Remember the red blinking lights device?

Remember the red blinking lights device?

This silly device made it into most of the Star Trek movies and modern TV series. I always loved seeing it in the background. But, the device receives its first true mention in the sequel to Airplane. This device prop/device crosses over to many sci-fi universes and I love that.

Here's some information on the red blinking light machine. You can rent this device for parties for about 800 bucks here.

 This device has no purpose. 

The Crank Chop

The Crank Chop

Why does all of Vince Offer's products always sound like sexual actions? Slap Chop and Schticky? When he is not being put on trial by the Scientology courts (I am not making this up) or beating up hookers that refuse to release his lower lip, he's selling useless shit like this. 

And, I love he throws the entire “other” product out the window. How much did that cost to destroy that window?

“Oh, me so hungry?” Really, Vince? That's almost as bad as “You're going to love my nuts.”

I like the simple design because it is a cross between a See N Say, yo-yo and a Slap Shop.I am not sure people will need it if they have a Slap Chop though.

Surgery

Surgery

Well, I had surgery this Friday. There is not much to say. After I got a blood test, they moved me from a waiting room to a nursing place to change into that weird smock thing that everyone is forced to wear and just underwear. Since I have already been through some of this, it wasn't a shock.

After more tests and waiting, a pair of nurses brought me up to the surgery room. It was a room that actually looked more like the sickbay from Star Trek TNG than anything else. It was very modern looking and had a large observation glass And, it was very cold. I met with my heart doctor and tech that had knowledge of the device they were putting in me.

They strapped my left arm down and put a breathing mask over my face. I took deep breathes...I woke up in recovery. I slept through the whole procedure. My throat was sore and my chest and left-hand side were in a lot of pain. In recovery, they got me some pain meds that me even sicker, but I puked it up.

They moved me over to my room to recover.

I had to stay overnight and watch some really bad TV. I watched an entire episode of Hawaii 5-0 and a few CSI type clones. How do people watch this shit? However, I did watch the first Hobbit movie, which holds up rather well. Plus, I slept through the second movie though.

They let me out of the hopital on Saturday and I've been sleeping off and on for a while.

I now have a device in my body that monitors my heart rate and will give me a shock if I have problems. So, that makes me a Borg right?

Grandmother RIP

Grandmother RIP

It was a Sunday and I received a phone call from my mother that my Grandmother was in bad shape. My mother wanted to there for emotional support. I didn't want to be there because I've been to too many hospitals in the last two years. I watched friends and family members get sick and die. While I was closer to my grandmother in Louisville, I didn't want to watch another person die. However, I showed up.

Inside the hospice room, My grandmother was in her bed almost still, but with a few breaths here and there. It reminded me of seeing my uncle's body when he died last year. My mother nervously hovered over her checking her chest for breathing. I sat down and just observed everything.

At a certain point, she stopped breathing. The nurses came in and confirmed that she stopped breathing. She passed on quietly.

She was gone...

There was a sense of relief in my heart because she no longer had to deal with pain, sorrow, stress and the other issues we have to deal with. All of that was gone. While I am saddened by her passing, her pain is gone. She no longer had to deal with her body failing and her mind leaving her.

So, who was my last Grandmother?

Well, she was part new age and old fashion. She learned how to drive at a young age when women weren't required to drive. She owned houses she rented a few houses and owned a bar. I remember going to that bar. She worked for the city and helped low-income families with housing. She grew up in old Louisville, but came out of it a rather wealthy woman.

Her and her husband did some amazing things when being a black person in Louisville was very-very bad. I spent many hours at my grandmother's house growing up.

When my dog passed away a few years ago, she wanted to get me another dog because she saw how depressed I was about it. That was the kind of person she was. She always helped me out. While she could be demanding and controlling, but she did try to help you out when she could. Like my Grandmother from Memphis, she pressed me to find a girlfriend because she wanted to see some great-grandchildren. That didn't happened.

I didn't want to be there her final hours because I just witnessed a friend of mine pass away in the same manner mere weeks before she passed away.

Anyway, I am depressed, but I will get through it. She will be missed.

I will be going into surgery this Friday.

