As of this morning, there was word from Clay's mom that he's feeling much better, though he's still on treatment for sinusitis. It's great news, and hopefully, with the American Idol tour coming to an end this Sunday, he'll be able to rest up before taking on further commitments. :)

By the way, there's an excellent link to Clay videos, audio clips and photos. I finally managed to view his Raleigh performance of This Is The Night. They're not joking when they tell you to "grab some Kleenex"! Make sure you also click on the "Invisible" performance from St. Louis. It takes forever to download, and you can't save it to your hard disk, but it's worth the wait!

And speaking of Clay, I dropped by Best Of Books at Great World City today, and found a pewter coin engraved with the words "What Would Jesus Do". Claymates all know this phrase is present on his bracelet, which he wears without fail, so if you want to buy the coin version ( the store doesn't sell bracelets ), this is the place to get it.

Seems I made a mistake when I said The Guardian screens on Wednesday nights. It's actually on Thursdays -- ie. tonight. Blame it on my funny shifts. Once, a nurse said it was Sunday when it was actually Tuesday. But considering the fact that their hours are a lot longer than ours ( 12 hours, without exception ), this slip doesn't surprise me!

I've only got 3 days of leave left! Ack! Time passes quickly when you're working, but it goes by even faster when you're trying to relax. At least I got most of my errands done, and had the chance to watch "S.W.A.T." this afternoon. Here's my review.

Some spoilers included, so take note!

They all say it's a movie remake of the successful TV show, but I've never seen the small screen version, so I can't make any comparisons. All I can say is, I really enjoyed the film, and it's money well-spent. ( I didn't have to pay, though, since I used movie vouchers redeemed from my credit card company. :) )

The basic storyline is simple: SWAT guru ( Samuel L. Jackson ) assembles an elite team of young police officers to wage battles on the streets of LA. Throw in an international terrorist type character ( Olivier Martinez, aka Kylie Minogue's newest beau ), lots of car chases, shootings and explosions, and you've got 2 easy hours to fill.

Thankfully, SWAT also manages to keep you interested through its impressive star power. Jackson isn't a favourite of mine, but you can't really imagine anyone else in his shoes either. After some over-the-top performances in past films ( e.g. The Negotiator ), he turns low-key in this one, letting his juniors take centrestage while maintaining a constant, comforting presence. You just know that, no matter what happens, he'll step in to save the day.

The supporting players are well-cast, especially Michelle Rodriguez, whose strong resemblance to the beautiful and kick-butt Jennifer Lopez was pointed out in the script when someone nicknamed her "J. Lo". Boasting a physique as toned as Angelina Jolie's, offset by an almost angelic face (not to mention exquisite complexion ), she's believable as a no-nonsense SWAT officer and a loving mom. Here's a force to be reckoned with.

Colin Farrell, Hollywood's "it" boy for this year, doesn't disappoint. I predicted great things for him after watching his performance in "Minority Report", and he's made the right choices in his career since then. He's good-looking, fit, well-suited to action roles, and sensible enough not to overact like some of his counterparts. He's no Kevin Spacey, but hey, he still has plenty of time left for Oscar-baiting later in life.

The guy I was most looking forward to seeing, however, is Josh Charles. Josh who? Well, if you're as big a fan of Dead Poets Society as I am, you will recognize him as the fine young actor who played lovelorn preppie Knox Overstreet in that Peter Weir classic. Back then, he was soft and cuddly at best, but in my opinion, his sweet portrayal stole the show from protagonists Ethan Hawke and Robert Sean Leonard. As you can imagine, I was delighted to see him buffed up for his role as T.J., looking tan and healthy, and getting the opportunity to flex his acting muscles as well, thanks to a nice plot twist in which he plays an integral part. I've always loved seeing favourite actors from my childhood / teenhood years grow into thud-worthy specimens of masculinity. :D Other examples include:
Chris O'Donnell -- from Scent Of A Woman to Vertical Limit
Ben Affleck -- from School Ties to Armageddon and everything following that
Matt Damon-- from The Rainmaker to The Bourne Identity
John Cusack -- from Say Anything to Con Air
Add Josh Charles to that list!

The next movie I'm going to catch will be "Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl". It looks spectacular, and has Johnny Depp and Orlando Bloom in it. Need I say more? ;)

72 hours left till Monday. Sigh.......