Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

Music Talk

There are a couple of cds that I wanted to let you in on.

Relient K - 5 Score and Seven Years Ago

The Christian band continues to grow musically without losing touch of what got them to where they are; catchy up-beat tunes with hooks worthy of deep sea fishing.

Great Lines: And here I sit in retrospect understanding that I misunderstood//thought I could make up your mind//You had a decision locked up so tight that it couldn't be touched

Teddy Bears - Soft Machine

Lots of big beats and head bobbin' pop spews from this disk. Whether it's a track featuring Ebbot Lundberg (The Soundtrack Of Our Lives) or Mad Cobra you just can't help but feel inspired by the urge to get up and move. This Swedish group is going to be making noise for a while.

Best Track: Punk Rocker (Featuing Iggy Pop)

Tokyo Police Club - A Lesson in Crime

Indie newbies make good. That about sums up TPC. A cross between The Strokes, The Hives, and The Shins anyone who enjoys tempo-altering, screeching power, and powerful groove should pick up a copy of this 7 track set.

Best Track: Cheer It On

What's Worth Seeing

It's that time again. A look at the weekly movie openings for Memphis. This week looks pretty thin, but the one movie that is worth mentioning is well worth the solo slot.

300
Summary (From IMDB.COM): Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, "300" concerns the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world's first democracy.

My $.02: The trailers look amazing. Frank Miller's Sin City was awesome. The action looks promising. The story is inspiring. And the special effects and cinematography look radical and groundbreaking. So can 300 really live up the hype? The preliminary reports on Rotten Tomatoes seem to be torn. Right now the meter is hanging around 58% which is considered rotten.

My Anticipation: 7.0 (out of 10).

Movie Review

Black Snake Moan starring Samuel L. Jackson and Christina Ricci

"She got this sickness like. She gotta get the dick in her." And that pretty much sums up the plot of this wild farce from director (and Memphian) Craig Brewer. The follow up to his acclaimed Hustle and Flow is nothing if it's not full of imagination and heart.

Samuel L. Jackson plays Lazarus, a down on his luck country farmer. After his brother runs off with his wife he finds himself at the end of his emotional rope. Christina Ricci plays Rae, the town slut. But we're told to not blame her because she's got the sickness. She can't help herself.

After Rae's "meal ticket" ships off to war she hits rock bottom and finds herself underneath man after man. Drunk, drugged, and beaten, Rae is left for dead after a wild night of partying.

And this is where the story kicks in. Rae is found by Lazarus on the side of the road barely clothed and hardly breathing. Lazarus, a religious blues man, helps her into the house and begins to nurse her back to health. But his discovers her sickness and decides it's his job to cure her. So he chains her up to his old radiator and the games begin.

Sure it sounds like a pretty wild plot. And it is. However, I went into this movie thinking that it was going to pretty much be a one trick pony; Sam Jackson spouting off one liners in the same vain as his Pulp Fiction character. My theory was pleasantly disproven and what started out as a unique and unusual story turned into a damned good movie.

That's not to say there weren't a few short comings. Justin Timberlake plays Ronnie. Rae's boyfriend that ships off to war as the movie begins. I couldn't get passed the fact that it was J.T. on the big screen. I kept waiting for him to bust out in song. I couldn't get passed the high pitched voice or the unmistakable attempt to act. It wasn't until the end of the movie that I finally settled down and was able to believe that Ronnie was on the screen and not NSync. This wasn't Timberlake's fault, it's just his celebrity is much bigger than this movie ever will be.

The movie is at it's best when the blues are pumping loud and clear through the theater speakers. The soundtrack is top notch and the soulful tunes break up the movie like a careful waitress slicing up a sweet piece of pecan pie. Sam Jackson sang several of the movie's best tunes including Blind Lemon Jefferon's 1927 track Black Snake Moan.

The film's pace is deliberate and sometimes seems to give you permission to drift off in your mind. But that's not to say it is slow or boring. There are just some moments that require a little more attention than others.

Christina Ricci does a great job keeping a straight face throughout some of the more insane moments. I still think her best role ever was in Monster, but this is close. She is believeable. She is passionate. And she's pretty much naked throughout the whole thing.

While not everyone will appreciate the tongue in cheek humor or how serious this flick ultimately takes itself I can assure you that it will give you something to talk about. And isn't that really the director's most important job requirement?

Grade: B+

Highlights

My day has been pretty groovy and I wanted to share just a few of those moments with you guys.

-I finally got an office today. After 26 months of broken promises I am out of the ol' cubicle in into an office. Now those of you alreay in possession of an office I hope that you haven't taken for granted the freedom that this allows. It's a space you can clear your head when the day is too tough. It's a private place to make a quick call. It's something that says "hey you do a good job and you deserve this freedom."
Plus to be honest it's a place for me to watch cable tv, listen to cds, and play hook up my dvd player. I know, I know...I have it so hard. But I do feel like I have earned it.

-Joey Porter signed with the Dolphins today. Steeler fans will be quick to point out that Porter is old, he's got two bum knees, a big mouth, and can be a real pain in a coach's side. But, let me counter if you will. Porter will only face one man. The days of double teams are over thanks to Jason Taylor filling the other side and Zach Thomas clogging up the middle. He is still an outspoken leader, and Steeler fans can argue the fact that he is a winner and a champion.

-Randy Shannon, the new Miami Hurricanes coach is shaking things up a bit. He's added a curfew, an on-campus living policy for underclassmen, a G.P.A. standard for upper classmen who wish to live off-campus, and given a zero tolerance decree for fire arms. Any player caught with a fire arm will be dismissed from the team and will be immediately expelled from the private university. he has the full cooperation of the unviersity president. Miami is about to get its winning swagger back...with a hard nosed coach.

-I saw a great movie last night. Talk To Her. The 2002 Almodovar flick was excellent. This spanish language tale is about two men who take a very strange path to friendship. One is a nurse caring after a lady in a coma. The other is an emotional wreck who falls in love with a bull fighter. When the bull fighter is put into a coma she ends up in the same hospital as the nurse. Through a series of curious incidents and coincidences the two hit it off and become friends. As one falls into a web of legal troubles and heart break the other fights to help him recover while keeping quite a secret himself. If you like a movie with twists and turns and lots of surprises then this is a must see. Of course I know many of you will pass b/c of the subtitles. Your loss.

OUT

Come On Big Blue Let's Go!

I was thrilled to see the Tigers had climbed to number 5 in both the coaches poll and the Ap poll. If we win out in the conference tournament then we are a solid number two seed. Right? Not So Fast My Friend as Lee Corso would say. Bracketology has Memphis as a three seed. Even with the longest winning streak in the nation. Even with an undefeated conference schedule. Even with a top 10 RPI. Even with a top 5 poll spot. 3-seed? What gives?
No doubt our conference schedule isn't nearly as hard as say Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio State, or Kansas. But while these schools are playing Butthole State to warm up for the conference, the Tigers are grinding it out with Arizona, Tennessee, and Gonzaga. The RPI proves that our competition isn't that much worse than these schools.
Granted we have struggled over the last week and a half. SMU gave us a run for the money. BUT, we won. And that's what matters, right? No matter who you are, when you play a team for the second time, there is a chance that they are going to be better. They've looked at your game plan and studied it and know what to expect. Not to mention UTEP has a former Memphis coach leading them.
So, that being said. It looks like we are about the be screwed this coming Sunday. The difference between a 2 seed and a 3 seed is gigantic. It's the difference between playing a North Carolina in the sweet sixteen versus playing them in the Elite 8. That's a pretty big difference. At least as far as I am concerned.
The only thing that make me more comfortable is that I know John Calipari will never let it go if we get bent over like we are about to be.

OUT

Happiness or Meaning

This is not a post about Heroes...this is a post about life. Keep reading, trust me!!!

