Still funny, years later.
(And for those Arrested Development fans out there, yes...that's Buster)
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May 26, 2009
I saw that the Justin Timberlake episode of Saturday Night Live is re-airing this Saturday. This is a MUST-WATCH if you haven't seen it. I can't stress that enough. Also, I've found new videos of Motherlover (the uncensored version!) and Plasticville which actually work, so the embedded videos on the May 10th and May 11th posts are working again. If you haven't seen them yet, check out the links, and watch the show on Saturday. Not just for those two sketches, but for The Barry Gibb talk show (see pic below) and many others. By far, the best episode of the past decade.
Now that TV season is over, I'll be updating the blog list on the sidebar. I'll be removing the links to Lost until it's back in January, except for Long Live Locke, since Erika Olsen usually continues to write there periodically in the off-season. I will be adding her other blog, According To E, as a new link on the side, and I highly recommend that you check it out. Any of my readers who have their own blog, and would like a link, let me know.
Now that TV season is over, I'll be updating the blog list on the sidebar. I'll be removing the links to Lost until it's back in January, except for Long Live Locke, since Erika Olsen usually continues to write there periodically in the off-season. I will be adding her other blog, According To E, as a new link on the side, and I highly recommend that you check it out. Any of my readers who have their own blog, and would like a link, let me know.
Monday, May 25, 2009
May 25, 2009
About 15 years ago, I used to head back to Guelph every month or so to go to Colin's house and watch WWE (then WWF) and WCW pay-per-views with my wrestling friends. It was always a fun night gathering together and watching the matches with Norm, Fred, Brian, Mary, Allan, and even Jeff. It became a tradition for years and years that we would always do it each month.
I remember one time we were watching a pay-per-view, and when the announcers came on the screen, you could see that something was terribly wrong. Jim Ross was as white as a ghost, and Jerry Lawler was visibly shaken and unable to take his eyes off of the ring. They explained to the viewers that there had been an accident and that Owen Hart fell from the rafters while doing a stunt entrance as The Blue Blazer. We all knew it was really bad by the looks on their faces. The show went on, and we found out shortly thereafter that Owen Hart had died from his injuries.
That was 10 years ago this past weekend.
I was pretty shaken, and I remember telling myself that the shock I felt when I watched the show was something that I probably wouldn't forget for the rest of my life, and sure enough, here I am ten years later, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was horrible.
At the time I was disgusted that the show went on, and looking back now, I'm still just as offended. We all assumed it wasn't 'critical' since the next match came out, but when they made the announcement, we were all proven wrong.
I'll always remember Owen Hart as one of the fun characters, when in character and not. Some of my favourite memories from old-school wrestling back then was when Owen would put on his surly face and tell some ridiculous story, and you could tell that he was trying not to laugh his ass off as he was doing it. And you knew that the second the camera stopped rolling, he burst out laughing.
I also remember surprising my younger cousins Mike and Matt one day back in the late 90's, and taking them to Brantford to see the WWF. It was a surprise and they were thrilled. We got to see all of the big stars of the day, and the main event was Bret Hart and The Undertaker taking on Owen Hart and Yokozuna. It was one of only times I got to see Owen wrestle live, and to see him take on his brother, arguably the greatest ever, was pretty amazing looking back in retrospect.
I don't really follow wrestling that closely anymore, but that day in May 1999 is widely regarded as 'The worst day in the history of professional wrestling'...and I couldn't agree more.
I remember one time we were watching a pay-per-view, and when the announcers came on the screen, you could see that something was terribly wrong. Jim Ross was as white as a ghost, and Jerry Lawler was visibly shaken and unable to take his eyes off of the ring. They explained to the viewers that there had been an accident and that Owen Hart fell from the rafters while doing a stunt entrance as The Blue Blazer. We all knew it was really bad by the looks on their faces. The show went on, and we found out shortly thereafter that Owen Hart had died from his injuries.
That was 10 years ago this past weekend.
I was pretty shaken, and I remember telling myself that the shock I felt when I watched the show was something that I probably wouldn't forget for the rest of my life, and sure enough, here I am ten years later, and I can remember it like it was yesterday. It was horrible.
At the time I was disgusted that the show went on, and looking back now, I'm still just as offended. We all assumed it wasn't 'critical' since the next match came out, but when they made the announcement, we were all proven wrong.
I'll always remember Owen Hart as one of the fun characters, when in character and not. Some of my favourite memories from old-school wrestling back then was when Owen would put on his surly face and tell some ridiculous story, and you could tell that he was trying not to laugh his ass off as he was doing it. And you knew that the second the camera stopped rolling, he burst out laughing.
I also remember surprising my younger cousins Mike and Matt one day back in the late 90's, and taking them to Brantford to see the WWF. It was a surprise and they were thrilled. We got to see all of the big stars of the day, and the main event was Bret Hart and The Undertaker taking on Owen Hart and Yokozuna. It was one of only times I got to see Owen wrestle live, and to see him take on his brother, arguably the greatest ever, was pretty amazing looking back in retrospect.
I don't really follow wrestling that closely anymore, but that day in May 1999 is widely regarded as 'The worst day in the history of professional wrestling'...and I couldn't agree more.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
May 24, 2009
Lucas and I have had a great weekend. It didn't start out so well, considering when I went to pick him up at his afterschool program on Friday, one of the team leaders saw me get out of my car and told me "Lucas is just inside with Christina, she's cleaning the blood off of his leg." Not the best thing to say as an opening line, maybe "First of all, Lucas is fine" should be the opener next time. Turns out he fell down on the pavement playing football and scraped his knee pretty badly, but it's healing well. Polysporin and medicated bandages are wonderful things.
Friday night I took him over to my friend Jeff's house and he had a blast playing with his son Evan, who is about 6 months younger than Lucas. They played basketball, then some Xbox, and then watched the Orlando-Cleveland NBA playoff game while we all played cards downstairs. It was a great finish to the game, and it was so funny listening to them get so excited avery time there was a big play. The game had perhaps the best finish I've ever seen, and when Orlando went up with 1.0 seconds left, They both came running downstairs to tell us. We were watching it too, so they stayed down there with us to watch Lebron hit a 3 at the buzzer to win 96-95. It was amazing. He keeps talking about how awesome it was, and how he wants to go back and play with Evan again.
Although I think the funniest thing about that night was that when Orlando went up 95-93, a few of us were pretty excited for the finish, and our friend Natalie, who is not a basketball fan at all, asked what the big deal was. So as we're explaining, she asked if they would go for a two to tie, or a three to win, and we all scoffed at the suggestion, insisting that it would be a two-point attempt. And of course, when King James hit the three, it was rather ironic. Although Natalie's response (considering she didn't want to watch the end of the game) was "Ok, that was pretty cool."
On Saturday, I had a hair appointment at Chameleon, and Lucas came with me. He was very well-behaved and everyone was great with him. It reminded me a lot of when I was his age and I would be at the hair salon where my mom worked. Fun deja vu. Saturday night, he had a sleepover at his best friend Marshall's since I had to be at the final HPA event of the year. (Which I won, #4 this season)
This morning I picked him up and we went out for breakfast, then did a bunch of laundry. We went out to do some groceries, and we passed this convoy of motorcycles out for a Sunday drive, and he was fascinated, so since we had nothing planned for the day, I just turned the car around and followed them. There was about 20 of them all driving together. They drove out in the country through Conestogo, St. Jacobs, Hawkesville, Heidelberg, St. Clements, Wellesley, and then just kept driving. We were enjoying a beautiful day, listening to our Rock Out! CD really loud, and having a blast. I decided half an hour was long enough, and they just kept driving away from town, so we eventually turned around and headed home.
We went for a nice walk to enjoy the weather, and then mid-afternoon, decided that we both wanted a nap, so we crashed for about 2 hours, and then got up and played some Wii Lego Batman.
What a great weekend!
Friday night I took him over to my friend Jeff's house and he had a blast playing with his son Evan, who is about 6 months younger than Lucas. They played basketball, then some Xbox, and then watched the Orlando-Cleveland NBA playoff game while we all played cards downstairs. It was a great finish to the game, and it was so funny listening to them get so excited avery time there was a big play. The game had perhaps the best finish I've ever seen, and when Orlando went up with 1.0 seconds left, They both came running downstairs to tell us. We were watching it too, so they stayed down there with us to watch Lebron hit a 3 at the buzzer to win 96-95. It was amazing. He keeps talking about how awesome it was, and how he wants to go back and play with Evan again.
