Triple Frown...again!!!

Well, I guess a good week has passed since the hype over Big Brown's loss in the Belmont Stakes that cost him the Triple Crown. This was a horse with promise. I guess it all has been said before, hasn't it? An undefeated horse with a lot of potential. Oh, to bring this into context...he held the top post position, #1, started out third throughout the race, then in the homestretch he pulled up and finished last. No horse with a shot at the Triple Crown had ever finished last in the Belmont before this.

Remember, this is the 30th Anniversary of Affirmed's big win in Belmont and the last Triple Crown winner. But, as with other recent horses winning the first two jewels (Kentucky Derby and Preakness), it has always been the "same old song".

Earlier last week Big Brown had that cracked foot. I think that's what did him in this time.

I'm sorry to say though I feel no sympathy for Big Brown, none what so ever. You see, the Triple Crown is one of the toughest challenges of any athlete, human or animal, in any sport. Each distance gets longer and the quest becomes tougher. The trophy (which would have been presented in the Winner's Circle at Belmont) is a tough prize to get. And so it goes for yet another year...what is it now? 30 years? The longest drought in history since the last Triple Crown winner Affirmed in 1978?

Certainly it has already brought bad luck to the "sport of kings" and a reputation ruined. Not to mention all the terrible tragedies that have followed each losing year (anyone remember a thing called 9/11?) I guess we're cursed again. Brace yourself...

In the meantime, let the bells toll 30 times for each year the Triple Crown has not been won. 30 years and counting. Horses, trainers, and jockeys, it's up to you to stop the streak...and perhaps help bring solace to a rapidly deteriorating sport called thoroughbred racing.

The Summer Movie Blockbuster Race

So it begins again...Hollywood is out to get your top dollar at the box office this summer. And already it is heating up. After last week's spectacular results of the long-awaited sequel "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" (earning over $300 million in its first week alone worldwide), here comes "Sex And The City", taking first place. Hmmmm...that just tells you something. It sounds like the possibility of a bona-fide runaway box office smash is not very good. Here today, gone tomorrow, it seems. With the state of the economy and the outbreak of cable channels everywhere, is it any wonder the chemistry of a Hollywood box office hit isn't there? Well, it's not over yet, folks. The race has only begun. Personally, I can't wait to see "The Dark Knight" since I'm a Batman fan myself.

What a Universal surprise

As if NBC's misfortunes were not bad enough...well, what happened on Sunday was surprising indeed. Sister company Universal Studios went through a fiery time of their own. A fire destroyed much of their studio back lot. That is sad indeed considering some of the greatest films and television series ever made were done at Universal. Amongsted the casualties: much of the city settings you've been seeing in films for the past few decades, and the "courthouse" set of the "Back To The Future" films. That is sad indeed. Much of the film companies could not make their product without these great sets. Otherwise they'd spend a whole lot more going on location. Yes, it will take millions of dollars to rebuild the sets, but I can guarantee you they won't be the same.

Another bit of bad news...much of their archived films and videotapes were also lost in the fire. But here is the good news...duplicates of what was lost were made, and luckily Universal had the good sense of making back-up copies for storage elsewhere. That is very, very important, especially in an era where film preservation and restoration is extremely critical. Otherwise much of our entertainment history would now not exist for us to see.

I hope that film companies and archivists everywhere will learn a huge lesson from the Universal fire. Just making one copy of a film is not enough. You have to make several, so if one is ever lost there will be at least one more to go by. Much of what we've made since the beginning of the 20th Century has already been lost. But much of what is left can be saved if we put our minds to it.

That is your "Fire 101" lesson for today. There will be a test later.