I just finished the funny, informative book Committed by Mark St. Amant and I have to say I'm jealous as Hell...
Firstly, the guy related the year he spent completely devoted to Fantasy Football. I'd love to do that. He, like so many other players, has a deep passion for the game, but can't seem to find success (in Fantasy Football, success means winning the Championship). He has just one team in just one league (I've read the average player has 2.6 teams) and has never won The Big One, so his lack of success was disturbing him to no end.
So he quit his job and spent an entire year devoted to "Project Kick My League's Ass".
Interspersed with his intention to decimate his opponents, he travelled to a nearby draft party, and met guys really into the whole Fantasy Football draft (they make a weekend of it). He also went to the World Championship of Fantasy Football held in Las Vegas. This high-end tournament has a $200,000 payout for the champion. In an odd coincidence, the winner of the first WCOFF, was an average guy who lives in the city next to mine: a mere 5 minute drive. I didn't even know it. And he visited online football forums and got to learn how other people got into and what their startegies were.
Now the second reason I'm jealous: the book is fantastically well-written. I don't know what credits St. Amant has to his resume (the job he left was one at an ad agency), but his style of writing is one I'd love to adopt one day (being a 2 decade-long aspiring writer who'll never write anything beyond a blog...). The book is informative, but it's all "hidden" in telling his story. The humor is top-notch-- I found myself laughing out loud more than a few times.
St. Amant took me for a ride. The highs and lows of a single Fantasy Football season are all laid out, and while I've only played one season myself, I could completely relate to his experiences. No matter how much preparation you make, you still have no control over the outcome. Any single team can beat any other single team on any given week. I've been there, so has St. Amant.
Beyond that, he gave a very informative (and entertaining) history lesson as well as stories about other people's experiences. He also told the tale of Fantasy Football as it relates to the "outside world". In the past few years, it's gotten mainstream respect (now that over 14 million people play and shell out tons of money to do so), but as little as five years ago, the whole concept was laughed at by most sports reporters, and the players were considered sports-killing geeks. While I don't have to feel shame about playing now since I'm in the middle of it's popularity upswing, I have been a comic book reader for over 25 years, so I know what the early players went through.
Anyway, this book is a great read for anyone who plays the game. It's also a great read for anyone who's in a relationship with someone who plays the game. And, finally, it's a great read for someone looking for a good time. It's got a breezy feeling to it as if a buddy was telling you his stories. And, yes, he gets specific about players and rules, but they're expplained enough that it's not as if he's writing in a foreign language.
The third reason I'm jealous: he's married, and his wife supported his decision to take a year off. They're not wealthy, but they made it work. He gives his wife the proper thanks all throughout the book, but, My God, she actually let him quit his job to play a game. I'm almost tempted to file this book as a work of fiction...
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Friday, August 18, 2006
Quick news from TV GUIDE
tvguide.com had a few interesting tidbits today:
ABC's Men in Trees will now debut on Tues, Sept 12 and then will move to it's normal Friday timeslot on the 15th. Why? Because I spent an hour creating the schedule last night, and the network gods like to f*** with me.
The Ausiello Report informs us that the sixth episode of Scrubs will be a musical episode. Normally, a stunt like that would reek of desperation, but it's Scrubs. Trust it to work just fine.
Rock Star's Dave Navarro, rock journalist Neil Strauss, and Cliff Dorman (a writer on Entourage) will develop a show for FX called The Product. It's a drama about a band that reunites after three years of bad blood.
Normally, I wouldn't report this but, I found it comical (especially since I took the real story and made jokes about it): Haley Joel Osmet was busted for driving with a .16 blood alcohol level and possessing marijuana when a mailbox jumped out on the road and ran into his car. The 18-year-old faces up to six months in jail, where he could see things worse than dead people.
And our favorite nutcase (how the hell did Matt Stone and Trey Parker know this so long ago?) Mel Gibson got three years of probation for his actions that prompted his anti-Semetic tirade (not very Christian of him). I also have to wonder: wasn't Jesus Christ officially a Jew? I'm not up on my Bible, but I thought I read that somewhere.
And I guess the media just won't leave Boy George alone. Dude had to do five days of community service, and those vultures just wouldn't let him sweep in peace. Dicks. [That's not really news in my book, but a guy who dressed like a woman and wore LOADS of makeup suddenly doesn't want attention?]
ABC's Men in Trees will now debut on Tues, Sept 12 and then will move to it's normal Friday timeslot on the 15th. Why? Because I spent an hour creating the schedule last night, and the network gods like to f*** with me.
The Ausiello Report informs us that the sixth episode of Scrubs will be a musical episode. Normally, a stunt like that would reek of desperation, but it's Scrubs. Trust it to work just fine.
Rock Star's Dave Navarro, rock journalist Neil Strauss, and Cliff Dorman (a writer on Entourage) will develop a show for FX called The Product. It's a drama about a band that reunites after three years of bad blood.
Normally, I wouldn't report this but, I found it comical (especially since I took the real story and made jokes about it): Haley Joel Osmet was busted for driving with a .16 blood alcohol level and possessing marijuana when a mailbox jumped out on the road and ran into his car. The 18-year-old faces up to six months in jail, where he could see things worse than dead people.