Although I think the funniest thing about that night was that when Orlando went up 95-93, a few of us were pretty excited for the finish, and our friend Natalie, who is not a basketball fan at all, asked what the big deal was. So as we're explaining, she asked if they would go for a two to tie, or a three to win, and we all scoffed at the suggestion, insisting that it would be a two-point attempt. And of course, when King James hit the three, it was rather ironic. Although Natalie's response (considering she didn't want to watch the end of the game) was "Ok, that was pretty cool."
On Saturday, I had a hair appointment at Chameleon, and Lucas came with me. He was very well-behaved and everyone was great with him. It reminded me a lot of when I was his age and I would be at the hair salon where my mom worked. Fun deja vu. Saturday night, he had a sleepover at his best friend Marshall's since I had to be at the final HPA event of the year. (Which I won, #4 this season)
This morning I picked him up and we went out for breakfast, then did a bunch of laundry. We went out to do some groceries, and we passed this convoy of motorcycles out for a Sunday drive, and he was fascinated, so since we had nothing planned for the day, I just turned the car around and followed them. There was about 20 of them all driving together. They drove out in the country through Conestogo, St. Jacobs, Hawkesville, Heidelberg, St. Clements, Wellesley, and then just kept driving. We were enjoying a beautiful day, listening to our Rock Out! CD really loud, and having a blast. I decided half an hour was long enough, and they just kept driving away from town, so we eventually turned around and headed home.
We went for a nice walk to enjoy the weather, and then mid-afternoon, decided that we both wanted a nap, so we crashed for about 2 hours, and then got up and played some Wii Lego Batman.
What a great weekend!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
May 21, 2009
I was reading a list of the worst album covers of all-time, and it was quite entertaining. For starters, it's not some crappy little list of 10 or 15 albums, it's a full SEVENTY selections. I strongly recommend you check it out and have a good laugh, if for no other reason than these two albums:
There is also a pretty comprehensive list of the 70 best album covers that you can link to on the sidebar, as well as an absolutely ridiculous list of 'Misheard song lyrics'. Well, I suppose it's only ridiculous if you actually thought Pat Benatar was singing 'Hit me with your pet shark.'
That's not a joke. Honest. I wish it was.
There is also a pretty comprehensive list of the 70 best album covers that you can link to on the sidebar, as well as an absolutely ridiculous list of 'Misheard song lyrics'. Well, I suppose it's only ridiculous if you actually thought Pat Benatar was singing 'Hit me with your pet shark.'
That's not a joke. Honest. I wish it was.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
May 19, 2009
- I hope you all had a good long weekend. The weather turned out to be quite nice, except for a bit of wind and some chilly evenings. It was a busy weekend for Lucas and I, as we had a christening for my beautiful niece Sophia on Sunday, and then a reception afterwards. And then on Monday, we went to Wellesley for a BBQ and Birthday Party for my friend Dwayne. Lucas had so much fun playing with the 20+ kids that were there, and it was a pretty relaxing afternoon for the adults, just sitting around in the back. It was a fun day, with good weather...too bad Lucas couldn't stay up late enough to enjoy the fireworks. I'm trying to decide what I liked most about Dwayne's house, and it's a toss-up between the most beautiful kitchen I've ever seen, and the urinal he's installed in the bathroom in the basement (which is referred to as 'Man Land').
- I really enjoyed the series finale of Scrubs, it was quite emotional watching it as the last episode. I had heard that it may be renewed with a new cast based around the new interns, but for all intents and purposes it was the final episode for the regulars. I come to find out this week that it has been renewed for next season by ABC, and that the cast members (including Zach Braff!) have signed on for a minimum of six episodes each. Why build up to the series finale if you're coming back!? Don't get me wrong, more Scrubs (with the regular cast) will always be fine by me, but after you get invested in closure, it's a surprise. But it will be nice to see more of the best bro-mance on TV.
- Two of the most ridiculous Entertainment News items I've heard, and they came out within minutes of each other: They are apparently making a Ghostbusters III, and Lorne Michaels is considering making a movie based on the horrible Macgruber sketches from SNL.
- Speaking of SNL, the season finale with Will Ferrell was pretty good. Not as good as the previous week's Justin Timberlake episode, but still pretty solid. Always fun to see a new Celebrity Jeopardy, and kudos to Tom Hanks for taking part.
A few final thoughts on Survivor: Tocantins since the finale was this past Sunday:
- I was concerned when the hint for one of the final immunity challenges was a spider. If it had anything to do with real spiders, I would not have been able to watch. It was tough enough watching the nature footage all season with the damn giant spiders! But that big spider maze was pretty cool. Credit to the producers for a good challenge.
- I also really enjoyed the final challenge with the ball/maze. The endurance challenges can get pretty repetitive, so I'm glad they did something that involves dexterity, like they did in the final challenge of Fans vs. Favourites with Amanda, Parvati, and Cirie.
- The Coach 'lie detector' test was laughable and absurd. Hours after the finale, it was all over the internet that the guy he went to is a known fraud whose credibility on these tests is ZERO. You'd think he would have looked into his credentials, but of course not, and now he looks like an even bigger fool.
- I've often thought that it's a shame that they don't 'deliver' the votes from the location to the Live Reunion Show in a cheesy fashion like they used to, and I was thinking that on Sunday night. On Monday morning, Dalton Ross's recap from EW.com stated almost EXACTLY word for word what I had been thinking, so I'm just going to cut and paste his words (including the video clip)...
Not quite as bummed as I am that Jeff Probst no longer delivers the votes stateside in an awesomely ridiculous manner, but bummed nonetheless. (Seriously, check out the clip below from the Vanuatu finale. Start at the three minute mark and enjoy seeing Probst bushwack, skydive, and motorcycle his way into Los Angeles. Simply amazing.)
- Over 4,000 visits and counting now. Just a reminder that the Comments section is always open. Hoping to hear from more of you!
- I really enjoyed the series finale of Scrubs, it was quite emotional watching it as the last episode. I had heard that it may be renewed with a new cast based around the new interns, but for all intents and purposes it was the final episode for the regulars. I come to find out this week that it has been renewed for next season by ABC, and that the cast members (including Zach Braff!) have signed on for a minimum of six episodes each. Why build up to the series finale if you're coming back!? Don't get me wrong, more Scrubs (with the regular cast) will always be fine by me, but after you get invested in closure, it's a surprise. But it will be nice to see more of the best bro-mance on TV.
- Two of the most ridiculous Entertainment News items I've heard, and they came out within minutes of each other: They are apparently making a Ghostbusters III, and Lorne Michaels is considering making a movie based on the horrible Macgruber sketches from SNL.
- Speaking of SNL, the season finale with Will Ferrell was pretty good. Not as good as the previous week's Justin Timberlake episode, but still pretty solid. Always fun to see a new Celebrity Jeopardy, and kudos to Tom Hanks for taking part.
A few final thoughts on Survivor: Tocantins since the finale was this past Sunday:
- I was concerned when the hint for one of the final immunity challenges was a spider. If it had anything to do with real spiders, I would not have been able to watch. It was tough enough watching the nature footage all season with the damn giant spiders! But that big spider maze was pretty cool. Credit to the producers for a good challenge.
- I also really enjoyed the final challenge with the ball/maze. The endurance challenges can get pretty repetitive, so I'm glad they did something that involves dexterity, like they did in the final challenge of Fans vs. Favourites with Amanda, Parvati, and Cirie.
- The Coach 'lie detector' test was laughable and absurd. Hours after the finale, it was all over the internet that the guy he went to is a known fraud whose credibility on these tests is ZERO. You'd think he would have looked into his credentials, but of course not, and now he looks like an even bigger fool.
- I've often thought that it's a shame that they don't 'deliver' the votes from the location to the Live Reunion Show in a cheesy fashion like they used to, and I was thinking that on Sunday night. On Monday morning, Dalton Ross's recap from EW.com stated almost EXACTLY word for word what I had been thinking, so I'm just going to cut and paste his words (including the video clip)...
