The Climaxan

Moving on up......

2008-07-10T18:14:00.004-04:00

As you can tell I haven't updated my blog in quite a while, and the updating that I have done has been a bit on the lame side. This has been the result of a combination of things that all involve me not having enough time to do anything I enjoy. I'm not a quitter however, and not only am I not going to quit blogging, I'm going to upgrade the experience. After three years of writing here on trusty blogspot I am moving theclimaxan to slightly greener grass. That of course means http://theclimaxan.com. That's right. My own domain. Don't be fooled, it's still a blog, but now without the stigma of some other site attached to it. Check it out, make it your home page, show your children.

http://theclimaxan.com

or you can follow the link to the right -------------------------------------------------------------->

Predicting the draft (NBA that is)

2008-06-26T14:15:00.003-04:00

Some draft experts have said that tonights NBA draft is impossible to predict. Therefor I am going to make an honest attempt to defy the odds and forsee the first 10 picks for the 2008 NBA draft. My guesses are based on facts pulled from various draft and sports sites (draftexpress, hoopshype, nbadraft.net, si.com) combined with my terrible sports intuiton. Let's see how I do.

1. Chicago Bulls- Derrick Rose
2. Miami Heat- O.J. Mayo
3. Minnesota Timberwolves- Michael Beasley
4. Seattle Supersonics- Jerryd Bayless
5. Charlotte Bobcats (trade with Memphis)- Kevin Love
6. New York Knicks- Russell Westbrook
7. L.A. Clippers- Eric Gordon
8. Milwaukee Bucks- Brook Lopez
9. Memphis Grizzlies- Joe Alexander
10. New Jersey Nets - Danilo Gallinari

The big shocker here is that Miami will go with Mayo. Pat Riley isn't crazy about Beasely, and Mayo and D. Wade already have great chemistry together. There is a good chance the Heat will try to get some value for the number 2 pick, so wouldn't be shocked to see them trade out of the spot and try to land Mayo by other means (trade). If no deal goes down I see them taking Mayo at the 2 spot regardless. This would leave Minnesota free to take the player they really want in Beasley. The only other trade I'm predicting will go down is Charlotte moving up to take Kevin Love. Larry Brown has a man crush on this kid and MJ seems willing to ablidge (the #9, #20, and maybe Adam Morrison). After that I'm taking a shot in the dark. I'll check in tonight during the draft and see how well I fare.

UPDATE

I got two picks right. I suck at predicting the NBA draft.

Shaq can't rap. ESPN lacks street cred.

2008-06-26T10:35:00.005-04:00

One of the more entertaining news that came around this week was the now infamous "Shaq Kobe Rap". If you haven't seen it, then I suggest you hop on over to youtube and check it out if only to see an example of terrible freestyling.

An example

"I'm a horse, Kobe ratted me out, and now I'm divorced. Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes"

Classic.

Don't get me wrong, that isn't the worst freestyle I've ever heard. That mantle belongs to some white kid somewhere (and It happened in my backyard). The best part about this ordeal is that it was the lead story on Sportscenter the other night. Watching Jon Buchigross's face as he reacted with disbelief to this freestyle is what dreams are made of. ESPN tried so desperately to act like this was something serious. No lie they ran the clip 3 times, and had video packages of the Shaq v. Kobe "feud" rolling throughout the hour. It wasn't until Screamin A. Smith made an appearance that some sense was brought back to the show (saying Stephen A. Smith, and "makes sense" in the same sentence makes me feel dirty). Despite Screamin A. pointing out ESPN's lack of street credibility, sports writers and commentators continued to tout the re-ignition of the Kobe, Shaq feud. Completely ignoring one of the fundamentals of the freestyle rap, that being the "hate" factor. When people freestyle they say mean, and sometimes evil things about people they care about. So when Shaq says "Kobe, tell me how my ass tastes" he really means "Kobe, lets get married. You know it's legal now", or maybe something else. The fact is, it's not a big deal, and because of the fuss ESPN made over the video, we now have one less cop on our streets. What will the cats in Bedford county do now ESPN?

Ahhh. I've finally caught my breath....

2008-06-23T19:53:00.003-04:00

It's been a crazy month in the land of Climax. I recently graduated college, got married to my high school sweet heart, and went on a sweet honeymoon all in the same month. With all that business and excitement I've been left with zero time to write (yes I know, Indiana Jones came out a month ago). I've missed some great writing opportunities in the last month, sorry Lost finale (9.9/10), but there has also been some very serious events that occurred. There are the Midwest floods, the continued situations in Myanmar, China, Iraq, and Afghanistan, our economy, the Presidential race, and the passing of Tim Russert. These are events that everyone should keep tabs on daily. Just because the news media doesn't cover them 24/7 like CNN does Hulk Hogan, doesn't mean that they aren't happening. So with that said, it's great to be back and keep an eye out for regular updates

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the...wait WTF is This?

2008-05-28T11:50:00.006-04:00

Let me preface this review with a bit of praise. Steven Spielberg is one of the only mega-powers in Hollywood who I feel actually deserves the amount of respect he receives. His resume is nearly flawless, and he crafted my personal favorite movie of all-time, Jurassic Park (The Lost World never happened as far as I'm concerned). Four years ago when I heard that ol' Stevie was returning to the world of Indiana Jones and everyone from the original trilogy was on board, I quickly booked the next available trip to hype-town. The tragedy here is that I failed to recognize the warning signs. Not Spielberg, not Shia, not ancient Harrison Ford, but the the ruiner of all your childhood memories, George Lucas.

After Return of the Jedi, George Lucas forgot how to write a coherent story. If you don't believe me, then watch the new Star Wars trilogy. If you still don't believe me, watch it again. In all fairness, George wasn't alone in crafting the script for crystal skull. David Koepp, writer of my beloved Jurassic Park script, and the much less loved War of the Worlds. Like War of the Worlds, KOTCS is well acted, and the action sequences work very well. Also like War of the Worlds, the plot is haphazardly constructed. From the opening frame until the god-awful super happy/lame ending, the reasons why Indiana Jones is involved in any way with the hunting of the crystal skull are suspect at best. This is highlighted by the multitude of scenes where Indy has to explain exactly what is going on. I'm talking 10 minute stretches of expository dialogue that should be shown rather than told.

I really hate that the story was so terrible, because there were so many instances where I wanted to enjoy the film. Harrison Ford played an aged-Indy very well. Shia LaBouf brought the youth and the attitude that Ford had in his younger days, and like I said earlier, the action sequences were excellent. In each of the earlier films, Indy's quests had some sort of deep importance to him as a character (Well, maybe not in Temple of Doom). In Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Indy feels like he is simply along for the ride. A ride that lacked the sense of adventure and coherence that made the original Indy's so great.

Oh and I did I mention Aliens. In an Indiana Jones movie. I'm not kidding. Please, George Lucas, I beg you. From here on out leave my childhood screen legends alone.

6/10

Grand Theft Auto 4: My Long Overdue Review

2008-05-22T12:32:00.001-04:00

I'm actually very glad I waited to write down my thoughts about this game. At first I thought GTA 4 was the definition of over rated. IGN gave it a 10, 1up gave it an A+, EGM gave it a 10, so when I first played the game my expectations were at the 10 level. So naturally I was dissapointed. Weeks have passed and I've put about 35 hours into the game, and with some perspective I feel I can give GTA 4 it's fair score.

8/10......Here's how I broke it down.

Gameplay:

How a game plays is the square one, most important factor of any game. This was frustrating for me, because where GTA excells in so many areas, it is very inconsistent when it comes to actually controlling your character. The aiming system works very well and is an improvement over past GTAs. The ability to lock on to your enemies is a plus, especially considering the terrible free-aim function. The cover system is very clunky also, especially if you have played games like Gears of War and Uncharted. Sometimes when I try to take cover between to objects that are close to one another, Niko just starts shaking and wigging out. This usually ends up with me dead and my controller somewhere across the room. The driving system takes a little getting used to, as it's very tight and more realistic than past GTAs. This is nice until you start trying to chase people down and instead of bullets through their back window I end up in a bank of newspaper kiosks. I got used to many of these flaws over time, mainly because the story of the game really draws you in, making it easier to overlook the games control problems.

Story

Some games are just games, like sports franchises and Guitar Hero, but then there are games who do much more with the medium than people give credit. There has been a great-deal of hyperbole centering on GTA 4's storyline. IGN described it as "oscar-worthy", but what this really means is that Rockstar toned down the toungue-in-cheek jokes a little and turned up the serious drama. However engaging the story may be, it is not an oscar calibur tale. Once you reach the Florian/Bernie missions you'll soon understand what I'm talking about. It's not much different than past GTA plots. You start from the bottom of the crime latter and work your way to the top. What sets this game apart though is the fact that your character has a conscience, and you as the player make key decisions that effect your character. The character of Nico isn't some mindless thug. Sure he commits murder, steals and might pick up a prostitute or two.....but he feels guilty about some of it! That's drama if you didn't know.

Visuals

When you first look at GTA 4 you might not be very impressed by the overall look of the game, as their are many "prettier" games on the market. My advice is to just walk down the street and pay attention to the ridiculous amounts of detail. Every street has a name, every building has unique markings and weathering, the traffic lights and crosswalks work in harmony. Liberty City feels very real and it's amazing the amount of work that must have gone into its creation. I found myself sight-seeing quite a bit, which is justified, as Liberty City is a modern work of art.

Replay Value

I have always hated games that I play through one time and never have any use for after that. With games costing $60, I like to get my money's worth. The single player mode in GTA4 can take anywhere from 25 hours to 50 hours depending how deep you want to go. That my friends is replay value. This isn't even counting the time you will surely spend just blowing things up and running people down with your car.

The Rundown

At first I was supremely disappointed in GTA 4. Mainly because I didn't feel it lived up to the seemingly perfect review scores it received. Once I was able to separate hype from reality I was able to finally figure out how I really felt about the experience. GTA 4 is a very solid and enjoyable game that if nothing else is an example of how far video games have come. They are no longer silly little time wasters. Games can now be considered art with enough time and effort, and GTA is art. However, the game play elements fall short in many ways which in my eyes is 90% of the what makes games enjoyable.

So once again.....

8/10

Lost Double Dip: Something Nice Back Home and Cabin Fever

2008-05-12T13:49:00.009-04:00

It's a shame that it has taken me so long to write down my thoughts on the past two Lost episodes, as both of them were jam packed with new elements that added overall mythos, especially "Cabin Fever". What's not a shame is the reason why I haven't had much time to write. See, I am about to graduate from college. Which means I'm going to miss the infinite amount of excuses that college has offered me, but after five years and two degrees, it's safe to say that I'm ready for new things. Those new things will undoubtedly continue to involve my fanboy love for Lost. So don't look for that to change anytime soon.

So... about the past two episodes.

Something Nice Back Home

I will continue to spin the broken record when I state that I have zero interest in the love story angles on Lost. I realize that a large number of Lost's audience live and die by them, but I find the love triangles, quadrangles and all other love configurations to be minor story elements at best. I love the character dynamics on the show, and I love every character's back story, but when you're on an island that defies the space-time continuum, cures diseases and death. Then I feel there are far more interesting elements to study aside from who is in love. If I want that, then I'll watch P.S. I Love You and cry myself to sleep. With that being said, my favorite parts of this episode involved Jack's downward spiral, and the creepy words of Hurley, poor crazy Hurley.

Despite the plot revolving around a love angle once again, it was still effective in setting up how Jack came unhinged. Jack and Kate playing house was an interesting twist, but the way if fit into the timeline left no doubt that it wouldn't last. Once Kate agreed to marry Jack it seemed as if things were too perfect, and Hurley was quick to point that out. While I don't buy into the idea that they are all dead (purgatory,booo!), it's understandable that Hurley would think such a thing considering he has conversations with Charlie. It was also believable that thoughts of death and regret would drive Jack to the brink after his mainland encounter with his father. Regret which stems from whatever happened to Claire, as it seems Jack is aware that Claire was his sister. Which Jack makes evident in the "You're not even related to him" comment.

As for the island tales of this episode, there wasn't much to chew on. Sawyer and Miles being stuck together with Aaron will be interesting to see play out, and as this past week indicated, Claire's fate is a giant question mark. The surgery on Jack was a bit on the hokey side, but the interaction between Kate and Juliet was well acted and well written. It's also good to see Bernard get some screen time. He's more than just a dentist you know. He knows Morse code!

Overall, Something Nice Back Home was a solid episode that helped to fill in the gaps in Jack's timeline and raise more questions in regards to the islands mysterious qualities.

7.5/10

Cabin Fever

There are so many ways to approach this episode that I am honestly at a loss for how to approach it. Writing in paragraphs would be silly, as my recap could quickly turn into a sequel to the longest book ever written, which I would name "The Long Book Ever Written II: Keep Reading Sucker, You're Not Even Close"

So here are my thoughts/questions broken down by topic, and cleverly divided by bullet points

Richard Alpert

He doesn't age, this is clear, but does he time travel? Ben ran into Richard on the island when he was around the age of seven, this is also the same time Richard came to see Locke. I'm not convinced that Richard was so much time traveling as he was teleporting off the island (like Ben did a few weeks go) One would think that whatever technology that is being used on the island may have been there the entire time, and who's to say that Alpert wasn't able use it.

The Test

During Alpert's visit with Locke he asked him to pick out the thing that belongs to him already. I'd be lying if I said I knew what it meant. The only theory that I have at the moment is that Richard was testing to see if Locke was having episodes similar to Desmond, giving him flashes of future events. This is hinted at through Locke's drawing of the smoke monster.

Keamy

He's an awesome character, especially given the writers tendency to give us Villains in shades of grey. Keamy is 100% asshole , and the actor plays it well. I can't wait for the inevitable show down with Sawyer.
The XM radio attached to his arm= Smoke Monster defense strategy, or at least that's what I think it is.

The Freighter

Desmond has been relativly quiet since "The Constant" and it appears he's beginning to get his memories back. I'm guessing the next time him and Sayid meet that Penny may be at the center of it, and it wont be over dinner.

I'm still at a loss as to how Michael will play in the events leading into the Season Finale. He doesn't appear to have a plan, but now that he's free from captivity that could change.

I loved how the death of the Doctor played out, especially considering Omar had mentioned it to him only seconds before his throat was slit. It's clear there is a time rift, but how?

Locke, Ben and Hurley

Loved the dialogue between them. Michael Emerson never ceases to amaze me. "Destiny..She's a fickle bitch". Classic. However it's still hard to tell whether or not this is all some calculated plan by Ben, or whether he really has lost control after the death of Alex.

I'm happy to see that Jorge Garcia has been injected into some serious plot lines this season. If the episode had ended with Hurley giving the candy bar to Ben it might have been the best thing ever.

The Cabin

Christian is dead and he seems allright with it, but Claire? She was obviously alright with being there. And Aaron? "He's right where he needs to be" said Christian. Well Aaron's with Sawyer and soon to be Kate, so is that where he's meant to be? How Christian keeps appearing is still one of the big mysteries on the show. My only theory is that the way the island can effect the living (craziness, time jumps) can also have an effect on the dead.

The question that Locke asked was a throwback to Season One Locke. He has his swagger back, what happens next should be nothing short of awesome.

The idea of moving the island isn't far fetched. Think about the Black Rock. How else would an old slave ship end up in the middle of an island unless the island popped up underneath it. The island has been moved before and I have no doubt we will find out how. Maybe even this season.

Cabin Fever was a giant shout out to fans of Lost who feast on every last detail of the show. There have been few shows in television history that embed such small details into every episode. These aren't meaningless easter eggs either, they are elements to the story that allow the viewer to take their involvement as far down the rabbit hole as they want to go. Sure, you can ignore these things and still enjoy the show, but your missing the other 90% of the iceberg if you do that.

9.5/10

This weeks episode is the first part of a three part season titled "There's No Place Like Home". It looks to be filled with awesomesauce, so until then....graduate college.

Iron Man: Now That's What I'm Talkin 'Bout!

2008-05-07T15:12:00.004-04:00

I'll say it. I hated all three Spider-Man films. A combination of terrible writing and the twelve-year-oldification of the story ruined for me a trilogy of films that should have been classic. Yeah it made tons of money, but that will all be in vain when you look back in 20 years and shake your head in disbelief at how bad those movies were/are. Batman Begins proved that it's possible to make a comic movie that is faithful to the tone of the original yet still able to appeal to wide audiences. Iron Man takes everything learned from Batman Begins in regards to storytelling and inserts a dose of "kick ass", kicking the summer movie season off with one of the best superhero/comic book movies of all time. Forgive the hyperbole, but it's true. After the un-watchable disasters that were the Fantastic Four films, Marvel Comics had enough. Starting with Iron Man, and The Incredible Hulk later this summer, Marvel has begun to produce their own films. This gives them complete control over casting, writing and the final cuts of the films, and if Iron Man is an example of things to come, thencomic book fanboys have a lot to look forward too.

First off, the casting of Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark is right up there with Chrisitian Bale as one of the best castings of a superhero in film history. Downey Jr. owns the role, as he is Tony Stark in every way. Mad props to Jon Favreau for not backing down and fighting to get his man for the role. Once the credits role, I dare you to think of someone who would have been better suited (no pun intended) for the role. The rest of the supporting cast is equally superb, as none of them are a slouch when it comes to their acting chops. Terrence Howard, Gwenyth Paltrow, and Jeff Bridges help make sure Iron Man will be taken seriously.

For those not familiar with the entire Iron Man mythos (me), the origins of Iron Man and life of Tony Stark are told in a such a way that it draws you in right away. I especially liked the mini-montage of Tony's life during the awards ceremony, it was creative and grounded Tony Stark in the real world. The story takes its time which allows time for the audience to get to know Stark, and by the time he builds the first suit, you feel as if he really could.

Aside from the excellent writing and pacing of the script, the action sequences were pure summer movie gold. The movie opens with an intense scene that I shall not ruin, and once Downey Jr. dons his suit, it's balls to the wall from there. The only slight quibble that I had was with the final battle between Iron Man and the Iron Monger, not that it was bad, it's just very sudden and doesn't last very long. The true ending however, is money, continuing the theme of this movie that Robert Downey Jr. is in fact awesome.

It has been a very long time since I have enjoyed a movie this much. From a pure "fun at the movies" standpoint, Iron Man trumps everything that I saw last year. The new comic book movie standard has been set.

What.....there's a new Dark Knight trailer...... OK, the standard has been set until July. Regardless, Iron Man is awesome, don't miss out on seeing it on the big screen.

9/10

Seriously Hillary, denial is the first step towards depression.

2008-05-07T14:33:00.005-04:00

After destroying Hillary in my home state last night (Guilford county what up!), it's all but certain that Barack Obama will be the Democratic nominee. Even with the inclusion of Florida and Michigan, it is now, without a doubt impossible for her to "legitimately" win this thing. On top of that, every national poll puts her behind John McCain, all of her support is going Obama, and she's broke. Yet this morning Hillary announces that she will continue on. How she thinks she is helping the democratic party at this point boggles my mind. There are only two reasons why I think Hillary is doing this:

1. She wants to bow out gracefully after winning West Virginia and Kentucky in order to go out on top.

2. She's crazy.

Now it could be a combination of the two, but I'm leaning towards number one. I respect the fact that she doesn't want to give up, but look how that worked out for Roger Clemmens. I just hope she bows out by the end of the week. Hillary could do a great service to her party by campaigning for Obama, but instead she insists on helping John McCain win the election by continuing to twist the knife that is now lodged in her own back. I'm starting to think Hillary may actually be apart of Rush Limbaugh's "Operation Chaos". (Joking) Keep your eyes and ears open over the coming days as super delegates begin to come out in support of Obama, as the official Presidential ticket should be set very soon.

Lost: The Shape of Things To Come

2008-04-25T20:04:00.003-04:00

Benjamin Linus is one of the most complex characters in the history of television. This is a fact. From Henry Gale, to last nights Ben-diana Jones, he's proven to be versatile, manipulative and the smartest person on the island. Ben is in control of every situation he gets himself in and isn't easily shaken. Well, every situation but one. The execution of Alex was one of the heaviest and most shocking moments in Lost history, and up until the moment Keamey pulled the trigger, I never thought the writers/producers would go through with it. *BANG!!* With one shot they, as Ben put it, "changed the rules".

Already there has been a great deal of theorizing on the internetz as to what these "rules" are between Ben and Widmore. I'm skeptical of the idea that the two of them have an agreement of some sort as to how their war is being fought. I see these "rules" not so much as actual guidelines, but more of an unwritten code. Old school Sicilian mafioso, especially "men of honor" used to operate under a very strict code when it came to vendettas. No matter how deep the hatred between enemies, no one ever murdered women or children. Alex's death falls under this set of guidelines perfectly. Ben and Widmore are the heads of two very powerful entities, and both are considered "men of honor" by mafia guidelines, and the murder of his daughter crossed a line that Ben didn't think would be. This brings me to the meeting between Ben and Widmore. If the old mafia code is in fact the set of rules Ben assumed they were operating by, then that explains Widmore's reaction to Ben. Widmore is sorry about his daughter, but reminds Ben that he knows who he is and what he has done. Which I can only assume he is referring to the "purge" where Ben aided/planned the eradication of the entire Dharma Initiative. If Ben was playing by the rules, then killing around 100 people, including women and children, is a pretty gross violation of them. Which also explains Widmore's comment about Ben's audacity in acting like he was the victim. Regardless, it's still impossible to determine who's actually the bad guy, or if there is even a good guy in this situation. Which makes the show even better to watch, as it's up the viewer to make these assumptions until the answers are given.

Now some quick thoughts on the rest of the episode.

Sawyer's gun fight was a little on the weak side, except for the RPG to Claire's house. If were writing the episode I wouldn't have had Claire in the house, making her survival a little more realistic, but it's really not that big a deal.
Ben's jacket that he was wearing had a new Dharma symbol on it. I can only assume this is the Orchid Station referenced in the comic con video from last summer. You know, the one with teleporting bunnies.
How Ben controlled the smoke monster was interesting and I can't wait until that thing is finally explained. Which won't be until the last few episodes of the series I'm sure.
The bond between Claire, Hurley, and Sawyer is very believable, especially considering their connection to Charlie. So when Sawyer pulled the gun on Locke to defend Hurley, there was some real emotion behind it. That's called good character development.
The beach developments were small but interesting. The fact that the doctor from the boat washed up on the beach with his throat slit, yet they say he is still alive back on the boat is setting up for some wild time-travel/teleportation story lines in the coming weeks and for future seasons.
Sayid's reasons for working for Ben were explained and explained well. As manipulative as Ben is, convincing Sayid to kill after Nadia's murder was probably one of the easiest cons he's ever had to make
Kate is hot.

The Shape of Things to Come is one of my favorite episodes of the season, and would be on a greatest hits album of Lost episodes if there were such a thing. It shed light on existing mysteries such as the smoke monster and Widmore, while at the same time asking more questions in true Lost fashion. Back in the day, when there was no definitive end date for Lost, this is the type of episode that would have driven the haters wild. Now that Lost has an end, the stringing along of story lines is completely welcomed and necessary. I've always liked comparing Lost to a novel. You don't read books backwards, and when you start reading one, or better yet when people that respect narrative structure read a book, they usually don't skip to the end. Episodes like this one are important chapters, and when the answers do come, the vast layering of the mysteries will have a much bigger impact than a quick one scene solution.

9.7/10

Next weeks episode is called "Something Nice Back Home" and it's the first Jack episode of the season. Until then.....(play GTA IV)

if you want to dive deeper into the mafia code, then I recommend Alexander Stille's Excellent Cadavers, a biographical look into investigations into the mafia in Sicily during the 60's,70's and 80's

Male Nudity and Dracula Rock Operas:My Review of Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008-04-20T02:57:00.007-04:00

Anything Judd Apatow touches turns to gold (except Drillbit Taylor). As it should. The guy himself seems down to earth, and his loyalties to his friends are something to be admired in what is usually is a "me first" industry. Every Apatow hit has been made by his circle of friends that stem from Freaks and Geeks and Undeclared. Jason Segel, the star and writer of Forgetting Sarah Marshall, was in Freeks and Geeks aside from starring in Knocked Up and the 40 Year Old Virgin. The director, Nicholas Stoller, was also a director on the short lived Undeclared. I bring this up because the level of friendship shared by these guys is one of the main reasons they continue to pump out hit after hit. Every Apatow production before this had hilarious dialogue that succeeds because of it's honesty, and it only seems that way because the actors speak to each other like they are shooting the shit in each others basements. Forgetting Sarah Marshall is just like this, and is yet again another movie you can toss on the "Apatow Classic" pile.

First off I must give props to Jason Segel for the great script. Somehow, these guys continue to take the very stale genre of romantic comedy, and turn them into something fresh. This is due to the smart dialogue, and most importantly, the classic performances of the stable of actors that inhabit the Apatow world. Bill Hader, Jonah Hill, Paul Rudd, Jason Segel. There isn't much they can't make funny. That's not even mentioning the return of everyones favorite "That 70's Show" hottie, Mila Kunis. She's one of the best parts about Sarah Marshall. She's funny, she makes the story believable, and most of all, she's looking pretty, pretty good. Combine that with Kristen Bell and you have to seriously ask yourself why you wouldn't see this movie.

I'm honestly having a hard time finding anything bad to say about this movie. I've heard some complaints that Sarah Marshall runs a bit long, but I didn't find this to be the case. I can't really think of anything that needed to be left on the cutting room floor. I've heard some people say that Jonah Hill seems a little miscast, but I didn't find this to be the case either, that guy is funny in any role. From start to finish I was drawn in to the characters. It's also hard not to feel sorry for a guy who gets dumped while he's naked and it's equally hard not to laugh hysterically at it.

Go see it. You will laugh. Guaranteed.

8.5/10

Debate? Not so much.

