http://www.byjamesraia.com en-us N/A robert@cfx.org Tue, 13 May 2008 18:19:10 EDT 20 http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/15/No-Country-For-A-Bad-Movie.html Movie critics around the globe are announcing their 10-top best movies of the year, and I can't believe what I'm reading.

With rare exception, No Country For Old Men, the methodical tale of a psychopath with a bad haircut, is on the list on all of the country's most well-known critics, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times to Richard Corliss of Time Magazine.

The movie was directed by the Cohen Brothers, likely most well-known for their direction of Fargo.

What I don't get is why the critics have selected this film as epic moviemaking? Tommy Lee Jones is a fine actor, and his role is worthy.

But this slow-moving film simply falls flat. Its symbolism is shallow, and it's as if the critics just don't want to say the wrong thing or go against the grain. They seem to have a collective love affair with the Cohen Brothers, and it's undeserved.

Only The New Yorker expressed disappointment with the film. In its front-of-the-book capsule review, the magazine states: " . . . The result is oddly unemotional, as if a vicious game were being played by solemn rules, with barely a flicker of interest in the characters' moral plight . . ."

Conversely, the two best performances this year, in my opinion, have gone largely unmentioned — at least so far.

Angelina Jolie was brilliant in A Mighty Heart. She portrayed Mariane Pearl, wife of the Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was killed in Pakistan in 2002. Her acting is superb throughout the movie, but her gut-wrenching emotional breakdown when she's told her husband has been killed is acting at its best.

Hal Holbrook was equally strong in his small but poignant role in Into The Wild, the film adaptation the best-selling book directed by Sean Penn. Holbrook's a master at filling the screen with expression and relevance — and he does so again with his role as an aging, lonely man with wisdom to spare.

And for the record: Into The Wild was the best film I saw in 2007.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Fri, 28 Dec 2007 00:00:00 EST http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/15/No-Country-For-A-Bad-Movie.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/14/Hey-GM--Wanna-Sell-Cars-Put-Charlize-Theron-Behind-The-Wheel-a-Right-Now.html Forget about more horsepower, gadgetry, weird names and odd-colored paint. If one of the automobile manufacturers wants to immediately catapult its sales, hire Charlize Theron.

The South-African born actress was recently named People Magazine's sexiest woman alive, and she's a fine choice.

Theron likely has plenty of apparel and fragrance deals in the works. But a smart car industry expert would immediately find out what kind of car Theron drives (if she drives) and persuade her with a healthy financial deal to tout the car — let's say while she's driving along Highway 1 on the Carmel, California, coastline.

Pure, unfiltered sex appeal advertising? Anything wrong with that?

Put Theron in pajamas or in jeans and a T-shirt. Hell, put her in her bathroom with curlers in her hair. It won't matter.

The sexiest woman alive promoting a car?  Watch the sales spike make assembly plant lines reach critical mass.

Now, Jill Wagner may not be as well-known as Theron, but she's certainly a pretty actress, too. And her appearance beginning in 2005 in Mercury commercials certainly hasn't hurt.

Who's Jill Wagner?

You know her. She wears stilettos, has a long strong stride, wears an azure sweater that matches her eyes, and talks with authority and enthusiasm from behind the wheel or while standing in front of a Mercury.

That's Jill Wagner.

Wagner's career started in community theater and in comedies such as "Not Another Teen Movie" and "Big Fat Liar." She also played a co-conspirator on television, in Ashton Kutcher's MTV series, Punk'd.

However, Wagner's appearance in the Mercury commercials — the result of a typical casting call — raised her profile significantly. And it helped sell cars.

"I wanted to come off as an All-American girl who wants to give you advice about a car," Wagner told the Detroit Free-Press about her Mercury commercials. "I wanted to be very real."

Seems Theron's pretty real, too.

So, OK, GM, Chrysler, Honda, Toyota. Someone have their people get in touch with Theron's people — like now.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Fri, 12 Oct 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/14/Hey-GM--Wanna-Sell-Cars-Put-Charlize-Theron-Behind-The-Wheel-a-Right-Now.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/13/One-More-Season-For-Sacramento039s-Mike-Sayers-In-The-Pro-Peloton.html The recent announcement of Scott Moninger's retirement at age 40 was handled superbly by race organizers at the Tour of Missouri. Moninger's career highlights were detailed and the veteran cyclist was given a nice ovation at the race's final stage circuit race in St. Louis.

