On this episode of “The Final Cut” my friend Kristen Yoon comes onto the program to talk about our experience in Vegas, (yes, Vegas.) her work with the San Diego Padres and her cool business called Sweet Cakes by Kristen in which she makes cakes…that are SWEET! Also Kristen talks her favorite films, her goals and gives advice on how other aspiring professional broadcasters can get their foot in the door. If you only listen to one podcast this week, make this the one. Remember you can subscribe to “The Final Cut” on itunes and listen to previous episodes by visiting the official page. And make sure to like “The Final Cut” on its facebook page.
Even if your not a sports fan you can probably understand the concept that certain teams hate each other. Its called a rivalry, and some are more heated than others. Its what makes sports so much fun to be honest, sworn enemies battling it out for top spot and or pride. Its war on a field, court or rink.
“Oh this?”
Some fans obviously take their respective rivalries a bit more serious than others, and this usually depends on how much their favorite teams hate each other. In the sport of basketball there is probably no nastier feud than the Los Angeles Lakers (No, L.A. does not have a lake) and the Boston Celtics. These two powerhouses have gone toe to toe with each other since basically the inception of the NBA. And for good reason, they have consistently met in some of the most memorable NBA Championships of all time and their share of titles are neck and neck. So here is the question this little sketch poses; can intense supporters of these franchises ever truly get along?
Its a topic Jenn Marlis explores in her sketch: “Laker Girl”. While I helped write the script to this short which went on to air on the sketch comedy venue “The Randumb Show” its basically all her idea. (and her editing) I had a lot of fun helping it get made, and it was a pain on a rushed schedule, fighting the flu, being forced out of one shooting location due to a fire alarm going off (while it was raining outside may I add) and just general issues that come up during shooting. But hey I got a cool cameo out of it. I’d like to also point out the happy accidents too, for example the Lakers fan Kristen is on the left (west coast) and the Celtics fan Ryan is on the right (east coast). So please take some time out of your day to watch this video and then answer my poll on whether you could ever date someone who was a diehard of your rival sports team.
First let me start off by saying I feel that “Space Jam” is an American classic….in the loosest sense of the term. I mean its a movie that stars Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny. If that doesn’t yell box office hit you aren’t fit to be a producer in Hollywood or even be an intern for one. Its described on wikipedia as being a cult classic for kids who grew up in the 90’s and I must agree. I remember how big this movie was when it came out and how during the Monday where everyone talked about their weekend at my elementary school basically every kid told the same story about going to see “Space Jam.”
If you didn’t live in the 90’s you probably are my youngest reader on this blog. If you somehow don’t know the plot of Space Jam the best way to describe this is this alternate reality which is used as a vehicle to explain what caused Michael Jordan to return to basketball after becoming a professional baseball player. The Looney Tunes are being threatened by aliens to be captured and sent into space to be the entertainment at some wacky intergalactic amusement park. Through cartoon trickery they are able to convince the aliens that it is within the rules to be forced to play them in a game of basketball to decide whether they must be enslaved or not. If only the African slaves had this strategy up their sleeve, we all know white men can’t jump. (No offense to my Caucasian readers.) After the basketball game is set the aliens steal the talents of pro NBA players (where they got this ability is never explained, and it doesn’t really matter.) The Tunes desperate not to be enslaved enlist the help of the greatest basketball of all time (No its not John Stockton) and bring Michael Jordan who is currently retired from basketball to play baseball into the cartoon world. From here Jordan helps the Tunes learn how to play competitive basketball so they can take down the aliens now named The Monstars. (Get it?)
Alright so I LOVED this movie when it came out, and to some extent I still do love it, I mean its nostalgic for me. And in the end it really is a fine family film. But this does not mean there aren’t some major issues with it. Even with its over the top plot the movie still is very strange and just odd. For example Michael Jordan lives in some middle class house in the suburbs in the movie. With probably nothing more than a simple ADT security system to protect him. This is Michael Jordan, the real Jordan lives on like a mansion estate to downsize him to this home is just lying to kids. You can’t be the greatest basketball player in the world and live next to the Smiths. Unless its Will and Jada Smith.
