So yesterday was a pretty sad day for me as I had to bury my Grandmother. Then I wake up this morning to the terrible news of the Chris Benoit murder-suicide tragedy. I really don't know what to say about that. Benoit was one of my all-time favorite performers and now knowing what has happened it's difficult for me to still appreciate what he did as a wrestler. I'm hoping that everyone can try to move on from this terrible incident, but now that the mainstream media has picked up on the story, I have a feeling it will only get worse.
Thankfully, I finally got some happiness back into my life tonight as I got to go to the Indians game and see a thrilling come-from-behind win in the 9th. For the first time in a long time (ever?) Wedge finally made some good managerial moves and they paid off for him. After the Tribe's disasterous run against the National League, it's been great to see the bats come alive and take the first two against the A's.
Here's hoping that the good times continue. With Justin's wedding on Friday, I'm hoping that will be the case.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Please keep my family in your prayers
Sad news...my grandmother passed away late last night. In what was already a hectic visit, just become even more crazy. I'll now have a wedding and a funeral to attend in this upcoming week. Because of all that's going on, I probably won't be making another post until I get back to North Carolina.
But like I said, in the meantime, if you would keep my family in your thoughts and prayers, it would be greatly appreciated. My grandma was a wonderful woman and will be tremendously missed. It is great comfort for me to know that she is now in a better place. Rest in peace Lottie.
But like I said, in the meantime, if you would keep my family in your thoughts and prayers, it would be greatly appreciated. My grandma was a wonderful woman and will be tremendously missed. It is great comfort for me to know that she is now in a better place. Rest in peace Lottie.
Friday, June 22, 2007
Finally! Some Office news
Sorry my updates have been sparse lately. I'm up in Cleveland right now preparing for my brother's wedding at the end of the month, so I'm not in front of the computer a whole lot.
But since I'm here today, I figured I would share some good news I just heard about The Office. Sadly, there's still nothing about the new season (I figure filming won't begin until Carrell and Krasinski are done doing the publicity for their respective films).
What I have heard however, is that TBS will begin airing Office repeats starting this fall. No word yet on the day and time(s) it will air, but having more Office is always a good thing.
And speaking of repeats, you can watch all of the episodes from this past season whenever you want come Sept. 4. The Season 3 DVDs come out that day with all sorts of extras. You can check out the specifics here. And just to whet your appetite, check out the box art.
But since I'm here today, I figured I would share some good news I just heard about The Office. Sadly, there's still nothing about the new season (I figure filming won't begin until Carrell and Krasinski are done doing the publicity for their respective films).
What I have heard however, is that TBS will begin airing Office repeats starting this fall. No word yet on the day and time(s) it will air, but having more Office is always a good thing.
And speaking of repeats, you can watch all of the episodes from this past season whenever you want come Sept. 4. The Season 3 DVDs come out that day with all sorts of extras. You can check out the specifics here. And just to whet your appetite, check out the box art.
Thursday, June 14, 2007
New Dark Knight photos
The film's still over a year away from being released, but tidbits about the film keeping trickling in. Here are a couple of images of interest:
Batman's new suit:
Joker's clown car:
EDIT: Another photo has surfaced; This time of Batman's new Batcycle, which will be called the Batpod in the film. It looks like Lucius Fox has been busy again:
Batman's new suit:
Joker's clown car:
EDIT: Another photo has surfaced; This time of Batman's new Batcycle, which will be called the Batpod in the film. It looks like Lucius Fox has been busy again:
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
WTF?!?!?
So I watched all of RAW except for the final 15 minutes because I got a phone call and evidently I missed this:
It would figure I would miss the one mildly interesting thing that's happened in the WWE in the past two years. I have no idea where they're going with this one.
RIP Vince
It would figure I would miss the one mildly interesting thing that's happened in the WWE in the past two years. I have no idea where they're going with this one.
RIP Vince
Monday, June 11, 2007
Knocked it out of the ballpark
Finally got to see Knocked Up tonight and Judd Apatow once again delivers a gem. I'll put this a notch below 40 Year Old Virgin, but really, nothing could ever top that film. Then again, my appreciation for that film grew with each successive viewing and I have a feeling that this one will as well.