Like the rest of the field, Mike Sayers appreciated Moninger's sendoff, but it was at least in part an odd circumstance.

While Moninger was getting kudos for his pending retirement, Sayers, the long-time veteran pro from Sacramento, had decided to remain in the peloton for one more season.

Sayers will be age 38 next January. He has a one-year-old son he wants to be around as he grows up. But he also still has the desire to race. And so Sayers has agreed to compete in 2008 for the BMC Cycling team, his current team.

Although Sayers said he'll race a reduced schedule next season, when he does race, he'll be the elder statesman of the peloton.

"That will be it; one more season," Sayers said prior to the third stage individual time trial in Branson. "Just one more year.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Sat, 22 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/13/One-More-Season-For-Sacramento039s-Mike-Sayers-In-The-Pro-Peloton.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/12/California-To-Georgia-To-Missouri-a-The-Cycling-Season-Is-Over.html I've just finished reporting on the Tour of Missouri, my last cycling event of the season.

For the first time in a decade, I didn't attend the Tour de France this summer. But I still needed my cycling fix, and I found it in the U.S. I reported everyday from the three most notable U.S. stage races — the Tour of California in February, the Tour de Georgia (and Tennessee) in April and the just completed inaugural Tour of Missouri.

Traveling in Georgia and Missouri were new experiences, and both are interesting states.

I ate for the first time (and second and third times) in Waffle Houses in Georgia. I visited a unique auto museum in Fulton, Mo. started by the owner of a potato chip company. And in Concordia, Mo., I stopped in a former gas station converted into a drive-in in 1954 and ate deep-fried cauliflower and a cherry freeze at 11 a.m. while on a break during a four-hour drive.

I've driven through most of California several times. But I had a new experience during the Tour of California. I drove South to North over The Grapevine, the ominous Interstate 5 mountain pass, in a hailstorm.

And I went for beautiful morning runs in each state — along the waterfront in Long Beach, Pacific Grove and Branson — and past Busch Stadium to the famous Arch in St. Louis.

What I'm trying to say is that for the past few years, covering bicycle racing has become more important to me for everything else but the racing.

No other pictures better illustrate my perspective than the accompanying two images in this blog. The first one (the trucks) was taken by my friend Casey Gibson.

A well-established freelance photographer, Gibson has traveled the world for many years covering cycling. But it's the side-story shots he takes, like the side stories I've discovered along the way, that make travel and bike racing interesting.

Casey took took the image in Branson, Mo., where State Patrol officers working in conjunction with local race officials decided the best way to secure the time trial course was with use of these trucks — 73 of them. Look close and you'll a lone cyclist making his way along the route.

If you'd like to view more of Casey Gibson's work, visit his site: www.cbgphoto.com.

I took the second image in Chickamauga, Tenn. After a mid-race stage, I checked into my ground level hotel room, opened the drapes and sliding glass door, watched the sunset and gazed at the lake and the surroundings area. I took this shot the next morning just before running around the lake.

Riders from the now defunct Discovery Channel team — Levi Leipheimer, Jani Brajkovic and George Hincapie — respectively won the three races. But none of their wins or any of the other riders' stage wins provide lasting memories like everything else about the trips.

And so until next season, that's it for cycling for me in '07.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Mon, 17 Sep 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/12/California-To-Georgia-To-Missouri-a-The-Cycling-Season-Is-Over.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/10/If-It039s-July-I-Must-Be-At-The-Tour-de-France-Not.html For the first time in a decade,  I won't be attending the Tour de France  The race hasn't even begun and I miss it already. I don't miss the competition. It's everything else.

I arrived at my first Tour a few days after the 1997 start, and I was immediately lost. But a decade ago, before Motorola's morph into U.S. Postal and before the Posties transitioned into Discovery Channel, Marty Jemison was a teammate of Lance Armstrong's, and Jemison's wife, Jill, assumed an unoffical role as the team's media representative.

Sensing my confusion, Jill helped me throughout the Tour. She offered me rides and found hotel rooms and often apologized for no reason. It was only 10 years ago, but there was a still an "innocence" around the team then. We got along great. She did more PR for the team with her smile and helpful nature than it's ever had since.

