Happy @youtube #geekweek to @keirseyartisan’s @keirseyrational’s, @keirseyidealist’s and @keirseyguardian’s alike. Among this weeks nerd treasure trove of course was our first glimpse of Ashton Kutcher as legendary inventor, entrepreneur, and visionary; Steve Jobs.
@thejobsmovie @stevewoz @stevejobsceo #JobsMovie pic.twitter.com/IaFyQvlAuD
— Keirsey.com (@Keirseydotcom) August 6, 2013
Marvel’s promise to “keep taking risks” creatively into it’s Phase Two is already paying off, as relatively untested director Shane Black’s Iron Man 3 crushed it at the box-office AND with critics. Clinching the second highest domestic opening ever, and pulling in a gross $1,111,096,000 and rocking a 9/10 on IGN, Iron Man 3 is only Black’s second film as a director. Marvel Studios seems to have a knack for boldly pulling creative gem’s out of nowhere, like they did with Joss Whedon.
NOW IM NOT A MATHEMATICIAN OR ANYTHING: but Shane Black’s average rottentomatoes score as a director with only two films turned out to be 80.5%. Meaning that if making movies were like high-school, Black got a B. Pretty impressive. Equally not impressive: one could argue, is Zack Snyder’s average rottentomatoes score as a director with 5 films at 54.4%. Meaning that if making movies were like high-school, Snyder failed. LOLUMADBRO?!?
It is a popular Western view to say Crisis in Chinese is a simple combination of danger and opportunity. But that is not exactly correct. It’s a little more complicated.
Chinese philologist Victor H. Mair of the University of Pennsylvania calls the popular interpretation of wēijī in the English-speaking world a “widespread public misperception.” Mair suggests that jī in wēijī is closer to “crucial point” than to “opportunity.”
Nevertheless, They can relate to either interpretation.
They struggled much of their young lives, very close to danger and no opportunity before the crucial point — when the opportunity was encountered and made, by hard work and being very smart TOGETHER.
The Danger has passed. Now, China is the land of Opportunity for those who have the right combination and the right timing — and…
They do.
The 2013 Screen Actors Guild Awards evidently put Argo in front-running position to take home The Oscar’s coveted Best Picture. After being Oscar snubbed as a director, Affleck and his film have since cleaned up on awards culminating in SAG’s top-honor ensemble award. Daniel Day Lewis’ Oscar chances went from 95% to 99% with a SAG win, while Jennifer Lawrence and Anne Hathaway are also now a “shoe-in” as well or so they say.
Disney purchased 3 TV spots for tonight’s BIG GAME (Superbowl XLVII) at about 4 mill a pop while Warner Bros. opted to sit out for it’s third year in a row. Industry insider info indicates that Warner Bros. is strongly hinging on the commercial success of Man of Steel, before “moving forward” with it’s top-priority project: Justice League. The studio has every right to be nervous, banking it’s flag-ship character hopes on a director like Zack Snyder. Snyder had early success with 300 (60%), and arguably Watchmen (64%), but his most recent film Sucker Punch (23%), was literally god awful. Which explains why WB execs are hesitant.
AND SO while Warner Bros’ ensemble team-up film remains in limbo, Disney’s ensemble team-up film is well into it’s phase two, with Iron Man 3 and Thor: The Dark World coming this year. Marvel head honcho Kevin Feige says that the studio is going to “keep taking risks” creatively in phase two and beyond. One of such risks was casting Robert Downey Jr. as billionaire inventor Tony Stark. But that seemed to work out for everybody:
They don’t believe her.
And you wonder why?
Homo anthropologicus?
Scientists are supposed to be objective, open minded, fair minded, and logical. Paleoanthropology is supposed to be a science. Think again.
Unbelievable.