Shatner Looks back at Star Trek V.

 Shatner Looks back at Star Trek V. 

From Slash Film via Entertainment Weekly, ((I got the chance to direct a several-million-dollar movie, Star Trek V, and I did not get the help I needed in allocating my budget, so when it came to shooting the ending — needing a good villain and lots of computer graphics — I had run out of money. Sorry about that. I had to use footage that I had already shot — and spit on it a lot. I wanted to give [the audience] earth-breaking granite monsters spewing rocks and fire. Instead, I had a few pebbles in my hand that I threw at the camera. ))

Here's the thing. Shatner will never fully apologize for Star Trek V. Out of all the TOS movies, it has the most flawed concept. Even Gene wanted to do something similar with an early Trek movie script, but realized it would have never worked. (Gene would go out of his way to stop Shatner from doing certain things in the script, but has little power over the movies.) Shatner went all in with “Kirk stands up to God”. Nope, sorry.

Yes, STV was an unfinished movie with a cheap budget, but the script would have never worked. And, I've heard Shatner harp on the Rock Monsters a lot over the years, but that wouldn't have helped the movie at all.

I have to agree with the Slash Film writer. The biggest issue with the movie is Shatner's EGO. The movie clearly goes out of its way to make Kirk look good, and all of his co-workers look foolish. Only Kirk can stand alone against Sybok (His co-stars refused to film it with just Kirk standing alone against Sybok, so they finally stand with him at the end of the scene as an agreement.) Only Kirk can stand alone against God and the Klingons.

It is a bit troubling that Shatner doesn't see the overall flaw of the movie above the cut budget. And, BTW, in order for Shatner to come back for the movies, Paramount had to offer him directing duties in the same way as Nimoy. Talk about ego. 

STV is an odd movie to watch.  It has some good things about it, but it just feels unfinished and uneven. The concept of searching for God never fully realized.  Before DS9, Trek went out of its way to avoid these sort of things.  But, Shatner wanted to leave his mark on Trek.  Jerry Goldsmith's score is brilliant.   

Random Things

Random Things

~Facebook Friends: It is good to see many of my friends of the past doing so well in their lives. There are so many happy faces and couples that it really does make me feel a little upset I can't get my act together. Because I am not happy with my current job and where I am in life that, I marvel at people that can find a slice of happiness in their lives. I know I won't get married or have kids, I just want to wake up and not dread going into a job a loathe 100%.

~GLH 9: AKA Good Looking Hair: Remember that paint stray for balding men?: This shit was sold through the mail via paid programs on cable. Why would you walk around with some paint chemicals in your hair just to cover up a bald spot? It seems a bit dangerous to me. Wouldn't people tell that you were just wearing paint on your spot? GLH is the clip-on ties of hair-plugs. Check out the ads. (BTW, they are still selling this product on their website!)

 

~Star Trek Discovery: While I am looking forward to the new Trek show, I am not looking forward to paying 8-10 dollars for a CBS online channel. Since Supergirl moved to the CW, I really have no prospects of watching any other CBS show other than Trek. It will take a lot to get me to pony up money for JUST a Trek show. BTW, Discovery will be set in the main universe ten years before the TOS run of episodes. They are also using an early version of the pre-modern Enterprise before they wanted to make Star Trek Phase II. I think CBS should have this show on Netflix as well.

President Little Hands

~Trump's Saggy Pole: I mean his sagging polls. I hate Hillary, but I hate Trump even more. While Clinton is a career politician, Trump is a complete asshat that isn't too fond of free speech or anything else. He rubs me the wrong way and seems to ride the coattails of race and religious baiting. I still think he has a chance to to win the election because Clinton is so crooked that more shit may come out about her, but I am begrudgingly supporting her. I have never hated both sides of the aisle more than now

Peanuts The Movie

Peanuts The Movie

 I thought I've grown too old and distrustful to like a movie like this. However, I found myself really loving this movie. With the exception of one element, this movie feels like the series of specials that came out during my childhood at the time. It is charming and sweet in the manner that is the Peanuts of old. Despite the wonderful CGI, this feels and looks like those old Peanut specials from those early days of your childhood. They went out of their way not hip up Charlie Brown such as they did say the new Archie comics.

