The Best Films of 2008

That's right....you're not going to find a bunch of foriegn films in this list.....just the stuff I really enjoyed this year.


10. Death Race
Everything you want in a movie.....Explosions, cars, a good enough story and good enough performances. Fun Stuff!

9. Pride and Glory
Edward Norton again proves he is a solid actor. In a film that forces you to follow along. I enjoyed it very much...even though the finale could have been a little better.

8. In Bruges
A quiet film I highly recommend you search out. Colin Farrell is great, as a hit-man on the lam. At times a very dark comedy, and a gripping drama. Check it out.

7. U2 3D
OK.....only about 10 people saw it, but I loved it. The 3D was incredible...and the music....always peerless.

6. Speed Racer
Yep, it bombed at the box office. But this is the most expensive kids film ever. The bright colors, action etc translate great to the small screen.

5. Twilight
I was loathing seeing this film, but I was absolutely mesmorized by it. I can't wait to see what happens next!

4. Cloverfield
Yes, the camera work was puke-inducing, but I loved the cleverness, and the excitement of the story.

3. Tropic Thunder
The best comedy of the year. The entire movie felt like it was in another league. I loved it, and Robert Downey Jr. is awesome.

2. Iron Man
Speaking of the reformed one, Robert Downey Jr. demands your attention in the Golden Suit. A great film, that demands you enjoy it.

1. The Dark Knight
A thought provoking, entertaining movie that is leagues and bounds away from any other film this year. It is a landmark film, that will be talked about forever.

Hears to a great '09!

J

One of my favorite words- The Gooch

In our personal lexicon...we all have words that are unique to ourselves. Maybe we turn a phrase with our own personal touch to make it our own. I'm notorious for this....I use "Ding Dong" very liberally....to describe idiots....or even just a thing. I use it because it can usually get a laugh from someone who hasn't heard it before.

That brings me to "The Gooch". The first time I had heard of "The Gooch", he was Arnold Jackson's nemesis on Diff'rent Strokes. Jerry O'Connell character even refers to bad karma as "a Gooch" in Stand by Me.

The Gooch also, just sounds funny. The Gooch, as I most usually refer to it as, is the McGuffin...the unique plot twist, identifier, or whatever that makes it stand out. For example (If you haven't seen the Sixth Sense....skip to the next paragraph) "The Gooch" of the Sixth Sense, is Bruce Willis has actually been dead the entire film.

Also...in a tough crossword puzzle, such as the Sunday New York Times....they have a unique theme clue for a number of its answers. When me and my Dad figure it out....we tell the other that we got "the Gooch" of the puzzle.

Words are fun.

J

Online Gaming....an insider look

You may have heard about people playing online with video games, but not really knew what the deal was....well here's a look from a current online gamer......me!

You are able to play with people around the world on a number of platforms.........PC's, Mac's, Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Wii....and a number of others. There are literally a plethora of choices to make. If you want to play cribbage with someone from Zambia....you can. It's nice when you're up for a crackling game of Monopoly...and you're home alone.

The largest game out there is World of Warcraft, an MMORG (Massive Multiplayer Online Roleplaying Game) There have been millions of players live out there fantasies on WOW. Think of it as a huge Dungeons and Dragons game. You can go it alone, or with a clan on adventures against computer enemies.....or fight a human opponent as well. There are many MMORG's.......one for Star Wars, a coming Star Trek, Firefly, you name it.

A more traditional style is simply going head to head online. The consoles have a huge winner with the Madden Football games. It's so popular, there is a show on ESPN with the best of the best playing computer football for $500,000!

Currently.....I play three games online, on my trusty Xbox 360. World Series of Poker, Rockband 2, and Gears of War 2.

Rockband 2, I usually play along, challenging another player to see who can play a song the best. Oddly enough I find it much fun, and the competition usually makes me play better.

In World Series of Poker, you play against a table of other poker players....all real people, and you fight out until there is one left (hopefully you!) The carrot at the end of the stick here is your rating goes up the more you win....same with Rock Band 2.

But for me........the big kahuna is Gears of War 2. On Xbox Live, where all the games happen, you have a list of friends. The bulk of my list comes from people I played with on the original Gears. This is the first week with Gears 2, and I've played with all of these guys for the first time in over a year.

I have two friends who go to West Virginia University. One, who is the best player by far, lives in Detroit. The others are from dots all around North America. We like each other because we love the game, and more importantly, we don't suck. In the past 7 days since the game came out, there hasn't been a night where the lot of us hasn't been playing late into the night fighting the good fight.

Online gaming is a blast...and a good way to improve your game.

Nevermind.....How old this makes me feel!

The early 90's were an absolutely fabulous time for me. I was attending college, in what seemed to be the center of the universe, Seattle.