2008-04-18T21:15:00.003-04:00

ABC News hosted a debate between Barack and Hillary this past Wednesday. However, it was a "debate" in name only. The first 40 or so minutes of the debate focused completely on total garbage that has nothing to do with the upcoming election. Followed by a tag-team effort between Hillary Clinton and George Stephanopoulis (former advisor to Bill Clinton) against Obama. ABC tackled such hard issues as lapel pins and events that occurred when Obama was 8, instead of real issues like the war and the economy. I'm all for debates, but if the rest of these between Barack and Hillary are nothing more than sophomoric b.s., then there is no need. Especially when these debates continue to encourage Hillary to stay in a race she can't win unless she resorts to some very underhanded, party-dividing, Karl Rovian like tactics.

Videogames, I profess my undying love to thee......

2008-04-17T19:44:00.007-04:00

If you read this blog (bless your soul), then you know that I love many things, including but not limited to current events, political campaigns, LOST, music and sports. However, there is one aspect of my life that I don't usually write about, and I think it's time to let that cat out of the bag.

Video games. Yes, video games. Since 1987, when I picked up the NES controller for the first time, a connection happened that I can only equate to the formation of the universe or a tsunami fighting an earthquake. It was magical.

Mario, Zelda, Battletoads, Mortal Kombat, Street Fighter, Goldeneye, AKI wrestling games, Grand Theft Auto, Guitar Hero. These are just some of the games and franchises that have helped shape my life (not all of it, just the part of me that likes fun).

In my adulthood however, there has only been one game that has given me hours upon hours of enjoyment, not only gameplay wise, but also from a social standpoint. That my friends, is Halo.

Eat some Battle Rifle biiatch!!

It started with crazy Halo-LAN parties back in 02' (that's Local-area-network for the non-nerds), followed by hours and hours of co-op and split-screen. If it hadn't of been for Halo 1, I have no idea what me and my friends would've done in High School (I do know, but let's just say were much better off because of Halo). Halo 2 came around, and while being a slight step back from Halo in some aspects, was fun as hell online and moved Halo outside of the living room. Halo 3 is the latest (and possibly final) installment of the franchise, and in many ways is a collection of everything that made the first two games great.

I had started to drift a little bit from Halo 3, because I felt the overall collection of multiplayer maps had gone a bit stale. That changed this week. Big time. On Tuesday, Bungie released a collection of multiplayer maps that has brought my love for Halo, and all video games back with a surge of "vengeance and furious anger".

The maps are Avalanche (Sidewinder inspired), Blackout (Lockout remake), and Ghost Town (brand new). These maps have made for some classic games, and make Halo 3 a serious consideration for the best game in the series.

This was fun.

If you are a Halo fan, a disgruntled Halo fan,or a fan of first-person shooters in anyway, I highly suggest you check these maps out (Don't worry, Call of Duty 4 will be there when you get back).

Same fun, different angle.

So consider this the welcoming of video games as a permanent topic on me blog here. I'll be reviewing games, commenting on industry news, and talking about things that would otherwise send non-video game fans into a state of paralysis. It will be good times.

Halo 3 Legendary Map: 1o kills, 0 deaths. Perfection medal awarded! or 10/10

GTA IV in two weeks. I might need to get all of my papers written before then.

"How do I reeeeach these keeeeeds!"

2008-04-11T19:23:00.006-04:00

For anyone who believes in justice, this past weeks episode of South Park was for you. In this episode, Cartman teaches inner city High School kids how to cheat like Bill Belichick, only not as Eric Cartman, but as Eric Cartmenez. I'm so happy that Trey Parker and Matt Stone touched on this in a way only South Park could.

Best line of the entire episode, "He said 'Hey, let's go out and win this one for real' and what did they do? They lost."

Here's the link to the entire episode, the Patriots stuff is about half-way through:

http://www.southparkzone.com/episodes/1205/Eek-a-Penis!.html

Yeah, this will work

2008-04-09T12:05:00.003-04:00

The U.S. military is issuing handheld lie detectors to troops in Afghanistan in order to help find information quickly. I would love to have been sitting in on the pitch session for this idea. I'm sure it went a little something like this.

General 1

So, we are losing ground in Afghanistan, what can we do to fix the situation?

General 2

How about more troops and better equipment. I hear people respond well to a gun in their face.

General 1

That's the worst idea I've ever heard!

General 3

I have this crazy idea. You know how lie detectors are basically inadmissible in the court of law.

General 1

Yes..I like where you are going with this.

General 3

Well instead of body armor and bullet-proof humvees. Let's give each soldier a hand-held lie detector. That way we can bring stability to the region based on circumstantial and generally inaccurate information.

General 1

(stands and slowly begins to clap)

This will win us the war.

Here's the link to the actual article.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23926278/

There can be only ONE!!!!!

2008-04-03T23:14:00.008-04:00

For the first time since seeding began in the NCAA tournament, all four number one seeds have made the Final Four. This sets up the most brutal, ball busting, bracket shredding, dream destroying, baby punching, relationship ending weekend of basketball in the history of man. At least on paper anyways. Some of the most intriguing match ups of the tournament so far (Tennessee v Louisville, Memphis v. Texas, UCLA v. Xavier) have turned out to be complete duds. However, North Carolina, Kansas, UCLA, and Memphis each match up extremely well with one another. Each team has a strong interior game, each team likes to run the floor, each team plays defense like their lives depend on it. To find flaws in these teams you have to look very deep (except for Memphis, where you have to look no further than the foul line). Who will survive? I won't dare make a pick as I have a dog in this race, but one thing is for sure, out of these ones (Cue Christopher Lambert) THERE CAN BE ONLY ONE!

Lost: Meet Kevin Johnson

2008-03-28T18:24:00.007-04:00

When Michael set sail from the island at the end of season 2, it was unclear whether or not we would actually receive any closure in the tale of Michael Dawson. Harold Perrineau's relationship with the producers had become strained, and the actor had a few pilots lined up for the fall season. Thankfully, all of those pilots failed, Harold made nice with Lindleloff and Cuse, and as a result, Lost fans will get their closure. Quite a bit of closure actually.

I loved how this episode was written. They started out with island exposition, with Ben setting up Rousseu and Karl, dove right into Michael's missed exposition, and then finished off with an end that I don't think anyone could have predicted. The pacing was tight, and it seemed like every second a massive A-Bomb of information was being dropped on us.

Michael's state of mind was one of the most compelling aspects of the episode. Most fans (and Ben) agree that Michael killing Ana-Lucia and Libby seemed excessive when it came to rescuing Walt, and the guilt of those senseless killings has driven Michael to the edge. The scenes where Michael attempts to kill himself are very intense, and Perrineau does an outstanding job making them believable. It turns out Michael can say more than "Waaaaaaaaalllllllttttt", in fact, he can play manic depressive pretty well. M.C Gainey also made his triumphant return as Tom, revealing more of how the Others actually operate as an operation through recruiting Michael. They manage to convince Michael that stopping the freighter might be Michael's only chance at redemption, because the island won't let off so easily as simply killing himself. This scene still left we wondering how the Others have a seemingly endless supply of information, money, and gay lovers. Yes, Tom is gay, just like everyone predicted, but it was nice to see it finally revealed, despite it's relative cheesiness.

Then there's the ending. People who know me, know that I'm a spoiler hound, and I had no idea that this was coming at all. Of course there was the warning from the ABC promo department ("Someone will.......DIE!!!!"), but I never suspected that it would go down like that. I have a pretty good feeling that Karl is gone, but Danielle? That's up for debate over the next few weeks. Also up for the debate is whether or not Ben set up Danielle and Karl to get the ax or someone else entirely.

Overall, Meet Kevin Johnson was a solid episode and a triumphant return for Harold Perrineau. How he will play into the rest of the season should be interesting to watch, and adds yet another layer to the onion that is the Lost story. The

The next new episode isn't until April 24th and will be the first of the final five episodes of the season. Right now all signs point to the episode being a Sayid flash forward. If that's true, then season 4 continues to be very unorthodox, as there has yet to be an episode about Jack, Locke, or Sawyer. I guess we'll find out. Until then.........watch more Basketball.

9.1/10

America. You just got served.

2008-03-19T12:54:00.003-04:00

The comments that Jeremiah Wright made were ridiculous, and as an Obama supporter I was very concerned as to how he would react. I thought his media tour after the comments was effective, but I didn't think that he would be able to fight back the media hellstorm in the end. Then Barack Obama did something I didn't think he would be able to do. He took this situation with Rev. Wright and turned it into an impassionate, intelligent, and much needed dialogue on the state of race in this country. While he still condemned Wright's comments, he shed light on the reasoning behind his attitude while at the same time accurately stating the racial qualms of the white community. Obama was honest to America, and displayed the ability that he has claimed to possess over the past few months during his campaign. I know people give Obama greif, telling him that he is simply a great speaker, but people forget that the most inspirational and effective leaders that we've ever had in this country possesed the ability to inspire through words. Never in my short life have I seen some one with this ability as I see it in Barack.

Lost Double Dose: The Other Woman and Ji Yeon

2008-03-18T19:34:00.004-04:00

Once again real life has stood in the way of me writing timely Lost reviews. Damn you responsibility! Luckily I was still able to watch the past two episodes, and on top of that, I was able to formulate opinions about them. Whuda thunk it?

First up is....

The Other Woman

This episode had the misfortune of following up the greatness that was "The Constant". Which means that inevitably, it was going to be a let down. The flashbacks themselves were a bit melodramatic, but also very informative in the manner that they shed more light on the creepiness of Ben. It think that it's now very well established that Juliet has every reason to want Ben dead, and even more reason to want to get off of the island. Harper, the new Other, was sort of clumsily introduced (not nearly as inept as Nikki and Paulo), and her appearance and disappearance in front of Jack was a little much for me. I guess the Losties are so used to random events happening, that some chick vanishing before their eyes isn't that big of a deal anymore. Just ask Ghost Walt.

What did work very well in this episode was every scene that Terry O' Quinn and Michael Emerson shared together (Ben and Locke). The conversations written for these two deserve truckloads of Emmy's. The way Ben underhandedly manipulates Locke is fun to watch, except this time Locke had something to come back with, as he had convinced Miles to start talking (A grenade in your mouth will tend to do that). Their conversation led to what is one of the biggest revelations so far this season, and that is that Penny's father, Charles Widmore, is the man after Ben, and also the island itself. Tie this together with Charlotte and Daniel's interest in the island (they were hand picked by Widmore for their expertise) and what a wonderful web Lost is weaving.

The Other Woman told a mildly interesting Juliet story that if nothing else painted a clearer picture of the true strength that Ben possesses. This was meant to make us as the audience question Ben's motives in revealing sensitive information to Locke. Faraday and Charlotte continue to be in a morally grey area as well. In one scene they are pistol whipping fools (Kate), and in the next scene they are saving those same fools lives. The gas they deactivated also serves as another reminder as to how crazy Ben is, hence to weight put on the closing scene with Ben walking free in Othertown. Intriguing. Indeed.

8/10 (extra point for the Widmore reveal alone)

Next up is......

Ji Yeon

(The date of Jin's death is the same date of the crash of 815)

Don't get me wrong, Sun and Jin's back story has always been one of my favorites, but the first 45 minutes of this episode were borderline sappy. The reveal that Sun and Jin made it off the island was interesting, everything on the freighter was awesome (especially the speech the Captain gave about Widmore) , and Juliet stabbing Sun in the back by telling Jin that she was indeed, a triflin' hoe. All of this was fun, nice and entertaining, then the last 15 minutes happened. It was then that the writer's pulled the rug out from underneath me, and then continued to kick me in the head repeatedly until the credits rolled.

In fifteen minutes, Michael returned (no real shocker there), we realized that we had been watching Sun flash-forward, and a Jin flashback in the same episode, and last but not least, Jin dies. How, when or if are still yet to be determined, but Jin is dead in the future. These revelations in the last fifteen minutes transformed what had been a sappy episode into an excellent piece of storytelling, as Lost continues to find new ways to reinvent itself here during the course of Season four.

9.5/10

This weeks episode is the last before a four week break. It's titled "Meet Kevin Johnson" and will be a Michael flashback story. The next new episode is April 24th, when Lost will return with a new time slot, Thursdays at 10:00. Until then....watch some basketball.

Oxygen Tanks and Dead Dogs: My Review of No Country For Old Men

2008-03-12T20:08:00.006-04:00

First off, this guy above, he's the baddest/craziest/smartest mofo you'll ever seen in a movie. Period. I was having nightmares about Anton Chigur before he stepped foot on screen.

Javier Bardem deserved that Oscar, no doubt about it.

No Country For Old Men was a very tense, haunting, and depressingly true tale of the small, forgotten elements that exist in our country. You know, the small towns, the gas station clerks, the blue collar workers who are struggling to make ends meet, the parts of this country who work so hard to get ahead yet never get anywhere. Some people begrudgingly accept it (Tommy Lee Jones), and some people fight it (Josh Brolin), and some people fall off the tracks (Javier Bardem), or in Bardem's characters case, they completely destroy said tracks.

I'm not saying this movie is a completely realistic portrayal of these ideals, but it does do an effective job of presenting them in the framework of a down and out welder who happens across $2 million dollars, and is subsequently hunted down by the most sadistic assassin since well.....since ever. Through excellent cinematography and selective, smart dialog, and odd pacing, the Coen Brothers delivered a movie experience that I've never seen before. I won't go so far to say that it was my favorite movie from 2007, because there where a few more that I "enjoyed" more, or shall I say, put me in a better mood. However, No Country for Old Men more than deserved Best Picture honors for the level of detail and expert story telling that it displays. This is movie that will stick with you for a long time.

9/10

McCain Hearts Waterboarding

2008-03-07T21:01:00.002-05:00

John McCain has more reason than anyone in this country to be an advocate against the use of torture by the U.S. military, which he has been for a very long time. In fact, in one of the last republican debates, McCain speaks out against torture, specifically the use of water boarding. Now, for some reason, McCain suddenly doesn't think that it's all that bad. So much so, that he opposes the bill set forth to ban water boarding.

Why the sudden change? Oh yeah, I remember. John McCain has zero political backbone.

Republicans who hate McCain do so because he always followed his own beliefs, and not the beliefs of his party. Since 2000, McCain has abandoned that approach and now changes his mind a the drop of a hat if it means a few more votes from the base of his party. Which is exactly what McCain is doing in this situation. There is no other way to explain why a former POW, who was painstakingly tortured for 5 years would support torture.

But for some reason, he does now. Only a few days after he is endorsed by President Bush.

Here we go again....

Lost Double Dose: Eggtown and The Constant

2008-03-03T15:13:00.010-05:00

Completely missed reviewing Lost last week do to my crazy schedule continuing to be crazy. Just because it was missed does not mean that it has been forgotten. So to make up for it I'll toss a few thoughts up before I review the mind melter that was "The Constant".

Eggtown

Kate episodes are usually my least favorite, and minus a few "WTF" moments, this one was no different. I generally just find her flashback/flashforward storylines to be repetitive and uninteresting. I get it, Kate likes to run and she ruins everything she touches. She's a pivotal character on the island, but the rest of her cannon needs a shot in the arm. I did enjoy Sawyer and Kate's conning of Locke in order for Kate to talk to Miles, however, the "deal" that they struck seemed a little silly, even though the conversation between Miles and Ben raised some questions about who and what Ben really is off the island. Locke's reatliation was fun to watch, especially the grenade he shoved in Miles' mouth. However, his banishment of Kate led to one of the lamest scenes in Lost history. That of course being the Sawyer and Kate "Grey's Anatomy" scene. There's just something about romantic relationship dialogue on this show that doesn't work for me. It seems forced. Thankfully it doesn't last long, and Sawyer kicks Kate to the curb like the straight pimp that he is.

The most interesting parts of Eggtown were small. For example, Jack's testimony in Kate's trial. Obviously a lie, Jack's story sheds a little light on the Oceanic 6's predicament, serving as a little piece of the puzzle that will bring the flashforwards into focus down the line. The biggest moment of the hour came in the final seconds when it was revealed that Kate, for some reason, is raising Aaron, Claire's weird looking baby. For what reason, and under what circumstances are left in the air in true Lost fashion, but I'm sure we'll know the answer by the end of May. Another peculiar moment was Jack's reaction to Kate's child. I'm not sure if he knows that the baby is actually Claire's, or if he think's it's Sawyers', but he's uncomfortable with the situation that's for sure.

Overall, Eggtown was hit and miss for me. It had some strong moments, such as the ending, but for the most part was an uninteresting "shipper" story (storylines focused on relationships). That's not to say I hated it, but it was the weakest of what so far has been the strongest season to date.

7/10

Now to the good stuff.....

The Constant

The Lost writers have flirted dangerously close to unveiling Lost as a sci-fi show. Yet every time the show steps a foot over the line, it jumps back over, shuts the door and turns out the lights(the monster, Dharma, miraculous healings, ghost Walt and so on). Last year, Desmond's episode "Flashes Before Your Eyes", was the semi-coming out sci-fi party by introducing time travel theories, but things went quiet on that angle soon after. Last weeks episode, "The Constant", changed things. In fact, it changed everything. Including my pants. Ladies and Gentleman, time travel is real. Or at least it is on Lost.

Now I know when the average person hears the phrase "time travel" and "television drama", the words "genius" and "compelling" don't usually follow. I normally think the concept is lame as well, mainly because most television shows and movies (sans Back to the Future), don't take the time to explain and make sense of how it would even be possible. This is the reason why "The Constant" is one of the most intelligently written hours in Lost history, but also a lesson in story structure for any aspiring screenwriter (me!), and an amazing display of how to awesomely edit. Yes, awesomely. It's that good.

When Desmond starts losing his mind I was skeptical. I've seen that plot element on other shows, and it usually ends in disaster, which looked eminent on this occasion too. That is, until my boy Daniel Faraday started dropping knowledge.

Human beings only use 10% of their brain. The power of the other 90% has been a source of scientific study for as long as Phrenology has existed. When the hatch exploded, Desmond was exposed to a high level of electromagnetism that jarred his collective conscious loose in the framework of time. Allowing his mind to jump randomly through time. Why and how is this possible? Faraday explains.

Imagine your entire life as a timeline where both the future and the past exist in conjunction with the present. What's happens to Desmond, is that the force of the electromagnetism on his brain jarred his mind loose in time, not his entire body. Allowing him to jump to alternate moments in time without the ability to control it.The only way to fix his problem was to find a constant. Something or someone that exists in both his past and his present in order to give his brain an anchor to base time on. By finding Penny and alerting her to his problem, Desmond was able to bring his mind back to homeostasis. Cementing his place in time once again. Now this may sound crazy and far-fetched, but what's happening on Lost is cemented in real scientific theories by such thinkers as Michael Faraday (whom Daniel's character is named after) and Stephen Hawking. Especially Hawking's String Theory, which can be used to explain Desmond's ability to move through time, as String Theory not only takes into account as time being a fourth dimension, but the possibility of there being an infinite number of dimensions beyond human understanding. Sorry, didn't mean to nerd out there, but these concepts are what make Lost so great. You can take the show at surface value, or you can follow the rabbit hole as deep as it will go.

On top of the mixture of scientific theory and storyline, "The Constant" was edited to perfection. The cuts between time jumps were creatively done as they came without warning, just like they were for Desmond's character. It got even better when the jumps to Desmond's past placed him in scenes that were filled with an abundance of clues to the origin of the island. During the auction scene, Penny's father, Charles Widmore, was bidding on a diary from the Black Rock. Which is the wrecked slave ship that is somehow in the middle of the island. The author of the diary had the last name "Hanso", which is very important considering the "Hanso Foundation" are the founders of the Dharma Intiative. Oh how the plot thickens.

The Constant was an incredible rebound from what I considered a weak episode in "Eggtown". Further proving that Lost as a show is incredibly focused, and answers to the mysteries we have been discussing for years are starting to take shape.

This weeks episode is title "The Other Woman" and it's Juliet flashback. Good times.

10/10

Girl! You Crazy!!!

2008-02-29T21:20:00.003-05:00

If you watch TV, read the news, or breathe air, then you without a doubt know the dynamics of the 2008 democratic "Race to the White House". In the beginning, Hillary Clinton was a shoe-in to be the nominee, but over time the charismatic, super-awesome, cooler-than-a-polar bears-toenails Barack Obama started doing his thing. Unfortunately for Hillary, Barack's "thing" just so happens to be "destroying Hillary Clinton". As the margin between Hillary and Barack grows, so do the wild antics of our former First Lady.

Last week she gave the award winning masterpiece called "Shame on you Barack". A gripping tale of a shameful political mailer filled with hurtful quotes. Before that was the epic saga of "Barack Obama's Plagiarism", only to find out it he was actually paying tribute to one of his political mentors.

For the most part, all of the complaints that Hilary has made have been relatively harmless and nothing to complain about. Then I read this today (http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23408698/) . This pissed me off.

Hillary complained that Barack was dipping into Karl Rove's playbook, yet Hillary seems to be the best one at applying Rove's tactics. Changing the rules of an election because your afraid you're going to lose is not only corrupt, whiny, and just plain wrong. It's also a throwback to the crap we've had to deal with for the last seven years. Changing laws that you don't like is the George Bush style of working that we need to get away from, not embrace. So Hillary, I only have one thing to say to you.

Girl!!!!!!(snaps fingers). You crazy!

Lost: The Economist

2008-02-21T18:18:00.002-05:00

Once again, I'm a week late on my Lost review. As much as would love to devote all of my writing to Lost, I've written way too much for school in the past week to make writing fun. Thankfully, that feeling wore off fast.

Quick Thoughts:

-Sayid is super bad-ass.
-The island is 31 minutes behind the outside world. What that means for the future of the show is massive.
-I'm beginning to think that Ben might not necessarily be "bad". Sure, Sayid is working for him under duress, but the enemy that Sayid is going after might be a mutal one.
-The freighties are a very strong group of characters.
- Didn't see the Hurley turn coming. It's weird to see the core group of Losties start to fracture. I'm even more surprised it didn't happen sooner.
- " N. I'll be with you Always. R.G". Who is R.G., and why is Sayid so enamored with Naomi's bracelet.

Some of the biggest moments in this episode were some of the most subtle. Daniel's expiriment has far-reaching effects on the origin on the island, and Hurley's turn might have something to do with why he apologized to Jack in the first episode for not going with him. It's also very interesting to see the further decline of Jack's authority over the group, as Sayid straight told him that his strategies are terrible. Then of course there was the moment where Sayid and Desmond left the island, becoming the first castaways to seemingly get off (except for Michael). It was a pretty cool moment.

Tonight's episode is Kate-Centric and it's called "Eggtown". With that, plus the debate on tonight, it should be a good night of television. Check check it.

9/10

Vote or Die!!! or Live, or nothing!

2008-02-21T18:12:00.003-05:00

Barack and Hillary are squaring off tonight on CNN. Should be interesting to see how Hillary reacts to her massive losing streak, and also how both respond to John McCain's questionable dealings with a certain hot lobbyist.

Tune in.... 8:00 p.m.

Lost: Confirmed Dead

2008-02-14T16:45:00.004-05:00

Quick, super week-late review from me. Confirmed Dead was an example of a great way to introduce new characters on the show. Miles, Charlotte, Lapidus, and Daniel seem like they are going to be solid, and especially, help give some answers about what the island is, and what it can do. Matthew Abbadon said, in Naomi's one and only flashback, that everyone was selected for a specific reason. Those reasons where alluded to in each character's flashback, and I hope the freighties have one more episode before the season ends.I want to know more. Charlotte and Faraday have the most potential because they have scientific interests in the island. Daniel is a physicist, and Charlotte is an anthropoligist with a weird fettish for Dharma polar bear collars. When she landed on the island, Charlotte seemed very happy to be there.

The exchanges between Sawyer, Ben and Locke were well written, and Locke's description of his meeting with Walt was a lot more blunt then I thought it would be. With the show coming to an end fairly soon, the time to be cryptic is over. It's answer time now, and this episode was a very good way to set the stage for these pivotal characters..

Tonight's episode is titled "The Economist" and it's Sayid-Centric. I'll be watching this bad boy on DVR though, because apparently, watching Lost on Valentine's day isn't everyones idea of a good time.

Blasphemy!

9/10

Clemens and Government Conspiracy. T/F

2008-02-14T16:16:00.003-05:00

I just read a pretty interesting article on Si.com that quotes Brian McNamee's lawyer giving his reasons why he thinks Roger Clemens is sticking to his story. He stated that "It's my belief they have some reason to believe they can get a pardon".

Whaa.....!?

Apparently Roger Clemens is good friends with George H.W Bush (he's an Astros fan), and one of the last acts of Ol' Jr's presidency might be to pardon his Dad's good buddy. If that's indeed the case, then Roger Clemens can say whatever he wants in a court of law, and even if he is found guilty on perjury charges, he will get off scott free.

I'm not going to say right away that I believe this, mainly because I'm a huge baseball fan, and I still want to believe that Clemens is telling the truth. I'm also not going to say it couldn't be true. The way Clemens questioning was split down party lines supports the lawyers theory, Republicans where soft on him, Democrats asked him tough questions, Republicans were hard on McNamee, Democrats defended him. Why is that? Is it coincidence, or is it a microcosm for how low this administration has gone. They mess up the country, and now, don't even care if they get it cleaned up before they move out. Instead our government is focused on drugs in professional sports, while they put band-aids on everything else. November can't come fast enough.

What I'm really hoping is that this case goes away before it gets to that. There are much more pressing issues that the branches of our government could be focusing on. Unless your going to arrest atheletes on past drug use (which they can't), then leave professional sports issues in the fans and players jurisdiction.

Lost: Beginning of the End

2008-02-05T18:33:00.001-05:00

If you know me, then you now my love for Lost is borderline obsessive. So it's safe to say that I was absolutely geeking out about the return of my beloved show. The Season 3 finale was one of the greatest television finales of all time, and I was very worried that the premiere wouldn't live up to the hype. Thankfully, it accomplished that and maybe a bit more.