Apatow once again is able to masterfully blend crude, vulgar humor with a really sweet story. Nothing ever seems Hollywood or fake about his films. Despite the oddball pairing of the schlubby Seth Rogan and the beautiful Katherine Heigl, the film makes you believe that they can work as a couple.
Part of the fun of these films is playing Where's Waldo with all of the great cameos. Some are well known people like Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, and a certain Virgin, himself (that was awesome). Some are Apatow's Freeks and Geeks alums. There's also a couple of Office workers (Ryan and Darryl). But there's also a wonderful assortment of minor comic actors that I recognize (Mo Collins, Loudon Wainwright, Kristin Wiig, Alan Tudyk, Harold Ramis, Bill Hader...the list is endless) that may not be well known, but just add so much more to the film.
I also need to say how awesome Paul Rudd is again. I was worried initially because he didn't have much screen time early on. But as his and Seth's characters become friends, we get to see the Rudd hilarity that I've come to expect. Their scenes in Vegas are just stellar. I won't say what happens, just trust me, it's great.
My only small complaint about the film is that it isn't quite as relatable to me as Virgin was, just because I'm not at that time in my life yet where I'm having kids. I'm sure when I do get there, this film will become even more real to me.
Actually I have one other complaint - the theater audience. Now I know this isn't a knock against the film, but it needs to be said anyways. I was seated with a bunch of morons. The biggest laughs generally were the scenes that had been shown ad nauseum in the previews (and trust me, those scenes aren't the funniest of the film). Are these people a bunch of sheep that only know when to laugh when they recognize something that they've already seen? I also couldn't stand the women in the audience who felt the need to make their own commentary on that actions in the film. You going "awwwww" at the sight of the baby isn't necessary. We all know it's cute, so shut your traps.
OK, now that I got that off my chest, I can go back to saying that this is a fantastic movie. If you loved Virgin, you'll enjoy this one as well. This is a great movie that all demographics should enjoy.
Grade: A
Apatow once again is able to masterfully blend crude, vulgar humor with a really sweet story. Nothing ever seems Hollywood or fake about his films. Despite the oddball pairing of the schlubby Seth Rogan and the beautiful Katherine Heigl, the film makes you believe that they can work as a couple.
Part of the fun of these films is playing Where's Waldo with all of the great cameos. Some are well known people like Ryan Seacrest, James Franco, and a certain Virgin, himself (that was awesome). Some are Apatow's Freeks and Geeks alums. There's also a couple of Office workers (Ryan and Darryl). But there's also a wonderful assortment of minor comic actors that I recognize (Mo Collins, Loudon Wainwright, Kristin Wiig, Alan Tudyk, Harold Ramis, Bill Hader...the list is endless) that may not be well known, but just add so much more to the film.
I also need to say how awesome Paul Rudd is again. I was worried initially because he didn't have much screen time early on. But as his and Seth's characters become friends, we get to see the Rudd hilarity that I've come to expect. Their scenes in Vegas are just stellar. I won't say what happens, just trust me, it's great.
My only small complaint about the film is that it isn't quite as relatable to me as Virgin was, just because I'm not at that time in my life yet where I'm having kids. I'm sure when I do get there, this film will become even more real to me.
Actually I have one other complaint - the theater audience. Now I know this isn't a knock against the film, but it needs to be said anyways. I was seated with a bunch of morons. The biggest laughs generally were the scenes that had been shown ad nauseum in the previews (and trust me, those scenes aren't the funniest of the film). Are these people a bunch of sheep that only know when to laugh when they recognize something that they've already seen? I also couldn't stand the women in the audience who felt the need to make their own commentary on that actions in the film. You going "awwwww" at the sight of the baby isn't necessary. We all know it's cute, so shut your traps.
OK, now that I got that off my chest, I can go back to saying that this is a fantastic movie. If you loved Virgin, you'll enjoy this one as well. This is a great movie that all demographics should enjoy.
