tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-169079192024-03-07T21:29:14.799-06:00Conversation With MyselfMy rent-free little corner of the Interweb. Please wipe your feet.cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.comBlogger103125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-14482544085044597932010-09-16T10:45:00.000-05:002010-09-16T10:46:23.675-05:00Welcome back.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ60rcdRU7zYlGe2RqM2X5JAIYUlGUQH0_Xi98n_BCuTx_hi6m2ZFx62I3yuOl73ijA_CwHEQN5xjLesjhZbju2iBGNIK83NYS3GBYBaSpxcKuUXMtmdxwfj0eX1o-xaD-TRR/s1600/jefftopolski:%250A%250A%250Aitssaturdaynightlive:%250A%250AFirst+print+ad+for+Conan%E2%80%99s+upcoming+TBS+show.+There%E2%80%99s+an+owl.+I+love+it.%C2%A0%250A%250AThis+makes+everything+ok+in+the+world.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 299px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEQ60rcdRU7zYlGe2RqM2X5JAIYUlGUQH0_Xi98n_BCuTx_hi6m2ZFx62I3yuOl73ijA_CwHEQN5xjLesjhZbju2iBGNIK83NYS3GBYBaSpxcKuUXMtmdxwfj0eX1o-xaD-TRR/s400/jefftopolski:%250A%250A%250Aitssaturdaynightlive:%250A%250AFirst+print+ad+for+Conan%E2%80%99s+upcoming+TBS+show.+There%E2%80%99s+an+owl.+I+love+it.%C2%A0%250A%250AThis+makes+everything+ok+in+the+world.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5517538150765990786" /></a>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-84123319755467028512010-07-24T14:37:00.003-05:002010-07-24T14:40:10.777-05:00Last concert of the summer.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNlb-YQy4S1lhiR77JC_vzeq5T-fl1uOajsz2oySI2kkERHP7gxGc9ZcAI63WE5BKh0N4piZvD79HlIVb-dUize3m_8ewirym39nbkQxVJkwCs6e0dhtxgkKTaOyxCflAEHAM/s1600/click+here+to+go+to+the+official+store.jpeg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 143px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNlb-YQy4S1lhiR77JC_vzeq5T-fl1uOajsz2oySI2kkERHP7gxGc9ZcAI63WE5BKh0N4piZvD79HlIVb-dUize3m_8ewirym39nbkQxVJkwCs6e0dhtxgkKTaOyxCflAEHAM/s400/click+here+to+go+to+the+official+store.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5497559306540634866" /></a><div><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Yeah, this is happening.</span></div><b><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPNlb-YQy4S1lhiR77JC_vzeq5T-fl1uOajsz2oySI2kkERHP7gxGc9ZcAI63WE5BKh0N4piZvD79HlIVb-dUize3m_8ewirym39nbkQxVJkwCs6e0dhtxgkKTaOyxCflAEHAM/s1600/click+here+to+go+to+the+official+store.jpeg"></a></b><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color:#0000EE;"><u><br /></u></span></div></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-55533188373283945752010-05-05T23:44:00.002-05:002010-05-05T23:46:01.144-05:00New look to the ol' blog<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">Yes, I know I rarely ever update this between Facebook & Twitter, but I dig this new template.</span><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;">It's cool, like the other side of the pillow.</span></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-30388827253507142642010-01-13T12:16:00.009-06:002010-01-13T12:31:35.851-06:00I'm With Coco<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDPJavEHofKj02JZ7b2vHko2M2Bo9pOFkvKSsUf0jwWgSaA4RbziuArv1Q4C6LhRZfQ7iR6y2zaMf_z2877PNbw1NniNMRm3mQN1RBV_iBDLVw2vDmiUVdsyiTi-aGpzWFjZZ/s1600-h/conan03.jpeg"><img style="text-align: justify;display: block; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: auto; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: auto; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px; " src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimDPJavEHofKj02JZ7b2vHko2M2Bo9pOFkvKSsUf0jwWgSaA4RbziuArv1Q4C6LhRZfQ7iR6y2zaMf_z2877PNbw1NniNMRm3mQN1RBV_iBDLVw2vDmiUVdsyiTi-aGpzWFjZZ/s320/conan03.jpeg" border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426290176787551138" /></a><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); "><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">NBC</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> is getting it right with </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">30 Rock</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Office</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">, & now </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Community</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">. Why can't they just purge themselves of this decades-old Jay Leno situation and just embrace and move forward with Conan O'Brien?</span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">No one really thinks Leno is that funny or even a good host (even Johnny Carson said he wanted David Letterman as his successor) & his current crappy show (not to mention </span></span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">crappy attitude during interviews) is evidence of that. People didn't tune in to see Leno, they tuned in b/c it was </span><b><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Tonight Show</span></i></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> - a staple of programming.</span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">I mean, Judge Ito & O.J. jokes almost 10 years after the fact? And 'Jaywalking' is the most popular part of his program? Funny, it was called Small Town News when Letterman did it years earlier.</span></span></span></div><span class="text_exposed_show" style="display: inline; "><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family:arial;"><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Move forward, NBC. Evolve.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">Are they seriously going to give The Tonight Show back to Leno so he can ruin it?...AGAIN?</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div></span></span></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style=" color: rgb(51, 51, 51); font-family:arial;"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSLVG7YfRnJ_UGsjqTd7_esDsDZznXoH-dTaaNWyXybbQhN_dEmpGd-sRZXfiW0tlhNLdX7geWUP0r9X5OPaDaaKCagGw7Zh_uVXJxEJAFgUsC4YfjJ7u6qg9JnTrpy7_xFi5k/s200/5122SA714JL._SL500_AA280_.jpeg" style="text-align: justify;float: left; margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; margin-left: 0px; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 200px; " border="0" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5426291986485159522" /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">There's a movie that was on HBO years ago called </span><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">The Late Shift</span></b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"> that chronicled the behind-the-scenes antics during the Carson/Leno/Letterman debacle NBC went through at the time. Not surprisingly, it's getting really hard to find right now as its content has become relevant once again, but it's worth seeing sometime.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">It also stars (a pre-Christopher Guest films) John Michael Higgins as Letterman.</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size:small;">...and history repeats itself.</span></div></span>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-80958192154511239982009-09-10T14:32:00.004-05:002009-09-10T14:45:44.215-05:009-9-09<a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQCoYxIDQWy47wDaz4c5jnKIy9m-_mKKxmv_nYdj-DKAt3o9Lz8_5sd7VArAY1EB2ihZQCQkt3gf4XxJsG4OLrKnrIYGUN2HZ8ppY5uPpNVBD4SJdiZI1grf6B5TfpwpuGXng/s1600-h/beatles-rock-band-xbox-sm.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 412px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwQCoYxIDQWy47wDaz4c5jnKIy9m-_mKKxmv_nYdj-DKAt3o9Lz8_5sd7VArAY1EB2ihZQCQkt3gf4XxJsG4OLrKnrIYGUN2HZ8ppY5uPpNVBD4SJdiZI1grf6B5TfpwpuGXng/s320/beatles-rock-band-xbox-sm.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379926300228943474" border="0" /></a><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">Having been a fan of </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The Beatles</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> since infancy, </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-family: arial;">The Beatles: Rock Band</span><span style="font-family: arial;"> is is such a cool concept and the game does not disappoint at all. Even if you are a moderate fan of videogames, this is such a cool experience and not to be missed.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">I can't get over how awesome and accurate the character models are and how believably they age as you jump from venue to venue following the career of the Fab Four. Granted, there are some liberties taken and some minor historical changes needed to adapt their story to a videogame, but there's nothing that doesn't make justifiable sense. And the way they handle the Abbey Road recordings are something to be seen to be believed. In addition to the 45 songs on the disc, there are also full album downloads to come.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Plus, it's the freakin' </span><span style="font-style: italic; font-family: arial;">BEATLES</span><span style="font-family: arial;">!</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-12811768924295715732009-05-08T12:55:00.016-05:002009-05-30T16:59:40.989-05:00Farewell, old friend [UPDATED]<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >UPDATED 5.30.09:</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> So apparently ABC has resigned </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Scrubs</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> to a 9th season despite the amazing finale, which is mentioned at length below. As of now, Zach Braff & Sarah Chalke have signed on for 6 episodes and it's rumored that the show will be treated as a "Frasier" to <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scrubs'</span> "Cheers," by either focusing on a different character than J.D. or by being solely about the new interns introduced over the past season.</span><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Personally, I'm not too sure how I feel about this because, as a fan, I'll watch the new show at the beginning for the curiousity of what they're going to do with it, but am very nervous for them as they'll have a LONG way to go to match the pay-off of the 8th season/series finale.</span><br />---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /></div><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jwsnplb-GS-QCsnQDAFu_Ayhh2ah29IS2QBN6JZjmhwdSyelwWTNTtL0kEYXPVlv_hFyD9Cu-bWhIIFHR6G4Ue_V4v_DSIF3FocHskHC4MrBtpz69_5razIaho9HHfnl6O8J/s1600-h/Scrubs2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 394px; height: 96px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9Jwsnplb-GS-QCsnQDAFu_Ayhh2ah29IS2QBN6JZjmhwdSyelwWTNTtL0kEYXPVlv_hFyD9Cu-bWhIIFHR6G4Ue_V4v_DSIF3FocHskHC4MrBtpz69_5razIaho9HHfnl6O8J/s320/Scrubs2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333513537698266578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Thank you, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Scrubs</span>.</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">I didn't really enjoy this show the first few times I watched, but it eventually </span><span style="font-family:arial;">started to creep into my regular viewing thanks to syndication. The rapid-fire cutaways, the </span><span style="font-family:arial;">obnoxious situations, the relatable characters, & the emotional sentiment that subtly reverberated </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsGKAsyrleArstKlTtAz7DCbPUxrY8T2Ck-DyxAexWs2BiqVAWrtlqOLwiwXh1IOVXnWCHrpuby24ZeCHZ7KnlQ8TCMV395TOoqaABzB8Vrq1AuDOmGua_exLelik4m_BJmPm/s1600-h/scrubs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 145px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRsGKAsyrleArstKlTtAz7DCbPUxrY8T2Ck-DyxAexWs2BiqVAWrtlqOLwiwXh1IOVXnWCHrpuby24ZeCHZ7KnlQ8TCMV395TOoqaABzB8Vrq1AuDOmGua_exLelik4m_BJmPm/s320/scrubs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333519436405460002" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">through each episode was hard not to feel connected to. The series finale saw characters from the past make cameos, long-forgotten story references, and the use of Peter Gabriel's "The Book of Love" in the final moments was an amazingly placed gracenote.<br /><br />There's talk that the show went a season or two too long & I can see that point, but the finale this week was really well done & a fitting way to send the beloved series out.</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">There's also talk of them trying to work out a Season 9 since ABC was treating them so well, but I think that would be a mistake. It ended in such a great way that anything more would be taking away from what creator Bill Lawrence (who finally had a cameo this season & shared the very last scene of the series with Zach Braff) & the rest of the cast & crew has accomplished.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2Mj3RFZCuoxPcsRCmSXhru6mnUEVM98vE4Lsm1Z5olSc4L89ppFTCu8tYpmFApTxe1aMWRkeT1EsT9xh3OlX-sLf-1KGmHCtd4axyfLaHyD0YDZzwbkD_Hy1Nl-OposCtPl1/s1600-h/Pedroia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 115px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR2Mj3RFZCuoxPcsRCmSXhru6mnUEVM98vE4Lsm1Z5olSc4L89ppFTCu8tYpmFApTxe1aMWRkeT1EsT9xh3OlX-sLf-1KGmHCtd4axyfLaHyD0YDZzwbkD_Hy1Nl-OposCtPl1/s320/Pedroia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5333514640602337042" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The <span style="font-weight: bold;">Boston Red Sox</span> set an MLB record by scoring 12 runs in one inning before recording a single out. They're really hitting on all cylinders right now.</span>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-80947247802987969092009-05-01T11:03:00.019-05:002009-05-05T17:39:54.284-05:00Walking In Memphis....Literally<span style="font-family:arial;">Returned from a trip to Nashville & Memphis to see Jason Mraz open for Dave Matthews Band.