I was watching Heroes last night. I wasn't a gigantic fan of the show until about three weeks ago. Before the season started I knew for sure that this show would land in my top 5. I am a big fan of super powers, heroes, and especially villains, but after the first three "chapters" I just wasn't getting into it. Because so many fans online continued to rave about it and because several of my spoiler sites swore that the best was yet to come I stuck with it.
Well I am glad that I did. The pay off came last week when H.R.G. got his very own special feature episode. It let me know that the creators do have a plan and that everything we've seen up until now has a reason. (Beyond season one, who knows, but at least the first season has a destination).
THE REAL STUFF
Anyway, I'm not here to discuss the actual show with you. I just wanted to give my two cents before I moved on to the real topic. Last night Nathan met up with the guy who is presumably behind most of what is going on. Linderman. While this Linderman is a real creep he had some insight on life that I think is incredibly accurate and amazingly real.

He said that life can only have two paths. You can either strive to live a life of happiness or you can strive to live a life of meaning, but you cannot have both. At first I disregarded the comment as a bunch of Heroes hooey. But then he elaborated and I really got what he was saying.
A life of happiness is a wonderful thing. You are contented. However, you live in he here and now. You can't look back into the past and you can't realistically anticipate the future. If you do either of those then you are not trully allowing yourself to be happy.
A life of meaning is alos a great thing. However, on this path you are not happy because in order to create some type of meaning and purpose you have to live in the past and see the realities of the future. You must understand pain and suffering and you must learn to change that so that the future is not so grim. So, a life of meaning and a life of happyness really can't co-exist.
I just thought that it was a neat insight and one that I completely believe. And I don't really look at it is as a negative outlook on life. Being a bit of a realist I think that it helps explain why so many people are unhappy. I think most folks attempt to take the path of happiness, but refuse to get out of the past or fail to quit looking at the future and they never can quite find that proper middle ground in the here and now.

Ok, just my two cents. Thought I'd throw it out there.

OUT

It Just Gets Worse

When I saw this video on local news I knew I had to find out more about it. You can never trust ANYTHING you see on local news. They have a way of spinning things to try to win ratings. So I jumped online and did a search.

WATAUGA, Texas (CNN) -- Police in suburban Fort Worth, Texas, said a videotape found in a search for stolen goods appears to show two teenagers persuading a 2-year-old boy and his 5-year-old brother to smoke marijuana.
Third-degree felony charges have been filed against the teenagers.


Well that about sums it up, right. This world has officially gone to hell. I just can't grasp the idea that two teenagers, (17 NOT 13), would do something like this. Seriously. But you know who should be blamed the most. The mother. She was in the back bedroom while all of this was going on. It's not like she didn't know that these teens were thugs. I'm sure she knew they were smoking pot. It's not the easiest smell to hide. To leave her children alone with them...she should be charged with criminal negligence.

2007 Tennis Tournament

(From Top To Bottom)
Andy Murray
Andy Roddick
Venus Williams
Tommy Haas
Lil Cree

Movie Review

ZODIAC starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.

As many of you know, David Fincher is one of my favorite directors. Se7en was bloody good, Fight Club was nearly as brilliant as the book, The Game was full of twists and turns, and Panic Room was a ton of fun (who the fuck is Raul). My anticipation level was pretty high on this one for me because it has just been too long since he made a movie.

When I watch a movie I am always aware of three things. The first is the acting. A movie is only as good as its cast. Bad acting will take away from the entire plot of the film. But acting can only be great with great directing. And therefore the second thing I look for in a movie is the directing skills. But a director, in my opinion, can only make a great movie with a great script. Some might disagree, but I think the key to all perfect movies is the script.

That being said, let's begin with the actors and acting. All were in top form here. Mark Ruffalo (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, You Can Count On Me) is always great in everything that he does. This is no different. He plays an inspector tasked with finding the Zodiac killer. Jake Gyllenhaal (Donnie Darko, Brokeback Mountain) was sufficient as the main character, Robert Graysmith. Him playing a father was a bit hard to buy since he has always played younger characters. But his charm was used to the max when dealing with his kids or working around a zany, masterful Robert Downey Jr.

Downey Jr. played Paul Avery, a writer for the San Francisco, is the lead crime reporter on the Zodiac case. Avery is on a bit of a downward spiral in the movie kind of hitting close to home for the actor.

So, acting aside, let's look at the directing. Honestly, nothing special here to report. There weren't a whole lot of special effects, there were limited unique camera angles or points of view, and everything played very straight. Where Fincher does shine here is in bringing the late 60's and the early 70's era to life without it being a distraction. Several similar movies of late, Hollywoodland and The Black Dhalia, to name names, were very annoying to watch because of how hard the directors were trying to get you to notice their sets and costumes. Zodiac passes with flying clors where those movies failed.

That just leaves the script. The movie is based on several books written by Robert Graysmith. I didn't much care for his first book. It was very dry and read almost like a newspaper reporter's notes. Luckily, the movie's dialogue is pretty quick and it doesn't spend a lot of time catching you up. Once a character is mentioned or shown on screen you had better rememeber his or her name or you will find yourself lost.

Zodiac is a bit long, however they could have made a six hour movie and still not covered everything that should be noted about this serial killer. The length didn't bother me, but I heard several other moviegoers comment on it as we were leaving.

The movie covers nearly 25 years of history. When any amount of time passes in the film it is noted at the bottom of the screen. By the 4th or 5th flash of elapsed time I had already lost track of when we were in the story. Ultimately that became annoying and I just stopped paying attention unless the passed time was longer than a year.

What was surprising to me about Zodiac was the lack of a creep factor. I only tensed up in one scene and even that wasn't super chilling. The movie really does play out more like a video history than like that of an old fashioned detective story. It's dry in some places, but not once does the information stop coming. You are always learning something new.

The first half is especially bad about touching on a point with no elaboration. It isn't until the last quarter of the film that movie really hits its stride. That's when Graysmith, all the county sheriffs, and the inspectors all begin to close in on a few prime suspects.

Zodiac manages to be entertaining and informative. It manages to be a document of brutality. It manages to showcase police limitations and a lack of resources. It manages to show how easily someone can get away with murder.

If you've ever found yourself at home on some night watching Forensic Files or some other Court TV special or if you are extremely fond of 48 Hours Mystery then this is 2 hours and 40 minutes made just for you.

GRADE: B-

LOST

For those you that watch Lost, let's chat about last nights episode. By far the funniest episode of the season. You can always count on Hurley to bring the funny. His episodes are always heart warming and make me feel good about the show. With all of the doom and gloom, torture and terror, this was a very welcome break.
Sawyer dropped off quite a few lines from little house to skeletor. I think my favorite Sawyer moment was him teaching Jinbo the three most important English lines when it comes to dealing with women.
But the best line of the night went to Hurley when he called Sawyer Red Neck Man. His delivery was perfect.

So, the episode was short on mythology and didn't much move the story forward. And the suspenseful ending didn't really have me on the edge of my seat. We all knew Alex was the french woman's daughter. Kate telling her didn't really get my blood pumping. But it was a great stopping point and will really help kick it back into full gear next week.

I heard something on eonline today. You might want to stop reading now if you dont like spoilers. Last chance... SPOILER ENDS WHEN RED ENDS...Life and Style magazine is reporting that dm has been told that he will not be back next season. Now I don't know if this is true. Kristen is hard at work trying to find out if this is the case or not. But my assumption would be that this is true and that Charlie is going to kick the bucket pretty soon. I will be sad to see him go, but he really doesn't add a lot to the show. He is just another sad character that I feel sorry for. There are more than enough of them to go around.
I also hear that a new female character will be added by the end of the year and that she is not an other, not in a flashback, and was not on flight 815. Oh no, its an other other. Hmmmm.

All around good times last night. Next week is supposed to be excellent as Sayid returns to center stage. Coming up after that we have a Claire episode, a Locke episode, and a Nikki-Paulo episode. March looks to be a great month on Lost.

OUT!

STUPID PEOPLE

I was reading an article on AOL this morning about stupid lawsuits. I had to share a few of these with you!!!

Two Michigan men set a small fire in their store to collect insurance money on the goods. The fire spread to the next building, which they also owned. After confessing to the crime, the men sued for a claim on the building they accidentally torched.

Frivolous lawsuits aren't just an American epidemic. A woman in Israel sued a local weatherman and TV station after his predicted sunny forecast turned to unexpected rain, which she claims gave her the flu because she was ill-prepared for it.