Grade: A
Friday, June 8, 2007
Drink up me 'earties, yo ho!
Finally got to see Pirates 3 tonight and I'm left feeling very similar to how I felt coming out of Spider-Man 3. I think the producers shot for the moon and flew right over it. Some things worked, but overall too much of it felt unnecessary.
Now having seen how 2 and 3 played out, I'm convinced more than ever that doing them together was a mistake. You had two decent plot stories and that got drawn out too long and then rushed to have them conclude. #2 should have focused on Davy Jones, his chest and trying to defeat him. You could have Barbosa come back in that one and help Jack defeat Jones. In the end, you have Barbosa stab Jones' heart and have him taking over the Dutchman. Then #3 should have been the pirate lords banding together to take on the East India Company. Beckett demise in this one, although visually cool, was rather anticlimatic.
As it was, the beginning of this film, while it didn't drag seemed to be a lot of unnecessary events. Too many changing alliances without enough payoff for them. I also wasn't crazy about the multiple Jacks. That concept might sound ok, but didn't play out well. The film is almost redeemed by the heart-pounding battle between the Pearl and the Dutchman. Initially I thought it was going to be lousy what with Elizabeth's Braveheart speech and just a flurry of bodies and gunfire that is a cliche of any war film. But then they did a nice job of focusing on the individual fights which is what I wanted to see. And yes, as ridiculous as it was, I enjoyed the mid-battle marriage.
Ulimately, At World's End and Dead Man's Chest abandoned a lot of what was so charming about the original. The action was simple swordfighting between combatants and done with a sly wink so as not to take it too serious. That balance between action and humor presented in a genre that audiences hadn't seen in a while made it a winning combination. I think the reason why the second one was so successful (besides there not being a lot of competition) was that it had a lot of cartoonish action that the kids could appreciate (I still don't like the scenes with Jack and the savages). This third one won't earn as much because the kids will be bored by all the backstabbing.
I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. If you've seen the first two, you owe it to yourself to see Captain Jack one more time. There's enough humor and action to keep you pleased (I loved Jack's "telescope envy"), but probably doesn't have the repeat viewing appeal that the first did, which allowed this to be such a successful franchise in the first place.
Grade: B
Now having seen how 2 and 3 played out, I'm convinced more than ever that doing them together was a mistake. You had two decent plot stories and that got drawn out too long and then rushed to have them conclude. #2 should have focused on Davy Jones, his chest and trying to defeat him. You could have Barbosa come back in that one and help Jack defeat Jones. In the end, you have Barbosa stab Jones' heart and have him taking over the Dutchman. Then #3 should have been the pirate lords banding together to take on the East India Company. Beckett demise in this one, although visually cool, was rather anticlimatic.
As it was, the beginning of this film, while it didn't drag seemed to be a lot of unnecessary events. Too many changing alliances without enough payoff for them. I also wasn't crazy about the multiple Jacks. That concept might sound ok, but didn't play out well. The film is almost redeemed by the heart-pounding battle between the Pearl and the Dutchman. Initially I thought it was going to be lousy what with Elizabeth's Braveheart speech and just a flurry of bodies and gunfire that is a cliche of any war film. But then they did a nice job of focusing on the individual fights which is what I wanted to see. And yes, as ridiculous as it was, I enjoyed the mid-battle marriage.
Ulimately, At World's End and Dead Man's Chest abandoned a lot of what was so charming about the original. The action was simple swordfighting between combatants and done with a sly wink so as not to take it too serious. That balance between action and humor presented in a genre that audiences hadn't seen in a while made it a winning combination. I think the reason why the second one was so successful (besides there not being a lot of competition) was that it had a lot of cartoonish action that the kids could appreciate (I still don't like the scenes with Jack and the savages). This third one won't earn as much because the kids will be bored by all the backstabbing.
I could go on, but I'll leave it at that. If you've seen the first two, you owe it to yourself to see Captain Jack one more time. There's enough humor and action to keep you pleased (I loved Jack's "telescope envy"), but probably doesn't have the repeat viewing appeal that the first did, which allowed this to be such a successful franchise in the first place.