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-JtWctwaCxcYuNyINwXD_UEXcPAwAiJ-G1kqH32WCnj0Yq24HB1EinZJWvHMaIjumXg_9zxy6X6-jOZVD2U6ebvpJS5-t0joBpSfywlSPtJ29C-XsjHwtlWb9GMOnNXZ9xMs/s1600-h/100_2319.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 149px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs-JtWctwaCxcYuNyINwXD_UEXcPAwAiJ-G1kqH32WCnj0Yq24HB1EinZJWvHMaIjumXg_9zxy6X6-jOZVD2U6ebvpJS5-t0joBpSfywlSPtJ29C-XsjHwtlWb9GMOnNXZ9xMs/s320/100_2319.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330890268367023906" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On the way down, we made a brief pit stop in Metr</span><span style="font-family:arial;">opolis, IL, to see the infamous <span style="font-weight: bold;">Superman statue</span>.</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> It was as advertised & not so ironically placed in front of city hall & the police station. There was a tribute comic store next door that we didn't have time to go into, but it looked massive. I've been past Metropolis several times on various ComedySportz trips and always wanted to stop here, but never have so this was really cool. </span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzsdH9VPLvP8rz7oe6hr38z2aqA1eipVfpICdrV0L99pWQNfZct83Thu7QBd7SkxO_4_rL2lKp-wnNNF4TOzaLxhcDp7oagYA3Hnmiq-tnV_QTJeC_8HdJFTFuATMefaliY7k/s1600-h/IMG_0161.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEzsdH9VPLvP8rz7oe6hr38z2aqA1eipVfpICdrV0L99pWQNfZct83Thu7QBd7SkxO_4_rL2lKp-wnNNF4TOzaLxhcDp7oagYA3Hnmiq-tnV_QTJeC_8HdJFTFuATMefaliY7k/s320/IMG_0161.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330893689103649970" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Nashvi</span><span style="font-family:arial;">lle was such an awesome town & well worth the 9 hour drive! I was </span><span style="font-family:arial;">surprised by ho</span><span style="font-family:arial;">w much I enjoyed being down there. Obviously, the weather helped a ton, </span><span style="font-family:arial;">but the attitude & feel of the place was just really cool. The concert itself was awesome as Mraz played highlights & then DMB played for 3 hours & t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">he set list was tight. They played 3 songs off the new album & just made me more jacked to pick it up in early June.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE2IOMQqgydPHoL1e1SrhSj8MhxX-iXhc1UZ5ftVP2Ft-13-KvRQaI-bIJaV-vfyXnGx7CPMjZaADx76NjnZIislGn9PBpqSF31F6hWznRymGBamVCAa3A93t0RSvKfncqxd_/s1600-h/100_2420.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 111px; height: 148px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOE2IOMQqgydPHoL1e1SrhSj8MhxX-iXhc1UZ5ftVP2Ft-13-KvRQaI-bIJaV-vfyXnGx7CPMjZaADx76NjnZIislGn9PBpqSF31F6hWznRymGBamVCAa3A93t0RSvKfncqxd_/s320/100_2420.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330894198827559634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Our 2nd day down th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ere, we toured the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Grand Ole Opry</span>. G</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ranted, I am not a country music fan in the slightest, but it felt like it was one of those do-it-once-&-you-never-have-to-do-it-again thin</span><span style="font-family:arial;">gs. I'm so glad we went though because the history of the Opry was fascinating and the tour itself was really cool because we got to go on the actual stage. Even if you're not a country fan, I can't recommend the tour enough. That evening, we went to eat at a place called <span style="font-weight: bold;">Amerigo</span> & I had the greatest chicken parmesan ever.<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Following that "do-it-once" mentality, we traveled to Memphis the next</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> day and took in the grandeur & spectacle that is </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdbSU4-SA_sDJgAtXyLj5O92WtjH0XrTtbHbf4Iuu32M5QIdT9FFHmZnvvwGAfUJlNUvLLWkerpT4ptubKSZhnZwrR8X24cG5AR6u_-47g3Bw_ko4Jg745ZBsBmZnFjCBpmEW/s1600-h/IMG_0234.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 171px; height: 127px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRdbSU4-SA_sDJgAtXyLj5O92WtjH0XrTtbHbf4Iuu32M5QIdT9FFHmZnvvwGAfUJlNUvLLWkerpT4ptubKSZhnZwrR8X24cG5AR6u_-47g3Bw_ko4Jg745ZBsBmZnFjCBpmEW/s320/IMG_0234.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330894841149541858" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Graceland</span>. Again, the tour itself was cool an</span><span style="font-family:arial;">d I recommend doing it once, but there's no real reason to ever go back. The Jungle Room is intense, the car collection is massive, and being able to walk through the K</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ing's private jets was really cool. It's easy to get wrapped up in the ambiance, but just let yourself go for a few hours and you'll enjoy it. That night, we crashed at my step-brothers house & treated him to his favorite restaurant, <span style="font-weight: bold;">Amerigo</span> - where I had the 2nd greatest chicken parmesan ever.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OAVaxrY4hxl6Ft_3SAMpKT_74sHlpNDWpbXkQGeuEWrFiaao39YmWuxhIF0IL6qo1DaMzYBaOx_F7K-MdeQhZftzJEqBXcPZhbhQss5FqtgeAEVZJIiIKWt1BfBFGxtsyPo6/s1600-h/100_2740.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-OAVaxrY4hxl6Ft_3SAMpKT_74sHlpNDWpbXkQGeuEWrFiaao39YmWuxhIF0IL6qo1DaMzYBaOx_F7K-MdeQhZftzJEqBXcPZhbhQss5FqtgeAEVZJIiIKWt1BfBFGxtsyPo6/s320/100_2740.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330897467743466306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The next day we stopped by the legendary <span style="font-weight: bold;">Sun Records</span> and the place just reaked of old school cool. This is the st</span><span style="font-family:arial;">udio that Elvis recorded his first record and Johnny Cas</span><span style="font-family:arial;">h, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis (collectively known as the "Million Dollar Quartet"), and many others followed suit. Again, you get to go through the actual studio & stand where they stood, and the tour guide was very personable. Although the tour is brief, it's more than worth it.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJNbYaVJDryeZv7SF3y1Ld5SXzPCfyQmxHb6czJxJBuUyjtXB5JLxfkQmzMtRmpy8AjemuKo85K8m05pqdHnQwZQhJ2j0R2JG7G9olJB2vcJO29QT1Csbhyphenhyphen6GydWEvxFJgw4f/s1600-h/100_2796.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 110px; height: 147px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSJNbYaVJDryeZv7SF3y1Ld5SXzPCfyQmxHb6czJxJBuUyjtXB5JLxfkQmzMtRmpy8AjemuKo85K8m05pqdHnQwZQhJ2j0R2JG7G9olJB2vcJO29QT1Csbhyphenhyphen6GydWEvxFJgw4f/s320/100_2796.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330899857274937378" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">We wrapped up our time in Memphis with a visit to the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Rock N' Soul Museum </span><span>which was in the FedEx Forum - home to the Memphis Grizzlies.</span> It was <span style="font-style: italic;">so</span> worth the price of admission. Not counting Graceland, this was the longest tour & was absolutely loaded with m</span><span style="font-family:arial;">emorabilia</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. There was history dripping off the walls and since it was self-guided, you could really take everything in at your own pace.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvazJvdcnsTBmhwRQqVMtDfTznWxmiA-SpPQg_ewbNqONur4uCLP8CdBfMRBBhrimFyKajWPqmSxQ3laUt6lF_DZJRpmzUwcq9KyzcL9IOzKK0BctqMogNat8K9aRXF-CkiMM/s1600-h/100_2801.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 177px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQvazJvdcnsTBmhwRQqVMtDfTznWxmiA-SpPQg_ewbNqONur4uCLP8CdBfMRBBhrimFyKajWPqmSxQ3laUt6lF_DZJRpmzUwcq9KyzcL9IOzKK0BctqMogNat8K9aRXF-CkiMM/s320/100_2801.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330906743482071266" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">On the trek back to the Quad Cities, we ended up stopping at </span><span style="font-family:arial;">the infamous <span style="font-weight: bold;">Lambert's Cafe: Home of </span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">the Throwed Rolls</span>. The portions </span><span style="font-family:arial;">were family-sized and the ambiance was great...and yes, they tossed rolls all over the dining room</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. People just raised their hands and a surprisingly accurate waiter would chuck a roll clear across the room. It was really fun & the food was great - can't ask for more than that.<br /><br />Every tour we went on was well worth it. We missed out on the Gibson Guitar Factory Tour, The Pyramid, & Beale Street, unfortunately, but that just gives me more reason to head back down there sometime.<br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike83f6AyREB54_PErXjm1IcHVpcjhN4oS5FwrCX34hSEvB-1-InAP5LgWW2s6UMnD-EDooPPdd_v05A2E8NhMNWEJg-NHdr3S0jvIbKJEFQosgghZTjU4hQ99QGG5aeCpsVQA/s1600-h/x-men-origins-wolverine.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 130px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEike83f6AyREB54_PErXjm1IcHVpcjhN4oS5FwrCX34hSEvB-1-InAP5LgWW2s6UMnD-EDooPPdd_v05A2E8NhMNWEJg-NHdr3S0jvIbKJEFQosgghZTjU4hQ99QGG5aeCpsVQA/s320/x-men-origins-wolverine.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5330907930360642738" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Caved and went to see <span style="font-weight: bold;">X-Men Origins: Wolverine</span> last night with some friends of mine. I thought it was a solid popcorn summer action flick - and it's not being advertised as anything different. The fan boys are all in an up-roar because they now expect every film to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">The Dark Knight</span> or <span style="font-weight: bold;">Iron Man</span>, but the X-Men franchise has never been 100% accurate to the comic - and I don't know how it ever could be. Hugh Jackman was great, but Liev Schriever really impressed me as Sabretooth. There's a lot left to be desired in character development, but the over-the-top action makes up for most of it. Go see it.<br /><br />Later.</span></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-52606164469441421732009-04-23T12:30:00.005-05:002009-05-05T17:42:43.690-05:00So good<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJ3GXH9DF07HZ8sJmTodeITZqYo11HEHQwiOiYPFIvYXhQuvCRLTzT_gIhAZuOx8uBdmusHDMeD_gG057RsmVcarjDjRAA65EW4oxZPV7v_MOyY-uYl0ZdDJ0GkHJQJUoFMqU/s1600-h/lie_to_me.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 216px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifJ3GXH9DF07HZ8sJmTodeITZqYo11HEHQwiOiYPFIvYXhQuvCRLTzT_gIhAZuOx8uBdmusHDMeD_gG057RsmVcarjDjRAA65EW4oxZPV7v_MOyY-uYl0ZdDJ0GkHJQJUoFMqU/s320/lie_to_me.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5327940557122044898" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Best new show on TV. Period.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">If you're not watching this, you're a dummy-head.</span>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-59052750359732106062009-04-18T13:56:00.008-05:002009-05-05T17:42:08.932-05:00Funny The Way It Is<span style="font-family:arial;">Lying in the park on a beautiful day</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Sunshine in the grass</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And the children play</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Sirens pass and fire engine red</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Someone's house is burning down</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />On a day like this</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The evening comes and we're hangin' out</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />On a front step and a car goes by</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />With the windows rolled down</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And that War song is playing</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />"Why Can't We Be Friends</span>?"<span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Someone is screaming and crying</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />In the apartment upstairs</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Makes you think about it</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Somebody's going hungry</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And someone else is eatin' out</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Not right or wrong</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Somebody's heart is broken</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And it becomes your favorite song</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />The way your mouth feels in your lover's kiss</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Like a pretty bird on the breeze</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Or water to a fish</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />The bomb blast brings the building crashing to the floor</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Hear the laughter</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />While the children play war</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Make you think about it</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One kid walks ten miles to school</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Another's droppin' out</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Not right or wrong</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />On a soldier's last breath</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />His baby's being born</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Standing on a bridge</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Watch the water passing underneath</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />It must have been much harder</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />When there was no bridge, just water</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Now the world is smal</span><span style="font-family:arial;">l<br />Compared to how it used to be</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />With mount</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ains and oceans</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And winters and rivers and stars</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Watch the sky<br />A jet plane</span> <span style="font-family:arial;">so far out of my reach</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Is there someone up there</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Looking down on me</span>?