Twin Peaks, Northern Exposure were all filming in the area. Grunge was exploding on the scene....and Seattle was home to it all. The biggest album from the day was Nevermind by Nirvana. Yes....pictured above (Thanks EW) is the baby from the album all grown up. He's 17 now.....and man that makes one check what year it is. (2008?......2009 in two months.....what!!!????)

If you want to read the article.....

http://popwatch.ew.com/popwatch/2008/11/nivana-baby-now.html

Jason

Star Trek is coming

Well....we get our first look at the new Star Trek this Friday, at the opening of Quantum of Solace.

They leaked 4 scenes to reporters in Europe....and all indications is this movie is going to absolutely kick but.

We all gotta wait 'til May.....

J

God on Trial?

Man Tries to Sue God

I thought I'd pass along a bit of a hilarious news item from Omaha. (You can hit the link to the story above, and credit the brilliant Gary Larson for his Far Side comic above as well.)

A state Senator from Omaha, tried to sue the Almighty. Why you may ask? He wanted to create an injunction, to prevent God from doing violent acts, such as Earthquakes and Tornados. A noble effort to be sure, but are we really going to clog up a court's time with this?

The judge, threw out the motion, because they aren't able to serve papers to God.

Imagine if they were able to get God to the courtroom. When sworn in would God have said, "I will tell the truth, so help me Me."?

J

Hollow Victories Rule!!!!!

What did you do for your weekend. I got the steel bladder achievement on Rock Band 2.

Maybe I need to explain. On the Xbox 360, every game has certain achievements. Rock Band 2 is no different. You get points added to your gamer score if you do certain feats in games.

One of the more interesting, is the Steel Bladder achievement. Rock Band 2 has a part of the game called the Endless Setlist. You play 84 songs, IN A ROW, to complete the task. That's where the Steel Bladder comes in. If you are able to finish all 84 songs without pausing......you get the Steel Bladder award. That is 6 hours plus, being chained to your xbox 360, because the time in between songs is not long enough for a quick pee break.

So at 11am on Saturday, I decided to go for it. I have 2 TVs at my apartment, so while playing my songs, I was watching the football tilts, talking to my father watching Montana play EWU, and watching other games of interest on my internet.

I did have enough time to get beverages from the fridge, and actually cook some soup on the stove. But alas, no time for the bathroom.

After 6 hours of mashing my fingers, I finally finish up after 5pm on Saturday. My left arm is surprisingly not dead....and the football was good.

God Bless the Hollow Victories!

J

What a night for TV!!!!!!

Thank goodness for my DVR. I am going to need it in spades 2nit.

Thursday night is my movie night. Since I have the great pleasure of reviewing movies, I see movie sneaks usually on Thursday night. So I'm out of the count for much of a GREAT night of TV.

My usual favorites, Survivor and the Office are on tonight. But there's also 2 biggies.

First, Life on Mars. It's at 10 o'clock on ABC, and it looks fantastic. It's about a cop who is somehow sent to 1973, and deals with the limitations of the time. I'm not familiar with the main guy, but Harvey Keitel, Lisa Bonet, and Michael Imperioli as a supporting cast...WOW! I hope its good, and does well.

Second, CSI. I love me some CSI, and 2nit we finally get closure from Warrick getting shot at the end of last season. This is also the start of a long goodbye to Gil Grissom. I truly believe the show will last past William Peterson's exit. Lawrence Fishburne will be a great addition, and the cast is so strong, it will survive.

Can't wait for tonight.......


J

What do we call this decade?

OK....it's so easy to say...."Hey, remember the Eighties?"...or...."I loved Pearl Jam in the Ninties..."

What the heck are we going to say for this decade. We are 8 years into it...and I haven't heard it coined yet.

For that matter, what have kids said in high school the last few years for when they're going to graduate. My class got to chant....89, 89, 808080- Nine. Are they chanting...5!, 5!, fafafa 5! That has no style.

Are we in the Oh's. May as well be the Oh Oh's the way things are going.

I remember an old Northern Exposure episode, where an old gentlemen refered to 1909 as ought 9. I was kinda of looking forward to sounding cool, saying, "Remember in aught 4 when we saw U2 in the Tacoma Dome?" But alas, it more of "Oh Four", instead of "Aught Four".

But you can't say to Ohies. Even next decades sucks...."the Teens?" I'm looking forward to when we can talk about the Twenties again....hopefully they'll be roaring as well.

For me, I'm going to refer to this decade as the Aughties. It rolls of the tongue, and sounds like Naughty....

So do me a favor....when you recollect way back now.....say how weird the Aughties were.

J

Watching too many numbers

Wow. I don't know if you're like me, but I am keeping a constant eye on the financial markets. The past 2 weeks, I've been watching the up and down financial markets, like I'm keeping an eye on sports scores.

All day, I'm either watching the numbers online, or on TV. Do I know exactly what it means if it goes up, or down. Not really. It just is a major bummer, fearing the major unknown. Depending on who you listen to, things could be headed for disaster, or this is a financial hiccup.