Normally Lost premieres start off by completely changing the way you look at the show within the first few minutes. This wasn't the case this time around, as this premiere picked up right where Season 3 left off, only this time with a Hurley flash-forward, and the introduction of the "Oceanic 6". Future Hurley signals a very different direction for his character that I'm glad to see. For three seasons, Hurley was mainly comic relief, and now he's in a much darker place due to the circumstances that Hurley, Kate, Jack and three others were able to get off of the island under. Just like Jack's flash-forward proved, escaping the island has done nothing less than ruin the lives of those who have escaped. Hurley's visions of Charlie, along with the visit from Matthew Abbaddon, are the beginnings of a much deeper storyline that will explain why only 6 people made it off of the island, and why they are keeping certain facts secret.

The on-island arc during this episode was a good stage-setter for the rest of the season, with the survivors splitting between Camp Locke and Camp Jack. Jack's side trusts that the people on the freighter are there to rescue them, and Locke's side is following the warnings of Charlie and Ben, who say the people on the freighter aren't who they say they are. These scenes were very well done, and were high on the nostalgia scale, as the back drop was the front of Oceanic 815. Watching everyone react to Charlie's death, and at the same time the semi-fall of Jack as the central leader of the group were pivotal scenes. I'm also very intruiged by Hurley's statement to Jack that he wishes that he had followed him to begin with. Makes you wonder. Then there is the sequence involving Hurley and Jacob's cabin. Hurley gets lost and stumbles upon Jacob's crib. When he looks inside he sees a shadowy figure that is none other than Jack's Dad, Christian. Whether or not that is really Christian Shepard or not is yet to be seen, as the island has been know to play mind games with people in the past.

I do have some small complaints about this episode. There were a couple of scenes that were very high in the corn department. The biggest perpetrator being the small little exchange between Rose, Sun, and Claire. I will forever fast forward through that scene as it was some of the worst acting this show has ever witnessed. The other was the character cross between Ana-Lucia's old partner and Hurley. It was out of place and unnecessary. Not so much the fact that he was the detective, but more so that he thought Ana-Lucia was beautiful. It made me think he never had watched the show.

In the end, this was a very solid way to start what could be a very short Season 4. Hurley has been established as a much more diverse character with a bigger role to play, and the split between Jack and Locke should provide some good television. Then there is the "Jacob" element, and who knows what road that might take us down.

This weeks episode is called "Confirmed Dead" and should shine some light on who the freighter folk really are. There is also a rumor that Lost has resumed filming despite the writer's strike not being resolved. If that's the case, then we might get semi-closure to Season 4. Here's hoping.

9/10

Sweetacular

2008-02-03T22:09:00.000-05:00

Patriots Lose. Thank You God. Seriously. Thank You.

You seriously couldn't find anything better to investigate.

2008-02-02T01:01:00.000-05:00

Now I hate the Patriots just as much as you do, or at least as much as you should. There is nothing I want more than for them to go down in a blaze of despair and dissapointment on Sunday. I also agree that "spygate" was swept under the rug a little to quickly. That being said, I do not think spygate is a matter of national security.

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen "Big Daddy" Spector for some reason thinks, that despite there being a war going on, despite the fact we are about to enter a recession, despite the fact that there are about a million things that go on in this world that REALLY matter, that congress needs to investigate why the NFL destroyed the spygate tapes. Seriously.

What's so funny to me is that there was something similar to this that happened in Washington, yet they continue to this day to drg their feet on the matter. That of course being the destruction of the CIA tapes of interogations using waterboarding at Guantanamo. Now there are some tapes that people would like to have answers from.

Yes the Patriots cheated. Yes they got off easy, and yes, mainstream sports media (I'm looking at you ESPN) act like it doesn't matter. But there are much more important matters for our tax dollars to be spent on. Congress spends way too much time worrying about the sports world, and not nearly enough on the real world.

Cloverfield: Shake shake shake, shake shake shake, shake your movie, shake your movie!

2008-01-29T19:21:00.000-05:00

I'll make this simple, Cloverfield is everything that the Blair Witch Project was trying to be, only it's bigger, faster, and meaner. With that being said, Cloverfield also shares one of the biggest complaints of the Blair Witch Project, and that's shaky cam. Now I understand why the camera shakes. This is a movie about a bunch of 20 somethings looking for their friend in the midst of a gigantic monster attack, filmed entirely on a handheld. One wouldn't exactly stop to make sure everything is in focus. The shakiness is there for realism, and that is what makes this movie so unique in my eyes. It's a monster movie that puts you right there in it.

The movie begins with a very important stretch of character development, with scenes that sometime lose focus, but for the most part get the job done in explaining these character's motivation to go back into Manhattan when everyone is getting out. The first 20 minutes is like an episode of The Hills, except the characters are actually interesting, and at the end a gigantic monster comes in and destroys everything they love. If only that would really happen on the Hills. Cloverfield is basically the closest any of us will ever come to actually living through something like this, and from the 20 minute mark on, the movie never lets up that feeling of fear,confusion and intensity. If by some reason you aren't captured by the story,the monster, or the funny musings of Hud the cameraman, then the camera will shake enough to remind that you're watching something intense.

Cloverfield isn't perfect, there are some plot holes, and some miraculous healing of injuries, but the fact that this is a film based on a giant monster attacking New York, basically forces you to leave your understanding of reality at the door. Cloverfield is an experience, a good time at the movies, and a fresh take on a tried and sometimes true genre. It's a movie that needs to be seen on the big screen to be appreciated, just make sure you sit in the back row. It helps with the shaking.

8/10

This is what a jinx looks like.

2008-01-28T20:29:00.000-05:00

The Rumor train is off the tracks in regards to the writers strike. Word on the street it could be over by the end of the week, and if that's the case, some shows may be saved for the last part of the season. (Lost, Scrubs)

Also, the State of the Union is on tonight. I'm going to watch it.

Wish me luck.

No way.(updated)

2008-01-23T18:15:00.000-05:00

Morgan Spurlock,the guy who made the documentary "Super Size me" (mmm...Big Macs), has a new film premiering at Sundance. It's a documentary titled "Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden". Other than the cool shout out to Carmen Sandiego, there are reports the Spurlock actually found the guy. I'm not sure if this is 100% true, but if it is, then expect the Democrats to win in a landslide next November.

Linky
http://tinyurl.com/3xy4 85

*Update*

This movie premiered at Sundance over the weekend, and it turns out that he doesn't find Osama Bin Laden, or for that matter, even really try. This immediately kills all excitement that I had for this film. I'll see it, but probably not until I can watch it from my couch.

There's wrong, and then there's my NFL playoff predictions

2008-01-17T19:26:00.000-05:00

I'm embarrassed to even say who I picked for the playoffs at the beginning of the NFL season. If you really want to know, look back at my September posts, for I shall dare not repeat them here. Let's just say I went 3/6 in the AFC and 2/6 in the NFC, and the only team that I still have left that I predicted would be here is the San Diego Chargers. What this proves to me is that for one, I can't predict football, and two don't ever believe pre-season hype (I'm lookin at you New Orleans Saints). With that said I will now attempt to wrongly predict the outcome of this weekends NFC and AFC Championship games.

(bites lip)

NFC Championship game
Packers 27, Giants 24- Why? Brett Favre, that's why.

AFC Championship game
Patriots 20, Chargers 17- Why? Phillip Rivers has a bum leg, LT has a bum knee, and Tom Brady is the Devil

Packers vs. Patriots in the Super bowl, and I won't pick a winner out of fear. Don't call me a coward, I simply know my own limits.

Peliculas! No se......

2007-12-28T19:44:00.000-05:00

Pathetic. Weak. Lacking. These would all be good words that could describe my effort to see all of the good movies that came out this year. In fact, I'm not even sure if I went to the theatre 10 times this year, nonetheless have enough to make an honest Top 10. To put this in perspective, here is a list of the movies that came out this year that I didn't see, but had every intention on seeing.

Ah hem... The List of Movies that I didn't see that would otherwise change my Top 10

3:10 to Yuma,No Country for Old Men,I am Legend,Juno,Sweeny Todd,Bee Movie,Southland Tales,Beowulf,Hitman,Gone Baby Gone,Shoot em Up, Eastern Promises,The Kingdom,The Darjeeling Limited,Rescue Dawn,Harry Potter,Sicko,Pirates of the Caribbean; At World's End, Spider Man 3,Blades of Glory,Grindhouse,Sunshine,The Simpson's Movie,The Assassination of Jesse James By the Coward Robert Ford,We Own the Night,Rendition.

With that out of the way, I present to you.

My Top 10 Movies of 2007

10. Hot Fuzz

If you saw Shaun of the Dead, then you know exactly what kind of comedy to expect for Hot Fuzz. It's an over the top story about Supercop from London being sent to a small town because he is "too good" at his job. Only the small town happens to be run by crazed killers who are determined to keep the town perfect. Hilarity and Bad Boys II references ensue.

9. Ocean's 13

I've watched Ocean's 11 so many times that I lost count. I only have seen Oceans 12 twice because it was a huge disappointment. Ocean's 13 is somewhere in between. The fact that they are back in Vegas helps the movie tremendously, and the heist is way more fun to watch, but it still doesn't capture the awesomeness of 11. However, in Oceans 13 it feels like the actors are having fun again, as opposed to 12 where they seemed to be sleep walking through the entire thing.

8. Ratatouille

Pixar always delivers. Always. I have yet to see a movie from that studio that I didn't like, and each year the movies get better. Pixar explores themes that kids movies used to be terrified to venture into.

7. Transformers

Michael Bay sucks. Me, you, everyone knows that. One thing he doesn't suck at however is blowing stuff up, and Transformers is just that. Giant robots transforming, blowing stuff up, and fighting each other. Occasionally these Transformers also fights tanks and other things that explode while they fight each other. I mean, what's not to like (except the dialogue and Jon Voight)

6. TMNT

I was a Ninja Turtle pimp when I was younger. I had them all, I watched them all, I drove everyone crazy. I was worried when I heard this movie was coming out, but the finished product connected the old stories from the 80's with the movies from the 90's, making the movie something for every generation of fans. I felt like a 7 year old the entire movie.

5. Live Free or Die Hard (Unrated Version)

Pg-13 Die Hard was still entertaining, and somehow still felt like a Die Hard despite the rating. However, Unrated Yippe-Ky-Yay Die Hard is where it's at. Bruce Willis is still, without question, Jon McClane, and despite one particular action sequence, Live Free or Die Hard was an awesome experience. Sorry Michael Scott, I disagree with you.

4. Superbad

Part 2 of the 1,2,3 punch that Judd Aptow and friends dropped on Hollywood this year. Superbad is hilarious, mostly for the reason that it wasn't scared to go the extra mile for laughs, i.e "blood brothers", the entire McLovin scenario, and Seth's "problem". Awesome movie that will surely considered a classic years from now, and it might be already.

3. Knocked Up

It's hard to decide which one is the most funny between this and Superbad. I guess it depends on which day it is, what mood you're in, or possibly the positioning of the sun. What made Knocked Up so great for me was how realistic it was. Sure it was a romantic comedy, but one that made it clear that things don't always go the way you plan them to. It also solidified Paul Rudd as one of the most underrated actors maybe ever.

2. 300

This movie is visually insane. There has never been anything like 300 in film before (Sin City being the closest) Great fights, great acting, and the emergence of Gerard Butler as a bad ass. Watching this movie in HD will bring a tear to your eye, followed by more tears, then uncontrollable sobbing. It's that good.

1. American Gangster

There aren't many movies that I've seen, that immediately following them, I went home and both googled and Wikied. I did this after watching the tale of Frank Lucas, played superbly by Denzel. American Gangster was a three hour movie that felt like 45 minutes, filled with actors at the top of their game, and Directed by one of the greats Ridley Scott.

Worst Movie of 2007

License to Wed

I would rather get hit by a bus then watch this movie again. Thank God I only saw it on DVD.

--------

Like I said, I didn't see more movies than I actually saw this year, which I'm sure would effect my list a great deal. But from what I was able to see, this is how I'd rank them. As far as next year goes, there are a lot of good ones to look forward to including but not limited to: The Dark Knight, Where the Wild Things Are, Cloverfield, Indiana Jones 4, The Pineapple Express, RocknRolla, Bond 22, and Speed Racer.

Te Gusta la musica de dos mil siete? Si senor, muchas.

2007-12-26T20:17:00.000-05:00

2007 was a year of surprises for me when it came to music. There where definitely some albums that I expected to like, and like them I did, but my favorites from the past 365 days came out of nowhere. Meaning that last year at this time I had no idea they even existed. I re-discovered some oldies that I missed out on, and I grew tired of a band that I had grown up with, and one of the albums I was looking forward to the most turned out to be a bust in my eyes (apparently not in others).When it's all said and done however, 2007 turned out to be one of the strongest years of music for me personally in quite sometime.

But enough talk, it's time for the good stuff

The Climaxan's Top 10 Albums of the Year

10. Mae- Singularity
Mae's last album,The Everglow, was sort of hit and miss. It had some really solid tracks, but for the most part never really captured the energy from Destination Beautiful (their first album) Singularity brought back what makes Mae such a standout band, and that's beautiful music that dips into rock territory on each track.
9. Tokyo Rose- The Promise in Compromise
This band should be bigger than they are. Period. Tokyo Rose plays high energy pop punk that is as well written as it is catchy. There have been many other pop/punk bands that have received exposure over the years who would cry tears of untold fear if they heard a little Tokyo Rose.
8. Fall Out Boy- Infinity on High
Fall Out Boy receives truckloads of disrespect. Why? Is it because they got too big too fast, is it because Pete Wentz isn't afraid of the camera, is it because they put on a mediocre live show? It could be for all of these reasons, but anyone who says that their albums aren't pure pop/punk gold, isn't listening close enough. You don't have to love Fall Out Boy, but one can't deny that they are good at what they do. There was no better album this year to roll the windows down and unabashedly rock out.
7. Maroon 5- It Wont Be Soon Before Long
This was one of my surprises from this year. I won't lie, just like the Killers last year, Maroon 5 was a band I loved to hate on. Then I actually gave them an honest listen, followed by large quantities of crow. Maroon 5 is catchy, confident, funky as hell, and they know it. IWBSBL is an album that you start from track one and let play out until the end, giving you everything from dance songs to love songs to straight rock songs. I copped Songs About Jane thanks to this, and I am now a full-fledged Maroon 5 fan. Don't hate.
6. Talib Kweli- Ear Drum
Kweli and Hi-Tek's Reflection Eternal is one of my favorite albums of all time. This is a double-edged sword for me, because every Kweli album I hear I hold to that standard. This really isn't fair, because to me, Reflection Eternal is a masterpiece, and masterpieces are hard to put out once every two years. With that said, Ear Drum is the closest Kweli has come to the greatness of Reflection. Ear Drum has 20+ songs, featuring some of the best writing of any Kweli album. Kweli is the most underrated M.C. in Hip Hop, and one day he'll get the respect commercially that he deserves.
5. The Shins- Wincing the Night Away
Tar me, feather me, do what you must, but Wincing the Night Away was the first Shins album that I've ever bought. I'd heard a lot of their older stuff at random times, but never a full album. Wincing the Night Away was the first album that I picked up this year, as it was the only beacon of quality music in the desolate month of January. The album itself played well to that role, because as it progresses it's like dancing through a relaxing, rainy winter afternoon. If that sounds like a downer, it's not. It's a sobering optimism. Now I've used up all of my adjectives.
4. Sara Bareilles- Pretty Voice
I don't know what my problem used to be. For the longest time female vocalists proved difficult for me to get into, and that's not because I'm sexist. I grew up on Fleetwood Mac, and early in my life I was really into No Doubt. I think my biggest hang up is that many popular female vocalists don't write their own music. This excuse is also out the window now, as in the past couple of years great female singer songwriters have started to emerge, and Sara Bareilles is one of them. Her writing is top notch, the story of her career is inspiring to anyone who plays music, and better yet this chick can sing some blues. She sort of reminds me of a female version of John Mayer, and if you love bluesy rock/piano then you can't deny yourself this album. I mean you can, but I wouldn't recommend it.
3. Coheed and Cambria- No World For Tomorrow
Arena rock died, then Coheed resurrected it. Coheed almost died, then No World For Tomorrow resurrected them. After Good Apollo, Coheed lost their drummer and bassist, and for a band whose cornerstone is intricate ballady prog rock, that is kind of a big deal. Luckily their bassist returned (thanks to rehab) and they were able to recruit more than capable drummer Chris Penne in order to finish recording the album. The result is Coheed's best album to date, combining all of the positive elements from their previous albums, then turning the "rock out" component to 11. The fact that Claudio Sanchez can play the guitar arrangements he does while at the same time singing his off the wall lyrics still blows my mind. Only now he's better at it. Scary stuff, and by scary I mean awesome.
2. Motion City Soundtrack- Even If It Kills Me
Motion City Soundtracks lead singer Justin Pierre has a knack for writing lyrics that take depressing situations, (i.e heartbreak, addiction, paranoia, more heartbreak) and turning them into catchy songs that somehow, someway, make you happy. These aren't your standard sappy emo songs, they are honest and self-deprecating, filled with off the wall metaphors and comparisons that give Motion City it's originality. It helps that those lyrics are also backed by high energy moog rock, catchy hooks, and slick guitar. Even if it Kills Me feels like a transition album both in style and in reality. This is the main reason this album is so high on my list. These aren't songs about High School issues, this album touches on situations that many people face when they come to milestone decisions in their life, and how to deal with the consequences. Even if It Kills Me couldn't have come at a better time in my life.
1. Paulson- All at Once
Catchiest album of the year. Freshest album of the year. My most listened to album of the year (according to my itunes), making it naturally my album of they year. Paulson is still very indie, even by indie standards. However, if they stop in your town, you will quickly learn who they are by word of mouth. Their music is a mix of many different styles including but not limited to, pop, rock, dance, funk, and electronic, making it hard place these guys in a single genre. Paulson's vocals blend perfectly with their sound and if you don't find yourself moving to their music then you my friend have no soul. Paulson backs this up with a very entertaining live show that loses no energy from the album. You should have bought this album yesterday, and that's all there is to it.

Worst Album(s) of the Year:
(Tie) Saves the Day- Under the Boards
Saves the Day are some of the founding fathers of the emo/pop/punk revolution that kicked off in the early 00's. Their albums have always been all over the place when it comes to sound, but at least up until this point, there was something for everyone due to the quality of the writing and instrumentals. On Under the Boards, Saves the Day offers up one of the most painful musical experiences that I have ever had to sit through from a band that I love. I know your sad Chris Conley, but sadness doesn't mean you've forgotten song structure, or how to carry a note. Two things that are missing from Under the Boards. That's not to say that every song on the album is bad, but most of them are. I just hope they get back on track for the third part of the trilogy they are working on, because simply thinking about Under the Boards gives me a stomach ache.

(Tie) Kanye West- Graduation
This album is on many top ten lists this year, in fact, it is some people's album of the year. This absolutely boggles my mind. I don't see how any Kanye fan (which I am) who has listened to any of Kanye's previous work (which I own), can think that this is a good album (which I don't). At best this is a "Meh" album. There are two to three quality tracks, including "Stronger" and "Champion". If anything I viewed this album as a step back for Kanye. His delivery was broken, the beats seemed lazy, his subject matter played out. I miss College Dropout Kanye, who was honest, original, confident but not too cocky. That Kanye was real. Graduation Kanye feels like another ice rap retread. Remember Kanye it's only cool to rap about gold if you you got it from Ghana and Mali.

_________

Well that does it for my music list of 2007. There where still a few albums that I never got around to hearing, like the new Jimmy Eat World and Radiohead that I'm sure I'll hear as the front end of 2008 seems to be a little light and I'll be needing some new music. That's not to say that 2008 will be weak, as there are new albums from the likes of Jack Johnson, Death Cab for Cutie, 311, Saves the Day (fingers crossed), Paulson, and Dr. Dre that I know of already, not even counting the surprises that come along. So enjoy and listen to as much music as you possibly can, it'll make your life that much better.

Everytime T.O. calls out Jessica Simpson an angel gets its wings.

2007-12-19T20:37:00.000-05:00

This is by no means a big news story, but I would file it under one of the funniest news items of the week, well next to a pregnant teeny Spears. When asked by reporters this week what he thought of Tony Romo's terrible performance, T.O quickly pointed out the presence of ol' girl. I only hope that this escalates to unforeseen heights.

I doubt where that lucky though.

Is THIS how the world ends......

2007-12-06T21:04:00.000-05:00

Earlier this week an Intelligence report was released stating that Iran had ceased their Nuclear Weapons programs. They are still enriching uranium, but their weapons development stopped in 2003. This of course, runs contrary to the rhetoric we have been hearing from the Bush administration. In the past few months a growing struggle with Iran has been hyped by the administration based on claims that Iran was indeed defying the world and building nuclear weapons.

Our fearless leader George Bush addressed this issue in a press conference. His answers, to anyone who was actually paying attention, would have made your head explode. Bush broke it down by saying that despite the facts at hand they wont change their position on Iran. I've heard that song before, it was the Bush Administrations #1 chart topping hit in 2002. It's called "Take this war and like it America". I'm now convinced that the entire Bush Administration finds this funny. That of course being the fact that they can say anything they want to, no matter how ludicrous, ridiculous, or untrue it may be, and get away with it. Karl Rove did it last week in an interview with Charlie Rose, saying that it was Congress, not the President who pushed for the Iraq war. Which is absolutely 100% bet-my-life and-well-being-on-it-false. What happened to Rove? Was he lambasted in the press? Was the news all over it? What's that, Britney Spears is pregnant again! Move over Rove, because there's some real news. Bush's press conference didn't even make a big splash, and that was some seriously...seriously angering stuff. You know, the kind of thing that used to make people march

I know this is nothing new, and I know I'm not the first, or last, or best person to say it, but the 2008 election can't come fast enough, because I see absolutely no way that any of the candidates can be worse than this...can they? If so then...

Writer's Strike: Prepare Yourself

2007-11-09T19:19:00.000-05:00

I'm sure just about everyone at this point has heard of the WGA strike, and hopefully the events that led up to it. If not, here is a quick refresher. The studio heads of all major entertainment corporations (Fox, NBC (GE), Viacom, and Disney), refuse to give the writers guild a slice of the "new media" pie. New media is of course all of the ad revenue raked in from shows that are sold or streamed over the web. Currently for every $20 that is made, whether through DVD or online, about 3 cents of that goes to the writers. That's also assuming that the writer wrote that particular work by himself. Most productions have multiple writers, also known as writing teams, so go ahead a split that three cents between all of them.

For some reason, the studio heads think this is fair, and that new media is far too complex to figure out, and way to complex to pay the writers subsidies. Now anyone with a 1st grade education can see how this is unfair. Writing in the entertainment industry doesn't mean that you are rich. Unless you are a top tier screenwriter you are simply making modest money at best by Hollywood standards. What this strike represents is how out of touch the Upper Crust of American society is with the needs and wants of everyone else in this country. A simple deal could be met with WGA that would still allow both sides to make a great deal of money. However, Studio Executives are more concerned about not making the most money that THEY possibly can. All the while, the little guy suffers, and all of the TV shows, movies, and late night comedy shows that the even smaller people love (you, me, and most people) will disappear. You may not notice it now, but within a few months, many of the programs that people rely on for entertainment and escapism will disappear, many to never see the light of day again. Even worse, some of these will be replaced by garbage reality TV shows.

I know I'm ranting about TV shows, but these shows also represent jobs, livelihoods, and key outlets for the American public that keep us from losing our minds. Hopefully, for everyone, this strike is resolved pretty soon. If not, then get ready for the exiting 2008 TV season, led by shows such as My Dad can Beat up Your Dad, movies like Battlefield Earth II: Endgame, and the Oscars hosted by Wayne Brady.

I'm tired of the New York Yankees

2007-10-31T17:43:00.000-04:00

I'm no Red Sox fan, not by a long shot. But something happened in the wake of them winning their 2 World Series in 89 years. Somehow, some way, the freakin New York Yankees took the spotlight away. On Tuesday, the morning after Boston won, they were the THIRD STORY on Sportscenter , behind 1) Alex Rodriguez opting out, and 2) Joe FREAKIN Girardi!. I couldn't believe it. Everyone knows that there is a New York sports bias in sports media, but ESPN went out of their way to rub it in every one's face this week. Don't get me wrong A-Rod leaving is newsworthy, Joe Torre being replaced is newsworthy, but the rebuilding of the Yankees is not above the World Series. Sometimes I wish Espn didn't have such a monopoly on television sports, because contrary to what they believe inside the Bristol Studios, not everyone likes the Yankees, in fact, some people (me) can't stand the Yankees.

BAH!

In other news, Happy Halloween.

Is that really the best you can do.....

2007-10-11T20:16:00.001-04:00

The closer we get to the 08' election, the more we will be forced to hear how much the candidates hate each other. How many atrocities they are responsible for, how many shady campaign contributors they have, or how many pot holes they have filled with the remains of 9/11 victims (look it up). The list could go on forever. However, the attacks on Barack Obama crack me up. Mainly because the guy has a relatively squeaky clean record, and the right is having a hard time digging stuff up on him. Up until this point you only heard the dumbest of the dumb in this country make comments about his name or his race. But last week took the cake.

He is now a bad candidate and doesn't support the troops because he doesn't wear an American flag lapel pin.

A lapel pin. A freakin American flag lapel pin! What does this guy have to do to get respect. Start a war based on false information then slowly rip the constitution to shreds as he laughs all the way to the bank. What? That ones been taken already?

