Nyan Friday (fried eggs)

Nyan Friday (fried eggs)

Somehow, they mashed up two meme into one. 

And, now here are reactions to the Nyan Cat from kids…

Captain America: The First Avenger (part 1 of 2)

 Captain America: The First Avenger (part 1 of 2)

Director Joe Johnston brings a sense of wonderment and adventure to Captain America.  After a couple of foolish live action Captain America attempts, Marvel finally captured the feel and look of “the First Avenger”.  Hiring Joe Johnston was a brush of genius.  The movie also does a good job carrying over some of the plot threads from Thor and Iron Man 2. 

Just like his comic book origins, Captain America started out as hero in World War II.  He fights against the Nazi army.  Within the Nazi army, there is another group of soldiers that only follow Johann Schmidt (Red Skull), and they go by the name HYDRA.  Red Skull discovers a new power source that could very well turn the tide in WWII. 

The movie falls squarely on Chris Evans’ shoulders in the leading role of Captain America.  Evans is extremely well suited as the brave, but small Steve Rogers, and then as the heroic Captain America.  The story strongly conveys that the young Steve Rogers is courageous at heart, but doesn’t have the physical ability to fight in the war he so desires to be in.  “I hate bullies, sir.”

While the movie takes its time to build up Red Skull and Rogers, it might seem a bit slow for the younger crowds.  It certainly has the building pacing from the first act of Iron Man than Iron Man 2.  The movie starts to really pick up when Rogers receives the super-soldier serum.  And, what follows after that is amazing to watch. 

There is an extended chase scene that is a treat to watch and works on all levels.  We see Captain America test out his new body in this wonderful scene.  And, there is a funny moment with a young kid too that makes me chuckle.  It is a twist on a cliché. 

The movie also has a strong female lead that totally kicks ass in the movie.   Peggy Carter is a character that doesn’t fall into the same cliché moments that other superhero lover interest seem to fall under.  I am looking at you Marry Jane.  Hayley Atwell does a good job holding her own against Tommy Lee Jones, who is great.  And, she has some nice moments with Captain America.  Stanley Tucci does a fair take as the father figure scientist. 

Dominic Cooper plays Howard Stark, Tony Stark’s father, and he’s great in the role.  Howard Stark is very much modeled after Howard Hughes.  Here, we see an idealist engineer, but we later see that Howard becomes a drunk in Iron Man 2.  Tony Stark is very similar to the young version of his father in this movie. 

End of Part 1

Mariska Hargitay as Dulcea (from Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie)

 Mariska Hargitay as Dulcea

I was watching that Mighty Morphing Power Rangers: The Movie recently online recently. I read on the IMDB page that Mariska Hargitay  replaced Gabrielle  Fitzpatrick as the character Dulcea in the first Power Rangers movie. You will remember there was a female character dressed in a very revealing bikini outfit. I remember watching those scenes and thinking, “Wow, I can't believe they got away with this in a kid's movie.”

Hargitay actually filmed most of her scenes...in her very revealing outfit. I have to say she fills out her role nicely, actually more so than Fitzpatrick. The producers of the MMPR fired her and brought back Fitzpatrick, who recovered from a medical problem. They re-shot all of Hargitay scenes with Fitzpatrick and changed some things too.

From Red Book Mag.com, ((she laughingly recounts, she was fired as Dulcea, friend of the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, on a movie set in Australia. "I was lucky enough to have a father who said, 'Don't quit.' So I just kept going." It's this buoyancy, this ability not to give up, that has allowed Mariska to take tragedy and loss and turn the telescope around to feel like, in her own words, "the luckiest person in the world."

Read more: Mariska Hargitay Opens Up About Her Injury - Mariska Hargitay Interview - Redbook  ))

Because the first movie was promptly thrown out of continuity with the next season, Delcea was promptly morphed into a dude named Ninjor. He played the same type of character as Delcea, giving them their new ninja powers, without the skimpy outfit.

  

I believe the creature by her side was named Snoggle. He was supposed to be the Jar-Jar Binks character in the movie. When they fired Hargitay, this character was removed from the story with the new re-shoots...thankfully.    