In Michigan state Case No. 9650302, a prisoner blamed his flatuence on the food he was served in the state penitentiary. The Michigan State Attorney's office reports that lawsuits by inmates are on the rise -- and paid for by taxpayers.

A bank robber knocked off a California Savings and Loan. He shoved the stolen money roll, which contained a hidden Security Pac, in his front pocket. The device leaked red dye and tear gas giving the robber 2nd and 3rd degree burns, for which he sued the bank and the device manufacturer.

A Maine woman was hit in the face with her own golf ball after it struck railroad tracks on the first fairway of Fort Kent Golf Club and bounced back. She sued the golf club for damages.


One surfer sued another for stealing his wave. The court was able to establish guilt but dismissed the case because it could not agree on a monetary award for the pain and suffering endured having to watch another ride your wave.

A New York woman sued the company that makes 'The Clapper,' saying she had to clap so hard to turn her appliances on and off that she hurt her hands and was unable to peel potatoes.

Just had to share!

OUT

Looking Back Then Looing Forward

For three days I had been looking forward to playing tennis, but when the time came it didn't live up to my expectations. See I had been planning on playing with Jason after work yesterday. When I told Paymon about it he asked if he could play. I told him of course he could. My goal over the next four weeks is to hang out with Paymon as much as possible. With him being gone at the end of March I want to get in as much hang-out time as I can.
Well when we got out on the court my game was just not there. I was hitting the ball long, my serve was erratic, and I had no rhythm. When we play with three people, two players play for a game and the odd man sits out. The winner of the game stays on and the loser rotates out.
Well I pretty much hate playing that way. It doesn't allow you to work on your game, you barely get any exercise, and it keeps your rhythm off for the whole night. I have no desire to go out and try to play tennis if I'm not getting better or at least not getting some exercise. So my night was pretty much ruined.
I finally got frustrated and let Jason and Paymon play while I sat out and watched. But now that I look back on it I think a couple other issues were at play. First of all my back was hurting pretty badly. The last two times I played tennis my back didn't really bother me. This time it got to me fast and hit me hard. I think I was partially getting mad because of the pain and frustration of continuing to have to deal with back pain. The other reason I was frustrated is that I realized how much I need to start working on my diet and exercise. In coming posts I will write more about that.

Ok, now that I have that off my chest it's time to look forward. I will be thirty years old in 19 months. How fucking scarry is that? I know that it isn't the end of my life or anything. Most people have their best years between 30 and 40. Thats when a lot of people get married, a lot of people have kids, and a lot of people settle down. These are all great things. These are all thingss that I am looking forward to. But there are other things that I want to accomplish as well. And here are a few of those things that I want to do before I am 30:

1. I want to learn to play an instrument. I know I can't learn to be good on an instrument in just a year and a half, but I can get the basics. I have never even taken the initiative to try.

2. I want to take tennis lessons. At least one. But more likely a series of lessons.

3. I want to write a book. I know, everyone wants to write a book. I really want to write a book. And I know that I can do it in 19 months if I just set my mind to it and go for it.

I think that these are all things that I can accomplish. Any encouragement, help, or opportunity that you can provide me will be greatly appreciated.


here are some song lyrics that really sum up how I'm feelin'!

failure by design
by Brand New

This is a lesson in procrastination.
I kill myself because I'm so frustrated.
Every single second that I put it off
Means another lonely night I got to race the clock.
(I ignore it and it ignores me too.)
What say we go and crash your car?
And every time I leave you go and lock the door.
So I walk myself picking at a chip on my shoulder.
I'm another day late and one year older.
It's failure by design.

OUT

What's Worth Seeing?

I'm going to try to post a little section here every Wednesday after the Malco movie listings are made. I will use this little blurb to give my two cents about what's worth seeing at the cinemaplex this weekend.

Two items blip on my radar on this first weekend of March:

BLACK SNAKE MOAN:
Craig Brewer returns to the dirrty south for his much anticipated follow-up to Hustle and Flow. This time his cast is a lot better, his budget a lot bigger, and the pressure a lot heavier.
Plot: (FROM IMDB.COM) A God-fearing bluesman (Samuel L. Jackson) takes to a wild young woman (Christina Ricci) who, as a victim of childhood sexual abuse, looks everywhere for love, never quite finding it.
The movie also features Justin Timberlake.
My $.02: I think that this film has the potential to be great. Sam Jackson seems to be right back into fine form after a short detour with Snakes on a Plane, Freedom Land, and The Man. It looks like a lot of fun.
Anticipation level for this film: 7.5 (out of 10)

ZODIAC:
David Fincher. That should be enough to make your mouth water and your hand to rezach into your pockets and pull out 10 bucks to see this film. For you haters out there, Fincher is the man responsible for Se7en, Panic Room, and Fight Club. Here he takes on another serial killer; The Zodiac.
Plot: (FROM IMDB.COM) Based on the Robert Graysmith books about the real life notorious Zodiac, a serial killer who terrorized San Francisco with a string of seemingly random murders during the 1960s and 1970s.
Starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Mark Ruffalo, and Robert Downey Jr.
My $.02: This movie should have all the right stuff to be a classic. A great director. A great leading actor. And a scary plot full of suspence and intrigue. Will it live up to it? Only time will tell, but my guess is yes!

Anticipation level for this film: 8 (out of 10)

Movie Review

THE NUMBER 23 starring Jim Carrey

I checked out the movie "The Number 23" last night. After seeing that it was damned by critics across the globe, scoring a powerful 09% on rottentomatoes.com, I was sure that I was in for 95 minutes of pure suckage.

The truth is the movie didn't have a lot going for it. A February release nearly always means that it is a dump film. Some poor studio getting rid of its trash just before the summer season heats up. Plus Joel Schumacher behind the camera is never a sure thing. I have three words to prove my point. BATMAN AND ROBIN. Aside from that the 68 year old director is also responsible for 8 MM which I thought was a horribly pointless flick.

But, Mr. Schumacher and I do have a history. See, he directed The Lost Boys, one of my all time favorites. He also directed Flatliners, The Client, and A Time To Kill. So he has earned a few "passes" in my book. But nevertheless, him being the director was another reason for pause before heading off to see it.

The last cause of concern of course was Jim Carrey playing it straight. Now I am one of the folks in the camp of belief that Carrey should continue to stretch out and play a few more serious roles. Beyond Ace Venutra, Liar Liar, and Me Myself and Irene I have no use for the man's comedy. I know I am in the minority but The Cable Guy, Mask, and Dumb and Dumber were all a big waste of my time. (I hear frat boys groaning at me from all across the globe right now). The Truman Show was brilliant and I can't say enough about him as Andy in Man On The Moon. So I'm cool with Carrey giving the scary a try, even if I had my doubts about it.

So let's get into the movie. Carrey plays William Paul Sparrow, an everyday dog catcher with a sweet wife and a good son. His life is normal and boring until one day a series of unfortunate events lands a strange self-published book called The Number 23 in his hands.

As he reads through the book he discovers a string of erie events that seem to all revolve around the number. He delves deeper and deeper into the book until he becomes obsessed by the relevance of the number.

His wife, played by the always excellent Virginia Madsen, trys to get him back on track. When she can't do it she enlists the help of their son and then a family friend. As Carrey's character unravels we see a deeper mystery unfold between flashes of the novel and real life. Some of the book sequences are well done, but its noir tone and dialogue seemed to be a bit out of Carrey's league. In these breakaway scenes Carrey plays the book's main character Fingerling and Madsen plays his lover Fabrizia.

Honestly the movie had a good pace to it until the end. My interest was kept and my mind didn't seem to wander too much. Minus a few too many scenes with a strange dog I was right there in the mix.

The end managed to tie everything up into a nice little bow, which I appreciated. As an avid reader I hate when a mystery is left too open ended. What I didn't care for was how long it took to explain the mystery away. I think Schumacher assumed his audience was too dumb to draw a few conclusions on their own and he ended up over-explaining everything.