Grade: B
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
Sunday, June 3, 2007
At least we let the Tigers win
I'm still in disbelief over the Cavs victory tonight and the fact that they are headed to the NBA finals for the first time ever. And we did it tonight without Lebron having a monster game. That's a scary thought. Now it's a dream matchup (for me) as the Cavs will be taking on the San Antonio Spurs, my favorite basketball team when I was a kid. Before this Pistons series, I thought that if they somehow got past Detroit, they would have no chance against the Spurs. But after seeing their performance, they are making me a believer. This should be a very interesting series. And best of all, I'll be back up in Cleveland for Games 3, 4, and 5 at the Q. Could this finally be the year a major sports title comes to Cleveland? I'm keeping my fingers crossed.
Thursday, May 31, 2007
When I say extra sauce, I mean extra sauce
I've always said fast food workers were too stingy with giving out condiments and it appears one worker paid for it this time. Read all about it here. You know, none of this would have happened had the customer just asked for extra biscuits.
Let's get the Party started
So after a few delays and a lot of waiting on my end, Mario Party 8 finally was released; the first MP for the Wii. I picked up today along with another Wiimote. I only briefly explored it, since I don't want to be accused of mastering all the mini games by my friends when I play it with them when I return to Cleveland in a few weeks.
Anyways, based on an extremely brief playing of it, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, it's the same as it has been for the previous few iterations, which is a good thing. They've put in a few tweaks (goodbye orbs, hello candy) and added a few new characters just to keep things fresh. They also were able to transition the mini games into being Wii-compatible. I can't wait to try them out, but I have a feeling they'll have just scratched the surface with what they are capable of doing with their technology and these mini games.
There is one major detriment to this new version that I've discovered. The graphics are horrible. They look like absolute shit. For some bizarre reason, gameplay is done in 4:3 instead of the usual 16:9. If you didn't know any better, you would probably think this is a MP from the Nintendo 64 days. The good news is that we're usually good and drunk when playing MP, so we probably won't notice the crappy graphics that much.
Anyways, based on an extremely brief playing of it, my feelings are mixed. For the most part, it's the same as it has been for the previous few iterations, which is a good thing. They've put in a few tweaks (goodbye orbs, hello candy) and added a few new characters just to keep things fresh. They also were able to transition the mini games into being Wii-compatible. I can't wait to try them out, but I have a feeling they'll have just scratched the surface with what they are capable of doing with their technology and these mini games.
There is one major detriment to this new version that I've discovered. The graphics are horrible. They look like absolute shit. For some bizarre reason, gameplay is done in 4:3 instead of the usual 16:9. If you didn't know any better, you would probably think this is a MP from the Nintendo 64 days. The good news is that we're usually good and drunk when playing MP, so we probably won't notice the crappy graphics that much.
Monday, May 28, 2007
RIP Charles Nelson Reilly
As a huge game show fan, I was saddened by the news of CNR's passing earlier today. Match Game is one of my favorite game shows, probably only second to Price is Right. In remembrance of him, here are a couple of his classic clips:
Taking over for Gene Rayburn for a round:
Charles and the gang having fun with a racy answer:
In one of his many "fights" with fellow panelist Brett Somers:
Taking over for Gene Rayburn for a round:
Charles and the gang having fun with a racy answer:
In one of his many "fights" with fellow panelist Brett Somers:
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Suck on that Detroit
Just an awesome night for Cleveland sports as we got to use Detroit as our punching bag not once, but twice. First, the Indians won another from the Tigers and completed the sweep over them. That gives us a 2 1/2 lead over them right now in the Central. Everything was clicking for us in that series and the end result was three huge wins over a division rival. Now all we need is just one win over Boston to have a winning record on this road trip. Although, I have a feeling we'll get more than that.
Then to complete the double whammy, the Cavs got back into their series with the Pistons by winning Game 3. Lebron finally got going and it showed. The true test to see if this team is ready to take it to the next level is if we can win on the road, but for now, it's good to win a game that we should win. I'm on cloud 9 right now, so let's hope it doesn't end for a long time.