Songsmith: Take on Me

Songsmith: Take on Me

Wow, what can I say?  We are always worried that the machines and programs will rise against us, but Microsoft’s Songsmith proves we’re still far off from the machine Judgment Day. 

Penn and Teller: Quick Change Act

Penn and Teller: Quick Change Act

Uh, how did they do that?  That was amazing.  Penn and Teller don’t reveal how it was done, but they weren’t fooled.  Now, someone did reveal some of the secrets here...I think. 

Shannon Fill: Where is she now? (Ensign Sito Jaxa)

Shannon Fill:  Where is she now?

SF has been reviewing TNG seasons over at his blog. And, the episode Lower Decks came up. I recently watched Lower Decks on Net-flicks and found myself amazed with the performance from the young and lovely Shannon Fill, who played the character Ensign Sito Jaxa. Jaxa showed up in two episodes of TNG, actually they were two important episodes.  There was a nice arc to her character too. 

Her character was killed off in Lower Decks, but there were plans to bring her back for an episode of DS9. From Memory Alpha, ((One story considered by the writing staff concerned the return of Sito Jaxa from TNG: "Lower Decks". The pitch had Sito being imprisoned under inhumane conditions and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder. Robert Hewitt Wolfe developed the story for some time. Feeling that there was insufficient explanation of Sito's condition, he had Sito killing her cellmate, whom she'd become close to. ))

Of course, the first thing I thought was “Damn, she is so cute.” But, Fill was so great in that episode as a young idealist character that it was heart-breaking to see her die.

At some point around 1995, Shannon Fill stopped acting. One of her last roles was in an episode of Walker, Texas Ranger. Did Chuck Norris have something to do with that?

All jokes aside, it seemed odd for a cute talented actress to simply stop acting. What made her walk away from it?

So, Shannon Fill, if you are out there fill us in. (pun intended)

Note

It looks like she joined Facebook, but nothing else.

Red State Trailer

Red State Trailer

Okay, I’ve been hearing a lot about this movie from Kevin Smith during his podcasts, but I didn’t know much outside that.  But, seeing this trailer has me really interested in seeing the movie now.  The trailer clearly gives you look at the plot from point A to B without giving away too much.  It is good to see Smith take a stab (pun intended) at the horror genre. 

Color me interested.  

FlashForward (Entire Season) Part 1 of 2

FlashForward (Entire Season) Part 1 of 2

FlashForward has a very interesting concept involving time travel.  While it has a great deal in common with Lost, there are a few things done differently.  Brannon Braga (The guy the helped run Star Trek into the ground) and David Goyer (The guy that ran the Blade franchise into the ground) united to create a TV series based off of a book of the same name.  There are a few missteps along the way, but the show got interesting with the layers they added to each episode. 

Basically, the entire world loses consciousness at the time.  Most people see the future of April 29, 2010.  They get a peek into what their lives are going to be like during that time.  Some of them see good things, while other see very bad things.  Other people see nothing in their visions, which means they are going to die before April 29.  The Blackout causes mayhem after everyone wakes up.  20 million die because of the blackout.

With a concept like that, the show goes in many directions.  I think the show is at its strongest when we see the FBI investigation into the Flash-Forward.  I also enjoyed the conspiracy storyline too.  I like how the FBI and CIA clash with the people that caused the Blackout.  

What didn’t work is the relationship stuff involving various characters.  I know it gives a human side to things, but it felt a little dragged out.  I found myself bore with many of these scene, and wishing for more of the investigation aspects.

The most interesting premise on the show is the fact the writers actually changed the premise mid-season.  The future everyone saw in their flash-forwards is not set in stone.  The future can be drastically changed.  They even go a step further with certain people having hundreds of flash-forwards and being a step ahead of everyone else.  Yet, these people have seen variations of the timeline too. 

The show also handed the ideas of destiny fairly well.  Some people on the show fight against what they know will be the future and succeed in changing it.  Others want to see their future and fight to see that future happen.  This notion also brings up the idea of multiple universes and timelines, but given the show was cancelled it never fully explored these concepts fully. 

