I often enjoy watching a show on Hulu when having dinner at home. Tonight I put on an episode of The Good Guys, a new "opposite buddy cop show" with Bradley Whitford and Colin Hanks.

One of the limited commercial interruptions was a public service announcement about exercise featuring Michelle Obama and Elmo on Sesame Street.

I immediately thought of the two great Muppet moments in The West Wing episode "Eppur Si Muove." The first is the scene where First Lady Abbey Bartlet played by Stockard Channing gives Elmo a checkup. Having recently given up her medical license, Elmo wonders aloud if Bartlet should proceed.

"Do you have a diploma you could show Elmo? Can Elmo be frank? This laughing is not filling Elmo with confidence!"

The other great moment is the culmination of many height-related jokes at the expense of C.J. Cregg played by Allison Janney. I think this single frame from the scene during which no dialogue is spoken stands on its own.

According to the Muppet Wiki, the following politicians have appeared with Muppets on television or in person: Kofi Annan, Joe Biden, Michael Bloomberg, Barbara Bush, Laura Bush, George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, Christopher Dodd, Queen Elizabeth II, David Gergen, Mike Huckabee, Glenda Jackson, Jesse Jackson, Ed Koch, Wim Kok, Ralph Nader, Michelle Obama, Barack Obama, Johannes Rau and Christian Wulff. In addition, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Michael Mullen attended a movie screening with Muppets and Kermit has even appeared several times on Hannity & Colmes.

Three weeks ago, I received an invitation from Edelman public relations to attend the grand opening of the new IMAX-branded digital projection theatre at AMC Tallahassee Mall 20. As I was previously unaware of this joint venture and it sounded interesting, I accepted and was reserved two complimentary seats. In selecting Saturday, 19 September 2009, the second day of operations, I was able to obtain tickets to two shows, Space Station (2002) and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009), both in IMAX 3D but the former being privately screened before the theatre opened.

Parking next to the entrance and walking into the mall at a yawn-inducing 0745, Omar and I are not completely sure what to expect. I was sent a press release that covered the basics, but I decided to wait until after the screenings to investigate more. As soon as the main gate retracted, we proceeded with the other guests to the converted Theatre 19, received extremely durable 3D glasses—not like those flimsy paper red and blue film ones—and found the seats with "reserved" signs on them.

After a brief introduction by the theatre's general manager, our first taste of the experience came when a few of the trailers were in 3D including the green band rating cards that preceded them. The previews for Where the Wild Things Are, A Christmas Carol and Avatar were all visually impressive and increased our anticipation of the feature presentation.

Space Station 3D, presented by NASA and Lockheed Martin, is the story of the International Space Station's history, the people behind it and how international cooperation is essential to its mission and daily operation. Competently narrated by Tom Cruise, the film takes you on an adventure with incredibly awesome and moving imagery encompassing all aspects of the ISS program including the launch, docking and landing of the Space Shuttle, the launch of a crew replacement and cargo rocket from Baikonur Cosmodrome, Kazakhstan, training simulations and, of course, plenty of construction and typical activities aboard the ever-growing station.

To say I was blown away by Space Station is an understatement. The amount of visual detail in this first-ever IMAX 3D space film is astounding. I found myself not always focusing on the action because of the opportunity to look around and notice small details like how the on-board amateur radio is a standard HT model mounted to the bulkhead or that the crew uses ThinkPad notebooks, a logical choice in my professional opinion. And if this was not impressive enough, all the 65 mm filming that took place in orbit 220 miles above Earth was done by the astronauts and cosmonauts, who added special training in 3D camera operations, cinematography and light/sound engineering to their already immense list of duties and responsibilities.

After a brief intermission and trip to the snack bar for an excessively priced beverage, it was on to movie number two. Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 3D is a film adaptation of the 1978 children's book of the same title written by Judi Barrett and illustrated by Ron Barrett. The movie tells the story of Flint Lockwood, a young and historically unsuccessful inventor living with his widowed father on the small Atlantic island of Swallow Falls. Wanting to help the community, Lockwood invents a machine to convert water to food that initially functions as designed. After the device is rocketed into the sky by another Flint flub, Swallow Falls begins to experience food-based weather phenomenon that Flint is able to control, leading to the island's re-branding as Chewandswallow, a tourist attraction and cruise ship port for those who like to eat.

Hilarity ensues, moral tales are told and cartoony but professionally-rendered characters seem to reach out into the theatre, all while holding an adult's attention with clever puns and jokes likely to go over the heads of the intended audience. The 2.35:1 presentation is bright with vivid colors, nicely showing off the work of Arnold—Sony Pictures Animation's proprietary software—and IMAX DMR (digital re-mastering). Being unfamiliar with the book, I cannot speak to the similarities or differences between it and the movie (apparently it is quite different), but for a kiddie flick I thoroughly enjoyed it. The well-behaved audience certainly did not hurt.

If you have ever been to a classic design IMAX theatre as found at many science and history museums, you are familiar with the basic setup: screens ranging in size from 51′ x 37′ to 117′ x 96′, booming high-quality audio and cinematic offerings different from those typically found at Hollywood movie theatres. This is the template by which the new multiplex design IMAX theatre was created, complete with custom tailored modifications to convert existing, variably sized standard auditoriums.

