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There's a new flick coming... to a theatre near you. Naturally.

The Bucket List is the story of two men - played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman - who find out that terminal cancer has bumped up their meeting with the Big Guy. Or the Prince of Darkness. The trailer doesn't say if prior to their death sentences, the men were naughty or nice. I'm guessing that's not crucial to the story line.

In any case, the duo decides to spend their last days on earth doing all the things they've never done. And obviously time is of the essence. You know - since they're about to kick the bucket. See not every Hollywood writer's on strike - someone managed that 'gem' didn't they? [rolls eyes]

The notion is certainly not novel. If anything, we've been beat over the heads with it. Pop culture's just bursting (the clever Bucket writer might even say 'popping') with 'Seize the Day' references. Recently, Kenny Chesney's song 'Don't Blink' warned us about the hourglass running out of sand. Carrie Underwood's 'Wasted' is surprisingly NOT about alcoholism and Tim McGraw crooned about sky divin' and Rocky Mountain Climbin' a few years ago. Before that, Dave Matthews gyrated on stage while delivering the lecture "Eat drink and be merry, for tomorrow we die." And that's just the tunes. Movies like Dead Poets Society, American Beauty, and It's a Wonderful Life also migrate to the front of the brain. I'm sure there's buckets (ha!) more. We can't say we haven't been told.

So you have to wonder why we aren't getting the message.

I'd guess it's the invincibility notion. The belief we have infinite time. 'Tis better to live in denial about the future and frailty than face the inevitable. Until we're forced to.

Which is probably why people aren't keen on the idea of listing out their lusts. Because that means being accountable. And actually making an effort to whittle down the entries.

But let's be real. The whole 'Don't put off till tomorrow what you can do today' idea isn't necessarily realistic. Because we're generally punching today's timecard with today's deeds. And if history's any indication, yesterday's as well. And it's tough to get a jump start on... well anything really. Let alone those mammoth must-do moments that require scheduling and planning and finding a bull named Fu-Man-Choo. Which is why most people are left with a long list... when they find they're not left with a lot of time.

We're a population of procrastinators and I think trying to check things off that looming To-Do list only highlights our constant joust with the clock. Don't get me wrong. I like the idea of having certain goals and specific accomplishments in mind. I think most folks do. But I don't know if constantly being reminded to do so is productive. If those things are important, people will make them priorities. But not because yet another singer/actor/producer comes up with yet another melodramatic way to jam it back into our craniums.

I have no idea if The Bucket List will be any good. I do like the calming melody of Morgan Freeman's voice and the resume of Jack. But I gotta admit; the whole thing seems a smidge hypocritical. If we're supposed to be spending our disposable ticks of the clock on the important things, I don't know if spending ten bucks to sit in a theatre for Nichol-man/Free-son banter applies. I mean it wouldn't make my Bucket List... if I had one.

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