When asked to defend himself, which he did after he stopped laughing. This is what he said:

“My attitude is that I’m less concerned about what you’re wearing on your lapel than what’s in your heart.You show your patriotism by how you treat your fellow Americans, especially those who serve. You show your patriotism by being true to our values and ideals. That’s what we have to lead with is our values and our ideals.”
(from http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21138728/)

Obama could have easily laid into the media that attacked him, but instead he kept his cool and gave an honest and true answer. A response that Fox News still found unpatriotic. An irony that falls no further than their lack of comment on the whole Rush Limbaugh situation, or the fact that Larry Craig loves American flag lapel pins. Which obviously means that people with pins on their jackets, while supporting the troops, also simultaneously support elicit gay bathroom sex. That is of course if you use the same twisted logic that many in the news media subscribe to.

Me on the other hand. I think I'll stick to the logical arguments of the candidates. You know, the whole representing the values of the American people thing. I doubt a Marine in Falluja really cares about which candidate has a flag on his suit. I imagine he cares a little bit more about his family and his home, and the fact that he he/she has been sitting in the desert 6 months longer than they should be.

Check out Larry Craig's lapel.

What I've been Listening to...

2007-09-27T19:03:00.000-04:00

It's been a busy year for album releases, well at least if you like the same exact music that I do. In the last month alone there have been 5 releases that I keep in constant rotation, on top of some awesome gems from earlier in the year that I can't quite shake off.

So I thought I would share some of the highlights.

Paulson- All at Once

These guys came out of nowhere, and to tell you the truth I still can't say how I found out they even existed. What I do know is that this album so far is my album of the year. It was released back in March, and it's some of the catchiest, freshiest (yes freshiest) music I have heard in quite some time. It'll make you want to get up and move, or roll the windows down in the car and rock out. Paulson also puts on a fantastic live show, which gives credibility to any group if you ask me.

Key Tracks:
Calling on You
Just Shy
Ultra-High

Motion City Soundtrack- Even If It Kills Me

This album dropped just last week and it has been hard to take off the trusty Ipod. Motion City is one of my favorite bands of the decade, and I was worried this album would be a rehash of their last two (which wouldn't have been a bad thing). Instead was some of the old, mixed with some new, very grown up, well put together tracks. Right now I would call it their best album to date. It's that good.

Key Tracks:
Hello Helicopter
Can't Finish What I started
Last Night

Talib Kweli- Eardrum

From one of my favorite bands, to one of my favorite MC's. This was the first serious release by Kweli since the Beautiful Struggle (mix tapes don't count). Eardrum easily surpasses that album, and is right up their with Quality. Nothing Kweli does will ever touch the greatness that was/is Reflection Eternal, but Eardrum comes close. The writing is tight, the beats are unique, and on top of all that there are 20 tracks, 0 interludes. It's how all rap albums should be.

Key Tracks:
The Perfect Beat
Say Something
Soon the New Day

Minus the Bear- Planet of Ice

Menos el Oso was one of my favorite albums of 05', and while this one comes up a bit short compared to it, it still delivers. Minus the Bear make such a unique sound of music that it never gets old. Planet of Ice starts and finishes really strong, but there are a few tracks in the middle that hold the album back from being something really great. However, the closing track, Lotus, is one of the best Minus the Bear songs ever.

Key Tracks:
Lotus
When We Escape
Double Vision Quest

Kanye West- Graduation

I know so many people who think this album is the second coming. I've been a big Kanye fan since I first heard him on Quality, and I think this is the worst thing he has ever made. It feels to me like he just phones this one in. The beats feel like cheap retreads from Late Registration, to many horns, and to many uninspired lyrics. If I'm missing something here, then I have yet to discover it what it is.

Key Tracks:
Stronger
Homecoming

Mae- Singularity

This album bored the crap out of me the first time I listened to it, but when I gave it another shot a week later it was like I was hearing an entirely different album. I still can't explain how that happened. Singularity feels more focused than either of Mae's previous efforts, and while there are still a couple of the trademark sappy Mae songs, they've toned it down quite a bit, with the result being what I consider their best album.

Key Tracks:
Crazy 8's
On Top

Tokyo Rose- The Promise in Compromise

I'm surprised that Tokyo Rose isn't bigger than they are (which isn't big at all). They make very catchy pop-punk and they do it well. I would compare them to Fall Out Boy, with the exception that Tokyo Rose can actually play their music live. The bad has three albums out so far, and not to sound like a broken record, but this one is without a doubt their most complete. It flows nicely, and was a perfect end of summer album.

Key Tracks:
611 Life Session
A Pound of Silver is Worth its Weight in Blood

Sara Bareilles- Little Voice

This is my most unexpected album of all time. I normally have a hard time getting into female artists (mainly because most of the "famous" ones don't write their own music), but with this album I was hooked from the outset. I discovered her because she was one of itunes featured new artists one random week of the summer, and out of curiosity I gave it a listen. She sounds like a happier version of Fiona Apple if I had to compare it to anything. She also writes her own music, which is a big plus.

Key Tracks:
Morningside
Love on the Rocks
Vegas

Maroon 5- It Won't be Soon Before Long

I still have yet to hear Songs About Jane. Which is weird considering I love this album so much, and Songs About Jane has been out since the depression. I probably wouldn't have even heard this album if one of my friends hadn't of given it to me. I'm glad I did hear it, because this is one of the better albums of the year. It's well written, it's funky, and it is one of those that you can press play and listen all the way through. Also, ladies love Maroon 5.

Key Tracks:
Little of your time
Can't Stop
Infatuation

Dr. Dre- The Chronic 2001

How I missed the boat on this album I have no idea, and after getting into over the summer, I'm ashamed of my tardiness. This album is amazing, and will forever remind me of sitting by the freakishly small swimming pool at my apartment complex. That's right. I was gangster.

Key Tracks:
The Watcher
What's the Difference
The Next Episode

So that's what I've been listening to for basically the last 6 months. I highly recommend all of the above. You won't be disappointed.

Superbad is hi-larious

2007-09-27T18:42:00.000-04:00

Judd Aptow is awesome. Know this, right it down, memorize that fact. Although he didn't write or direct this movie, he did produce it, and all of the talent that was involved with Superbad go all the way back to the Aptow Freaks and Geeks days. Seth Rogen (the cop in Superbad, and the guy from Knocked Up) wrote this gem, and if he writes this well all the time, then keep it coming.

There is no need for me to go to into the story details. It's about two best friends who are trying to get alcohol for the big end of high school party. Since they were all under age they have to turn to their friend with the worst fake ID in history, from there hilarity ensues.

Like Knocked Up, Superbad earns every bit of its R rating, and it should. Unlike other "teen comedies", this movie doesn't stray away from the fact that High School kids aren't PG-13. They cuss, they drink, they hook up. Superbad keeps it real however, and just doesn't go solely for the gross out laughs like American Pie and other unrealistic, lame teen comedies. There is a real story underneath about two friends who have never known a life apart and how they will deal with that. I'm sure it's a tale many people can relate to.

To sum it up in one sentence. It's like Knocked Up had a love child with Dazed and Confused.

Go see it.

8.5/10

Welcome back, Welcome Back, Welcome Back!

2007-09-06T19:50:00.000-04:00

The Football season couldn't have returned at a more perfect time, as all hopes for my Braves to make the playoffs seem to be slipping away faster than Michael Vick at a Peta rally.(Sorry,I couldn't resist a Vick joke,and don't think for a second it will be my last)Thankfully before my pillow could become too soaked with tears, Chris Berman rode into my bedroom on the back of Sean Merriman to wash the pain away. For now...

So without further ado, my Second Annual NFL Prediction Post.

Drum roll....

NFC WEST:
1. Rams
2. Seahawks
3. 49ers
4. Cardinals

NFC EAST
1. Eagles
2. Cowboys*
3. Redskins
4. Giants

NFC SOUTH
1. Saints
2. Panthers*
3. Buccaneers
4. Falcons

NFC NORTH
1. Bears
2. Packers
3. Lions
4. Vikings

*= Wildcard Teams

1st round bye: Eagles,Bears

Wild card Round: Panthers over Cowboys; Rams over Saints
Divisional Round: Bears over Saints; Eagles over Panthers
NFC Championship: Eagles over Bears

AFC EAST
1. Patriots
2. Jets
3. Dolphins
4. Bills

AFC WEST
1. Chargers
2. Broncos
3. Raiders
4. Chiefs

AFC SOUTH
1. Colts
2. Jaguars*
3. Titans
4. Texans

AFC NORTH
1. Ravens
2. Bengals*
3. Steelers
4. Browns

1st round bye: Patriots, Chargers
Wild Card round: Colts over Bengals; Ravens over Jaguars
Divisional Round: Ravens over Patriots; Chargers over Colts
AFC Championship: Chargers over Ravens

Super Bowl: Chargers over Eagles.

There you go, my picks for the 2007 NFL season. I decided not to be a homer this year and stray away from my Panthers (although I still didn't have the heart to keep them out of the playoffs). The Chargers to me are an easy pick, great offense, great defense. Especially their defense, which from what I hear, wins championships. We'll see, but if my picks are anything like last year, then I'm 100% wrong.

BCS Death confirmed (I wish)

2007-09-01T15:57:00.000-04:00

Less than an hour ago, Appalachian State, back to back division 1-AA National Champions, beat Michigain 34-32. This is a big deal in the world of college football, and despite the fact that I'm no big fan of Appalachian State, I was pretty damn excited to see this game go down the way it did. The main reason for this is the hatred, and many others hatred for the BCS playoff system, and what App's win means to that.

College Football as a sport, or at least 1-A college football, is based more so on the money that the big schools bring in, instead of soley on the play of the teams on the field. Small schools get crapped on regularly, simply because they don't have the drawing power/ratings power of schools such as Michigain, USC, Notre Dame, Texas, Florida and so on. Boise State even barely made a BCS bowl last year depite going undefeated, and arguably playing the most exciting Bowl game in years. Yet they still had no shot at the National Championship. Why? Because they were Boise State.

With App's win today, I feel that the proverbial nail in the BCS coffin might have been laid, or at least picked out at the hardware store. Appalachian State built there football program through their abilty to compete in a postseason playoff format. They started the season ranked No.1, and they played through the season, then the playoffs and proved that they were number 1. Why can't the big 1-A schools do that? Two reasons. One, the atheletic directors and the boosters at the large BCS schools make more money off of the current Bowl system, and these same people control it. Networks make more money off of the current bowls system as well, so they aren't going to encourage change. The NCAA closes there eyes to this, unless god forbid some of that money actually trickles down to the players.

The flwaed logic here is when you look at the College Basketball pllayoff system. March Madness brings in plenty of money for all schools and networks involved, and the 1-AA playoff system in football has been fair and effective for years. Upsets like what happened today wouldn't be such a shocker if the 1-A football powerhouse weren't so scared to face smaller unproven schools.

So what I hope happens in the wake of this game, is that more College footbal fans take a stand against the current system, because we are being robbed of some quality football. I'm tired of seeing the same bowl games every year, with the same teams, and the same played out boring commentary that surrounds them. It's not like it would be that much of a sacrifice for the big football schools. Most of the time the bg schools would win these games anyway, but simply assuming that will happen robs the fans of exciting football, and smaller schools the oportunity to show what they are worth.

What really will happen I'm afraid, is that people (and by people I mean ESPN, and the main players in sports media) will more than likely play up how bad Michigain is, how Lloyd Carr needs to be fired, and despite it being the biggest upset in College Football history, it will be said that Michigain lost this game more than App won it. Big schools aren't supposed to lose these games, especially endowement games (Michigain paid App to come and play them for the sole purpose of blowing them out, oh the irony).

Regardless of what happens, today's win for App was the biggest in the school's history, and they'll will surely enjoy it. I just hope this is game doesn't turn into simply a trivia question. I hope the induviduals that are in positions to make the necessary changes in College Football take notice.

A playoff is the only way.

This is why I'm Hot

2007-08-20T03:50:00.000-04:00

The average temperature in North Carolina during the month of August is 86 degrees farenheight.

This year the average is about 10 degrees warmer.

This sucks.

Adios Ron Mexico!

2007-07-24T19:12:00.001-04:00

To be quite honest, I was shocked Michael Vick was even charged. Not because there wasn't enough evidence against him, the only thing they don't have is a video of Vick beating dogs with sticks. It's just that stars of this magnitude always seem to float above the law. Look no further than Kobe Bryant. I won't be shocked if Vick's case never goes to trial, but if any justice comes out of this, at least Vick's football career seems to be over.

I don't mind that athletes make millions, at least the ones who give money to charity, or start foundations, you know, people who give back. I have no patience or respect for anyone who uses that money for something crooked that is both a waste of money, and also brings down the society around them. People like that (Vick) deserve to have it all taken away in order to make room for the next young kid who doesn't take their chance to do something great for granted. Then there is the whole humanitarian aspect around the issue. Now I'm not the kind of person that would swerve into a tree to save a squirrel, but I do have a great respect for animals, and breeding dogs for the sole purpose of them killing one another is beyond comprehension for most normal human beings. Michael Vick could have been one of the greatest QB's to ever play the game, and he had an opportunity to do great things for the city of Atlanta from a service aspect. It's too bad his priorities were in the wrong place.

So enjoy your permanent vacation Ron, it's well deserved, just try not to spend all of your money in one place.

Dear Michael Bay: Your Jokes Suck, but your Robots are pretty cool.

2007-07-05T21:58:00.000-04:00

Transformers is based off an 80's cartoon and toy line, which if you were alive in that era, or even the early 90's, you had to be purposefully avoiding the TF's to have not heard of them. The cartoon was corny, but it was a lot of fun, and Optimus Prime I always thought was a good role model for kids (or me). The series went dormant for awhile, tried to resurface in the late 90's/early 00's, but went back under the radar in the mainstream. However, Transformers, like just about everything else in this world, always maintained a cult following, a huge cult following. I was never as hardcore about Transformers, well, not nearly as much as I was the Ninja Turtles. Never the less, I was still pretty jacked up when I heard they were making a live action movie.

Then I heard the news. "Transformers to be directed by.........Michael Bay". Then I quoted Stan's Dad from South Park. "Oh...my...GAAD!

Now I'm not as much of a Bay hater as many others. I loved The Rock, Bad Boys I, and even Armageddon (yes I liked Armageddon, back off!). However, Bay is also responsible for what could quite possibly be the biggest movie f-up of all time. That of course being Pearl Harbor. Ah....Pearl Harbor. So Michael Bay as the Director lowered my expectations a little bit. With the exception of the action sequences, which Bay, love em or hate em, is the master of.

As Transformers got closer to release I couldn't help but get excited as the trailers started to roll out, and all the advance reviews were calling it "awesome", "balls to the wall", and "more badass than the Golden Girls". My expectations naturally rose, maybe a little to high.

What I have been telling everyone about Transformers is this. It's not so much a movie, as it is an experience. If you are going to see a film based solely on its film aspects (the acting, plot, things that makes sense) then stay away. If you are going to see robots destroy cities, each other and your face, then grab that bag-o-popcorn and munch away, because that is what you get. Only not that much of it. That fact is my sole complaint.

Bay can't direct people, and he also isn't funny (which there are many examples of in TF). These are things that I'm used to, and expect when I see his movies. I can look past the plot holes and the bad character development, because that's not what I'm there to see. That's why Transformers should have been a home-run for Bay. All he needed to do was focus on the Transformers themselves, their story (which is simple), throw in a little bit of Shia Labeof, a lot of slow-mo Megan Fox, Autobots vs. Decepticons, rinse, wash and repeat. What happened instead (which I hate to say this), was too much focus on the human characters and their terrible stories. Transformers isn't Shakespeare, and no one wants it to be, but jeez, put a little effort into it. With the exception of Shia and Megan Fox, every other human story could have been completely ignored, instead replaced with more development of the Transformers themselves. Megatron, the leader of the Decepticons was in the movie for about 20 minutes. That's 20 minutes of a 2 hour and 20 minute movie. Ridiculous! He's the main bad guy and he gets 20 mintues of screen time.

Now I know it sounds like I hated this movie, but that's not the case. Like I said, it's also an experience. Despite all of it's other downfalls, Transformers has without a doubt the best special effects ever done on film. When you see the first transformation you will feel like a kid again, and you will feel that way every time it happens. The fight scenes are huge in scale, albeit short in length, but earn every penny of your movie ticket. The way the Transformers seamlessly transform back and forth during a fight is one of the coolest things I have ever seen. I still recommend seeing this movie on the big screen. When a Transformer, Shia Labeof, and Megan Fox aren't on screen you will roll your eyes quite a bit, but when the fight scenes begin it's easy to forget about all of the stupid crap you had to sit through to get there and enjoy the ride. Just remember going in, this isn't Shakespeare.

7/10

BREAKING NEWS: President Bush is Judge Dredd!

2007-07-05T21:37:00.000-04:00

When President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's sentence this week, he made his intentions very clear. The current system of "laws" just isn't cut out for this country anymore. I mean, what's the point of prosecuting someone, when it's clear that only one man is fit to make the judicial decisions of the country.

What's funny to me about this, is the fact that Scooter Libby was the fall guy in the whole Valerie Plame leak investigation, when it was clearly an order passed down from Libby's superiors (cough-Cheney, cough-Rove). Even though Libby wasn't 100% responsible, it was still refreshing to see someone go down for this. I mean, the law was broken. A CIA agent who was deep under cover was outed for political reasons which could have resulted in her death! Even then two and half years seemed like a small price to pay. If this had happened ten years ago, we all know what would have happened. (Oh wait, it did happen)

So in a bold move, the President decided that our court system was broken, and that he alone should be judge, jury, and executioner. He pulled out his Law Giver, put two in the back of Lady Justice, gave the country the finger, and after that swung by and picked Scooter up from prison, and maybe stopped by White Castle to get some burgers.

If there was one element from Judge Dredd that I wish could be implemented, that would be the long walk. This would be yet another situation where it would be highly appropriate. The only problem is, we would have to pretend that our court system wasn't totally broken.

McLane Lives!

2007-07-02T22:06:00.000-04:00

When I first heard that Live Free or Die Hard was going to be PG-13 (or Die Hard 4.0 if you live in the lamest parts of Europe), It was an experience akin to finding out that Santa Clause didn't exist. The first reaction was denial. "There's no way this can be true, how else do the presents magically appear in my living room, and how else will Bruce Willis spit off catchy one-liners without the use of a full arsenal of profanity". Then came anger. At one time I actually said I was going to boycott the movie, as a Die Hard with the same rating as the new Harry Potter to me sounded nothing less than blasphemous. An offense punishable by death. Yet as much as I wanted to hate this movie, the trailers still looked awesome, so my anger then gave way to a guarded sense of optimism. Which led me to the only possible conclusion, and that was going to see it on opening weekend. What can I say, I have a soft spot for Bruce Willis, especially Bruce Willis taking names and blowing things up.

With all of my PG-13 fears in tow, I went into the theater with low to no expectations what-so-ever. Not even 10 minutes into the movie, Jon McLane grabbed my fears by the throat and beat them repeatedly, albeit more politely than in the past.

Polite is good word to describe the movie. The action sequences were top notch, right up there with anything from past Die Hard's (the 18 wheeler vs the F-35 was a little much), while the plot was about as deep as With a Vengeance, and made Die Hard 2 look like a Faulkner novel. Jon McLane even felt like Jon McLane, he still cussed like a sailor, only an older sailor who forgot the f-word even existed. There were many instances during the movie where the audio had obviously been edited, and where the death scenes were cut short, which is being polite. Make no mistake about it, there is an R-rated Die Hard in there. Fox is just hiding it from us in order to make a few extra bones at the box-office. Which sucks, but that's Hollywood for you. They generally will take the path of Box Office gross over artistic integrity, and when I say generally, I mean always.

In the end, Live Free or Die Hard was what it was meant to be. A high-action, fun summer popcorn flick. I hate that the franchise was neutered for this installment to increase the numbers at the Box-Office, it's not fair to the fans. However, solid performances (Justin Long is really good), crazy action, and Bruce Willis made DH4 feel like it belongs beside the other three films. It's just more polite than the others.

Well, at least until the DVD comes out.

Yippee-Ky-Yay Mother Fu(Gun Shot!)

7.5/10

BREAKING NEWS: The President is STILL an idiot.

2007-06-20T18:01:00.001-04:00

If you have watched the news at any point today, then you already know that President Bush, in all his wisdom, vetoed a bill that would increase funding for embryonic stem cell research. Setting back potential treatments and cures for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's, as well as many other degenerative diseases. The President stated that research with Embryonic stem cells was unethical and in his words "Destroys human life in hopes to save human life". It is in moments like these, where Bush's ignorance makes my head hurt, and my heart rate go through the roof.

The moral argument here is that stem cells are in a way, human life. It's true that they are a key component to human life, but the cells, if left alone by themselves, couldn't ever feel, breathe, think, or graduate college. On top of that, the human body produces 45-150 stem cells during fertilization, most of which never make it to the big show of life. They are discarded, and thrown away. A vast majority of stem cell research is done on those discarded cells. Cells that will never, ever become human life. Stem Cell research is not done on Fetuses, and it's not abortion. Stem Cells are also regenerative, so when living cells are harvested, they can replenish themselves within the human body. This is also the drawing power behind the research. Imagine a treatment that could rebuild the deteriorating brain tissue of an Alzheimer's patient, or one that could rebuild the cells of a Cancer patient. All made possible by the using Stem Cells that would be otherwise discarded.

So what's the real ethical injustice here. Denying possible cures for the millions and millions of Americans suffering from disease, or approving research on otherwise useless embryo's that could save American lives. Imagine all of the lives that could potentially be saved by this research, but might not be now that the bill is once again vetoed. Some of these people can't wait until the 2008 election.

Once again I wasn't surprised by Bush's decision. It was expected after all. It's not like this administration is very big on saving American lives. I just wish a reporter would have asked the President during his Q & A how he liked his eggs prepared, considering his great love for embryo's. Oh the irony.

For more information on Stem Cell research, check out www.tellmeaboutstemcells.org

Happy Jurassic Park Day!

2007-06-11T18:51:00.000-04:00

In case you didn't know, then first off, shame on you. If you are aware of what great holiday today is, then crack open an icy cold beverage and join me in toasting one of the greatest movies ever made. Jurassic Park. On this day 14 years ago my favorite movie of all time opened world-wide. So grab your nearest set of JP trading cards, figurines, t-shirts and coffee mugs together on the couch with you as you watch the splendor that is Jurassic Park for the 100th time (oh wait, that's just me)

Oh the glory!

Me likey the Knocked Up

2007-06-11T18:11:00.000-04:00

I don't usually see comedies in the theatre. I've always felt that they are better served to a small room and a few friends rather than the craziness of the multiplex. Also, I tend to laugh at things others in the audience don't, usually ending with me looking stupid, or being stared down by the pissed off soccer mom next to me. However, for the past few months I couldn't try to ignore the hype surrounding Knocked Up, Judd Aptow's follow up to the 40-Year old Virgin. I loved that movie, so my expectations were for this one to at least be on par.

Well, Knocked Up took "par" and crushed it like Tiger Woods on roids at a Putt-Putt. I never once felt uncomfortable laughing in the theatre, because everyone was laughing, and if someone didn't laugh, I had no choice but to give them a look of disdain then point towards the nearest exit. Knocked Up had more truth to it than any other romantic comedy before it, and not sissified PG-13 truth, but real R-rated truth. Not to say that it was a perfect example of every relationship, but it tackled the issues of commitment, growing up, and letting go with a lot of honesty. In between all of that honesty were jokes and jokes, drug use, and jokes, some which seemed like improv, but most that were well written, acted and executed by the cast. Katherine Heigel impressed both aesthetically and in the way she carried herself among a bunch of dudes, and that's despite her being on "Lame Grey's Anatomy". Seth Rogen is about to blow up, and if Paul Rudd isn't the most underrated comedic star then I don't know who else is. The scene where they go to Vegas is classic.

Knocked Up is definitely not for the weak at heart. They cuss (a lot), they smoke weed (a lot), and there are some major gross out child birth moments for the uninitiated (me), and it earns every bit of the R-rating. Which for me is refreshing to see, because the world that we live in isn't PG-13, and when things go wrong we don't go "Aw shucks", we drop f-bombs, and when life throws us a curve ball, not everyone takes it in stride, most of us have a freak out period, and it's that fact that Knocked Up is able accurately get across. That's not to say it paints a bleak picture of things, because that's not the case at all, it's still a feel good movie. Knocked Up just points out that it takes a little work to get to feeling good.

9.5/10

LOST: Through the Looking Glass

2007-06-07T18:35:00.000-04:00

My apologies for writing this review so pathetically late. I was originally was planning on waiting a week to write the review in order to let the episode marinate, but alas. A week turned into two, then an unspeakable three. Oh well, at least I'm writing with a little perspective now. Perspective that allowed me to realize that this was without a doubt the best Lost eppy of Season 3, and one of the best of the entire Series.

Why was this episode so good? Mainly because it's pacing, and the way it weaved together so many of the important story lines from not only Season 3, but all of the series. There were also the moments within this episode that made your draw drop, and it seems like they were showing up in almost every scene. There was the beach attack, Walt's appearance, Locke murdering Naomi,Charlie's death, Rousseau being reunited with Alex, Jack beating the hell out of Ben, and last but not least, the reveal that the entire episode was a Flash Forward. These are moments that could usually carry an entire episode on it's own, but instead were packed in ever minute of the finale.