Awards Season is officially upon us as the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards saw Ricky Gervais return as host for the third time despite stirring up controversy for his previous two appearances. Controversy however as everyone knows, gets ratings, so they asked him back a third time. The British comedians’ controversial appeal seemed to fizzle out as the 2012 award show got underwhelming ratings numbers. Big winners include critically acclaimed The Artist which took home Best Comedy or Musical, while The Descendants and George Clooney took home Best Motion Picture and Best Actor. Meryl Streep won her eighth Golden Globe Award which has to be some sort of record, somebody should look that up. ‘Regal but never solemn’ dignitary actor Morgan Freeman was honored with the Golden Globes Lifetime Achievement “Cecil B. Demille” Award and accepted it with utmost grace. The 74-year old actor has recently received similar honors with an American Film Institute’sLifetimeAchievement Award, and also the People’s Choice Awards first ever ‘Movie Icon’ award. The ‘stately’ actor kept his acceptance speech short and sweet, commenting that his still very busy career made him appreciate the people with whom he had worked and “how much fun he had been having”. Without kissing too much ass let’s take a look at this prime example of acting nobility Morgan Freeman.
Morgan Freeman (born June 1, 1937) is an American actor, director, aviator and narrator. He is noted for his reserved demeanor and authoritative speaking voice. Freeman found his passion in life early, making his acting debut at age 9. Freeman did have other interests, passing up a drama scholarship to work as a mechanic for the United States Air Force. Acting however eventually took over full time as his passion and profession when he moved to Los Angeles in the 1960’s. Being an African American actor during that time proved trying, but Freeman’s love for acting shined through as he won a string of prominent supporting roles in many feature films, earning him a reputation for depicting wise, fatherly characters. He started with big rolls in Driving Miss Daisy and Glory in 1989, but really broke into the upper-eschelon acting scene with his critically acclaimed portrayal of ‘Red’ in The Shawshank Redemption. Freeman went on to win an Oscar for his role in Million Dollar Baby, and eventually played his dream role of Nelson Mandela. Intellectual, independent, and a systematic thinker who is surprisingly scientific Morgan Freeman is undoubtedly an Inventor Rational. Indeed Freeman’s iconic brand of composed elegance seems to have maintained itself quite well throughout his acting career, as he always seems to play the same poised, wise, and intelligent old man. But hey, let’s not hold it against him.
If you do what you love, you’ll never have to work a day in your life.
Many people (Morgan Freeman included) are easily able to hop on what is called the “Artisan Bandwagon”. In other words, all three other temperaments envy the Artisans uncanny ability to excel in whatever they happen to ‘dabble’ into, which is typically a plethora of activities. Everyone is charmed and beguiled by the Artisans’ joyful sense of fun and excitement, and usually have no problem joining them occasionally in their carefree mindset. Though the other three temperaments maintain their innate qualities, a large number of people engage in behaviors and professions that are typically associated with the Artisan, but are not in fact Artisans. Put simply, the “Artisan Bandwagon” is very easy to hop on to.
Guardians very much relate to and emulate Artisans because they both live in the concrete world of what is going on around them: be it fashion, events, people, etc. Guardians are often very envious of their Artisan cousins’ ability to throw caution to the wind and have a good time, and often mimic such behavior. At the end of the day however, they will always return to their stoic, shoulder-to-the-wheel mindset when the fun is over.
Rationals relate to Artisans in the realm of utilitarianism, as both temperaments ultimately just want to get things done. Rationals envy the Artisans’ uncanny ability to excel in the short term, and often try to compete with their Artisan cousins’ inherent affinity for talent and skill. Ultimately however, Rationals approach such Artisan professions and activities with a logical mind.
Idealists primary suit is diplomacy, which causes them to often ‘get in the heads’ or ‘walk in the shoes’ of those around them. Most of the time, the prevailing temperament in their social environment of course is the Artisan. Artisans largely dominate most social scenes, as do Artisan mindsets, as most ‘social scenes’ involve going out and having fun, something that the Artisan excels at. And thus Idealists have no problem relating to their Artisan friends, and as a result often seem like one of them. All in all, however, the Idealists primary concern is and always will be diplomacy.
