mike vogel

Regardless of the final score, the star of the night will likely be the new scoreboard and its supporting cast of ribbon boards that encircle the arena. Everything looks sharp, and the LCD flat screens in the press box and the media room are a nice touch as well. Mike Vogel of washingtoncaps.com astutely pointed out the sides of the scoreboard - which have red, white and blue graphic renderings of the Lincoln and Washington monuments and the Capitol Building.

As for the action on the ice, the Caps dominated play in the first 20 minutes, and not just because Carolina took more penalties. The checking line of Matt Pettinger, Dave Steckel and Boyd Gordon spent more time on offense than defense. Tomas Fleischman and Mike Green connected for a sweet goal, and both continue to produce in games - something that Glen Hanlon said was paramount to making the team. Green also took a bad penalty dumping the puck over the glass in own end, it seems like that's what people should expect from him - flashes of excellence and youthful mistakes. Both power play units (it is still a little strange to write that) look like they could use some polish, but that's to be expected.

Something that was unexpected was the turnout - or lack thereof - here at the Phone Booth. There are probably only about 3,500 people or so at high tide in the first 20 minutes.

With the elevated costs of energy, many people are looking to lower their utility bills by switching to more efficient materials -- like flourescent light bulbs, money-saving appliances and energy efficient windows. Some utility companies are even offering hundreds of dollars in rebates for customers who make upgrades in their homes.

But because the energy recommendations differ among some utility companies and the U.S. Department of Energy, there is plenty of room for confusion.

Mike Vogel recently purchased energy saving windows from AMSCO -- with the promise of a big rebate from Questar Gas for his conservation conversion. But when Vogel applied for the $450 rebate, Questar told him that he didn't qualify. The reason: the energy rating on his windows was 0.34. The necessary rating to qualify for Questar's rebate is 0.33 or lower.

Confused, Vogel discovered that recommended ratings differ around the country. In northern Utah, the Dept. of Energy recommends a higher rating for homes looking to save energy -- meaning Vogel's windows fall within the government's guidelines.

So why is Questar's recommendation different? Utility companies are not bound to the government's energy recommendations, and in this case Questar's differed by 0.01 of a ratings point.

It cost Vogel a $450 rebate.

AMSCO, who manufactured the windows in Vogel's home, contacted Questar and recommended that it change its rating.

Questar ultimately did not honor the rebate, but Vogel still got $450 back -- from H&H Windows, which wrote him a check since it did the installation of the windows that failed to qualify.

AMSCO, which is required by law to place energy rating stickers on all windows, says it has taken action to make certain that no one else who buys its windows has a rebate problem.
The cast of the Star Trek movie is taking shape and it's not a bunch of big names.
IESB.net says director J.J. Abrams -- you might know him from such fine fare as Lost and Alias -- is leaning toward Mike Vogel to play Captain Kirk. Vogel is currently working on Abrams's monster movie, and previously was in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. I searched several reviews and none mentioned him, although I did learn that Roger Ebert said Chainsaw "wants to tramp crap through our imaginations and wipe its feet on our dreams." Ouch. Similarly, reviews of Poseidon say little or nothing about Vogel's part.
Then again, who the hell was William Shatner when he won the Kirk gig? (Well, yes, he had done a classic Twilight Zone.)

Separately, Trekmovie.com says Paul McGilliion, best-known as Carson Beckett on Stargate: Atlantis, is set to utter such lines as "I'm an engineer, not a bricklayer." The Stargate producers had killed Beckett off -- until a fan campaign persuaded them he wasn't dead yet.
Old Scotty and New Scotty both grew up in B.C.
James Doohan, a native of Vancouver, originated the character on television. McGillion was born in Paisley, Scotland, and was all of two years old when his family upgraded to Canada. He has been in Vancouver for years.
In the oldest reference to McGillion we can find, from a Vancouver Province review of a rom-com play called Spike Heels, Renee Doruyter noted that "[Tom] Cavanagh and McGillion, gorgeous and well-cast as they both are, like most film and television actors, don't always project as well as they might."
So he's better now.
Says Doohan's son Chris on a Trekmovie.com message board: "I think Paul McGillion is a GREAT choice for the role of Scotty. He has a great accent and I think that he actually looks like my father."
Already cast in the Trek flick are Zachary Quinto from Heroes as young Spock (perfect choice), Leonary Nimoy as old Spock, Zoe Saldana (yes, she's black) as Uhura and Anton Yelchin (yes, he's Russian) as Chekov. Saldana has guest-starred on many TV shows, among them 6 Degrees and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Yelchin, a native of St. Petersburg, played Byrd Huffstodt on Huff.Hot rumour keeping the internet rumour lines busy today is that JJ Abrams may just have decided on his Captain Kirk!

Word is that he has signed up Mike Vogel for teh all important role.

The word is he has bagged the gig after his work on another Abrams flick 1-18-08.

If you're like me you're thinking Mike Vogel who, then you might remember him from such wonders of Cinema as Poseidon and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Hmmm, he seesm to have a bit of a thing for remakes doesn't he. Does that mean that 1-18-08 is actually a Godzilla remake, lets hope not!