The use of the Flash Forward gives Lost more than enough storytelling ammunition to finish off the series. The current word on the street is that Season 4 will be a mix of flashbacks and forwards, as it's obvious that Kate and Jack made it off the island, but it's unknown what the circumstances of their rescue was, and if they were the only ones who were saved. This gives Jack and Kate's overall tales much more meat, while still leaving room for untold stories of Rousseau, Alex, Karl, and hopefully more Ben. The Season 4 seeds were planted also, with one of the biggest being who's funeral was Jack attending. It could be anyone. A character we've met, or have yet to meet. All we know is that they are neither friend or family to Jack. Also seeing the way in which Jack was emotionally ravaged by leaving the island opens up even more possibilities, more than enough for this mind to fumble through over grueling Lost hiatus. Just think of the questions up in the air now. If Naomi's boat isn't rescue, then who is it? How did Walt re-appear? What's the deal with Locke? Who or what is Jacob? How did Jack and Kate get off the island? What are the Ruins? Tack these questions on with the already remaining mysteries and you've got some compelling stories that are yet to be told.

Watching the finale felt more like watching a movie than a television show to be honest, and I'm not saying that only because I'm a mega tron Lost nerd (OK, maybe I am). Basically this show had to deliver in order to silence it's critics and bring it's old fan's back into the fold. So far, based on all of the positive reaction after the finale, the writers came through in the clutch. Which is refreshing, because shows this good usually find a way to crash and burn before they hit their stride, Lost has avoided that. If "Through the Looking Glass" is any indication of the quality that awaits in the final three seasons, then Lost may very well take it's place as one of the greatest shows to ever grace the small screen.

10/10

Season 4 doesn't start until February of 2008, it's a long way, but in the meantime I'll continue to write about other random things, and maybe from time to time I'll drop some Lost theories to help ease my cravings until Lost returns. Ahhh, until then.......

Now is the time.

2007-05-23T14:45:00.000-04:00

This morning, CNN. com ran a story describing President Bush's new angle to defend the Iraq war. He supposedly is going to release De-classified information concerning foiled terrorist plots in Iraq, and how the war needs to continue in order to thwart future Al-Qaeda operations in the country. Bush states that in 2005, 3 Al-Qaeda plots were foiled in Iraq, and If the U.S. pulls out, then there will surely be more.

What the President doesn't realize is, is that this might be the best ammunition he's given that could potentially be used to impeach him, and I hope that someone in Washington has the balls to point it out. Before 2003, was Al-Qaeda (our biggest threat) operating in Iraq? No. Where where they? Afghanistan. Where did we go? Iraq. Where aren't we now? Afghanistan. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out the real mistake here.

Iraq is what it is today because of the mistakes made by the Bush Administration, and now those mistakes are being spun into another excuse for being at war in the first place, and also as a political weapon against those who oppose the war. That makes me sick. The real mistake was the country turning the other cheek in 2000 with the questionable election, and again in 2004 for people being naive enough to re-elect this administration. The country finally did it's job in 2006, but Congress's hands are still tied when it comes to bringing our soldiers home.

The truth is, Iraq has become a playground for terrorists. The central government has no backbone, and the U.S. military is stuck in the middle of a civil war. Saddam was an evil man, but he's nothing compared to the monster that has risen out of his ashes. Instead of having our soldiers bear the burden, we need to bring them home and hold our own villains accountable

LOST: Greatest Hits

2007-05-22T20:03:00.001-04:00

I never was much of a Charlie fan. Well, I take that back. I dug his character quite a bit during the infancy of the series, but I felt his story lines never really packed the punch that they could have. However, among the Lost community, Charlie is huge, and even more popular is his relationship with Claire (another one of my least favorite characters). So for fans of that relationship, I'm sure this episode was Nirvana for you. That's not to say I didn't like it, because this was easily the best Charlie episode, and set up the show for a whopper of a finale.

The title "Greatest Hits" referred to the very good plot device of Charlie writing down the five best moments in his life, and them being played out in flashback form. The five moments where the first time Driveshaft's song was played on the radio, his father teaching him how to swim, his brother Liam giving him the Driveshaft ring, saving Sayid's girl, and his most important moment. The first time he met Claire. I though having that as his best moment was an excellent piece of writing, as it deepened the connection he had with Claire, and it added a level of credibility to the fact that Charlie would be willing to die to save her.

Which brings me to the other side of Greatest Hits, and that's Desmond telling Charlie he has to die in order to save everyone. Surprisingly, Charlie agrees, and goes to Jack in order to get in on the plan. These were the scenes that served as an obvious setup for the finale, as there was a lot of talk, but little action. However, unlike Heroes, we will get to see this action play out. (sorry Heroes, but you suck when it comes to delivering). I was happy that they are including the entire cast, Rose and Bernard returned, and Danielle is becoming more and more a regular on the show.I was especially happy to see Sayid take charge in the presence of Jack. The writers are bringing it all together nicely I must say.

However, this was Charlie's episode through and through, as the best scenes were his. The scenes with Claire, the flashbacks, the goodbye to Hurley, and of course the scene with he and Desmond. The introduction of the Looking Glass Station itself is huge, at least in regards to the finale.It also answered the old school Season 1 question of "What the heck is that wire?". Did anyone else notice the symbol for the station. It was a rabbit. Alice in Wonderland anyone. Is the Looking Glass the rabbit hole, and if so, what's on the other side. Craziness is what I'm expecting.

Next week of course is the big season finale titled "Through the Looking Glass", the "flashback" centers around the one and only Jack Shepard. The best line I have heard so far to describe the finale is this one from show producer Carlton Cuse. He states "When the finale ends, you will realize that the house you are standing in has a lot more rooms in it than you once believed". Until then.....

9/10

LOST: The Man Behind the Curtain

2007-05-15T20:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, Ok. So I know I said that I'd post a review earlier this time. I lied. To be quite honest though, it's taken me a few extra days to wrap my head around this awesome episode, one that I've been looking forward too since the beginning of Season 3.

Instead of a recap, I'm just going to get right to the point, because there is a large number of implications that can be drawn from this episode, and I would like to explore them. The first, is of course the gorilla in the room being Jacob. When Locke walked into the cabin and didn't see anyone at first, I was immediately disappointed. Just about anyone with any story telling ability could have written Ben as a crazy person (well I guess he still is crazy, but not mentally). But when that cabin began to freak out, and for second we saw a fleeting glimpse of the real man behind the curtain. If you have seen any of the freeze frames of Jacob, it's almost obvious that it's Terry O' Quinn sitting in the chair, whether or not it's TOQ as Locke is yet to be determined. I would assume that it's Locke right now though. However, I don't feel that we will know much more about Jacob until Season 4, because right now there are bigger fish to fry. Those being...

Ben! That fool is cold blooded. Although his life growing up was tragic, I still find it hard to believe that genocide is an acceptable response. It's clear that Ben's sacrifice to the island was his father (crazy murder scene by the way) and his people, and the power that he gained from that is threatened by Locke, especially since he can "hear" Jacob. It's easy to see Ben's motives for shooting Locke, but I honestly didn't see it coming. If Locke dies however, then I'll be shocked. I don't expect to be shocked.

Richard Alpert is a character I'd expect to learn more about in the future as well. Especially the fact that he never ages, or at least he never seems to age, and I doubt that was a mistake by the hair and make-up folks on the show. He seems to have been the leader of the "Hostiles" before Ben took over. I also doubt we have seen the end of Ben's past, as his flashback seemed to be a brief overview, just enough to lay out his motives for being a mass murderer. Also, I want Uncle Rico to come back and challenge someone to a pickup football game. "Hey Richard! How much you want to bet I can throw a football right over them mountains?"

The beach stuff was minimal in this eppy, but shed some more light on Juliet's true motives. It was also good to see the Losties communicating, and actually asking questions. I just hope they all don't roll over for Jack right away. I'm still a bit suspicious of him myself. Most of the things on the beach where a set up for this weeks eppy, which is almost entirely about the beach folk.

Speaking of tomorrow's episode, it's all about Charlie, and it's called "Greatest Hits". Which is funny, because bands usually create greatest hits albums at the end of their careers. That's all I will say. Until then..

9.5/10

Oh and on another Lost note. A synopsis of this weeks and the Season Finale has been leaked. However, if you come across them, which I have (and I read). Don't immedeatly take them as fact. The same thing happened last season, but the entire thing ended up being a foiler (fake spoiler) meant to throw off the audience. I have a feeling this is the same thing.

Paris Hilton. Cry me a river.

2007-05-15T18:57:00.000-04:00

That's right. I'm sick of hearing about how she is traumatized. I'm sick of the news outlets acting like it's a story. It's not. She broke the law, and still was given leniency. If an average Joe violated their parole, do you think the Judge would give them any mercy. I doubt it. They would be given a lot more than 45 days in jail. I'm sick of the rich getting off because of their status, and she should be given more jail time not less. I hope prison is miserable for her.

What's almost worse though, like I mentioned above, is the almost constant news coverage. CNN Headline news had a freakin countdown ticker on their newscast last night. That's absurd. Especially considering all of the important world events happening right now. The only time this should have been covered by any news outlet is the day she was sentenced, and the day she is released. Other than that, who cares?

LOST: The Brig

2007-05-08T19:52:00.000-04:00

Another late review this week, but alas, I am now 100% done with exams and all of the crap that comes along with them. So now I have more time to devote to my nerd adventures, which include such awesome things as writing Lost reviews, playing hours of MLB 2K7, and many. many other things that one wouldn't consider "important". Anyways, onto Lost. This past week's eppy was titled, "The Brig" and it was at first glance a Locke episode, but don't be fooled young lads, it was Sawyer episode in disguise.

One of the big character connections that has been theorized since the end of season one was that between Sawyer and Locke's dad. This was the episode where it finally came true, and came true in brutal fashion. From the time that Locke came back to the beach to get Sawyer, lying to him, saying he had kidnapped Ben, until the final moments where Sawyer choked out the man he had been spending his entire life hunting down. The scenes between Locke and Sawyer, and Sawyer and "Sawyer" were fine pieces of acting. It was clear that Locke wanted is father dead only the coward in him remains, and Sawyer proved that he was a man of his word.

There were many cool shout outs to Season 1, the main one being of course the Black Rock. The title of the episode itself was based on the dark and gloomy "brig" of the old slave ship. It was also fun to see the writers continually poke at the Purgatory, Heaven and Hell theories that many people have, despite the fact the creators themselves have sworn on every holy book and baby they could find that everyone on the island is alive. So when Cooper continued talking as if they were in hell, you could tell he believed it, but Sawyer paid it no attention. Although the line "it's a little hot for heaven" was nice. At least I quite enjoyed it.

On the flip side, the flashbacks were about Locke's time with the Others, and times they were. We were able to see Cindy the flight attendant again, and she informs him that they have all been waiting for Locke. Which ol boy Richard confirms in his cryptic conversation with Locke on the hill. Everything about these flashbacks was dripping with clues. The conversation between Ben and Locke in the tent. What is it that Locke's not ready for? The pillar that Cooper was tied to, I wonder what that used to be a part of, and I'm sure it has a connection to four toed statue and the overall history of the island. I know we will find these answers out soon, but the pieces they are placing in front of us are more than enough to make a nerd brain become more of a nerd brain. Just look at me. The most telling thing about the Others was the public sacrifice scene, in which Ben told Locke to kill his father. With an audience no less. It makes me wonder what sacrifices the other "Others" made in order to gain the trust of their comrades. I wonder what sacrifice Ben made?

On the beach, Desmond and his posse decided to keep Naomi a secret from Jack, hereby kicking off the first of the "Lord of the Flies" moments I've been waiting for. The conversation between Sayid and Naomi was also very well done, as Sayid is the most level headed person on the entire island. If he dies, they are all screwed. I can't wait until they show us the things that Naomi described, and the connection with Penny, and the Artic Boys from last years finale makes the last five minutes of season 2 seem even more genius. They are able to keep Naomi a secret, until Sayid makes one of the worst mistakes he's made on the island, and that's telling Kate anything. As she ran right off to Jack and told him everything Sayid told her not to. However that produced one of the lines that has many fans, including myself scratching my head a little bit, and that's "we should tell her". Wah!? I have no idea. Honestly.

It ends Locke telling Sawyer that he is on his own journey now, a journey to discover the mysteries of the island, and to fulfill his destiny. Whatever that destiny may be. The ending was powerful, and proved to me once again that this show is to well written for network tv. It's no wonder they were able to bend the will of ABC and negotiate an end to the series (3 more seasons, 16 episodes per season, then it's over).

Tomorrow's eppy is a big one, like Empire Strikes Back big. It's called "The Man Behind the Curtain", an obvious Wizard of Oz reference that is either meant to give us a clue, or throw us off completely. Prepare to meet Jacob, and if you don't know what Jacob is, then re watch season 3. Until.....tomorrow.

9.0/10

If I said I was surprised, I'd be lying.

2007-05-01T19:36:00.000-04:00

About an hour ago President Bush vetoed a bill that would increase funding to our troops, and set a timetable for getting us out of Iraq. To no surprise to anyone, he vetoed it. As you can imagine, this doesn't make me, or a lot of other people for that matter (including our troops), very happy.

The biggest problem that I have is the philosophy that Bush is taking in defense of the veto, To him, this bill makes us look like we are leaving in defeat. To him this is about winning a losing, not living and dying, and right now our soldiers are doing more of the latter. There is no way that Iraq will ever be perceived as a victory. You can't win something when there is no set blueprint for victory.

Of course the troops need funding, but to act like it's only now a problem, that's a lie. The troops haven't had adequate training or equipment since the war started. Our own President seems to forget that our troops have never had good body armor, or the most important thing, the IED proof hummers. IED's are the leading cause of troop casualties in Iraq, yet with the Billions that are poured into the war they don't have that stuff. So it makes no sense to me that it's now all of a sudden the Democrats fault when they propose a bill that demands progress be made. The troops will get the funding that they need, Because I feel this bill alone is the democrats going all in with the cards that they have, but to say that to withhold funding now would be the cause of all of the troops problems is misleading to the American public, well the American public who doesn't pay attention.

Like I said, this is now way a surprise, because we have a President who is physically and mentally incapable of admitting his mistakes. The reasons I won't get into because there are too many. All I know is, this isn't about victory or defeat, it's about saving American lives, and sustaining our military, so if a REAL threat shows itself all of our eggs will not be broken in the basket our government put them in.

LOST: D.O.C

2007-05-01T18:38:00.000-04:00

Another late review from me this week, but the good news is, I'm going to pass my classes. The fact that I'm a week late again has no reflection on the quality of this episode though, because this was one of my favorites of the season. Why? Well read on and find out.

The flashback centered on Jin and Sun, and as it turns out Jin's mother is a prostitute who's hell bent on bribing the newlywed Sun to keep it a secret. Sun sought out Jin's father who confirms the news, and also reveals that he's not even sure if he's Jin's father, yet he still raised him. That scene was excellent, and it's moments like those where Lost shines in the character development department. Sun promised to not tell Jin the truth, but do keep it a secret she had to borrow the money from her father to pay the bribe. Sun's father, Mr. Paik, instinctively guessed what the money was for, and vowed to make Jin pay off the debt by working for him personally. This was actually a pretty big deal, as it's clear that it was Sun who was responsible for making Jin one of her fathers hit men. Although she did it to protect him, she's still at fault, and kind of makes me think that she was a little selfish to want to leave him. That's just me though.

The island story followed two story lines, one with Juliet and Sun venturing out to the medical hatch to give Sun a check up, and the other picking up where last week left off with the parachutist. The dialogue between Juliet and Sun was really excellent, as Yujin Kim played the suspicious Sun really well, and when she found out the baby was Jin's, her reaction seemed appropriate. Finding out the baby was Jin's, yet also realizing that she could very well die because of it is a good storyline and should be one of the main ones for the last season or two. It was also cool to watch all of this play out, knowing what we know about Juliet. Yet her recording that she left for Ben leaves me wondering what her true motives are.

The parachutist's tale didn't disappoint either. Almost right away we find out that Patchy is indeed alive, which to me wasn't a total shocker. One, the fence was off when he was thrown through it, and two, Patchy is the man. I just hope he doesn't fulfill his promise to kill Sayid.
As it turns out, Patchy is also a field medic, and was able to help save the parachutist (her name is Naomi, but were not supposed to know that yet.) An interesting part of that scene was when Mikhail translated something that Naomi said to him. He told Desmond that she said "thank you for saving me" in Portuguese, but she really said "I'm not alone". Why would Patchy lie. I have a feeling we will find out. In exchange for helping save Naomi, Desmond agreed to let Patchy go (which was stupid). Charlie and Jin didn't like the idea, but they let him go anyways. The next morning, Hurley is sitting next to Naomi, when she drops one of the biggest bombshells this season. "Flight 815..they found the plane...everyone was dead".

Was this revelation a turning point in the series. If it's true, then it changes everything. However, I don't necessarily trust the parachutist Naomi. Patchy came right to the sight of the flare like he was expecting someone, only he wasn't expecting the Losties. My theory is that he was expecting Naomi. I do believe that she was sent there by Penny, but remember who Penny's father is, and his possible connection to the Dharma Initiative, the island, and possibly the Others. Basically, I think that she's a liar. If she's not, well, then I would like the see how the Others pulled it off.

Don't let this overshadow the other big things that came out of this episode. Like I said before, the Sun storyline is going to be big. Juliet gave her about two months to live, which gives her right up until the end of Season 5, the projected end of the series. Also the things that Patchy was saying, for example, "This wouldn't be the first time I've died this week" or how he described the healing process on the island. People wine for answers, but the clues are there folks, investigate! It was also nice to see that Jin can not only fight, but spin kick your face off if he wanted to. I expect more spin kicking in the future now that we know he's capable of it. Randomly if need be. Here's a sample of what the episode could be like.

Jack

Hey Jin can you hand me that spoon?

Jin has a confused look on his face.

Jin

Michael?

Jack

No, no... that spoon. Can you hand it to me?

Jin

Michael?

Jack

No. Michael is gone. The spoon, I just need the spoon.

Jin continues to look confused.

Jack reaches for the spoon.

Jin

No!!

Jin spin kicks Jack in the face.

This is just an example of the infinite possibilities opened up by Jin's spin kicking abilities. So take notice Lost writing staff. I graduate in a year, and I'll need work.

Tomorrow's episode is titled "The Brig", and much like Michael's final episode of last season, it will take place completely on the island. With the flashbacks documenting Locke's time with the Others, and what his motives are. Should be saucy. Until then....

9/10

LOST: Catch-22

2007-04-25T11:50:00.000-04:00

This is the shortest and lamest week old Lost review I've ever written, and I won't promise that it will be the last. It's been a busy couple of weeks filled with papers, exams, and other things that prevent me from writing for fun.

As far as last weeks episode goes, it was another solid Desmond centric tale with a flashaback that highlighted how Desmond struggles with his walk through life, and the true intentions destiny has for him. This was also shown very well during the island tales of Desmond forseeing Charlie's death (which started the show in a very violent and shocking way), as they (Jin, Charlie, Hurley and Sawyer) tracked through the jungle to find a person who Desmond forsaw coming to the island (he hopes it's Penny). Desmond had to struggle with the decision of whether or not to let Charlie die, or save his life, changing the events that were to happen in the future. There was no B plot in this episode, as the focus was soley on the Desmond story, except for one scene with Kate and Jack, and another with Sawyer and Jack playing ping pong.

This was one of the weaker episodes of the past few weeks, but what I've learned by watching a higher volume of tv shows over the past few years, is that every now and then an episode comes along that is meant to bridge a gap between old and new storylines. This was such an episode, as the parachutist who knew Desmonds name, knows quite a bit more about flight 815. Her knowledge is one of the "game changers" that Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindeloff have been talking about since before this season started. It's crazy, let me just say that.

Tonight's episode is called "D.O.C " which stands for Date of Conception, and centers on Jin and Sun. Also be on the look out for that game changing information. Until tonight......

7/10

Virginia Tech

2007-04-18T02:43:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to send out thoughts and prayers to everyone involved in this horrible act. I know personally I still can't truly wrap my mind around the situation, so I can't even begin to understand how those in and around Blacksburg, and especially those who lost someone in the shootings must feel.

It's hard to believe that things like this can happen, and it's hard to understand how someone could cause that much carnage based on a personal problem. This event will surely raise new issues of gun control in this country, and it's a debate that should be had, but that will have to wait for a little while, at least until Virginia Tech as a school can get back to some semblance of normalcy over the next few weeks.

Things like this will grab your worldview and shake it. What's left when it's done is a mess of things you used to think you had a good grip on, and all you can do is try to fit them all back together again. If anything good can come of this situation, it's that we as a country can grow from this, and take even greater steps to prevent it from ever happening again.

LOST: One of Us

2007-04-13T20:22:00.000-04:00

One of Us was already a solid episode, the Juliet flashback, and island story gave us more answers at once than any Lost episode that preceded it, but it was the last five minutes that gave this episode classic status.

The flashback picked up right where Juliet's previous one ended. It showed her journey to the island, which began at the Other's airfield in Miami, and then went through her first meeting with Ben, and why she was brought to the island in the first place. That reason of course, was that no woman has ever been able to give birth on the island, no one until Claire that is. During Juliet's time on the island she had been unsuccessful in solving the issue, and Ben refused to let her go until she solved it, and if she did, he said that JACOB himself would cure her sister's cancer. This was an interesting moment, mainly because not only is Jacob their leader, but he can cure cancer, and the fear in Juliet's eyes when Ben said his named, says a lot about his character. That sequence was followed by Juliet informing Ben that he had a tumor on his spine, and then freaking out on him, because Ben had told her that he could cure cancer, only now he has it. This is one of the interesting things about Season 3, and the obvious force that is driving Ben's fascination with Locke.

The best moment of Juliet's flashback, was when Ben took Juliet to the Flame Station, He showed her a live feed of her sister, alive and cancer free, with her son in Miami. Next to the screen of her sister were live news feeds that were covering the disappearance of Flight 815. This was big for a lot of reasons, one, it's further evidence that the plane crash was a real event, and not in someones head, second, it showed how the Other's were able to quickly gather information on all of the people on the plane, and lastly, it was just freakin cool to see that the outside world actually knows these people are missing.

On top of all of this, there was the island storyline, which had Juliet joining the crew on the beach. Everyone, especially Sayid and Sawyer, questioned her motives, but Jack stood by her. The plot thickened when Claire came down with a sickness, and Juliet revealed to Jack and Kate that she was responsible for it, outlining the entire plot behind Claire's abduction from season one. Juliet convinced Jack to let her go get a hidden supply of serum that could cure Claire. When she's out there she is cornered by Sayid and Sawyer, and when it looks like stuff is about to go down old school, she surprise them by revealing facts about there past that no one should know. Juliet takes the case, runs back, saves Claire, and all is right in the world, right! Wrong.

What follows is something that many people predicted, but something I didn't think the writers would actually go through on. The last five minutes are a scene that show Ben and Juliet talking in Ben's house late at night, they are going step by step through the process Juliet will take to gain the trust of the people on the beach. This means that every scene we have seen Juliet in this season where she is trying to warm up to Jack has been a setup, all the way back to the start when she brought Jack a sandwich, to the set up of the surgery, the cheesy flashcards, everything. Juliet is cold, but she wants off the island, and it's clear that she will do anything to do so.

One of Us was awesome, plain and simple. It help add further credibility to the continuity of the show, making the connections between the characters and the overall story even more impressive. From what I hear, the twists do not stop here either. If the rest of this season continues on like this, it will be hard for Lost naysayers to come up with anymore beefs for the show.

Next week is a Desmond flashback, titled Catch 22 (good book), and I don't know to much about it, except for be on the lookout for an old friend/enemy whom we thought me might not see again. Until then.

9.5/10

E-Mails...What...e-mails.

2007-04-13T20:08:00.000-04:00

If you have been paying attention to the news today, then there is a fresh new violation of the law you can add to the Alberto Gonzales case. Today it was revealed that millions of White House e-mails are now missing, e-mails that would play a key part in prosecuting ol' Alberto. Seems convienient don't you think?

It turns out that the White House didn't require republican e-mails to be saved to a secure government server, why is beyond me. A white House spokesperson has admitted to the screw up, and claims that the e-mails can still be recovered, but if they are indeed lost, then the deletion of those e-mails opens up a brand new can of worms. Karl Rove, who has been a center of this case, among many others, is said to have nothing to do with deleting the e-mails that could implicate him. By God, if Karl says it aint true, then it has to be (sarcasm)

Oh the drama in Washington.

LOST: Left Behind

2007-04-05T21:06:00.000-04:00

This weeks episode was hit and miss. While the island action was excellent, I found the flashback to be dull and somewhat pointless. Did I mention the island stuff was excellent.

The flashbacks were centered on Kate, taking place sometime after she killed her step-father, but before her earlier flashback from this season. She breaks down somewhere in Iowa, and inexplicably meets up with Cassidy (Sawyer's baby Momma). I normally enjoy the character crosses on Lost, but this one seemed forced, really forced. It got even worse when the two started working together and giving each other life advice. The only good thing to come out of the flashback was the encounter Kate had with her mother, and clarification that Cassidy is really the mother of Sawyer's child. Other than that, I'm pretty sure I will strike this flashback from my memory. Worst of the series in my opinion, and definitely of the season.

Now the island stuff, that saved this eppy from oblivion. The show starts off with Kate getting it handed to her by Juliet, and when she wakes up, Locke comes in to tell her good bye. Apparently Locke is going with the Others, wherever they are going, and he tells Kate he made a strong case for her to the Others. After that the Others pick up and leave Othertown, but not before gassing Kate. When she wakes up, she is handcuffed to Juliet in the middle of the jungle. They place nice for little bit, but then break off into a series of small fights (nice) which includes Kate dislocating Juliet's shoulder. After the fight breaks up, the two ladies are then chased through the jungle by every one's favorite island smoke monster. The scene itself is pretty intense for TV. The next morning Kate and Juliet come out from hiding only to get chased again by smokey. They come to the fence (which is actually turned off), and Juliet takes the key to the handcuffs out of her pocket and turns on the fence, stopping Smokey in his tracks. Kate is pissed, and her and Juliet go back to Planet of the Others. When they get back, Kate apologizes, Jack doesn't really react, but says they need to go back, and Juliet is coming with them. Sayid doesn't like it, because he is the smartest person besides Ben on the island.