And, that is the biggest problem with the series as a whole.  The show builds and builds to an event at the end.  You watch the show to find out the answers to the questions.  The season finale only answers a few of them and they added more questions to the mix.  That is all good for a show with another season, but ABC cancelled the show. 

The writers and producers set the show up for a second season and it ends on a cliffhanger.  This is a huge letdown, because we know there won’t be a second season.  To be fair, the producers thought the network would renew them.  

The Guy Game: Remember this game?

The Guy Game: Remember this game?

Why does this game seem like something from the “extreme” 90s?

The game came out in 2004 on X-Box and PS2.  Basically, the game is a ripoff of You Don’t Know Jack with tits.  You get to answer questions from the game and your female avatar will remove clothing.  The other portion of the game has a D-bag host asking questions to various “Hot” girls.  If they get the questions wrong, they have to take their tops off and show their boobs. 

It was certainly a cross between Girls Gone Wild and You Don’t Know Jack. 

I put this game under the same creepy genre as the DOA volleyball game.  Why would someone want to buy this game for the boobs, given the Internet was around during 2004?  Take away the boobs and you get a lame trivia game. 

Okay, gamers are a lonely lot, but this game seems to be peddling to the guy gaming crowd.  I’m all for nudity in games, but this just seems like a game built around the nudity. 

And, don’t get me started with the D-bag host. 

 Tasha?  Tasha Yar, I thought you were dead.  A guy from one of the videos above remarked this woman looks like Tasha Yar.  She really does.  Just make sure there are no giant talking oil slicks in the audience.  (Yes, a TNG season one reference)

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What the hell is wrong with that guy's expression?  Is he farting on the girls/  Who in marketing thought that putting this douche in the forefront would make people want to buy the game?  Given the focus on him on the cover, I would have thought the game was only about him with us seeing him taking his top off.  Oy...

This has to be the first video game to transport STDs to the player.  An, you thought the Wii and Connect were interactive.  

Superhero Update: Captain America Random Thought

Superhero Update: Captain America

I saw the new Captain America movie today, and I loved it. I will be writing a review in the coming days, but I wanted to bring up this little movie nerd reference in the film.

There is clearly an Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark reference in the movie. The Red Skull complains about Hitler running around the desert looking for “trinkets”.

While Hitler did do that in real life history, this remark is a clear nod to Joe Johnston working on Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. Johnston worked on IJ as an art director. (Plus, SW Episodes IV-VI and BSG)

It was a nice touch that I am sure most people wouldn't get. 

Going commando in a Subway?

Woman (?) cools off by dropping her pants in a subway (NSFW!)

Here is the link to the video and a second link just in case.

The best part of the video is the reaction from the black guy that sits down. He gives one shocked look and gets up leaves.

I personally think she's doing it for a reaction, watch her little smirk in the video.

Superman Returns: Deleted opening scene

Superman Returns: Deleted opening scene

It will probably get taken down, but here it is. I really thought the film could have used this scene. Not a single word is spoken and it is all played on Superman's face. He really believes someone might have survived, until he sees the kryptonite.

It has been reported that this scene took 10 million to make. I only thought Bryan Singer didn't complete the FX and just had shots of Superman in his ship, and used the storyboards for the exterior shots. I was wrong, it looks damn near complete. 

Given the waste of money WB threw out there for the failed development deals of the various Superman Lives/Reborn/Flyby projects, you would think they'd keep this expensive scene in. (Did I mention they fully paid Tim Burton for his time on the failed project?)

Grape Drink vs Grape Juice: Dave Chappelle bit

Grape Drink vs Grape Juice: Dave Chappelle bit

I always loved this bit. Every black kid growing up, like me, would always have that huge jug of grape drink in the refrigerator. Grape Juice is the higher end drink. And, you never opened the Grape Juice without your mom's permission. That was something you broke out for special occasions. When you wanted to impress some girl, you broke out the Grape Juice and not the Grape Drink. 

I need to pick up some Grape Juice and Drink.

Here's that Sunny Delight ad Dave was talking about.

There are two black guys in the ad.