And our favorite nutcase (how the hell did Matt Stone and Trey Parker know this so long ago?) Mel Gibson got three years of probation for his actions that prompted his anti-Semetic tirade (not very Christian of him). I also have to wonder: wasn't Jesus Christ officially a Jew? I'm not up on my Bible, but I thought I read that somewhere.
And I guess the media just won't leave Boy George alone. Dude had to do five days of community service, and those vultures just wouldn't let him sweep in peace. Dicks. [That's not really news in my book, but a guy who dressed like a woman and wore LOADS of makeup suddenly doesn't want attention?]
Screening FOX
As I mentioned in my last entry, I received some preview copies of pilots for new and season premieres for returning FOX shows. I would expect my exuberance over Prison Break would qualify me to get any subsequent preview copies. I mean, what better cheerleader are you gonna get than me for any show I like that much?
Of course, the Powers That Be probably won't like what I have to say about the other three previews I've watched so far, so maybe I'm gonna blow my chance for more.
But then, who the hell reads this anyway?
First up: the much ballyhooed return of Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett to television comedy: 'Til Death. He play the husband to former Ellen co-star (and a crush of mine) Joely Fisher as the long-time married couple that imparts its wisdom to their newlywed neighbors played by American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas and newcomer (to series TV, anyway) Kat Foster.
The show's got promise, but I really don't think it's gonna take off. I laughed at a number of the gags mainly because after only a few years of marriage under my belt, I "get" the humor in the naivety of the young couple. But, as with most "standard" comedies, everything's hyper-realized with these characters. The older couple is really cynical, and the younger couple is really naive. This will grow tiring quickly-- if you made it through the first episode.
But it is a comedy in a season where very few comedies are even being aired, so it'll probably get a better than usual shot from me.
Happy Hour won't get much more of a chance from me. If I'm not hooked within two more episodes (max), it'll be coming off the DVR schedule. John Sloan plays Henry, a guy who moved to the big city to be with his girlfriend. So, naturally she dumps him and boots him from their apartment. He ends up rooming with Lex Medlin's Larry; one of those lazy, yet very cool-wise guys that only appear on television. And because Larry is such an odd duck himself, he has to surround himself with really overdone friends (the p*ssy-whipped ex-roomate, his ball-busting fiance, and his drunkenly horny boss).
Yeah, it doesn't get better... I should have mentioned this is a comedy-- I just forgot. I think the writers did, too.
[Was that too bitchy? I swear I'm not trying to be one of "those" internet critics-- the show is bad, okay?]
Finally, I watched the FBI hostage negotiators who are lovers show Standoff. Now, I should like this show. It stars the very good Ron Livingston and Gina Torres as well as Michael Cudlitz, who's appeared in most every show ever aired (like last season's Prison Break guard who T-Bag killed after he learned about the escape plot). It's also got a good concept. But the pilot doesn't give me much hope that it'll be on the air long. In fact, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello predicted this show would be the first cancelled for the new season.
A big problem is, like the other two shows I watched, it's so cliched in execution. Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt are lovers (taboo since they're partners). He's a little aloof about the relationship, and she's mad at him for it (seen it just a few times before). In a role wasting her talents, Torres plays the tough boss, every show like this needs, who knows about the relationship, but doesn't want to split them up because they're the best team she's got. That's about it for her part: acting tough/mean and giving disapproving looks . Cudlitz plays every over-eager a**hole foil to our protagonists that ever been seen on TV (he's the the SWAT-type leader; when the negotiations go South, his team rushes in and eliminates the target-- of course, he always wants to "save the day"). And Raquel Alessi plays the super-smart support person in the hostage situation; the woman who can punch a few keys into her computer and have instant, relevant information to help out.
The pilot had a few nice moments, like when Tom Wopat "loses it" in traffic, and brandishes a gun-- with his young boys in the car-- but it felt like I had seen all the story beats before. That's not always bad, but even the extremely likable Livingston seemed to be walking through his lines. If the dude saying the words doesn't seem to be into the show, how am I supposed to be into it? And the biggest transgression, Livingston and DeWitt have been lovers for three months, and I wasn't buying it for a second.
Okay, those are my thoughts on three new FOX shows. Kinda depressing, I know, but what I saw wasn't worth the time.
Of course, there is always a rule I try to follow with brand new shows: give it two-three episodes. Pilots can sometimes be very poor, only to have the subsequent episodes pull it together to make it a watchable show. I'm hoping at least 'Til Death and Standoff find their voices (at least ones I'd listen to) because they have solid premises and good casts. It's a shame when good/great actors get stuck in garbage.
Well, after my ringing endorsements, you're probably itching for me to reveal the premiere dates, so here goes:
'Til Death and Happy Hour: Sept 7 at 7:oo and 7:30 pm CST
Standoff: Sept 5 at 8:00 pm CST
***Speaking of premiere dates, I made an Excel file of the network shows, their air dates, and their premiere dates (the best that I know, anyway). I'll send it to anyone who requests it.
Send an e-mail to teameckblog@charter.net with the subject line "Fall Schedule".
Of course, the Powers That Be probably won't like what I have to say about the other three previews I've watched so far, so maybe I'm gonna blow my chance for more.