Not quite as bummed as I am that Jeff Probst no longer delivers the votes stateside in an awesomely ridiculous manner, but bummed nonetheless. (Seriously, check out the clip below from the Vanuatu finale. Start at the three minute mark and enjoy seeing Probst bushwack, skydive, and motorcycle his way into Los Angeles. Simply amazing.)
- Over 4,000 visits and counting now. Just a reminder that the Comments section is always open. Hoping to hear from more of you!
Monday, May 18, 2009
Sunday, May 17, 2009
May 17, 2009
I've watched the season finale of Lost a second time, and I have confirmed that my first impression was not mere immediate excitement. It stood up just as well the second time, and I have a lot to talk about, for the finale and for Season 5 as a whole.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT, PLEASE READ NO FURTHER.
I don't plan on theorizing, I'll leave that to Erika Olsen, Doc Jensen, Vozzek, and the other fantastic Lost recappers who write weekly. These are just my thoughts as I watched the show, loosely organized in a bullet-point fashion.
I'll start off with the recap show, and then proceed somewhat sequentially in the order that things happened on the show itself. I quite enjoyed the recap show, and I usually don't. Having Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse there to add commentary was a nice touch, and watching it prior to watching the finale for the second time, and knowing the reveals about Locke and Jacob, it certainly added a new layer. I had forgotten just how much happened this season until I saw flashbacks of The Lamp Post, Hurley back in the mental institution, and the Oceanic 6 press conference. It all seems so long ago.
For the finale itself, I have to say that the opening sequence was one of my favourite scenes, if not my favourite, of all-time on Lost. What a surprise to see Titus Welliver unexpectedly, as the casting director continues to steal the cast of Deadwood. Kim Dickens (Cassidy), Paula Malcolmson (Colleen), Robin Weigert (Rachel), and William Sanderson (Oldham) have all already appeared, and now Titus Welliver joins the list. (Few people remember him from a fantastic mob drama he did in 2000 called Falcone, but that's where I first noticed him.) I was almost expecting Al Swearingen to stroll out of the jungle at some point!
The opening scene was subtle and intense all at once, and the little bit of dialogue that there was, was well-written and going to end up being very important to the overall Lost mythology. I think next year when we learn more about this, we'll look back and re-watch this scene with an enturely new understanding of what they were talking about. Seeing the Black Rock arriving was a nice touch, and the closing shot panning up to reveal the full statue was breathtaking.
Seeing Rose and Bernard hiding out for three years in the jungle was a pleasant surprise, and the fact that they're caring for Vincent answers a lot of questions that viewers had. I'm not sure if it was just a way to give closure to the characters and their storylines, or a way to set up that Rose and Bernard will end up being the Adam and Eve skeletons from Season 1, but whatever the reason, it was good to see them again.
Watching the episode a second time, it was interesting to watch all of the scenes with Locke knowing that he was actually 'Jacob's Nemesis' (referred to as JN for the rest of this post). For instance, in the scene on the beach, when Ben is asking him why he wants to kill Jacob, and JN/Locke explains what Jacob has done to Ben, and punctuates it with 'Why wouldn't you want to kill him?"...well, it was very telling.
I did enjoy the references to Charlie, and I'm not exactly sure why, because I was never really a big fan of him on the show. I enjoyed the scene when they were back at their old camp, and Sun came across Aaron's crib...and found Charlie's DriveShaft ring in there. I'm not sure if it was meant to signify anything, or just a transition to the wedding scene where she was holding her wedding ring, but we'll see.
One thing I did not like was Jack's reasoning for trying to reset everything with the bomb. The "I had her, and I lost her" argument was kind of lame, and I didn't really expect a puppy dog love story to be the motivating factor. I was disappointed in that. The other thing I didn't like, was Juliet's abrupt about-face, with the only explanation she offered being "I changed my mind." Personally, I'm not a big fan of "I changed my mind" as a logical explanation/excuse for a life-changing decision.
Radzinsky has been a joy to hate these last few episodes. The show definitely a new super-douche, and he's been great.
I loved the Jacob/Hurley scene in the cab. I though it was interesting how Jacob pointed out to Hurley the difference between being cursed and being blessed, and how Hurley hadn't really considered that. The "it's your choice" was obviously very important, as it comes up later with Ben, and I think is the core of what Jacob and JN were discussing in the first scene. Free will has always been a topic of discussion in this show, and now we're starting to see the beginnings of the explanation of why.
Phil's death was kind of lame, and not because he took a metal rod in the chest. (That was actually pretty cool) It was because they were setting it up after he hit Juliet in front of Sawyer that he was going to get his major come-uppance at the hands of 'LaFleur'. I just didn't buy that Sawyer would have Phil in his grasp and hold him hostage like he did. Minor issue, but I expected more from it.
The entire final scene at the Swan site, 'The Incident' itself, reminded me so much of Return of The Jedi with everyone getting sucked into the Sarlacc Pit. (one of the recappers I read on Thursday mentioned this, but I can't remember who, and it made me laugh to think...at our core, we're all really Star Wars Geeks, aren't we?) It also made me fully buy into Doc Jensen's theory that Season 5 is a mirror of Season 2, because the flying chaos of everything was very reminiscent of the Season 2 finale in the Hatch when the button wasn't pressed.
The final scene with Juliet and Sawyer was very emotional, and painful to watch. Great job by both Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell.
The final scene with Jacob, Ben, and Locke/JN was very intense. I was impressed with Jacob's instant awareness of the situation, and recognition of what was happening. As he did with Hurley in the cab, he explained to Ben that he had a choice, thus reaffirming once again this anticipated core value thesis.
The ending...the pounding with the rock by Juliet...leading to the white flash...and the reversed black-on-white logo. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Gives me goosebumps every time I see it.
A few more rapid-fire thoughts:
- The music was awesome. I didn't really notice it the first time around, but on the second viewing, Michael Giacchino's score for this episode was truly fantastic.
- They told us in an episode title, Dead is Dead. Why didn't we believe them?
- I do not, however, believe that Jacob is dead.
- Nice to see the redemption and usefulness of Juliet come to light in the finale after her character had become somewhat stagnant recently.
- So much about previous events makes sense now, like the Smoke Monster trying to pull John down into the hole in Season 1. If the Smoke Monster is, or is associated with, JN, then it was the early plan all along to use him as a pawn in this game.
- If this truly has to do with free will, then that's a possible explanation as to why the kids were removed/stolen. This is a concept that Vozzek discusses at length in his recap, which is by far the best recap of the entire season by any recapper (Sorry Erika, but you're still my fave). It is required reading for any Lost fan, and you can read it here.
OVERALL THOUGHTS ON SEASON 5
- I've always loved Kate (and Evangeline Lilly!), but I don't like her character anymore.
- Conversely, I've never liked Sawyer, but I found myself rooting for him this season. The LaFleur episode was the major turning point for me.
- Sun in Season 5 was a year of wasted potential. After setting her up to be a badass, she essentially spent the entire season just asking where Jin was, and doing nothing.
- The most compelling characters of Season 5 were Charles Widmore, Ellie, Richard, and Jacob. Looking forward to more in Season 6, hopefully.
My favourite (non-finale) scenes and/or moments in Season 5:
- Locke meeting Charles Widmore in 1954
- Ben killing Locke
- Sayid shooting Little Ben
- Learning Desmond and Penny named their son Charlie
I don't know what I'm going to do until January 2010, when Season 6 starts. It's most certainly going to be a long wait.
Namaste.
IF YOU HAVE NOT SEEN IT, PLEASE READ NO FURTHER.
I don't plan on theorizing, I'll leave that to Erika Olsen, Doc Jensen, Vozzek, and the other fantastic Lost recappers who write weekly. These are just my thoughts as I watched the show, loosely organized in a bullet-point fashion.
I'll start off with the recap show, and then proceed somewhat sequentially in the order that things happened on the show itself. I quite enjoyed the recap show, and I usually don't. Having Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse there to add commentary was a nice touch, and watching it prior to watching the finale for the second time, and knowing the reveals about Locke and Jacob, it certainly added a new layer. I had forgotten just how much happened this season until I saw flashbacks of The Lamp Post, Hurley back in the mental institution, and the Oceanic 6 press conference. It all seems so long ago.
