The Hound Of Ulster

Apparently, Sam Raimi might get the first SHOT at The Hobbit.

Word from a reliable source indicates that Sam Raimi has been approached to direct The Hobbit. Since Peter Jackson’s (Middle-)earth shattering news that he is off the project, it seems the Spider-Man director may step into his place.

Um, no thanks.

I don’t think the loss of Jackson is a significant blow - the film will almost certainly be visually (and in spirit) very similar to PJ, no matter who directs it. Hollywood hates to mess with success. But Raimi doesn’t seem like a fit at all. If my choices were Chris Columbus or Raimi, Sam’d get the nod. But that’s about it. (Well, Michael Bay would get Raimi sure-fire approval, too.)

But I’m definitely leaning towards the “PJ’s Grand Scheme” READING.

A German website, Elbenwald.de, posted an interview with Zaentz, who acquired the rights to the works of the late Rings writer, J.R.R. Tolkien, in 1976 (the Saul Zaentz Company owns Tolkien Enterprises), in which Zaentz says, “It will definitely be shot by Peter Jackson. … Next year The Hobbit rights will fall back to my company. I suppose that Peter will wait because he knows that he will make the best deal with us. And he is fed up with the studios: to get his profit share on the Rings trilogy he had to sue New Line. With us, in contrast, he knows that he will be paid fairly and artistically supported without reservation.”

The plot thickens - approaching the consistency of concrete.

When free agency started, I saw the starting pitcher names being thrown around as potential Dodgers. And I wasn’t particularly pleased with any of them. Sure, Zito is good - but he’s going to cost a fortune. And Schmidt will get hurt for certain - it’s just a question of when the injury actually happens.

From the beginning, I was watching Randy Wolf. He’s had impressive stretches, and was coming back from a surgery that usually takes more than a year for recovery. So, last season’s numbers were fairly pedestrian - meaning a lower price tag, and a (fairly) high chance of success.

This is perfect Thanksgiving weekend NEWS.

In the end, it might have come down to just wanting to go home for Randy Wolf.

Multiple published reports, citing unidentified sources, said late Sunday night that the free-agent left-handed starter is expected to join the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Wolf is believed to be accepting a one-year deal with a club option for 2008, according to foxsports.com. Los Angeles is said to be safeguarding against the possible departure of Greg Maddux. The Phillies were believed to be offering more to retain him, but the lure of pitching for his hometown team proved too difficult to resist. Wolf is from Canoga Park, Calif., and attended Pepperdine University. He still lives in the Los Angeles area.

Plus, this is very FUN.

An older (yet still highly timely) post: 

There is no vocations crisis in this country. None. There is a crisis of courage. God has called all the men we need to serve His Church as priests. More than enough. There is never a lack of abundant blessings from our Father. There is, however, a lack of generous acceptance of His abundance. We, as a Church, can only benefit from those blessings that we accept, only those that we eagerly bring in and use and give thanks to God for! So my question is: if God is sending us all the vocations we need, why do we have such a shortage of priests?

The young men God is calling aren’t saying YES to the call. Why? The reasons are as old as the world: money, sex, prestige, or should I say the fear of not having any money sex, or prestige. Forgive me for saying this, but it needs to be said: there is a profound lack of courage among you who are called but will not say YES. What do you fear? If God has called you to the priesthood, what more do you need than His word setting you on the way? Yes, you will have to give up sex, money, and prestige. Why is this a problem for a Christian? Have you bought into the pagan ideal of the virile man? You can’t be a man if you don’t have a treasure box full of gold, an enviable career, and a little black book full of women?!

No, I’m not saying that the vows of a Catholic priest are easy to live out. Far from it. It takes courage, resolve, and a lot of hard work with God’s grace to be a faithful ordained man of God. And the reward for this hard work isn’t always what we might want. But that’s what sacrifice is—giving to God the best we have and trusting that He will use it to the best possible end.

That’s Fr. Philip Powell, OP - a blogging PRIEST who teaches at the University of Dallas.  I’m not exactly sure which fact is more encouraging: that he is willing to “call a spade a spade” when it comes to vocations, or that he is teaches at UD.  Great stuff.  And as a special bonus, he PODCASTS.  (HT: DOM)