If this movie is even half as cool as this photo I think I will be in heaven. As of now most of the cast is in place and there are some choices that I love!
First and foremost is my favorite villian in the COBRA corps.....DESTRO. Welcome Christopher Eccelston (Dr.WHO) I can't express how much I love this casting! Eccelston I think can bring the chops and the sarcastic wit to a dark character!
For a full list, and a discussion board to boot check this out.
My only problem at this point is that there is no actor...or character for that matter...listed for Shipwreck! The greatest of all comic relief characters in the G.I. Joe Universe!
Can't wait for this one to hit the Cinema....too bad the wait is over a year!!
Well, after much consideration we finally have a winner for this weeks D-Bag award. And the winner is.....
Kory McFarren, age 37, of Ness City, Kansas!!
Not sure if you have heard of Kory and his douche worthy deed (other than spelling his name with a K)? Well, I would venture to guess that not only have you heard his story...but you have probably already called him a giant D-Bag!
Seems Kory is the loving boyfriend of the woman who sat on the toilet so long that he skin actually grew AROUND THE TOILET SEAT!!
Did Kory think of getting help? NO....He just brought her food!
On top of this award, Kory has also been charged with mistreatment of a dependent adult.
Hard to believe that there was even a chance that "Girls Gone Wild" in the miles of tape they had shot would have someone as famous as Ashley Dupre on tape.
Having a hard time putting a face to the name (look below)? This post's title not enough of a hint for you? Well follow the link to the girls gone wild website...of head over to the tamer, more work safe TMZ website.
The part I find funny is that Joe Francis was offering her $1,000,000.00 to show up and just be a 'host"....until a staffer asked if anyone had checked to see if they already had her on tape!
If I was that staffer....and God I wish I was...I would be thinking that a nice Easter bonus should be instore. I would be all, "Joe...I just saved you a MILLION dollars...how about a little extra scratch in the paycheck this month?" I wouldn't be asking for much...$50,000.00 is a nice round number and the company still comes out $950,000.00 ahead!
So, while it's not as bad as Felix Pie and his Twisted Testical....Kaz Matsui's injury reads a lot worse...
The Houston Chronicle reports that Kaz Matsui underwent surgery Monday to repair an anal fissure, and he's expected to open the season on the 15-day disabled list.
Thanks to Wikipedia: An anal fissure is an unnatural crack or tear in the anus skin. As a fissure, these tiny tears may show as bright red rectal bleeding and cause severe periodic pain after defecation. The tear usually extends from the anal opening and located posteriorly in the midline. This location is probably because of the relatively unsupported nature of the anal wall in that location.
So...Pie has his testicle sewn to the inner lining of his scrotum and he is going to miss five days. But, an "anal fissure" is two weeks! Now that I look back at the Wiki entry...gotta say...I still think I would rather have Testicular Torsion...
When I used to see this face in the national news all I could think was, "what a d-bag!"
Now, all I can think is..."what a d-bag...who LOVES the whores!"
Elliott Spitzer, come on down...you are the newest winner of the illustrious "D-Bag of the Week Award"
Seriously, the business of the governor's of other states usually doesn't make a dent on my radar. Seems that Illinois' Gov. Rod Blagojevich has done enough to keep my attention at home.
But, when you throw in a federal probe and a boat load of high priced hookers...I take notice.
I think that the day this story broke, Gov. Blagojevich decided to take a nap. Since finally there was a bigger screw up in office somewhere!
On a fun side note: Since Spitzer was forced to resign, Lt. Gov. David Patterson becomes New York's first black governor....and he's legally blind! There's a feel good story for ya!
So I have finally made it through the second season of Lost! Now the only thing that is going through my head is, "do I want to stay awake for another three hours to watch another disc?"
Not a good dilema to have at 2 am!
Still so many questions!!! At this pace, and with the weekend off, I should be current by next weeks episode. I can't wait to be able to talk to people about the show! Or, at the least, visit a few websites!!
Well..next week we finally start to get new episodes of some old favorites! Plus we also get to the second season of my all time favorite FX show (that isn't: Rescue Me or The Shield)... The Riches!
Seems the Eddie Izzard/Minnie Driver series sees its triumphant retun to the airwaves next Tuesday!
So my recent post on Felix Pie and his ... um ... unfortunate injury got me thinking of other "great' sports injuries.
Now we aren't talking about your line drives off the face, or fast balls to the balls (John Kruk aside...what a strange way to find out you have testicular cancer by the way). No here we are going to focus on the strange, the odd, the downright dumb ass reasons that some Pro Athletes have missed games.
Some of my personal favorites are:
Tigers Pitcher Joel Zumaya -- missed three post season games after straining his wrist playing a little too much Guitar Hero!
Sammy Sosa -- Missed a Sunday game with the Cubs due to a sneeze (granted it was more the back spasms that the sneeze brought on!)
Jeff Kent -- "Fell off his Truck"...actually pulling a Kellen Winslow. (Stunt riding his motorcycle in a parking lot!)
Adam Eaton -- Didn't know this one until I started looking on the net...seems he got himself a one way trip to the ER after stabbing himself in the abdomen...trying to open a DVD.
Gus Frerotte -- Missed playing time with a concussion...after he laid down a massive hit...on himself. Seems he was a little excited following a TD. Frerotte decided to celebrate a Washington Redskins TD by running head first (on purpose) into a wall at the back corner of the end zone! Brilliant!
back to baseball...