<br /><span style="font-family:arial;">A boy chase a bird</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">So close but every time</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">He never catch her</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">But he can't stop tryin'<br /><br /></span> <span style="font-family:arial;"> Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Make you think about it</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One kid walks ten miles to school</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Another's droppin' out</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Not right or wrong</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">On a soldier's last breath</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />His baby's being born</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Funny the way it is</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Not right or wrong</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Somebody's broken heart</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Becomes your favorite song</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Funny the way it is (Funny the way it is)</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Make you think about it</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />One kid walks ten miles to school<br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Another's droppin' out</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /><br />Standing on a bridge</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Watch the water passing underneath</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />It must have been much harder</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />When there was no bridge, just water</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Now the world is small</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />Compared to how it use to be</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />With mountains and oceans</span><span style="font-family:arial;"><br />And winters and rivers and stars</span><br />-------------------------<span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Funny The Way It Is</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">Dave Matthews Band</span><br /><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Big Whiskey & The GrooGrux King</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GZcG6saJEz6BGx_74w2QpBOj0M0e4XgF-qpF-jyBPO4nnazcH6WA-JIVedEsn6zlIzFHno5MGgczW7FE59YR640dcrexNWGgyT_JenNQLG66vqS1xNKSlEnM1PZOxDEDuDja/s1600-h/BigWhiskeyGroogruxKing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 228px; height: 228px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_GZcG6saJEz6BGx_74w2QpBOj0M0e4XgF-qpF-jyBPO4nnazcH6WA-JIVedEsn6zlIzFHno5MGgczW7FE59YR640dcrexNWGgyT_JenNQLG66vqS1xNKSlEnM1PZOxDEDuDja/s320/BigWhiskeyGroogruxKing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326126192565088386" border="0" /></a>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-90882778391217239902009-04-01T14:56:00.006-05:002009-04-05T13:53:30.024-05:00iSick [UPDATED]<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE </span>(April 5, 09)<span style="font-weight: bold;">:</span> Turns out I've been diagnosed with having acute bronchitis. Some friends had been sick & I'm guessing I either contracted it from them or from high-fiving folks at <span style="font-weight: bold;">CSz</span>. Never had bronchitis before...not a good time.<br />------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Sick as a dog. Haven't been this bad in a long time & for such a lengthy period of time. Trying to avoid going to the doctors, but am out of options.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Finished filming, editing, and have the Chicago cut of our new pilot, </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Adventures of Brad & Chet</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. It's funny, but definitely appeals to a certain demographic and is not as accessible as </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Reality Check</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> was. Curious to see how it's received.</span>..<br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Did you see the 3.0 upgrade for the iPhone, by the way? Rumors are the <span style="font-weight: bold;">iPhone 3G Pro</span> is coming in June alongside the upgrade and will have video capabilities, etc. I'm content with the 3G and am not planning on getting a new device until my contract expires, but this 3.0 update is <span style="font-style: italic;">really</span> awesome - some stuff is long overdue, but as a complete upgrade, it's pretty sweet.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">And I think this is the greatest DVD packaging I've seen all year:</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVErJ0uRT5tT1JHRhMopfp706F62ATmvsPiTFLRs2tgWOFsvDMQ8-qHB8JUcMvFab3L0cA2l6UTxreSewB91dsFX1pFabfYQwPqbiSsjgZdC1xbtsrqbA71xr4ev3WwF6bPau/s1600-h/the-venture-bros-season-three-20081212095007797_640w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 178px; height: 234px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitVErJ0uRT5tT1JHRhMopfp706F62ATmvsPiTFLRs2tgWOFsvDMQ8-qHB8JUcMvFab3L0cA2l6UTxreSewB91dsFX1pFabfYQwPqbiSsjgZdC1xbtsrqbA71xr4ev3WwF6bPau/s320/the-venture-bros-season-three-20081212095007797_640w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5319814816810486226" border="0" /></a>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-20445505001285930032009-03-15T15:30:00.008-05:002009-03-26T00:02:32.308-05:00Who Broke The Mirror?<span style="font-family:arial;">On Friday, at <span style="font-weight: bold;">CSz</span> we had:</span> <ul style="font-family:arial;"><li><span style="font-family:arial;">our ref </span><span style="font-family:arial;">get into a car accident and miss the show (he's o.k.)</span></li><li style="font-family: arial;">our bartender go to the hospital with heart flutters</li><li style="font-family: arial;">a cast member simply just not show up<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">our cash register break after completing the first transaction</li><li style="font-family: arial;">our judging paddles break</li><li style="font-family: arial;">someone almost get fired<br /></li><li style="font-family: arial;">our sister theatres' computers freeze up</li><li style="font-family: arial;">our rear access door magically unlock itself</li><li style="font-family: arial;">and a toilet back up<br /></li></ul><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm not that superstitious, but it was Friday the 13th.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA8njgGiwfZkhskDhh-TbtizFXZD2ufr5KjzNcdWgrN8Qs9Xmx5zRBOwjhFpj4WLWbKcYkCuMZIf4RBJZQOjxnhMDe9NDK32b64Vzhpt7rt7nBBjH9Ceg1IbHIafuOAbwwj7m/s1600-h/friday2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 108px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWA8njgGiwfZkhskDhh-TbtizFXZD2ufr5KjzNcdWgrN8Qs9Xmx5zRBOwjhFpj4WLWbKcYkCuMZIf4RBJZQOjxnhMDe9NDK32b64Vzhpt7rt7nBBjH9Ceg1IbHIafuOAbwwj7m/s320/friday2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5313517869315658882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Oooooo!</span>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-75675133823256689112009-03-06T16:23:00.012-06:002009-03-06T16:59:19.291-06:00I Want To Go To There<span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" >from <a href="http://www.thechicagotheatre.com%3ethechicagotheatre.com%3c/a%3E%3Cspan%20style=">TheChicagoTheatre.com</a></span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><a href="http://www.thechicagotheatre.com%3ethechicagotheatre.com%3c/a%3E%3C/span%3E%3Cbr%3E%3Cbr%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3C/span%3E%3Ca%20onblur="><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 204px; height: 158px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd1O7ME7mn8cXKwypPgu6-II-soCmldAkbjb7-ZFwGvOHrfrejEVXFcfGPaycAscUvmW_c-GASB0A9otZWN2zCjJfhjPvKwXKjNeZyKjkZpKBBf8Wi2qx1H7234wV09B4mrTXp/s320/unwigged-328.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310204099338955058" border="0" /></a></span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >Actors/Directors/Musicians and comedy icons Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer are doing something they have never </span><span style=";font-family:arial;font-size:100%;" >done before; performing a six week, 30 city multi-media acoustic tour without wigs and electric instruments.<br /><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;"><strong>UNWIGGED & UNPLUGGED</strong> are the guys behind Spinal Tap and The Folksmen (from <span style="font-style: italic;">A Mighty Wind</span>) coming out from behind the hair, the facial hair, and the absence of hair, to perform as themselves songs from both films, and more, in a rare acoustic setting. You'll never hear Tap songs less loud! </p><div style="font-family: arial; text-align: justify;"> </div><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><strong>UNWIGGED & UNPLUGGED</strong> will feature songs from the original soundtrack <strong><em>This Is Spinal Tap</em></strong> (1984), the studio album <em><strong>Break Like The Wind</strong></em><strong></strong> (1992), and <em><strong>A Mighty Wind</strong></em><strong></strong> (2003) along with some special surprises and rarities thrown in.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="text-align: justify;font-family:arial;">Just got tickets for that concert. SO pumped as <span style="font-weight: bold;">This Is Spinal Tap</span> is my favorite film of all time! Between DMB, Jason Mraz, & The Travoltas, it's going to be a busy summer of shows this year...and I'm not complaining.<br /></p><p face="arial" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCA36L4m73SUXv52jfLBaHM-kVxwJtVMJBLOAPM5gevXLzsGuFOX0GY48V3l4GGWB4sWR_w1TwM6VsWGINRY-hFqQfsrxlm8Ib_s6aUKaf1F0E2DcNxv_oGhyphenhypheniv6zIihjjXMR/s1600-h/6780_10963918323.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 151px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJCA36L4m73SUXv52jfLBaHM-kVxwJtVMJBLOAPM5gevXLzsGuFOX0GY48V3l4GGWB4sWR_w1TwM6VsWGINRY-hFqQfsrxlm8Ib_s6aUKaf1F0E2DcNxv_oGhyphenhypheniv6zIihjjXMR/s320/6780_10963918323.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5310207767238930258" border="0" /></a>Saw <span style="font-weight: bold;">Watchmen</span> last night at the midnight screening.</p><p face="arial" style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;">Believe the hype. It's really well done.</p><p style="text-align: justify; font-family: arial;"> Now they're naturally going to be haters out there (regardless of if they actually enjoyed any part of it or not) as I'm sure it'll be the cool thing to bash the film because it's popular right now. To this vain attempt to gain some sort of 'cred' in between getting another piercing or tattoo so that you can stand out and be so different - just like everyone else - I offer the following: it's a popcorn blockbuster film & doesn't runaway or<span class="text_exposed_hide"><span class="text_exposed_link"> </span></span><span class="text_exposed_show">try to hide from that. Enjoy it for what it is or don't pay the money to go see it because you should know by now what you're getting into.<br /></span></p><p face="arial" style="text-align: justify;"><span class="text_exposed_show" style="font-family:arial;">I'm not saying you're not entitled to your opinion, but those people that are already going in with the mindset that they're going to hate it and have already passed judgement </span><span class="text_exposed_show" style="font-family:arial;">(graphic novel purists and film snobs alike), your pre-bias is unwarranted and not needed.</span><span class="text_exposed_show"><br /></span></p>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-84486269312960586782009-02-28T11:31:00.013-06:002009-03-06T17:00:36.035-06:00What Watch Would A Watchmen Watch If A Watchmens' Watch Wouldn't Work?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ywyTUirtpoYDanOLKNDDom5b0Wz5X4ZXq0bInHaLh3S-5alP6AecUDiJvSTD4VsdySm7ozi2ibsFggmcYxLWznvRyjbjnDT0T6juDYNsE3timzXvkikXX7_hA8fb3qGHV9b_/s1600-h/IMG_0103.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 170px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1ywyTUirtpoYDanOLKNDDom5b0Wz5X4ZXq0bInHaLh3S-5alP6AecUDiJvSTD4VsdySm7ozi2ibsFggmcYxLWznvRyjbjnDT0T6juDYNsE3timzXvkikXX7_hA8fb3qGHV9b_/s320/IMG_0103.