I know that I am and will continue to be in the minority when it comes to this movie, but I liked it. I didn't love it. I won't buy it. I won't put the poster up in my media room. I won't go shouting from the rooftops for you to see it. But I will tell you that I enjoyed it. And for a run of the mill February Tuesday it was a nice retreat from reality.

GRADE: C+

Exciting Drug Information

In Pharmacology, all drugs have two names, a trade name and generic name. For example, the trade name of Tylenol also has a generic name of Acetaminophen. Aleve is also called Naproxen. Amoxil is also called Amoxicillin and Advil is also called Ibuprofen.

The FDA has been looking for a generic name for Viagra. After careful consideration by a team of government experts, it recently announced that it has settled on the generic name of Mycoxafloppin. Also considered were Mycoxafailin, Mydixadrupin, Mydixarizin, Dixafix, and of course, Ibepokin.

Pfizer Corp. announced today that Viagra will soon be available in liquid form and will be marketed by Pepsi Cola as a power beverage suitable for use as a mixer. It will now be possible for a man to literally pour himself a stiff one. Obviously we can no longer call this a soft drink, and it gives new meaning to the names of "cocktails", "highballs" and just a good old-fashioned "stiff drink". Pepsi will market the new concoction by the name of: MOUNT & DO.

Tattoos

So I am thinking about getting a third tattoo. Can't quite decide what I want. I've thought about a dragon on my left shoulder that would also stretch out onto my chest and should blade. Major, huge, big, ginormous. I've also thought about a smaller more tribal dragon.

Maybe not a dragon at all. Maybe an iron cross...or is that too cliched? Do you guys have any suggestions or ideas? I want something that has some meaning. I also thought about sticking with the phoenix rising from the ashes theme and am considering maybe a half sleeve based on that entire concept. Maybe some flames, some ash, and of course a Phoenix rising up towards the sun.

Here is a pic of a tribal dragon that I was looking at. Let's hear your thoughts, please.

I Suck I Know

I am the worst blogger ever. Just when i think that I am about to get back into the groove its like BAM, something happens and I stop blogging. I actually almost forgot my username and password to my blogger account.
Personally I think everyone should have a blog. I mean it is such an easy way for everyone to keep up with one another. I can tell everyone I know my opinion on something at once. And I can read everyone else's opinion on that or similar topics. But that's asking too much. I still can't get all of my friends to sign-up for stupid ol' myspace.

Anyway, I watched the movie "Man of the Year" last night. It has Robin Williams and Laura Linney in it. It wasn't extremely funny or anything, but it made some excellent points about politics, big business, lobbyist, and oil. It dogged political campaigns, ad revenue and spending, and behind-the-scenes favors. And then it capped it all off by proving that no matter what, all serious contenders for political office are basically the same people. Cookie cutter representatives.

This cookie-cutter issue is none more apparent than the coming Presidential race. The biggest "what's the difference" issue is in the democratic party. Hillary Clinton vs Barack Obama. A woman versus a black man. Hmmmm....couldn't be more different, right? Wrong they couldn't be more alike. Thy have voted the same or nearly the same on every single issue they have faced in the senate. The biggest difference: Clinton supported going to war, but now supports a gradual pull-out of the troops in Iraq. While Obama never supported the war, he too supports a gradual pull-out of the troops in Iraq. Other issues are identical as well, but the main issue at stake is the war. No other topic will hold as much weight this time around as what to do with our involvement in Iraq.

This war-heavy election could easily be won by democrats if they would cease the in-fighting. People seem to be tired of a winless war. But if the dems can't get their heads out of their asses long enough another central figure in the war on terror might become our next president. Rudy Giuliani. You remember him, right? He was the mayor that so delicately handled the 9-11 tragedy. He is also responsible for cleaning up the city of New York and making it an attractive, safe, tourist friendly city again. And if you take him too lightly he might sneak up on you.

Ok, enough politics. I promise to write more. I swear it. But only if you promise to read it.

Cree

2007 Will See Return Of Big Box Office

2007 is shaping up to be a huge year for the movie business. Here is a list of my most highly anticipated mainstream movies. Expect billions at the box office.

10. Ocean's 13 (June 8): Even though I hated Ocean's 12 I can't wait to see the next installment. Ocean's 11 was just that good.

09. Bourne Ultimatum (Aug 3): The first two were great, I just hope they do away with the shaky camera effect. I almost got sick last time Jason Bourne kicked ass on the big screen.

08. American Gangster (Nov 2): Denzel and Russell Crowe. This movie isn't a career breaker, but both could use a hit after lame releases in 2006.

07. Live Free or Die Hard (July 4): Cheesy title, but I can't wait to hear the much older looking Bruce Willis mutter his famous line "Yippie Ky-aye Mother Fucker!"

06. Rush Hour 3 (Aug 10): If only Chris Tucker would make other movies too. He truly is one of the funniest guys in the business. And most lazy!

05. Zodiac March 2): David Fincher returns for his first movie since 2002's Panic Room. Hopefully this one will be more Fight Club, less Jodie Foster. Should be easy since Foster doesn't star, Jake Gyllenhall does.

04. Evan Almighty (June 22): Steve Carrell picks up the torch where Jim Carrey left it in this Bruce Almight Sequel. If it is half as funny as 40 Year Old Virgin then it will be a hit.

03. Grind House (April 6): Tarantino and Rodriguez team up on this old school styled double feature. They get an A for effort before I even see it. The set is divided by fake advertisements and movie trailers!

02. Transformers (July 4): Ok, so this movie may suck, but the trailer is so good I can't help but get excited! Prime looks amazing. Bumble Bee is a new 2009 Camaro.

01. Spider-man 3 (May 4): Venom. Enough Said.


My box office prediction for biggest grossers of the year are as follows:

1. Spider-man 3
2. Shrek 3
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoneix
4. Pirates Of The Carribean 3
5. Transformers

Biggest Busts:
Fantastic 4: Rise Of The Silver Surfer
The Simpsons

Best Movies Of 2006

15. Thank You For Smoking
14. Inside Man
13. The Prestige
12. Jackass 2
11. The Last Kiss
10. The Descent
09. Superman Returns
08. V For Vendetta
07. Lucky Number Slevin
06. Apocalypto
05. Borat
04. The Departed
03. The Science Of Sleep
02. Little Miss Sunshine
01. Brick


Granted this is Memphis and there are several movies that I have been unable to see because they haven't released here or they were only here for one week. Once I have seen those movies I will update my list.
Those movies are:

Children of Men
Half Nelson
Pan's Labyrinth
The Good Shepherd
Sherrybaby
The Groomsmen
Little Children

Hope u enjoyed the top ten movies as much as I did!

Happy New Year.

Best TV Shows 2006

1. Battlestar Galactica- Consistently the best show on tv. The emotion and intensity is enough, but the show also manages to weave current affairs and politics into a futuristic space show.
2. Greys Anatomy- This is a must see appointment every week. A show written for women, but still finds a way to draw in the male crowd. I also love that spoilers for this show are either hard to find or great big red herrings.
3. Veronica Mars- Veronica grew up this year and moved on the solve college cases. The second season finale back in May was a bit overwritten otherwise Ms. Mars might be at the top of this list.
4. The Shield- The most intense, gritty show on tv. Forrest Whitaker even brought it up a level. I just wish we had more episodes each year to enjoy.
5. Lost- Those of you that know me already know that if I could put this show at number one I would in a heart beat. The second half of season 2 was amazing, but the first six episdofes of season 3 have been missing something. (like more original cast members) I love Ben and Juliet, but I need my losties fix too.
6. How I Met Your Mother- This show is the next Friends...minus one thing. The viewers! Why CBS is not giving the post superbowl slot to this super show is beyond me.
7. Medium- The writing on this show is so original. Too bad NBC is already treating the award winning ensemble like a step child (just like it does Scrubs).
8. The Office- I'm a late-comer to The Office. That doesn't make it any less brilliant. Jim is one of the best characters on tv and this show hits so close to, er, work.
9. Dexter- A sympathetic serial killer is the lead of this show. Believe it or not, it works. Dexter will be back for a second season. I suggest you make a call to your local Showtime provider.
10. Boston Legal- This year of Boston Legal has already given me a lifetime of saying to use with friends and family. Thank you Denny Crane.