Clint Barmes -- During his rookie season with the Colordo Rockies he, fell down the stairs and broke his collarbone. At first he told the club he had a sack of food in his hands...what he really had was a slab of deer meat given to him by Todd Helton. Oops!
John Smoltz -- On of the greatest pitchers of all time... and maybe not that bright a bulb. He once burned himself while ironing a shirt. Apparently Smoltz was wearing the shirt at the time
Basically it goes on in short bursts like that for a while...but that was the meat of the conversation for purposes of here!
Nash Bridges...one of my all time favorite cop drama's is back on TV.
Once it went off the air I was always shocked that it didn't get a heavy rotation of syndication or a DVD release.
I think it was the combination of the action and comedy aspects of this show that has allowed it to stick in my head.
Joe's (Cheech Marin) get rich quick schemes were priceless...including, among the many..the time he bought into part ownership of a bar he had never seen...his partner died...and he finds out that the dive bar is actually a Gay Nightclub Hotspot!
Cheech's outright comedy played well off of Don Johnson's dry wit.
After watching a few episodes the other day I suddenly wanted to bust out my copy of Tin Cup.
I could go on and on...but I won't..mostly because I need to take a break and watch another episode of Lost!
So if you remember the Don Johnson/Cheech Marin/Bright Yellow '71 Cuda action tune in EVERY DAY to WGN for two hours of Nashy goodness..
Ok, so I missed my weekly deadline for the D-Bag of the week award yesterday. It just seems that since I have started watching Lost (started Saturday and I am now halfway through season 2) not a lot else has been getting done!
So in the place of the weekly D-Bag award...I have an honorable mention...
Earlier in the week, at work, I got a news release from the Illinois State Police that was pretty funny if you ask me.
So, in order to protect the innocent, or mildly retarded in this case, no names will be used....insert your favorite dumb friend into the story for a nice personal touch.
Seems that a driver was pulled over on I-57 South Bound near Paxton, IL. He was pulled over for being clocked going 138mph in a 65mph zone. A little fast, unless there is a phantom zone on the interstate system in Illinois that has a slightly higher speed zone than ANYWHERE else.
But, the speed isn't what is the best part...in the officers notes section it stated that: "when asked what the rush was, driver ________ responded with "I am on the way to Unofficial St. Patrick's day in Champaign!"
Nothing like telling a cop the reason you were speeding was so that you could get to drinking faster!
On the other hand, could have been worse had it been: "Well, officer, I was on my way BACK from Unofficial....and I really needed to get home fast!"
I have, for years now, made fun of you! Wispered strange things about you and "your show"! I take it all back.
It seems that what started out as a vendetta to stay away from the new "it" show has led me to be about four years behind the curve. Usually, I feel I have made the right choice in situations like this in the past: All reality tv, American Idol, anything with a host who wasn't Regis Philbin, Bob Barker, or Drew Carey...for the most part I have stuck to my guns, and I was right!
But, here I have to digress and say in the immortal words of Denis Leary....oops! I fucked up! Please forgive me for my misguided ways! That being said...I am now officially scared to see any animal out of it's normal habitat. Polar Bears on a freakin' Tropical Island! Seriously what is more freaky that that I ask you? Maybe the paralyzed walking or a fat guy who, on a deserted island with little or no food, lose no weight ( P.S. I want to be Hurley! 156 Million aside).
So there you have it...I have officially become one of the Lost....rather than on of the "others"... and sadly I am not far enough into the series to know what that MEANS!!!
OK, Thanks go out to Chris for loaning me his first and third seasons! Levi for returning the second season to Chris just in time for him to loan it to me...Chris again for getting me season two in a timely fashion! And to Laryngitis, whithout which I am not sure I would have had the motivation to sit down and actually watch season one over the course of two days!
Again...I am sorry.
Yours, James
P.S. This letter brought to you by the numbers: 4 8 15 16 23 and 42 (oddly...posted at 1:08pm!!)
So, with the voice not back yet I decided to watch a ton of tv this weekend...thank you Chris for hookin' me on the Smack that is Lost!
And thank you PBS for introducing me to Tal Wilkenfeld, by way of Jeff Beck, by way of Eric Clapton's 2007 Crossroads Concert! By the way...she was 21 at the time of the concert...and girl can rip!
Right now I would have to say that I am really...REALLY hating Laryngitis! Not sure if it is the fact that I can't talk, swallow, go five minutes without coughing up a lung...or the fact that I am pretty much going to have to face the rest of the weekend in bed.
And not in the good way!
Haven't gone to the doc....but according to Healthscout.com it seems that once I hit the third day with no voice and a persistant cough/fever it is officially Laryngitis. The only real suprise to me was that I spelled Laryngitis right on the first go!
So I was introduced to yet another TV show I have never heard of before! Apparently I don't spend enough time trolling YouTube and other video sites! But, this one is, hands down, a winner!
Welcome to the world of Silent Library!
The idea behind the "game" is that six guys walk into a library (insert bad joke here) and set up the show....six cards are placed on the table one has a Skull...that is the card you want no part of!
The unlucky guy who draws that card is then subjected to a punishment that is displayed at the end of the table on a flip chart.....everything from a "slapping machine", wasabi roll, and my favorite "old man gently biting" are up for grabs.