That's it for me. Have a great Memorial Day everyone! I'll be enjoying it on the "high seas", catching some rays and having fun. See you later this week.
Then to complete the double whammy, the Cavs got back into their series with the Pistons by winning Game 3. Lebron finally got going and it showed. The true test to see if this team is ready to take it to the next level is if we can win on the road, but for now, it's good to win a game that we should win. I'm on cloud 9 right now, so let's hope it doesn't end for a long time.
That's it for me. Have a great Memorial Day everyone! I'll be enjoying it on the "high seas", catching some rays and having fun. See you later this week.
New column posted
I haven't been writing much for the wrestling website Online Onslaught lately because of my busy schedule at school. But now that summer is here, I'm trying to get back on the wagon. I finally have a new column up on the site that you can all check out. It covers the 2001 wrestling event, No Mercy, which was a pretty decent card. Despite that coming in the middle of the bungling Invasion angle, this show managed to have three ****+ matches and marks the night that Jericho finally won the "big one". You can read all about it here.
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Heroes Season 2 news
The season 1 finale just finished airing and already news of season 2 is pouring in. Below is some mild spoilery stuff of what we can look forward to when the show returns in the fall.
- The big, bad guy that Molly referred to in the finale will appear early next season and rumors have it that the character has already been cast.
- Both Petrellis will return next season, somehow. Grrrrr
- Casting has already begun for new characters that will debut next season. Included in this list are a boyfriend for Claire (double grrrr), a 28-year old African-American mother, an Irish mobster, and a Latina.
- The big, bad guy that Molly referred to in the finale will appear early next season and rumors have it that the character has already been cast.
- Both Petrellis will return next season, somehow. Grrrrr
- Casting has already begun for new characters that will debut next season. Included in this list are a boyfriend for Claire (double grrrr), a 28-year old African-American mother, an Irish mobster, and a Latina.
Finale fever
Sorry for the lack of posting the past few days. I just got tied up with a few things. So, here's some brief thoughts I've had on the big finales of the past few days.
Heroes: I have mixed feelings on the finale. I thought it did a nice job of having events connect with how the show began. I also think it set the stage for some interesting things for next season. But the actual action of the episode was fairly anti-climatic. This is why I had been saying the finale should have been two hrs. long. The showdown between Sylar and Peter wasn't nearly as exciting as it should have been. And I thought having Nathan fly Peter away wasn't the best way to avoid the bomb. Peter should have just flown away (for the reason why he didn't, click here.) or Claire should have just shot him.
But letdown on action aside, I'm extremely excited for where things are going. I think we're going to see a lot of history behind these characters, which should hopefully answer some questions. We also, thanks to Molly, have been set up with a new big bad guy for next season, who apparently can "see her". Sadly, it seems that the show killed off a lot of their cooler characters and left some of their weaker ones alive. Gone are Thompson and Linderman, yet Nikki/Jessica, DL, Parkman, and Mohinder all seemingly survived. Thank goodness HRG (ooops, I mean Noah!!!) escaped relatively unscathed and I can't wait to see what his plan is for Volume two!
24: I'm not sure who's more relieved that the day is over, Jack Bauer or the audience? The show tried to bring some excitement to its finale, but sadly, even blowing up and off-shore oil base couldn't salvage this show. The best thing I can say about the finale is that it seemed to wipe the slate clean so that when it returns next season, it can be taken into a different direction and retain the elements that fans loved about this show in the first place. Namely Jack being a bad ass. Like so many TV characters, I'll act like I've had amnesia and try to forgot this season took place.
House: Great finale! Oh wait, that's right, the finale hasn't taken place yet because those idiots at FOX wedged their crappy new reality show after Idol this week instead. It serves them right that the show only retained 38% of Idol's audience. Now that FUX has made me have to wait another week to see the season ender, I've become as cranky as Dr. House himself.
