Random Thoughts

1. Okay, one final thought on the final Sopranos episode. I rewatched the episode, and it was really chock full of great moments--Paulie unzipping his pants after Bobby's funeral; Carmela's comment to AJ that if children had been playing in the leaves, he would have killed them; Agent Harris in all of his glory, but two things stand out. One--the sit down b/w Tony and NY at the junk yard. Again, the show hearkens back to the Godfather and the meeting Don Corleone organized among the five families to end the mob war. But that meeting was at a fancy restaurant; now, they meet in a dump. Tony and company did have bottled water, however! Again, the lost glory of the past rears its head.

And, of course, the last scene. The tension that Chase was able to put into that simple scene was amazing. When you watch it a second time, it is the ordinariness that is so striking. And yet Chase was able to have the viewers experience the stress that Tony continuously has lived with and will live with in those moments. We feared what was entering through that door, and could not sit still. (I still don't buy the Tony died theory although it is an interesting one; and if you saw the comment about Phil Leotardo's nephew being the guy in the Members Only jacket, it's a lie.)

2. Mrs. Bartender and I saw Waitress last week. The movie is very cute albeit fairly light. Not a must see, but an enjoyable two hours. And it certainly makes you want to have a really good piece of pie.

3. Some fascinating (and atrocious) golf over the past 4 days at Oakmont. The amazing thing about Tiger is how badly he seemed to play on Sunday at both the Masters and now the Open, and in both tournaments, he ended up in second place. (Of course, he played nowhere close to as badly as Aaron Baddeley did yesterday.) Yesterday, he just could not make a birdie (with one exception) although he kept saving pars left and right. Cabrera played a fantastic round although he came quite close to choking it away on 16 and 17. Espn.com is asking whether Cabrera won it or Tiger lost it. Puh-lease. Tiger shot a respectable 72 and Cabrera a terrific 69. More importantly, Tiger just couldn't make a birdie at then end to force a playoff. It was not like some other golfer putting his head up his butt on the last hole and making double when a par would win and a bogey would force a playoff. (Yes, Phil, I'm talking about you.)

4. Good to see that Entourage is back. The hiatus was rough.

5. I watched the pilot episode of John from Cincinnati and was intrigued enough to stick with it. I've liked Bruce Greenwood for a long time (going back to St. Elsewhere), and the cast is very good including Al Bundy and Dylan McKay. The supernatural and surfing is a strange premise, but I have faith in David Milch (Deadwood and NYPD Blue).

6. Finally, I'm halfway through Walter Isaacson's Einstein biography (fittingly titled Einstein). I highly recommend it. As much as is possible, he makes the physics understandable. I can, somewhat, handle special relativity; general relativity is much more mind boggling. Even more importantly, Isaacson is an excellent writer (although he has a tendency to reiterate repeatedly a central theme of his books). Even without understanding the physics, there is a fascinating story of the life Einstein led, becoming a mega-celebrity from around 1920 until his death in 1955, a celebrity that obviously still lasts. Perhaps if he were alive today, he could be on a reality show. He would certainly have lent his voice to The Simpsons.