Why is Casting so Frakkin Hard?

Castle and Beckett (right) arrive at the building and are introduced to the victim's manager prepared to ask him some questions about the victims life and who may be interested in killing him. In walks the manager and the first thing that crosses your mind is, "I know this guy!" And guess what? You do know him! You've seen this particular actor on lots of shows in bit parts. He is one of the famous faces without names in Hollywood. The problem is that savvy viewers know that the producers of Castle wouldn't have brought in such an actor if he weren't playing a very important part in the show. Important like, say... the murderer?

Sorry to ruin the most recent episode of Castle for you, but someone has to say it: it is too obvious when producers bring in recognizable actors! As soon as I saw the guy I told my wife, "He killed him." At the end of the show I was right and a little more frustrated with entertainers. What is up with the casting decisions?

Take the upcoming Prince of Persia movie, for instance. What the heck? Jake Gyllenhaal (left, with stupid grin) with a terrible English accent is supposed to be a plausible Persian? I guess if he has long hair he must be Persian. If he is supposed to play someone in the past, fictional or not, then he must have an English accent - or something approximating one. After all, Americans can't tell the difference or we would have said something by now, right? We would have stopped watching movies with terrible casting by now, right?

(I wanted to go on with this blog post but I have to pause for a second... I keep seeing that frakkin picture of Jake with his goofy grin, looking up at the sky, like God just told him a secret joke.)

I liked Avatar partially because the hero was someone I didn't recognize. Sure I like certain actors but sometimes they overwhelm the part by being themselves... in every movie. Has Bruce Willis ever been someone other than John McClaine? (Try searching Google for images of Bruce Willis to see what I mean.) Kevin Costner is always the same guy too. Wesley Snipes, ditto. The list goes on. And you know if they are in the movie the only way they die is if they do so to save the world, ala Willis in Armageddon. Good bye tension! Good bye suspense!

But when a show or movie casts an unknown we can enjoy the movie for the story! We are kept guessing until the end of the show! If Castle had an unknown face as the agent we have no idea who the killer is until late in the show. (This is why I love Survivor - you never know who is gonna win.)

So I ask why is casting so frakkin hard? Whatever happened to movies and shows as an artform? Answer me wall! Or I swear I will keep hitting my head on you until I bleed!

The Greatest

Growing up in the greater Los Angeles area in the 80's I had two choices: Los Angeles Rams or Los Angeles Raiders. My father is a Raiders fan, because he is by nature and looks something like a pirate, but he left this important decision to his sons. In the garage he had a streamer with the flags and logos of all the teams in the NFL. Something you might find at a bar, it was equally at home in the garage. It was there, looking at all the wonderful team logos, that I decided I would be a Rams fan. The boldness of the canary yellow and royal blue caught my attention in a way that bland silver and black never could. To be completely honest, I also decided to be a fan of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, because of their awesome creamsicle colors, and the Patriots because of ... well, being patriots I guess. Of course, I didn't actually watch the NFL at this time so I was going solely on colors and logos. In time, I would drop the Bucs because I had no tie to them geographically (and I am glad I did because the current colors are horrendous!) In high school I would have short lived affairs with the Cowboys and the Lions because our school colors matched them both. Even so, I always came back to the Rams, my first love.

In 1999, something special happened. The Rams had traded for Marshall Faulk and signed Trent Green. This was going to be a good team (for once)! Then the unthinkable: during the preseason Green went down with a terrible knee injury. In came backup and grocery stock boy Kurt Warner and my many years of long suffering as a Rams fan finally ended with a Super Bowl.

I remember visiting the in laws on a weekend when the Rams were playing in the playoffs that year. I remember that it was holiday weekend and everyone else was in the kitchen and dining room. I had pulled up a chair in front of the TV and was watching while eating nothing but my nails. I couldn't believe my Rams were in the playoffs and could win!

That year, in the Super Bowl, the Rams defeated the Tennessee Titans in a game that is certainly one of the best in history. Glory! The Los Angeles Rams were the Champions of the World! All thanks to two players: Marshall Faulk and Kurt Warner.

For the next several years being a Rams fan was cool, even though they changed to the less cool gold and navy color scheme. It was in 2001 that I stopped rooting for the Patriots. In that Super Bowl, that still has 2 seconds left on the clock by the way - watch the replays of that kick which sails through and hits the net with 2-3 seconds left, the cheating Patriots beat my Rams and forever became hated in Ashertopia.

Then the unthinkable: the Rams got rid of Kurt Warner. Marshall Faulk, Isaac Bruce , Orlando Pace and Tory Holt followed over the next several years leaving the Rams with none of the magic that made them special. Back to the bottom of the performance pile my beloved Rams went.