Lost: After such a struggling start to the season, they really got their act together and finished with a bang. So much going on in this episode, both from a good TV perspective and from a mythology perspective. The show has once again left us with a ton of questions that need to be answered and now we have to wait until Feb(!) to get them resolved. Namely:
- What is the narrative structure for next season? Will it all take place back home or have we just switched from flashbacks to flashforwards from now on?
- Who died and had no one but Jack attend their funeral? Locke? Sawyer? Ben? Michael?
- Who is the "he" that Kate had to return home to? Sawyer? Nathan Fillion? Parole officer?
- If that's not Penny's boat, then who does Naomi work for? Could Ben have been telling the truth for the first time in his life?
Aside from the puzzling questions, there was a ton of "Wow" moments that also made this episode awesome. Sayid snapping the guys neck. Hurley to the rescue with the VW bus. Sawyer shooting Mr. Friendly. WALT!! Rousseau reuniting with her daughter by tying up Ben. Locke shooting Naomi.
I should also give credit to Charlie who was the most likeable ever in this episode by messing with the two Looking Glass ladies' "good cop, bad cop routine". Of course, his awesome performance is rewarded with him being killed off. Some will say that there were plenty of ways he could have saved himself, but I think he knew he had to do it, if everything was going to be ok for everyone else. A nice farewell that capped off a fantastic episode.
Heroes: I have mixed feelings on the finale. I thought it did a nice job of having events connect with how the show began. I also think it set the stage for some interesting things for next season. But the actual action of the episode was fairly anti-climatic. This is why I had been saying the finale should have been two hrs. long. The showdown between Sylar and Peter wasn't nearly as exciting as it should have been. And I thought having Nathan fly Peter away wasn't the best way to avoid the bomb. Peter should have just flown away (for the reason why he didn't, click here.) or Claire should have just shot him.
But letdown on action aside, I'm extremely excited for where things are going. I think we're going to see a lot of history behind these characters, which should hopefully answer some questions. We also, thanks to Molly, have been set up with a new big bad guy for next season, who apparently can "see her". Sadly, it seems that the show killed off a lot of their cooler characters and left some of their weaker ones alive. Gone are Thompson and Linderman, yet Nikki/Jessica, DL, Parkman, and Mohinder all seemingly survived. Thank goodness HRG (ooops, I mean Noah!!!) escaped relatively unscathed and I can't wait to see what his plan is for Volume two!
24: I'm not sure who's more relieved that the day is over, Jack Bauer or the audience? The show tried to bring some excitement to its finale, but sadly, even blowing up and off-shore oil base couldn't salvage this show. The best thing I can say about the finale is that it seemed to wipe the slate clean so that when it returns next season, it can be taken into a different direction and retain the elements that fans loved about this show in the first place. Namely Jack being a bad ass. Like so many TV characters, I'll act like I've had amnesia and try to forgot this season took place.
House: Great finale! Oh wait, that's right, the finale hasn't taken place yet because those idiots at FOX wedged their crappy new reality show after Idol this week instead. It serves them right that the show only retained 38% of Idol's audience. Now that FUX has made me have to wait another week to see the season ender, I've become as cranky as Dr. House himself.
Lost: After such a struggling start to the season, they really got their act together and finished with a bang. So much going on in this episode, both from a good TV perspective and from a mythology perspective. The show has once again left us with a ton of questions that need to be answered and now we have to wait until Feb(!) to get them resolved. Namely:
- What is the narrative structure for next season? Will it all take place back home or have we just switched from flashbacks to flashforwards from now on?
- Who died and had no one but Jack attend their funeral? Locke? Sawyer? Ben? Michael?
- Who is the "he" that Kate had to return home to? Sawyer? Nathan Fillion? Parole officer?
- If that's not Penny's boat, then who does Naomi work for? Could Ben have been telling the truth for the first time in his life?
Aside from the puzzling questions, there was a ton of "Wow" moments that also made this episode awesome. Sayid snapping the guys neck. Hurley to the rescue with the VW bus. Sawyer shooting Mr. Friendly. WALT!! Rousseau reuniting with her daughter by tying up Ben. Locke shooting Naomi.