I also completely forgot about the B plot of this episode, with Hurley conning Sawyer into being nice. I enjoyed it for what it was, and that's to serve as a set up for the return of Jack and the rest of the gang. Only this time they are coming back without Locke. I wonder if the cast will ever be all together again?

Why was the island stuff so awesome? Because of the few questions that where answered, and the new possibilities that are now presented. Jack is back, but in what condition, and what will be his focus since his master plan of getting off of the island failed? Locke is now with the Others, but is he with them, or is he simply searching for answers to the island that only Ben can provide? Then there is the stuff with Smokey. Apparently, the Others now as little about it as we do, the only thing they know for sure is that is doesn't like the fence. Speaking of the fence, if Juliet had to turn it on, then was it off when Locke threw Patchy across, so then is Mikhail really dead? I don't think so. Sneaky f'n Russians. Then there is Juliet, I still don't fully trust her, but we should get some answers pretty soon on her.

Overall this ended up being a solid episode despite the terrible flashback. The stuff with Juliet and Kate was money, and Juliet having a key the entire time was nice twist. Although I'm still a bit confused as to whether Juliet set up the whole thing, or if she simply had the key the entire time. I guess it's not that important, but hopefully I can get some clarification on that fact. Next week's eppy is titled "One of Us", and centers around Juliet getting interrogated by Sayid. Sweet. Hopefully it'll be another good one as Lost heads towards the Season 3 finish line. Until then....

7.5/10

Tis the Season

2007-04-05T20:45:00.000-04:00

March Madness leaves no room for any other sports interests (NBA what? NHL who?), but once the buzzer sounded on my beloved Tarheels, there was only one logical place to turn. Hello Baseball season, you've never looked sexier.

With that, I thought it would be fun to pass along my increasingly terrible MLB predictions. I was about as off as you could be last year, except with the Cardinals. So here goes

NL East
Mets
Braves
Marlins
Phillies
Nationals

NL Central
Cardinals
Reds
Cubs
Astros
Brewers

NL West
Padres
Giants
Dodgers
Diamondbacks

NL Wild Card
Braves

AL East
Yankees
Red Sox
Blue Jays
Devil Rays
Orioles

AL Central
Tigers
Twins
Indians
White Sox
Royals

AL West
Angels
Mariners
Rangers
Athletics

AL Wild Card
Blue Jays (with a tie breaker over the Red Sox)

NL Divisional Round
Mets vs. Cardinals
Braves vs. Padres

NLCS
Mets vs. Braves

AL Divisional Round
Yankees vs. Blue Jays
Angels vs. Tigers

ALCS
Yankess vs. Tigers

World Series
Yankees (W) vs. Mets

As much as I hate the Yankees, they seem to have the best squad from top to bottom, and don't be shocked if they pick up Clemmens after the All-Star break. Also don't be shocked if I am completely, and embarrassingly wrong.

Checks and Balances....Remember them

2007-03-29T20:01:00.000-04:00

In watching all of the press on Alberto Gonzales, I can't help but get a little frustrated. First off the guy is a terrible liar, secondly, Bush is backing him like he Michael Brown (Brownie on the streets son!), but most importantly, the executive branch seems to think our government is now a monarchy.

I'm sure most people saw the press briefing last week, where Tony Snow went over the "deal" the White House offered to Congress in regards to interrogating Gonzales, Rove, and Gonzales's aide. The deal states that congress can interview them, but behind closed doors, not under oath, and with no official transcript......WHAAAAT! Seriously, does the White House think we are idiots (yes). Snow described the deal as being unprecedented, and I agree, it's very unprecedented. Unprecedentedly ridiculous. The deal the White House is offering has no teeth, and gives all of the above individuals the freedom to say whatever they want, which they do anyway. I'm sorry but if someone breaks the law, no matter how high up in power they might be, they aren't exempt from the law. The executive branch seems to think that.

What Gonzales has been caught doing is shaping the judicial branch into a bunch of Bushies that will allow this trend to continue. This should bother everyone, no matter whether you're republican and democrat. Any other President would have been held accountable, but this Administration acts like they are beyond accountability. If this country sits back and lets this continue, then we might be headed towards a Monarchy.

I hope it's fully uncovered the extent in which Gonzales was involved in this, I hope he's tried, I hope he's found guilty. If that were to happen, that my friend, would be unprecedented.

LOST: Expose'

2007-03-29T19:41:00.000-04:00

Okay, Nikki and Paulo are without a doubt one of the worst mistakes in the Lost universe. They are stiff, their lines aren't that great, and they were introduced terribly. So when I heard that they had their own episode coming up, I was a lot less than excited. How would Damon Lindleloff and Carlton Cuse make these characters interesting? How could this episode not be total garbage?

This will never be considered one of the top episodes of the series by any Lost fan, but it will go down as one of the biggest surprises. In the course of 40 minutes, Nikki and Paulo's entire back story and time on the island were fleshed out, and some how it managed to trick me into believing they might have been there the entire time. This was done through clever effects, and complete re-filming of old scenes to add to the realism that they were there. I especially enjoyed the scene where Paulo hid the diamonds in the bathroom of the Pearl Station while eavesdropping on Juliet and Ben. It makes the scene from the first part of this season where Paulo comes out of the bathroom not seem so horribly bad. I also appreciated the small jokes through out the episode, like Sawyer's line "Who the hell is Nikki", that might be one of the best things he's ever said. This eppy also did a good job featuring some of the background characters, while at the same time proving why the stay in the background, but it's a nice gesture, as long as it doesn't become the norm. I look at this episode a lot like the Bernard and Rose episode from Season 2. Not terrible, not excellent, but a decent diversion from the main story.

One of the biggest things to happen in this episode had nothing to do with Nikki and Paulo at all, and that was Charlie's confession to Sun. This is a pretty big moment, probably playing a big role in the fate of Charlie. I don't expect Jin to take it lightly, because no matter what Sun said, he will find out.

As a whole Nikki and Paulo's storyline was a bit contrived, and the spider element even more so, but it all paid off when they were buried alive. That alone makes their story interesting, if not a little bit disturbing. I would say that I would have like to have seen their story fleshed out a bit more, but that would be a lie. The Lost writers made a mistake with their characters to begin with, at least they finished them off with a respectable episode. Sure it was filler, sure it was campy, but it was surprisingly enjoyable and well put together. Now lets get back to the greater story.

Next's week episode is titled "Left Behind", and it does not start Kirk Cameron (awwww), but it does have Juliet and Kate handcuffed together in the rain. Nuff said, until then......

.
7.5/10
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TMNT= The Turltes are back!

2007-03-27T20:10:00.000-04:00

I know I'm one of millions people who grew up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. I was a little young for the original comics when they were released, even though I eventually caught up on them. I grew up with the cartoon, kid friendly Turtles of the late 80's, early 90's. I lived and breathed Leonardo, Michelangelo, Donatello, and Raphael. They were one of the cornerstones of my childhood.

So, naturally when they announced they were doing a new movie, I got nervous. The new animated series that came out a few years ago wasn't terrible, so I wasn't completely freaked out. Even though Hollywood sucks when it comes to resurrecting nostalgia. However, Christopher Nolan did a very nice re-imagining of Batman in 04'. The question was, would the new Turtles be more Batman, or total crap. The answer.

Move over Batman Begins, or at least make some room. The Turtles are freakin back.

The best part of the movie, was the fact that the main focus was on the story of the Turtles. What I mean by that is, this movie operated like a true sequel to all other Turtle stories that have happened before it, combining the best aspects of the comics, and the original cartoon series. The only thing borrowed from the new series is the fact that April O' Neil isn't a reporter, and that's cool, because April was always kind of lame before hand.

The movie picks up after the death of Shredder, and the brothers have grown apart. From there the plot mainly focuses on the dynamic of the Turtles with a paper thin arc about villains from another time, blah blah. What's important is, the nature of the Turtles were kept in tact, they fight some foot clan, and save the day. There is also an extremely well done storyline throughout the movie about the longtime rivalry between Leonardo and Raphael, and when it boils over, it's freaking awesome. I was geeking out like I never had before.

All in all, TMNT made me feel like a kid again, and that's a hard thing to do. Hopefully they don't dumb down the dark overtones in the sequels like they did in the 90's. So far though, the Turtles have started back on a strong note.

8/10

LOST: The Man From Tallahasse

2007-03-27T19:44:00.000-04:00

One of Lost's most interesting elements of back story, is how John Locke ended up in a wheelchair. There were many different theories that developed over the years, and a lot of people wondered if the question would ever be answered, well it was, and how did it stack up to the hype built around it?

Well, in my opinion, it wasn't the craziest way he could have been injured, but it made complete sense within Locke's back story, which is the most important thing. It also set up one crazy reveal at the end of the episode, that changes the complexion of the island, and how far reaching the powers of the Others are.

The conversations between Locke and Ben were awesome, and what I thought was the most intriguing part about this entire episode. I can't wait for more dialogue between these two characters, because each actor plays the role like they were born too. In fact, all of the character interaction in this episode was really well done. Kate trying to reason with Jack, and Jack trying to hide his emotions was good stuff, and even Sayid, who had a very small part in the episode, played a key role with his "you look just like your mother" line. The implications of that building storyline will be huge for the show. If I was a betting man, I would say that Alex and Danielle will be reunited in the season finale, but that's just my guess.

The other big thing about this episode, was the concept of "the box" introduced by Ben. Damon Lindleloff is on record saying that the box is only a metaphor, but the mystery is what it's a metaphor of. Is it the monster, is it a representation of the power of "him". We will know by the end of season 3. The kicker was the end of the episode, when Ben showed Locke what came out of the "box" for him, and it was none other than his father, the same man who pushed him out of an 8 story window. What this means, and how the Other's were able to track him down is still a mystery, but isn't such a stretch of the imagination considering the amount of info the Other's have on the Lostees.

What made this episode so great was the fact that it had twist and turn, on top of twist and turn. it's hard enough to come up with one solid climax for an episode, but to have 3+, now that's some good writing. The writing team of Lost has picked it up in the second half of this season. Their true test comes next week however, when they try to make sense of the messes that are Nikki and Paulo. If you ask me, the only way to make us like them, will be to make us hate them more.

That eppy is titled "Expose" and will have some old favorites showing back up. That should be cool at least. Until then....

9/10

LOST: Par Avion

2007-03-15T21:06:00.000-04:00

A large part of the Lost community has a crazy amount of affection towards Claire. I think she's a pretty good character when she's not screaming "my baby" all of the time. Unfortunately for her she says that a lot. The good news. In this episode she only drops "my baby" one time, and actually happens to get a little bit developed as a character in the process.

This episode reminded me a bit of Hurley's from a few weeks back, in the sense that the flashbacks don't connect so much to the island story going on, but still manage to do good things for the characters. It was nice to see a darker side of Claire and the demons she dealt with in her past. She feels it's her fault her mother is in a coma, and didn't find out her father even existed until right after the accident. Oh yeah. Her Father just so happens to be Christian Shephard, who just so happens to be Jack's father. This was hinted at last season when Jack's Dad and Ana-Lucia when to Sydney. Jack's Dad dropped by the old Claire homestead, but she wasn't there. I'm curious to see what the new revelation of Jack and Claire being siblings will have to do with the overall story of the show. I have been reading some crazy theories that place a great deal of importance on the Shepard family in connection to the island. If any of those theories are true, then be expecting some Star Wars like events to be upon the Losties.

On the island there were two plots going on simultaneously again this week. On the beach Claire had the idea to tag one of the migratory birds with a distress message, only her plan is messed up by Desmond who has to stop it so Charlie won't get killed in the process. In the end, Claire figures out that something is up with ol Dezzy, and he tells her about his abilities and Charlie's imminent demise. The other storyline continues to follow the quest to rescue Jack. Locke and Sayid continue to be at each others throats and Patchy reveals some more interesting info about the Others, and how they choose people to live with them. He tells each one of them why there aren't on the list, and that they are flawed human beings. He starts tell Locke that he thought he was paralyzed, but he's interrupted before he gets it out. A few moments later they come to the Other's perimeter fence. They are unsure what to do, so Locke tosses Patchy through it. Patch says "Thank you" and then his head basically explodes. I'm thinking he said thank you because he probably would have been killed by his own people if he would have been brought back (he gave answers to the Losties, and he killed Mrs. Klugh). Sayid then discovers some leftover C-4 in Locke's pack, and everyone wonders what he is going to do with it. (I know, I know!) They eventually move on and get over the fence by placing a tree over the top of the pylon and climbing over. Finally they make it to the Other's camp, know as the "barracks". They sneak up on the Otherburbs, when Kate sees Jack through the bushes, and he's running right towards them. What happened next was a great use of framing, as Jack stops suddenly and catches a TD pass from Zeke (a.k.a Mr. Friendly, or just Tom). Jack tosses the ball back, laughing and seeming to have a good time. He catches another pass and spikes the ball, gets flagged, and then promptly penalized 15 yards on the kickoff.

This episode was solid all the way through, but when that ending hit, it punched through to the next level. What is Jack doing? I have no idea really, but I'm excited to find out. Next weeks episode should a doozy of doozies. As we will finally find out how Locke got in a wheelchair, and maybe get a little more insight as to what's up with Jack. It's called "Man from Tallahassee". Should be awesome.

9/10

300 is a good movie.Real good.

2007-03-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

It's true. 300 is awesome. I saw it over the weekend in a near sold out Sunday afternoon show. That's right, a bloody, R-rated movie almost sold out on a Sunday afternoon in the bible belt. There's hope for the movie industry yet. As a matter of fact, that is a good way to describe the feeling that 300 gave to me as a film. It's so refreshingly different, and doesn't feel like any movie I've ever watched before (with the exception of Casshern, but 300 didn't suck).

I won't go through the story, except to say that, like the name applies, it's about the 300 Spartans who fought with their King against the entire Persian army in what history calls the Battle of Thermopylae. 300 isn't historically accurate by any means, instead it's based on the graphic novel by Frank Miller (of Sin City fame). The movie does Miller's work justice 100%, it's beautiful, it's bloody, and it takes no prisoners. Gerard Butler plays King Leonidas perfectly, and with intensity and passion. He's the perfect King of the Spartans. The other acting job of note is by Rodrigo Santoro, who plays Xeres. What's so shocking about the role is the fact that it's the same guy who plays the abominable Paulo on Lost, somehow however, he is pretty good in this role.

The Battle scenes also delivered on every level imaginable. Switching between slow motion shots and real time, the brutality of the fight and the skill of the Spartans was a fun thing to watch. The Spartans were a well oiled machine, and had no fear of death. That came across well on film.

There is some controversy around 300 that I feel is very undeserving, and that's the crap coming out of Iran. Nowhere in the movie are the Iranian people disgraced. If anything they are looked at as vicious and brave fighters, just like the Spartans. The war they were fighting was like any other war over battling philosophies. Xeres is the only "bad guy", and his character is beyond any racial profiling, god-kings are kind of on there own level. So get over it, it's a movie, and it was a graphic novel first. I didn't here anyone crying when it came out in 1998.

If you like action movies, epics, and Sin City, then you will no doubt dig the crap out of 300. Go check it out.

9/10

LOST: Enter "77"

2007-03-13T19:48:00.000-04:00

I know this episode came on over a week ago, but I came down with a case of the flu/spring break and didn't feel like typing much, in fact, my will to do just about anything besides sleep and take dayquil was pretty low. With that said, Enter 77 was one of my favorite episodes of this season. It was a Sayid episode, which are always my favorites, and it gave some answers and hints to big island mysteries.

The flashback was about Sayid's time in Paris sometime after he left the Republican guard, and I'm guessing sometime before he went to Sydney (I guess it would have to be now wouldn't it). Sayid was working in a restaurant when he was discovered by another Iraqi man. The man claimed to love Sayid's cooking, and that he would love for him to come down to his restaurant to consider being his chef. Sayid agrees, but it turns out to be a trap. The man is actually the husband of a woman that Sayd had tortured in his past. Sayid denies this over the course of the episode, but in the end he admits to the woman that he did indeed torture her, after she tells him a well written tale about kids torturing a cat. Naveen Andrews tears it up in everyone of these scenes, proving that he is still won of the best actors on Lost, and television in general. He puts a lot into his characters and it shows.

On the island, Kate, Locke, Sayid, and Rousseau are still following Locke's compass bearing. They come across what looks to be an old barn, complete with livestock and messed up kitty-cat (just like the cat in the flashback). Sayid tries to approach the barn quietly but is shot by our old friend with the eye patch. Patchy's name turns out to be Mikhail Bahkunin, and he claims to be the last living member of the Dharma initiative. I'm still calling him Patchy though. Patchy takes Sayid inside and stitches him up, and all the while continues to explain how he came to be part of Dharma, that the Others have a submarine, and how the Initiative was wiped out. During this time Locke wanders off and messes with Patchy's computer equipment. Which seems to consist of only a computerized chess game. Locke plays until he wins, but winning opens up a Dharma Video Prompt. The prompt explains how the food drops are ordered, and how the Others communicated with the outside world before. It also says to "enter 7-7" if there has been an incursion by the hostiles. OK, skipping ahead a little bit. Sayid figures out that Patchy is really an Other pretending to be a Dharma member. Sayid knocks him out and he and Kate explore the rest of the Flame station. In the basement they find protocol books, and one of the surprising finds of the episode, Mrs. Klugh. When they go back upstairs Patchy has escaped and has Locke at gunpoint. To try to get out of the situation, Klugh orders Patchy to shoot her and he does. So just after we meet Mrs. Klugh again, they kill her. Which I was glad to see. She was a terrible actress and character on top of that. Once, Patchy is commandeered again, the Losties regroup and get ready to head out. Patchy claims that all he said about Dharma was true (I believe him) and that he will kill Sayid if he gets the chance (Foreshadowing?). Rousseau comes back out of the jungle, and Locke meets up with them to say that he Entered 77 before he left the station, then boom! It goes up in flames. Sayid's not happy and Locke looked strangely satisfied. At least the cat survived.

There was also a little B plot on the island about Sawyer playing Hurley in ping pong to get his stuff back. It was good filler, but nothing mind blowing. It was nice to see Sawyer wonder where Nikki and Paulo came from, I wonder the same thing (we'll find out in two weeks). Things should start picking up on the beach fairly soon as well.

So overall this was a very answeriffic episode. In true Lost fashion though, they follow answers with more questions. What we did find out was huge though. I'll run it down:

- The incident is called the Purge by the Others. Apparently it was when the Others overran the Dharma Stations. I guessing they either assimilated the old members or killed them.

-The Others are not the Dharma Initiative

- The Hatch explosion severed the connection to the outside world.

- There are submarines

I'm sure there are a few other things I missed, but these are some pretty solid answers, and hopefully they will keep coming over the next few weeks.

Enter 77 was an awesome episode, and it should quiet the no answer naysayers for a couple weeks. The next episode is called "Par Avion" and it's a Claire episode.... So until then.

9/10

Don't stop, please don't stop.

2007-03-06T19:44:00.000-05:00

I've heard plenty of commentary on Scooter Libby that has described him as a scapegoat for the entire Plame Leak Investigation. I agree that he has become the fall guy, but he still deserves what he's getting. He didn't testify with a gun to his head, well, not in the court room anyways. What I found so funny about Ol' Scooter, was how quickly his former friends jumped to discredit him, Friends like Karl Rove and Dick Cheney. Libby was once capable of being Cheney's top aide, and all of a sudden he's an idiot. Doesn't add up to me.

If this is where this case stops then without a doubt Libby got hosed, a hosing he deserved albeit. Not only would he get hosed , but so would the American public. Why? Because Libby only heard the guns shots, he didn't fire the gun. Who fired the gun? Karl Rove and/or Dick Cheney, and until it's found out who leaked the name, the grand jury needs to keep on firing indictments. I say this more so for the Principal behind the leak, and not so much the leak itself. If our own Vice-President proves that he is above the law, then what's left of the constitution will have another corner ripped off of it.

The Judicial and Legislative branches of government have become so weak since September 12th, 2001. They no longer have any teeth. The executive branch has gained so much power that it's bordering on something Americans of this generation have never known, and that's absolute power. So Grand Jury don't stop at Libby, if you do, then you're doing the country a strong disservice.

LOST:Tricia Tanaka is Dead

2007-03-02T18:36:00.000-05:00

What I love about Lost is the mythology and the mystery behind the storylines, and the good characters that set them up. What I have never been a big fan of, is when the writers throw in a "feel good" episode to lighten things up (like the golf course episode from season one). So with that said, I was expecting to not like this episode very much at all, but for some reason, I found myself really digging it.

Hurley is one of my least favorite characters on the show, mainly because of his lack of depth, and the fact that he is only used for comic relief. The writers didn't change that for this week, but what they did do was add to the reasoning of why Hurley acts the way that he does, and that's because he has scared almost the entire time on the island. His attitude is how he compensates for it. This episode also helped to reveal the root of Hurley's weight problems was when his father left his family when he was a kid. His father, played by Cheech, magically reappears after Hurley wins the lottery, and Hurley wants no part of it.

After this episode was over I found myself liking Hurley's character a little bit more, He's still the comic relief guy (his stuff with Sawyer and Jin was great), but finally after 2 1/2 seasons we get to see what makes him tick besides the numbers.

The van angle was silly, but it was a nice change of pace, and not a bad way to split up two converging storylines (Jack/The Others and the Kate/Rousseu/Sayid/Locke expedition). The only thing that bothered me was how quickly Sawyer moved from one storyline to another, meaning he wasn't at all bothered by the fact that Jack was still out there. I know the beer had something to do with it, but still. I'll reserve judgement until I see how they have him react when he finds out Kate is going after Jack. I did however, enjoy the 1000 pop culture references Sawyer made. Calling Charlie Jimeny Crickett might be the best name he's called anyone so far.

The episode closed with a nice lead in to next week, with Kate being the one to finally tell Rousseu that her daughter is on the island. All in all, this was a filler episode that had some good stuff in it and added to the depth of Hurley. It won't win any Emmy's but it wasn't a bad way to spend an hour on a Wednesday.

7/10

Next week things WILL pick up. It's a Sayid episode titled "Enter 77", and we will meet our friend "patchy". Until then......

Oh and watch Heroes in between. It's good stuff.

LOST: Stranger in a Strange Land

2007-02-23T21:02:00.000-05:00

This weeks episode of Lost was yet another Jack episode that helped to answer the question behind his tattoo's and conclude the Alcatraz saga. It wasn't the strongest episode of Lost ever, but it did have some cool moments, and in the end served it's purpose as a bridging the gap eppy.

One of the small mysteries of the series that has been lingering on since season one is the meaning of Jacks tattoos and why he, a spinal surgeon, would ever get sweet tats like that.
The answer is easy. A hot Asian woman played by Bai Ling. She's a terrible actress but that doesn't matter, if you've seen her you understand. Jack meets her (Achara) when he is on vacation in Phuckett ,China. They fool around for awhile, but she never reveals to Jack her occupation. She only tells him that she has "a gift". Jack being the crazy fool that he is, he follows her to her "tattoo shop" to find out what she does. It turns out she isn't a tattoo artist, she can actually see into people's souls and tell them who they are. Achara nails Jack, telling him that he's a a "great man and a leader" but that he's "scared and angry". Jack is moved by the revelation and violently forces her to "mark" him, even though it's against her peoples tradition. When Ling's brother finds out, he and his buddies beat down Jack and force him to leave the country. Whether he left right away remains to be seen.

Back in the present, Sawyer and Kate make it back to the main island with Karl. Sawyer has a funny little seen with Karl, giving him a pep talk about Alex, and Sawyer gets it out of Kate that she only slept with him out of pity. The chunk of the island story however, is focused on Jack, and Juliet's punishment for shooting Pickett. Jack gets to Ben, and is able to wager for her life. Ben's cuts are infected and Jack is the only one who can take care of him. So Ben has no choice. Instead of executing Juliet they mark her with what looks like the upside down mark of Scientology (I mean it really looks like it). After all of that is worked out, the Others pack up and are forced to leave the island out of fear the 815ers might try to come find Jack, before they leave, the "sheriff" reads Jacks tattoo's out loud. "He walks among us, but he is not one of us". Interesting.

Like I said, this wasn't the strongest episode of Lost. It did a good job bridging some story lines together, like the moving of Jack to Otherville, Kate and Sawyer getting back to the island, and the re-introducing of a brainwashed Cindy and the kids. The Jack and Juliet partnership grew a little bit in this episode as well. However the flashback was very flat, despite some serious eye candy in Bai Ling.

The ABC promo department did a terrible job promoting this episode. I hope that they learn that misleading the fans about what's on their shows isn't a good idea. That's not the Lost producers fault, they don't control what the network does. So beware of the promos, they usually lie. For instance next weeks episode, I've heard good things, but it's not what the promo says its going to be.

As for that eppy, it's titled "Tricia Tanaka is Dead" and it's a Hurley episode. It's supposed to be a bit of comic relief, so we will see how that works out. Until then........

Huh? This is news.

2007-02-22T18:40:00.000-05:00

So I was watching some tele yesterday, and I was flipping around the news channels to catch up on world affairs, when I noticed a disturbing trend. This trend I'm reffering to is the Anna Nicole Smith story. MSNBC has been devoting their entire afternoon block to the coverage of the trial that determines who gets to bury her. WHO CARES!!!! Not that it isn't a sad story for the families, and I feel for them, but national news outlets need to get their act together. This story should be nothing more than a blip on the ticker, or a mention in the closing moments of a news cast. There are plenty of people in this country who aren't millionares that go through problems like that everyday and it doesn't make news, and it shouldn't. Britain is pulling out of Iraq, Iran is widening their nuclear development, the Dick Cheney/Scooter Libby/Karl Rove CIA leak trial is going on. Why aren't these the headlines. I have serioulsy had it with cable news. Mainly because of the scary thought that many people use those networks as their only source of news. Anna Nicole and Brittney Spears belong on E! not on CNN. The same thing happened when freakin Tom Cruise had his little spawn child. It has to stop. American's are getting dumber and dumber and it starts with TV. I just hope that sometime soon, or at least in my lifetime, that the news outlets will start collecting real news.