But then, who the hell reads this anyway?
First up: the much ballyhooed return of Everybody Loves Raymond's Brad Garrett to television comedy: 'Til Death. He play the husband to former Ellen co-star (and a crush of mine) Joely Fisher as the long-time married couple that imparts its wisdom to their newlywed neighbors played by American Pie's Eddie Kaye Thomas and newcomer (to series TV, anyway) Kat Foster.
The show's got promise, but I really don't think it's gonna take off. I laughed at a number of the gags mainly because after only a few years of marriage under my belt, I "get" the humor in the naivety of the young couple. But, as with most "standard" comedies, everything's hyper-realized with these characters. The older couple is really cynical, and the younger couple is really naive. This will grow tiring quickly-- if you made it through the first episode.
But it is a comedy in a season where very few comedies are even being aired, so it'll probably get a better than usual shot from me.
Happy Hour won't get much more of a chance from me. If I'm not hooked within two more episodes (max), it'll be coming off the DVR schedule. John Sloan plays Henry, a guy who moved to the big city to be with his girlfriend. So, naturally she dumps him and boots him from their apartment. He ends up rooming with Lex Medlin's Larry; one of those lazy, yet very cool-wise guys that only appear on television. And because Larry is such an odd duck himself, he has to surround himself with really overdone friends (the p*ssy-whipped ex-roomate, his ball-busting fiance, and his drunkenly horny boss).
Yeah, it doesn't get better... I should have mentioned this is a comedy-- I just forgot. I think the writers did, too.
[Was that too bitchy? I swear I'm not trying to be one of "those" internet critics-- the show is bad, okay?]
Finally, I watched the FBI hostage negotiators who are lovers show Standoff. Now, I should like this show. It stars the very good Ron Livingston and Gina Torres as well as Michael Cudlitz, who's appeared in most every show ever aired (like last season's Prison Break guard who T-Bag killed after he learned about the escape plot). It's also got a good concept. But the pilot doesn't give me much hope that it'll be on the air long. In fact, TV Guide's Michael Ausiello predicted this show would be the first cancelled for the new season.
A big problem is, like the other two shows I watched, it's so cliched in execution. Livingston and Rosemarie DeWitt are lovers (taboo since they're partners). He's a little aloof about the relationship, and she's mad at him for it (seen it just a few times before). In a role wasting her talents, Torres plays the tough boss, every show like this needs, who knows about the relationship, but doesn't want to split them up because they're the best team she's got. That's about it for her part: acting tough/mean and giving disapproving looks . Cudlitz plays every over-eager a**hole foil to our protagonists that ever been seen on TV (he's the the SWAT-type leader; when the negotiations go South, his team rushes in and eliminates the target-- of course, he always wants to "save the day"). And Raquel Alessi plays the super-smart support person in the hostage situation; the woman who can punch a few keys into her computer and have instant, relevant information to help out.
The pilot had a few nice moments, like when Tom Wopat "loses it" in traffic, and brandishes a gun-- with his young boys in the car-- but it felt like I had seen all the story beats before. That's not always bad, but even the extremely likable Livingston seemed to be walking through his lines. If the dude saying the words doesn't seem to be into the show, how am I supposed to be into it? And the biggest transgression, Livingston and DeWitt have been lovers for three months, and I wasn't buying it for a second.
Okay, those are my thoughts on three new FOX shows. Kinda depressing, I know, but what I saw wasn't worth the time.
Of course, there is always a rule I try to follow with brand new shows: give it two-three episodes. Pilots can sometimes be very poor, only to have the subsequent episodes pull it together to make it a watchable show. I'm hoping at least 'Til Death and Standoff find their voices (at least ones I'd listen to) because they have solid premises and good casts. It's a shame when good/great actors get stuck in garbage.
Well, after my ringing endorsements, you're probably itching for me to reveal the premiere dates, so here goes:
'Til Death and Happy Hour: Sept 7 at 7:oo and 7:30 pm CST
Standoff: Sept 5 at 8:00 pm CST
***Speaking of premiere dates, I made an Excel file of the network shows, their air dates, and their premiere dates (the best that I know, anyway). I'll send it to anyone who requests it.
Send an e-mail to teameckblog@charter.net with the subject line "Fall Schedule".
Thursday, August 17, 2006
PRISON BREAK premiere
First off, the TV GUIDE Channel is reairing two Prison Break specials from last season in the next few days to get a jump on Monday's premiere. They are: Prison Break Unlocked on Thurs, 8/17 from 8-9 pm CST or Sat, 8/19 from midnight to 1 am CST, and Infanity: Prison Break on Friday, 8/18 from 6-7 pm CST.
They're both typical TV GUIDE Channel fluff, but they do offer a glimpse at the actors as well as the challenges of filming at a real (although "retired") prison. And Robert "T-Bag" Knepper has a great moment in one of those shows when he offers his pocket to Lisa Joyner. It's worth watching both just for that moment.
And, as we all know, the season premiere is on Monday, Aug 21 at 7pm CST, right? Just a few more days...
...Unless you're one of the luckiest S.O.B.s alive like me and have already seen it.
