chris | word

The Grove in Los Angeles is one of those great, outdoor shopping areas that attracts all manner of people. It’s situated next to the famous Farmer’s Market, which has been a fun hangout for hipsters, and non-hipsters alike, for many years.

I was at the Grove tonight to see a screening of director Steven Soderberg’s latest movie Haywire. It’s an action extravaganza starring MMA sensation Gina Carano, Michael Fassbender, Channing Tatum, Ewan McGregor and Michael Douglas.

I will be doing a full review later this week for The Flickcast. For now, just enjoy the above picture I took at the Grove this evening.

Yes, it’s actually even nicer than it looks in the picture.

On a related note, we’ve made the decision over at The Flickcast to make the site dark in protest of SOPA and PIPA. We firmly believe in stopping piracy but we don’t want to give up liberty to do it.

For more on how you can get involved, go HERE.

Because of my personal disgust with SOPA and PIPA, i won’t be posting here at all tomorrow either. Be back Thursday.

Have a great day off from me.

Today is a great day for America. A new President, a new chance to show the world we are a country worthy of the title “world leader” and the start of something good.

Here’s to Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Good luck Mr. President. With the state of the country after the Bush years, I think you’ll need it.

I don’t really have much in the way of witty banter for this particular video. I really think it speaks for itself. One thing I will say, however, is that I’m sure glad I’m not a turkey.

Also, if you happen to be a bit squeamish, you might not want to watch. Otherwise, enjoy.

With the election of Barack Obama on Tuesday, I thought it would be fun to look back a bit and watch the speech that first brought the then Senator from Illinois to the attention of the greater public at large. Even then, four years ago, at the Democratic National Convention, you can see his eloquence, intelligence, power and gain a very revealing glimpse into the man who will, four years later, become the 44th President of the United States.

Clearly, he’s quite a man indeed and I, for one, can’t wait to see what he will do. Enjoy.

I’m not going to tell you who to vote for, (Barack Obama) but no matter what (Barack Obama) you should get out and vote today (Barack Obama). Its a historic day of change for this country and hopefully, after the dust settles (Barack Obama), we’ll be on a new path that will bring this country back to where it belongs (Barack Obama).

No matter the outcome of the election, (Barack Obama) I’m just proud to live in a country that has free elections and be part of this great Democracy. So, go out and vote your conscience (Barack Obama) and be glad you can be part of this historic time in our country’s history. Is this a great country or what?

Here’s director/producer/actor Ron Howard with his PSA about the election. Which, sadly, I can’t embed here due to limitations imposed by WordPress. So, here’s the link to it instead. Enjoy.

I’m trying not to get much into politics these days as I got far more worked up during the last Presidential election and was very disappointed at the outcome. So, this time around, I’m taking a more hands-off approach and just voting the way I want to vote and not making too much of a big deal about it.

Still, when I see some interesting and funny stuff out there about the election or about a candidate I feel deserves some serious scrutiny due to her complete lack of qualifications for the job she’s running for, I feel obligated to present what I find for your consideration.

So, in that spirit, here’s Monty Python alumni and all-around funny guy John Cleese offering his insight on John McCain’s current running mate. Enjoy.

Today, let’s watch a video that combines two of my favorite things: Batman and financial turmoil. Well, in truth, I’m pretty much only a fan of Batman. Financial turmoil, on the other hand, isn’t that fun. Let’s just hope things start to get better come November.

Until then, have a look at this relatively clever Dark Knight/George Bush mashup.

More on bloggers getting rights and being considered “real” journalists. Now, according to this article, bloggers could have better rights under the Freedom of Information Act. Things are getting even more interesting these days — especially if you happen to be a blogger.

And no, I don’t think this will or should apply to everyone with a WordPress or Blogger page but more to people who actually get paid to write for blogs. Yes, they actually exist. In fact, if you didn’t already know, I happen to be one of those people. So yes, perhaps I’m biased, but still . . .

If you happen to be new here, I have written and/or currently write for several online publications. Among them are LAist, Cinematical, Comic Book Resources and The Unofficial Apple Weblog. You can check out the links to my actual articles by going to my main website at chris ullrich dot net and checking out the “Writing” section.

So yeah, as a person who gets paid to blog I wouldn’t mind being treated more like an actual journalist with the same rights and privileges as someone who works for a more “traditional” news organization.

Yes, that would be nice indeed.

I love America but I’m really starting to dislike what its become under the current “leadership” in Washington. I am counting the days until this President’s term is over and we can move on to the business of rebuilding our credibility, standing and respect in the eyes of the world.

That will be a great day indeed and a day when I will be proud to call myself an American. Unlike the other day where I was almost speechless when contemplating the level of corruption and duplicity displayed by George Bush and his administration. Although, I can’t say it came as that much of a surprise.

Until there’s a regime change in Washington, at least we can still celebrate what America is supposed to be about today by having a few beers, eating some food that’s bad for us and watching some cool fireworks. This is still a great country — we’ve just lost our way a little. But I wouldn’t count us out yet — not by a longshot.

Happy 4th.