LOST: Flashes Before Your Eyes

2007-02-15T19:28:00.000-05:00

I think it's safe to say that the episode quality of Lost isn't going downhill, and if this streak continues, Season 3 may end up being classic. Flashes Before Your Eyes brought a new method of storytelling into the lost arena and also changed the way time as whole on the island could be viewed.

Most of the episode, and by most I mean almost all of it, takes place in a Desmond flashback/lucid dream. After Desmond turned the failsafe key he slipped into a state that seemingly was letting him relive his past, only this past was infused with flashes from the future (which is the present). Unsure of whether or not he dreamed the island or whether he was dreaming his past, Desmond tried to change the events of his future by not leaving Penny and asking her to marry him. Only win he went to buy the engagement ring he was confronted with the truth of his situation. Desmond was in fact in a lucid dream but the dream itself is only a precursor to the abilities and the conflicts he will face in the future (which is the present). Desmond is told these things by the shop owner who reveals to Desmond that he can not change his destiny, and no matter what he does the universe will "course correct" itself.

This point brings up a lot of interesting questions for Desmond's character and the show in general. Are the characters paths pre-determined, is there destiny set in stone? Or can they change the path that is set in front of them. Desmond doesn't seem to think so by the end of the episode, but I have a feeling this might not be the case. It's that question however that has been a driving force in the show for sometime now, and what has kept the story lines so compelling. Where he passengers of flight 815 meant to be on the island like Desmond, or was it truly an accident that the fate is attempting to course correct. The same thing applies to the personal storyline of each character. Every single one of them has issues in the past they are trying to overcome. Can they? Or is their path set. Man, I love this show.

The episode close with Desmond revealing to Charlie the nature of his new ability and that his flashes of the future are of Charlie dying, and if he indeed can't change the future, then Charlie is going to die.

Whether or not Charlie does indeed die or not will be a big factor in the shows direction, not from a character standpoint, but a thematic one. If Charlie dies, then they are saying the characters can't escape their destiny, if he lives, then it's saying that one's destiny isn't set in stone. Either way would make for some better than good television.

"Flashes" was by far one of Lost's deepest episodes, both in its themes and its mythology. One viewing doesn't do it justice because there are so many layers that need to pulled back, and a ton of possibilities that have been opened up for the show going forward.

Start reading up on time lapse theories folks. It's a legitimate theory.

Next week is another Jack episode that should give some answers to some lingering mysteries of the show (Jack's tatoo's are the only one I know for sure). It's called "Stranger in a Strange Land". Let's see if the show can make it 3-for-3 to start the year.

9.5/10

LOST: Not In Portland

2007-02-08T19:20:00.000-05:00

Oh it's back. I've been waiting two long months for the reutrn of my beloved Lost, and the wait was worth it.Not In Portland was packed full of information, some of it hidden, some of it a little cryptic, but all of it awesome. Now hows that for some objective writing.

The episode centered around our hot new Other friend Juliet. It turns out she was and I guess still is, a very accomplished fertility doctor whose accomplishments include, impregnating a male field mouse and her sister who from what I could gather wasn't able to have children because of her cancer (cervical I would assume). The coolest part about Juliet's flashbacks, besides showing her transformation from a follower to leader, then back to a follower again, was how she was recruited by the others. It starts out as a job offer from a research organization out of Portland called Mittelos Bioscience (which as an anagram comes out as "Lost Time"). Juliet blurts out the only way she could escape her current position would be if her ex-husband/boss was hit by a bus. She was kidding in the interview, but when her ex-husband is hit by a bus, it's revealed how ruthless the Others are when it comes to getting something they want. It was also nice to Ethan as part of the recruitment process. This shows that not only did the Other's have access to the mainland, but they probably went back and forth fairly often.

On the island side of things it was a little crazier. Sawyer and Kate almost don't escape, but they are helped by Rousseu's daughter/Ben's adopted daughter Alex. Alex agrees to help them off the island if they help rescue her boyfriend Karl. Karl is trapped in another facility on the island that is being gaurded by that dude from It's Always Sunny In Philadlephia. Sawyer and Kate take him out and go inside to find Karl strapped to a chair with an IV in his arm, watching a series of images that are no doubt meant to brainwash him. It was a very surreal scene and one of the trippiest Lost moments of the series. It brings up more evidence as to how ruthless the Others can be when they want to get their way. Sawyer then Grabs Karl and they head for the shore and Alex's boat. When they make it to the beach they are confronted by Danny/Pickett who before he can gun down Sawyer, is shot by Juliet. (Another crazy moment). Kate then radios Jack to let him know they are safe as he finishes up Ben's surgery. The episode ends with Juliet telling Jack what Ben had said to her to make her let Kate and Sawyer go (she originally ordered them to be killed). Juliet says that Ben would finally let her off the island, because she had been there for 3 years and 28 days. Which puts her arriving there sometime in early Septemeber of 2001.

Overall this was a beyond solid episode an a great way to kick off the second part of the season. There was a lot more insight given to the motives of the Others through Juliet's flashback, The brainwashing film, and the snippets of information Tom Divulged to Jack. With an end now in sight to the series as a whole, there will certanly be more episodes like Not In Portland that start to give out answers. Just don't expect those answers to be given quickly or bluntly, this is Lost were talking about. It's not fun if it's easy.

Next week the show heads back to the beach for a Desmond-centric episode called "Flashes Before Your Eyes" and based on the preview it looks saucy. Until then.......

9/10

Review: Infinity on High

2007-02-08T18:53:00.000-05:00

I've said it a million times. I like Fall Out Boy, and I don't care who knows it. I'm not alone, I know, these guys are huge. This album is going to sell quickly and in big numbers, but FOB's orginal fan base that was there before they blew up has thinned out quite a bit over the last two years. Sure there are legitimate reasons for some people to move on, because granted Fall Out Boy is not a band that makes deep albums that will make you re-examine your life, and some people just grow out of that kind of music. That's understandable. Then there are the music snobs, who once a band gets big they turn on them like a pit-bull on a kitten covered in gravy and hot sauce. Which is silly.

Fall Out Boy has indeed flirted with the dreaded "selling out" disease in the media, but what makes them fail to do so in my mind is the fact that they deliver when it comes to their albums. Yeah ,Pete Wentz is kind of lame, yeah, they aren't the best live band in the world, but truth be told, Infinity on High is a solid album. It wont be competeing for any awards, but if you are a fan of any of Fall Out Boy's previous albums, then there is no way you wont like this one, or any reason why you should pass on it.

Infinity On High starts out with a slightly surprising Jay-Z intro that leads into 5 straight head nodding, rear view mirror shaking pop punk songs that make driving in your car fun. Then their is a track called "Golden" which breaks the album up, and would have been much better off left on the cutting room floor. It's without a doubt Fall Out Boy's worst song. After that there is more of the same fast paced formula, including a song titled "Don't You know Who I thing I am" which is one of the catchiest songs I've heard in a long, long time. I'm a sucker for hand claps, what can I say.

Overall Infinity On High delivered exactly what I thought it would. A fun album that you can stick in, nod your head to and get in a good mood. I understand how people are bothered by the way Fall Out Boy portray's themselves, but at least to me, in the end it's all about the music and how it makes you feel, and sometimes a little face paced pop-punk is just what I need.

8/10

RANT!!

2007-02-01T15:59:00.000-05:00

How many of you upon first seeing the image above, had the instincts to call the local authorities and report it as a bomb. Well aparently the entire city of Boston had this thought cross their mind. Me personally would have called and reported that some poor kid lost their Lite-Brite.

Well it wasn't a bomb, and it wasn't even a Lite-Brite. It was a viral marketing campaign by Cartoon Network to advertise AquaTeen Hunger Force (a show which I hold very near to my heart). Any fan of the show would recognize the Mooninites, and while they don't like Earth to much, they aren't terrorists. So ok, this was a bad way to market the show, but they didn't hurt anybody, slap the guys on the wrists and let them go, right? Wrong. The creators of the devices are being charged with felonies, that's right, FELONIES! If you ask me, the people who thought these were bombs should all be issued stupidity citations.

This country is so scared of it's own shadow sometimes. Yes terrorisom is a real threat, but to be scared of cartoon characters, thats a whole new level of fear.

So next christmas becareful how many lights you put up, your neighbors might report you for trying to build a nuclear reactor, and you will get charged with a felony because your neighbors are idiots.

Rant over.

The Shins: Wincing The Night Away

2007-01-25T23:08:00.000-05:00

I'm one of the losers who didn't really listen to the Shins that much until the movie Garden State. When Natalie Portman pulled her headphones off and made Zach Braff take a listen, telling him that "they will chage your life" didn't really make much sense to me at the time. So I picked up the soundtrack and rocked out to "Caring is Creepy" and "New Slang", yet I still never went out and picked up either of their albums "Oh Inverted World" or "Chutes to Narrow".

I'm sorry I ever doubted you Natalie.

Wincing the Night Away is a pretty freakin good way to start the year out. The writing on this record is amazing, sometimes bordering on stream of consciousness writing turned into song.

Instrumental wise the record is solid. None of these guys are going to bust out into Slash guitar solos, but instead they deliver solid melody and songs that you can tap your feet to, as well as many other things.

This album has sold me on this band 100%. I tried to avoid the hype around them for so long, but just like how I gave into John Mayer, you can't deny good music just for the sake of an image or the people that listen to them. What's good is good, and it's usually popular for a reason (sometimes good, sometimes bad, in this case good).

So thanks again Natalie Portman, I see what you were talking about now. I will now belive everything you tell (except for anything you said in Episode III).

Wincing the Night Away -9/10

The Super Bowl: Man I was waaaaaaaay off!

2007-01-25T22:46:00.000-05:00

Well I have learned my lesson. I'm no longer going to be a homer and pick my team to win a championship in any sport, no matter how good they look on paper, or how many experts pick them to win. Nope. I don't care if Jesus himself starts at quarterback for the Panthers next year, I wont be picking them. It's a jinx, and more often that not you end up looking like a fool.

My super bowl pick was the Bengals vs. The Panthers. I had the Cardinals in the playoffs, as well as the Dolphins (At least I didn't pick them to make the Super Bowl, cough*Dr.Z* cough). Hindsight however, is 20/20, and I know I'm not the only one who made some bold predictions that turned out false. At least I did better than my baseball predictions last year.

As for the actual real- life Super Bowl, it should be a good game. A real good game. Everyone outside of Chicago and Dan Marino's living room is pulling for Peyton, and I am too, but I have this funny feeling that Chicago might pull this one out. Yes, Rex Grossman is terrible, but he's no worse than Trent Dilfer who threw 12 TD's and 11 ints in the 2001 season when he quarterbacked the Ravens to a superbowl. These Bears remind me a lot of that Ravens team. The only difference in Super Bowl 41 is that Peyton Manning isn't Kerry Collins. I don't even think Kerry Collins isn't even as good as Eli Manning (not saying much).

So with that said, do I have the guts to pick the Bears.

No. No I don't. I've learned my lesson this year.

Colts 28, Bears 14

Review: Children Of Men

2007-01-09T20:13:00.000-05:00

Children of Men is one of those movies that comes in under the radar, but when it lands, it doesn't take long for people to notice it. I heard about this movie simply by being a nerd and reading top ten list, upon top ten list online (top tens are the only thing websites and magazines do for the week or so after christmas, or in my case, three weeks) I couldn't help but notice common characteristic among all of them. That being of course, the inclusion of Children of Men. From there it didn't me long at all figure out that I had to see this movie, and nothing could get in my way. Well, except for the fact that it didn't open in the Piedmont area for three weeks after it was released. That sort of got in my way... Oh well good things come to those who wait.

Without giving to much away, the basic premise of the movie, which takes place around 25 years in the future, centers around the fact that women have been infertile for 18 or so years due to disease and unexplained phenomena, and the human race is slowy dying out. All other civilized nations have crumbled, except for Britain, but they aren't letting refugess into the country. Then it's discovered that a refugee girl named Kee is pregnant, and it's race from their on out to make sure she ends up in the right hands. Clive Owen plays Theo, Julianne Moore plays Julian, and Michael Caine plays Jasper, and Claire-Hope Ashitey plays Kee, the pregnant refugee.

Now let me say this right off the bat, Children of Men is not a popcorn movie, it takes itself very seriously. It's set in the future, but a very believable and grounded future. The movie starts off very intense and then settles down for about 40 minutes before it picks the pace up again, but what's in between is some excellent character development and story telling. CoM also does something that is very hard to do in a post-apocoylptic film, and that's letting past events and facts come out in context. There are no montauges or news reels that explain what happened, instead, everything comes out in conversations and photographs, which is nice, because it gets you more involved and doesn't treat you like a total idiot.

CoM has it's fair share of intense moments, actually it has a lot of them. The final act of the movie is a chase, a war, and an emotional drama all rolled up into one. Combine that with what better be Oscar caliber acting (that's why they released it in 2006). Clive Owen is in top form, but the best performance came from Ashitey who plays Kee. She's a relativley new actress but you couldn't tell that by watching her act in the presence of some seasoned vets. I think she is the most likely out of the cast to get nominated (next would be Owen and the movie itself)

My only complaint about CoM is that I wanted more. The world that director Alfonse Cuaron created is so fascinating, that you can't help but wonder everything that went wrong to lead Civilization into that much chaos. CoM is one of those movies that you are thinking about days after you see it. Which is what makes movies so great, they make you wonder and they work your imagination, and Children of Men does this in spades.

9.5/10

Top Tens and Other Things.

2006-12-28T20:00:00.000-05:00

At the end of the year it's impossible to escape the sea of "best of" lists and stories flooding everything that you read. So why should I be any different, well, I can't think of a legitimate reason. Besides, bucking trends is played out. So without further adu, here are my Top Ten's in music and movies for 2006. Enjoy, or disagree with me, I like both.

MUSIC

I feel like this year was one of the best in my lifetime as far as my personal music taste goes. As far as commercial music, well, there was much to be desired. All you need to know is the Dannity Kane was the number one album at one point, and Young Jeezy is the number one album to end the year. There were some positive highlights in the mainstream, but I found the best way to enjoy it was to turn off the radio, because all it does is kill the good stuff that does hit the airwaves. OK I'm rambling, here's my list.

Top Ten Albums of 2006

10. Brand New: The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me

9. Jay-Z: Kingdom Come

8. Incubus: Light Grenades

7. The Format: Dog Problems

6. The Hush Sound: Like Vines

5. The Killers: Sam's Town

4. Jack Johnson and Friends: Sing-A-Longs and Lullabies: The Curious George Soundtrack

3. John Mayer: Continuum

2. Gatsby's American Dream: Gatsby's American Dream

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers: Stadium Arcadium

Why Stadium Arcadium?

2 Discs, 28 songs, from a band that has been together longer than a lot of other bands on my list have been alive, and yet the Chili's still manage to create what could be their best album as a band.

Honorable Mentions: Saves The Day: Sound the Alarm, The Strokes; First Impressions of Earth, Action Action: An Army of Shapes Between Wars, This Providence: This Providence, Matisyahua: Youth, Amos Lee: Supply and Demand, The Roots: Game Theory, Outkast: Idlewild, New Found Glory: Coming Home, Spitalfield: Better Than Knowing Where You Are, Punchline: 37 Everywhere, Thursday; A City By the Light Divided, Taking Back Sunday: Louder Now, The Academy Is: Almost Home, Yellowcard: Lights and Sounds, Senses Fail: Still Searching.

Worst Album of The Year:

Angels and Airwaves: We Don't Need to Whisper

Why? Tom Delonge hyped this record to be the second coming. It was far from it.

Why I'm Excited about 2007:

311, Coheed and Cambria, Relient K, Fall Out Boy, Talib Kweli, Motion City Soundtrack, Samshing Pumpkins, The Academy Is, Action Action, Kanye West, Minus the Bear, Small Leaks Sink Ships, Bloc Party.

MOVIES

Now I didn't see nearly as many movies this year as I would have liked. In fact I feel like I barely saw enough movies to make up a top ten. I squeaked by in the end however, but my list of movies I would like to still see is longer than the ones that I have.

Top Ten Movies that I actually saw in 2006:

10. Inside Man

9. Nacho Libre

8. An Inconvenient Truth

7. Cars

6. V for Vendetta

5. Casion Royale

4. Borat

3. Running Scared

2. Thank You For Smoking

1. The Departed

Why The Departed?

First, it was freaking awesome. I haven't been glued to my seat in a movie theatre in quite some time. Second, A list acting like it was meant to be. DiCaprio, Nicholson, Damon, Baldwin, Sheen, and Wahlberg deliver Oscar worthy performances across the board. On top of that it's helmed by one of the crime genre's most legendary directors in Martin Scorsese. I liked the Departed better than Goodfellas if that tells you anything.

Honorable Mentions: Lucky Number Slevin, Pirates of The Caribean: Dead Man's Chest, Talladega Nights, Snakes on a Plane, Curious George

Movies I still Need to See: Three Burials, United 93, Mission IMpossible 3, X men 3, A Scanner Darkly, Little Miss Sunshine, Miami Vice, Idlewild, The Sciene of Sleep, Crank, Flags of Our Fathers, Letters from Iwo Jima, The Prestige, Children of Men, Stranger Than Fiction, The Last Kiss, Bobby, The Fountain, Pan's Labryinth, Blood Diamond, Apocalypto, The Good Shpehard, Rocky Balboa

Worst Movie of the Year:

Ultraviolet

Why?: I walked out, nuff said.

Why I'm excited about 2007:

300, Smokin Aces, Tranformers, TMNT, Number 23, Oceans 13, Beowulf, Live Free of Die Hard

Random Awards

Video Game of The Year

Gears of War

Athlete of the Year

LaDaian Tomlinson

Biggest Disappointment of the Year (Sports)

The Carolina Panthers

Biggest Surprise of the Year (Sports)

The Detroit Tigers

Biggest Disappointment of the Year (Life)

Donald Rumsfeld

Biggest Surprise of the Year (Life)

The November Election

Dumbest Moment of the Year

Dick Cheney shooting his friend in the face

Best Moment of the Year

(TIE)

Stephen Colbert's speech at the White House Correspondence dinner

Dick Cheney shooting his friend in the face

Worst Person of the Year

(Tie) Mark Foley/Jon Mark Carr

Person of The Year

Stephen Colbert (see above for the reason)

The end. Feel free to leave your opinions folks.

2006: It was a year.

2006-12-27T18:31:00.000-05:00

You could say the same thing about 2006 that you could about every year since the dawn of the calendar. There are plenty of events that took place that created good memories and satisfying feelings, but for everyone of those, it seems like there was something else that came along and crapped all over it. I know this sounds pretty cynical, but in fact it's quite the opposite. In order to appreciate all of the good things that go on in your life, it's important to recognize the bad. It helps you to know what you're thankful for. The value of any given year basically boils down to whether or not you can recognize the good things that happen in your life thru the cloud of everything else that tries to spoil it.

So based on that logic, how was to 2006 to me?

Well, it was a year, falling right in the middle of good or bad. On a scale of 1 to 10 it was a five. From a Yeah! to a No! it was a meh...

I had a great year personally, 2006 will be a year I remember for a very long time, but nationally it's a year that I'm sure most Americans would like to soon forget. We're still at war after three years, and there seems to have been more scandal in Washington this year than actual progress. Scandals which include:Tom Delay, Mark Foley and his Pages, Jack Abramoff and his congressman, the Natalie Plame CIA leak, NSA Wiretapping, Gitmo, and Dick Cheney shooting people in the face. Instead of the things that should have been focused on like global diplomacy, global warming, immigration reform, stabalizing the economy and fighting terrorism). We've been destroyed in just about every major sports competition (Olympics,World Baseball Classic, World Basketball Championships,World Cup). On top of that, there have been massive outbreaks of disease like avian flu and e. coli.

This is the crap storm you'd have to wade thru to find the good things that have gone on this year. Most of which I'm sure are found in your personal lives, and if that wasn't much better for you, then crack open an icy cold beverage and get ready to toast in a new year and a fresh start, because if your at the bottom, there's no way to go but up. There's some optimism :)

As far as the good stuff, 2006 is closing well. Most of the shady politicians were replaced by new and probably equally shady politicans (we'll find out soon enough), and Doanld Rumsfeld stepped down. I know it's not much, but it gives us a little national hope, and by "a little" I mean "not much", but hey, I'll take what I can get.

So here's to 2006, thanks for not doing enough to kill us, but no thanks for not doing enough to make our lives any better

Now bring on 2007.

Review: An Inconvienient Truth

2006-12-20T23:15:00.000-05:00

It doesn't matter whether your a democrat, a republican,an independent, a moderate, a conservative or liberal. The issue of global warming should mean something to you. We are all guilty of polution, not going the extra step to cut back emissions, or even separating our trash and recycle (me). The point of this movie isn't to point fingers, but rather to warn of what is going to happen if we don't change and change fast.

The film itslef is a documentary that follows a slideshow presentation given by Al Gore. This apparently has been what Gore has been devoting his time too since he "lost" the 2000 election. A great thing about this film is the fact that Al Gore does an excellent job of presententing this case without making it a polarizing issue. Gore also presents Global Warming in a way that isn't overly scientific and it's very digestable to the masses, which is the main reason why this movie was made in the first place. To get the message out on global warming, because the mainstream media and Washington D.C don't really think it's that big of a problem. The film presents some compelling evidence and even scarier visual images that show the reality of global warming. It also struck a chord with me as I sat on my porch in the 65 degree a week before Christmas.

This is a very important movie to see if you don't know much about global warming, and also a good one to see even if you know about it but you are like me and have been careless in your environmental habits.It's a very strong reminder if nothing else. So check this movie out, no matter if you voted for the man or not.

8/10

What I've Been Listening To: Late Fall Super Mega Edition

2006-12-07T20:02:00.000-05:00

It's been a month since I've written anything, which is sad, I know. What can I say, besides, it's been a crazy month filled with all of the business that every college student goes through this time of year.I have been listening to a lot of music lately, so I thought I give my two cents on all of the good stuff that has passed through my ears as of late.

Amos Lee: Supply and Demand
Amos Lee is a largely unknown singer/songwriter who plays relatively slow paced, chilled out bluesy guitar music (that's the best I could describe it). I really enjoyed this album, it took a little bit for it to grow on me because I felt I had to be in a certain mood to listen to it, but after awhile you'll find it fiitting in to just about whatever mood your in. This is probably the album that I have listened to the least out of all of these, but that doesn't mean I didn't dig it. So check it out especially if your a fan of classic rock and chilled out music.

Key Tracks: Night Train (awesome, awesome song)

The Roots: Game Theory
I didn't even hear Tipping Point, I'll be honest. I was a huge fan of Phrenology, and have only heard bits and pieces of their music before that. So I am not the utmost expert on the Roots. I can say that Game Theory is a very solid hip hop album. The music, played by the Roots themselves, is awesome , and like all Roots music that I have heard, Black Thought delivers strong, provacative vocals. Albums like Game Theory remind me why I listen to rap.

Key Tracks:
False Media
Game Theory
Don't Feel Right

Spitalfield: Better Than Knowing Where You Are
This is Spitalfield's third album, and while it's pretty solid, it fails to live up the expectations they built for themselves after the awesomeness the was their debut (Remember Right Now). A lot of Spitalfield fans bailed on the band after their second album, but I was one of the few that liked it and stuck around. I'm glad that I did because they are definately on their way back up the muscial mountain. The album opens and closes strong, with only a few clunkers in between. The band has a new bass player, and are now almost soley a one vocalist band (which is good because their old bassist wasn't the best singer in the world). BTKWYA is also a little bit harder than their previous two albums, but not hard enough to separate themselves as a "rock" band, they are flirting with the line a little bit though. If you were a Spitalfield fan in the past, then I think you owe it to yourself to hear this album.

Key Tracks:
Secrets in Mirrors
Tell Me Clarice
...Listen

New Found Glory: Coming Home
Coming Home is without a doubt NFG's strongest album since their self-titled. The stongest aspect, the vocals. Jordan Pundik must have taken some voice classes since Catalyst, he still sounds a bit nasaly, but it's been toned down and more refined. New Found Glory as a band went in a whole new direction with this record, it's less punk, more rock, and more grown up. The band themselves calls this their "record that will stand the test of time". I agree to an extent because its the most digestable album to anyone who isn't a hardcore NFG fan. There are still flashes of the old band on this album, but it's clear that they have grown up . Which is nice, because I hate it when Thirty year olds keep talking about High School like they are still there.(see Blink 182, or Plus 44, or Angels and Airwaves)

Key Tracks:
Coming Home
Taken Back By You
Familiar Landscapes
Make Your Move

John Mayer: Contiuum
I know what your thinking, but hear me out. This is by far one of the best albums of the year. I know that some of Mayer's older stuff is a little bit sappy, but the cool thing about John Mayer is that he is one of the first people that will admit his old stuff is sappy. In fact, the record company almost didn't put out Continuum because it wasn't "John Mayer" enough. This album is straight classic rock, Mayer spent two weeks with Eric Clapton while he was writing this record and it shows. So don't let his image fool you ,John Mayer is an awesome musician and one of the better guitarists alive right now. It you like rock music you are punishing yourself by not hearing this cd. Give it a chance, don't be scared.