The multiplex design features IMAX's digital 2D and 3D dual-projection system (~$500,000 each), although all IMAX movies are still filmed on traditional large format 65–75 mm film. As part of IMAX's "immersive patented theatre geometry," the classic screen is replaced by a larger, specially treated and slightly curved one positioned closer to the audience to maximize the field of view. These new screens range in size from 47′ x 24′ to 74′ x 46′ depending on the location. A powerful laser-aligned digital audio system with tuned proportional point source loudspeakers is also installed along with acoustically treated reverberation-cancelling walls. Finally, each location is equipped with a special cleaning system and enough 3D glasses to have one set worn by guests while the other set is being washed.

I was impressed with the overall experience, enjoying both films and the new theatre as a whole, though Space Station wins the top prize for audience immersion, excitement and eliciting a strong emotional response. What can I say? I love the space program.

Since 2003, Tallahassee has enjoyed the classic design IMAX at the Challenger Learning Center. I wondered if the city could support two similar venues like this. IMAX thinks so, telling Mount Sutro by e-mail that "[they] believe the Tallahassee market can support more than one IMAX theatre and ultimately see an increasing interest from consumers in The IMAX Experience." So what will ultimately drive consumers? As I see it, there are five prime factors of consideration.

Film selection — The digital films are interchangeable however, "the number of films and frequency of screenings depends on the film and its distributor," says IMAX. The classic arrangement appears to be maintained when comparing the films currently showing at each Tallahassee IMAX, with the AMC offering one Hollywood movie and the Challenger Learning Center offering three to five educational films in addition to one Hollywood movie. Looking ahead, this does not look to change significantly.

Presentation Size — Depending on what films are offered at each, the opportunity exists to opt for the larger classic IMAX over the multiplex conversion. For Hollywood movies, Challenger is a second-run theatre so films first shown at AMC's IMAX may appear 6–10 weeks later. This is the case with Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs and the upcoming Where the Wild Things Are. For comparison, AMC's IMAX screen is as wide as the Challenger's is tall.

Availability/Showtimes — AMC is scheduling showtimes five or six times per day. Films at Challenger are shown twice daily, with a third showing sometimes scheduled on Friday and/or Saturday.

Location — Both facilities are centrally located. The Challenger Learning Center at Kleman Plaza, 200 South Duval Street, is only a few minutes away from the Capitol (400 South Monroe Street) on foot, while the AMC Tallahassee Mall 20 sits just three miles north at 2415 North Monroe Street. Parking at the mall is ample, though visitors to Challenger will need to use metered street parking or the Kleman Plaza parking garage, both of which sometimes charge a fee.

Price — Moviegoers at AMC will pay an additional $4.00 on top of the $4.75 to $9.50 general admission price for a grand total of $8.75 to $13.50 per person. Challenger patrons will pay between $6.00 and $8.00 per person, adding $1.00 if the presentation is feature-length (i.e. Hollywood films).

Only time will tell which of these factors will prove more important to the Tallahassee community. The results of a recent Nielsen study commissioned by IMAX indicate "there was no meaningful difference in satisfaction levels between classic design and multiplex design IMAX locations." As another indicator of success, IMAX CEO Richard Gelfond points out that "IMAX did 15% of Star Trek's total domestic box office [...] on only 138 screens," up from 12% and 10% for earlier films. In March 2008, IMAX went on to sign a similar deal with Regal Cinemas and announced plans with RACIMEC to expand IMAX's presence in Central and South America.

The success of these efforts is of particular importance to IMAX, who has been working to recover from several financial fallouts. Initially experiencing steady growth in 1995–2000, the company had to re-examine itself when stock prices plummeted in September–October 2000 and again, one year later, when the stock nearly bottomed out ($0.59) on 21 September 2001. Prices eventually improved but continued to fluctuate in the following years. When word spread the company's accounting practices were being questioned by the SEC in August 2006, a 41% loss resulted. The deals of 2007 were thought of as "transformational" by IMAX, part of a strategy designed to help turn things around financially. Understanding I am no economist, recent data suggests the plan is working. The closing price of IMAX stock has been at or above $9.00 forty-two of the past fifty trading days, a milestone considering the last time the stock was above $9.00 was 750 trading days earlier on 09 August 2006, the day before the SEC review was announced.

Even with things seemingly improving for IMAX, the past year has not been without some controversy. In May 2009, moviegoers on the internet reacted to confusion over the anticipated size of the new IMAX screens. Most frequently cited is comedian/actor Aziz Ansari's obscenity-laced diatribe and follow-up, no doubt somewhat embellished for dramatic flair, recounting his trip to see Star Trek. After paying an additional $5.00, Ansari was incensed to find his assigned auditorium was not a classic IMAX but instead the new multiplex design.

