Yes, that right, we are going to a game in Green Bay, finally fulfilling one of my wives life long dreams. It seems that after getting a Green Bay Packers sticker out of a loaf of bread at the tender age of 8, she became a life long Packers fanatic. For as long as I have known her, and I have known her a LONG time, she has gone on and on about her desire to see a game at Lambeau in the cold and snow.

Sunday night forecast is for a low of 21 degree with snow. It looks like she'll get her wish. A bizarre wish for a woman that hates to be cold as much as she hates the word mucus. But never let it be said that I stood in the way of a woman and her wish to watch Brett Favre while freezing her ass off.

That's the exact scenario we were facing this past weekend. We were really a fill in for another band that had to cancel and we had asked to not be included in the judging. Our request was denied and we were crowned the winners. Just goes to prove that playing an instrument is like riding a bike.

So, if you ever need a jazz fusion band that throws in a few classic rock songs here and there for your next party, just let me know. We'll even see if we can arrange to practice a couple of times before we show up.

Photos and Video from the gig are coming soon.

Everyone knows Francis Ford Coppola for The Godfather films and rightly so.  With The Godfather films, Coppola was able to elevate what could have easily been a crime soap opera into one of the greatest examinations of a family ever laid to film. What's even more amazing is that just prior to making The Godfather Part II, he made a small gem with Gene Hackman called The Conversation that is equal to both of The Godfather films (sorry to exclude part III) in everyway.

Wanting to get away from the grand scale of The Godfather, he decided to make a small film about Harry Caul, a paranoid and personally-secretive surveillance expert (Hackman) whose work in years prior led to the murders of three people. When Harry is later hired by the head of a large corporation to spy on two young employees, he fears that he may again be being pulled into a plot to harm those he's spying on.

Coppola obviously intended to comment on the paranoia of the times that had been brought about by Watergate. In doing so, he taps into the psyche of all those that find their best intentions leading to their worst nightmares.

When you're a sports fan there's never a need to hesitate when asked who you favorite team is. Either you state your hometown team or a franchise that you grew up loving despite geographical distance. The team you love defines who you are and what you love about that sport.

When you're raised on cinema instead of sports, it comes down to a simple question; What is your favorite film of all time. A simple question that I simply can't answer.

My wife would tell you that I love to live in the lie that I don't believe in the concept of favorites all the while knowing that I have films that mean more to me than others. I think that she just wants me to finally step up to the plate and make up my mind.

So, in answer to this question, I'm going to list 10 films that have each had profound effects on me during my almost 39 years. Each of them will have a brief description of why that film is dear to me.

In alphabetical order:

1) Citizen Kane -- I saw this film when was a small boy and like so many others found it to be an incredible bore. Years later when I finally decided to remove my head from my ass and study my true passion I sat down and watched it again. Oh my god... Put aside the innovations. Put aside what is arguably the best script ever written. Put aside Greg Tolan's amazing camera work. Simply sit back and watch the single best film by a first time director. Every person that is preparing to study film should sit down to watch Citizen Kane before they begin their journey.  Orson is one of my greatest inspirations, despite my wife telling me he was an overrated wine salesman.

2) The Graduate -- I first watched in my mid-teens because one of my parents female friends whispered in my ear, "I'll be your Mrs. Robinson anytime you want" just before walking out their door. I knew the name of Mrs. Robinson came from The Graduate, but had no idea what the context of the statement meant. Holy Shit! Imagine if you can how close I came to actually shitting my pants while watching the movie. I never looked at my parent’s friend quite the same way again, but forever had an unbreakable crush on the late Anne Bancroft. I never figured out if that was demented in some way or another.

3) Jaws -- Another great work by a young director, but Jaws truly had its great effect on me due to my father telling me I couldn't see it because it was too intense for a boy that was 10 years old at the time. His efforts at good parenting didn't keep me from sneaking in to see it. Damnit, I should have listened to him. I still don't care for swimming in the open waters.

4) The Last Picture Show -- For my money, this is the best film about living in a small Texas town. The town I grew up in was nowhere near this small, but the town my father grew up in is. At it's heart the conflicting love for but need to escape the confines of a small towns grip are what ring so true to me. A conflict I feel every time I go back home.

5) Magnolia -- My wife and I almost divorced over this movie. We had both seen and loved the director's previous effort, Boogie Nights. So we went in eager to embrace this movie as well. Immediately I was intrigued by the plot structure that covers so many "main" characters but really only has one central voice all wrapped up in dialogue that is at times almost poetic. About 30 minutes into the film I looked over to my wife to see if I could tell what she was thinking. I've never seen a more vibrant color of red shining through the darkness of a theater. My God she hated that movie. She was offended, outraged, disgusted and insulted by a movie that I found so profound. It's said that all great art divides and I don't doubt it.

6) Star Wars -- I think it shocks those that know me that I won't just come out and call this my favorite film of all time. I can't, but I can say it may be the film that influenced me more than any other. My sister and I fought my father when he said we were going to see something called Star Wars. We both thought it sounded boring. That thought didn't last long as an enormous spaceship came blazing over our heads. When the lights came up, I knew if I couldn't be a part of that world, I wanted to learn how to make it myself. Thus began my obsession with cinema.