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307905732049242258" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Jason Mraz</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> concert @ NIU was surprisingly short, but very fun - & it was great to get a chance to reconnect with B-Lo.<br /><br /></span> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bW_F_PNGGS5DkLGfhyphenhyphenqkiuAVpcXmq6ChWAeWzT94fKCW_L1R182VMq5SisOLHFfFUJjEAhDr3_GnyLJxFsK3qK7ILsJzxZFPvgZatEft-ZEiW-SDoNo-oxrE1tqhiACtiCu0/s1600-h/Album-31943-9906409-vedera_ep.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9bW_F_PNGGS5DkLGfhyphenhyphenqkiuAVpcXmq6ChWAeWzT94fKCW_L1R182VMq5SisOLHFfFUJjEAhDr3_GnyLJxFsK3qK7ILsJzxZFPvgZatEft-ZEiW-SDoNo-oxrE1tqhiACtiCu0/s320/Album-31943-9906409-vedera_ep.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307906356188863058" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The real surprise was the opening act called </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Vedera</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. They were AWESOME & I can't recommend them</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> enough. They're based out of Kansas City so I'm wondering if Pete and rest of the K.C. crew has ever heard of them before. You can find them on <a href="http://www.myspace.com/vedera">MySpace</a> and on iTunes.</span><span style="font-style: italic;"><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /></span></span><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxHtguh5Puz9aC3KGZewpiCavAclK5JtaUbjRaral8d8Yf5CNO1oBtAshNMPzLnk0U3BBeR6V28pfxrYTKla_PEt0Uuqoi6gIUSAamveJ7KsNZIaduTpvIKVMMCtNJsojX2m8/s1600-h/religulous-poster-big.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 58px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUxHtguh5Puz9aC3KGZewpiCavAclK5JtaUbjRaral8d8Yf5CNO1oBtAshNMPzLnk0U3BBeR6V28pfxrYTKla_PEt0Uuqoi6gIUSAamveJ7KsNZIaduTpvIKVMMCtNJsojX2m8/s320/religulous-poster-big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307908791044973634" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Religulous</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> is out on DVD. Buy/Rent it. Watch it. Discuss.</span><br /></div><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">We finished principal photography on </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Adventures of Brad & Chet</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, our follow-up pilot to </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Reality Check</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, last weekend & now it's off to editing. It was great to be a part of the filming this time and getting to meet and hang out the cast. We're hoping to duplicate and exceed the success from last year as promoting and traveling cross-country with the pilot was a blast.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa22J-blJNeJdg-yidqp5nUfLw0ZmN9vDHq-lwmFv7q3HCVlzViOgTs18Q6-mBMeTPh4Foq8w4JnUJfWV44wKlDxHySFIys0_QeTLXw1Vjx5HHVZuf8wvKsv3-u_RIaqXdiMC/s1600-h/WatchmenImaxExperience.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 222px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJa22J-blJNeJdg-yidqp5nUfLw0ZmN9vDHq-lwmFv7q3HCVlzViOgTs18Q6-mBMeTPh4Foq8w4JnUJfWV44wKlDxHySFIys0_QeTLXw1Vjx5HHVZuf8wvKsv3-u_RIaqXdiMC/s320/WatchmenImaxExperience.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5307904602959896594" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Now, I tried to steer clear of the </span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Watchmen</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> craze, but also admit that the graphic novel has been sitting unread on my bookshelf for about 4 years. One of those things I always was going to get to, but never did. So I pulled it down, dusted it off, and proceeded to read it cover-to-cover a day or so ago & now I get what all the hub-bub is about. It's an amazing read and really was one of the forefront "anti-hero" comics. It presents super-heros with human flaws and I couldn't put it down.<br /><br />Who watches the Watchmen? Well, I can tell you it will be myself and millions mor</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e when it drops this Friday (midnight showing on Thursday, if you're a hardcore fan).</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-19705771472937658292009-02-11T13:57:00.008-06:002009-03-06T16:58:07.362-06:00Knight rides again<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKW479MjrmknW0_CFDa56XZk2Cjc30e3BYBWPJH5CJMlSPL16aP8OhDI6Zx6JfchtfyoIJIFaMZ3WCtvXg1OfnFi_otcpXOzvNKoiPrJ1npAUFoB5BGNKjeYYSM9cFGGLzGw1/s1600-h/The-Dark-Knight-Poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 227px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVKW479MjrmknW0_CFDa56XZk2Cjc30e3BYBWPJH5CJMlSPL16aP8OhDI6Zx6JfchtfyoIJIFaMZ3WCtvXg1OfnFi_otcpXOzvNKoiPrJ1npAUFoB5BGNKjeYYSM9cFGGLzGw1/s320/The-Dark-Knight-Poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5301632089187315298" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Whole. Lee. Crap.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Through some friends of mine, I was able to get comped tickets to see </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >The Dark Knight</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> at our local IMAX Theatre.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Granted, I already own it on Blu-ray, it was like a whole different experience and I can't recommend seeing it in this format enough. Almost vertigo inducing at times, the performances seem even more intense and I was actually more impressed with it than I was on previous viewings.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Just stop reading & go see it.<br /><br />You're welcome.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Going to see <span style="font-weight: bold;">Jason Mraz</span> (for the 6th time) in concert next week at Northern Illinois University, and also got tickets to see <span style="font-weight: bold;">Dave Matthews Band</span> (for the 35th time) in Nashville, TN, with Mraz opening for them. Woot!</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Now get off my lawn, you crazy kids.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-308024347941119542009-02-02T21:59:00.009-06:002009-03-06T16:58:36.074-06:00The real MVP wasn't on NBC<span style="font-family:arial;">Sorry, Santonio Holmes.</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3md79nbI8wZPqZ2b_Nv5x5lSoHvcUUZSM4LAqeKzAfB9F8o9fGFMr32psOtGQ_pWb8C53Xm4n24Oh5MQ-qObprbnDFv_XaLOnFME80eMNoYQ2xgEsRnSWaDafIcuS2pMSPaJ/s1600-h/PBV.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 183px; height: 137px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3md79nbI8wZPqZ2b_Nv5x5lSoHvcUUZSM4LAqeKzAfB9F8o9fGFMr32psOtGQ_pWb8C53Xm4n24Oh5MQ-qObprbnDFv_XaLOnFME80eMNoYQ2xgEsRnSWaDafIcuS2pMSPaJ/s320/PBV.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298416876975548082" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">You all may have won the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Super Bowl</span>, but the action was equally exciting over at <span style="font-weight: bold;">Puppy Bowl V</span> on Animal Planet, where Madeline the beagle whooped up on everyone with 3 touchdowns ON ONE PLAY finishing with 4 on the day. You had, what, 1 touchdown on Sunday there, Santonio?</span><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: left;"><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;">It's clear who the real winner was on Sunday.</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQEhybJdWkarts6dJ0fwtDR7aGRsiV5BIPu_fchBt9zzBXFeUAmEG9tZWX47fUGst49u5_rW8ogAi0osDjQ_mAv_BEDRMIafiMiK9y-QqF5qi0igZ1EzTmJMkvDo33dQVmxXB/s1600-h/Matilda.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 317px; height: 270px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVQEhybJdWkarts6dJ0fwtDR7aGRsiV5BIPu_fchBt9zzBXFeUAmEG9tZWX47fUGst49u5_rW8ogAi0osDjQ_mAv_BEDRMIafiMiK9y-QqF5qi0igZ1EzTmJMkvDo33dQVmxXB/s320/Matilda.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298418042688762082" border="0" /></a><br /></div><span style="font-family:arial;">Better luck next time, Holmes.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:arial;">P.S. - I can't believe <a href="http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/">FU, Penguin</a> hasn't had a field day with the <span style="font-weight: bold;">Puppy Bowl's</span> yet...</span></span><br /></div></div></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-46921183028389311472009-01-30T11:35:00.003-06:002009-03-06T16:59:43.039-06:00Arriving a little late to this party, but...<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL1hOxa5dZNbTSiChDrTAA_a3f2wCAz8x3ov-KxED_RxiR8mHEU74e9DXAWuznLctqySeGUZpPJuQzmaSJjPRxx9yPylpvh_V2TQcmu7iF3Y6x6XJt937wCg6lgTIbRs0duWi/s1600-h/tBM0F.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 213px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsL1hOxa5dZNbTSiChDrTAA_a3f2wCAz8x3ov-KxED_RxiR8mHEU74e9DXAWuznLctqySeGUZpPJuQzmaSJjPRxx9yPylpvh_V2TQcmu7iF3Y6x6XJt937wCg6lgTIbRs0duWi/s320/tBM0F.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5297141834909163794" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">This might be <a href="http://fuckyoupenguin.blogspot.com/">the greatest blog ever.</a></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Enjoy.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;">P.S. - Seeing certain people finally reap what they've been sowing is cathartic.</span><br /></span>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-61841968838056385392009-01-24T13:37:00.003-06:002009-03-06T17:00:58.846-06:00An Apple A Day...<div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6rk8I4sq9SnE3wGTdHRhj_P9fLxOXdX1f5s9uNnPhbsl9h2Aa8zmdEixO54VHVhhQKbLzIeBNAiNqNmeEzPoxyVi0VmS8erwYceek9tT-HKGSMjjvSLPOweRFlQVYE782Uxi/s1600-h/LogoSlateLgHi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC6rk8I4sq9SnE3wGTdHRhj_P9fLxOXdX1f5s9uNnPhbsl9h2Aa8zmdEixO54VHVhhQKbLzIeBNAiNqNmeEzPoxyVi0VmS8erwYceek9tT-HKGSMjjvSLPOweRFlQVYE782Uxi/s320/LogoSlateLgHi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5294947433478793922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><a href="http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/01/24/apple_thriving_on_25th_anniversary_of_the_mac.html">Happy Birthday, Mac.</a></span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-84359826040473242212009-01-06T20:08:00.022-06:002009-03-06T17:02:28.744-06:005 Best Movies of 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDC8HKdFzMHGgW3qepudcKX9Vj1cs6mgNyzSUTsu3-ftxX4kOTE0TNR3RzYGK74RMYKYm10xYo11bEqpHNxzaHjY8XuXmLZR3YBtBmZoBkhNj0kurvmefzcvjIOIJFsy7YcWw/s1600-h/the-dark-knight-characters_472x312.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 44px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNDC8HKdFzMHGgW3qepudcKX9Vj1cs6mgNyzSUTsu3-ftxX4kOTE0TNR3RzYGK74RMYKYm10xYo11bEqpHNxzaHjY8XuXmLZR3YBtBmZoBkhNj0kurvmefzcvjIOIJFsy7YcWw/s320/the-dark-knight-characters_472x312.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288822858616126162" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >1) The Dark Knight</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Heath Ledger's take on The Joker is absolutely incredible. Yes, he deserves an Oscar nod for it - I'm not saying a win, I'm just saying a nomi</span><span style="font-family:arial;">natio</span><span style="font-family:arial;">n</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. It'</span><span style="font-family:arial;">s pretty amazing that a "super-hero" movie is the strongest outing from Hollywood this year, b</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ut t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">he script is so solid, it's set in a believable world, and the supporting cast is stellar.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> </span><span>You can't help but get sucked in to The Joker's schemes and can't wait for him to be back on the scre<span style="font-family:arial;">en. Add to that the introduction of Two-Face, and this is the most solid rogue's gallery in any Batman film. This film makes the loss of Ledger even harder to take, but stands as a lingering testiment to his talent.</span><br /></span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEZOgZRtmi_ZA9_ce_BphgfNJYJcfEr4Cm2xXF1VLYl0A8a_HvPT_4sF-rf0-LobtbN047HOCo-76b43GHazMtfCuOf4AgKKeu5lGu7vpG1FqoERpIAhaqw_InUfRfWtnpmF2/s1600-h/wall-e-poster3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 73px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheEZOgZRtmi_ZA9_ce_BphgfNJYJcfEr4Cm2xXF1VLYl0A8a_HvPT_4sF-rf0-LobtbN047HOCo-76b43GHazMtfCuOf4AgKKeu5lGu7vpG1FqoERpIAhaqw_InUfRfWtnpmF2/s320/wall-e-poster3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288823093733494034" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >2) Wall E</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">This is the best Pixar film ever made. Better than </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Toy Story</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. Better than </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Toy Story 2</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. Even better than </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Ratatouille</span><span style="font-family:arial;">. The titular character</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> is one of only three characters on screen for about the first hour or so and I could've just watched them together the whole film. Granted, there was a not-to-subtle message about the Earth and the environment, but the rest of the story is great and the character animation is flawles</span><span style="font-family:arial;">s. As a friend point</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ed out, it's really a shame that this film can't get a Best Picture nod (it has it's o</span><span style="font-family:arial;">wn catagory for Animated Feature) as it's much more enjoyable then </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The Curious Case of Benjamin Button</span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwZCLZkwB4yVTJnit9onzEcf10mrlsHOjGH11s5pbghFm7kTelsqhXTzFuHsl7xGb339WvrgtPxZWAh_FK6Tzcrf3pZTU2lG-QSEHXvLOP0wguLoN1mwCaSKoxOltY4GAmSdh/s1600-h/IronManPS3BoxArt.