Key Tracks:
Belief
Slow Dancing in a Burning Room
Vultures
Bold as Love (Hendrix remake)

Brand New: The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me
I have been waiting new music from Brand New from the very second I finished listeing to Deja Entendu. That's how good this band is, they leave wanting more. Devil and God is no different. Brand New continues on a trend of growth that I have never seen in a band before. Deja would be a peak album for most bands, but somehow Brand New took another step forward. At first listen the album seems much darker than anything they've ever done, but the more you listen to it, it's no so much dark as it is a remorseful and refelctive look at one's life. The title of the album describes it perfectly. Musically it has some hints of the old Brand New scattered about, and they try a lot of new things (Guitar solos anyone). Just like Deja, they reinvented themselves again and leave you wanting more. This band is easily one of the best of my generation.

Key Tracks:
Archers Bows Have Broken
Jesus Christ
You Wont Know
Not the Sun

Jay-Z: Kingdom Come
It's not Black Album good, but it's pretty close. The only thing missing is an equvalent to "99 Problems" (which is one of the best rap songs of the decade). Still, I find myself coming back to this album more often than I ever thought I would. I never thought it would be possible for a rap album to be catchy, but Kingdom Come is. I find myself singing bars, like I sing hooks to rock songs. Lyrically Jay-Z raps about his old stand by's quite a bit (money, his mom, cars), but from a different angle, mainly because he is king of the rap world right now. He also raps about serious issues (which I wish more rappers would) like Katrina, age, and death. Plain and simple, I dig the crap out of this album.

Key Tracks:
30 Something
Dig A Hole
Minority report
Beach Chair

Incubus: Light Grenades
I'm still not sure if I can give this album a fair assesment because I haven't listened to it as much as I would have liked, but at this point I'd have to say I'm a little bit dissapointed. I felt that "A Crow Left of the Murder" was a step in a new direction for Incubus and whether you liked that album or not, you'd have to at least admit that they were trying something new. To me Light Grenades feels like a couple steps back. This album itslef sounds like it should have come out in between Make Yourself and Morning View, which to some, that might be awesome. I love Incubus previous albums, but I don't want their new stuff to be a rehash, which is was Light Grenades sounds like to me so far. Who knows, maybe there is something there that I'm not hearing. If I hear it I'll let you know.

Key Tracks:
Anna Molly
Paper Shoes
Pendulous Threads
A Kiss to Send Us Off

The 2006 Election

2006-11-09T22:52:00.000-05:00

With the concession of George Allen, the clean sweep of congress by the Democrats was made official. Some media outlets have called this election a mandate for change, a repsonse to the Iraq war, or just an overall reaction the failures of the Bush Administration. I'm sure a lot of those factors played a role in people's minds when they were voting from their new fangled electronic ballots, but the end result of this election points to something much more profound in my opinion.

The optimist in me thinks that the 2006 election helped to re-establish some credibility that our country's electoral system had lost since 2000. Americans came out in record numbers for a mid-term election, an election with no major recounts or scandals, and yes, through it all they did make a statement.

I'm not happy because the Democrats won, I'm happy because this Administration was brought down to Earth by a big dose of reality. You can't screw this country up for six straight years, protect only the rich, send the poor and middle class to war on lies, and build the nation's largest deficit . It's time to fix these problems, and I hope the new blood in Washington can help shepard these changes in, and after that, hold the one's responsible for those problems accountable.

Democrats, you've got your chance now, put your money where your mouth is and make this government work again. You saw what happens when politicians get comfortable and forget what there job is. Being a leader isn't a right, it's a priviledge. Don't forget it.

I bet you regret that now dont ya!

Borat=Very Nice !!!

2006-11-09T22:38:00.000-05:00

I had never seen a single episode of Ali G until after I had seen this movie, but to be quite honest. It didn't matter at all, because Borat is freakin comedy gold.

Sacha Baron Cohen puts himself up their with the likes of Andy Kaufman in Borat. Cohen immerses himself so much in his characters, that he actually becomes him. He even did all of his promotion for this movie as Borat, and each one of those appearances was just as funny as a scene from the movie.

There wasn't a time during the course of this movie were I didn't stop laughing ( well there was one time, but instead of laughing, I was throwing up in my mouth, you'll know the scene when you see it) Borat also exposes a little of that homegrown American ignorance throughout some of his encounters, and I really hope some of them were scripted, because if they weren't, then wow, some people are really stupid.

There isn't much else I can say about this movie. The main point is that it's hilarious, and it's a type of funny I have never seen before. See it, laugh at it, and bring on Bruno.

9.5/10

Very nice!!!!!!

Lost: I Do

2006-11-09T21:18:00.000-05:00

This was the last Lost until February 7, 2007. That's a very long time. Meaning this episode had to give us enough to chew on until then. Did it do it? I believe so.

This eppy centered around Kate, and helped further establish the fact that she is afraid of commitment, and that she is afraid to stop running. In this case it was Kate's most extreme considering she actually married the guy this time around before she decided to take off. Wait, nevermind, her high school boyfriend ended up dead, I think he had it the worst. So she played wife for a little while, but the reality of her situation kicked in and she left him.

The flashback was juxtaposed with the ongoing situation with Kate, Jack, and Sawyer in captivity. Ben continues to try and persuade Jack tp perform the surgery, but he doesn't give in. Juliet then brings in Kate to try and persuade Jack, telling her that if she doesn't, then Pickett/Danny is going to kill Sawyer. Jack doesn't trust anything the Others tell him, and he tells Kate to forget about him doing the surgery. Kate then tries to break Sawyer out of so she can save him, but when Sawyer breaks down and tells Kate that he can't, she breaks down. Then she kisses him and Kate and Sawyer finally get together after three years of sexual tension. I still wonder to myself whether or not this is Kates real choice, or whether or not she was acting the emotions of Sawyers imminent death.

Someone then mysteriously let Jack out of his cell (either Alex or Ben himself) and Jack sees Sawyer and Kate together in Sawyers cage. He then turns to see Ben and agrees to do the surgery, as long as he promises to get him off the island. At this point I was beginning to get a little worried, I thought for sure that they were going to go the predictable route of Jack become so overwhelmed with anger and jealously over losing another woman he loved (Kate), that he would agree to do the surgery simply to save himself. Luckily and thankfully I was completely wrong. During the surgery Jack makes small incision in Ben's kidney, tells Mr. Friendly to get him Kate on the walkie talkie. This scene is set against Pickett pulling Sawyer away from Kate and forcing her to watch him shoot Sawyer. Just before he can pull the trigger he's interrupted. Jack tells Kate for her and Sawyer to run, and it the don't let them go then he will let Ben die, and the episode ends with jack screaming at Kate to run.

These first six episodes have really give Matthew Fox some good opportunities to show off his acting chops, especially the scenes between Jack and Ben. The dialogue between those two is excellently written. If Matthew Fox and Michael Emerson aren't nominated for emmy's then someone need to get punched in the face. I was extremely satisfied with the turn at the end of the episode. Instead of Jack taking the selfish way out, he put his own life at risk to save Kate and Sawyer. Even if he does fix Ben's kidney, there still is a small chance that he would be able to safely remove the tumor, so if Ben dies on the table, Jack might not be too far behind.

I was very glad that they ended the mini-season with added focus on the characters on Lost. I love the mythology and the mysteries, but what makes this show so strong is the character development. Besides, I think Eko being killed by the smoke monster filled that void last week. I feel that Jack, Kate, and Sawyer's characters have been given a truckload more depth in these first six episodes, and Ben and Juliet feel extremely deep, and they haven't even had flashbacks yet.

As for this episode, I felt it was solid and a half, and an excellent way to set sail to the second part of next season. 9/10

As for the mini-season, I would also give it a 9/10 because of the way the writers were able to to pack so much exposition in just six episodes. It really did feel like it's own season (sometimes to much due to the amount they packed in, see Nikki and Paulo, they shouldn't have been introduced until the second half of the season).

The first episode back from the break is called "Not in Portland", and it's the first ever flashback that focuses on an Other, that other, is none other, than the smokin hot Juliet. Until then.......

Lost: Cost of Living

2006-11-02T19:12:00.000-05:00

R.I.P Mr. Eko.

Last night marked the first time reality hit the Lost cast. Unlike many of the actor exits on the show, the actor who played Eko (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje) left the show under his own power. Michelle Rodrigues (Ana-Lucia), Cynthia Watros (Libby), and Ian Summerhalder (Boone) were cut much to their own surprise. It leaked about two weaks ago that Eko would be killed off of the show do to the actors own desire to pursue other oportunities. The Lost producers have known about this since May, and kept it a secret pretty well until a couple weeks ago. It's the sad reality of tv shows, good actors leave, but the show goes on. I just hate it was Eko, he was a freakin awesome character.

With that said, onto the show itself.

I'll start with the bad.

As far as acting goes, this was one of the worst acted episodes in Lost's short history(outside of Eko's performance). Most of the stiffness coming from the new characters Nikki and Paulo. They are plain terrible, and I hope that their characters are given a little more substance when the second part of season 3 rolls around, or else there are going to be a great deal of Lost fans calling for thier heads (Some already are, me included). There is no need to throw the newbies into important story arcs quite yet, it somewhat cheapens it, and the new actors are so bad, that it makes the performances or the regulars seem a little weaker as well. Hopefully that will all change.

I'm very interested in the man that appears to be in the Flame Station , but the little tape of him seemed a bit awkward. I bet you a gold dollar that the glass eye that the tallies found belongs to our new friend Patchy.

Now onto the good stuff.

Eko's story was wrapped up nicely, with just about every loose end being tied up for him. It turned out that he was building the church to repay his brother, and he was in London to take his Yemi's place as well. I also like the way it wrapped up at the end with Eko revealing to Yemi that he wants no forgiveness for the things he has done. "I did the best with the life that I was given". That scene was a very well written bookend to Eko's tale, no matter how much I hated to see his character go.

I'm also liking the Ben/Juliet/Jack dynamic, very much so in fact. There is already a lot of palpable tension between those three characters, and it's only five episodes in. I'm still not convinced Juliet is telling the truth about Ben, mainly based on the fact that she seemed ready and willing to kill Kate. It's so hard to tell with the "Others". If I learned anything from this season so far, it's definatley that the Others are good con men, and they shouldn't be trusted. The way she delivered her message may seem cheesy to some, but I found it relatively ingenious on Juliet's part. With Ben watching Jack's every move, it was one of the only ways to communicate with him. It will be interesting to see how Jack reacts considering he's been applying the reverse psychology pretty thick.

Overall I thought this was a good, but very far from great episode. If it hadn't been for Eko's speech at the end, and some good scenes between Ben/Jack/Juliet, then this might have been one of my least favorite episodes of Lost. However, those few good points rescued it from that fate and made it a sufficient set up for next weeks mini-season finale.

7/10

Next weeks episode is Kate-centric and is titled "I do". Should be cliff-hangerriffic. Until then.....

Vote....but for the love of God, do it responsibly.

2006-10-27T19:42:00.000-04:00

I have always beleived that an uninformed voter is just as dangerous as a drunk person wielding an axe. They both do a lot of damage and don't really understand the who, what, when, where or why behind it all. In less than two weeks there is a very important mid-term election coming up that will have a very large impact on our lives whether you know it or not. America has a choice to keep the balance of power in place as it is, or completely change things up and attempt to send this country in a new direction.

If you don't know anything about politics and are over the age of 18, then get with it. There are so many things wrong with this country that need fixing, and we are beyond the point of being able to sit idly by and let politics as usual take it's course.

If you don't know who to vote for, there is this nifty tool called Google, just type in the candidates name and your off. It's important to vote, but it's more important to know who and why you are voting for someone.

So vote people, this country is more important than American Idol, no matter what the numbers tell you.

If your voting in favor of this guy however, then I give you permission to stay home.

Lost: Every man for Himself

2006-10-27T18:39:00.000-04:00

Sawyer episodes never fail to disappoint, and "Every man for himself" was no different.
This episode put even more meat on an already solid character, while at the same time kicking the door open a little further on the motives of the Others.

The flashback this week probably had the least amount of screen time as any other flashback in Lost history, but it still made it's point. That point is that Sawyer is indeed a genius, a genius with a baby on top of that. The door is without a doubt left open for the baby to be a con in itself, but for the time being, James has himself a daughter. The island contrast of Sawyer's flashback, was him being conned by Ben. From the moment Ben shook that rabbit to death I believed that they had placed a pacemaker in Sawyer, but after seeing the botched surgery on Coleen because of the Others lack of medical equipment I began to have my doubts about their ability to perform such a quick surgery on Sawyer. Especially considering the guy didn't even know where to give him the shot. Ben was still right though, the Others are the best con men on the island, they have shown that so far in many different ways.

A lot of new information came out of this eppy as well. The big one being that there is another island, granted a tiny one. I'm still not sure whether or not that that is the island where Kate,Sawyer and Jack are being held, but considering they didn't take Sawyer on a boat ride, and the Others snuck up on Sun from the sea, I'm guessing baby island is the home of the Hydra Station. There was also something mentioned in a side conversation between Zeke and Ben about the Others having a submarine. Besides the few beatdowns that Sawyer was given, it looked to me like the Others are trying to simply establish some trust with the Losties, for what reasons I still don't know. They could be good, but all signs are still pointing to sinister. We also got to meet a little more of Paulo, the guy who's been on the island the whole time but we are just now seeing (they could have handled his introduction a lot better), it seems that they are trying to make him kind of a jerk, or make Desmond look nice. I just hope a better job is done of developing Paulo and Nikki, either that or each one of them . Speaking of Desmond, he showed off some more of his psychic abilities by preventing Claire and Charlie from being struck by lighting.

Another good episode, a lot more focused than last weeks, and it recaptured the dark new tone of Season Three.

8.5/10

Next weeks episode is called "The Cost of Living" and it's an Eko episode. Something very, very big is supposed to happen next week so don't miss it. (I know what it is and it makes me a little sad to be quite honest). Until then.

The Departed

2006-10-20T22:04:00.000-04:00

I know that I'm not the utmost expert on Martin Scorcesee. I haven't seen the Aviator, I didn't see Gangs of New York, and I just thought that Goodfellas was "just o.k.". Hey, I loved Raging Bull though. The Departed however is cinema gold, and hands down the best movie I have seen so far this year.

The Departed is dripping with talent. Nicholson, Damon, DiCaprio, Alec Baldwin, Martin Sheen, and Mark Whalberg. Every single one of these guys delivers a performance that could give them an oscar nomination, and they do it in the confines of a story that is geniuosly crafted ans well executed.

I really don't want to give away to much of the plot, but it centers around the characters played by DiCaprio, Nicholson, and Damon. DiCaprio plays a police cadet dropout who agrees to go undercover for the FBI to infiltrate Jack Nicholson's tightly woven organized crime ring in Boston. Matt Damon plays a hard working cadet who rises up in the department quickly, the catch is he actually working for Nicholson as his inside man for the mob. Most of the movie is about DiCaprio and Damon trying to figure out who the other is. It's suspenseful to say the least. That's all I'm really going to say about the plot because it's the twists and turns in this movie that make it so compelling, and the last 10 minutes are mind blowing.

The 90's had Goodfellas, The Usual Suspects, and Pulp Fiction, The 80's had Scarface and Carlito's Way, The 70's had the Godfather. Now I feel that this decade has it's first classic crime drama, The Departed. Go see it.

9.5/10

Lost: Further Instructions

2006-10-20T21:00:00.000-04:00

Locke is back, officially. A lot of people (not me) complained about the turn that Locke made in Season 2, he was less adventurous and questioned his destiny, a.k.a he became a normal guy. Well all of that is out the window, as Locke returned to his "Man of Faith" status in this episode.

Further instructions began with Locke lying on his back ala Jack in the Pilot episode. When he woke up he couldn't speak and was almost immediately hit with Eko's stick as it fell from a tree. From that moment on Locke was on a mission, and that was to re-connect with the island. With Charlie's help, Locke built a "sweat lodge" out of his old tent and drugged himself just like he did Boone in season one as a way for him to find himself. Once the drug kicked in, it was none other than Boone himself who appeared to John.

Boone took Locke on a journey/dream sequence through the airport. I must say this is one of the best shot scenes ever in Lost, lots of neat camera tricks, and trippy visuals. The cinematographer did an excellent job of placing the viewer right there in the dream with Locke. Boone's descriptions of the castaways were also very intriguing. For instance when describing Jack, Sawyer, and Kate, Boone said "There's nothing you can do for them now, not yet anyways". Which is major foreshadowing into the direction Locke will take throughout this season. At the end of the sequence Boone told Locke that he needed to clean up his mess, which begins with Locke needing to go save Eko from the polar bear, that apparently had drug Eko off after the implosion of the hatch. We Locke came out of his "sweat lodge", he was a new man.

The rescue scene itself was pretty good, some of the things inside the polar bear cave where interesting, like the bones draped with the Dharma logo. Charlie coming along was interesting, especially considering he basically hates Locke. Maybe that is going to change too. I also liked how Hurley was reintroduced and that he briefed Locke, Charlie and Desmond right away about what happenend. Desmond foreseeing Locke's speech is really interesting and makes me wonder what happened in the hour that Locke, Eko and Desmond where missing. Locke taking charge of the camp was also good to see. He's no longer in Jack's shadow.

There were something about this episode I wasn't to crazy about. The main thing being Locke's flashback. At first I really liked Hippy convent that it appeared that he was living on. It explained how Locke may have gotten a lot of his hunting and tracking skills, as well as where he got the idea for the sweat lodge at. I just felt towards the end of the episode the focus of the flashback was lost a little bit. The convent being a cover for a massive weed growing operation just didn't seem right for Locke's character, it also didn't seem like the best foil to the island tail, minus the connection between Locke being a "Hunter" and a "farmer". It wasn't the worst flashback, I just have high standards for Locke episodes. The other thing I wasn't to crazy about was the introduction of the two "new" characters, Nikki and Paulo. I know they are supposed to be some of the background characters that they haven't focused on before, but their introduction seemed a little forced. I'll reserved final judgment until I see how it all plays out.

So all in all this was an enjoyable episode. It had a lot of adventure and it brought Locke back to his old self. I feel it could have been a lot better with a little more time in the editing room and a little more fleshing out of the flashback, but even that wasn't bad enough to make this a bad episode, especially since the Boone dream sequence was insane.

8/10

Next weeks episode is called "Every man for himself", and it's a Sawyer centric episode. Lookes like a goodie. Until then......

Lost: The Glass Ballerina

2006-10-12T21:40:00.000-04:00

This was a classic episode of Lost on many different levels. It shed new light on Sun and Jin, advanced Kate and Sawyer's relationship, and more importantly established the island firmly in reality.

In "The Glass Ballerina" the flashbacks centered around Sun and Jin, almost immediately letting us know that Sun did in fact cheat on her husband. Sun's father discovers his daughter and her lover Jae. Her father's honor is so hurt by his daughters affair that he orders Jin to kill Jae, only Jin doesn't know why.

This episode establishes Sun's darker side. From the very begging when she lies to her father to later on in life when she continuously lies to her husband, it's clear that Sun is not naive. Sun's ability to plan the trap with Sayid and keep Jin out of the loop proved that even further. Add in the fact that she gunned downed the Other, "Colleen", when she was cornered by her in the boat. Who knows what Sun is capable of now, and what are the consequences of her shooting Coleen.

Jin also showed more depth through this episode as well. Him sparring Jae's life showed that he was is an honorable guy, and the also proved his intelligence by his ability to understand English.

I still have my doubts that Jae jumped from the balcony, I still think he was murdered, but by who? Sun maybe? I doubt it. This story is still far from over.

The situation with Sawyer and Kate's treatment by the Other's is also very interesting. Why are they making them work? What are they digging for? and who are the other people that are being forced to work along side them. The scene when Sawyer kisses Kate in order to size up Pickett and his friends was clever, as was the conversation Kate and Sawyer had in the cages. The most shocking thing about all of that wasn't the Kate/Sawyer kiss, but the fact that Ben was listening the entire time. Which makes me wonder a number of things. The first one being that if the Others are monitor audio, then they were probably listening the entire time the Losties were in the hatch. It also makes me wonder why the Others are trying so hard to push Kate and Sawyer together. I'm guessing we'll find out sooner rather than later.

The scene between Jack and Ben might be one of the best ever on this show, and I don't feel like that's an overstatement. In that scene Ben formerly introduces himself as "Benjamin Linus" and tells Jack that he had "lived on this island his entire life". Ben goes on to explain to Jack that if he co-operates he can get him back home, and that even though they seem trapped on that island they do have contact with the outside world. Ben tells Jack that their plane crashed on September 22, 2004, and tells them that they have been on the island for 69 days and since then America re-elected Bush, Christopher Reeves died, and the Red Sox won the World Series. Jack not believing the Red Sox comment was hilarious, but when Ben turned on the TV monitor and shows Jack the footage Lost as a show went up a few more notches in the "one of my favorite things ever board". The look on Jack's face was priceless, it was Jack's first glimpse of hope since the show began.

I love the methodical way that the writers are letting the show draw out this season. The tone from last week was picked up on and added to. Lost has started with a bang this season. I hope they keep up this pace. A show like this is hard to write for, and Damon Lindleloff and Carlton Cuse have made it an art.

Next weeks episode is called "Further Instructions" and is centered around Locke. Word on the street is that we might find out why Mr. Locke ended up in a wheelchair. I'm excited. Until then...

10/10.

Lost: Tale of Two Cities

2006-10-12T20:25:00.000-04:00

After a few months of waiting Lost is back, and it's safe to say that I was a little bit excited about it. The Season 2 finale was out of control and left us (the viewing audience) with a lot of questions to start the season with. What happened to Jake, Kate and Sawyer? What happened to Locke, Eko and Desmond? How hot will the new cast members be? Who are the Others?

Did any of these questions get answered in the first 42 minutes of the season? Yes, yes they did.

The most mind blowing part of this epidsode was the first five minutes. The amount of insight we were given on the others staggering. They live in a suburban community on the island. They have been there for quite sometime. They are either the remnants, or descendants of the Dharma Initiative. They had a plan in place for the plane crash, yet they still seemed surprised by it. So with all of the answers there is still a great deal of questions, and that was just in the first five minutes.

I really like how this entire eppy centered around Jack, Kate, and Sawyer's captivity. It became clear that everything the others do is very caculated. There is a reason behind every little thing that they do to the three losties. There is a reason they are trying to breakdown Jack, there is a reason they are buttering up Kate, and there is a reason why Sawyer is getting the crap kicked out of him. What are the reasons? I don't know yet, but the quest for the answers will keep me intruiged all season as the backstory of the Others is revealed.

The flashbacks centered around Jack and gave a whole new perspective on his character. Jack doesn't seem invincible anymore, he is more of an emotional wreck than was let on in the first two seasons. This is a good move story wise because I think that Jack's character was losing some of his appeal, and this new internal conflict breathes new life into his character. The stuff with Sawyer in the cage was funny, but the more interesting thing to me was the boy that was locked up across from him. I'm guessing he was a plant by the Other's themselves. How else would he have gotten on the Island? It definately seems like the Others are trying to set Kate and Sawyer up for the same thing based on the fact they put them in cages right across from each other. "Ben"ry Gale seems like he is definatley the leader of the pack. His conversation with Kate was really well written and makes me wonder what is in store for her. However he still seems cold and standoffish, while the other "Others" seem a lot more laid back and open. Which brings me to one of the best parts of the episode and that was the introduction of Juliet. Her story will be interesting, and it helps that she is a good actress.

This was an awesome episode. It felt different in tone that anything from the last two seasons and I'm excited about that. It's always good to keep things fresh. Next week "Lost" should start to cover the other questions left unanswered from the season finale. Which is insane because the story developed from this first episode could carry most of the season. I say bring it on. The next one is called "The Glass Ballerina" and it's a sun-Jin episode. Should be interesting. Until then....

9.5/10

Damage Control.

2006-09-26T20:55:00.000-04:00

Today our President George W. Bush came out and "de-classified" an intelligence report that basically says what everyone should already know, and that is the Iraq is one big mess, and that due to the political and social fallout in the country, it's more of a cess pool for terrorism than it ever was. The report also states that the current condition in Iraq is only creating more enemies for the the United States, and that current Terrorist cells are adapting to the militaries methods of fighting them.

The initial report was classified by the NIE (National Intelligence Estimate), which is a collection of all 16 intelligence agencies in the United States, but leaked to the media over the weekend.

Bush's response to the article sounded like his same old song.

"The best way to protect America is to defeat these killers overseas so we do not have to face them here at home"

I'm sure you have never heard that before. Breaking News people, that's not called an answer, it's called a response. This administration has a goody bag full of them that they reach into and use in mass when they are doing damage control.

President Bush claims that the report should be released so the public can draw their own conclusions, and that media reports are only confusing Americans.

Lately the Bush Administration has had to do a great deal of damage control, and this report is only icing on the cake. Afghanistan is slipping away, Iran is growing in power and building allies that are a serious threat to America. Our troops are stretched thin in a battle that has no real strategy or end in site for them.

Let me tell you what really confuses me.

Here's a list of scandals, mistakes, and down right nasty things the Bush Administration has done since 2000, why, because I like lists:

1. Falsified Intelligence in order to go into Iraq as admitted to by Colin Powell the Secretary of Defense at the time
2. The Natalie Plame leak, which has been proven to be no accident and it originated from inside the Bush White House.
3. No direct connection between 9/11 and Saddam Hussein as stated by President Bush himself.
4. Hurricane Katrina
5. Severe cuts to education and emissions levels.
6. The Patriot Act (If you really love Freedom, then you should really hate the Patriot act)
and so on..... Oh yeah then there is Florida during the 2000 election, we all forget about that.

I have had enough of the damage control. The most appalling thing about all of these problems isn't just that they have gone un-punished, but that most of this country sits back idly by and just watches these things happen. Even scarier is that people continue to support these guys. All politicians lie, it's the sad truth, but no administration has lied so blatanly to our faces. This goes beyond partisan politics, this is real problem. Americans better pay very close attention to who they vote for come Novemeber, because if this is allowed to continue it will get worse long before it gets better.