Side Note: Rip-It Energy Drinks has a grape flavored version of their canned stuff. I have to say it is good too. It doesn't taste like an energy drink. You have to try it.   

Uh, is this real?

Uh, is this real?

Why does this remind me of GTA?  In the GTA games, I’d take my character and walk up to cars and smash them in the same manner. Usually, the NPCs would either run over me or flee on foot. 

If a guy came out of nowhere smash my car up at a red light, I’d probably come out to fight him.  You will notice the other cars move away from the ragging bum.  Now, does the poor guy with the car have crack head insurance?

It does smell of being a fake video. The Snopes site makes that claim too.  

Random Thoughts

Random Thoughts

~Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony call for a divorce:  I guess their Scientology classes didn't help them in their marriage.  Yes, Lopez has been wrapped up in Space Church for a bit, but it should be noted her father was or is a member of the church.  How many times has she been married now?  I think it might be time to give it up and be single, Lopez.  We all know how that one marriage ended with her dancer hubby.  He tried to leak a sex tape with her. 

~Lindsay Lohan thinks she deserved Portman's Black Swan part:  I am sorry, but you've lost whatever talent you had, Lindsay.  Plus, you can't hold a candle to the talent of Natalie Portman.  She did a photo shot for Plum Miami and acted like a total a-hole.  I'm sorry, but you haven't done much to even deserve to behave like a diva.   By the way, what happened to her face?  Too much botox and drug use?  She just needs to go away.

~Don't push me, push a pushpop. 

~What happened to Carlos Mencia?  His show ended and he disappeared.  I remember he was hot shit.  Is it because Joe Rogan destroyed him via YouTube years ago?   I guess he’s still around doing stand up shows, but I even remember him having a guest shot on The Shield.

~April O'Neil news bloopers:  These are pretty funny, and the voice actress they got to do her voice is very good.  I never realized how hot April O'Neil was in that yellow jumpsuit.  Why exactly did she wear that yellow suit?

~Funny Metal Gear Solid 2 Codec bits:  These are worth seeing.  If you piss off Rose enough, she will refuse to save your data with the message “I won't make you save”.  The AI Colonel is a little creepy at points during hidden codec messages. 

~Even more MSG2 bits:  I don't remember the malfunctioning AI talking about UFOs.  There are other malfunctioning AI moments that I didn't remember happening either.

Amy Winehouse Dead at her Home (27)

Amy Winehouse Dead at her Home

From the LA Times, ((Troubled U.K. pop star Amy Winehouse was found dead Saturday in her London home, according to multiple British wire reports. Britain's Sky News reported that paramedics were called to her home at just after 4 p.m., but the 27 year-old was pronounced dead at the scene. ))

We all kind of knew this was going to happen after that disastrous concert where she could barely speak and stand. What is sad about the situation is that she had an amazing and soulful voice. Yet, it seemed she didn't believe in going to rehab just like the song. Perhaps, if she stayed in the rehab center like she was supposed to, she'd be still alive and healthy.

I hope this is a wake up call to all the druggies out there. Lindsay Lohan, I am looking at you.

Like I've stated before, I have a family member that has a drinking and drug problem and we're waiting for that call telling us he's dead. He refuses to go to treatment too.

RIP, Amy.

Check out some photos of her from various times in her life.  

Lost video

Lost video

This is pretty amusing for Lost fans.  I guess they filmed this during the last season for fun and just released it recently. 

Side note:  Here are some Lost references in videogames. 

I knew the hatch was in Just Cause 2, but I didn’t know about the Smoke Monster.  

Special PSA for Female Cosplayers in Slave Leia costumes...

Special PSA for Female Cosplayers in Slave Leia costumes...

The slave Leia outfit seems to be the one a lot of girls go to for their cosplay, but I think they should be creative. Do a different Leia. Be the Hoth Leia or Bespin Leia instead. I actually found her prettier in her other outfits. There are so many female characters to choose from.

Better yet, if you have the body, dress up as Power Girl.

Nathan Fillion has a PSA for gamers too...

Gamers, you need to start taking showers.  