Charlie Brown discovers a new girl (The Little Red-Haired Girl) moving in across the street. He has a crush on her. The sort of revolves around him trying new things to get her attention or trying to shed his loser Charlie Brown history. (Snoopy also has his own Red Baron story, which was extremely cute. )

The Little Red-Haired Girl story is probably something most children go through as their first crush. While I don't think it turns out as happy as it does in this film, this plot device is very cute and fun to watch unfold. Being the nerdy shy guy, I understood every Charlie Brown was going through. We've all wanted to impress that cute girl/guy, but didn't have that “swagger” to pull it off.

I also like the relationship between Snoopy and Charlie. It is a friendship I seem to understand today and not when I was younger. Snoopy is that wild friend that pushes Charlie to be a better person and get him out of shell. The movie really pushed that narrative.

While the main through-line story is the new girl next door, there are clearly segments of side stories that are connected with this story line. Sometimes, it felt like the movie took a ruote that wasn't nessary, such as Charlie Brown getting a high score on a test. Some of this made the movie feel a bit too long, btut it does carry over to the end.

I love that this isn't a reboot or remake of the specials, but a sequel. Because someone mentions the Great Pumpkin. The sense of the 70s and 80s elementary school is all here without a lick of modern elements (except for a song).

All of the Peanut characters are here and excactlt the same as they were some 30 years ago. Even the ones you hate are here to annoy you such as Lucy, but even she has a nice sublte moment at the end, and to top it off with that mean football bit.

Yes, I hate Lucy, but she might be the forerunner for 4chan and troll culture.

Snoopy's story is very funny and neat to watch because itdeals wit the Red Baron story.

While the movie has some pacing issues and the pop song is a bit annoying, the movie does a good job with the nostalgia memories from Peanuts series of specials. The CGI animation is extremely well animated and the character design fit right in with the old cartoon specials. It is a very good movie that I highly recomend to anyone growing up in the 70s and 80s. Overall, this is a highly entertaining little movie that is fine for young kids and adults that grew up on Charlie Brown and company.

You did good, Charlie Brown.

Grade: B+

Farrah Abraham's song: Blowin

Farrah Abraham's song: Blowin

This might very well be one of the worst songs I've heard in a long, long time. Frah Abrham is that reality star that got famous for getting knocked up and then she became a pornstar (check your local tube site for research). Honestly, she has nothing to offer to the world other than mockery.

Double Toasted brought me here to this train wreck of a music video. When I saw their reaction to her album, I had to listen, er endure, one of her singles.

Folks, this is NOT really music. This is what the Borg wouldm create to parody music. It is what a machine would shat out after you threw in all the trends of popular music into a program.

Then it gets worst...she isn't even trying to lip sync with her own damn song in the music video. You created this piece of shit song, and you can't even bother to act like you're interested in doing this music video.

It also has some of the worst aspects of "cool people" trends thrown into the video. She takes annoying selfies, she's on Twitter and Facebook. (Plus, she seems to be glitching the Internet in the video. Did she give Twitter and FB an STD?) Maybe it is because I am too old to understand this selfie crowd.

And, why are you calling your song “blowin”? Hmm. Not only does the song blow, but she...never mind.

The best part is this video is at 6K likes and nearly 73K dislikes. Make sure to read the comments.

You HAVE to listen to her album. Holy crap.

I swear she has the biggest mouth since LeBron James.  She could eat a Subway sandwich whole. 

Star Trek Beyond (3 of 3)

Star Trek Beyond (3 of 3)

 Captain Kirk

Chris Pine is looking the part of a seasoned Captain Kirk. He's in his third year in his 5-year mission. Pine has aged into the Kirk part and looks almost like Shatner did in the third season This is symbolic due to the original show only lasting three whole seasons.

This movie starts with a bored Captain Kirk simply going through the motions while exploring space. He's in a runt and wants to move up in rank to Vice Admiral. "Admirals don't fly" This is a nice callback to the first and second movies where Kirk is feeling regret for getting promoted to admiral in the original movies. Here it is the opposite.