The coolest thing was in my mailbox this afternoon: 8 screeners of FOX fall shows. I've watched four of them already, but the one I was just nuts about getting is, of course: Prison Break.
Now: I will be giving my impressions in non-spoiler form (if you've seen the first season-- or at least the finale). If you don't want any inkling of what's going on, stop reading. But I promise not to ruin anything. Okay, I'll hit "enter" a few times just to give everyone a chance to pull out if they want.
The guys who escaped are still on the run-- duh. But, as always, Schofield's got a plan. The problem is: the Fox River Pen crew led by Bellick is hell-bent on getting them back. The dude is nuts. I fully expect Bellick to resign from the prison as the guys cross the state line, because he's fired up. Not only were there escapees on his watch, but he was beaten by them. It's personal. I'm glad Wade Williams is getting a chance to tear it up. I've been a fan since he played the bad-ass priest on Bernie Mac.
But there's another player in the chase: FBI agent Alexander Mahone (played by William Fichtner), who looks to be nearly as brilliant as Schofield is. He may be behind right now, but it seems inevitable that as soon as the guys cross the state line and the escapees fall under his jurisdiction, he'll pull out all the stops. Schofield had to battle circumstances and luck last season; this season looks like it'll be a battle of brains.
And, while a number of new avenues were explored, there were also a number of "loose ends" left dangling last season that are tied up or redirected in this first episode. And it didn't even touch on a few minor characters (yes, we'll learn the fate of Dr. Sarah in the first ep-- the producers aren't that cruel).
For those who are worried: the tattoos play a large part in the season opener.
And, as can be expected with this show: the last five minutes were intense for two reasons. Neither of which I'll go into here.
I was pumped for the premiere before, but now I'm in a full-on frenzy for this new season to begin. And because I watched a screener, I know what I'll see on Monday will be even better (because the colors and sound will be touched up and the "stock footage" cutaways will be stock footage and not a screen saying "stock footage").
Along with the screener DVD, there was a TV GUIDE article about the new season that was already (mostly) on tvguide.com, but it was fun to revisit. Highlights include:
Wentworth Miller says Schofield will not be the leader out of the pen. The escapees will not have a unified agenda, so they don't feel the need to follow his lead as much as they needed to in the prison. Linc will take over more of the leadership because the street is Lincoln's forte.
Creator/Exec producer Paul Scheuring said 95% of the season will be shot on location, so we can expect lots of outdoor scenes. He also said the gang will split up at times and come together at others (they all know that Westmoreland hid money in Utah, for example).
Okay, your mission is: spread the word that the new season starts on Monday. While the show is now out of the prison, the show's vibe is still intact. And, just like last year, I have no idea what will or could happen this season.
There are not many shows that can surprise me like this one does.
They're both typical TV GUIDE Channel fluff, but they do offer a glimpse at the actors as well as the challenges of filming at a real (although "retired") prison. And Robert "T-Bag" Knepper has a great moment in one of those shows when he offers his pocket to Lisa Joyner. It's worth watching both just for that moment.
And, as we all know, the season premiere is on Monday, Aug 21 at 7pm CST, right? Just a few more days...
...Unless you're one of the luckiest S.O.B.s alive like me and have already seen it.
The coolest thing was in my mailbox this afternoon: 8 screeners of FOX fall shows. I've watched four of them already, but the one I was just nuts about getting is, of course: Prison Break.
Now: I will be giving my impressions in non-spoiler form (if you've seen the first season-- or at least the finale). If you don't want any inkling of what's going on, stop reading. But I promise not to ruin anything. Okay, I'll hit "enter" a few times just to give everyone a chance to pull out if they want.
The guys who escaped are still on the run-- duh. But, as always, Schofield's got a plan. The problem is: the Fox River Pen crew led by Bellick is hell-bent on getting them back. The dude is nuts. I fully expect Bellick to resign from the prison as the guys cross the state line, because he's fired up. Not only were there escapees on his watch, but he was beaten by them. It's personal. I'm glad Wade Williams is getting a chance to tear it up. I've been a fan since he played the bad-ass priest on Bernie Mac.
But there's another player in the chase: FBI agent Alexander Mahone (played by William Fichtner), who looks to be nearly as brilliant as Schofield is. He may be behind right now, but it seems inevitable that as soon as the guys cross the state line and the escapees fall under his jurisdiction, he'll pull out all the stops. Schofield had to battle circumstances and luck last season; this season looks like it'll be a battle of brains.
And, while a number of new avenues were explored, there were also a number of "loose ends" left dangling last season that are tied up or redirected in this first episode. And it didn't even touch on a few minor characters (yes, we'll learn the fate of Dr. Sarah in the first ep-- the producers aren't that cruel).
For those who are worried: the tattoos play a large part in the season opener.
And, as can be expected with this show: the last five minutes were intense for two reasons. Neither of which I'll go into here.
I was pumped for the premiere before, but now I'm in a full-on frenzy for this new season to begin. And because I watched a screener, I know what I'll see on Monday will be even better (because the colors and sound will be touched up and the "stock footage" cutaways will be stock footage and not a screen saying "stock footage").