For the finale itself, I have to say that the opening sequence was one of my favourite scenes, if not my favourite, of all-time on Lost. What a surprise to see Titus Welliver unexpectedly, as the casting director continues to steal the cast of Deadwood. Kim Dickens (Cassidy), Paula Malcolmson (Colleen), Robin Weigert (Rachel), and William Sanderson (Oldham) have all already appeared, and now Titus Welliver joins the list. (Few people remember him from a fantastic mob drama he did in 2000 called Falcone, but that's where I first noticed him.) I was almost expecting Al Swearingen to stroll out of the jungle at some point!
The opening scene was subtle and intense all at once, and the little bit of dialogue that there was, was well-written and going to end up being very important to the overall Lost mythology. I think next year when we learn more about this, we'll look back and re-watch this scene with an enturely new understanding of what they were talking about. Seeing the Black Rock arriving was a nice touch, and the closing shot panning up to reveal the full statue was breathtaking.
Seeing Rose and Bernard hiding out for three years in the jungle was a pleasant surprise, and the fact that they're caring for Vincent answers a lot of questions that viewers had. I'm not sure if it was just a way to give closure to the characters and their storylines, or a way to set up that Rose and Bernard will end up being the Adam and Eve skeletons from Season 1, but whatever the reason, it was good to see them again.
Watching the episode a second time, it was interesting to watch all of the scenes with Locke knowing that he was actually 'Jacob's Nemesis' (referred to as JN for the rest of this post). For instance, in the scene on the beach, when Ben is asking him why he wants to kill Jacob, and JN/Locke explains what Jacob has done to Ben, and punctuates it with 'Why wouldn't you want to kill him?"...well, it was very telling.
I did enjoy the references to Charlie, and I'm not exactly sure why, because I was never really a big fan of him on the show. I enjoyed the scene when they were back at their old camp, and Sun came across Aaron's crib...and found Charlie's DriveShaft ring in there. I'm not sure if it was meant to signify anything, or just a transition to the wedding scene where she was holding her wedding ring, but we'll see.
One thing I did not like was Jack's reasoning for trying to reset everything with the bomb. The "I had her, and I lost her" argument was kind of lame, and I didn't really expect a puppy dog love story to be the motivating factor. I was disappointed in that. The other thing I didn't like, was Juliet's abrupt about-face, with the only explanation she offered being "I changed my mind." Personally, I'm not a big fan of "I changed my mind" as a logical explanation/excuse for a life-changing decision.
Radzinsky has been a joy to hate these last few episodes. The show definitely a new super-douche, and he's been great.
I loved the Jacob/Hurley scene in the cab. I though it was interesting how Jacob pointed out to Hurley the difference between being cursed and being blessed, and how Hurley hadn't really considered that. The "it's your choice" was obviously very important, as it comes up later with Ben, and I think is the core of what Jacob and JN were discussing in the first scene. Free will has always been a topic of discussion in this show, and now we're starting to see the beginnings of the explanation of why.
Phil's death was kind of lame, and not because he took a metal rod in the chest. (That was actually pretty cool) It was because they were setting it up after he hit Juliet in front of Sawyer that he was going to get his major come-uppance at the hands of 'LaFleur'. I just didn't buy that Sawyer would have Phil in his grasp and hold him hostage like he did. Minor issue, but I expected more from it.
The entire final scene at the Swan site, 'The Incident' itself, reminded me so much of Return of The Jedi with everyone getting sucked into the Sarlacc Pit. (one of the recappers I read on Thursday mentioned this, but I can't remember who, and it made me laugh to think...at our core, we're all really Star Wars Geeks, aren't we?) It also made me fully buy into Doc Jensen's theory that Season 5 is a mirror of Season 2, because the flying chaos of everything was very reminiscent of the Season 2 finale in the Hatch when the button wasn't pressed.
The final scene with Juliet and Sawyer was very emotional, and painful to watch. Great job by both Josh Holloway and Elizabeth Mitchell.
The final scene with Jacob, Ben, and Locke/JN was very intense. I was impressed with Jacob's instant awareness of the situation, and recognition of what was happening. As he did with Hurley in the cab, he explained to Ben that he had a choice, thus reaffirming once again this anticipated core value thesis.
The ending...the pounding with the rock by Juliet...leading to the white flash...and the reversed black-on-white logo. Loved it. Absolutely loved it. Gives me goosebumps every time I see it.
A few more rapid-fire thoughts:
- The music was awesome. I didn't really notice it the first time around, but on the second viewing, Michael Giacchino's score for this episode was truly fantastic.
- They told us in an episode title, Dead is Dead. Why didn't we believe them?
- I do not, however, believe that Jacob is dead.
- Nice to see the redemption and usefulness of Juliet come to light in the finale after her character had become somewhat stagnant recently.
- So much about previous events makes sense now, like the Smoke Monster trying to pull John down into the hole in Season 1. If the Smoke Monster is, or is associated with, JN, then it was the early plan all along to use him as a pawn in this game.
- If this truly has to do with free will, then that's a possible explanation as to why the kids were removed/stolen. This is a concept that Vozzek discusses at length in his recap, which is by far the best recap of the entire season by any recapper (Sorry Erika, but you're still my fave). It is required reading for any Lost fan, and you can read it here.
OVERALL THOUGHTS ON SEASON 5
- I've always loved Kate (and Evangeline Lilly!), but I don't like her character anymore.
- Conversely, I've never liked Sawyer, but I found myself rooting for him this season. The LaFleur episode was the major turning point for me.
- Sun in Season 5 was a year of wasted potential. After setting her up to be a badass, she essentially spent the entire season just asking where Jin was, and doing nothing.
- The most compelling characters of Season 5 were Charles Widmore, Ellie, Richard, and Jacob. Looking forward to more in Season 6, hopefully.
My favourite (non-finale) scenes and/or moments in Season 5:
- Locke meeting Charles Widmore in 1954
- Ben killing Locke
- Sayid shooting Little Ben
- Learning Desmond and Penny named their son Charlie
I don't know what I'm going to do until January 2010, when Season 6 starts. It's most certainly going to be a long wait.
Namaste.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
May 16, 2009
Well, Coach is finally gone from Survivor. He lasted right up until the episode before the finale. We all couldn't stand him, but make no mistake, it was good TV with him on the show. I recommend heading over to EW.com and seeing the video of the interview with Coach. It's quite entertaining...especially with Coach constantly asking and answering his own questions. "Did I lie to my tribemates? No. Did I wish I had a better game plan? Of course." Seriously, he does it about 25 times! hilarious.
Also check out the 2-part Survivor Talk episode with Jeff Probst in-studio with Josh Wolk. Probst is awesome as always, and pairing him up with Wolk makes for a great show.
Both videos are here.
The finale should be good on Sunday.
Friday, May 15, 2009
May 15, 2009
Yesterday's post got me thinking how awesome that Duran Duran concert was. In the 250+ concerts I've seen in my lifetime, I would definitely put it in the top 5. Since it was one year ago today, here are some pics we took at the show, and a couple of videos at the end. These are the actual pics we took from our seats (although I don't think I sat down once), but the videos are off of YouTube. You'll have to deal with the girl singing along as she's recording, but it's worth it. I wish I could figure out how to add a little arrow pointer to show you where you can see us in the videos, but I'm not very tech savvy.
(We're there. Look for a blue shirt and a yellow shirt about 6 rows in front of Simon if you care)
(We're there. Look for a blue shirt and a yellow shirt about 6 rows in front of Simon if you care)
Thursday, May 14, 2009
May 14, 2009
I went to see Duran Duran last year at this time in Detroit. Those of you who read here who are also friends with me on Facebook have likely seen the photo album from the trip. The night we went to Detroit for the concert (May 15, 2008), The Cure was also playing in Toronto, and my friend Laura was at that concert. (The Cure and Duran Duran on the same night in 2008? Nostalgia, anyone?) So, we took a bunch of pictures at the Duran Duran show, which turned out great since we were in the 6th row at this amazing venue, The Masonic Temple. Laura was in the first row in Toronto, and when I saw her pictures, it got me thinking how some people definitely age better than others. Take a look at these pictures of Robert Smith and Simon Le Bon from those two concerts.
Now, independent of the fact that these two men were just shy of 50 years old (each) when these pictures were taken last May, can you even comprehend that Simon Le Bon is OLDER than Robert Smith? I’m not kidding, Simon Le Bon (b. Oct. 27, 1958) was 5 months from his 49th birthday, while Robert Smith (b. April 21, 1958) had just celebrated his 49th birthday. That’s right, Simon Le Bon, who arguably looks 10 years younger than Robert Smith in these pics…is actually 6 months older!