Biggest Disappointments
1. The Sopranos- New episodes are so few and far between that I can't even remember the last time there was a good season.
2. The O.C.- I actually quit watching this show after last season. The Johnny, Marissa, Ryan triangle was too much. It actually made me miss the days of Oliver. I hear this season has been better, but I'm not falling for it. Too little too late.
3. 24- I know most people would disagree with me. But this show has fallen so far from its perfect first three seasons. Really, I will say it again, the show is called 24, not CTU, CTU L.A., or Jack and friends.

Is It Really?

Can it be that Christmas is just a few days away? I mean, my Christmas shopping is done, my gifts are wrapped, my tree is lit and yet it seems like Christmas is a long ways away. Maybe it's different if you have kids. I know when I was a child Christmas was all that I could talk about; Santa and his great journey to Snakey Lake Drive to deliver presents to the Carwile household. Where is that magic now? I miss feeling like every breath was one second closer to the best time of the year.
Is it possible to have that again? I don't know that it is.
It's like watching a magican performing a trick, but knowing how the whole thing works. It just isn't as special. You can't help but think, it's so simple, how could I have ever felt that THIS was ever something so amazing.
I want that feeling back. Maybe I need to create an annual holiday tradition with friends. You know, a party or dinner that would bring everyone together for a special evening. But would that make me feel any more celebratory towards the holidays? Or would it just feel like another burden to cross off the list before the end of the year.
I am not trying to be a humbug. Honestly. I am trying to do the exact opposite. Recapture that zest. Do you have any ideas? Let me hear them. I would love your comments.

THE BRIGHT SIDE

This has been a terrible year. Back surgery. Money problems. The passing of both grandparents. A good friend who discovered she has leukemia (her second non-curable disease). Yet all of the bad things that have happened have brought some good. I am so excited about seeing my family. I have been pretty open with them in the past, telling them that I really couldn't care less about being with them around the holidays. Shame on me. I now see the value in spending as much time with them as possible. They are all I have and they would be there with me no matter what. So, through all of the bad news I have gained some real perspective this year. And for that I am so grateful.

And in case I don't get to write again before Christmas. Please have a very Merry Christmas!!!

Best Albums of 2006

20. Eyes Open by Snow Patrol
19. Ben Kweller by Ben Kweller
18. Return To Cookie Mountain by TV on the Radio
17. First Impressions of Earth by The Strokes
16. Magic Potion by The Black Keys
15. The Devil and God are Raging Inside Me by Brand New
14. Boys and Girls in America by The Hold Steady
13. Robbers and Cowards by Cold War Kids
12. Dog Problems by The Format
11. Rise and Fall of Butch Walker... by Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites
10. 10,000 Days by Tool
09. Happy Hollow by Cursive
08. Welcome To The Black Parade by My Chemical Romance
07. Whatever People Say I Am, I'm Not by Actic Monkeys
06. I'm Not Afraid of You and I Will Beat Your Ass by Yo La Tengo
05. The Crane Wife by The Decemberists
04. Black Holes and Revelations by Muse
03. Broken Boy Soliders by The Raconteurs
02. St. Elsewhere by Gnarls Barkley
01. NightCrawler by Pete Yorn

A Weird Fetish

People are in to all kinds of weird things. The waiting list in Florida to see an execution is over 500 people long. I could never watch something like that. Hell I have a hard enough time watching people brush their teeth on tv. The squishy sounds and the foamy mouths make me gag. I can't imagine watching another human being die right in front of me, especially by choice.

I was reading an article in Rolling Stone last night about Colorado's state laws in regards to children serving adult sentences. It was extemely sad. Colorado has children as young as 12 serving life in prison without parole. One teenage kid was a life long victim of abuse and molestation. He finally put a fire poker upside his mom's head. He will never see the outside of a prison cell again. He was immediately sentenced to a maximum security adult prison where he was locked up with other murderers and child rapists.
The reason Colorado is so strict is because of two very conservative Christian organizations in the state. The two joined forces in some state elections a few years back and had their gigantic congregations only vote for certain "tough on crime" candidates. One of the ogranizations was the New Life Christian Church which was founded by Ted Haggard. Haggard is an ultra conservative, hate-fire-brimstone kind of guy. He just resigned from his position earlier this year b/c he was caught bangin' some guy in a seedy hotel. His "no-forgiveness" attitude sealed the deal for so many youngsters in prison.
In the last decade Colorado's prison population has gone up over 500 percent.

Okay, enough soap box. Just wanted to vent.

Opening Lines of Books

Johanna gave me a gift a year or so ago. It's called "The Writer's Block." It is a small, thick, square, block of writing starters and ideas to get the pen moving on the paper.
One of the suggested exercises is to identify some of your favorite opening lines of books. And then you are told to write 5 of your own.

Well after giving this much thought I decided to share my favorites list with you. Here are my favorite opening lines:

1. Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.
-Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2. It was a wrong number that started it, the telephone ringing three times in the dead of night, and the voice on the other end asking for someone he was not.
-City of Glass by Paul Auster

3. It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair.
-A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

4. Ships at a distance have every man's wish on board.
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston

5. This is my favorite book in all the world, though I have never read it.
-The Princess Bride by William Golding


Some of my favorite more modern ones are:

1. I sat across the table from the man who had battered and tortured and brutalized me nearly thirty years ago.
Sleepers by Lorenzo Carcaterra

2. There's a guy like me in every state and federal prison in America, I guess - I'm the guy who can get it for you.
-Rita Hayworht and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King.

3. My name was Salmon, like the fish; first name Susie. I was fourteen when I was murdered on December 6, 1973.
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

4. When I stepped out into the bright sunlight from the darkness of the movie house I had only two things on my mind: Paul Newman and a ride home.
-The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton

5. Until I began to build and launch rockets, I didn’t know that my hometown was at war with itself over its children and that my parents were lock in a kind of bloodless combat over how my brother and I would try to live our lives.
-Rocket Boys by Homer Hickam

Awesome New Show

I watched the premiere of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip last night. All I can say is WOW. The show was engaging, well written, fun, different, and perfectly acted. I felt like I was backstage spying on all of my favorite folks from Saturday Night Live. (SPOILERS AHEAD)
If you don't know what this show is about here is a brief re-cap: Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip takes us behind the scenes of a show called Studio 60 On the Sunset.

The make-believe Strip is a live comedy sketch show(think: Saturday Night Live) on a fictional broadcast network called NBS. During the premeire of the show's new season an executive producer has a major melt down on camera and causes a media frenzy. Jordan (Amanda Peet) is the network's brand new president and she must work quickly to save face and save the show. With her first act as president she hires Matt and Danny to run the show. Matt (Matthew Perry) is a former writer for the show and Danny is the former director of the show. Both of them quit after a falling out with a network head-honcho (Steven Weber). Weber's character doesn't like the move, but backs it in an attempt to allow Jordan to hang herself.
It seems like the show's focus is going to be on Jordan, Matt, Danny, and the three main actors for the show. Studio is a program for people who like TV. It is a behind the scenes, guts and glory show that is targeting a very specific demographic. If the show fails it will be because of that and no other reason.
Studio 60 was created by Aaron sorkin who also did The West Wing. I was never a fan of The West Wing, but I always appreciated its high quality. That quality and high standard is present here as well.
Check it out. I think you would like it.

OUT.

5 For Friday

This week there are 5 things that you can put on the board now. Here they are:

1. Of the 7 top 25 match ups this Saturday 6 of the higher ranked teams will win. I know which lower ranked team will score a win, but I am not going to stick my neck out there that far.
well, the higher ranked teams went 5-2. My hidden pick to click was Oregon over Oklahoma and that did happen. No one saw the Michigan route of Notre Dame coming. But 5-2 is close to 6-1 so I will take the victory.

2. The 5 new movies out this weekend will gross 34 millions dollars all together. The movies are The Black Dahlia, Gridiron Gangs, The Last Kiss, and Everyone's Hero, and Trust The Man. (Give or take 2.5 million)
Looks like 35.7 million is going to be the total. We will know for sure by 5 this afternoon. I win!