A lot has changed, of course. But what I remember most about the Tour through the years are the people like Jill Jemison. Plenty of other journalists, policemen, firemen, hotel owners, traveling companions and strangers have helped me through the years, and it's on those occasions when I feel invigorated by a simple notion. With rare exception, people are good. It's not The French vs. Americans. It's politicians vs. politicians. Shame on them.

As I gained confidence through years of traveling to the Tour, I began to help other journalists as they discovered the Tour. It's stuff like that — the camaraderie — I'll miss. I'll miss the unexpected great meals in small villages, the unique innkeepers, the drives through open fields, the mountains, vineyards, sunflowers and the friends with whom I've traveled, including Bruce Aldrich who took this blog's two images last summer. I miss my press room colleagues, the guys who work in the telecommunications room, the chamber of commerce representatives and I miss the daily banter of the Tour. Most of all, I'll miss the spirit of the adventure.

I'll be writing about the Tour this year from home, and that's fine, for now. There's only a year until the 2008 Tour.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Thu, 05 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/10/If-It039s-July-I-Must-Be-At-The-Tour-de-France-Not.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/9/New-Sushi-Bar-In-Monterey.html
The sushi was fresh and reasonably priced, and owner remembered me as "SacramentoGuy." There was no decor, no ambiance and no waiting.

But the owner sold the business a few months back, and a new place, "Pink Tuna," opened in its place about a week ago. The interior has completely been redone and the new joint appears to be trying to appeal to a younger crowd.

There's a huge video projected on one wall, corresponding music and a nice, modern interior.

With that, of course, comes higher prices and an adjustment period.

On my only visit to Pink Tuna to date, the sushi maker and owner called me "Boss." The waitresses, all young and pretty and all wearing all black, smiled a lot but hadn't yet discovered the benefits of prompt service.

The sushi was fine, but overpriced. I miss the old place.]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Sun, 01 Jul 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/9/New-Sushi-Bar-In-Monterey.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/8/A-Day-Well-Spent-At-Devil039s-Thumb.html I realized a few years ago that the main reason I volunteer at the Devil's Thumb aid station at the Western States 100 is that it feels good.

It's nice to see friends and acquainstances (some of whom I only see once a year at the same place). And there's plenty of camaraderie, the air is clean and the athletes are inspiring.

But what I've come to realize is that I like helping runners continue their journey down the trail en route from Squaw Valley to Auburn.

I think it's the common goal of everyone working at WS100 aid stations. Making soups to filling water bottles to walking and encouraging a runner for a few paces as they leave the aid station. It's all the same, really.

And for me, it all occurs at an ideal place and time. It's 48 miles from Squaw Valley, 52 miles from Auburn and a chunk of rutted dirt road down the trail from Foresthill. It's Devil's Thumb, and on the last Saturday in June, it's a fine place to spend the day.]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Mon, 25 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/8/A-Day-Well-Spent-At-Devil039s-Thumb.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/6/Nice-Old-Guys-Like-Mike-Sayers-Still-Win-Bike-Races.html Nice news this morning to read that Mike Sayers of Sacramento, the elderstatesman of the domestic pro peloton, won the Reno Criterium on Saturday night.

Sayers, 37, nearly retired last season. But he was persuaded to ride for BMC this year as both a team leader and mentor to young teammates.

It hasn't been the best of seasons. Sayers crashed hard in a January training ride in weird mishap with a beaver on the Jedediah Smith Memorial Trail. And then there were crashes in the Tour of California and Tour de Georga, both of which led to DNFs.

Sayers spent the month of May at home. But as described in a VeloNews.com account, Sayers outsmarted a lesser-experienced rider, took a a late-sprint chance and won his first race since 2005 in the Reno event, a twilight downtown criterium.

I can't say I know Mike well, but he's a rider you can't help but like. I heard and saw him cry at the Sacramento press conference at the Tour of California when he spoke about his career and what will likely be his last season. And I saw him sternly talk like a big brother to younger teammates later in the same race after some poor team strategy.

And every time I've spoken with Mike on or off th record, he seems like the kind of guy you'd like to have as a neighbor and friend.

So, Mike, good on you for your win last weekend in Reno. You're in your 13th year as a pro. You're balancing a marriage, the responsibilities of being a father for the first time, a career and mentoring young teammates.

There's so much bad in sport right now, but bravo to you, sir. Your victory provided a figurative sliver of light in the ominous dark clouds of the sport.