I remember having this discussion in the car last summer with my friend Kim, who was here from New Zealand, and as I was describing how drastic the difference was, he said to me, “Well, that kind of makes sense, since Simon Le Bon is a wind-swept, yachting, sex-god. And Robert Smith….well, he’s just a fat man.”
(Now, you have to picture Kim saying it in his New Zealand accent….imagine it sounding like…‘fayt mayn”)
Thanks to Laura for the pics from The Cure show. More Duran pics from the Detroit show tomorrow.
Now, independent of the fact that these two men were just shy of 50 years old (each) when these pictures were taken last May, can you even comprehend that Simon Le Bon is OLDER than Robert Smith? I’m not kidding, Simon Le Bon (b. Oct. 27, 1958) was 5 months from his 49th birthday, while Robert Smith (b. April 21, 1958) had just celebrated his 49th birthday. That’s right, Simon Le Bon, who arguably looks 10 years younger than Robert Smith in these pics…is actually 6 months older!
I remember having this discussion in the car last summer with my friend Kim, who was here from New Zealand, and as I was describing how drastic the difference was, he said to me, “Well, that kind of makes sense, since Simon Le Bon is a wind-swept, yachting, sex-god. And Robert Smith….well, he’s just a fat man.”
(Now, you have to picture Kim saying it in his New Zealand accent….imagine it sounding like…‘fayt mayn”)
Thanks to Laura for the pics from The Cure show. More Duran pics from the Detroit show tomorrow.
May 14, 2009
I just watched the season finale of Lost, and it was arguably the best episode of television I've ever seen. And I honestly didn't think anything could ever come close to the series finale of Six Feet Under.
It'll take a couple of days to digest what happened, and I'll definitely have to watch it again to fully absorb it, but I'll write my full thoughts in a couple of days.
Wow.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
May 11, 2009
My god, with all the TV shows hitting their season finales in the coming week, the content for this blog is about to plummet! I hope you all like hearing about poker, because the only new TV shows starting this summer are new seasons of Big Brother and Top Chef Masters. But here’s the rundown on the previous week’s shows.
Hell’s Kitchen
I really hate the faux drama of anything on Fox. And the fact that 20 minutes of TV gets stretched out to an hour, especially with Hell’s Kitchen. And to once again drag out the season finale over two weeks is just excruciating. There’s no need to manufacture any sort of extension to the inevitable. Just give Paula the job now, and air a re-run of World’s Most Dangerous Car Chases or something equally ridiculous.
Survivor
Debbie was weird…and a little bit crazy…and not so bright. I mean, honestly, what middle school principal can’t grasp the concept of $20 increments?!? I wasn’t a fan of her, so I’m glad she’s gone, but the plan to NOT eliminate Coach is certainly making for some great TV. The ‘loved ones’ episode of Survivor is always a total cheese-fest, and this was no difference, but the fact that Coach’s ‘loved one’ was his Assistant Coach is just too funny. I can’t see a scenario that doesn’t have Taj, Stephen, and J.T. in the finale. Stephen should win.
Amazing Race
I always hate that the finale is only one hour, a regular episode, with no reunion afterwards. This year’s edition would have definitely made for some fireworks. I’m not disappointed that Tammy and Victor won, but I am quite happy that Luke and Margie did NOT win, especially after getting to the final roadblock so far ahead of the other team, and then Luke blowing the final challenge. What a gratuitous way to get everyone into skimpy bikinis in the final Roadblock, huh? Carrying a dead, seasoned pig down the beach for a luau. And as smokin’ as the Hottie cheerleaders looked, how brutal is it that all I could think of is how awesome that pig would taste once it was roasted?!
Lost (Jenn and Jeff - safe to read)
The finale is this Wednesday, with a one-hour recap show at 8:00, and then the two-hour finale at 9:00. WNP is that night, and there’s no chance I’m not going to wait until Thursday to watch it, so it is going to be a late night, and I’m going to be exhausted on Thursday! I’m looking forward to it, as the Lost finales are consistently the best episodes of the year, and while I have a suspicion about what is going to happen, I hope I’m wrong, because I want to be surprised.
And now, time to rant…
Celebrity Apprentice
I’m disgusted that Joan Rivers won. Absolutely disgusted. And before any of you jump on me for being angry that ‘the poker player’ didn’t win, hear me out. In all the previous incarnation of The Apprentice (Celebrity or otherwise), I’ve felt that the right choice was made in terms of who got hired. In last year’s Celebrity Apprentice, I absolutely hated Piers Morgan throughout the entire season. He was a pompous and arrogant, but at the end of the day, he did the best job, and deserved to win, regardless of how much I couldn’t stand him. Up until this point in the past seasons, Trump (for all of his faults) still fettered through all of the crap to pick the best person.
But this season, the fix was in. And people who know me and read here know that I generally don’t buy into conspiracy theories. But all season long, it was a love-fest for Joan, regardless of how she behaved. She was this comedy legend who got a free pass to act in the most reprehensible manner, all because Trump loved her. And then she turned on the waterworks to paint her charity as more deserving than any others, so why even have the challenges to begin with? If you’re just going to give the prize to the oldest contestant with the most stamina, who is the most passionate about her charity, then why even go through the façade of having the tasks? I guess you couldn’t fit all of the Kodak, All, Right Guard, and Chicken of the Sea product placements, then.
It was an obvious dramatic setup of good vs. evil, with the plan being all along to have the ‘good’ side win, but I still can’t fathom how Joan Rivers is the ‘good’ in this equation. Last year’s Piers vs. Trace finale was good vs. evil as well, but the perceived ‘evil’ side still won, and justly so. But I guess in these scary economic times, NBC viewers needed a happy ending. (my apologies to anyone who just threw up in their mouth at the thought of ‘Joan Rivers’ and ‘Happy Ending’ being grouped together. ) I wasn’t a Joan-hater before this show, but I’ve definitely lost all respect for her as an entertainer, and a person.
Like her or not, Annie was a consistent winner, and carried herself professionally in the boardroom at all times. She was a tireless fund-raiser, and a smart and efficient project manager, as well as being a hard worker for others. Joan was a malcontent who lost with regularity and complained about everything, personally attacking anyone and anything that she didn’t agree with. And in an infantile and offensive manner. I couldn’t believe that her behaviour was tolerated. Any competent prospective employer would have fired her on the spot. She barked at anyone who interrupted her, but then wouldn’t let anyone answer their own questions, instead talking overtop of them and insulting them again.
How on earth can someone behave in that manner in front of a prospective employer, then have a tantrum and quit because their daughter was fired (reverse nepotism?), then return, continue to insult co-workers, use racist comments to describe others, have no respect for business adversaries, and then be rewarded? It makes no sense.
And it’s not because I like Annie Duke, and because she’s a poker player. Joan Rivers could have been up against Chad Kroeger or Geddy Lee, and I still would have been equally as disgusted that she won.
What a farce. I’ll never watch future editions of The Apprentice again. And I hope viewers do the same since it’s so transparently obvious that the process is irrelevant.
Hell’s Kitchen
I really hate the faux drama of anything on Fox. And the fact that 20 minutes of TV gets stretched out to an hour, especially with Hell’s Kitchen. And to once again drag out the season finale over two weeks is just excruciating. There’s no need to manufacture any sort of extension to the inevitable. Just give Paula the job now, and air a re-run of World’s Most Dangerous Car Chases or something equally ridiculous.
Survivor
Debbie was weird…and a little bit crazy…and not so bright. I mean, honestly, what middle school principal can’t grasp the concept of $20 increments?!? I wasn’t a fan of her, so I’m glad she’s gone, but the plan to NOT eliminate Coach is certainly making for some great TV. The ‘loved ones’ episode of Survivor is always a total cheese-fest, and this was no difference, but the fact that Coach’s ‘loved one’ was his Assistant Coach is just too funny. I can’t see a scenario that doesn’t have Taj, Stephen, and J.T. in the finale. Stephen should win.