I should also give credit to Charlie who was the most likeable ever in this episode by messing with the two Looking Glass ladies' "good cop, bad cop routine". Of course, his awesome performance is rewarded with him being killed off. Some will say that there were plenty of ways he could have saved himself, but I think he knew he had to do it, if everything was going to be ok for everyone else. A nice farewell that capped off a fantastic episode.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Let the teasing begin...
Still over a year away, we are already beginning to get some teaser stuff for the next Batman film, The Dark Knight, due next summer. The first website, I Believe in Harvey Dent gives us the first image of Aaron Eckhart as the man who'll become Two Face. Then there is a similar site, I Believe in Harvey Dent Too, which shows the Harvey Dent poster vandalized, Joker-style. On that site you can also enter in your email. You'll receive pixel coordinates which you can enter to help reveal another image under the poster. That image being the first look at Heath Ledger as The Joker.
There is still plenty of good stuff to look forward to this summer, but seeing this gets me really pumped up for next summer. After Nolan did such a great job reinventing this franchise, I can't wait to see what he does in this follow-up.
There is still plenty of good stuff to look forward to this summer, but seeing this gets me really pumped up for next summer. After Nolan did such a great job reinventing this franchise, I can't wait to see what he does in this follow-up.
Friday, May 18, 2007
Oh yeah, the Cavs
I've been so caught up in the Indians great start, that I've kinda forgotten about the Cavs, who have quietly (at least here) made it to the Eastern Conference finals for the first time in 15 years. As happy as I am for them, they've simply won the games that they should have won. Now they face Detroit, the team that bounced them from the playoffs last year. This will be a true test of how good this team is and whether or not Lebron is that elite superstar that everyone believes he is. But for now, I'll just enjoy the victory. It's a great time to be a Cleveland sports fan, and we can't say that too often!
Thursday's finales
CSI: I'm torn on my feelings on this episode. On one hand, the Minature Killer was suitably crazy to commit those murders. But they also made her so crazy, that it seems difficult to believe that she would have the poise to create those minatures. Her psychosis also prevented her from having any sort of decent conversation with Gil. That was frustrating for a couple of reasons: 1) It obviously doesn't help him figure out where Sara is and 2) I really wanted to see them have an in-depth conversation so Gil could wrap his mind around the inner-workings of such a twisted artist like the MK. Grissom's profession of his love for Sara was done in a typical, backwards-way for him. Sadly, we got no follow up by any of the CSIs to respond to this announcement. And do you really think they would have let Gil in there alone with the MK, knowing now his personal investment in finding Sara? As for Sara, they did a nice job of leaving the door wide open for her fate. Depending on whether she resigns or not, the audience will easily buy the fact that she lived or died. Let's hope we get more of a sense of closure to the MK next season than we did in this episode.
The Office: Oh man, what a finish. I think I was tense the entire episode, unsure of what would happen. I'm going to need to watch it again, to actually appreciate all of the humor that was happening as well. I knew Jan's announcement would involve some change to herself, but I honestly thought she was going to go for a sex-change operation (an addadictomy, if you will). And really, after dating Michael, I wouldn't blame her. But she went in the complete opposite direction and got a "boob job". Ooops, I mean, "boob enhancement". Once Michael, saw that, he was a goner. Then we learned that the job Michael, Jim and Karen were interviewing for was Jan's job. Seeing Jan blow up upon learning this (I love Michael trying to tell David he didn't tell her) was both hilarious and scary at the same time.
Then you had Jim and Karen also applying for the job. All of the JAM people out there were probably aghast when Karen called Pam a bitch. Then she continues to lose points when she so quickly agrees to abandon Jim in favor of her friends while he waited to be interviewed. It was clear throughout the episode that this girl was meant for NY, while Jim, who might say otherwise, is destined for a life in Scranton. The capper was the wonderful note he found from Pam while he was interview that included the "gold medal" from the Office Olymipics episode (nice callback there). Fans of the show then got the moment they've been waiting for when Jim came back and asked Pam out on a date. If your heart didn't melt at least a little upon seeing Pam's face at that point, then your heart is made of stone.