Whatever it is, it sucks.

In our lives, we have enough to worry about. Rent, gas, family, friends....the added stress of this credit crunch is just another distraction, getting in the way of normal life.

My theory on it all, is its the final ripple from 9/11. After that horrific day, nobody knew what was going to happen.

Advertising went down....which is the reason hard alcohol was once again allowed to advertise on TV. If you see cigarettes on TV again, its really getting bad.

This went down for a while, but things seemed to rebound. One reason for the rebound, car dealers and housing people took any customer they could....and many stuck loans to people they never would have approved in the past. Just to get things moving. And now, we're suffering from those loans going bad.

Who knows what's going to happen? I have faith in our system, and it will check itself out....but that doesn't check any of my anxiety for our current situation.

I look forward to the day, I don't watch the financial markets like a hawk. But I don't see that day coming anytime soon.

J

Confessions of a Football Junkie

Oh how I love the pigskin. The end of the year brings a celebration of the gridiron, that I enjoy immensely, and I can't get enough.

Over the weekend....I didn't watch a MINUTE of the baseball playoffs.

So to give you an idea of the mania....I'll give you an inside look to my weekend. I got off work at 6pm, and immediately drove from Kennewick to Spokane. I met my father at the currently under expansion Quest Casino. We had a spectacular lunch, gambled a bit. My dad left at 11pm.....I left at 4am! (Leaving up as well!)

I got up the next morning at 9am....less that 5 hours sleep, but there's football to watch. Also, I have a competition with a friend, 10 games a week, against the spread. 2 off those games were on TV. (Iowa/Michigan St. and Oklahoma/Baylor) During these games, I had breakfast with my father, and worked on the daily crossword.

The 12:30 games kickoff....and there's about five games to keep track of, with Alabama/Kentucky on the TV. During that game, we visit my Grandfather at his rest home....and lucky me, he has the game on. We have a nice visit....and head back home.

I have a Birthday Party to get to, so I shower while listening to the radio, to my beloved WA Huskies get smoked by Arizona. I continue to listen during my 30 minute drive to North Spokane. I have over an hour to kill, so I belly up to the bar at the Swinging Doors Tavern. I get a coffee, and nurse it with multiple refills, as the over 20 big screens keep me up to date on all the night games. OSU/Wisconsin, NC/Conn, USC/Oregon, UW/Arizona....among others. My picks for the day are going down in flames for the first half of all these games......

......but once I get to my friends house, 3 of the 4 turn around. I finish these games at my friends house...(One with my cell phone, since there's no local coverage of the OSU game) We then watch the WSU game....until a poker game breaks out. We proceed to play until 4am.

So I awake at 8:40, so I can meet other friends at a restaurant with the NFL Sunday ticket, completely across town. I get there at 9:30, and one of my best friends and his wife greet me there. My father comes a bit later and we settle in for good food and football. Or so I thought, until the magic time of 10am on a Sunday morning. NONE of the TVs were on a LIVE game!!!! It gets to 10:05, and no change. I feel like a smoker having a nicotine fit.......Theres NFL going on, and I can't see it! THE HORROR.

Slowly, the TV's emit the magic of an NFL Sunday, and things get better. I bid adieu to my friends, and watch the end of the 10am games at home. As soon as the SD/Mia game ends, I say goodbye to my father, and head back for Kennewick. Luckily, the AZ/Buffalo game is on the radio. Between that, and my cell phone, I'm kept up to date on the games. At ritzville, I lost the AZ/Buf game, and got the NE/SF game for the rest of my drive.

I get home a little after the Sunday night game starts...and I was able to watch most of that as well.

So, that's a slice of what goes on with a football junkie, on any given weekend. I'm single at the moment, and that type of weekend won't occur....or for long in that changes, so I'll enjoy it for all its worth while I can.

Long live football.....long live the King.


J

Need To Forget Your Troubles....Help is on the way Tuesday!!!!

In this increasingly uncertain time we live in....It's nice to know you can count on some things. As if from above, two of this year's best films debut on DVD tomorrow (Tuesday 9/30), and they couldn't come at a better time.



The best film of the year, not called Dark Knight comes a calling, IRON MAN!!!! This is an outstanding film from director John Favreau. With a great story, and an absolute Phoenix rising performance by Robert Downey Jr. as the titular shellhead, this is a great crowd pleasing film. This will look great on your HDTV, and is definately a purchase!



Another great movie, is Forgetting Sarah Marshall. A fantastically funny film from the Judd Apatow comedy juggernaut. It's naughty, insightful, and downright funny.

Two films that will get your mind of the economy, and whatever else ails you.

Jason

First Full Night of the New Season

So last night was the first full night of new programming for the 2008 season. Nice that there is no pending actor or writer's strike to foul up this year. It is almost to a point where it seemed extra special to have some new shows.