In response to the row, IMAX's Gelfond said that despite every indication sales are up, "[they're] going to do something about disclosing information [...] it's just a matter of how and where." Gelfond also stresses that size is not all that matters in IMAX, pointing to the digital re-mastering technology and other features of their "immersive movie experience." All the same, Gelfond reports they have added clarification to their website's theatre locator and will soon provide box offices with a sign or brochure.

I find it implausible people would hear the phrase "IMAX at AMC" and immediately assume a behemoth size screen awaits them. Classic IMAX auditoriums are huge and custom built with the large format in mind; a traditional movie theatre would have to undergo major construction to match. It was in fact the first thing I said to Omar when he asked me about the screening beforehand. "I'm honestly not sure what to expect," I told him. "There's certainly no huge IMAX screen anywhere at AMC 20." On the other hand, I have learned never to assume an audience will comprehend anything not explicitly stated in simple terms. To that end, I do understand those who have asked for more transparency but find false any claims IMAX or AMC misled the public.

In conclusion, I had a great time at AMC's IMAX and plan to return for A Christmas Carol 3D after it opens on 06 November 2009. Regardless of the price or screen size, I am happy to have an additional choice when going to the movies.

Special thanks to Nicholas Wolaver and Evita Broughton of Edelman for the invitation to the screening and arranging my Q&A with IMAX.

Thanks to my friend Keith, I now have a Panasonic TC-28WG25H GAOO Wide DDD 26-inch widescreen CRT television to replace the 19-inch set Chris gave me, which over time developed a green hue, horizontal lines and occasional flickering. Actually Omar's old TV, the Panasonic was made in Osaka, purchased in Pakistan Dubai and later moved to Tallahassee. It may not be new, but it is modern, well-traveled and the picture looks great.

The native 16:9 aspect ratio means that movies and television shows filmed in 1.85 nicely fill the entire screen without stretching or black bars. Movies filmed in larger formats like 2.39 (anamorphic widescreen) still look great, but with horizontal black bars. Interestingly enough, I found the picture of standard television looks good stretched to 16:9 from 4:3, although I have only been able to test this with my That '70s Show DVDs.

Equipped with a Belling-Lee connector instead of the US standard F connector, I will have to use RCA if I ever get cable or an antenna. Otherwise, it is loaded with numerous S-Video and RCA connections perfect for my needs. All I have left to do now is rearrange my living room setup to accommodate it. Currently sitting on its stand, neither entertainment center I have can support the width, which has to be the best problem ever to have with a television.

If you click around YouTube long enough, you are bound to come across homemade music videos usually in the form of movie and television clips edited to a related (or not) song. I seldom watch videos of this nature, but on a day in early July 2008, I happened to be looking for something in particular.

Having always enjoyed the animated television program Futurama, I was excited to learn of the four direct-to-DVD movies resurrecting the once-cancelled series. When I finally saw the first of these new productions, Bender's Big Score, I was very impressed with it overall. I thought the story, the careful attention to the series continuity and the presence of the original cast all made for a fantastic return from the television grave.

As you might expect knowing me, the music made an impression as well. The score by series composer Christopher Tyng really helped bridge the television elements to the larger film as did the cool extended remix of the Futurama theme. The soundtrack is rounded out by a few amusing character performed musical numbers by Ken Keeler and a song called "30 Century Man" performed by The Jigsaw Seen.

Written by Scott Walker and originally released on his 1969 album Scott 3, the "30 Century Man" cover by The Jigsaw Seen—from their 2002 Songs Mama Used To Sing—is heard during a pivotal point in the movie and is particularly moving and appropriate. Interested in hearing the song in its entirety, I went to YouTube and began my search.

The video I found by Araka5i was of the type I mentioned before, featuring clips from a few films and set to the Scott Walker cut of the song. I found the original version quite different from the cover and although I enjoyed it, I still wanted to hear The Jigsaw Seen performance. It turned out I was not alone as one commenter, taylorthebarbarian, wrote of his desire to hear the cover on YouTube. In reply to this comment, the band wrote, "feel free to post a video of our version."

You have to love a band that realizes the potential the internet has to introduce music to new and diverse listeners worldwide. Why not let fans promote you for free, right? I practically surprised myself having the thought, but before long I decided to take this invitation and produce a video myself. After purchasing the song from Amazon.com and encoding the movie into an editable format, I fired up Sony Vegas 7 and got to work. It took me about twenty-four hours from start to finish, but if I may say so myself, for a first attempt I think the final product turned out well.

UPDATE: Unfortunately, my video is no longer available on YouTube "due to a copyright claim by FOX." What party poopers. I thank The Jigsaw Seen for their encouragement and support.

Spoiler Alert: If you have not yet seen Futurama: Bender's Big Score, the video could possibly reveal more about the plot than you want to know.

Given the scene in which the song appears in the movie, I thought it would be appropriate to follow the character of Lars and his relationship with Leela. Even as of this writing, six months later, I still receive positive comments and e-mail. The best one, of course, was from The Jigsaw Seen's co-founder Jonathan Lea who said the video looked "fantastic." They even placed a link to it on their website's news page on 07 July 2008.

It was a fun experience making this video and I gained a better appreciation for film and television editors. I would not expect many future releases of this sort, but you never know what may inspire me one day.