Along with the screener DVD, there was a TV GUIDE article about the new season that was already (mostly) on tvguide.com, but it was fun to revisit. Highlights include:
Wentworth Miller says Schofield will not be the leader out of the pen. The escapees will not have a unified agenda, so they don't feel the need to follow his lead as much as they needed to in the prison. Linc will take over more of the leadership because the street is Lincoln's forte.
Creator/Exec producer Paul Scheuring said 95% of the season will be shot on location, so we can expect lots of outdoor scenes. He also said the gang will split up at times and come together at others (they all know that Westmoreland hid money in Utah, for example).
Okay, your mission is: spread the word that the new season starts on Monday. While the show is now out of the prison, the show's vibe is still intact. And, just like last year, I have no idea what will or could happen this season.
There are not many shows that can surprise me like this one does.
Monday, August 14, 2006
Venture to [adult swim]
There are a number of things to like about Cartoon Network's [adult swim]. One of the best things to check it out with is Venture Brothers. A take-off of Jonny Quest and comic books, Venture Brothers hits the high notes of hilarity without having to resort to the normal super-vulgarity or violence other [swim] shows seem to thrive on (not that there's anything wrong with that).
And there's almost always a superb line every episode. Last night's episode ("Victor. Echo. November.)" had a few:
"There were two side effects. One: he can mess up a guy just by touching him. And two: he became a humorless dick."
And there's almost always a superb line every episode. Last night's episode ("Victor. Echo. November.)" had a few:
"There were two side effects. One: he can mess up a guy just by touching him. And two: he became a humorless dick."
The Monarch, describing The Phantom Limb's origin.
"Ah, c'mon! Why does that happen? I shook it so hard, I almost hit that pink puck."
Hank, lamenting the fact that he had a"pee stain"
on his pants after using the urinal.
"We need one of these at home, it's better than riding sideways on a swing."
Hank, while using the hot air hand dryer to
dry the aforementioned stain off his pants.
"Dude, stop wailing on my junk!"Hank to Dean, who was trying to put out the
fire on his pants caused by the hand dryer.
As if that weren't enough, we had a naked, blood-covered Brock in full assassin mode, the beautiful (if deep voiced) Dr. Girlfriend, the boys on a date, Dr. Venture using a Christmas Tree stand as as tourniquet...
The only thing that was missing was deadly mercenary Molotov Cocktease.
Check it out Sunday nights. And Season One is on DVD.
{Sorry about the weird way the lines ended up. I tried fixing them four times before I gave up. (Still not used to Blogger, I guess.)}
I Can't Believe I Missed This
A day late! A freakin' DAY! (Well, now two days since it's past midnight).
Two days ago, August 12, was the tenth anniversary of the death of a very important person in my life. I never met him, didn't know his voice, or his family life. But I did know a good deal about his professional life.
I was introduced to Mark Gruenwald after reading Iron Man #215. There was nothing really special about the comic book, but it hooked me. I had read comic books before-- as had most kids before the '90s-- but this one stood out to me, and I consider it one of the three most important issues as it pertains to my enjoying this hobby.
This issue opened up an entire universe for me. It issue prompted me to buy West Coast Avengers, which led to to Avengers and then to the other Avengers-related titles of the time (including Thor and the Gruenwald-written Captain America). And that all led me to try every other Marvel title published at the time.
Anyway, Mark Gruenwald edited most of those early favorites as he was the Avengers-guru at the time. I could never write what he meant for me (or all of comics, really) in this short amount of time, but I did want to pay recognition to him. Saturday was a pretty significant day as it reminded me how I got into this addicting hobby that I've never been able to completely abandon-- no matter how broke I was.
As I noted earlier, Gruenwald was the editor of my favorite line of titles, wrote wrote some of my favorite titles, and he actually spoke to me (okay, the fans) in his letters pages, which I found to be pretty cool.
At the time, I actually took him at his "word" that being a comic book editior was the coolest job in the world because he got to read comics all day. I thought it was so cool, that in a seventh grade speech assignment, I declared I wanted to be an editor because they sat and read comics all day. That was my only rationale. I didn't mention a thing about hiring writiers, pencillers, inkers, colorists, letterers, working with Marketing, making a direction for the books, working to simplify continuity, or any of the myriad of other duites an editor is responsible for. I think the only reason I didn't get an "F" was because one of my classmates declared he wanted to be a lottery winner...
As the years passed, and I grew to be an even more passionate comic book reader, I realized some of the above duties of an editor, and then got to see all of what Mark brought to the table as a creator.
He edited the Avengers titles for years.
He created the Marvel Handbook series, which is pretty remarkable (even convincing his bosses that an encyclopedia for comic book characters must have been a heckuva sales pitch).
He wrote Captain America for ten years (completely unheard of in this day and age-- and ten years in the entire history of comics has not been achieved many times)-- including the amazing "Cap No More" storyline where Steve Rogers stepped down as Cap and the government brought in a borderline psychotic to wear the costume).
He wrote the vastly underrated Squadron Supreme mini-series (thankfully, this title has been getting more and more respect as the concept of super-heroes taking over the world gets addressed more often).
He also co-created and wrote the nearly forgotten about "New Universe" title DP7, which still holds a special place in most people who actually read it's hearts. (yeah, that was a clumsy sentence, forgive me).