While you are led to believe that the show takes place in a real library...lets face it...who cares!? This is funny stuff.
My only question is that since this show is like five years old why hasn't SPIKE picked this show up to pair with MXC?
Come on...like you didn't see this one coming a mile away!
The man may get another coaching job (hopefully nowhere in Illinios) but I think that should someone hire him...one contract term is that he gets an electric shock everything he looks at a telephone!
Why is it that the leadership of this great country can't find: an exit strategy to the War in Iraq; a REAL solution to the national debt; or something that resembles bi-partisanship? But, they find the time to hold meetings, send out press releases, and possibly start and investigation into the baseball steroid situation?
I get it...don't lie to Congress...but really! Don't our leaders have something better to do?
Ok...so talking toys are now officially the creepiest thing ever! I alway thought that my G.I. Joe with Kung-Fu grip was the coolest thing ever...now I am sure of it.
While the weapons never fired...atleast they never expressed a wish to kill me.
This poor kid can't say the same thing about his Talking Elmo Doll.
Kelvin Sampson...LOL---Fucking D-bag! Can't say I'm sorry to see this happen. You would think that a guy would learn.
On the bright side, now some third rate math student who is playing ball on some Junior College team in bum fuck Kentucky (said with love since my family is orginally from Kentucky!) ..or better yet...some High School player will now get to say that they are coached by FORMER DIVISION I coach, Kelvin Sampson.
The worst part of this whole thing is that according to and ESPN.com story Sampson is still going to pocket $750,000 for getting fired! Must be nice. I think I need to get me one of those! By the way...your fired, we hate you...here's a ton of cash! Anyone who takes a chance on this tool and thinks they won't get burned...Good Luck.
Not even knowing the rules I think I could run a program with fewer NCAA Violation!
Some people look to Wednesday as a day to celebrate the near completion of the week. It's a time to look back on the first part of the week and look forward to the weekend!
I too choose to celebrate Wednesday. But for a totally different reason.
This is the time of the week where I like celebrate the: Morons, Idiots, Dip Shits, Tools, general Jackass' that society has served up on, usually, a silver platter.
This weeks D-Bag of the Week Award may or may not be a group award...we will have to wait until he/they are caught.
They only thing wrong with this story is that the person hasn't been caught yet...hopefully when it happens it will be because they fell in an open grave and broke their neck....kinda like the guy who were electrocuted trying to steal copper wiring from a power station...that was...you know, generating POWER.
Saw this story on CNN.com and thought wow...now that is strange.
Seems that Jim's Gun Shop, in Baraboo, WI (slogan..."I'll Get You Loaded") is getting a little heat for thier custom paint jobs they are applying to weapons.
Now I have alway thought that there are very few things in this world that should be mutually exclusive....but this thought never crossed my mind....
HELLO KITTY and an AK-47 Assault Rifle
Having a sister who is in law enforcement has made me look long and hard at issues like this...in the past I would have said that you should be able to tell the difference between a plastic toy and an honest to god weapon.
But, looking at this picture..it id hard to tell with all the plastic dura-coat painting!
While I do support everyone's right to bear arms...who the hell needs an Assualt rifle sitting around the house? Unless you are living in the deserts....of Iraq...the answer is NO ONE.
Seems that over the last few years we have seen a lot of different "sides" of Lindsay Lohan...Let's Recap shall we?
There's the Happy Lohan...
She Love the attention....plays nice with the Photogs. Generally a pleasure to be around!
The Awards Show Lohan....
Pretty to look at and usually reserved. No Drama here!
But that's not the end of the cycle for this years LiLo....
Let's not forget two of the more public sides from the last year. They include, the convict...
and who could forget my favorite part of the last fasion season, the no panties look.
Now though we have stepped into yet another look for Lindsay...and I must say that I didn't think she could pull it off. But, if the proof is in the photos....then I think this new look is a winner.
Linsay has posed naked recreating the now famous Marilyn Monroe session called, "The Last Sitting".
The photos are classy and in my opinion a great way to get some headlines...with out having a drink, getting arrested, being in court...etc!!
So I got talking with my cousin the other day who was speaking on the greatness that is his new HD TV....and with that tv the fantastic HD channels.
One channel in particular was among his favorites...MOJO HD. It was at this point that he told me about a little show called Three Sheets.
It seems that the whole point of the show is taking the host, Zane Lamprey, and letting him get drunk in all different locations!
Sounds like a brilliant idea for a Show if I have ever heard of one! Kind of like one of the many shows on the food network where guys go around eating food all over the country/world. But, in drink form.
Now all I have to do is get an HDTV to truely enjoy this show...for now I will have to survive on youtube clips!
The Eagles had it wrong...the Tequila Sunrise ain't Nothing...Now if you want to have some fun...mix yourself up a Tequila Suicide.
Really it's just a Tequila shot with a twist....
You need Tequila, Salt, Lime.... Lick Finger apply Salt then here you go....SNORT the Salt, Drink the Tequila, squirt the Lime in your EYE. Sounds horrible doesn't it?
Well, while I didn't have it in me to do one myself this weekend...our venerable bachelor got him one... Need the poof? Here it is....
Sunday, February 17, 2008
drunk..:this.l is all!!! Not really sure if this means any thing..... But, word!
so here in sit... Most of my money has been wasted on the beverage of choice for this shin dig... Beer!! Not only ddlid we load up prior to getting into the room, but we are rocking it "high school" style.