First up.....I had to turn of Heroes. I survived the entire 2nd season disaster, but I couldn't get through the 3rd season premiere. It seemed like an extremely dumb downer. I will never be going back....I tried Heroes, couldn't do it.

I watched the CBS comedy line-up. (Tivo is great) I like the Big Bang Theory, it has a goofy charm I like. And any show that references the Guardians of Oa (Green Lantern's bosses), gets props from me. 2 and a Half Men is still the king of sitcoms right now. I always have a good laugh with Charlie and Company. I've tried twice, but How I Met Your Mother always falls flat.

ABC had old reliable Dancing with the Stars, with an interesting cast this time around. Warren Sapp surprised me on how well he did. Boston Legal, as usual, is corny, manipulative, and just plain entertaining.

Bring on CSI: The Original and Survivor. This week I'll still give 90210 a chance, and marvel at how bad Knight Rider is.

Also, watch the always awesome world series of poker on ESPN.

What are you looking forward to this season?

Jason

Need a laugh.......go here!

FAILBLOG.ORG/

Hit the link above for my new favorite site. Most the content is family friendly, it will warn you if its not. It is a collection of photos and videos of things that fail.



It can be a construction fail, spelling fail....etc.

Good fun,

J

This dude's last name should be Jinx

Hey Patriot fans.....you see the guy above. I think it's safe to say you can blame him for your troubles.

Victor Thompson thought it would be a good idea to tattoo Tom Brady's helmet into his skull. American Flag, and flourescent green dot (that indicates the helmet has a mike) and all. Since then, the Patriots lost the Super Bowl and their perfect season, and Tom Brady had his MCL/ACL shredded.

For all the other fans in the NFL, I think we should all thank Victor Thompson....albatross of the New England Patriots.

J

Week's Vacation- One Weak later

Holy Carumba......the saying that you need a vacation from a vacation is quite apt indeed. But, I have something keeping me riveted.



Rock Band 2 is truly a great game. 84 new songs are on the disc. You can rip all the songs from Rock Band 1, and all the downloaded material from the first game applies here as well. Plus 20 free song download later on this year....means for me over 200 songs to choose from! That is crazy to say the least.

During a slow summer, my Xbox is about to get much busier. Thankfully my Xbox broke down earlier this year.....if it broke down now, I'd be a tad bit beside myself. In October, we'll see if Guitar Hero World Tour can one up Rock Band 2. (Doubt it) Saints Row 2, and most importantly.......GEARS OF WAR 2......November 7th. Can't wait for that one.

Now November 7th will be a crazy weekend for me. I get my first crown place in my mouth, GOW2, NFL, and the World Series of Poker live finale on Sunday......CRAZY. (Yes, I may need a girlfriend....but until then...bring on the Dork Candy.)

Have a great weekend,


Jason

Jerry Reed RIP

The Snowman is going east bound and down.......

Jerry Reed died today. I have always liked Jerry Reed. No, not because of his signing. Because of Smokey and the Bandit. If you don't know, Jerry played wingman to Burt Reynolds bootleggin' Bandit in the film. He was great, and it was a great film for a HBO watchin' 8 year old.

Jerry Reed entered my life again 13 years later. For my 21st birthday, me and my folks went to Jackpot Nevada. It was my first foray into gambling. We stayed at Cactus Pete's. The entertainment at the Casino was Jerry Reed. I thought that was great, but I wouldn't be catching the show since Country Music isn't my cup o' tea.

So that night, I found myself at a poker table, and lo and behold Jerry Reed was at the same table. We played about 3 hours.....and I managed to beat him pretty good. But he was a pure gentleman about it. When he was cashing out, I decided to ask him for his autograph. He smiled and obliged. I then made a mistake....I said I loved him in Smokey and the Bandit. I may have well said his fly was open. He must have preferred that I was a fan of his music. But oh well, he gave me the autograph, of which I gave to my Mom that night.

I will always thank Mr. Reed for Smokey....but more over, I'll thank him for being a pure gentleman to me in person.

Rest in Peace Jerry.


Jason

Bad Dates.........

We find ourselves kind of in the dead zone of entertainment. The Summer Movie Season is over, and the Fall TV Season has yet to begin. So I'm going to go a little off subject today.....and talk about bad dates.

I envy you folks who have a happy relationship with your significant other. It's tough out here, putting your self out there, when odds are it'll fail, and you need to start over again.

Bad dates come from many places. You get set up by friends, find someone online, etc. My experience has been that most of my "good" dates, have come from someone I met, and asked out. The odds of a bad date go way up when its blind. But darn it, the payoff is such, that the risk is worth it. Right?

There was a time when (GASP!) I sold cars. (Needed to pay off a lease for 6 months...seemed like the best thing to do at the time) The biggest soul sucking experience of my life. Anywho, I had a female customer who seemed normal and we kind of hit it off. I didn't say anything since she was a customer, but she called me 2 weeks later, and asked me out. Sweet!....or so I thought. So I invited her to a Seattle Sushi joint, and we met the following day.