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 72px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEwZCLZkwB4yVTJnit9onzEcf10mrlsHOjGH11s5pbghFm7kTelsqhXTzFuHsl7xGb339WvrgtPxZWAh_FK6Tzcrf3pZTU2lG-QSEHXvLOP0wguLoN1mwCaSKoxOltY4GAmSdh/s320/IronManPS3BoxArt.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288823407621304514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >3) Iron Man</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">What a role for Robert Downey, Jr. to make a return</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> with. Reportedly having to fight very hard to land the role, it's now hard to imagine any one else in it. With a sequel already announced, it's going to be exciting to see where director Jon Faverau decides to take the franchise as he and the leads are committed through a trilogy. (Don Cheadale is re</span><span style="font-family:arial;">placing Terrance Howard, but the rest of the cast remains in place) The effects were fantastic too. It's pretty amazing that two "super-hero" movies have cracked the top 5 in the same year.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcvQta3wBgtifmVKQf6QHrCBKwmmC1j3A02noivTt_zskpEHArBLn3tUdrcLLzQIvMdogzwmfmyQzhBzSXb1eIChyyriJ6nmxtofmQCyEaaqg449IoI52_2YrU8ZnRLQyp3YH/s1600-h/marley-and-me-poster-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 56px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDcvQta3wBgtifmVKQf6QHrCBKwmmC1j3A02noivTt_zskpEHArBLn3tUdrcLLzQIvMdogzwmfmyQzhBzSXb1eIChyyriJ6nmxtofmQCyEaaqg449IoI52_2YrU8ZnRLQyp3YH/s320/marley-and-me-poster-1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288823619499778146" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >4) Marley & Me</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Every pet owner should see this movie - regardless if you're a dog person or not. Based off the best-selling book by John Grogan, the adaptation takes som</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e liberties, but doesn't stray too far from the source material. The cast works as Owen Wilson and Jennifer Aniston are a believable couple, plus the welcome addition of Alan Arkin as John's boss was a nice surprise. The multiple dogs playing Marley steal the show as the casting of them were perfectly done showing how the lab aged as the family grew and relocated. The story itself is really about a new family coming together and the dog is a nice device to accentuate it.</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /></span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kbcL_lWOuhWORCe2gKl0WSMePtJxtuFj8VUfFG3Nqc0hGcyLgtbySV0ETttM8CoSmR-yj5Rir33Yi4b49tGOUWKkUAYxAkx8e9sNkxsQcJSDHBpBzQz2JOS6bsALflGWJRNH/s1600-h/religulous-poster-big.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 58px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6kbcL_lWOuhWORCe2gKl0WSMePtJxtuFj8VUfFG3Nqc0hGcyLgtbySV0ETttM8CoSmR-yj5Rir33Yi4b49tGOUWKkUAYxAkx8e9sNkxsQcJSDHBpBzQz2JOS6bsALflGWJRNH/s320/religulous-poster-big.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288823870443768866" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >5) Religulous</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">To say Bill Maher is outspoken is like saying J-Lo has a ridiculous ego: it's an obvious fact thrown into our faces every week. (Maher via his TV show; J-Lo via US Weekly, InTouch, etc.) However, Maher tends to reel it in a bit - until the very end of the film - as he takes an honest ...and sometimes uncomfortable look at religion, but this film is also something that is well overdue. And while most people wouldn't tag Maher as the one they wanted to hear from on the issue, he's also one of the few to finally stand up and bring the issue of religion to life and does so in a comedic yet meanin<span style="font-family:arial;">gful way.</span> Everyone should see this film at least once as it's guaranteed to create a discussion.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSoTLSnnjBEOIUrcIp7kZBckvbNC_A8Nj33EYNHN4RZm23u3Khc4RcTJMnhsCRqBn4JI1eGZ9eQy8iTVDokkczNCzhcNu0jXv1Eppw_KiFBMujZPDXTYNq7MwLQFFS1zE0V_7/s1600-h/normal_wanted-nycc_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 62px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSoTLSnnjBEOIUrcIp7kZBckvbNC_A8Nj33EYNHN4RZm23u3Khc4RcTJMnhsCRqBn4JI1eGZ9eQy8iTVDokkczNCzhcNu0jXv1Eppw_KiFBMujZPDXTYNq7MwLQFFS1zE0V_7/s320/normal_wanted-nycc_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288824034891468306" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Honorable Mention (tie): Wanted</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I honestly had no clue who James McAvoy was until the credits rolled on this film. His earnest take on patsy-turned-hitman Wesley Gibson was very believable and I was pleased to hear that a sequel is reportedly in the works. (I'm also curious to see if the clever introduction of bending bullets makes it's way into every action film moving forward) Angelina Jolie is the cover girl for the film and does a good job as a femme fatale, but Mor</span><span style="font-family:arial;">gan Freeman was the biggest casting surprise as the deceptive brains behind the whole operation. After reading the graphic novel it's based on, I was glad to see that they took the story in a more realistic way and I'm looking forward to where the franchise goes in the future.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgluHq7Q77972gUtMvfviSLFy_mBfmmTwP8bmU8hvUVE5lf6kGV3xSzqMjpaTmqUxXv71IGStCWr18iZEoCplGio1c8t14dHAOFbRjvWIzBq5BbjXV1gHr4ksd4tuFci7Z20z/s1600-h/hamlet-2-poster2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUgluHq7Q77972gUtMvfviSLFy_mBfmmTwP8bmU8hvUVE5lf6kGV3xSzqMjpaTmqUxXv71IGStCWr18iZEoCplGio1c8t14dHAOFbRjvWIzBq5BbjXV1gHr4ksd4tuFci7Z20z/s320/hamlet-2-poster2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5291774781132412514" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Honorable Mention (tie): Hamlet 2</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While not a box office success, I think anyone that has ever been in or appreciates theatre should see this hysterical film. It's done by the producers of South Park so expect the style of humor going in, but all the tolerant folk out there will love this absolute gem...and I defy you to get "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" out of your head after seeing it. Steve Coogan (also in <span style="font-weight: bold;">Tropic Thunder</span>) shines as a failing drama teacher who puts all his struggles into a musical that is a sequel to Hamlet - and the rest pretty much speaks for itself. Elisabeth Shue cameos as herself and I'm convinced the movie world is a better place with more Elisaberth Shue in it. I saw this in an unfortunately empty theater the night that I went, but I laughed until my sides hurt and was inspired when I walked out. You can't really ask for much more than that out of a theatrical experience.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-16950541081469003112009-01-06T19:04:00.014-06:002009-03-06T17:03:10.909-06:005 Best TV Shows of 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyko2vkllcU_v_oWp1-VgG6ix4n9jW2nlIVH4IIOf-MbpCPh-XOoKtj9mIqgK6shG048hKxke2shAkLqLQA9rG3R9Kl7k_3Ve8hME106B-K9Q3owBrGu5n_mizZTkBnZnYUyMR/s1600-h/lost.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 80px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyko2vkllcU_v_oWp1-VgG6ix4n9jW2nlIVH4IIOf-MbpCPh-XOoKtj9mIqgK6shG048hKxke2shAkLqLQA9rG3R9Kl7k_3Ve8hME106B-K9Q3owBrGu5n_mizZTkBnZnYUyMR/s320/lost.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288352905252237362" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >1) LOST</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Whatever mojo the series lost with its much maligned second and third seasons, it c</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ertainly dug in and went back to what worked because this season was as com</span><span style="font-family:arial;">pelling and intriguing as the first - when none of us knew what was going on or what a D</span><span style="font-family:arial;">harma was. Perhaps it was the strike shortened season that caused the writers to hunker down and really give u</span><span style="font-family:arial;">s meaty episodes, but whatever it was worked as a lot of the side stories were all cast away and secondary characters back stories were quickly established rather than drawn out over </span><span style="font-family:arial;">multiple episodes. Plus, the Oceanic 6 stor</span><span style="font-family:arial;">yline was the best story on TV this year as everyone was guessing, theories abounded, and the element that made the show so great initially</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> had finally returned. Anyone else already have their DV</span><span style="font-family:arial;">R's set for January 21st?</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXp2QdGwI67UsT2unYFEAIgbystB68fBjCSUOtYvqA-m3_go9uTRk3gZTHShQOB5gHcMSk0GL9tSApoI5COGT-wX3B9R607-WvVRnebPIoZ5IH-lS8OAxV5Mj5BhOVozYFpum/s1600-h/mad_men_500.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhXp2QdGwI67UsT2unYFEAIgbystB68fBjCSUOtYvqA-m3_go9uTRk3gZTHShQOB5gHcMSk0GL9tSApoI5COGT-wX3B9R607-WvVRnebPIoZ5IH-lS8OAxV5Mj5BhOVozYFpum/s320/mad_men_500.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288353043509714834" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >2) Mad Men</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I finally started watching this show based on </span><span style="font-family:arial;">a friends' </span><span style="font-family:arial;">recommendation and what an amazing series to get caught up in. Reaching back to an era when smoking was the norm, women's roles were clearly defined, and decadence ruled. The world of Don Draper is a fascinating place to observe. The writing in the second season was so solid and the only frustration that crept in was having to wait another week to find out what would happen next. The acting and character developm</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ent is asto</span><span style="font-family:arial;">unding and the show is more than deserving of it's Emmy and Golden Globe nods.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WudEvfqBTkX0VKGz35O1ygKM_uwPCvRhTdbyORZ1aHinyd3v6hgq343WuS04fMLiaVuyHrv0f-3EPzKxRE6k6EWEBtHfKIjfKB2fS11GQxKC5LDPM9yYnwKhZhqH46TE3xeK/s1600-h/1280x1024_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 40px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WudEvfqBTkX0VKGz35O1ygKM_uwPCvRhTdbyORZ1aHinyd3v6hgq343WuS04fMLiaVuyHrv0f-3EPzKxRE6k6EWEBtHfKIjfKB2fS11GQxKC5LDPM9yYnwKhZhqH46TE3xeK/s320/1280x1024_1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288355088271394802" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >3) 30 Rock</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">It's a little disconcerting that it took Tina Fey's d</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ead-on portrayal of Sarah Palin on Saturday Night Live to draw viewers over to the funniest show on television. Once people tuned in, they were hooked into the crazy world of Liz Lemon</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, but those viewers should've already been there as the first two seasons of this show are hysterical - and, not surprisingly, those seasons are now the most requested/downloaded comedy series online. I'm glad that they are now getting the respect they deserve as the Emmy wins yet low viewership had an eerie echo to another incre</span><span style="font-family:arial;">dible show that suffered a similar fate, but was canceled well ahead of its time. (*ahem* Arrested Development *ahem*) Alec Baldwin shines, Tina Fey is the "Elaine May of our time," and Tracy Morgan just makes everything funnier.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyrOA6GOpwAn8cldds6u6VgJCHMF82wOFdDYyzvfaCuryNlmuCSYRYgC2uVBsM9gc2KASHEhrl1hSBaaCt5pvbjhZf2zTqf9Y7mYc7Wfn6WOFh5gAcqazKoZwG0LH8bW1uhI7/s1600-h/extras.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 66px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEyrOA6GOpwAn8cldds6u6VgJCHMF82wOFdDYyzvfaCuryNlmuCSYRYgC2uVBsM9gc2KASHEhrl1hSBaaCt5pvbjhZf2zTqf9Y7mYc7Wfn6WOFh5gAcqazKoZwG0LH8bW1uhI7/s320/extras.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288357412613695554" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >4) Extras</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">While it didn't technically have a full season this year, the tail end of season 2 and the <span style="font-style: italic;">Extra Special Series Finale</span> both aired this year - the latter of which is arguably Ricky Gervais best acting performance to date. Still the master of the awkward moment, Gervais actually took the series in a much more dramatic direction as we grew frustrated with Andy's ever-increasing ego, annoyed with yet sympathetic to Stephen Merchant's Darren Lamb, and our hearts broke for Ashley Jensen's Maggie as she came to grips with her place in show business and her steadfast friendship to Andy despite his treatment of her. The last 20 minutes of the finale are just amazing to watch.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQqJ5NIhl7nhF8YUWVhDNeB_GAe053ht0QNk6AhuCeiG9R48FRUP7-M2ZK0Gm3IYD_bjQO-iKkgMOIB8xzaJhRWP0YoIpCMuw3GfJrcsYSGYAgeJ9ml8P0U4FdAY9ab_mz2uV/s1600-h/the_office_thumb.