7) To Kill a Mockingbird -- This story has been so amazingly tied to my entire life. It was the first "adult" book I read. I remember rushing home everyday after school to pick up the book to see what happened to Scout and Jem next. Later that year I went with my father as he auditioned for a local theater companies production of To Kill a Mockingbird. I had no intentions of reading for the part, but being raised by a very proper mother I agreed to read when asked. To my shock I got the part of Jem, while my father got nothing. I grew up during the months of rehearsals for the play and truly found my voice the first time I walked onto the stage in front of a live audience. Watching this film makes me want to go back in time and embrace that fourteen year old boy.

8) West Side Story -- You either love musicals or hate them. I land on the side of the former. A musical works because the characters experience such strong emotions that the only way they can express themselves is by breaking into song or dance. I think there is no more romantic a genre than the musical and no other film accomplishes it better than West Side Story. Of course it doesn't hurt when your director just happens to be the guy that edited Citizen Kane.

9) Schindler's List -- Yes Spielberg allows the final scene to get out of control, but he so quickly redeems himself with the pseudo-documentary footage at the end showing the survivors of Oscar Schindlers factories. No other piece of film has devastated me so greatly.

10) Young Frankenstein -- If you watch the original Frankenstein by James Whale then immediately pop in Mel Brooks wonderful ode/parody, you'll see why in order to satirize something, you must first embrace your source to the point of obsession. Nothing makes me laugh harder than seeing the Frankenstein monster sing "Puttin' on the Ritz".

Well, there it is. Ten films that had profound effects on me. Ask me for that list tomorrow, and it'll probably change. Of course, that may be in order to never give into my wife's need for me to conform to the idea of favorites.

This film is a brooding noir thriller that understands if you have a hero with no powers, he'll have to use the shadow and deception to defeat the criminals he hunts. Batman takes on the image of the bat, hoping to strike fear into the heart of evil-doers, and he does. Chris Nolan's Batman is not a stand up comic running around in a rubber suit fighting actors in make-up who haven't taken a challenging role since they ordered toast in the 70's. (Go watch "Five Easy Pieces" if you don't get this. You won't be sorry) He's also not a good actor running from the governor of California while in a multi-colored batsuit with nipples.

No, this Batman doesn't need gimicks. This one works because the director understands why a man would dress up like a bat to avenge the death of his parents. Did I mention how much I hated the nipples?

I watched Hotel Rwanda this weekend and could not help but think I was watching one of the better made for television films I'd seen in a long time. The story is a powerful, often gut wrenching retelling of the genocidal events that took place in Africa during the 90's. It's a story that must be told for future generations to understand that hate only needs the smallest of embers to ignite.

My only wish is that it had been told by a more experienced director. In the hands of Terry George, Hotel Rwanda suffers from not understanding the greatest rule of cinematic storytelling; Show me, don't tell me.

The film is constantly compared to Schindler's List and rightfully so from a human perspective as they both show that one person can stand up to hate and make a difference. Comparisons can also be made for the outstanding performances of the leads. Both Liam Neeson and Don Cheadle offer Oscar caliber performances as the men whom fate thrusts into the role of savior.

However, the comparisons end there. Where Oscar Schindler is given numerous moments to actually see the atrocities committed against the Jewish people, Hotel Rwanda only provides a few brief moments for the horror to sink in to its main character. All too often his information is learned from the updates given from the military.

I'm not trying to say that you should avoid this movie. In fact, see it. Please see it. Stories like this have to be told time and time again because the human race just can't seem to understand that we can't continue to act the way we do. I just wish that the writer/director could have had the courage to show us what we should all be afraid of.

 From the opening rendition of "Reason to Believe", performed through a mono-mix mic with severe reverb, to the closing percussive version of "Promised Land", Bruce crafted an evening full of enlightening selections meant to make us each ponder the truths we tell ourselves while we know our souls are in question.

One note to the noted three young inebriated fans that stormed out halfway through the show when they realized the E Street Band wasn't coming out. Look at your tickets and notice the part under the name of the performer that says Solo Acoustic Tour. If you see that, it might be a hint of what you should expect from the evening. Your storming out proved nothing to the rest of us that stayed and experienced a truly powerful performance.

It's not for the depth of characters or the sheer desperation many of the character face. No, my surprise comes from the simple fact that for the first time in Bruce's history as the quiet storyteller (previously Nebraska & The Ghost of Tom Joad) he's chosen to expand the arrangements of the songs to include the occasional sparse band, slide guitar or even fiddle.

Gone are the days of Nebraska demos that were recorded in his bedroom. Gone are the guitar and singer arrangements of Tom Joad. Instead we are given and album that flows up and down like life; one moment propelling us along as hope blinds us to it's hardships and the next leaving us with nothing but the doubts that fill our heads.

Like so many other of his albums, the stories of Devils & Dust center on a group of characters all trying to exist while all examining the same question posed in the title track:

Well I've got God on my side
And I'm just trying to survive
What if what you do to survive
Kills the things you love

Some of the characters fail, some succeed and other are left to exist somewhere in between. A truth that can be applied to us all.

I know that most of the world thinks of Bruce Springsteen as the arena rocker who belts out anthems like "Born to Run". I don't bemoan anyone their affection for this side of Bruce; I will forever embrace the softer, more literate side who has a powerful story that needs to be heard.