I dressed in a nice shirt, fashionable jeans, and good shoes.....not dressy, but nice. She shows up late (Not good), in a decidedly non dressy fashion. Fine, whatever....I'll try and give her the benefit of the doubt, but c'mon! So we sit down and conversation is OK. We proceed to talk about books.....I tell her I've been reading the latest Harry Potter Book....and she tells me that she doesn't read those, because......Here it comes...(If you've ever seen the show Blind Date, they like to do a timed countdown to the end of the date...when one of them makes an unrecoverable gaffe) So 3....2....1....- "I don't read books about magic, because if I read about magic, I believe it comes true." I actually had to pause, and ask her to explain it. During which I ordered another round of drinks to dull the pain.

Honestly, God bless her. She thought enough of me to ask me out, and was honest with me......but that doesn't qualify for a 2nd date. I spoke to her one more time afterward, and that was that.

The thing about a bad date, is you go into it with the best of hopes. Maybe this time, I'll meet a cool person to have fun with. But then, you're stuck with someone for 3 hours, when you'd much rather be ANYWHERE else.

Bad Dates are a fact of life....and until I cancel my membership to Bachelor's R Us, I think I'll be having more of them.

Do you have a bad date story? Please share.

I promise to have more pop culture talk next time (Hey, I did mention Harry Potter and Blind Date!)

Have a good week,

Jason

Can You Smell the Fall in the Air!

Yes sir, bring on the fall. This, for me, is the best time of year. For most, Spring is the time of renewal, but Fall does the trick for me. My internal clock, still says its time to be getting ready for the school year. I guess it's a bit like the salmon heading home to respawn. I will be returning to my Alma Mater soon with the start of the football season at the University of Washington.

Fall brings many things that for me are great. (Yes, I know, the Autumnal Equinox is on September 21st....but Fall begins on Labor Day in actuality....so there) First off, football. I'm sorry to all the football widows out there....but football is so delicious, I can't stand it. College and Pro.....bring it on.

It's also time to start planning for the holidays. Oh the glorious holidays. I pretty much get into a trance around holiday time, because I am so absolutly jazzed about the feeling. Halloween kicks it off. One of my favorite stories comes from a chance encounter I had way back when. I was chatting up a lovely girl at a party, and I asked her what her favorite holiday was. I expected the usual, Christmas or Thanksgiving...but it was Halloween. I asked her why.....now here's an answer. She loved the sounds of the dogs in New England. HUH? She explained that the dogs were used to the streets being empty in the cold evenings of October, but once the streets were packed with Trick or Treaters, the dogs went crazy. I'm not sure I understand her answer, but darn if it wasn't memorable.

So, from now to New Year's Day.....I'm going to pretty much be a happy camper.

Happy Fall Everyone!


Jason

Memories of 90210

I need to admit something. I am a huge Beverly Hills 90210 fan. Proof you need? I named my cat after the actor, Joe E Tata, who played the owner of the Peach Pit.

Why am I bringing this up. Being that its the TV doledrums of summer, I was scanning through my channel guide, and Soapnet was running a documentary on the show. Oh the memories. (Side note, tonight (Tuesday 8-19) SoapNet is starting the show from the beginning.)

I was in college when the show kicked off, and me and my friends loved the so bad its good quality, until we actually fell for the characters.

My man in the show, was Brandon Walsh. He was the bedrock for the 8 or so seasons it ran. Imagine my delight, when I was on hand for a Good Morning Northwest interview with Jennie Garth (Kellie Taylor), and had the host ask if she prefered Brandon or Dylan. After some thought, she came to the right answer, Brandon! Me and my friends were always stoked when Jason Priestly directed as well, because you could count on wackiness to ensue.

The show wasn't always good, but it was usually memorable. Tori Spelling was horrible. Dylan was cool. Brian Austin Green (BAG) was OK, unless he was singing. Brenda was not missed when she left. Emily Valentine (My Sister?) was nuts....and so on.

What a great show.....and I'll be tuning into SoapNet for reruns 'til the fall season starts.

Jason

The Dark Knight Bashing Begins

Well you knew this was coming. Whenever any pop culture event goes super nova, there is a group of society who feels it important to let us know they didn't like it.

I believe there are many people who see themselves as non-conformists....and if they like something the masses do, they are conforming.

Let's see what the list of complaints are. Batman's voice. Too Long. The Plot is too complicated. The Joker is almost omnipotent at times....etc.

Whatever. Dear fans, we are seeing the pop culture explosion of the decade. If you liked it, enjoy it. If you didn't, that's cool....and say so. But don't do so just trying to be cool.

Sidenote- I think Bats will get to the low $500 million range, coming short of beating Titanic....but its crazy the conversation is even coming up.

Jason

Now You've Seen The Dark Knight.....Now What?