Final Fantasy Victory Fanfares (I-XII)

Final Fantasy Victory Fanfares (I-XII)

Whenever I accomplish something in real life, I hear this theme song. Hell, I hear this tune in my sleep. I want it as a ring tone.

The Online Gamer video

The Online Gamer video

-The GTA guy is great and he dresses like a GTA character. 

-The RPG guy is carried over from movies from the earlier episodes.  RPG guys and FPS guys hate each other. 

-That Ashley character is cute.

-The Online Gamer is an Xbox player and his girlfriend is a PS3 player.  They both hate Wii players. 

I love this character.  There are moments throughout the series.  There has certainly been the rise of the group of angry gamers from online world (namely Xbox Live and PSN).  It is a different set of gamers than the ones from the earlier online gaming periods. 

I like the narrative carries over through the various episodes. 

About that pie throwing guy...

 About that pie throwing guy...

Make sure to check out his blog, the most recent post, which was in February and discover some rather amusing comments left on his post. They pretty much sums up what I feel about Mr. Marbles. By making an ass of yourself, you take away from the issues you support. If you're going to do some stunts, at least make it funny. A pie is the face is very old and unfunny.

At least you could taken a steamer on his table at least. Poop never goes out of style. But a pie? What's next a knock-knock joke?

I-Carly does a “The Wire” reference?

I-Carly does a “The Wire” reference?

There is no way, the young fans even know where this came from.

Here is the scene they're referencing

Rupert Murdoch pied? (The guy actually tweeted about it, sigh)

Rupert Murdoch pied?

Man, I love the face his wife jumped in and gave the guy a hand slap. Then she proceeded to fall to the floor. Look, you have to give his wife credit for standing up for her guy, even if he looks like a toad.

Apparently, the pie thrower actual twitted about it before doing it. Twitting about your attack pretty helps them put you in jail...then again having you on tape is another thing. The pie thrower has a political blog that he doesn't update much. Maybe more blogging about political issues and less tweeting is better for you because you're not limited to 150 characters.

While I think Murdoch (not the character from The A-Team) deserves a pie in the face, it takes the attention away from the actual hearings.

Look at his wife, ready to pounce on any hipster or liberal.  

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It looks like Mr. Marbles got some of the blow back. 

Rebecca Black: My Moment

Rebecca Black:  My Moment

I see what you did there, Rebecca.  She opened her track with auto-tune and switched to singing without it.  It’s not a bad song, but some of the synthetic music is annoying.  It feels like the track is fighting between being a ballad and a stupid techno song.   She should have stayed with a ballad. 

The Auto-Tune stuff is kept to a bare minimum.  And, that strange Arc rapper isn’t around to screw up the song.  The lyrics are fluffy and light, but not bland like the Arc stuff.  She really seems to be having a good time in the music video. 

So, as a second follow up, it isn’t bad.  It is a step up from that Arc Music Factory junk.  She seems to have a level head on her shoulders and isn’t really full of herself…yet.  I remember she took all the Internet hate for the “Friday” song with stride.  Her song and music video seem to be much better than the earlier effort.  I think, with some help, she could turn into a pretty good artist, as long as she doesn’t follow the Lady Gaga style of music making.  I think she really could go for ballad music and have a good career. 

Not a bad second track, Rebecca. 

Grade: C+

Notes

-Uh, Bubbles? 

-Yeah, I kind of liked the air-drums bit. 

-Why do I hate the dancers in this video?  They feel like rip-offs of a Disney show. 

-Who are the people in her car with her?  Her family? 

-Why are there guitarists in the music video?  I can’t seem to detect that music guitar playing in the track.  It would have been more realistic to have a nerd with a beat machine. 

Digital Underground sampled Jimi Hendrix’s “Who Knows”.

Digital Underground sampled Jimi Hendrix’s “Who Knows”. 

DU used the baseline and portions of the melody in their song “The Way We Swing”. Actually, Hendrix's voice is sampled in the first version of the song. You see, there are two versions of the DU song. I've always loved DU because they used a lot of tracks from the 70s.

I am not a huge fan of Hendrix, but damn this song is amazing.  It clearly is a blues song more so than rock. 