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows opened this past weekend to an underwhelming box-office presence and mixed but positive reviews. Warner Bros. was already reeling from a horrendous debut of its ensemble holiday rom-com New years eve proving once and for all that no one should ever make ensemble holiday rom-com’s of any kind. Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows still ranked #1 at the weekend box office leading Hollywood to believe that people are cramming all of their holiday shopping in rather than seeing movies. Most criticisms of the film arose mainly from it’s slight affinity for senseless action, and Robert Downey Jr. being an ex-coke-head-hooker-junkie portraying one of the most beloved literary intellectuals of all time. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s most infamous and cunning villain Professor James Moriarty serves as the primary antagonist in the film and does a great job at that. Indeed the film becomes a very intriguing battle between two powerful intellectuals (Inventor vs. Mastermind), culminating in a deadly chess match. Despite being a former cocaine addict, Robert Downey Jr. actually does quite well in portraying Sherlock Holmes, as Holmes was actually a bit of a cocaine addict himself. Downey said he had researched the role much more this time around, further bridging the gap between him being a blazing Artisan portraying a brilliant Rational. Criticisms aside Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows is packed with action, romance, bromance, intellectualism, plenty of pipe-smoking, deadly chess matches, and smelly french gypsies so let’s go ahead and take a look at the dynamic deductive duo of Holmes and Watson.
Sherlock Holmes is a London-based private detective world renowned for his astute logical reasoning, his skills in the art of disguise, and his use of forensic science to solve cases. Holmes prides himself on his ability to successfully draw large conclusions from minuscule observations. Holmes is described by his dear friend Watson as ‘Bohemian‘: a very eccentric man “with no regard for contemporary standards“. “What appears to others as chaos, however, is to Holmes a wealth of useful information.” Indeed Holmes finds solving complex problems highly stimulating, and has an insatiable hunger for knowledge. Certainly Sherlock Holmes‘ innovative attitude causes him to bend the truth and rules quite often, all of course on behalf of solving cases. While Holmes’ demeanor often comes across as that of a distant or cold intellectual, while in the midst of an interesting adventure Holmes is capable of remarkable passion and can even display a flair for showmanship. Highly eccentric, extremely intellectual, possessing an innovative attitude and entrepreneurial spirit Sherlock Holmes is the quintessential Inventor Rational. Indeed Holmes‘ often relies on his talent for improvisation and expedient action, as do most Inventors, a habit that often gets him into trouble. Not to worry though, as Inventors like Holmes’ entrepreneurial spirit often miraculously gets them out of the jams they put themselves in. However, so does his dear friend Watson.
Doctor John H. Watson is Holmes’ faithful companion and trusty sidekick, and also Holmes‘ dearest and oldest friend. Watson chronicles the majority of Holmes’ professional ventures, and is the narrator in most of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle‘s novels. Watson is described as a capable and brave companion to Holmes, while also serving as a skilled sharpshooter and a talented doctor and surgeon. Though the two companions have a close relationship, Holmes’ often appears to abuse Watson and take him for granted. Watson often attempts to solve crimes on his own using Holmes’ method, with moderate success. Though Watson never masters Holmes’ deductive methods, he is astute enough to follow his good friends line of reasoning. Watson essentially serves as solid and consistent moral and physical support for his dear friend Sherlock Holmes. Extremely dependable, highly attentive, and overwhelmingly patient serving as a great source of strength and stability for Holmes Doctor John Watson is undoubtedly an Inspector Guardian. Indeed Watson puts up with quite a bit from his dear friend Sherlock Holmes, but offers thoroughness, detail, legality, and order to compliment the innovative talents of his esteemed colleague.
Guardians are comfortable with the Rationals’ skeptical attitude and obsession with their work, which seem very much like their own pessimism and sense of duty; they often admire the NTs ingenuity, which is such a reach from their own reliance on by-the-book routine. Please Understand Me II, p. 227-228
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows can be seen at a theater near you.