Plus, we see another good scene with Kirk and Bones sharing moment. And, this scene is tied to the first movie. Karl Urban is again great in the role of Dr. McCoy. I like that they even joke about Kirk ripping his shirt. I also liked the opening scene where we get to see the end of one adventure with an amusing group of aliens attacking Kirk. This cold opening is actually tied to the main plot as well.

Kirk does take the attack on his ship rather well. It reminded me of the way Picard took the loss of his Enter. Plus, it also is a call back to Star Trek III.

The Music

From the opening notes, you can tell Michael Giacchino is playing this score differently from the first two movies. It is more action center with the music having a more primal feel to it. The Starbase theme and the interspertive theme for Sock are nice addictions to the ST music lore.

I've liked all three of Michael Giacchino's scored equally. However, the score isn't as compelling with its action cues, but the character moments are scored extremely well. The Starbase and the Spock themes really stand out as the newer themes to listen for. They are some wonderful themes, but the action cues just don't stand out like the Into Darkness themes. Yet, I do like some of the primal drums and rhythms though.

Rihanna's pop song isn't bad either. It has a James Bond sound to it. And, you won't hear it until the end credits. It simply fits the vibe of the movie. You WILL also hear Public Enemy in a rather amusing scene with Jaylah. And, pop music factors into the plot in an amusing manner. Is it corny? Yes, but fits in with this newer universe. You would never see this use of popular music in the old Star Trek movies. Plus, there is a neat remark about pop music being classical music.

Random Bits

-Starbase Yorktown (AKA the Citadel): It looks like someone was a huge fan of the Mass Effect series, because the entire design of this new (and fully operational) spacestation is modeled after the grand city in space Mass Effect called the Citadel. I got a bit of a smile when I saw the Enterprise docking in the massive station. It reminded me of the game when you first see the Citadel.

-Yorktown: Before Gene changed his mind, The Yorktown was the original name of the Star Trek ship before the project got some legs. I believe it was Captain Robert April commanding the USS Yorktown.

-Speaking of Mass Effect: Commodore Paris, the commander of the Yorktown station, is played by the wonderful actress Shohreh Aghdashloo. She was in the Mass Effect series too in a commanding role.

-Sulu gay thing: There is nothing to get worked up about either way. It is in passing and is a nice little hint without it being an issue either way. And, that's the way it should be. It is quick and then it is put on the back-burner. Who is his daughter in this timeline?

-Ensign Cupcake got a death scene but was deleted from the movie:This deletion gives this character a chance to show up in the next movie. A lot of his fellow red shirts do die in the attack.

To The End

While Star Trek Beyond isn't the type of movie that handles the bigger social and political issues such as Into Darkness or some of the character moments of the first movie, the story feels like the more action centered TOS series more than anything else. There are many character moments that feel more in tune with the TNG era series. And, I found these interactions to be rich and fun to watch along with the visual sense of witnessing the ship getting torn apart. I had a lot of fun with this movie. I like all three of the new Trek movies for different reasons, and this one stands right along the other three.

Lin did a good job keeping it Trek enough, but still open to new people. It is probably the most TOS movie out there because everything else has been a departure from the TOS roots and I am fine with that, but this is refreshing. With all the action and modern references, it is still a Trek story at its core. Like the 2009 film, this movie is for hardcore and non-fans alike.

What's next for the series and the crew of the Enterprise? Given that this movie isn't doing as good as the last two movies, this might be the last time we see this crew of the Enterprise again.

Grade: A-

Microsoft Scammer

Microsoft Scammer

I received my first phone call scammer today pretending to be a Microsoft Security member. He was from India and had a thick accent. I knew something was wrong when I asnwered the phone and there was a long-long pause before he answered.

When he said Microsoft Security, I quickly hung up on him. Come on, I am not a tech head, but I know tech scams when I hear them. 

Nice try

 

Paul Feig: no more reboots/remakes (no sequel?)

 

From The Independent UK, ((Asked when he would even consider reimagining another classic film property, he told The Huffington Post: “No, no, no. No, I will not,” drawing attention to the fact that most of his filmography is original material. ))

Paul Feig won't be rebooting another franchise anytime soon. He took a lot beatings in the social media world for rebooting Ghostbusters. It certainly sounds like he's throwing in the towel.