Hello folks.

For people who've watched the new Batman over the weekend......your question might be "Where can I get more of this!" I have an answer for you.

Batman has been around since the late 30's.....and many runs by creators have been singled out as fantastic in their run. Denny O'neil, Neal Adams, and the original Bob Kane have made the Dark Knight who he is today. But, there are 3 stories that have been released in the last 25 years that perfectly capture who the Batman is.

First and foremost is Dark Knight Returns. Frank Miller turned the comics world on its head with his alternate universe Batman. He's retired, and Gotham is going to hell. So The Batman returns to bring order. It's violent, gritty, and viewed as the best Batman story period.

Second, Frank Miller returned to Bats with Batman Year One. Considered now the definative look at Batman's beginnings. It's thought provoking, down and dirty, and interesting to see a green Batman.

Third, is Batman:Hush. Featuring the ABSOLUTELY gorgeous artwork of Jim Lee, Batman has to get down to detective work to find a man killing those who are close to him. (Villians and heroes.) It's a great story featuring a battle between a bewitched Superman, and Batman.

Happy reading!

Jason

I'm sick of eras ending!

How much can I take! Sopranoes.....over! Harry Potter books.....over! Inside the NFL......over! Now comes word today that Roger Ebert and Richard Roeper have opted to not sign on for another season of Ebert and Roeper.

NOW COME ON!


They hint at another show with them coming down the pike.....but criminy.....I'm just tired of stuff I love coming to and end. I guess that's just a sign of getting older.....but I'd rather not.

I've been watching their show, and the many forms of it since the late '70s. PBS's Sneak Previews, with Siskel and Ebert was a treat I never missed. Yes I was 7, but I LOVED the show. They eventually moved to At the Movies....a syndicated show. And then Siskel and Ebert and the movies. This lasted until the death of Gene Siskel, when Roeper was the annointed replacement. (Bonus for you, if you know who replaced Siskel and Ebert on Sneak Previews.....and At the Movies! Answer at the end.)

Of course the current show has been without Ebert for two years, as he recovers from Throat Cancer surgery. And, he revoked the current shows use of Thumbs Up, when Disney wouldn't pony up enough cash to use it. And now today, Ebert and Roeper have quit.

The only constant in life is change.....well I'd like it to slow down for awhile!

Jason

(Answer to your bonus question, and no fair looking at wikipedia. Neal Gabler and Jeffrey Lyons were the replacements on Sneak Previews. Rex Reed and Bill Harris were the replacements on At the Movies. If you got both, or any of them, you are a true movie maven.)

Football Season Starts Tonight @ Midnight

Hello folks,

My national nightmare ends tonight at midnight. The unofficial beginning of the football season starts with the release of EA sports NCAA football 2009!

Since February with the end of the Super Bowl, I get into a funk. I miss football terribly. (Arena doesn't fit the bill) There's few things I love more than a full day of college football on Saturday, and NFL on Sunday. Yes I'm sick, but I at least know it.

So tonight, is the first sign that football is coming back. The football magazines are showing up at stores. Camps start at the end of the month, and pre-season starts at the beginning of August.

I'm a happy camper.

Jason

World Series of Poker- $9.1 Million for the Winner

I hope everyone had a fantastic Fourth of July Weekend. Here in the Tri-Cities, we could not have had three better days of weather. Not too hot.....but hot enough.

Part of my weekend was checking out the progress in the World Series of Poker- Main Event.



All time leader in World Series Bracelets, and being in the money, Phil Hellmuth arrived, in a full military uniform. Hellmuth has a tradition of showing up late to every event he's in. Nobody loves the spotlight on Phil, than Phil. Last year he was going to show up in a Nascar vehicle....but wrecked it the day before. He still showed up in a Nascar outfit. Phil is doing alright this year, he has around 79000 chips left. Well behind the chip leaders....but theres a long way to go.

Today is the only day off for the remaining competetors. One group gets back to action tomorrow, and another on Wednesday. Then they play for a little less that a week straight, until the final table is set. Then....they have to wait for November to play for the prize.

Currently, 3663 players remain out of 6844. The top prize is $9.1 million....up a little from last year. Should be fun!

Have a great week,

Jason

RIP- Michael Turner

Just wanted to drop a post about the passing of Comic Book artist Michael Turner. He had been fighting cancer for the last 7 years, and succumbed Friday Night at the way too young age of 37. He is actually one month younger than I am, which makes this so much harder to fathom.

His was a talent that was peerless. He will be remembered as one of the best comic book artists of our age....and any other for that matter. His start was with Top Cow comics, where he created a myriad of popular characters. Where he came to my attention, is when he started doing covers for the big 2, DC and Marvel.

Take a look at a few of his amazing covers. The first one is for X-men 500 which hasn't been published yet. He worked almost until his passing. I for one will miss his work tremendously.

Jason

Ever Wonder Why People Like Star Trek?