(To read the article on Mike Sayers I wrote earlier this year, visit: Mike Sayers profile.) ]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Mon, 18 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/6/Nice-Old-Guys-Like-Mike-Sayers-Still-Win-Bike-Races.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/5/My-Friends-Take-Great-Images.html My friend Bruce Aldrich traveled with me last year to the Tour de France. I already knew he was an accomplishment athlete, but I also quickly realized he's an accomplished photographer and videographer.

Bruce took hundreds of photographs during the 2006 Tour and also shot a good amount of video. He mixed the whole thing into a short film we'll debut on this site prior to this year's Tour de France. (It begins July 7.)

Last week, Bruce and his father visited the California Capital Airshow in Sacramento and he took the image above. It's quite impressive.

My friend Tom Morstein-Marx is an accomplished endurance athlete and a veteran pilot. I've gotten to know him better recently on some nice afternoon training runs.

He was recently visiting the Lake Tahoe area and had his digital camera with him on a training run. He saw this fine beast along the way. Tom managed to keep a steady hand at a safe distance and took the image the image to the right.





]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Fri, 15 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/5/My-Friends-Take-Great-Images.html http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/4/All-I-Want-Is-My-XM-Radio-And-On-Star-Navigation.html I've been reviewing cars for about five years. And if I've learned anything after driving more than 200 vehicles, it's that every manufacturer has a terminology "spin" for what it believes is its revolutionary automotive technology.

Some of the parlance is clever and represents great innovation; Other descriptions are shameless, meaningless hype.

Regardless, with the admission that I'm a minimalist, I think it's fair to say some vehicles' equipment offerings have reached critical mass or perhaps exceeded it.

In short, some cars have too much stuff, some of which just doesn't work well.

Hypersensitive electronic sensors, rear view navigation systems with blurry visual quality and inefficient braking systems all come to mind.

Yet, two items standout among as the best of the worthwhile technology wonderment.

Neither is likely to impress engineering wizards or car buffs. But I think every car would be better if it featured satellite radio and a voice-command navigation system.

One of my recent weekly test drives, a 2007 Chevrolet HHR, offered both features. The retro wagon's appearance, styled after the 1950s Chevrolet Suburban, attracted attention. But the car's exterior color, "sunburst metallic orange" garnered even more stares and comments.

But what I liked about the car most is that it featured XM satellite radio and the new OnStar "turn-by-turn navigation system.

Satellite radio is available on an increasing number of vehicles, and for me it's now a disappointment when it's not on a car I'm testing. The vast music, news and sports channels are ideal for long drives. And satellite radio is an ideal way to eliminate the annoyance of commercial overload on AM/FM channels.

The new OnStar system, available on select 2006 General Motors' cars and most 2007 editions, features both a digital display and voice command for directions.

During my week with the HHR, the OnStar system, called "Turn-By-Turn Navigation," worked well. Its ease-of-use functionality was impressive, even for someone who appreciates the motto: "The fewer the gadgets, the better."

The new OnStar system works in four steps:

1. When seeking directions, push the blue OnStar button on the rearview mirror and wait for a connection to an OnStar advisor;

2. Tell the OnStar advisor where you need to go. Turn-by-turn directions are sent to your vehicle and appear on a digital display on the radio face.

3. Directions are also then provided via audio, the volume of which is determined with the radio volume control.

My tests of the system were to destinations to which I already knew the directions. I did arrive at every destination exactly accordingly to the countdown mileage  distance via the satellite information, but it was close. And there was a slight delay the first time I used the feature as well as a slight new user's learning curve.

But generally, the system worked well and the advisors I spoke with were prompt and professional.

In addition to the "Turn-by-Turn" feature, the new OnStar system also offers: vehicle diagnostics, emergency services, stolen vehicle location assistance, remote door lock, automatic deployment of airbags, handsfree telephone calls, roadside assistance, remote horn and lights, ride assist and an advisor information and convenience services.

Of course, XM satellite and the OnStar systems are not free. In my HHR, the one-year OnStar "Safe & Sound was priced at $695 and the XM radio option was $199 for a year with an additional three free months.

Nevertheless, for a car buyer considering option packages, XM satellite radio and the new OnStar system warrant serious attention.
]]> no@spam.com (James Raia) Wed, 13 Jun 2007 00:00:00 EDT http://www.byjamesraia.com/blogs/4/All-I-Want-Is-My-XM-Radio-And-On-Star-Navigation.html