Watching Warner get relegated to backup in New York, then cut, then signed as a backup to Matt Leinart in Arizona I thought my favorite Rams player was finally done. But thank God he was not done! And over the next couple years as I watched Warner play like no other QB in the league I realized that I was as much of a fan of him, and possibly more, than of the Rams themselves. When Warner took the lowly Arizona Cardinals to the Super Bowl last year against the Steelers who I would root for was a no-brainer. Arizona fans and Rams fans have two things in common: we are both long suffering fans of franchises that don't seem to care much about their performance and who have both seen their teams overcome all odds and reach the Super Bowl because of one man: Kurt Warner.

No, Warner did not fumble that ball at the end of the game. Why the play wasn't reviewed by the booth is fodder for conspiracy theorists. (My theory is that the NFL wanted the Steelers to win. Yes, I also have a tinfoil hat.) If Warner had one more play I am certain that Boldin or Fitzgerald would have had one more TD and Warner would have had one more MVP award.

Yesterday, Kurt Warner retired. Five years from now I may make my first trip to Canton, Ohio to watch him become the newest member of the Hall of Fame. The stats are there, two MVPs, a Super Bowl MVP, the quickest to 10k yards and tying Marino as fastest to 30k yards, only the second player to have 14k yards with two teams, the best career accuracy, blah, blah. It goes on and on. Here are the stats that mean the most though: he took the Rams and Cardinals to the Super Bowl, his three games in the Super Bowl are the three best Super Bowls ever and his performances are the three best ever for a QB.

Kurt Warner is more than a player though. Warner is a Christian, practicing and unashamed. There has never been any kind of questionable behavior out of him - on or off the field. His teammates loved playing with him. His seven kids love him. His wife, the same one who was his wife before he became a star, loves him. I love him too.

"It's been an amazing ride," Warner said. "I don't think I could have dreamt it would have played out like it has, but I've been humbled every day that I woke up the last 12 years and amazed that God would choose to use me to do what he's given me the opportunity to do." (CNN Sports Illustrated.)

So, here is to Kurt Warner! The greatest QB in the world to Rams and Arizona fans and well respected as one of the best by every other fair minded fan.

I only wish I could yell once more from the stands, "Put Warner in!" while sitting on the visitors sideline watching Warner sit out while Bulger was on the field playing, only about 10 rows up from the field in Arizona as I watched the Rams and Cards play years ago.

Warner turned and smiled. It was the least I could do for my favorite NFL player.

Tea With Hezbollah by Ted Dekker

Ted Dekker along with Carl Medearis, his guide, and Samir, their man with the contacts, travel from Egypt to Syria and many points in between in an effort to sit with many of the ideologues of the Muslim world. The authors state that the goal is to find out what the important Muslims at each of the stops, be them Hamas or Hezbollah or unaffiliated (officially) think about Jesus' teaching on loving our neighbors as ourselves. Dekker calls the book a travelogue and it is a fitting description as the book documents their travels in the Middle East, more than actually deals with the issue at hand, which is to say that the question of how important Muslim thinkers and influencers think Jesus' teaching fits with their agenda and actions. Each of the conversations that Dekker has with each of the Muslim leaders is shared verbatim in transcript form so that there can be no issue of out of context quotes or agenda driven choices of quotes.

There are parts of this book that are absolutely fascinating. The history and perspectives were, in many cases, completely new to me even though I consider myself well read on current issues. On occasion, Dekker would go into depth on the history of a specific area and how the temples to such and such god were taken over by the Jews, then the Christians, then the Muslims. I also found the transcripts to be fascinating in that I gained insight into the background and character of those being interviewed. Unfortunately, I found that the book didn't actually answer the question posed in the introduction.

I found most of Dekker's worrying about going into the dangerous areas to be whiny. I get that he was scared, but he went for a book so I found that I didn't connect emotionally with his plight. If he had gone for a more altruistic reason I may have cared more. I also found the story of Nicole to be distracting. Sure it was an interesting aside, but I read this book to hear from the leaders of the Muslim world about the idea that we are called to love our enemies and I just didn't get that. In fact, the biggest let down in the book were the interviews. Dekker had an opportunity to discuss non-violence and love with very influential Muslims and he spent most of the interview asking inane questions like, "What is a joke that makes you laugh?" and "What kind of car do you drive?" The important questions came only at the end and little or no follow-up was made to them. I understand that Dekker is trying to humanize our so-called enemies so that we can do a better job in loving them, but I felt at times that humanizing them with the shallow questions did less to answer our concerns than to fill the pages of a book.

An interesting read that ultimately fails to deliver on its promise.

This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher. For more information click here.

Dug Down Deep by Joshua Harris

Joshua Harris takes the well known, but not well understood, parable of the builder (who builds his home on the sand vs the builder who builds his home on the rock under the sand) and applies it in a rich and insightful way to our understanding of Christian doctrine and theology. Dug Down Deep calls the reader to a deeper understanding of Christianity; to the why not just the what of our belief. It is a call to a firm foundation that will lead to a revived love for and appreciation of God. Each of the chapters in the book, after the first couple which serve to introduce us to the topic, go into greater depth on a specific orthodox theology, explaining why it matters and how we apply that knowledge to our walk with Christ.