For those of you who weren't in high school back in the late 90's you may or may not know the joy of Red Dog Beer and Icehouse. Cheap ass beer at it's finest.
The one thing that did throw me for a loop was the fact you can't buy beer and hard liquor in the same location!! Made the trip for the bottle of cognac an adventure. Got to meet the Nashville police chief.....and hear the counter worker call another dude a fucking d-bag. So that was fun.
Still all day today to plow through and an epic drive home! More to come.
Seems that amourous kids in Thailand are going to have to do their Valentine's Day "pre-celebrating" in places other than: Parks, Resturants, Malls, and Motels! I guess they will have to stick to getting hot and heavy at home!
Now I am trying to remember back to the days when a little PDA was nothing...but I can't think of a time where the cops my have had to be called in to break up the action before it went to far! Or can I .... Bed of Roses wasn't that good a movie anyway... uh...NeverMind....
"Thailand's moral guardians are taking action after an Assumption University poll showed 27 percent of 2,400 Bangkok teenagers surveyed said they might have sex on Wednesday."
For the math challenged in the group thats 648 Thai kids (out of 2,400) who said they would celebrate the day of lust....errr....love with a little good old fashioned S-E-X.
Nothing really funny here...just thought I would share the love.
This week though I am going to have to give out a honary award to: Kingsley Ulame .... His excuse for not being able to "perform" wins an award for creativity...and is just a notch away from making him the biggest D-Bag I found in the past week ("theft" actually happened back in October of last year)
To quote the great Jim Rome, "Just because you are good at something doesn't make it a sport!"
I fall back on that phrase every time I see the sports of:
Competitive Eating Cup Stacking Double Dutch (granted I would die trying this one) That one gymnastics event with the ribbons....just not sure about that one! and my favorite CURLING
Now it seems that the demand for televised curling has risen so high that NBC is thinking of adding a Curling show to it's stable of "reality" shows.
I am trying to think of a time when curling was something I actually cared about? Is there actually a time during the year when there is no Football, Baseball, Basketball, or (god forbid) Hockey? I think it is safe to say that, since I am not Canadian (or retarded) curling is nothing more than Men with Brooms.
Proof that Canadians have humor! God I miss Due South!!
Now, back on topic...NBC is thinking of bringing a reality show to the masses about a sport that very few care about (in my opinion)! Who knows maybe there are teens in the slums and ghetto's of this great nation who are thinking to themselves, "If only I had a chance to show what a kick ass Curling Guy (sorry don't know the right term) I am....that's my chance to escape all this!"
According to the linked story about said show...NBC is banking on the draw of either Jon Bon Jovi or John Mellencamp to bring in the views. We all saw how well the Bon Jovi influence worked on the AFL tv ratings.
The other great idea here is Curling in HD..nothing like watching ice melt as you throw a...what the hell is that thing supposed to be anyway, down the track? lane? end?
Oh well! Curling is a strange "sport" I guess I have just never been so cold and bored that I ever thought about trying to do/watch it!
In my pursuit of finding all thing wrong with the world I have sought out the one man (or woman) who I feel has captured the essence of what is wrong with America (or the world...who knows, I may branch out!)
This little award started last week with the guy who pretended to be Heath Ledgers Dad in an attempt to get free stuff from celebs.....and this weeks winner.......
Drum roll please!!
Kurt Havelock, of Tempe Arizona....read the story and then think to yourself, "maybe they were right not to give him a liquor license!!"
The Associated Press is reporting that former trainer, and Mitchell Report Stool Pigeon, Brian McNamee, has turned over evidence be believes will help support his claims of drug use by Roger Clemens...
It seems that for all these years the little drug dealer extrodinare has kept syringes and gauze pads he used while "reportedly" injecting The Rocket.
So I guess the real lesson to be learned here, if it's true, is that you should probably be injecting yourself with these Performance-enhancing drugs so that your dealer doesn't make a bundle, or a deal, based on the discarded medical equipment...
The death of the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi got me thinking of other "celebrities" I know...And by know I mean....when you say (BLANK) I say and? To qote the great Denis Leary, "Tito Jackson...yeah...what about him?"
Here is a short list of some of the "celebs" who are taking up valuable space in my brain:
Famous for bringing Transcendental Meditation to the West....and famously making the Beatles look a fool for a few yeares....The Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has died.
The question is if it wasn't for his association with the Beatles, would I even know the name?
okay...just testing out how easy it is to blog off of the Internet functions of my iPod touch. The answer is that while it isn't hard... It isn't easy either.
While I am on a roll here... I want to send a big congrats out to the NY Giants....and to my buddy Ryan. It WILL get better!!!
Okay, that concludes this test....had it been a real blog post there would have been something pretty to look at!!!
Next time..... Across the Universe. My favorite movie of the year....or pretty damn close to it.
So, while the Insider and Entertainment Tongiht have decided to not air the Heath Ledger "Drug Video" It has made it's way to the internet.
I wasn't sure that I wanted to watch it at first. But, I will tell you that I am glad that I did.
The whole "Hollywood Drug Party" tag is a bit misleading. There are, from what I saw, three other people in the room. Two of the guys do a line of what looks like Coke off of a table in front of Heath. There is also a girl in the room who is talking to Heath at the time.