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWQqJ5NIhl7nhF8YUWVhDNeB_GAe053ht0QNk6AhuCeiG9R48FRUP7-M2ZK0Gm3IYD_bjQO-iKkgMOIB8xzaJhRWP0YoIpCMuw3GfJrcsYSGYAgeJ9ml8P0U4FdAY9ab_mz2uV/s320/the_office_thumb.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288357725228410466" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >5) The Office</span> <div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">While the writer's strike was unfortunate yet very warranted, it sure seemed to bring out the best <span style="font-family:arial;">in some of these shows. It was like the writers said, "Oh ye</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-family:arial;">ah?! Well, here's some awesome scripts right before we go on strike so that everyone will miss us." Which then begs the question - why aren't the rest of the episodes during the season as strong as the ones in the strike-shortened season of <span style="font-style: italic;">The Office</span>?</span> That's not to say that the writing is generally poor or anything like that, but all of a sudden the relationships all started to finally pay off (Jim & Pam, Michael & Jan, etc.), great characters started to shine (Andrew Bernard), and the oddities just grew more odd (Dwight Schrute). I hope that the writers can keep that momentum going - and that the creators of the show pull whatever strings necessary to bring Amy Ryan's Holly back into Michael's love life.<br /><br /></span> </div><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTw_HKL3Aw3Ec1I7D1_9jhsnYICdD1tN8_ZpwRq3PY8v4CHgLbDEv9gxlWHGpFOODtkvGC-Sjgw2Ku5Ex0mwOGzhFIVXiCW2ZY-lsG7ufESKe4ggV4jcgouzYGzZ3ZCznm0zU/s1600-h/flight-of-the-conchords-dvd.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 76px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWTw_HKL3Aw3Ec1I7D1_9jhsnYICdD1tN8_ZpwRq3PY8v4CHgLbDEv9gxlWHGpFOODtkvGC-Sjgw2Ku5Ex0mwOGzhFIVXiCW2ZY-lsG7ufESKe4ggV4jcgouzYGzZ3ZCznm0zU/s320/flight-of-the-conchords-dvd.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288359680623378706" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Honorable Mention: Flight of the Conchords</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Our favorite kiwis made their debut on HBO this year and the world was finally introduced to the musical stylings of Bret and Jemaine. I was fortunate enough to have received a copy of their album, Folk The World, as well as purchase their audiobook on iTunes (that no one seemed to know about) a year or so ago and I was ecstatic to find out they were filming their own show. Initially branded as a folk version of Tenacious D, Bret & Jemaine proved themselves to be much more as their wit, humbleness, and approachability endeared them to everyone. With a best selling album and another season premiering in February, here's hoping 2009 will be an even better year for the breakout duo.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-90897312690731864192009-01-06T18:20:00.014-06:002009-03-06T17:03:55.653-06:005 Best Videogames of 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhob_Ma3U6_SXfYSNWlnulOMlzGQggoYeQdOF1BC9g7R8Lw6ESLjWxjDcpiZyVCc9WnYyjFhCszYQgi5v6FF-QjsdSYj0Sqcc3f8iNtGMikSUJA2SnqIY_YuKssvGZssii0czxO/s1600-h/game-fallout3-poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 57px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhob_Ma3U6_SXfYSNWlnulOMlzGQggoYeQdOF1BC9g7R8Lw6ESLjWxjDcpiZyVCc9WnYyjFhCszYQgi5v6FF-QjsdSYj0Sqcc3f8iNtGMikSUJA2SnqIY_YuKssvGZssii0czxO/s320/game-fallout3-poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288345296708179090" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >1) Fallout 3</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">Running hot off of past Game </span><span style="font-family:arial;">of the Year honoree </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >El</span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >der Scrolls IV: Oblivion</span><span style="font-family:arial;">, Bethesda earned the rights to bring back the long dormant <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout</span></span><span style="font-family:arial;"> franchise and did not disappoint. Using the solid gameplay elements introduced in their previous titles alongside honoring the established mythology o</span><span style="font-family:arial;">f the world of <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout</span>, but feeling free to take us in a whole new direction, the game more than met expectations of loyalists and new players alike. With immersive environements, a compelling story, and a unique take on combat (including reintroducing the VATS system), <span style="font-style: italic;">Fallout 3</span> hit on every level and won many Game of the Year awards - making Bethesda even hotter than it ever has been.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QFbMhyphenhyphen6RBCgb1kiUTV6muNO3FixldjbHMCBBJV4o57TX9TeGb4-H6Zx2mBcvoHk2IZTKDXHTNE87he13aMTZ1nn4fjYrgT33BAKy3i-3QbylTxPPhkmQjdhIs3k3UtHQGkEW/s1600-h/metal-gear-solid-4-portada.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 57px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5QFbMhyphenhyphen6RBCgb1kiUTV6muNO3FixldjbHMCBBJV4o57TX9TeGb4-H6Zx2mBcvoHk2IZTKDXHTNE87he13aMTZ1nn4fjYrgT33BAKy3i-3QbylTxPPhkmQjdhIs3k3UtHQGkEW/s320/metal-gear-solid-4-portada.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288345413379873746" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >2) Metal Gear Solid 4</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">One main reason that this is not in the 3rd position is that, if creator Hideo Kojima is not misleading us, this is the final chapter in the Solid Snake era of <span style="font-style: italic;">MGS</span> - a storyline that reaches all the way back to the</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> original 8-bit Nintendo system. Many <span style="font-style: italic;">MGS</span> titles that followed were Gane of the Year winners and fans cl</span><span style="font-family:arial;">amored to find out where Snake was going next. While criticized that his products had</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> become more movies than games, Kojima Productions more than answered that charge with a lengthy game that had it's beautifully rendered cinematic moments for sure, but also solid hours of gameplay to back it up. If this is truly Snake's final bow, then he's gone out in style.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNAqKSExw7JdSRW4ycrQcw09HX2UnAn0YDEqAm-GvR4TXxcBbAyRcyaMr5QET-9fbcIgzNOhgldQRNWmoob3PhsXnHRn0YZI6FJoAl1zjySKun1Lctbi8lDUEQ_MiiGwSR4t7/s1600-h/grandtheftauto4snl.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 92px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRNAqKSExw7JdSRW4ycrQcw09HX2UnAn0YDEqAm-GvR4TXxcBbAyRcyaMr5QET-9fbcIgzNOhgldQRNWmoob3PhsXnHRn0YZI6FJoAl1zjySKun1Lctbi8lDUEQ_MiiGwSR4t7/s320/grandtheftauto4snl.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288345618273845202" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >3) Grand Theft Auto 4</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">You could playfully call <span style="font-style: italic;">GTA IV</span>, 'ca</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ffine free.' That's because Rockstar Games has seemed to do away with the childishness of it's previous <span style="font-style: italic;">GTA</span> title (Google "Hot Coffee" to see what I mean) and created a very dramatic story that some have even compared to <span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >The Departed</span>. Inside jokes and puns are to be found f</span><span style="font-family:arial;">or sure, but they're not as blantant or comical as in the past. Saddle that gritty story with a very believable rendering of Liberty City (a blatant recreation of New York City), tighter mechanics, and the best voice acting in any game ever and it's easy to see that pulling the reigns in a bit on their flagship title has Rockstar heading in the right direction again.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgns2lAkjVZsPiutytNM0Qt1DpxdgjLGYm6CgB3BWDSi6dXQVEhk3j_lAh3A-CSRkQel8Mo6Zr9BQ24PWL883JX9-4bXlTByab7kqR9LX7AJBcZZLomISv4rNt8VABCS3I5SL/s1600-h/rock-band-2-tba-20080629094111871_640w.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 62px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrgns2lAkjVZsPiutytNM0Qt1DpxdgjLGYm6CgB3BWDSi6dXQVEhk3j_lAh3A-CSRkQel8Mo6Zr9BQ24PWL883JX9-4bXlTByab7kqR9LX7AJBcZZLomISv4rNt8VABCS3I5SL/s320/rock-band-2-tba-20080629094111871_640w.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288345963041788674" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >4)</span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" > Rock Band 2</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Harmonix took the music gaming business by storm the past two years and this year especially showed perrenial rival <span style="font-style: italic;">Guitar Hero</span> who's boss. While not all the instrument upgrades were worth it (drums = good, guitar = not so much), the fact that at launch there were already over 300 songs available for the game is a feat unmatched. Add to that the option to port 98% of your favorite songs from the original Rock Band into the sequel and you've got an incredible set list just out of the box with nothing downloaded. Giving the Wii a run for its money as the best party game available, Harmonix also recently announced that they'll be bring a long awaited Beatles title in the next year or so - which only further cements them as the best music game in town.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsDxd_shOhPmlWgCyKHB1Q5GN-fTiTWXsXZWj7Uk8-_FWJqNAXGoAbINVHgTf9rD74TKGtIHCgKMeOTwATJguVOWSxUdCMqYqyZy62-DS3C_kafJ5IQvqVSo27aZvTyW6ZN6c/s1600-h/fable2box.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 70px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimsDxd_shOhPmlWgCyKHB1Q5GN-fTiTWXsXZWj7Uk8-_FWJqNAXGoAbINVHgTf9rD74TKGtIHCgKMeOTwATJguVOWSxUdCMqYqyZy62-DS3C_kafJ5IQvqVSo27aZvTyW6ZN6c/s320/fable2box.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288347163563340578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >5) Fable II</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">This was the game that Peter Molyneaux wanted to make with the original </span><span style="font-style: italic;font-family:arial;" >Fable </span><span style="font-family:arial;">as that game fell WAY short of it's lofty expectations. Does <span style="font-style: italic;">Fable II</span> fall short as well? Yes, but not to the extreme of its predecessor. Mr. Molyneaux could sell ice to an eskimo with his genuine enthusiasm for what his Lionhead Studios produces and what they try to achieve, but they're also getting the unfortunate tag of not coming through on promises. The introduction of the dog sidekick was a novel one, but not as riveting as it was billed. However, the storyline is great, the gameplay and combat are so much easier to handle now, and the . I'm not knocking the game for what's there because what is there is solid, but what was promised to be there and fails to make an appearance is annoying and a dangerous pattern for Lionhead to fall into.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0KHAPu2hKGth3aMilrEOAlhSFkuMvBk1Ti5aZv6FV8heDPQ7m2UdgnmgtZlK4zPw8WkX1tCQG0OXehZ_K_orteret8bpzhRgt888lOT10Yo4rhcjbabN75xz5P99PDpB65qj/s1600-h/gears-of-war-2-001.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 41px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF0KHAPu2hKGth3aMilrEOAlhSFkuMvBk1Ti5aZv6FV8heDPQ7m2UdgnmgtZlK4zPw8WkX1tCQG0OXehZ_K_orteret8bpzhRgt888lOT10Yo4rhcjbabN75xz5P99PDpB65qj/s320/gears-of-war-2-001.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288347322311429250" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Honorable Mention: Gears of War 2</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">In what was truly the year of the sequel, <span style="font-style: italic;">GOW2</span> did not disappoint as it retook the title of best first person shooter. Advancing the storyline established in the first <span style="font-style: italic;">Gears</span>, this story saw Marcus Fenix take the fight to the Locust in a very offensive minded strategy rather than the defend your turf mentality of the original. The cover aspect of the game continues to impress as it evolves and the new weapons and continued innovation of gameplay should make <span style="font-style: italic;">Gears</span> a front runner in the future. Plus, you get to ride a brumak - how cool is that?</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-52303306988173103762009-01-06T17:22:00.011-06:002009-03-06T17:04:58.189-06:005 Pleasant Surprises in Entertainment 08<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwN6xvPo0Y3MZyn1fDst9UbMkjXIVzSgAi3EngRAmNbDnqzD4yy3yTsDAvcckkPIixD2q3Apf1wbwgIYQgs0MWSBUxvrEdZmhajTTuyGs1DSs3qHTPZ1OJ7ZQo4E3GavMnmK5e/s1600-h/arrested_development.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 81px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwN6xvPo0Y3MZyn1fDst9UbMkjXIVzSgAi3EngRAmNbDnqzD4yy3yTsDAvcckkPIixD2q3Apf1wbwgIYQgs0MWSBUxvrEdZmhajTTuyGs1DSs3qHTPZ1OJ7ZQo4E3GavMnmK5e/s320/arrested_development.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288328473601756386" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >1) Official Announcement of an 'Arrested Development' Film</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I'm what </span><span style="font-family:arial;">some parents would call a 'late bloomer' to this series as all </span><span style="font-family:arial;">of my friends that knew of this show kept telling me that I would love it. Finally discovering it on Hulu, I actually was angry at myself for not getting in to this show earlier & have since obtained the entire series on DVD thanks to Amazon. I've also turned many a friend onto it since then. A few months back, I was so excited to hear that a film version was formally going into pre-p</span><span style="font-family:arial;">r</span><span style="font-family:arial;">oduction despite a potential actor holding out (the consistently over-estimating his sense of worth, Michael Cera) and am overjoyed at seeing what the Bluth Family has been up to si</span><span style="font-family:arial;">nce last being seen on the Queen Mary.