3. www.cokermustgo.com will be one of the most popular sites on the net for hurrican fans come Sunday.
No doubt about this one!

4. Kyle Cockrum will win the mini-invitational poker tourney this weekend. (Its a mini b/c we are only inviting 9 players so that we all fit at one table).
well, I am sad to say that I was wrong here, but I was...because I won the 120 bucks...soI win anyway!

5. I'll take an easy one here. The Mets will clinch the NL EAST this weekend and secure the first playoff spot.
so far this hasn't happened. Damn the Pirates. But it will today. You can put it on the board

Fall TV

Ok, I admit it. My name is Chris and I am an addict. Just like Sara on Prison Break, just like Charlie on Lost, just like Bree on Housewives...I am an addcit. But my drug of choice isn't heroine or booze. It's television. I can't stand the wait any longer. Thank god for FOX and bringing back a few shows early.
Here is my list of MUST-SEE-TV for the fall. It is a list of every show that I plan on watching, tivoing, and taping. See, to get them all in I have to use all three means. Live tv, a vcr, and my three tivos. That's right, 3.

This is a night by night run down of the shows that I am looking forward to. Beside each show is a number. That number refers to the buzz I feel about watching each show. A 10 is a major jones, a 5 is a mild curiosity, and a 1 means I am only watching because there is a small aspect drawing me .

MONDAY
7:00 The Class (7) I saw a sneak preview and I liked what I saw. For fans of Friends and Frasier
7:00 Prison Break (5) So far it's off to a ho-hum start. And they killed my fave character.
7:30 How I Met Your Mother (8) I am ready to suit up. Barney alone is worth my time.
8:00 Two and a half Men (6) I love this show, but last season was a bit unbalanced at times
8:00 Vanished (6) I wasn't going to keep watching this show, but they have intrigued me.
8:00 Heroes (9) One of my most anticipated shows. The reviews have been stellar.
8:30 New Adventures of Old Christine (7) The Seinfeld curse really is over.
9:00 What About Brian (5) I heard from several people that the show is a must see, but will anyone watch it?
9:00 Studio 60 On Sunset Strip (6) The buzz around this Matthew Perry return is building.

TUESDAY
7:00 House (7) Never missing a beat House is at its best.
8:00 Veronica Mars (10) Three mysteries instead of one! I love it as much as LoVe.
9:00 Nip/Tuck (8) Last season was so bad...glad that season 4 is already kickin' its ass.
9:00 Smith (7) I love Ray Liotta, but I hear that Simon Baker is the reason to watch.

WEDNESDAY
7:00 Jericho (6) Skeet Ulrich? Well the idea is enough to make me give it a try, but a short leash.
7:00 Bones (7) I love this show I just wish that it wasn't a procedural.
7:00 30 Rock (6) I hear it's hilarious. I love Tina Fey. I am willing to pony up a half hour.
8:00 Lost (10) Need I say anything at all about this show???
8:00 One Tree Hill (5) Last year the show kinda of jumped the shark, and race car, and preg test
8:00 Justice (5) I didn't want to watch this show, but Victor Garber made me do it.
9:00 The Nine (9) The most hyped show of the season, its looks like Lost crossed with 6 Degrees
9:00 Kidnapped (3) I liked Jeremy Sisto on Six Feet Under. I have a quick trigger with this one.

THURSDAY
7:00 Ugly Betty (5) Not so sure about this one, but the reviews are A+.
7:00 Survivor (6) I wouldn't even watch if they hadn't caused such a fuss with the race thing.
7:00 Smallville (7) Lex and Clark are finally going to hate each other.
7:00 My Name Is Earl (7) Jaime Pressley is sooo worth your time. Watch this show!
7:30 Happy Hour (6) I may be the only person who like this show, but I don't care.
8:00 Grey's Anatomy (9) This is a chic show, but us guys love it too.
8:00 CSI (7) The best of the series. The only one I am watching now.
9:00 Six Degrees (7) Reviews have been mixed, but JJ has earned a 4 week trial.

FRIDAY
8:00 Battlestar Galactica (9) Give it a try. I know you will love it. Frak, just trust me.

SUNDAY
7:00 Desperate Housewives (6) I hear this season is much better. It had better be.
8:00 The War At Home (7) Another show that I love, but may be alone.
9:00 Without A Trace (5) Off of it's worst season I will have little patience with this one.


PREDICTIONS
The first show to get canned will be "Happy Hour" on Fox.
The most popular new show will be "The Nine"
CBS will cancel "Jericho" during or following season 1.
The best new sitcom will be "The Class"
CSI will average 21 million viewers and Grey's will average 17 million.

Ranking the best nights of TV
1. Wednesday
2. Tuesday
3. Thursday
4. Monday
5. Friday
6. Sunday
7. Saturday

I promise to keep you posted about what shows are good and which ones to take off the season pass immediately.

OUT

And The "Learn To Take A Joke Award" Goes To:

British actor Jude Law is still seething over his Oscar night embarrassment last year - when host Chris Rock made fun of the prolific star's relentless screen appearances. Law was initially unfazed by Rock's quips, but he became infuriated when Rock sniped, "Who is Jude Law? Why's he in every movie I have seen for the last four years? He's in everything. Even in the movies he's not in, if you look in the credits he made cupcakes or something." All the King's Men star Law says, "At first I laughed because I didn't think he knew who I was. Then I got angry as his remarks became personal. My friends were livid. It's unfortunate I had five or six films come out at the same time." -from imdb.com



give me a break dude. have you ever watched the oscars? between all the boring stuff they usually make jokes at the actor's expense. It was your turn. get over it. Noone watched your movies before and it's not like you are going to lose business. right?

OUT!

5 For Friday

5 Things to look for this week.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes to top Texas in the earliest 1 vs 2 match-up in college football history.
2. The Colts, Patriots, Bears, Eagles, and Seahawks to win this weekend.
3. Jessica Simpson and John Mayer to get back together again.
4. Mike Boogie to win Big Brother 7.
5. New movies Hollywoodland, The Covenant, and The Protector to make less than a combined 30 million bucks this weekend.

You can put it on the board!

OUT

The Survivor Race

When I heard the latest gimmick CBS was pulling for this season's Survivor I have to admit that I was surprised. I knew immediately that every equal rights and equality group in the country would go crazy. I couldn't believe that CBS would make such a risky play and take the chance on offending so many people. For those of you who don't know, this season the show will feature 4 tribes divided by race; black, white, hispanic, and asian.
It took about three hours before I saw the first article pop up on CNN and another ten minutes before I saw a news report on another station. The battle had begun.
I spent all of ten seconds weighing the social implications before I decided that a mass-overreaction was about to take place. These activists and protesters were playing right into the hands of CBS. Suddenly the whole country is talking about Survivor again. A show that has fought against sagging ratings for the last three years is about to be the water cooler topic again.
Good for CBS for taking a chance. Shame on others for taking it so seriously. Survivor has always been a show about community, team work, and social experiments. They have divided the tribes be sex and age in the past so race was the next logical step. I personally am interested to see how it plays out. I don't think anyone is going to take such a small group of people (16-18 tribe members) and assume that they represent their entire race. This idea will not support stereotypes it will break them down. CBS is smart enough to make sure of that.
And let us not forget that in just 3 or 4 weeks the tribes will merge into two completely different mixed race groups and then a few weeks after that an amazing thing will happen and people of all races will join together as one tribe, one unit, and ultimately one family. See the happy ending? CBS does and it is filled with lots of money!

OUT

Goodnight Sweetheart. Now Rock Star Gets Real

Now that the lightweights have all been booted it's time for this thing to get serious. Any of the remaining contestants have a legit shot at winning the title of Rock Star and the lead gig for SuperNova.
I have to be honest, I didn't care for the second 'Nova song nearly as much as the first. I don't know if that is because of Toby or because of the song itself. Either way I wasn't overly impressed.
Dilana's big mouth brought some harsh words her way for the first time. Honestly, I like the fact that she was balls out and willing to say what was onher mind. However, in a competition like this it probably was the wrong move. She has to keep in mind that the only criticism she has received was about that and never about her singing. She is still safe and that is why she is still at the top of this week's power rankings.