Amazing Race
I always hate that the finale is only one hour, a regular episode, with no reunion afterwards. This year’s edition would have definitely made for some fireworks. I’m not disappointed that Tammy and Victor won, but I am quite happy that Luke and Margie did NOT win, especially after getting to the final roadblock so far ahead of the other team, and then Luke blowing the final challenge. What a gratuitous way to get everyone into skimpy bikinis in the final Roadblock, huh? Carrying a dead, seasoned pig down the beach for a luau. And as smokin’ as the Hottie cheerleaders looked, how brutal is it that all I could think of is how awesome that pig would taste once it was roasted?!
Lost (Jenn and Jeff - safe to read)
The finale is this Wednesday, with a one-hour recap show at 8:00, and then the two-hour finale at 9:00. WNP is that night, and there’s no chance I’m not going to wait until Thursday to watch it, so it is going to be a late night, and I’m going to be exhausted on Thursday! I’m looking forward to it, as the Lost finales are consistently the best episodes of the year, and while I have a suspicion about what is going to happen, I hope I’m wrong, because I want to be surprised.
And now, time to rant…
Celebrity Apprentice
I’m disgusted that Joan Rivers won. Absolutely disgusted. And before any of you jump on me for being angry that ‘the poker player’ didn’t win, hear me out. In all the previous incarnation of The Apprentice (Celebrity or otherwise), I’ve felt that the right choice was made in terms of who got hired. In last year’s Celebrity Apprentice, I absolutely hated Piers Morgan throughout the entire season. He was a pompous and arrogant, but at the end of the day, he did the best job, and deserved to win, regardless of how much I couldn’t stand him. Up until this point in the past seasons, Trump (for all of his faults) still fettered through all of the crap to pick the best person.
But this season, the fix was in. And people who know me and read here know that I generally don’t buy into conspiracy theories. But all season long, it was a love-fest for Joan, regardless of how she behaved. She was this comedy legend who got a free pass to act in the most reprehensible manner, all because Trump loved her. And then she turned on the waterworks to paint her charity as more deserving than any others, so why even have the challenges to begin with? If you’re just going to give the prize to the oldest contestant with the most stamina, who is the most passionate about her charity, then why even go through the façade of having the tasks? I guess you couldn’t fit all of the Kodak, All, Right Guard, and Chicken of the Sea product placements, then.
It was an obvious dramatic setup of good vs. evil, with the plan being all along to have the ‘good’ side win, but I still can’t fathom how Joan Rivers is the ‘good’ in this equation. Last year’s Piers vs. Trace finale was good vs. evil as well, but the perceived ‘evil’ side still won, and justly so. But I guess in these scary economic times, NBC viewers needed a happy ending. (my apologies to anyone who just threw up in their mouth at the thought of ‘Joan Rivers’ and ‘Happy Ending’ being grouped together. ) I wasn’t a Joan-hater before this show, but I’ve definitely lost all respect for her as an entertainer, and a person.
Like her or not, Annie was a consistent winner, and carried herself professionally in the boardroom at all times. She was a tireless fund-raiser, and a smart and efficient project manager, as well as being a hard worker for others. Joan was a malcontent who lost with regularity and complained about everything, personally attacking anyone and anything that she didn’t agree with. And in an infantile and offensive manner. I couldn’t believe that her behaviour was tolerated. Any competent prospective employer would have fired her on the spot. She barked at anyone who interrupted her, but then wouldn’t let anyone answer their own questions, instead talking overtop of them and insulting them again.
How on earth can someone behave in that manner in front of a prospective employer, then have a tantrum and quit because their daughter was fired (reverse nepotism?), then return, continue to insult co-workers, use racist comments to describe others, have no respect for business adversaries, and then be rewarded? It makes no sense.
And it’s not because I like Annie Duke, and because she’s a poker player. Joan Rivers could have been up against Chad Kroeger or Geddy Lee, and I still would have been equally as disgusted that she won.
What a farce. I’ll never watch future editions of The Apprentice again. And I hope viewers do the same since it’s so transparently obvious that the process is irrelevant.
May 11, 2009
Not to go Timberlake-Crazy, but this is one of the funniest sketches of the last 10 years on SNL.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
May 10, 2009
If you didn't see Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg's follow-up to 'Dick in a Box' on Saturday Night Live last night, you'll want to check this out. (The YouTube video I'm embedding now on Sunday morning at 9:40 am has 307 views, I expect it to be over 2 million by tomorrow. )
Happy Mother's Day.
Happy Mother's Day.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
May 9, 2009
I was looking at some old pictures of Lucas and I together, and I'm realizing lately just how fast he is growing up. Here is a progression of pictures of the two of us...
Friday, May 8, 2009
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
May 6, 2009
This is former Guelph Gryphons captain Duncan Milne. He played for five years at the University of Guelph before graduating this past season. Now, he’s on to a new chapter in his basketball career as he has signed a contract to play with The Caboolture Coastal Suns in the Queensland Basketball League in Australia. Duncan is already down in Australia, along with former McMaster Marauder All-Star and OUA Defensive Player of the Year, Martin Ayaji. They are both playing for Coach Mike Ayanbadejo, himself a former All-Star for the University of Guelph. Here is a link to a story about the arrival of the two Canadians and what it could mean to the Suns this seasonDuncan has decided to write a blog about his time down in Australia, called Big D Down Under. It is well-written and informative, and I highly recommend it to any basketball fans, or any of my U of G readers on here (who aren’t already reading it!). Here is a direct link, and there will also be a link added to the sidebar of blogs I recommend. From my limited time interacting with Duncan at The University of Guelph and for Rogers TV basketball telecasts, I’ve found him to be a real character guy, and someone that was spoken very highly of by teammates, coaches, and friends.
Best wishes Down Under, Duncan.
(photo courtesy of www.gryphons.ca)
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
May 5, 2009
- Happy Cinco De Mayo everyone! I hope you were able to hit a patio somewhere and enjoy a Margarita or a Corona.
- I meant to put this picture up yesterday since it was the anniversary of one of the rare times that two 300-game winners squared off against each other in a pitching matchup when Greg Maddux faced Roger Clemens in 2005. The picture is even better now knowing what we know about Clemens, with Maddux looking on from behind, in the shadow, almost disapprovingly...the guy who did it right.
- A few days back I posted that hearing Creed was doing a reunion tour was pretty nasty news. This report about another crappy band almost makes up for it.
- Confirmation on what I wrote yesterday about Kisha and Jen from this interview on tvguide.com.
- With the news that the Arrested Development movie is finally moving forward, enjoy the Chicken Dance clips below.
- I meant to put this picture up yesterday since it was the anniversary of one of the rare times that two 300-game winners squared off against each other in a pitching matchup when Greg Maddux faced Roger Clemens in 2005. The picture is even better now knowing what we know about Clemens, with Maddux looking on from behind, in the shadow, almost disapprovingly...the guy who did it right.
- A few days back I posted that hearing Creed was doing a reunion tour was pretty nasty news. This report about another crappy band almost makes up for it.- Confirmation on what I wrote yesterday about Kisha and Jen from this interview on tvguide.com.
- With the news that the Arrested Development movie is finally moving forward, enjoy the Chicken Dance clips below.
Monday, May 4, 2009
May 4, 2009
- Last nights Amazing Race episode had a lot of interesting moments. First and foremost was the decision by Jen to stop at a Porta-Potty on the way to the Pit Stop. The show made it seem like the only reason that Kisha and Jen were eliminated was because of that decision, with Phil even telling them that it was ‘mere seconds’ that caused them to be eliminated. I had a strong suspicion that it was just dramatic editing, and that it couldn’t have been that close, especially since we didn’t see Cara and Jaime anywhere close when Kisha and Jen arrived, and the shocked look on their faces to hear they were eliminated. It was obvious that they couldn’t see Jaime and Cara nearby, and with it being an open courtyard area, it had to be significantly longer that they arrived behind. I read all sorts of things this morning about how this Pee-Break cost them $1 million, but I maintained that we should wait to hear the post-race interviews and read Phil Keoghan’s blog to learn exactly how much they lost by. As of right now, there haven’t been any interviews with Kisha and Jen yet, but Phil’s blog was posted this afternoon, and while he was relatively cryptic in terms of exact times, he did confirm that they missed the final leg by “several minutes”, so it’s NOT because Jen stopped for a pit stop on the way to the Pit Stop. I’d still like to hear more from Kisha and Jen in the coming days.
