Citizen Kane - Daniel Negreanu's Blog

Daniel Negreanu's Blog
February 23, 2007
Citizen Kane
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Citizen Kane

February 23, 2007

I have been very, very, lazy recently. Going to bed very late and waking up
even later. Not the best schedule for the WPT event in LA, but I think I'll
manage just fine.

I'm either driving or flying to LA tomorrow, I still haven't decided. When I get
there, I'm going to give Anthony Mak, the new protégé playing in his first
event, a rundown on what to expect. Much like with Brian Fidler at the
Mirage, I haven't had a chance to spend too much time with him going into
his first event. I did send him some notes that not even Fidler got, and I hope
that he is all studied up.

In the meantime, I've been glued to the television. I spend a lot of time
watching hockey as I surf the net for box scores to see how my fantasy team
is doing. Man, I just love doing that. It's really going to suck when hockey
season is over, oh well.

American Psycho - A film about an 80's yuppie who goes a little batty. The
movie is pretty gory, a little bit strange, but overall a pretty interesting look
into how people can become so obsessed with perfection that they lose
control.

American Idol - This is the first time I've actually started watching the show
from the beginning, and man did I miss out! It's just so intense, watching
people's emotional swings, the ups and downs, their future in the balance
of... Simon Cowell! I have to be honest, while Simon may be a real jerk
sometimes, I actually do like him and think I'd get along well with him.

It surprises me a little bit that the contestants don't do enough praising of
the judges after they are critiqued. I would think they'd say something like,
"Well, obviously I have to work on a few things but I'm confident that I can
improve quickly. The judges have heard thousands of voices and if they say it
was a little pitchy, well, then I must have been a little pitchy. I'm going to
work super hard on fixing that."

Anyway, they are down to 20, 10 girls and 10 boys. Question: is it
inappropriate to make an observation that the four black girls in the contest
just blow the other girls out of the water? I'm talking like a totally different
league of singing thus far. Yikes man, Lakisha is freakin' awesome. I got
Goosebumps after her last performance.

Broken Flowers - what a waste of 90 minutes, my goodness. Critically
acclaimed? Yikes, that movie just sucked and I rarely say that about a film.
The main character isn't funny, warm, charming, or even remotely interesting.
When the movie ended, I actually laughed out loud, thinking, "Did they really
just end the movie like that?" Wow, just bad.

Lost - I've gone back and forth with this show. Loved it, hated it, and love it
again, but am frustrated by the loose ends taking forever to tie up. I'm
through season two and won't see the current season until it comes out on
DVD. My next poison will either be Prison Break or The Wire.

Anyway, the show Lost has an ensemble cast and here is my take on each of
the main characters. Not a take on whether or not they are good or bad
people, but basically a view of my taste in people to some degree. Who I'd
get along with, and who I could do without:

Jack - obviously the guy is a "hero" as the doctor on the show, but I wouldn't
get along with him. I don't like his personality, or lack there of, and he seems
like he'd bore me to death.

Anna Lucia - this right here is probably the one personality type that I dislike
most. I just can't stand overbearing people like that. She's got these facial
expressions that just make you want to strangle her. She annoys me without
even having to say a word.

Jin & Sun - it shouldn't be much of a stretch to think that I'd get along with
these two. I know a little bit about Korean culture and I'm a fan in most
respects. Most Korean people I've encountered in my life are extremely
passionate, and loyal people. Sometimes a little hot tempered, but it comes
with the territory. Jin seems like a good man, and if he is your friend you have
a friend till death. Sun, seems like a nurturing, intelligent, care giver with a
sweet temperament. I like them both.

Charlie - I don't know what to think of him yet, it's strange. I think he's the
kind of guy that I'd really enjoy hanging out with in small doses. A fun guy to
party with, but not someone I'd have in my inner circle. We are just too
different.

Sawyer - You're not "really" supposed to like Sawyer, but I like him better
than Jack, for example. I'd trust Jack before I would Sawyer, but he has that
charming "Sam Grizzle" like quality. A good ol' boy with a quick whit and a
troubled past.

Michael & Walt - I like the kid, but I don't think I'd get along with his Daddy.
His interaction with his son and others on the Island is often very abrasive
and I don't like that too much.

Sayid - Intelligent, strong, honorable, and loyal. Yeah, I'd say he makes for a
good friend.

Rose & Bernard - I like one, but don't care for the other. Rose seems like a
person I could talk to and trust. If I had problems and wanted someone to
listen, I could see Rose being a good listener. As for her husband, meh, he
just annoys me a little bit. He means well, and all, and isn't a bad guy, but we
wouldn't gel well together. There are a few "Bernards" in the poker world
too. Nice enough people, but we just wouldn't flow.

Hurley - Now we are talking. You always need an unintentionally hilarious
friend and Hurley is your man. A good dude.

Shannon & Boone - not a fan of either. Shannon isn't someone I'd surround
myself with and Boone and I come from such different worlds I think he would
bore me. Not a bad guy, but not much substance there.

Lak - Love this guy! A modern day Rambo kind of dude, expect he is much
older and wasn't in the army or anything. He is the kind of guy I'd want to
lead me, to guide me, and to give me advice on how to live. I trust him, and
think he is one of the nicer people on the Island, as well as one of the
deepest and smartest thinkers.

Claire - She's ok. I'd totally get along with her I think. Probably not a lot in
common with her, but I think we'd be able to do the small talk thing and have
no trouble keeping a conversation going.

Mr. Echo - I saved the best for last. This dude is my absolute favorite
character and reminds me of some of my friends from back home in Toronto.
Laid back for the most part, but could crush you like a bug if he chose to. He
doesn't say much, but when he does speak, what he has to say is always
powerful and meaningful. Since I talk way too much, my closest friends
historically have usually been less talkative. A guy like Mr. Echo.
I also actually like the fact that he had such a checkered past and made
changes in his life. I'm drawn to people like that. They've done bad things,
but have overcome that life to become better people.

Citizen Kane - I think this was a movie I just had to see. A friend of mine
from junior high school actually recommended the film to me. Anyway, this is
an old movie made in 1941, I believe, about a very powerful man. He decides
to run a newspaper and quickly becomes a media mogul, building an empire
by "telling it like it is" and giving the people what they want.

Throughout his life, though, he ends up becoming obsessed with himself in a
bizarre way. He wants everyone to love him, but he doesn't really know how
to love anyone else. A lot of it comes from a childhood where he was
abandoned by his parents.

Anyway, the more famous and popular he becomes, the more it strains his
relationship with his closest friend, the one who was with him before he
became "Citizen Kane."

Kane deals with a scandal or two, and fights through them. In the end
though, he dies alone. It's a pretty sad film for the most part, but there is
such an undeniable message in this film that it's no wonder it's been
considered one of the best movies ever made.

Now, the "theme" had been done, and redone in other films like, Click, Family
Man, and several others, but a classic is a classic.

Anytime you watch a movie, well at least for me anyway, you can't help but
identify with what the characters are going through (that is, if it's a good
movie). In this movie, I think ANYONE who is thrust into the limelight for
whatever reason can relate to some of the struggles that Kane endured.
For me, it comes down to this: what's most important, what your family and
friends think of you, or what the public thinks of you?

The answer should be obvious, but I think lots of people struggle with that.
Not everybody, but I think any movie star or celebrity faces extra pressure
that can often blur the lines of what's most important.

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