This last weekend, I was feeling a little stressed for one reason or another, and I turned to one of two things that snaps me out of bad mojo, Star Trek. (Early M*A*S*H being the other)

It got me to thinking......why do I love it....and why do some shake their heads at this "kid stuff."

I love it....because I honestly, on some level, feel the crew of the Enterprise as family. The magic of Star Trek is not the effects, or even the stories.....none would matter if it wasn't for the incredible cast. The original series was based on the foundation of Kirk, Spock, and McCoy. Their performances made the bad episodes bareable....and the good episodes soar. The Next Generation in my opinion hinged solely on the peerless Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard.

Now I understand the rap Star Trek has. You see the folks who are SUPER fans....getting married in Starfleet Uniforms, or Klingon outfits. I think those guys are dorks. I have been to a Star Trek convention....and enjoyed myself quite a bit.

I had the pleasure of watching Star Trek 2- 7 over the weekend, and listening to the commentaries on each one. (These DVD's are dirt cheap......$10 or less most places) It is fascintating (maybe only to me) how these movies get made. The commentaries are out of the ordinary frank. They talk about the infighting with the studio....what they feel in retrospect didn't work.....and best of all, William Shatner defending his not so good directorial debut in Star Trek V, which suffered from poor special effects and lack of monetary support from the studio.

Star Trek has had a tough time in the last few years. The last Next Gen film, Nemesis tanked at the Box Office. Star Trek Voyager, and Enterprise were disappointments. And for the first time since '87, there is no Trek series on TV.

I do consider Star Trek Deep Space 9, to have been a suburb series....joining Next Gen and the Original Series as my favs.

Can't wait 'til next May, when Star Trek is relaunched, with Lost mastermind J.J. Abrams at the helm. I'm hoping it will signal a rebirth of one of my favorite franchises.....but that may be greedy of me with the wealth of Trek that is available.

Jason

George Carlin- 1937- 2008

We have lost another legend.

I was too young for his introduction to American Audiences with the Hippy Dippy Weatherman....and when he unleashed the 7 words you can't say on TV. (Words this blog will live by as well)

My introduction to George was on HBO. He had mellowed a little by this time, using cuss words more as a shock value than as pure substance. What I loved about him was his ability to take the English Language and turn it completely on its ear.

For those without HBO, George was introduced to a new audience in the big hit "Bill & Ted's excellent Adventure." He played Rufus, the caretaker for our heroes.

His wit, and observations will be sorely missed.



Jason

Hulk....what's old is new again.....

Just got back from watching the Incredible Hulk.....a reimagining, reboot, sorta sequel to the Ang Lee sleeping pill. I enjoying it quite alot.....but what surprised me was it was a direct homage to the TV show with Bill Bixby.

Lou Ferrigno shows up....and the late Bill Bixby finds a way to get into the film as well. The opening shots, the table and gamma ray crosshairs, the music.....all from the original series.

Hulk is a fun trip......it's no where near what Iron Man was....but in the comics I much prefer Iron Man to Hulk anyway. So if the Hulk is your thing....enjoy. And, if you find the film lacking in the drama quality.....wait for the DVD with a reported 70 minutes plus of footage to add to the spectacle.

Have a good weekend!

Jason

World Series of Poker in Progress

It's June....that means the NBA Finals are here.....hot weather (usually darnit!), and poker fanatics of all shapes and sizes head for Vegas, and the World Series of poker.

The World Series is just that, a mega series of poker championships. It started on Friday May 30th with the World Championship of Pot-Limit Hold 'em. Nenad Medic (never heard of him either) won, with Poker commentator Mike Sexton getting 4th, and the unibomber Phil Laak getting 9th.

The madness continues all month until the grand daddy event, the $10,000 No Limit Texas Hold 'em World Championship, starting July 3rd. It is a 12 day event......boiling down from an estimated 7000 entries, to 9......when the final table will be played months later, on Sunday November 9th. Yes.....the final table will be played on a 2 hour delay on that Sunday.....MONTHS after the tourney. That will be interesting, and it could be darn exciting.

For all the results, and info you want.....including live updates, check out www.worldseriesofpoker.com/

Have a great week all!

Jason

Indiana Jones and Me

Greetings.

With the release of the new Indy movie, I wanted to share my personal history with him, and what makes the Character so special in my humble opinion.

In 1981...Raiders of the Lost Ark was released. The origins of the movie come from a Hawaiian holiday taken by friends George Lucas and Steven Spielberg. Spielberg, still smarting from his expensive disaster, 1941, wanted a fun, guaranteed hit to do next. Lucas had always wanted to do a riff on the Saturday Morning movie serials.....and Indiana Jones was born. Most know, that Tom Selleck was hired to be Indy, but Universal wouldn't let him out of his Magnum P.I. contract......so after Spielberg saw Harrison Ford in the Empire Strikes Back......he knew that was his guy. Lucas wasn't sure......he had had Ford in all his previous films (American Graffitti, Star Wars, Strikes Back) so he didn't want to keep going to the well.....but cooler heads prevailed. Since Lucas had been angry with 20th Century Fox for firing Alan Ladd Jr. (The man who championed Star Wars), he let Paramount take care of the film.......and the rest as they say is history.