When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth.
Holmes was a man of habits… and I had become one of them… a comrade… upon whose nerve he could place some reliance… a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him… If I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness in my mentality, that irritation served only to make his own flame-like intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.
Marvel Entertainment Inc. brought a strong presence to NYCC (New York Comic-Con) this weekend to further promote their beloved and blossoming potential blockbuster movie franchise The Avengers. The panel showed some never-before-seen footage and did some Q&A. Marvel head honcho Kevin Fiege then opened up to fans about how happy he was with the direction the studio was going, culminating in an Avengers film. The Avengers however, as Fiege explained, is certainly not the end of the road for Marvel/Disney.
Fiege hinted at the fact that ‘phase two of the Marvel Movie Universe‘ will include another round of solo films, and then culminate in a second Avengers film. That however, is not all. Marvel reportedly has five projects currently in development. Iron Man 3 is in pre-production for a 2013 release attached to director Shane Black. Thor 2 will begin pre-production soon and just picked up director Patty Jenkins (Monster). An Ant-man film is ‘still nebulous but definitely in the works’. Guardians of the Galaxy and Inhumans films are also reportedly in the works. With so much success in their mainstream characters it seems a bit risky to put out obscure characters like some mentioned above. Lucky enough for Marvel it has an insurance policy: The Walt Disney Company.
Disney bought Marvel about two years ago for over $4 billion. While things indeed seem to be going well for both companies since the acquisition, Marvel has made deals with other studios to distribute some of their movies (spider-man, x-men, daredevil, etc.) making the Avengers and its four superheroes a coveted ‘in-house’ Marvel enterprise. Without kissing too much Walt-Disney/Marvel ass, let’s take a look at the first avenger to make it to the big screen, and also by far the most box office successful avenger: Iron Man.
Anthony Edward Stark is the son of industrialist and inventor Howard Stark, and demonstrated his mechanical aptitude and extraordinary inventive genius at an early age. Inheriting his father’s company Stark Industries, Tony blossomed into a billionaire industrialist, and an ingenious engineer. With a highly ‘innovative attitude‘, an ‘entrepreneurial spirit‘, and a ‘charming capacity‘ to ignore the standard, the traditional, and the authoritative: Tony Stark is undoubtedly an Inventor Rational. Indeed the Inventor‘s tendency to depend on their capability and inventiveness can get them in trouble at times. Tony took this concept a bit too far when he ignored security concerns and ended up with shrapnel lodged in his chest. In classic Inventor Rational fashion, Tony used his creative and inventive genius to devise a mechanical suit that saved his life. And thus, Iron Man was born. Indeed Tony is constantly searching for new projects, as we will no doubt see in the Avengers, and always tinkering with and improving his mechanical suit. Indeed given their exceptional propensity to innovate, Inventors have a tendency to live their lives somewhat on the brink of disaster: as evidenced by Tony Stark’s perpetuated struggles with alcoholism. Tony Stark having a somewhat reckless and at-times irresponsible persona in the comics goes hand-in-hand of course with casting the likes of Robert Downey Jr. The Armored Avenger can be seen amongst his super squad May 2012, and again by himself May 2013.
My kingdom for a Radio Shack. 
While Marvel/Disney seems to have it’s sh*t together, DC/Warner Bros. is still searching for solid cash cows to replace the likes of Harry Potter and The Dark Knight. While they do have The Hobbit films coming up, they simply cannot afford setbacks like Green Lantern if they actually want to directly compete with The Avengers and it’s four characters with already well-developed fan-bases.
Marvel/Disney seems poised to keep churning out inter-related superhero blockbusters while DC/Warner Bros. still has yet to find solid JLA (Justice League of America) footing. In the epic battle for Hollywood supremacy that is Marvel/Disney vs. DC/Warner Bros.: Marvel/Disney is cleaning house.