Larry Bird and Bill Murray
Also there is an odd mix between the intelligences and realism in this picture. For example Bill Murray seems to be playing a character version of himself like many of the NBA players but at the same time there seems to be no continuity on what makes sense. Warner Brother producers and actors seem to be aware that cartoon characters really exist in their own world but basketball greats who hang out with them seem to be totally unaware of this reality. Larry Bird hangs out with Bill all the time but doesn’t know that Daffy Duck is a real living creature? Is there like some sort of secret pact that actors and people in the movie industry have to make before they sign on to do an animated film? Also why in the beginning of “Space Jam” do you go into what is apparently the real world’s version of outer space and see animated aliens? Are all outer space aliens animated? And nobody seems particularly worried besides Wayne Knight’s character that Michael Jordan has just been sucked down a golf hole right in front of their eyes. I don’t play a lot of golf but I’m pretty sure that doesn’t happen usually. Then again maybe pro-golfers know that if you have the right connections you can get sucked into a golf hole and end up in Looney Tunes land. (Tiger Woods used it to have a sex romp with Jessica Rabbit) And plumbers know you can be transported to the mushroom kingdom through pipes, or through actual mushrooms. And I’m sure Elmer Fudd knows that if you dig deep enough in Looney Tunes land you can land in Middle Earth.
Also nobody in Jordan’s family seems too worried that he’s gone missing all of a sudden. The movie takes place over a few days why is okay that Jordan has been gone from his wife and kids this long? Nobody seems to question it in his family. Is Michael Jordan known to just disappear for days on end? His wife deosn’t get suspicious when he doesn’t come home? Isn’t he a pro baseball player? Doesn’t he have to show up to practice or something? The worst part is nobody in this movie except Jordan seems to have much of a problem accepting cartoons are real. Especially not his kids. To add a cherry to this bent reality when an animated space ship lands in the middle of the baseball field at the end of the movie the headline is “Michael Jordan is back!” shouldn’t it be “OMG! Aliens ARE REAL!” His wife seems to not care Jordan has been gone for a few days but has somehow managed to take her kids to the game to see him play. I know it was the 90’s but I’m pretty sure Jordan had enough loose change to afford a cell phone for he and his wife. She never once called him to check on him? Hate to say it, but this has all the classic signs of a loveless marriage. Or maybe she’s just upset that her multi-millionaire husband bought her a 18” TV and its not even plasma.
Jordan takes on The Monstars
One of the best segments of the film actually is the NBA players who’ve had their talent stolen trying everything from medicine to magic to get their talent back. It’d be scary for me to wake up unable to write, so I understand their pain and its really funny to see them struggle without one of the major things that defines a human being. Plus Charles Barkley’s “It wasn’t a dream! It really happened!” Is one of the funniest lines in movie history and I secretly had my fingers crossed someone in “Inception” would make a reference to the line somehow. But sadly we don’t live in a perfect world. Still one of the things you have to read into with this film is the fact that the Monstars stole the talent from some of the best NBA players of all time making up basically an All-Star team. Are you telling me that Michael Jordan with the help of cartoons who’ve trained for maybe at the most two days can really defeat in essence the greatest NBA players of the 90’s? Not to mention Wayne Knight managed to get a shot in on them too. How does that make Patrick Ewing feel? To be fair though at the end Michael Jordan does cheat.
And yes what a segue into possibly one of the most visible blunders of this film: the classic last 10 seconds of the game scene. In what I honestly think even when put against movies that went in slow motion for the the 10 second countdown the longest 10 seconds in movie history takes place. I literally was counting the last time I saw this movie and the final 10 seconds of the basketball game in “Space Jam” excluding Jordan’s slow motion dunk, which really isn’t in slow motion as the characters watching Jordan aren’t in slow motion lasts well over 45 seconds. In the cartoon world do the final 10 seconds always just run slow?
Space Jam videogame amazingly not on par with “Shaq-Fu”
Okay so enough with the ripping on “Space Jam” because in the end its just a family movie and honestly nobody seems to make movies like this anymore. I’m not sure if its a good or bad thing but one its a thing for sure. You have to give some credit to Jordan he and Wayne Knight were basically acting in front of a green screen with tape on the ground to mark where Bugs Bunny was the entire film. He’s not a professionally trained actor and he does a good enough job. Oh and if you are wondering why the music for this movie is so cool its because it was done by the great James Newton Howard.
For me “Space Jam” is an American cult classic, its not really a movie you can defend and watching it as an adult I think regardless of all the flaws there is still enough of that subtle mature humor to appreciate. (Did Bugs and Lola get it on in the middle of the basketball court?) So if its been a few years since you’ve last seen “Space Jam” give it another glance it will bring back memories of your childhood if you grew up in the 90’s and will leave you with this warm bubbly feeling. Not to mention you’ll be humming “Fly like an eagle” in your head all day. If you want one more kick of nostalgia below you can watch the opening of “Space Jam” which regardless if you like this movie or not must admit is a great transition into the opening credits.
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