And, finally (at least his major works), he also wrote the complete five-year run of Quasar.
Pretty remarkable for a guy who really held Marvel continuity together. [For those of you who don't know, continuity is a concept many larger comics companies use to acknowledge that their various characters live in the same universe/world. People who abide by continuity try not to contradict what came before. Because Gwen Stacy died in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man, she doesn't show up in comics books relating tales of Spider-Man after that event.]
Mark tried to keep everything together for the company as it related to continuity, and he really shaped what Marvel became in the '80s and '90s.
I could write so much more about this man, and maybe I will when I have more time.
I just wanted to acknowledge the anniversary of his passing, and to give a "shout out" to him, if he's out there in Comic Book Heaven with the other greats.
Thanks, Gru. You are missed.
Two days ago, August 12, was the tenth anniversary of the death of a very important person in my life. I never met him, didn't know his voice, or his family life. But I did know a good deal about his professional life.
I was introduced to Mark Gruenwald after reading Iron Man #215. There was nothing really special about the comic book, but it hooked me. I had read comic books before-- as had most kids before the '90s-- but this one stood out to me, and I consider it one of the three most important issues as it pertains to my enjoying this hobby.
This issue opened up an entire universe for me. It issue prompted me to buy West Coast Avengers, which led to to Avengers and then to the other Avengers-related titles of the time (including Thor and the Gruenwald-written Captain America). And that all led me to try every other Marvel title published at the time.
Anyway, Mark Gruenwald edited most of those early favorites as he was the Avengers-guru at the time. I could never write what he meant for me (or all of comics, really) in this short amount of time, but I did want to pay recognition to him. Saturday was a pretty significant day as it reminded me how I got into this addicting hobby that I've never been able to completely abandon-- no matter how broke I was.
As I noted earlier, Gruenwald was the editor of my favorite line of titles, wrote wrote some of my favorite titles, and he actually spoke to me (okay, the fans) in his letters pages, which I found to be pretty cool.
At the time, I actually took him at his "word" that being a comic book editior was the coolest job in the world because he got to read comics all day. I thought it was so cool, that in a seventh grade speech assignment, I declared I wanted to be an editor because they sat and read comics all day. That was my only rationale. I didn't mention a thing about hiring writiers, pencillers, inkers, colorists, letterers, working with Marketing, making a direction for the books, working to simplify continuity, or any of the myriad of other duites an editor is responsible for. I think the only reason I didn't get an "F" was because one of my classmates declared he wanted to be a lottery winner...
As the years passed, and I grew to be an even more passionate comic book reader, I realized some of the above duties of an editor, and then got to see all of what Mark brought to the table as a creator.
He edited the Avengers titles for years.
He created the Marvel Handbook series, which is pretty remarkable (even convincing his bosses that an encyclopedia for comic book characters must have been a heckuva sales pitch).
He wrote Captain America for ten years (completely unheard of in this day and age-- and ten years in the entire history of comics has not been achieved many times)-- including the amazing "Cap No More" storyline where Steve Rogers stepped down as Cap and the government brought in a borderline psychotic to wear the costume).
He wrote the vastly underrated Squadron Supreme mini-series (thankfully, this title has been getting more and more respect as the concept of super-heroes taking over the world gets addressed more often).
He also co-created and wrote the nearly forgotten about "New Universe" title DP7, which still holds a special place in most people who actually read it's hearts. (yeah, that was a clumsy sentence, forgive me).
And, finally (at least his major works), he also wrote the complete five-year run of Quasar.
Pretty remarkable for a guy who really held Marvel continuity together. [For those of you who don't know, continuity is a concept many larger comics companies use to acknowledge that their various characters live in the same universe/world. People who abide by continuity try not to contradict what came before. Because Gwen Stacy died in an issue of Amazing Spider-Man, she doesn't show up in comics books relating tales of Spider-Man after that event.]
Mark tried to keep everything together for the company as it related to continuity, and he really shaped what Marvel became in the '80s and '90s.
I could write so much more about this man, and maybe I will when I have more time.
I just wanted to acknowledge the anniversary of his passing, and to give a "shout out" to him, if he's out there in Comic Book Heaven with the other greats.
Thanks, Gru. You are missed.
Tuesday, August 08, 2006
News briefs: Prison Break and more
Quickies this time:
You all picked up Prison Break Season One, right? Okay, me neither. Hopefully I'll have a little money left over on Saturday.
Speaking of PB, creator Paul T. Scheuring said his plans for Patricia Wetting (VP Reynolds) are to "wait and see" if ABC's Brothers and Sisters is successful before deciding on what to do with the character. Hey, it worked for Charles ("C-Note") Dunbar, who had little presence in early episodes due to his commitment on Head Cases, which lasted all of two episodes. By episode 8, C-Note was a featured player.
You can read the rest of Scheuing's interview at http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/. Be sure to check Tuesday's Insider as the link probably won't bring you right to it in a few hours.
Want to help choose an alternative to the Emmy's (which, somehow, really screwed up nominations this year), then head to http://www.mediavillage.com/fanawards/ and vote for the actors/shows that MediaVilliage lead critic Ed Martin nominated. I'll tell you, it's hard to pick just two in every category, but he sure got more right than the Emmy's.