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-Bu04UrmI1rySjSFFd8Q5jtjkJ6dI_ECDifKB8Cq3WggWu2Hb3IDLV5QbQ6zRbmQaipsQE82rPhQXWuPLoA9cGlQQemxELvopDLgkD6qpDcNF0LAWa48Y4TuCti5dLrcD3Gm/s1600-h/tropic-thunder-downey1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 105px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir-Bu04UrmI1rySjSFFd8Q5jtjkJ6dI_ECDifKB8Cq3WggWu2Hb3IDLV5QbQ6zRbmQaipsQE82rPhQXWuPLoA9cGlQQemxELvopDLgkD6qpDcNF0LAWa48Y4TuCti5dLrcD3Gm/s320/tropic-thunder-downey1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288328644564719890" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >2) The Triumphant Return of Robert Downey, Jr.</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">With <span style="font-style: italic;">Iron Man</span> receiving film of the year mentions due to his take on T</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ony Stark and now a potential Oscar nomination to alongside his Golden Globe nomination for his role in <span style="font-style: italic;">Tropic Thunder</span>, you could say that Robert Downey, Jr. has had himse</span><span style="font-family:arial;">lf a pretty good year. His well documented run-ins with the law and drug addiction while coming up through the Brat Pack days often trump any accolades that came along with his great perfo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rmances (see <span style="font-style: italic;">Chaplin</span>), but it appears that he's gotten his life back together and is no</span><span style="font-family:arial;">w reaping the benefits of his natural talent.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkf-lFC2EREumD1fojvoZOnq1zl1IeciR9qcjA_IIaHeQ4z3lbaqONAF1qUbsltG7X5h7-1Nhq6lsFAPqRAZEp1pPJHBAom1riw6lWtTKUwuCOhFv-1W_dJUT_IiZnumtDh7x/s1600-h/6a00b8ea0728391bc000e398aef0890003-500pi.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 108px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKkf-lFC2EREumD1fojvoZOnq1zl1IeciR9qcjA_IIaHeQ4z3lbaqONAF1qUbsltG7X5h7-1Nhq6lsFAPqRAZEp1pPJHBAom1riw6lWtTKUwuCOhFv-1W_dJUT_IiZnumtDh7x/s320/6a00b8ea0728391bc000e398aef0890003-500pi.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288330575154845154" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Mystery Science Theater 3000 Celebrates 20th Anniversary</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The "cowtown puppet show" that went on to enjoy a 10 year run over two networks and whose cult following is still growing celebrated it's 20th anniversary in styl</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e. A featured sold out event at ComicCon 2008 featured the entire cast - past and present - on a panel answering fan questions hosted by admitted MSTie Patton Oswalt. It was als</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o announced that Shout! Factory would now release their shows on DVD (taking over a former partnership with Rhino) and to herald the event, there was a 20th Anniversay Collector's Edition featuring a maquette of Crow and four classic movies bundled together. In an afterlife that has spawned two off-shoots of the format (RiffTrax and Cinematic Titanic), the show continues to receive the love it so richly deserves.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKMVHIhrlMZ6X2Hb6OnQDttFdZUuMzMwYITu1dy0b260Uqcrm4xju3F5xkd7U7g7MVB69u5aAHubqztnSbqyDw3vAeDEN_goBmfvAOxbYWfc4iQ30A9_fXU5NruGpMZuwHTI3/s1600-h/angels-demons-ambigram-langdon.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 78px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKMVHIhrlMZ6X2Hb6OnQDttFdZUuMzMwYITu1dy0b260Uqcrm4xju3F5xkd7U7g7MVB69u5aAHubqztnSbqyDw3vAeDEN_goBmfvAOxbYWfc4iQ30A9_fXU5NruGpMZuwHTI3/s320/angels-demons-ambigram-langdon.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288332859857901698" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) "Angels & Demons" Trailer</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Being one of seven people in the U.S. that actually enjoyed the film adaptation of Dan Brown's bestseller <span style="font-style: italic;">The DaVinci Code</span>, I was so excited to see an unexp</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ected trailer for the follow up film, <span style="font-style: italic;">Angels & Demons</span>. In my opinion, ithe story lends itself better to being a film and, in an artistic choice, Ron Howard's Imagine Entertainment has made this a film sequel to <span style="font-style: italic;">DaVinci</span> whereas in the novels, <span style="font-style: italic;">DaVinci </span>comes second chronologically. Already causing conc</span><span style="font-family:arial;">erns and outrage in the Catholic church over the films content and location shoots in both Rome and Vatican City, this much anticipated film should cause some waves in 2009.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyHlQ790zxaJmfx6WIoYRcSya1ocmotcqApe2DQ0-CcPCHzlXLNOcEQjYcedF8K_DGJcqIWWfoVoUtTnv0m6GRREn7z86J2SGP9soTkJOgKyTytbZfaJW4pSKyYvmNU9d9L0a/s1600-h/300324342_5_lfNg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 102px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDyHlQ790zxaJmfx6WIoYRcSya1ocmotcqApe2DQ0-CcPCHzlXLNOcEQjYcedF8K_DGJcqIWWfoVoUtTnv0m6GRREn7z86J2SGP9soTkJOgKyTytbZfaJW4pSKyYvmNU9d9L0a/s320/300324342_5_lfNg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288335936503402642" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) J.J. Abrams' "Star Trek" Trailer Debuts</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">I am not a Trekkie, by any stretch of the the imagination. I enjoyed <span style="font-style: italic;">Wrath of Kahn</span> and even liked <span style="font-style: italic;">First Contact</span>, but I've never invested myself in the Trek mythos nor ever really cared to. However, I must say I am very intrigued following viewing the first theatrical trailer of J.J. Abrams update of the franchise. It's looking to usher in a whole new breed of Trekkies (or "Trekkers," as some die hards refer to themselves as) while still paying an homage to the established fan base. With a very public mud slinging spectacle of William Shatner's frustration not being included in the flim where some of the original cast is (Leonard Nimoy supposedly cameos as an older Spock), the franchise definitely has the attention of the public - here's hoping J.J. delivers with a more solid effort than on <span style="font-style: italic;">Cloverfield</span>.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomRU3M9nuT0ZTfgsS7QC8EJAjDgNacuNZmsjtb_7llxFi5EyTvoVX2BST5-JZaUicimeXXXZxtDZ5hDABHRdfgUlYeRqWyuw4yOsbAXTEsHZeXop7AOOMNG7aRyn5crM-TPvj/s1600-h/sims3boxmj8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomRU3M9nuT0ZTfgsS7QC8EJAjDgNacuNZmsjtb_7llxFi5EyTvoVX2BST5-JZaUicimeXXXZxtDZ5hDABHRdfgUlYeRqWyuw4yOsbAXTEsHZeXop7AOOMNG7aRyn5crM-TPvj/s320/sims3boxmj8.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288336511583760882" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mention: EA Announces Release of The Sims 3</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">The greatest selling PC franchise of all time returns in 2009 with the third iteration of The Sims series. Every Sims game generates multiple spin-off titles and extra chapters, but when the series itself is overhauled and the next one is released, there's often so much more than just graphical upgrades as new gameplay elements, themes, and concepts are introduced. Here's to many upcoming hours lost in the wonderful world of The Sims.</span></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-57526089757591439812009-01-06T16:25:00.018-06:002009-03-06T17:06:24.598-06:005 Underwhelming Happenings in Entertainment 08<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSzWH37NHTs8eB8q7IoejHF8DqzT7sZXIFQ3U1Isv-G4fTKGnXonuTxoocHnpCvG_ToHQT7LC7UDEAH9DdpLElzQGvDGsXIcw_EhjM194k3yVXtTO3N4wSOFfrsC3hMQybi3Y/s1600-h/cloverfield_2008_poster.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 34px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXSzWH37NHTs8eB8q7IoejHF8DqzT7sZXIFQ3U1Isv-G4fTKGnXonuTxoocHnpCvG_ToHQT7LC7UDEAH9DdpLElzQGvDGsXIcw_EhjM194k3yVXtTO3N4wSOFfrsC3hMQybi3Y/s320/cloverfield_2008_poster.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288310893308930098" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >1) Cloverfield</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">As <a href="http://www.feelmedontyou.com/">Pete</a> wisely mentioned over a year ago in reference to this film: "Save your money." Proof that not everything J.J. Abrams touches turns t</span><span style="font-family:arial;">o gold, this is a prim</span><span style="font-family:arial;">e example of not living up to the hype<span style="font-family:arial;">. </span>With an amazing marketing campaign and solid concept to create a, "Godzilla movie for the U.S.," as well as the unique decision to film every</span><span style="font-family:arial;">thing in first-person, the overall execution just wasn't there. Inconsistent acting and strange editing made it seem like the filmmakers were trying too hard to cram easter eggs and secret messages for fans to hunt for in the Blu-ray/DVD release rather than actually focusing on telling a compelling story for theater goers. Here's hoping the recently announced sequel gets it right.</span><br /></div><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v615jrdBWFvHX6zfVCbtfACMCl60oFEmwhQGgBG5mktFhjwjWLSYmVKPp7y9y3F59XggHs4JBHwnL6Tw1XOYk1-OovnXELYBd6dmirkZe7E4rb6lNoGkic8mEvDOgcd4YqSP/s1600-h/SCRUBS.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 82px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2v615jrdBWFvHX6zfVCbtfACMCl60oFEmwhQGgBG5mktFhjwjWLSYmVKPp7y9y3F59XggHs4JBHwnL6Tw1XOYk1-OovnXELYBd6dmirkZe7E4rb6lNoGkic8mEvDOgcd4YqSP/s320/SCRUBS.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288311788049456418" border="0" /></a><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >2) NBC's Horrible Mismanagment of Scrubs</span><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;">With a built-in audience & loyal fan base, NBC never really got behind nor advertised, the "final" season of 'Srcubs,' so naturally viewership numbers began to</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> drop. But their decision to not only cancel the show, but then air the final few episodes out of order </span><span style="font-family:arial;">bringing zero closure to the show amidst the writer's strike showed a severe lack</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> of loyalty and disrespect to a series that was in it's 8th season. Now comfortably resting in it's new home on ABC (for one season, at least), not to mention receiving prime advertising slots, the best revenge would be viewer numbers that shows NBC what a horrible mistake they made.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiXuWcfATjbWfiiF8wgA4kRNOWco2uC0hiMSPOC6LsJ51-raGr9bDi0jw-wU5sjG0SbQmxRqxpldqEfKAQwoY08N5MLmzpeqO3JIH5jwK03f_wzlWA6119KpwHehs7PEYbV1P/s1600-h/key_art_kath_and_kim.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 84px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeiXuWcfATjbWfiiF8wgA4kRNOWco2uC0hiMSPOC6LsJ51-raGr9bDi0jw-wU5sjG0SbQmxRqxpldqEfKAQwoY08N5MLmzpeqO3JIH5jwK03f_wzlWA6119KpwHehs7PEYbV1P/s320/key_art_kath_and_kim.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288314234746810530" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">3) Kath & Kim</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">How is this show still on the air? Seriously? When your secondary characters are stronger and more endearing than your two leads (here's looking at you, John M</span><span style="font-family:arial;">ichael Higgins), you've made a horrible mistake. Sandwiching it between your two strongest shows will naturally generate misleading numbers, but the nano-second it moves to another slot, it's dead. Not every U.S. remake of a BBC show is going the be gold (for every "The Office," there's about 10 "Couplings") & Molly Shannon deserves a much better vehicle th</span><span style="font-family:arial;">an this.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz6ZYica-HwIinpJ1b3gsc_4Ttqyi_4uKepWOBPNgXUEc_IDfuTrOI7VB4lTZKdSrzgzx3leo4AAUFt3pR2a6P9FWYcQDkrXOpaDYzk5LgvQrPlzeOFKI-XrxBgkGMeDnE61A/s1600-h/wii-logo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 280px; height: 83px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvz6ZYica-HwIinpJ1b3gsc_4Ttqyi_4uKepWOBPNgXUEc_IDfuTrOI7VB4lTZKdSrzgzx3leo4AAUFt3pR2a6P9FWYcQDkrXOpaDYzk5LgvQrPlzeOFKI-XrxBgkGMeDnE61A/s320/wii-logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288315893995725922" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">4) Lack of Solid Titles for the Wii</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Wii Fit. That's it. That's the only game in a whole year that is wo</span><span style="font-family:arial;">rth playing on the Nintendo Wii, with maybe a small nod to No More Heroes. The hottest gaming system out (and still in high demand) is losing steam at an alarming rate - especially when the most popular game in the system is still the one that shipped with it - Wii Sports. With an announced sequel to Wii Sports (entitled Wii Sports Resort) to come at some point in 2009, here's hoping that it will lead a charge of acutal good titles for the system.