Lest we not forget all of other wonderful Office workers. Dwight's short-lived reign as regional manager (while still acting as Assistant to the Regional manager) was fantastic. Loved the Schrute Bucks, his interview of (only) Andy for his #2, his lecture on soil, and his secret working relationship with Pam. Also, Stanley had some great comebacks for Dwight, Kevin's assessment of Pam vs. Karen was hilarious, and I loved Creed's "blog". BTW, there is now a real Creed blog that you can check out here.
Finally, we were in for one more shocker when we saw Ryan of all people get Jan's job and dump Kelly in one swooop. Now, does anyone else think this might not necessarily be true? What if David was talking to Karen about the job and then Karen called Ryan for the date? Remember two weeks ago when Ryan mentioned asking Karen out? Plus, David said that it would be nice to have another MBA around, and I'm not positive that Ryan actually got his yet. I can't wait until next season to find out!!!
Price is Right: Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful tribute they had for Bob Barker last night, celebrating his 50 years in television. They did a nice job of showing clips of his career, while also recognizing all that's he done. There were also a couple of nice cameos by CBS president Les Moonves and Adam Sandler (Happy!) They also managed to squeeze in a mini-version of the show and gave away a lot of loot to boot. All in all, a nice show that makes me a little sad, as we now have only about a month left of episodes until Bob says goodbye for good.
The Office: Oh man, what a finish. I think I was tense the entire episode, unsure of what would happen. I'm going to need to watch it again, to actually appreciate all of the humor that was happening as well. I knew Jan's announcement would involve some change to herself, but I honestly thought she was going to go for a sex-change operation (an addadictomy, if you will). And really, after dating Michael, I wouldn't blame her. But she went in the complete opposite direction and got a "boob job". Ooops, I mean, "boob enhancement". Once Michael, saw that, he was a goner. Then we learned that the job Michael, Jim and Karen were interviewing for was Jan's job. Seeing Jan blow up upon learning this (I love Michael trying to tell David he didn't tell her) was both hilarious and scary at the same time.
Then you had Jim and Karen also applying for the job. All of the JAM people out there were probably aghast when Karen called Pam a bitch. Then she continues to lose points when she so quickly agrees to abandon Jim in favor of her friends while he waited to be interviewed. It was clear throughout the episode that this girl was meant for NY, while Jim, who might say otherwise, is destined for a life in Scranton. The capper was the wonderful note he found from Pam while he was interview that included the "gold medal" from the Office Olymipics episode (nice callback there). Fans of the show then got the moment they've been waiting for when Jim came back and asked Pam out on a date. If your heart didn't melt at least a little upon seeing Pam's face at that point, then your heart is made of stone.
Lest we not forget all of other wonderful Office workers. Dwight's short-lived reign as regional manager (while still acting as Assistant to the Regional manager) was fantastic. Loved the Schrute Bucks, his interview of (only) Andy for his #2, his lecture on soil, and his secret working relationship with Pam. Also, Stanley had some great comebacks for Dwight, Kevin's assessment of Pam vs. Karen was hilarious, and I loved Creed's "blog". BTW, there is now a real Creed blog that you can check out here.
Finally, we were in for one more shocker when we saw Ryan of all people get Jan's job and dump Kelly in one swooop. Now, does anyone else think this might not necessarily be true? What if David was talking to Karen about the job and then Karen called Ryan for the date? Remember two weeks ago when Ryan mentioned asking Karen out? Plus, David said that it would be nice to have another MBA around, and I'm not positive that Ryan actually got his yet. I can't wait until next season to find out!!!
Price is Right: Finally, I would be remiss if I didn't mention the wonderful tribute they had for Bob Barker last night, celebrating his 50 years in television. They did a nice job of showing clips of his career, while also recognizing all that's he done. There were also a couple of nice cameos by CBS president Les Moonves and Adam Sandler (Happy!) They also managed to squeeze in a mini-version of the show and gave away a lot of loot to boot. All in all, a nice show that makes me a little sad, as we now have only about a month left of episodes until Bob says goodbye for good.
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