Comedy Central has greenlit Jon Stewart's Three Strikes, about a minor league baseball team.
And, while I hate to even mention this waste of oxygen, I just wanted everyone to know that Paris Hilton has announced she's staying celibate for one whole year. I think she may just have reached the top of the Media Whore mountain.
All the above stories-- and tons more-- can be found on TV GUIDE online's news section (my mandatory daily check) by Matt Webb Mitovich. The link is http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000044
Until next time...
You all picked up Prison Break Season One, right? Okay, me neither. Hopefully I'll have a little money left over on Saturday.
Speaking of PB, creator Paul T. Scheuring said his plans for Patricia Wetting (VP Reynolds) are to "wait and see" if ABC's Brothers and Sisters is successful before deciding on what to do with the character. Hey, it worked for Charles ("C-Note") Dunbar, who had little presence in early episodes due to his commitment on Head Cases, which lasted all of two episodes. By episode 8, C-Note was a featured player.
You can read the rest of Scheuing's interview at http://www.tvguide.com/news/insider/. Be sure to check Tuesday's Insider as the link probably won't bring you right to it in a few hours.
Want to help choose an alternative to the Emmy's (which, somehow, really screwed up nominations this year), then head to http://www.mediavillage.com/fanawards/ and vote for the actors/shows that MediaVilliage lead critic Ed Martin nominated. I'll tell you, it's hard to pick just two in every category, but he sure got more right than the Emmy's.
Comedy Central has greenlit Jon Stewart's Three Strikes, about a minor league baseball team.
And, while I hate to even mention this waste of oxygen, I just wanted everyone to know that Paris Hilton has announced she's staying celibate for one whole year. I think she may just have reached the top of the Media Whore mountain.
All the above stories-- and tons more-- can be found on TV GUIDE online's news section (my mandatory daily check) by Matt Webb Mitovich. The link is http://community.tvguide.com/forum.jspa?forumID=700000044
Until next time...
Monday, August 07, 2006
Make A Break For It
As I mentioned in a previous post, the Prison Break Season One DVD set goes on sale tomorrow. It comes highly recommended. There were only three shows I HAD to watch the night it aired last season, and Break was one of them.
I hate the cliche of it being a roller coaster ride, but it really was. Twists and turns abound. Every epsiode ended in some sort of cliffhanger (and the pilot ended with one of the coolest things I've ever seen on TV).
I will admit the twists got to be a little too much as the season wound on (I think it was due to the fact that the creators/network had no idea the show would actually make it though an entire season), and I wasn't a big fan of the conspiracy that raised its ugly head, but that is all minor compared to the pluses of the show.
The first plus would be the sheer imagination of the scripts. Yeah, sometimes the season drug on (usually during the scenes outside the prison), and other times things happened that made me say, "Oh, come on!" but those were pretty infrequent-- and there was always something to hold onto during those times that still made this the coolest show on TV last year.
The actors, led by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell are fantastic, and the supporting actors are excellent as well. Special notice has to be made for Peter Stormare, who plays mob heavy John Abruzzi, and Robert Knepper, who plays psychotic-scary Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. Each time those two were on screen was magic. When they appeared together, it was as if the TV Gods smiled down on fans and said, "Hey, check out how great TV can really be." Yeah, that last sentence was over-the-top-- so what?
I see most places are advertising the show between $36 & $40, so catch it now before it goes up to insane 24-level prices: $60.
Just shut your head off, strap on the seat belt, and enjoy the ride.
I hate the cliche of it being a roller coaster ride, but it really was. Twists and turns abound. Every epsiode ended in some sort of cliffhanger (and the pilot ended with one of the coolest things I've ever seen on TV).
I will admit the twists got to be a little too much as the season wound on (I think it was due to the fact that the creators/network had no idea the show would actually make it though an entire season), and I wasn't a big fan of the conspiracy that raised its ugly head, but that is all minor compared to the pluses of the show.
The first plus would be the sheer imagination of the scripts. Yeah, sometimes the season drug on (usually during the scenes outside the prison), and other times things happened that made me say, "Oh, come on!" but those were pretty infrequent-- and there was always something to hold onto during those times that still made this the coolest show on TV last year.
The actors, led by Wentworth Miller and Dominic Purcell are fantastic, and the supporting actors are excellent as well. Special notice has to be made for Peter Stormare, who plays mob heavy John Abruzzi, and Robert Knepper, who plays psychotic-scary Theodore "T-Bag" Bagwell. Each time those two were on screen was magic. When they appeared together, it was as if the TV Gods smiled down on fans and said, "Hey, check out how great TV can really be." Yeah, that last sentence was over-the-top-- so what?
I see most places are advertising the show between $36 & $40, so catch it now before it goes up to insane 24-level prices: $60.
Just shut your head off, strap on the seat belt, and enjoy the ride.
Sunday, August 06, 2006
A Disturbance in the Force
The books I read tend to be non-fiction. I'm not quite sure why; probably because it takes less imagination and concentration (in general) to follow along with "real" things than imagining the fantastic elements of fiction.