"I used to Smoke 5 joints a day for 20 Years." seems to be the line that keeps getting played over and over in the media....to bad the full line from Heath is, "I used to smoke like 5 joints a day for 20 years...and that is a reminder that I never want to do that again." (in response to the girl asking him what a tattoo/mark on his hand is?)
As for the, "I am going to catch so much shit from my girlfriend for being here." line.... while the audio isn't top notch it seems that what he says after that is that he is going to catch shit since he isn't home with Michelle and his daughter (who was three months old at the time of the video).
To me I understand why the Hollywood community has rallied around the family to get this video to be shelved. But, on the other hand I think those actions have caused more misconceptions on what is in the video.
Also, if you ask me...it seems that the whole "party" was a set up to get Heath, then Acadamy Award Nominated, in a room with drugs so that someone could make a little money. The video is shot from outside the hotel, through a window that wasn't fully open...but was open just enough for the conversation inside to be heard by the camera.
In the end I would say it is a lot to do about nothing. The whole situation has gotten out of control.....judge for yourself by following the link at the top to view the 8min video.
What will the internet come up with next? First there was YouTube, video on demand...now I have been directed to a site that will allow you to search out pretty much any song and stream it to your computer!
The wonderful world of internet music has just gotten a little simpler.
All you have to do is input a song or artist into their handy dandy little search engine and the magic elves at SeeqPod go find the music and bring it back to your loving arms!
I was going to call this the Nancy Grace Award...named after THE most annoying person on TV... but decided that by doing so I would probably have to preclude her from winning the award from time to time....so D-Bag of the Week it is...
Hershey's is now in full damage control mode after announcing that they will no longer be producing their "Pacs" line of breath fresheners.
The main concern with the product is the fact that it resembles "nickel" bags of meth.
Now I was sceptic about how much a candy breath freshener could look like street drugs! Until I found the candy on the shelf of my local gas station.... At first glance there seems to be no problems with the packaging.
Really the only problem I saw with picking up this item is the fact that I had to shell out $2.49 for 18 "pacs"
So I tore into the outer wrapper and got to the source of the complaints.
Now I am not a "drug guy" I haven't really had a wide exposure to that type of culture. I know people who use, but they know that I don't and so the subject never really comes up when I am around....but you don't have to be a rocket scientist to see why parents and law enforcement officials are up in arms!!!
I am not the brightest bulb in the pac....but that does look a whole hell of a lot like a nickel back of funk...err...drugs.
I now understand the problems that could arise from this product being widely available...BUT....
If your main argument is that a child could ingest a bag of meth or some other drug thinking that it is one of these Icebeaker "Pacs"......there are bigger problems going on in THAT house then mistaking drugs for candy...like the fact that there are drugs around!! According to the article linked at the top of this blog... Hershey's is going to see through the product they have produced...then that's all she wrote!
The real sad thing is that this is really a good product! The cool mint is great and the Orange flavor is better than average!
So it was a very eventful weekend, movie wise, for me…I finally broke out of my shell and went to TWO count them two movies.
Not that it really counts since the first movie I took in was a second viewing of Cloverfield ….which only got better the second time around. I didn’t even really mind all the set up work. But, that’s not the movie I was really excited about seeing this weekend I was looking forward to a little Opus known as RAMBO (Rambo #4 for those scoring at home).
Going into the movie here were the areas of concern for me: 1) It was starring Sylvester Stallone 2) it was written by Sylvester Stallone 3) it was produced by Sylvester Stallone 4) it was directed by Sylvester Stallone 5) SYLVESTER STALLONE IS 61 YEARS OLD
But, I am a twenty something male who owns and loves the other three movies so it was really a given that I would show up to the theatre for this one too. Plus, it has one of my favorite actresses in the form of Julie Benz (Old school Angel Alum, and current Dexter hottie).
Stallone has said in interviews that the violence in this movie is ramped up to bring attention to the plight of people in Burma….since day in and day out these are the situation that they have to actually deal with!
As for said violence...Carrie Rickey of the Philadelphia Enquirer referred to it as “a slab of action Porn”. Not really sure what that means? Maybe it has something to do with the fact that we all love it but hate to have other people know we love it!! Or, I could be way off base.
From an acting perspective….Stallone knows his range and stays there…and for a character who really has no true emotions left…it works well. I was actually pleasantly surprised to see a senior citizen move as well as he did in his return to the role. I was also happy to see that when the final climactic battle gets underway….Rambo shows his age a little…enough said.
I also thought that Julie Benz played the damsel in distress roll well. She was the obvious moral compass of the movie. I would have loved more screen time for her. I thought that maybe she would get John Rambo to open up a little bit…could have been interesting.
But, overall I would say that if you are looking for a good action movie (and Stallone still knows action) with a ton of shooting, killing, exploding heads (thought I was watching a George Romero zombie flick there for a second!) this movie is the guilty pleasure you have been waiting for.
No motion sickness issues like with Cloverfield, no indepth emotional storyline to worry about…no distracting best acting award winners to make you think…just John Rambo, a bow and arrow, some guns and a lot of pissed off Burmese soldiers!!
I have always found it strange the way the universe seems to work. Here we are almost 24 hours after learning the news of the passing of Heath Ledger and tons of questions still abound.
