 Rounds".

It's not that it was "walk out" bad, but it was "stupid" bad, and you really did wanna stick around for the end. Cena has to cutoff a car at a bridge in the opening sequence. Is it a car chase? Of course not, did I mention this is a WWE Studios production? So, Cena outruns the car, which takes the most indirect route for an escape ever recorded on film. Meanwhile, Cena is running through backyards, down alleys, through a house (a la "Raising Arizona") and eventually stops the car. Gillen's girlfriend, who was driving, gets out of the car and tries to make a run for it, then gets splattered by a truck. Gillen, an alleged arms dealer and wanted by the FBI, vows revenge after Cena arrests him.

Exactly one year later, Gillen shows up in the Big Easy once more, after escaping from a Florida prison. One thing you will notice about this movie. Security is awfully lax in this time of the "Axis of Evil". Anyhow, Gillen forces Cena to go through "12 Rounds" after which a winner will be declared. Thank God this is not 1979 or I would have had to sit through "15 Rounds". To show where this is headed, Gillen calls Cena and then blows up his house, killing his plumber (who offered marital advice to Cena before his demise) and we're off and running again. Literally, as Cena tries to outrun a ferry. You see, Gillen is about to kidnap Cena's wife and Cena tries to stop it. He fails and we are onto Round 3.

Needless to say, the action sequences could have been better as Cena is put up to these tasks by Gillen, in an effort to beat the clock and move on to the next round. You have Cena driving fire trucks, rappelling down buildings, outrunning out-of-control streetcars at 35 mph, leaping off roofs onto helicopters. I have to mention the climactic helicopter scene where Gillen has forced Cena's wife to help him load body bags of money he stole from a division of the US Mint into the copter. I told you security was lax and plot be damned! Gillen has used Cena to this point to help set up the robbery and escape.

You may wonder why Cena's wife then? You see, she works at the hospital. It's mentioned early on, she has a night shift. You're thinking nurse, right? Not so fast, my friend. She flies the hospital emergency helicopter! Of course (smacking forehead), that's how Gillen can use her to escape...by flying the copter into the night. She stalls just enough to allow Cena onboard as an unwanted passenger and perform the eventual closing stunt of the movie. Well, I did seek mindless entertainment.

It was no wonder why only 8 were in attendance. Trailers were: "Dragonball: Revolution", "Crank 2 High Voltage", "Terminator Salvation", the "Black Guy Ritchie" film, "Next Day Air", and "X-Men Origins: Wolverine".

Speaking of trailers, the trailer for "Bruno" is out. Oh yeah, this looks good. Already has the NC-17 tag. More importantly, long-lost Richard Bey still has a show. At least I think so, according to the trailer.

Worst "Jeopardy" answer ever. Even if trying to be funny, he's not.

Steven Bach died earlier this week. His book, "The Final Cut" remains one of the best books about movie studios ever written. I still have that around here somewhere.

Neil Young loves his eco-car. He wants it to get 100 miles a gallon.

The new Hulu commercial with Seth MacFarlane makes me wonder. Does he go into these other voices at inopportune times?



Remember where Andy Dufresne met up with Red in Mexico at the end of "Shawshank". Um, they have drug wars there.

Guy steals TV. Rides a bike to and from crime scene. Someone takes a photo. He's arrested.

Another Palin relative is arrested. Looks like the law is rearing their head.

Exercise Yard

Hey it's Easter soon. How about this for a service? Jesus is the Ultimate Fighter, he doesn't tap out.

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33 Across: Spaghetti western director Sergio (5 letters) Answer: Leone