ROCK STAR POWER RANKINGS

1. Dilana- She needs to keep her mouth shut unless she is singing. If she remembers that rule then she is good to go. I am still waiting to see her change it up one time. She has played the "wicked witch" stage persona the whole season. I would like to see some variety.

2. Lukas- He continues to be the ideal lead singer for this band. He has the look, the gravel voice, and the cocky attitude. His short coming is in his thin skin. He doesn't seem to be able to let things roll off his back. If he ever gets the boot look for him to be the one person with a piss poor attitude about it.

3. Ryan- I can't believe that he has climbed all of the way to three, but week after week he has improved and his original song showed that he is the most pure and natural talent left in the competition. If I were SuperNova I would choose him to lead my band, but I'm not so that is why he is 3 and not 1.

4. Storm- Sizzlin' in the looks department, but faultering in the performance area. She hasn't opened up and rocked out since the 3rd week. She needs to give the band something new and a little more of those sexy eyes if she wants to avoid the bottom three this week.

5. Toby- I struggled over this choice here. Toby was in the bottom three this week, but he didn't deserve to be. And then he killed Plush on ejection night. It was amazing. I can't see him going home next, but I do think it will be between him and Magni.

6. Magni- I still think the guy has an amazing voice, but I can't stand his stage show. It is so tight and dry. He is your classic rocker: guitar and mic stand... and that is not what this band wants.

PB and V

A quick review of the two season premieres last night:

Prison Break: The show picked up right where it left off as promised. The show has the same break neck pace, witty dialogue, and road-block-a-minute twists. It is a fun show, no more and no less. Michael always seems to be a step ahead of the cops, but a new FBI Agent, played by the brilliant William Fitchner, is hot on his trail and figuring out more about the escape by the minute. The show will not win any awards for its acting or its writing, but it certainly deserves kudos for consistently putting viewers on the edge of their seats and for constantly keeping us guessing. The cheap thrills did grow old by the end of last season, but after a summer break the show is back into its rhythm. Episode Grade: B-

Vanished: This show is flashy and the visuals are stylish. Vanished kicked off with the same intensity as 24 and is certainly going to be patterned after its 200 mile per hour pace. I hope that the story lines remain believeable and keeps us moving forward at all times. I also hope viewers tune in.
I love a good mystery and this is shaping up to be one hell of a whodunit. Gale Harold from Queer As Folk fame plays the lead FBI investigator and seems to hold his own against the likes of Ming Na (ER) , John Allen Nelson (24), and Rebecca Gayheart (Nip/Tuck). He is a likeable guy with a gory past and a huge chip on his shoulder.
I hate to invest too much time and effort into the show until I see how many people are tuning in, but a head start on the competition and a lead in like Prison Break should help.
Episode Grade: B+

Fall TV Season Gets Crawling

FOX is the first network offering a slight scratch for that itch all of us tv junkies have been feeling since May. Tonight is the kick off for season 2 of Prison Break followed by the premiere of the show Vanished. We can thank baseball for the early starts as the network wanted to get the audience into the swing of things before the playoffs begin. I will take what I can get.
Unfortunately this is just a small taste of what's to come. No other fall tv shows premiere in August and some will not premiere until as late as the new year (24, Scrubs, Medium)

Prison Break picks up right where it left off; the gang is on the run, they are being chased by Billick, and they all have their own agendas. Each escapee has his own place he prefers to be, but there is the case of 5 million dollars in hidden treasure and they certainly won't completely be able to seperate from one another until the money is found.

Vanished is a FOX drama that centers on the search for Sara Collins. She's the wife of Senator Jeffrey Collins. Sara vanishes and the FBI lead by Agent Graham Kelton is on the job, but before they can find her they need to find out who she really is. The mystery surrounding the disappearance is seen through the eyes of the FBI, members of the family and a reporter trying to get the story of her career. The search for Sara will expose many secrets. Nothing is as it seems.

The story sounds pretty compelling, but if the audience isn't there I expect it to be pulled quickly. Vanished is one of two kidnapping shows this season, the other being the creatively named Kidnapped. I guess kidnapping and disappearance is this years alien show.

I will make sure to post a mini-review tonight after the shows go off the air. I know most of my friends tend to come in on shows pretty late and this will be a nice way to let you guys know whether a show is worth watching. And as you know I haven't steered you wrong before. (Lost, HELLO!)

Also in the coming weeks I will post my MUST WATCH GUIDE to fall TV. I will hold it until a little closer to the hard launch of the season.

OUT

This cannot be healthy!

Mr. Jared Leto:

Snake Bitten

Industry experts were expecting Snakes on a Plane to drop in about 25 million over the weekend. It didn't reach that mark, infact after all of the hype and buzz the movie is a bit of a disappointment. But let's not count Snakes out yet.
SoaP managed to teach us a few things about marketing movies and will likely be a benchmark for the way movies are advertised to audiences in the future. In a computer heavy world Snakes hit moviegoers where it counts...on their blogs, on their myspace accounts, and all over the web in general.
Look for movies in the future to try many similar tactics in the coming years...and expect it to work. Granted, the idea didn't work so well for this movie, but lest we forget this was a horror movie featuring snakes. When a good movie can build a 'net buzz like this then it will likely catapult it to another level.
So despite the cheese and the B level production Snakes is a winner for New Line Studios and for movie companys in general.

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Couple of Funny Pics of My Friends

They are going to hate me for posting these, I know!

Rock Star Power Rankings

1. Dilana: Is there any doubt she can front this band now? Her performance with SuperNova was great although she lost a little punch towards the end. Right now she is the odds on favorite to win.

2. Lukas: I moved Lukas up this week thanks to Storm's bad performance and the fact that Lukas is just that good. His version of Hero was really better than the original.

3. Storm: Don't think one bad performance is going to keep her down. She will be back next week, I have no doubt. She seemed like the best singing with SuperNova although they didn't agree.

4. Magni: How did he land in the bottom 3. His voice is amazing, he looks strong in front of the band, and he is clearly an entertainer. Come on guys throw this guys a vote.

5. Ryan: Ryan makes a leap up this week. He continues to improve and impress. 2 encores the last three weeks says it all.

6. Toby: I think Toby is great, but I am tired of his game plan. Change it up a little bit man.

7. Patrice: If Patrice goes home this week then my original prediciton for the final 6 will still be in tact. Bye Patrice!

Headlines

Here are my top 5 headlines from this week.

1. Andy Dick was at the Comedy Central Roast this week and went a little k-9. He began licking several participants on the arms, legs, and face, he bit a journalist, and offered cocaine to another. Sounds to me like Andy is out-of-control. Later that night I heard he tried to lick Matthew McConaughey's butt, but Owen Wilson had already laid claim to it.

2. James Woods has dumped his 20 year old girlfriend. Apparently they attended a funeral together and she was insensitive. I feel bad for the girl. The youngster obviously thought that it was just a practice run for Wood's impending death.

3. The preacher killer woman was released from prison this week. It seems that murdering your husband, running across the stateline to hide, and admitting to it all is not enough to keep the bitch in jail. She was released on a large bond. I said RUNNING TO ANOTHER STATE...guess that isn't enough to be considered a flight risk.

4. NFL wide reciever Koren Robinson was arrested for DWI and felony fleeing the scene today. The guy had been in rehab last summer. He liked it so much that he voluntarily went back last month to refreshen his committment. Apparently no one mentioned that they were serving gin and juice at the meetings.

5. Phonak, the team that biker Floyd Landis rode for has announced that they will shut down at the end of this year citing a lack of sponsorship for next season. What? Was Balco not available for solicitation?