In this age of digital media we get reports non-stop: He was at Mary-Kate Olsen's place, pills were "Strewn" around the apartment, CNN is reporting no illegal drugs, but other sites are hinting at drug use.... but that's not really where my question lies.
Why is it that we always seem to lose guys/girls who are, by all accounts, great people with few or no problems....
While I won't deny that both are talented....why have then not died yet? It's kinda like looking back on guys like Keith Richards.
The amount of drugs that Keith has been reported to have done over the years is mind blowing! Granted I am happy to say that Keith has found some redeeming social worth over the years. A goal that I don't see either Pete or Amy getting to accomplish.
The list is long on artists who died in their prime....Hendrix, Joplin, Belushi, Gram Parsons, Chris Farley. Looking back on it though it's not really a big surprise that drugs contributed to their demise.
Maybe what is so shocking about Heath Ledger is that he wasn't your usual Hollywood party boy....at least not in the general public's view. While Lindsay Lohan is getting busted for , possession and DUI, Nicole Richie-Paris Hilton-Kiefer Sutherland-Michelle Rodriguez-Nick Nolte-Mel Gibson and countless other celebrities are also in the DUI/drug boat....Ledger was never one who had the public persona of a "troubled" star.
In the end we have to wait to find out the FACTS of the case for Heath Ledger. If hard drugs did play a part then there will undoubtedly be those who will say, "well of course they did...he was a Movie Star!"
While he was a movie star, he was also human. This fact can't be lost. As it has been stated many times over the last 24hours, by many people, he was someones son, brother, friend....and Father.
The New York Times online, CNN News, and other outlets have confirmed that 28 year old actor Heath Ledger has been found dead in one of his Manhattan residences.
Cloverfield the new monster movie that took the weekend box office by storm (a reported $41 Million) is a fun movie...pay no attention to what my father thinks!
I hit up the movie theatre this weekend for a long overdue movie night. Not a lot out there that I wanted to see! But, low and behold, what has a 01-18-08 release date (happy birthday to me) CLOVERFIELD.
As I said a few weeks ago, for a movie with little, or no, traditional advertising....I was looking forward to this movie. Now...if you haven't seen the movie yet you may want to stop reading now.
SPOILER ALERT!!! SORT OF!!
Let me start off by saying that I truly enjoyed this movie. But!.....I know a lot of people will not agree with me. First off the camera "work" is a little hard to watch at times.
The man on the street approach is a very convincing style choice here. I think that it even works better than it did back in 1999 with The Blair Witch Project. But, like that movie Cloverfield does have a few short comings.
With the handheld home movie look you get a lot of times that the screen is unwatchable, especially if you have motion sickness issues. But, for the most part the feel of the movie is dead on.
What I really enjoyed was the point of view take this movie gives you. In the past "monster" movies were all about a battle between the unstoppable monster and the main characters....this time you get the view of the everyman just trying to get out of the monsters way...and stay alive in the process. Because of this fact we really only get a few really good look at the main monster itself. (don't want to give away too much!) This movie does a good job of showing the chaos at ground level for the average Joe!
The cast is made of up "mostly unknown" talent. But, if you have been watching a little TV over the last year or so you will recognize a few faces: Lizzy Caplan (from "The Class"), Michael Stahl-David (Black Donnellys), and Jessica Lucas (four episodes of CSI from this year) are the most recognizable faces in the cast and they all do an outstanding job.
A major distinction between Cloverfield and Blair Witch is that Cloverfield was scripted. Some of the dialogue is hokey...but when is a movie totally believable? Some of the best line in the movie come from T.J Miller (Hud, A.K.A. the Cameraman) While you really have to be paying attention to the dialogue rather than to the action....he has some killer lines.
My only true knock on the movie itself is that it spends too much time setting up the quasi-documentary feel. We get about twenty-minutes of setup footage of the going away party before the monster attack begins, and this is 20 minutes out of the total 88 minutes of the movie. I understand the overall reason for those 20 minutes...but I also don't need to get the full run down to get "emotionally attached" to the characters. The whole set up could have been done in 10 minutes and not lost it's effect.
All in all I would say that, while it won't win any awards, it is well worth seeing. If you were not all that impressed by Blair Witch...you may want to sit this one out. The same goes for those people who suffer from motion sickness...
On a final note...stick around, not a big deal..but you may want to just for fun....also, if you are going to see the movie for the first time....or a second time for that matter! Pay attention to the Coney Island Footage near the end of the movie! If you don't have the patience, or money, to go back to the movie....check this out...it's audio from the very end of the credits. If you listen to the audio in the theatre it is supposed to sound like "help us" but if you play it backwards you get....well listen to it for yourself.
While I am in a "Sports" mood I thought I would throw this gem out again.... this is the Long form, UN-EDITED, version of one of the best ad campaigns of all time...every Super Bowl I hope for a new spot from:
I wonder why it is that Condom Ads are the best out there!? Maybe they make them funny so you don't notice the fact that they are only like 98% effective. Or as Ross from Friends once said...."But, I used a condom....they have to work, their ONLY job is to work!"
So I thought about an easy weeks worth of blogs here...I am going to post a few of my favorite commercial spots of all time. I got thinking about this the other day after finding the MacGyver ad on YouTube.
First up, another MasterCard ad from a few years ago:
Reading Things JK Eats the other day got me thinking about a few food/drink items from that past that I really miss...or maybe would just like to see one more time.