Here's DU's song using “Who Knows”

DIGITAL UNDERGROUND "WAY WE SWING" (1990) Vidéo woodywat sélectionnée dans Musique

Twilight: New Moon

Twilight: New Moon

The poor directing and bad editing held the first movie down.  While the material that movie was based on wasn’t strong, I thought a better director could fix things in the second movie.  With New Moon, a new director came in to take over the movie in the form of Chris Weitz.  While the second installment is better than the first movie, the movie seems to keep the blandness that harmed the first movie.  And, that is a big problem.  It comes across as boring, while the story makes Bella Swan look like a complete a-hole.

The biggest problem I have with movie is Bella Swan.  Because Edward leaves her, she turns into an extreme emo.  She goes around town doing dangerous things because she doesn’t care about life before her vampire boyfriend left her.  Does this sound like justifiable stuff?  I simply didn’t buy it.

Then, there is the Jacob issue.  She and Jacob (the werewolf) shift from being friends to something more.  Surprisingly, some of this relationship works better than the Edward and Bella one.  Yet, the bad dialogue destroys any goodwill I can give this movie.  Calling the dialogue stilted and wooden wouldn’t properly give you the sense on how bad the script is. 

The script and probably the book seem to not be concerned with making this middle story anything better than middling at best.  This movie is 2/3 boring.  We have to sit through poorly written dialogue for one of the best scenes in the movie. 

The Volturi Scene

Probably the most interesting thing about the movie has to deal with these old vampires that rule over the vampire population.  They are set in their ways and are much older than most of the population.  Director Weitz shows off his strengths with this scene.  Plus, the vampires behave like vampires instead of emo wimps. 

Even the older Dakota Fanning is very chilling in her moment.  She has an evil smirk when she evokes pain with her power. 

The best moment of this sequence is the tour group of humans that have no idea they’re about to become lunch for the Volturi.  Keep in mind there are children in this group too.  We seem them walk pass and then hear screams.  That is a chilling moment. 

These are evil vampires.

Which makes me wonder why the rest of the movie falls back into the badly written storylines.  With the exception of the chilling Volturi stuff, most non-fans will be bored with the movie.  Twilight: New Moon isn’t good, but it is certainly a few marks better than the first movie.

Grade:  C-

 "Yes, I am a cool vampire and this entire scene with us 'cool' vampires is the best thing about the movie. "

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 Bella:  "Instead of doing anything important, I'll just stand here and hold up this wall.  I am the 'hero' of the movie right? "

______________________________________________________

 Bella:  “Is there anyway you can find a shirt or something?  And, please don’t show me your “New Moon”.  I fell for that trick with Edward.”

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 The entire cast just finished watching the first Twilight film...

Google + first thoughts

Google +:  I am Member

MC was nice enough to give me an invite to Google Plus.  I’ve been looking around and I like the interface and look.  However, there aren’t that many people floating around like Facebook.  And, that’s the biggest problem I have with the whole thing. 

It is like Google took Twitter and Facebook and mashed them together.  I love how G+ integrates into your already cool Google account (I sign into Google and it will sign me into YouTube and Blooger). 

It still needs a little work. 

Here’s hoping more people will join.  I also got a kick out of the fact that site has a 10 million users, and not that many women. 

http://www.faceblogger.com/google-plus-vs-facebook/

Cute Mugshot: But the story behind it is amusing

Cute Mugshot: But the story behind it is amusing

Well, she's cute right?

The blog Calvin's Canadian Cave of Cool has those posts with really cute girls in mugshots, usually smiling. I figured I wanted to add my local flavor to the mix with a Louisville arrest. She seems very pleased with herself. She was thinking, I can't wait to tweet about this. Oh, wait I am in jail.

And, why is she doing the Duckface like she's taking a Facebook picture?

The smiling lady above it seems was being questioned by the police about drugs when she proceed to drop her pants and panties in front of them!

The area she was arrested in is an area I ride my bike in, but not on this day...sadly. 

I wonder if she's single?  

The area she was arrested in is...interesting to look at.