The movie isn't a bomb. It will probably won't break even in the theaters, but will on the home market. A fellow blogger also mentioned that Sony very quietly canceled the male spinoff movie and you haven't heard a word about it.

I really didn't have the hatred for the movie like others did, and I even liked the first trailer. However, it is starting to look like Sony really knew they didn't have the golden goose on their hands they were hoping for. Sony is losing about 70 million from this reboot. Ouch.

I think Comic Book Girl made a good point and Sony should have just made the movies a distance sequel to the original GB franchise and made it a mixture of men and women. At least make some of the main characters related to the first movie's characters. While I don't agree with Feig's politics, I think he is a good director. (Loved Bride's Maids, Heat and Spy) He might bounce back from this.

And, it looks like Sony is no longer interested in making any kind of sequel to this movie. And, the biggest burn to Sony has to be that WB's Suicide Squad made GB's take in one week with critics roasting it on Rotten Tomatoes. Suicide Squad will probably hit 400 million by this weekend worldwide.

There is still hope. From Heatstreet, ((Sony is not commenting, but now The Hollywood Reporter is reporting the “Ghostbusters universe” will now consist of an animated movie and a TV spin-off. The exploits of Melissa McCarthy, Leslie Jones, Kate McKinnon, and Kristen Wiig have been abandoned. ))

Karma Horse

Karma Horse

I have to give credit to Joe Rogan for this clip. I love that this guy brags about not being injured and the damn horse gets an attitude and throws him off. I guess the horse heard enough of his bullshit (horse shit?) and threw him off. I love this horse.

Now some are saying that the scene was faked. The in the video says it was real. Straight from the horse's mouth (pun intended).

The Neverending Story (Breaking the Fourth Wall)

The Neverending Story (Breaking the Fourth Wall)

I grew up loving the childhood favorite movie The Neverending Story. I just re-watched the movie again just a few minutes ago. There was a line of dialogue that clearly breaks the fourth wall that I never noticed before.

This is so meta...

When the entire planet is destroyed by the Nothing. The Childlike Empress talks about the movie-going audience in the third act. She reveals that Bastian is reading along with their story and that there are many people watching him read their story. She gives us details about things that happened earlier in the movie and points it out to us watching.

And, I realized they basically doubled-broke the fourth wall. The Childlike Empress knows she's in a book about a kid in movie. The character knows Bastian is in a movie about the Neverending Story. It is very creepy that she knows this and almost has smirk on her face when she reveals this truth. And, I never realized this point until now. I only caught that the Empress knew about Bastian reading her story, but never realized that SHE KNOWS about us watching the movie as well.

From IMDB, ((then again, and as the storm rages in Bastian's World (is the Nothing destroying his world too?), she mentions that someone, somewhere, is living the adventure through Bastian, a concept that once again escapes his comprehension. Note that at this point, she's looking directly toward the camera - towards you, who's watching the film! In this part, she's speaking to the audience, complementing what G'mork said earlier, but in a higher layer of truth, referring to Bastian's World as another extension of what could be called our world's Fantasia. The Childlike Empress is breaking the Fourth Wall between the film itself and our world. ))

Side Note: The only other character that is fully aware that they live in a fictional world is the villain G'mork, the wolf creature. I wonder if that has a meaning to the overall story. Good and Evil are two sides of the same coin. G'mork is just the bad side of the Empress.

((G'mork: Foolish boy. Don't you know anything about Fantasia? It's the world of human fantasy. Every part, every creature of it, is a piece of the dreams and hopes of mankind. Therefore, it has no boundaries. ))

Side Note II: The book also seems to rewrite the story to conform to the reader.  The main hero turns out to be a Native American because Bastian had a backpack with a Native American hunting a buffalo.  Heck they even mention the buffalo in the story.  

That Star Trek video game (Repost)

That Star Trek video game (Repost)

Yes, the game is that broken. I think this is the best glitch video I have scene, though Day One: Gary and Sonic Boom are very close to being as glitch-filled, This game came out around the time of Into Darkness and the studio heavily promoted this game. It was supposed to be a bridging story between Star Trek 09 and Into Darkness.