JK brought up the fact that we need a revival of the Taco Bell "Bacon Cheeseburger" Burrito. I would have to concur. Especially with the recent surge of Bacon related products. Just look at a Hardee'smenu and you can get a Bacon Cheeseburger, Bacon Cheddar Fries, and most of the monster line has bacon.
First up in the Soda Category....Crystal Pepsi!! That's right...the greatest soda to ever disappear from the face of the earth is one that I would like to see get a revival!
Not really sure what it was that I loved about "the Clear Choice" but as long as I am not totally blocking out my childhood....this stuff was good!
If you don't believe me that we may have gotten rid of the cure for world hunger, the single greatest invention of the last 25 years....check out the commercial below and tell me I am wrong!
I dare you to find one fault with the below tv spot, great music, a naked baby, and the center piece, Crystal "MF" Pepsi. P.S Youtube is great!
Now that you have seen the proof on my first choice for missing soda...the silver medal goes to another favorite from about 10 years ago....Surge .
Kinda of like the Vault of the mid 90's. Again not really sure why I liked this green pure sugar drink so much, maybe it was due to the fact that the gas station I worked for while at Illinois State never sold the stuff so when it went out of date....i got to take home CASES of the stuff. Free will always cloud one's judgment! I do think that the Surge formula was recently revived for the Simpson's Duff Energy Drink, but I may be wrong!
I would come up with the bronze medal winner but I really don't want to think about this all that much...so the fact that you can't find JOLT cola everywhere gives it the edge. (preference to Grape)
Food Category:
1st place Gold Medal- Taco Bell Bacon Cheeseburger Burrito (as mentioned above)
The genius of this little food item was that on those hard days when you couldn't choose between the drive thru at McDonald'sor Taco Bell you could get the best of both worlds in one convenient location....a burrito. I won't elaborate but it was God Like in its goodness.
2nd Place Silver Medal - The KFC Chicken Little
Nothing beats a mini chicken patty sandwich. Just chicken and a dab of mayo made this little "for a limited time only" menu item stick around for YEARS. I do believe that the sandwich has now gone to college, dropped out, and returned to KFC as the Snacker!
After the time away the soft little sandwich man has grown up and gotten tough, coming back "crispy" and "spicy" depending on how you like that kind of thing.
3rd Place Bronze medal - McDLT
I think it is more the Environmentally "UN-friendly" package that I miss on this one...Remember when Styrofoam was the be all end all of food storage devices?
Keeps the cold side cold, and the hot side hot! Those were the day's it even marked which side was which...you know in case you were shocked to see that your meat was hot and your lettuce and such was cold!
I believe that the Big Mac came in a similar device for a time!...Those were the days!
Need more proof that if you keep anything long enough it will become cool again? Well one of the greatest shows of all time is making it's triumphant return to NBC . On the heels of an updated version of Bionic Woman we get another update of classic NBC fare......
This time around it is a little show about a man and his car, and if we are lucky his car's evil twin!
KNIGHT RIDER is BACK
Coming in February, from the network that brought back American Gladioators, comes the continuation of the Knight Rider Saga......
Now I really don't have high expectations for this show. Granted the previews look Totally BA. Really all I am looking for is something 100% better than the joke that was Team Knight Rider, and just barely better than Knight Rider 2000.
But really, did it get better than seeing K.I.T.T in a 57 Chevy...and giving a full body shock to James Doohan (Star Trek's Scotty) who is playing himself? Classic!
Now this is only a "Backdoor Pilot". What that means is that we are going to get a two hour movie to just get a taste of the new Knight Rider. If it does great...or if it just doesn't suck...there is a chance that later in the season we may have a new show take up space on the trusty DVR. If it bombs....well just be glad that a childhood memory is still cool enough to make it back to TV, even if it is only a two hour movie!
Next up....I want a new MacGyver series. Makes me wonder what ever happened to the long rumored Young MacGyver series that was forever in the works? Even a "update/remake" would work for me as long as you got Richard Dean Anderson involved in some aspect! But, that's a topic for another day!
Dexter, the Showtime show about the serial killer, with a heart of gold....well maybe not a heart of gold, but atleast a good solid moral system, is coming to CBS.
With the writer's strike moving into its ninth week networks are struggling to find "new" content for their viewers.
Now CBS will roll the dice and bring Dexter to the masses. Personally, I think it is an amazing show. But, I have to admit that I am a bit skeptical about how the move to network will work.
It's kind of like watching reruns of the Soprano's on A & E. Still great stories, but something is just missing.
Granted there are some sex scenes that will have to be dealt with, but they can be edited down and not really lose the character insight (in Dexter's case) of the scene. The funny part will be listening to how they re-edit some of the dialoge....especially when it comes to Deborah, Dexter's half sister. I am not saying she has a mouth on here...but Fu*K me!!
All in all, I would say that if you want the full Dexter Experience, buy the first season and subscribe to Showtime to catch up on the second season (just finished) and future seasons.
I wanted to start off with a review of Chuck Klosterman's "Killing Yourself To Live" since I just got done reading that, it was a Christmas gift (thanks Ryan). But, I decided to go a little off the beaten path for this review.
I was digging through an old box of books and found something that I hadn't thought of....let alone read, in probably close to 18 years!
The book I am speaking of is one of many in a series. Actually it is the combination of two of the greatest childhood book series of all time....if you have a guess make it now! Any idea? Well, if you guessed the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew you would be right!