I for some reason....didn't see Raiders in the theater. I have no idea where my 10 year old head was, but I didn't go. I eventually saw it in a Drive-In......but I have no recollection of paying much attention. It was on HBO that I got to know Indiana Jones. Raiders in my mind is the PERFECT film. It has it all, and then some. There is something very sexy about the search for the Ark of the Covenant, and they translated it perfectly. The DaVinci Code owes much to Indy and his crew. My folks were one of the first to get a Satellite Receiver in the neighborhood, and back in those days, you could get every pay channel for free. (Sweet!!) So on the myriad of movie channels, I watched Raiders incessantly. Actually, I was watching Indy when the feed from HBO went dead. They figured out a blocking device for their signal....and free cable was no more.



Opening Day, May of 1984, I was in the old State Theater in Spokane Washington of Raiders 2. This was in the days before any pre-press for a movie, so I went into it cold....and loved it. But, as I understood more of movies, and what I liked....I discovered that Temple of Doom is not such a good movie. It does have thrills aplenty, and alot to like.....but Short Round, Willie, and the Dark Elements make this the stepchild of the series. In addition, the lack of searching for a historical relic make his search a little less magical. They made up for that 5 years later.



May 1989.....I am graduating from High School. This actually premiered the Friday before my Saturday graduation. I was seriously in hog heaven. My High School days is when I started to become a film maniac. Anything I could get my hands on about movies I would inhale. IF only the internet was around then! I was telling my friend, I guaranteed the Star Trek V preview would be playing before this film, since both were from Paramount....and lo and behold I was right! (The preview was much better than the movie) Last Crusade is a magical film. I have never understood why some are critical of this entry, because I thought, and think it is great! I love the father/son stuff with Connery and Ford. And the search for something as historic as the Holy Grail make this a winner. The last 30 minutes of the film are some of my personal favorite movie moments in history. This also was a good film for me and my father, since it was hard on the both of us for me to leave for college that fall.



Zoom ahead 19 years, and we finally have Indy 4. He's older.........I'm more than double my age since the last one. It is good to see Dr. Jones at the helm of a new movie....which is seriously flawed...but fun nonetheless. The difference between the Star Wars Prequels, and this is I at least had a good time in the theater.

There is talk of Indy 5, and I would welcome it......but hopefully they'll learn their lesson, and have Indy search for something of historical value.

Have a good rest of the week!

Jason

Rest in Peace- Sydney Pollack

What a bummer. Sydney Pollack, one of the great talents in the film industry passed on yesterday at 73 due to cancer.

Pollack was one of the best directors in the last quarter century. He may not have been a prolific director, but his work was usually solid gold.

My favorite of his is the absolute classic Tootsie. A one of a kind film with Dustin Hoffman as an out of work actor, who dresses as a woman to get work. Sydney deftly arranges the laughs, and tension throughout the film. He even plays Hoffman's agent in the film.....begging his client to see some professional help.

You may have seen him last year in Michael Clayton. He was the head of the Law Firm were Clooney's character worked. Pollack was also Executive Producer.

Pollack won Oscar gold with Out of Africa. He won for directing the producing the film.

He always added a serious touch of class to any project he was a part of, and he will be missed.


J

Idol Finale = DOPE

I am a happy camper! Way to go Cookie!

I thouroughly enjoyed last nights 2 hour finale for American Idol. There were some genuinely good performances by most of the guests and final 12......but for goodness sake, stop Mike Myers before it gets too late. He was a low point, for an actually really good show.

I thought Archie showed grace in losing, and David Cook is the personification of all of us.........absolutely beside himself that he won TV's biggest game show.

Idol helps me deal with my football withdrawal........with Idol withdrawal starting now......It will be a long time 'til the start of the Fall TV Season.

Here's hoping David Cook will continue to kick butt........

Jason

Madden '09 Contributes to Wimpifying our Youth

First, we have baseball and soccer leagues that don't keep score....to protect the kids. Then, EVERYONE gets a trophy so no one feels left out......things that just continue to wimpify our youth, and not prepare them for the harsh realities of real life. No comes this......



A rewind button in the upcoming video game in Madden '09. This is so sad, it honestly makes me sick. This feature, is for junior who can't handle he just got schooled by the computer. If you foe scores on you, or you make a mistake, you can hit the rewind button and erase it.

Why don't we just put the wee ones in a vacuum for their formative years so they don't have to deal with any disappointments.

I may be overstating this....but c'mon......do we need do overs in our games. Just play it again for goodness sakes.

J