The reviews were not kind to this game. The PS3 version scored the highest out of the group, but that was still a 45%.

What makes this story funny is that a lot of the movie talent in and behind the camera worked on this shitty game. J.J. Abrams not only distanced himself from the game as they were making it, he tried to get most of his team away from the project too. He also bashed the game after its release.

Kind of reminds me of that Ghostbusters video game that just came out and bankrupted the company that made it! 

Pokemon Go...No

Pokemon Go...No

I've asked if I have or will play this strange GPS Pokemon Go game. And, I just shake my head and say, “I am not a fan of Pokemon and I really don't 'get' it.” I was a little too old for the craze back in the its first heyday. And, now I simply can't get into it.

The only way I'd get into this new Pokemon Go is if you get rewarded for having less monsters or not bothering to sign in. I simply hate the whole Pokemon thing and I am a bit annoyed that it has come back huge. Once again Pokemon saves Nintendo from itself.

I hate to say this, but I am too old for this shit.

Random Things

Random Things

~Gravity Falls: I had idea that this show was so good. I heard there was a strange connection to Rick and Morty. I really like this show a great deal. It seems this forest has a lot of magical things that causes problems for the main characters. It is also very edgey for a Disney show. However, Disney's shows are rather intense like Star Wars Rebels. Anyway, I really like Gravity Falls. 

 ~One Punch Man?: What in the heck am watching? There is a pollution monster and a crab monster. Plus, there is a kid with balls for a chin. So, there is this superhero that has the power of one punch. This might be one of most craziest shows I have ever seen. I thought DBZ has major city-wide damage, but this show kills a lot of people and entire towns are destroyed. The animation is good and the fighting pretty intense. I like the show, but damn it is very strange and I just watched the first episode so far. 

~Calista Flockhart on Supergirl S2: I really love the character of Cat Grant and she is the best thing about this show. Flockhart seems to be playing the complete opposite of Ally McBeal . The show moved to Canada with the other CW shows when the show moved to the CW. This causes an issue for Flockhart because her family lives in LA. It seems CW split the difference with making her a guest character instead of a main one. As long as she is still on the show, I am okay with this news.  What about the fact that Supergirl is set on a different Earth from the other CW universe? Will they merge this planet into the Arrow-verse? 

 ~Mad TV is back? Did anyone ask for this? Really, CW? I remember when they canceled the show years ago and everyone had totally forgotten that the show was still on the air that that time. It was the discount-dollar brand of SNL that only a few of your friends found funny. I even tried watching it back in the day and couldn't sit through a single episode. Keep in mind the show only ended back in 2009 and no one knew or cared. Now, they're bringing this show back like a bad case of warts. In this new hashtag PC world, can we really have a truly funny comedy show? Can you do a version of Miss Swan today without a twitter call-out for the show the be canceled? Would we even want another Mad TV when even SNL has its ups and downs.

Wonder Woman Trailer

Wonder Woman Trailer

After a lot of false starts, they're making Wonder Woman.

Okay, DC, you got me interested. This trailer is extremely good. And, it seems like DC film actually got Wonder Woman right. And, they proved me wrong with their decision on choosing Gal Gadot . She looks amazing as the Amazon. Damn she looks and sounds the part. I heard people were pleased with Wonder Woman the most out of the Batman/Superman movie.

I also like seeing Captain Kirk, er, Chris Pine as her introduction to the man's world. I think that was a good casting choice to have Pine as this character. They are also setting this movie during WWI instead of WWII. They're completely different wars. While WW has her orgins in the second war, this change is cool for me.

I hope they explore the relationship between Diana Prince and Steve Trevor . Fanboys and Fangirls will be very mad if they screw this up. For me, I like her to be single and strong willed. But this is coming from a single guy.

My only issue with this movie is that Zack Snyder is all over this production, but the good news is Geoff Johns is also in the mix to clean up the silly Snyder-ness.

BTW, this trailer has over 200K likes and it is a woman based movie. Even though the movie could be shit, everyone seems to like the trailer. Sony, you have some explaining to do.