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o74itERwR3qIAIigCiBG-nNkQf0Pjm0RWDM1GdJ969dV9rDZukQfCdoQAzVW9G7N4uN5lw7kTF4s0sNF1m6d2hyWYVZvAt-uysH4wXEQx56pdtdcBiMZFY6T7Xzw57ngQOkb/s1600-h/Watchmen_Rorschach_Bust.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 65px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_o74itERwR3qIAIigCiBG-nNkQf0Pjm0RWDM1GdJ969dV9rDZukQfCdoQAzVW9G7N4uN5lw7kTF4s0sNF1m6d2hyWYVZvAt-uysH4wXEQx56pdtdcBiMZFY6T7Xzw57ngQOkb/s320/Watchmen_Rorschach_Bust.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288317459485458050" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">5) Pending Lawsuit by FOX to Hold the Release of "Watchmen"</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">One of the most anticipated graphic novel to movie release of all time is now in danger of being delayed for an undetermined amount of time. FOX apparently still owns distribution rights to the franchise despite Warner Bros. owning rights to actually make the film. There's an excellent overview laid out by the <a href="http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/news/movies/la-ca-watchmen16-2008nov16,0,5337353.story">Los Angeles times here</a> that goes into much more detail about it than I will here, but needless to say, it would be a travesty for this film not to hit the big screen in 2009. (and as a friend pointed out, the original date was to be 03.06.09 - all marker points on a watch or clock)</span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">UPDATE</span>: Looks like </span><a style="font-family: arial;" href="http://www.eonline.com/uberblog/b79417_no_need_go_nuclear_studios_settle.html">everything has been settled</a><span style="font-family:arial;"> as of January 15, 2008.</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImn3nF2v4EJrJbtY9UlH5w_dZPZJKI-Y84052XaNGI-CP09Ahi48pjc3GqfN-8Kt8L2wJUrnzw6Yj22I5sli9fvfPOHrkb7vv822B6PnAIvVHOxkrOz70AU75v2NGVBMNaNpR/s1600-h/img_5827_ps3homebeta_450x360.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 99px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiImn3nF2v4EJrJbtY9UlH5w_dZPZJKI-Y84052XaNGI-CP09Ahi48pjc3GqfN-8Kt8L2wJUrnzw6Yj22I5sli9fvfPOHrkb7vv822B6PnAIvVHOxkrOz70AU75v2NGVBMNaNpR/s320/img_5827_ps3homebeta_450x360.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288319819367861234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Honorable Mention: The PlayStation Beta Release of Home</span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;">Talk about not living up to the hype. The much-anticipated release of the social networking "game" from PlayStation that was to fuse The Sims style gameplay with the online power of the PS3 roared onto the platform with a meek whimper. With areas only accessed by secret codes, a theater that looped an annoying trailer for <span style="font-style: italic;">Twilight</span> (which is the exact movie to appeal to the the male 16-35 demographic that owns the system), bland and severly limited furniture to place around your cyber-apartment, and weak animations for your avatars, Home has a LONG way to go if the PS3 hopes to make a dent in the dominating online presence of the Xbox360.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-49929419535665023442009-01-06T16:19:00.003-06:002009-01-06T16:24:13.525-06:00List time!<div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: arial;">End of the year means time for more lists!<br /><br />I've toned down quite a bit from last year and am only posting Top 5's rather than Top 10's. As always, I'm pulling from my frame of reference on these as I didn't see every movie out there or play every game, etc.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family: arial;">Enjoy.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-13008025675239220562008-12-22T10:36:00.014-06:002008-12-22T11:07:13.176-06:00Uber Happy Hollandaise<div style="text-align: justify;"><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT6eRiWFI_CjSs-zIEOHjyFEMfuj7OsxbaAVBN22JzrmIGQxuSJjNmYqFB82QGoUtNoi4e-rivDoiGVBJr3e-7lrvPYDaE39FN-aiLYRIVteaibBoY1HUudcKojQqxxQe1eg4/s1600-h/Claus_2DRemixed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 134px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlT6eRiWFI_CjSs-zIEOHjyFEMfuj7OsxbaAVBN22JzrmIGQxuSJjNmYqFB82QGoUtNoi4e-rivDoiGVBJr3e-7lrvPYDaE39FN-aiLYRIVteaibBoY1HUudcKojQqxxQe1eg4/s320/Claus_2DRemixed.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282654543546827234" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">These are images from the new Claus advertising campaign promoting the </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" ><a href="http://www.palm.com/claus/">Palm Centro</a></span><span style="font-family:arial;">.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RK5v2VRkSd27gAHbU2LlJp7j-mzZZXVr1FxOAnwri0BVLyT18cRL6MSX1_MCPgdUv6m7xXZeq8gWLke30wk61w0PlYM0lTBXz6vS_hRDkNZ7oQQPM6WzqPx9whU6CGGmIOe8/s1600-h/Palm_2DClaus_2Dsled.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 122px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4RK5v2VRkSd27gAHbU2LlJp7j-mzZZXVr1FxOAnwri0BVLyT18cRL6MSX1_MCPgdUv6m7xXZeq8gWLke30wk61w0PlYM0lTBXz6vS_hRDkNZ7oQQPM6WzqPx9whU6CGGmIOe8/s320/Palm_2DClaus_2Dsled.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282654832551029074" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">I think the campaign is hysterical and very well done, but it doesn't make me want the product.<br /><br /></span><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegIN3o6i0lOO_Tf-wnuRx34PiJIancied3fxIjxayO-43_Pv7SGoJLmATtExZxx7-PaX0Z7X0dlbyiXZ2b2GBOU-1hDZbWeOyWw0-uv06vojIqJc1kWwoZ8G7nfoBh-YZI3Hs/s1600-h/Palm_2DClaus_2DChimney_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhegIN3o6i0lOO_Tf-wnuRx34PiJIancied3fxIjxayO-43_Pv7SGoJLmATtExZxx7-PaX0Z7X0dlbyiXZ2b2GBOU-1hDZbWeOyWw0-uv06vojIqJc1kWwoZ8G7nfoBh-YZI3Hs/s320/Palm_2DClaus_2DChimney_small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282655183841146402" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">However, you have to give props to the company that came up with this clever take on updating Santa by having him embrace his German/Euro-centricities.</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGAlIBwOhDWXypmMfAxxotpu19JK4-xAThGHrgvkwdON1L1uPjZ6crPuNaeJ1cZl_0ObmPye1c2DV0YJU_zoQiiwul1eTIjaE3VuJtJ3lX75txqlErfUTk835Ugq0MiLtIuAm/s1600-h/Palm_2DClaus_small.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 146px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGAlIBwOhDWXypmMfAxxotpu19JK4-xAThGHrgvkwdON1L1uPjZ6crPuNaeJ1cZl_0ObmPye1c2DV0YJU_zoQiiwul1eTIjaE3VuJtJ3lX75txqlErfUTk835Ugq0MiLtIuAm/s320/Palm_2DClaus_small.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282655481656656578" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">The energy-efficient sleigh, the weight loss, the new do, dropping "Santa" & just going as "Claus" (complete with an umlaut over the "u"), moonlighting as a rooftop DJ...</span><br /><br /><a style="font-family: arial;" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQkPWsNB9nCMkEtZMHasdjS4BB097bj3HDGpddvPzmTX6QCSQYNoLinOyMMXlzaY8HYcUeeJ6GsovHDPysRw9IOPg7Oaxgie8XjToM0nFo6i4SxsjnOD88Fs57pGHduU35MkL/s1600-h/Palm_2DClaus_2Dpool.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 125px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifQkPWsNB9nCMkEtZMHasdjS4BB097bj3HDGpddvPzmTX6QCSQYNoLinOyMMXlzaY8HYcUeeJ6GsovHDPysRw9IOPg7Oaxgie8XjToM0nFo6i4SxsjnOD88Fs57pGHduU35MkL/s320/Palm_2DClaus_2Dpool.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5282656667228806178" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Well played, land of commerce.<br /><br />Anyone else notice (at least in the Midwest) that this season we didn't have the traditional snowfall...then it melts and we have weather in the 50's....then it snows again and gets icy....then it melts again....then we finally get the last snowfall and it sticks? Well, not this year. It just went from 50's sweatshirt weather straight to sub-zero/crazy cold temperatures literally overnight. No respite. No chance to enjoy one last decent day. Mother Nature is not messing around this year, apparently. It was -26 with the windchill yesterday and it's supposed to get colder later this week. Insane.<br /><br />Have a great Christmafestikwanzisoltstukkah (or whatever it is you celebrate) & travel safely over the holidays!<br /><br /></span><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-style: italic;font-size:85%;" ><span style="font-family:georgia;">Photos courtesy <a href="http://www.palm.com/claus/">Palm.com/Claus</a></span></span><br /><span style="font-family:arial;"></span></div></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-16907919.post-12211771981645901182008-12-01T00:17:00.018-06:002008-12-11T23:52:22.841-06:00"I got the Dynamo of Volition..."<div style="text-align: justify;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMSgaI97qfIljz5aXyO32_7ERkYSIcr7c5nwJdnnFhap23hYwufhdInEX4CcXGUvxl473HIdO3koPs5CjfHrjp_e-RZBCEOrpv7yBvUUjEWdU-IzGzKlVmauFTurCz4eSuJQM/s1600-h/IMG_0049.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 336px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOMSgaI97qfIljz5aXyO32_7ERkYSIcr7c5nwJdnnFhap23hYwufhdInEX4CcXGUvxl473HIdO3koPs5CjfHrjp_e-RZBCEOrpv7yBvUUjEWdU-IzGzKlVmauFTurCz4eSuJQM/s320/IMG_0049.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274705797128823506" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">Headed up to see </span><span style="font-weight: bold;font-family:arial;" >Jason Mraz</span><span style="font-family:arial;"> at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago prior to Thanksgiving and they put on yet another awesome show. (The photos are from my iPhone that unfortunately doesn't take too great of pics unless you're up close. Sorry.)</span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family:arial;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:arial;">As <a href="http://coreyandmo.blogspot.com/">Corey, Mo</a>, & myself can unfortunately attest to first-hand, the Aragon does </span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGd-pAJWztNG7Gq6E3wucZdyS_UQurna84Jp5zZnrMD5E1pWXWRfcr1txQ_0f3JoYHl2vAY3Mqv3w43o0O3WRInSoyaBqBVBZ77xaPviSdCj1eQr700H1C4pXieyjCpW2Z3ekd/s1600-h/IMG_0054.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 125px; height: 167px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGd-pAJWztNG7Gq6E3wucZdyS_UQurna84Jp5zZnrMD5E1pWXWRfcr1txQ_0f3JoYHl2vAY3Mqv3w43o0O3WRInSoyaBqBVBZ77xaPviSdCj1eQr700H1C4pXieyjCpW2Z3ekd/s320/IMG_0054.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274706329803891186" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">not provide the best acoustics for performing, as was further evidenced by the opening act & our inability to understand her lyrics. However, the Mraz crew had two walls of speakers that seemed to make up for it & his set was great. He played a ton from <span style="font-style: italic;">We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things</span> and also pulled some old stuff out of the catalog. And he even paid tribute to Barack Obama in a very cool moment. It was a fun set and I even ended up talking the sound guy (who I remembered from Mraz's gig at the Metro a few months back - the guy looks amazingly like Rod Stewart) - into giving me the set list sheet after the show ended. We grabbed 2 a.m. burritos and decompressed from the show with a little <span style="font-weight: bold;">Arrested Development</span>, which is thankfully going to be making it's way to the silver screen in the next few years. (finally!) </span><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZXKEbUyiyrOaWm_9f5FgN0JOFUaQ77uJYBsl_PjSDeZ8_XSwyg4qSw-__lFxCdIzoDdlOIvl6m-epCznNSh0CANiM81ZQRXockKEy2ynOZvEkUkR4BseUWEeyh9RY7T3jGGT/s1600-h/IMG_0062.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 126px; height: 117px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyZXKEbUyiyrOaWm_9f5FgN0JOFUaQ77uJYBsl_PjSDeZ8_XSwyg4qSw-__lFxCdIzoDdlOIvl6m-epCznNSh0CANiM81ZQRXockKEy2ynOZvEkUkR4BseUWEeyh9RY7T3jGGT/s320/IMG_0062.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5274704214978383314" border="0" /></a><span style="font-family:arial;">We got to spend Sunday with friends & family - including Oscar - and spent time at a cool bar called Kirkwood, which you should totally check out if you're in Chicago. It was nice being up in the big city again and I find myself wrestling with the idea of moving back up there everytime I come back...<br /><br />Also hit up my first <span style="font-weight: bold;">Quad City Flames</span> game with some friends as I had yet to see a game since their re-branding from being the Q.C. Mallards in the IHL (the Flames are part of the AHL). Wow - what a difference a league change makes! Despite coming back by scoring 3 goals in the 3rd period, the Flames lost :27 into overtime 3-4, but it still ended up as a pretty exciting game. I'll definitely be going to more in the future.<br /><br />We've been selling out <span style="font-weight: bold;">CSz</span> shows consistently for the past 3 weeks and are hoping that momentum continues. It's amazing what happens when high school football season wraps up...<br /><br />Wanted to end by mentioning that if you're in the Chicago area, please head over to the Annoyance Theater & Bar to check out Corey & Mo's show entitled <a style="font-style: italic; font-weight: bold;" href="http://www.annoyanceproductions.com/wardandjune/index.shtml">The Union: Ward & June Are Dead</a></span>. <span style="font-family:arial;">It's been getting good<span style="font-family:arial;"> reviews so far </span>& not only will you be supporting friends, you'll also laugh your ass off in the process.</span><br /></div>cszponcehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14769577699886644744noreply@blogger.com0