There was also a lot of discussion about how viewers are thinking that the race is unfair to the other contestants and favouring Tammy and Victor since a bulk of this season (the last 3 episodes, which in reality was only 2 legs) have taken place in China. I have no way of knowing this for certain, but I have to think that the entire course for the race, and the challenges that they do throughout the race, are laid out and created before the casting process, so the fact that they have two Chinese-Americans (that happen to speak Mandarin Chinese) is no different than any Americans who know Spanish from school going to a Spanish-speaking country in past seasons. Get over it, it’s not a conspiracy!
I was, however, confused by Tammy and Victor’s use of the Yield on this episode. Not that I think they shouldn’t have used it, on the contrary, at this point, I think it would be foolish NOT to use it. But I don’t know why they used it on Kisha and Jen instead of Margie and Luke. Kisha and Jen have come in first place only once on the race (a 3-team footrace), while Margie and Luke have won three legs. Doesn’t make much sense to me why you wouldn’t Yield Margie and Luke instead from a strategic standpoint.
Josh Wolk’s recap is even funnier than usual this week, so here’s a link.
- While I have been enjoying this season of The Celebrity Apprentice, I still can’t fully buy into two-hour episodes. I had to zip through most of last night’s show, and just get to the meat of the challenge and boardroom firings. Annie vs. Joan was pretty much pre-ordained based on the way the show was edited. To me, it’s a no-brainer. Annie should win regardless of what the final challenge is. I don’t care if it’s a “who’s the better 75-year-old comedian who looks like the puppet from the Saw movies” challenge, Annie has been head-and-shoulders above everyone else on the show.
And I’m not just saying that because she’s a poker player (and a damn good one), she’s 3-0 as a project manager, and has handled everything in a business-like manner, while Joan has consistently failed and spent the entire show hurling personal insults and attacks. The opening graphics of the show state “It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Business”, so how on earth could he even consider her being in the final, much less the winner. If it’s not Annie winning in the finale, it’s a joke.
And Brande spelling ‘crap’, S-R-A-P, certainly didn’t do much for her argument that she’s NOT a dumb blonde. Funny.
- Hell’s Kitchen last week was entirely predictable, as have the last few episodes. The only choices for the finale were Paula vs. Danny. I’m glad the ‘Angry Mexican’ Andrea finally got the boot. It was long overdue. I predict Paula wins the whole thing next week.
- For those of you who watch Survivor and were wondering why when Brendan was eliminated 3 weeks ago, he didn’t toss the Immunity Idol to Sierra for her to use, I read an interview with Sierra stating that they are informed ahead of time that they aren’t allowed to do that if they get voted out, so he couldn’t have given it to her. But it makes sense that if you’re in an alliance with someone, and you’re heading to Tribal Council knowing full well that you are NOT using the idol that night, leave it back at camp so that your alliance-mate can still use it if you get blindsided. But then again, if you think there’s a chance that you might get blindsided, then maybe you should be bringing it…and USING it!
- The “perceived act of thievery” reference in my post a couple of days ago was rectified with a nice winning session this weekend with Paul as my dealer again. Good karma for stating I don’t blame the dealers, I guess.
- Yesterday, I was out with a friend, and we were just sitting outside talking when we noticed these two swallows flying near us. Then we noticed them tangling up with each other, in what we first thought was some sort of mating ritual, but then became clear that they were fighting. All of a sudden these birds, while fighting in mid-air, swooped down and whizzed right between us, about 6 inches from my face! It was crazy!
- Really enjoying Flight of the Conchords lately. For those of you that haven’t watched the clip from the last post below, I highly recommend you watch it and enjoy the songwriting. Very very funny.
There was also a lot of discussion about how viewers are thinking that the race is unfair to the other contestants and favouring Tammy and Victor since a bulk of this season (the last 3 episodes, which in reality was only 2 legs) have taken place in China. I have no way of knowing this for certain, but I have to think that the entire course for the race, and the challenges that they do throughout the race, are laid out and created before the casting process, so the fact that they have two Chinese-Americans (that happen to speak Mandarin Chinese) is no different than any Americans who know Spanish from school going to a Spanish-speaking country in past seasons. Get over it, it’s not a conspiracy!
I was, however, confused by Tammy and Victor’s use of the Yield on this episode. Not that I think they shouldn’t have used it, on the contrary, at this point, I think it would be foolish NOT to use it. But I don’t know why they used it on Kisha and Jen instead of Margie and Luke. Kisha and Jen have come in first place only once on the race (a 3-team footrace), while Margie and Luke have won three legs. Doesn’t make much sense to me why you wouldn’t Yield Margie and Luke instead from a strategic standpoint.
Josh Wolk’s recap is even funnier than usual this week, so here’s a link.
- While I have been enjoying this season of The Celebrity Apprentice, I still can’t fully buy into two-hour episodes. I had to zip through most of last night’s show, and just get to the meat of the challenge and boardroom firings. Annie vs. Joan was pretty much pre-ordained based on the way the show was edited. To me, it’s a no-brainer. Annie should win regardless of what the final challenge is. I don’t care if it’s a “who’s the better 75-year-old comedian who looks like the puppet from the Saw movies” challenge, Annie has been head-and-shoulders above everyone else on the show.
And I’m not just saying that because she’s a poker player (and a damn good one), she’s 3-0 as a project manager, and has handled everything in a business-like manner, while Joan has consistently failed and spent the entire show hurling personal insults and attacks. The opening graphics of the show state “It’s Not Personal, It’s Just Business”, so how on earth could he even consider her being in the final, much less the winner. If it’s not Annie winning in the finale, it’s a joke.
And Brande spelling ‘crap’, S-R-A-P, certainly didn’t do much for her argument that she’s NOT a dumb blonde. Funny.
- Hell’s Kitchen last week was entirely predictable, as have the last few episodes. The only choices for the finale were Paula vs. Danny. I’m glad the ‘Angry Mexican’ Andrea finally got the boot. It was long overdue. I predict Paula wins the whole thing next week.
- For those of you who watch Survivor and were wondering why when Brendan was eliminated 3 weeks ago, he didn’t toss the Immunity Idol to Sierra for her to use, I read an interview with Sierra stating that they are informed ahead of time that they aren’t allowed to do that if they get voted out, so he couldn’t have given it to her. But it makes sense that if you’re in an alliance with someone, and you’re heading to Tribal Council knowing full well that you are NOT using the idol that night, leave it back at camp so that your alliance-mate can still use it if you get blindsided. But then again, if you think there’s a chance that you might get blindsided, then maybe you should be bringing it…and USING it!
- The “perceived act of thievery” reference in my post a couple of days ago was rectified with a nice winning session this weekend with Paul as my dealer again. Good karma for stating I don’t blame the dealers, I guess.
- Yesterday, I was out with a friend, and we were just sitting outside talking when we noticed these two swallows flying near us. Then we noticed them tangling up with each other, in what we first thought was some sort of mating ritual, but then became clear that they were fighting. All of a sudden these birds, while fighting in mid-air, swooped down and whizzed right between us, about 6 inches from my face! It was crazy!
- Really enjoying Flight of the Conchords lately. For those of you that haven’t watched the clip from the last post below, I highly recommend you watch it and enjoy the songwriting. Very very funny.
Saturday, May 2, 2009
May 2, 2009
- I thought there would be more comments on the Meat Brackets. Come on folks, let's hear your faves!
- Went out on Thursday night with a friend and had a great time. The most fun I've had in a long time. You know who you are...the one who made the 9-ball your bitch!
- Saw the movie Role Models last night....it was cute. The kid who played Ronnie was hilarious, and Stifler always makes me laugh.
- I'm on the EW.com message boards quite often, commenting on shows like Lost, Survivor, Amazing Race, etc... It just astounds me how people in these message board communities will complain about everything. There was this whole thread about the inconvenience of having to scroll back a page or two to find a link...like that extra 10 seconds would kill you. Lazy lazy people.
- Survivor was interesting this week with Coach being caught in a huge lie, and creating even more ridiculous lies to try and cover it up. Sierra got a raw deal, although I never really liked her...or disliked her. This is shaping up to be the best reunion show ever. The Dragon Slayer shtick with Coach is getting old, and his pleas for recognition were pretty lame "Did you hear me say Dragon Slayer? My balance was aweseome." But the most astounding part to me was the 46-year-old middle school principal using the word 'Supposably." Educating the world's youth....fantastic.