Now this was no ordinay Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew crossover book. No, this was one of the greatest literary inventions ever... to steal the phrase from the originator.....this was a "Choose your own adventure" style novel. I think the phrase they used was "Be a detective" novels.
These were the books where you would read a few pages and then have the choice of: "If you want to follow Nancy Drew to the movie studio, turn to page 98"...."if you want to follow Frank and Joe to Silicone Valley, turn to page 121"..."if you think the detectives should look into the shady gardener, turn to page 22"
The great thing about these books was the fact that there were a ton of different endings to each story.
In one choice the gardener would be innocent in another he would be a "master thief".
Reading this again the other night brought be TONS of enjoyment! I really loved the whole Hardy Boys series, both the old books I got from my parents, and the "new" casefiles series! I'm kind of sad to see that this series hasn't seen a comeback of recent years.
Nancy Drew had a brief return with the Emma Roberts film of the same name. And to some respect...Veronica Mars.
Listen up Hollywood...once the writer's strike is over...I want a new Hardy Boys Series/Movie! PLEASE!!!!
Tainted toys from China....violent video games...and Spongebob?
Hard to believe that I am about to write about a Spongebob toy! But, over the weekend I got a number of questions about this toy:
I will say that the person asking had NO clue about the whole Spongebob "thing"....
So, what could be wrong with Spongbob? Other than the obvious fact that its creator was high on copious amounts of Drugs!
Well....here is the question I kept getting: "what is the joystick supposed to be?"...."It LOOKS DIRTY!"
Dirty you say?.....look closer and firmly plant you mind in the gutter.
I wish I could say that I wasn't so dirty that I didn't see the loose resemblance to a certain male organ. It's just that I have seen this toy hundreds of times before I got the questions this weekend and never once saw anything wrong.....now that's all I can see.
I can't even look at the game without a chuckle now.
Was this planned? Is is "just a jellyfish"? Or was this the weekend that every drug taker in Champaign County came out to look for toys for the kids? either way I think that Spongebob Square Pants has now been tainted for me!
The First Rule of Illegal Downloading is.....YOU DO NOT TALK ABOUT ILLEGAL DOWNLOADING!!
Well, actually everybody talks about it! I just don't think it is a good idea to talk about it when a State Trooper is standing in line behind you!!
Sometimes I forget how stupid people look when talking on hands free head sets! Then someone comes along and reminds me why I only wear/use my Bluetoothin the car.
The other day I was at a gas station at like 12:30am and the guy who was checking out was on his headset talking about the "box full of illegal DVD's" he had in his trunk. Usually this is a subject that you wouldn't want to talk about in public....and never a good idea when there is a cop standing right behind you!
Not sure if anything came out of this little exchange or not? My guess is that at that time of the morning the cop didn't want to deal with the Mountains of paperwork that would come along with a "Illegal DVD Distribution" arrest.
But, this situation reminded me of two things: 1) If you have a TON of illegal ANYTHING in your trunk....don't talk about it! 2) No matter how cool you think you look...a Bluetooth head set makes you look like a Giant Douche (that's coming from someone who, from time to time, wears his headset out in public)
I'm not really sure why this bothers me the way it does...but am I the only one who sees a problem with being able to order your groceries at the same place you can order a copy of the Bob Guccione classic Caligula?
But, if the eternal question burning in your life right now is how to obtain art house porn and a few pounds of coffee...Amazon is your new friend.
I am not really sure at what point in time the nexxus of the food and video world collided but I think that this may be one of the biblical signs of the apocalypse. Not sure if a plague of the insane was actually in the bible...but if anyone saw it coming!
I stumbled across this while reading the ads on Things JK Eats, I was shocked that if I felt the need to get a wholesale size box of Pop Tarts I could....but to make matters worse (depending on how you look at things) I could also have the order automatically re-upped every 1, 2, 3 or 6 months.
Now I like Pop Tarts as much as the next guy but, is it ever necessary to have 12 8count boxes on hand EVERY MONTH.
OK to re-up every month automatically: Grandpa's heart Meds ....ok....any Medication THAT'S ABOUT IT.... MEDICATION
Not necessary: POP TARTS GO-GERT Dwight Yoakam's Chicken Lickin's Chicken Rings Afire (check out the previously mentioned Things JK Eats if you have doubts)
Again, not sure why this bothers me...but it does!!
Now if you want to buy a grilled cheese sandwich with the face of the Virgin Mary on it....that's another food story!
Proof that the writers strike has a far reaching effect!
Kirk Herbstreit Quotes:
On Juice Williams: If you are a fan of College Basketball, Juice would be your point guard
OR: maybe if you are a fan of College Football…he would be your quarterback!!
After USC jumps out to a 14-0 lead….. : If you are an Illini fan this is not the start you were hoping for!
REALLY: I was really hoping that the Illini would start off being down more! Jackass!
On the Illini starting the second half down 21-3.... "I think the Illini have put themselves in a very DISCOMFORTABE position."
OK: Two things: 1) is DISCOMFORTABLE a real word? 2) I think the llini really think they have the upper hand down by 18 points!! again...Thanks JACKASS!!
After a 79 yard Touchdown run by the Illini..."Illinios and Mendenhall have gotten USC right back into this game, the Illini really have a chance to comeback and win now!"
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