In reading this book I found a balance between head knowledge and its affect on heart. Too many times I have seen someone go to the extreme on either side. I've seen people go too far to knowledge side where they know so much about God but they may not actually know God, and I've seen the opposite where people experience God but have no idea what their experiences mean. This book is a great resource for those in your life (including yourself) that fit into one of those categories.

Highly recommended.

This book was supplied by WaterBrook Multnomah as a review copy. Click here for more information.

The Male Factor by Shaunti Feldhahn

Like Shaunti Feldhahn's previous works, the Male Factor is commentary based on surveys. I was introduced to Feldhahn's work through For Men Only: A Straightforward Guide to the Inner Lives of Women, which I found to be very helpful in understanding my wife and her needs. And though I am a man interested in women, I also read For Women Only: What You Need to Know about the Inner Lives of Men to see how accurate I found the survey information to be. I found that Feldhahn was spot on and the surveys incredibly insightful. Now with this book, we get the same insightful information but based on surveys focused on the work environment instead of the home.

As a man in the business world I found that the survey was right inline with how I see the workplace and / or how I know that my male peers do. I imagine that if a woman was to read this book and implement some of the suggestions that they would immediately find their male peers much easier to work with and her job much more enjoyable. (In the same way, I look forward to the upcoming partner book, which will focus on how males can function better at work with females.) Interestingly, this book also sheds light on some of the weaknesses in the way that men function, and while reading I found that I could benefit from changing my worldview as well.

Another solid book that I recommend to all business people, male or female.

This book was supplied to me by the publisher as a review copy. More information here.

The NFL's Looney, er, Rooney Rule

The Rooney Rule in the NFL is an attempt to encourage diversity in hiring amongst the head coaches and senior football operations management. In 2003, the NFL adopted this rule required an interview with at least one minority candidate prior to hiring. Since the rule was implemented the percentage of head coaches in the NFL who are minorities has risen from 6% to 22%, although most are quick to add that the rule wasn't the deciding reason for the hiring of the minority.

Recently, the NFL has come under fire from proponents of affirmative action because of the hiring of Pete Carroll, formerly of USC, by the Seattle Seahawks. The Seahawks apparently had a deal in place with the highly sought after Carroll before interviewing a minority candidate. Some were (rightly) upset that the Seahawks gave a token interview to minority candidate, Leslie Frazier, the current Minnesota defensive coordinator.

The basic question that isn’t being asked right now, at least out loud, is: Why should the Seahawks have to interview anyone else if they already had their sight on Carroll? Interviewing a minority just to check it off their list cannot have been the intention of the Rooney Rule. I imagine it must have been humiliating for Frazier to go into the interview knowing he had no chance, plus only reason he was getting an interview was the color of his skin.

"That is not what the Rooney Rule is supposed to be is you make up your mind and then interview a candidate for it anyway just to satisfy the rule," Tony Dungy said to Sports Illustrated, speaking of another similar situation, the recent Washington Redskin head coach hiring.

I understand and agree that it does seem like minorities are under-represented, based upon the ratio of minority to majority players, in the highest levels of the NFL. The question is why? I don't know.

What I do know is that forcing people to interview minorities will simply result in a devaluing of the minority being interviewed. They become the token interview and no one who wasn't going to hire a minority will do so just because they got to talk to one. Sorry, Mr. Frazier, but you were taken advantage of by the Seahawks. Your skin color actually caused you to be victimized by a system that the Rooney Rule was supposed to help fix - not make worse.

Consider that Mr. Rooney, for which the rule is named, shortly after hiring Mike Tomlin for the Pittsburgh Steelers head coaching position, openly contended that the hiring did not result from the rule. If the Rooney Rule is actually promoting diversity and equality why would Mr. Rooney feel the need to justify the hiring of a minority? In a world without rules like this no one would wonder if Tomlin got his job because he was a minority.

I want a world like that.

The Rose Conspiracy by Craig Parshall

J.D. Blackstone is perfect. Well, except that he can't sleep. He has multiple degrees, knows everything, is in great shape, rich, a professor and lawyer. He drives a Maserati convertible. He has an attractive partner at the law firm and soon after the start of the book he has an attractive and very interested defendant. If this book was somehow filmed in black and white J.D. couldn't have been more stereotyped.

The damsel in distress. The forgetful professor of religion (he forgets when he dropped off his dry cleaning. Really?) The tough P.I. who can get any information you need with just a few calls to his contacts. Everyone in this book is a stereotype! And yet, I found that I enjoyed the book.

This crime drama was fast paced, detailed and fun. The Booth diary and the Freemasons make for a fun setting for this mystery. Are we ever very surprised? Not really. But that's something we can say of nearly every crime / courtroom show on TV yet we watch those.

The Rose Conspiracy is an enjoyable diversion that keeps the reader interested throughout.

This book was provided as a review copy by the publisher. For more information on this book visit HarvestHouse.com.