JENN AND JEFF STOP READING
- Loved the episode of Lost this week. I've found that for each season, the 3rd last episode is always fantastic, setting up for the 2-part season finale. This year was no different. For those of you that think that when Daniel got shot at the end, he didn't actually die, you are incorrect. He is dead and gone, according to the producers. The time loops are giving me headaches, but I love it! Getting back to the EW.com message boards I mentioned earlier, there was this entire discussion of how Daniel couldn't possibly be the son of Eloise and Charles because he had brown eyes and they both had blue eyes, and the science/genetics behind the impossibility of that happening. It's a show about TIME TRAVEL AND A MAGICAL MOVING ISLAND...this is the scientific issue you have with the show? I had someone tell me once that they didn't like Spider-Man because they thought it was ridiculous that Mary-Jane didn't know it was Peter (Oops...sorry, SPOILER ALERT) when she was was kissing him after taking half of his mask off. Really? That's the major issue you have with Spider-Man in terms of believability? Not the guywith superpowers climbing up walls and swinging between the buildings....just the kiss? Really?
- Went out on Thursday night with a friend and had a great time. The most fun I've had in a long time. You know who you are...the one who made the 9-ball your bitch!
- Saw the movie Role Models last night....it was cute. The kid who played Ronnie was hilarious, and Stifler always makes me laugh.
- I'm on the EW.com message boards quite often, commenting on shows like Lost, Survivor, Amazing Race, etc... It just astounds me how people in these message board communities will complain about everything. There was this whole thread about the inconvenience of having to scroll back a page or two to find a link...like that extra 10 seconds would kill you. Lazy lazy people.
- Survivor was interesting this week with Coach being caught in a huge lie, and creating even more ridiculous lies to try and cover it up. Sierra got a raw deal, although I never really liked her...or disliked her. This is shaping up to be the best reunion show ever. The Dragon Slayer shtick with Coach is getting old, and his pleas for recognition were pretty lame "Did you hear me say Dragon Slayer? My balance was aweseome." But the most astounding part to me was the 46-year-old middle school principal using the word 'Supposably." Educating the world's youth....fantastic.
JENN AND JEFF STOP READING
- Loved the episode of Lost this week. I've found that for each season, the 3rd last episode is always fantastic, setting up for the 2-part season finale. This year was no different. For those of you that think that when Daniel got shot at the end, he didn't actually die, you are incorrect. He is dead and gone, according to the producers. The time loops are giving me headaches, but I love it! Getting back to the EW.com message boards I mentioned earlier, there was this entire discussion of how Daniel couldn't possibly be the son of Eloise and Charles because he had brown eyes and they both had blue eyes, and the science/genetics behind the impossibility of that happening. It's a show about TIME TRAVEL AND A MAGICAL MOVING ISLAND...this is the scientific issue you have with the show? I had someone tell me once that they didn't like Spider-Man because they thought it was ridiculous that Mary-Jane didn't know it was Peter (Oops...sorry, SPOILER ALERT) when she was was kissing him after taking half of his mask off. Really? That's the major issue you have with Spider-Man in terms of believability? Not the guywith superpowers climbing up walls and swinging between the buildings....just the kiss? Really?
May 2, 2009
So, I'm at Brantford the other day, having another enjoyable session at the $5/$10 table, and I'm doing ok, winning some decent pots, having a good time. The table is a good balance of regulars whose game I am very familiar with, and new chasing donkeys who are hemorrhaging chips. Ona dealer switch, one of my favourite dealers, Paul, shows up and with me sitting in seat 1, it seems like a pretty fun table.
Then it happens.
Raise preflop with KhQh, flop the nut flush, and pound the bets, and some donkey calls with Ace-deuce offsuit, and miracles a boat when he hits a deuce. Awesome.
Q7 in the BB, flop J77, bet out and get called by A8, who then goes running Aces to win.
And others...pretty gross.
But what can you do? It's the beautiful irony of limit poker. It's just always a little more frustrating when it's one of your favourite dealers that shows up and cuts your stack in half...like it's a personal act of thievery. Now, you guys that read here that deal and are friends of mine, you all know I'm not a 'dealer blamer'....ever. It's just always a laughable moment when it happens. Damn game.
But the funniest part was when Paul was still dealing, and Man-Hands showed up. Now, let me explain. Man-Hands is this Amazon that plays at Brantford, and I really don't have the patience to write an entire post about all of her idiosyncrasies at the table, like the precision placement of the bet, but she's this gargantuan woman (tall, not fat) that's probably 6'3", maybe about 55 years old, with a ridiculously deep voice, and the HUGEST hands I've ever seen. Seriously, her fingers look like paper towel tubes. So, I see her walking up to the table, and I mention to Paul (quietly), "Uh-oh, here comes Man-Hands", and he goes "Man-Hands? Who's..." and looks and sees her and has to do all he can to hold it in. "Inside Voice!" I told him, he almost blew it!
So, the thing that irks me the most about Man-Hands is how painful it is with her when it's time to show down a hand. It's always a dramatic production of turning over the cards slowly, one at a time, or asking what every one else has first. And we all know how much I just LOVE to be slow rolled (right, Tyler?). When I get to showdown, if someone bets, and I call, I expect them to show first. Period. If I bet and get called, I show my cards immediately, even if it's a bluff and I have nothing.
So I play this pot with Man-Hands, and I'm betting the whole way with pocket fours. On the river, I hope she's on a draw and missed, so I bet again, and she called, and when she calls, I immediately turn my cards face up. She looks at me (not at the cards) and says "What do you have?" I say "What do I have? My cards are right there.", and she proceeds to slow roll middle pair and take the pot. Ignorant. I wanted to punch her right in the Adam's Apple.
Nice Hand Sir.
This is the first in a new series of the $5/$10 regulars I play with at Brantford.
Comments are open.
(you know you want to)
Then it happens.
Raise preflop with KhQh, flop the nut flush, and pound the bets, and some donkey calls with Ace-deuce offsuit, and miracles a boat when he hits a deuce. Awesome.
Q7 in the BB, flop J77, bet out and get called by A8, who then goes running Aces to win.
And others...pretty gross.
But what can you do? It's the beautiful irony of limit poker. It's just always a little more frustrating when it's one of your favourite dealers that shows up and cuts your stack in half...like it's a personal act of thievery. Now, you guys that read here that deal and are friends of mine, you all know I'm not a 'dealer blamer'....ever. It's just always a laughable moment when it happens. Damn game.
But the funniest part was when Paul was still dealing, and Man-Hands showed up. Now, let me explain. Man-Hands is this Amazon that plays at Brantford, and I really don't have the patience to write an entire post about all of her idiosyncrasies at the table, like the precision placement of the bet, but she's this gargantuan woman (tall, not fat) that's probably 6'3", maybe about 55 years old, with a ridiculously deep voice, and the HUGEST hands I've ever seen. Seriously, her fingers look like paper towel tubes. So, I see her walking up to the table, and I mention to Paul (quietly), "Uh-oh, here comes Man-Hands", and he goes "Man-Hands? Who's..." and looks and sees her and has to do all he can to hold it in. "Inside Voice!" I told him, he almost blew it!
So, the thing that irks me the most about Man-Hands is how painful it is with her when it's time to show down a hand. It's always a dramatic production of turning over the cards slowly, one at a time, or asking what every one else has first. And we all know how much I just LOVE to be slow rolled (right, Tyler?). When I get to showdown, if someone bets, and I call, I expect them to show first. Period. If I bet and get called, I show my cards immediately, even if it's a bluff and I have nothing.
So I play this pot with Man-Hands, and I'm betting the whole way with pocket fours. On the river, I hope she's on a draw and missed, so I bet again, and she called, and when she calls, I immediately turn my cards face up. She looks at me (not at the cards) and says "What do you have?" I say "What do I have? My cards are right there.", and she proceeds to slow roll middle pair and take the pot. Ignorant. I wanted to punch her right in the Adam's Apple.
Nice Hand Sir.
This is the first in a new series of the $5/$10 regulars I play with at Brantford.
Comments are open.
(you know you want to)
May 2, 2009
Getting back to some of my favourite songs of all-time. Not a huge fan of the video, but I love the song...
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