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Teaser Poster for Saw 3

The Descent

I saw "The Descent" last night and I must say that it is the first horror movie since "Saw" that I left the theater trying to catch my breath.
I tend to like my scary movies with more human bad guys than monster bad guys. That is why Saw and Scream and Halloween are some of my favorites. (Let's not go into details about Michael Myers...He was a human before Halloween 4).
That being said I was a bit unsure about seeing The Descent. I knew that some chicks were going to go down in a cave and get trapped and be stalked by some kind of monster. I was expecting something kind of like the movie Pitch Black crossed with Jeepers Creepers. What I found was a pretty smart, mostly terrifying, gore-filled adventure. The Pitch Black theory was spot on. It had a lot of similarities, especially scenes in the dark. (What else, huh)
What was missing were the bad horror flick cliches. I half way expected to see a lesbian couple spending half the movie getting freaky and the other half getting sliced up. Didn't happen. I expected to hear bad dialogue and plenty of cheesy one liners that come with every horror movie. Didn't happen.
The movie is good where it counts. A couple of times the director reverted to cheap thrills and pop-up behind the actress scares, but for the most part he let his camera and the scenario do the talking and stalking for him.
GRADE: B +

On another note; I saw my first preview for Saw 3. It looks pretty good. I think they have taken it to a larger scale yet again. First it was a single room with two guys. Then a single house with several people. And now the stage is even bigger. I won't ruin it for you.

I also saw a trailer for "The Quiet" with Elisha Cuthbert. It looks pretty good. Kind of like a Swim Fan meets The Perfect Murder.

One movie I will not be seeing is the new Ben Stiller as a museum security guard Jimanji meets Bill and Ted flick coming out this Christmas.

My five most anticipated movies right now:

1. The Departed (Jack, Leo, Matt, and Mark...Directed by Martin)
2. The Black dahlia (Oscar written all over it. I love a true crime mystery)
3. Snakes on a Plane (Have you check out my Myspace Song?)
4. Spider-Man 3 (Too far away to be number one...it will be soon, I promise)
5. Little Miss Sunshine (Hearing too many good things for this one to be bad!)

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2006 NFL Predictions

The season is upon us and it is time for my yearly predicitons. I managed to get 1/2 of my Superbowl prediction right, but I sure didn't see the Steelers running away with it like they did.
I reserve the right to adjust these and change these as often as needed until the start of the regular season.

NFC EAST: (Best Division in NFC)
Washington
Dallas
NY Giants
Philadelphia

NFC South:
Carolina
Atlanta
Tampa Bay
New Orleans

NFC North:
Minnesota
Chicago
Green Bay
Detroit

NFC West:
Seattle
Arizona
St. Louis
SF 49ers


AFC East:
New England
Miami
NY Jets
Buffalo

AFC South:
Colts
Jacksonville
Tennessee
Houston

AFC North: (Best Division in the AFC)
Baltimore
Cincinatti
Pittsburgh
Cleveland

AFC West:
Kansas City
Denver
San Diego
Oakland

NFC Wild Cards:
Dallas
Atlanta

AFC Wild Cards:
Miami
Denver

NFC Championship Game:
Carolina vs. Seattle

AFC Championship Game:
Indy vs. Baltimore

Superbowl:

Carolina vs. Baltimore

Superbowl Champion: Carolina Panthers

2006 Baseball Predicitons

Before the 2006 season started I jotted down who I thought would win the different divisional races in baseball. I was so right on a few, but so wrong on most. Here is a look at that I picked. The picks that are correct are in red.

AL EAST:
Yankees
Red Sox
Toronto
Tampa Bay
Baltimore

AL CENTRAL:
White Sox
Indians
Twins
Detroit (Oops)
KC

AL WEST:
LAA
Oakland
Texas
Seattle

NL EAST:
Atlanta
Philadelphia
Mets
Washington
Florida (You put Florida here too, admit it)

NL Central:
Cardinals
Astros
Cubs
Brewers
Pittsburgh
Reds

NL West:
Giants
Dodgers
Padres
Arizona
Colorado


Oh well, you live you learn. My 2006 NFL predictions will be posted in the next day or two.

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A Few Notes

1. Janelle kicked my ass this week. I dropped her from the top spot for her stupid play and BAM she won the POV and took herself off the block. But Danielle is still my favorite because despite the pressure to throw Marci under the bus she took out a season 6er this week. Good for her.

2. Rock Star had its best show of the year last night. Besides a lame performance by Jill, a mediocre rock tune from Patrice, and another insane costume from Zayra everyone was awesome.
Lukas was amazing and his voice gave me chills. I didn't think he had it in him. Magni was incredible. Dilana continues to be at the top of her game. Storm is still hot. And I thought Toby had a great performance and Ryan took a ballsy approach and it paid off.

3. Lost went back into production this week. I can't wait for the new season to start. The new cast members are being announced and I am loving the choices so far. I hope they are Eko good and not Ana-Lucia bad!

4. David Morse has joined the cast of House as a cop and new nemisis for the witty doc. I like David Morse, but is he ever ever ever going to strecth out and try a role he hasn't played before? His most recent flick 16 Blocks in which he plays a corrupt cop was horrible.

5. Lastly, is anyone else tired of the new direction television is heading? The show 8 episodes, take a long break, show 8 more episodes approach is starting to annoy me. First it was The Sopranos, then it was Prison Break, and then The Shield, and then Lost, and now Entourage. I would rather wait an extra three months and get to see all 16-24 episodes in a row than have a long break in between. I don't like 24 anymore, but they do it the right way!

NFL Preseason gets into full swing starting tomorrow. It is finally back and I'm Lovin' it.

OUT

Rock Star Power Rankings

We are getting closer to having a singer for this Super group. The top of the rankings haven't changed much, but the bottom feeder keep falling off. Dana was the most recent to go. i knew when she announced that she was getting a tat that she would go home the next day. That's just how life works.
And now the rankings:

1. Dilana: No change there. And finally someone used the crowd in a non-annoying way!

2. Storm: She leap-frogged Lukas this week after he had an off night. Lukas will recover but Storm has proven to be worthy.

3. Lukas: I thought he totally lacked energy and enthusiasm this week. The boys were right to smack him down a notch. Look for a killer performance next time out.

4. Magni: Suddenly he is working his way up the charts. I still don't love his stage show, but his voice has all the range needed to front this band.

5. Toby: I really like Toby, but his song choice is always so safe. I am ready to see him take a chance.

6. Josh: There is no denying his voice and his ability. He was awesome this week, but I don't know how many "island" songs this band is going to play.

7. Ryan: Wow, he was by far the best this week and deserved the encore, but it doesn't move him up a lot on the rankings. One more knoci-out performance like that thought and I might start to believe.

8. Patrice: If the fans didn't like her with Tommy behind her then they will hate her with the whole band. I don't see how they can let her stay.

9. Zayra: She is my least favorite, but she always has fire and flair. She is doing it her own way and that deserves something.

10. Jill: Is anyone else tired and bored by her? Send her home already. Please.

Big Brother Power Rankings

There is some major shifting in the BB Power Rankings this week. With Season 6 falling apart and a major player like Dani winning HoH some things are really happening.

1. Kaysar: He seems like a lion to some and a puppy to others. This ability to be all things to all people still makes him a major player.

2. Dr. Will: It is obvious to me now that he is controlling everything that happens in this house. But his inability to tell the truth to anyone still makes him a major target.

3. Danielle: My girl has climbed from the cellar to near the top. She is a smart player. And she will send a season 6 player home this week, but it might not be Janey.

4. Janelle: She still has a few tricks up her sleeve and with Howie and Kaysar to back her up she has a fighting chance. If she stays around this week then the house will be on full alert the rest of the season.

5. Erika: No one is nicer and no one is flying under the radar with as much stealth. The ultimate floater has yet to be really called out.

6. James: He is a great player, but the problem is that everyone knows it. Allowing himself to be so vulnerable this week may cost him.

7. Howie: He just doesn't have the brains to make it too much longer. I am waiting for him to pick another bust-o!

8. Mike Boogie: Will says jump, Boogie flies. His inability to think for himself will be his downfall. Players believe taking Boogie out will hurt Will more than actually evicting the doctor himself. Mike really has 2 targets on his back.

9. Chicken George: I love George. He plays the game with total heart. I wish I could make him higher, but he has yet to prove he can hang with the big guns.

10. Marcellas: Is anyone less of a factor. The crying and bitching and moaning is not a strategy. But it is going to get him booted soon. He is the most two-faced player in the game. Ask Jase.