I had troubles with the first few Star Wars books released in the mid-'90s. Sometimes it was because of the fantastic elements (nearly everything had to be new since The Empire was gone), sometimes it was the feeling that Luke, Han, Leia, and the others had had their big adventure, and adding more just seemed unrealistic (like: don't these people ever get a break to enjoy their success?), and maybe a large part of it was because I was in college at the time, and I'd get to the book every few weeks.
Anyway, in the past few months, I've read a half-dozen Star Wars related books, and I've actually enjoyed them all. I'll probably get to most of them on a later post. The one I'll discuss now is the only one I read set after "A New Hope" and one I just finished: Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, by Aaron Allston.
I picked it up because a post-er on newsarama.com mentioned that it had a killer ending, and even after I was 90% sure of what was going to happen a few pages in (I won't give any spoilers away here), I liked the ride.
The gist of the book is: The Corellians are making plans to secede from the Galactic Alliance. It's not overt, but Corellia is doing things behind the scenes-- and against GA rules-- to set themselves up for independence. This is troublesome for Wedge Antilles and Han Solo, who are Corellian themselves, but dedicated to the GA. Throw in Han's wife, Leia, their children, Han's brother-in-law Luke (Jedi Master and leader of the new order), and his wife and son, and there is large amounts of conflict. And a number of moments where the betrayal from the title happens.
While the parents are handling the "big", galactic-level parts, the kids (namely Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker) are charged with a betrayal of their own when they're sent on a mission to destroy a necessary component in the Corellian secession. After that assignment, they need to investigate common elements that look as if the Corellians are being influenced by an outside force. Again, elements of betrayal abound.
I'll leave the synopsis there and conclude by saying that Allston seems to have everyone's "voices" down. The book felt like a true Star Wars story. While it's been years since I read any post- "A New Hope" novels, I was able to follow along. This was especially nice since things really changed during the "New Jedi Order" series of books, of which this one was after. And, while I'm sure Allston hadn't acted alone in the decision for change, things do indeed change by the end of this book. I'm looking forward to reading what comes next.
My one complaint: the Star Wars universe has grown enormously, and it's essential to have some sort of timeline for people to be able to use to put events in relation to each other. But, I suppose they have the same problems they do in comic books: if they give an official timeline, things eventually won't add up. By that, I mean we'll know Han and his buddies are in their 60's at least, maybe even their 70's, and they're still flying around in fighter ships on missions.
But there's enough information given in the book that the most observant/loyal readers know where the story rests: about 15 years after the Yuuzhan Vong/"New Jedi Order" series. Now if I only knew how many years the Yuuzhan Vong War was after "A New Hope" ...
I had troubles with the first few Star Wars books released in the mid-'90s. Sometimes it was because of the fantastic elements (nearly everything had to be new since The Empire was gone), sometimes it was the feeling that Luke, Han, Leia, and the others had had their big adventure, and adding more just seemed unrealistic (like: don't these people ever get a break to enjoy their success?), and maybe a large part of it was because I was in college at the time, and I'd get to the book every few weeks.
Anyway, in the past few months, I've read a half-dozen Star Wars related books, and I've actually enjoyed them all. I'll probably get to most of them on a later post. The one I'll discuss now is the only one I read set after "A New Hope" and one I just finished: Star Wars: Legacy of the Force: Betrayal, by Aaron Allston.
I picked it up because a post-er on newsarama.com mentioned that it had a killer ending, and even after I was 90% sure of what was going to happen a few pages in (I won't give any spoilers away here), I liked the ride.
The gist of the book is: The Corellians are making plans to secede from the Galactic Alliance. It's not overt, but Corellia is doing things behind the scenes-- and against GA rules-- to set themselves up for independence. This is troublesome for Wedge Antilles and Han Solo, who are Corellian themselves, but dedicated to the GA. Throw in Han's wife, Leia, their children, Han's brother-in-law Luke (Jedi Master and leader of the new order), and his wife and son, and there is large amounts of conflict. And a number of moments where the betrayal from the title happens.
While the parents are handling the "big", galactic-level parts, the kids (namely Jacen Solo and Ben Skywalker) are charged with a betrayal of their own when they're sent on a mission to destroy a necessary component in the Corellian secession. After that assignment, they need to investigate common elements that look as if the Corellians are being influenced by an outside force. Again, elements of betrayal abound.
I'll leave the synopsis there and conclude by saying that Allston seems to have everyone's "voices" down. The book felt like a true Star Wars story. While it's been years since I read any post- "A New Hope" novels, I was able to follow along. This was especially nice since things really changed during the "New Jedi Order" series of books, of which this one was after. And, while I'm sure Allston hadn't acted alone in the decision for change, things do indeed change by the end of this book. I'm looking forward to reading what comes next.
My one complaint: the Star Wars universe has grown enormously, and it's essential to have some sort of timeline for people to be able to use to put events in relation to each other. But, I suppose they have the same problems they do in comic books: if they give an official timeline, things eventually won't add up. By that, I mean we'll know Han and his buddies are in their 60's at least, maybe even their 70's, and they're still flying around in fighter ships on missions.
But there's enough information given in the book that the most observant/loyal readers know where the story rests: about 15 years after the Yuuzhan Vong/"New Jedi Order" series. Now if I only knew how many years the Yuuzhan Vong War was after "A New Hope" ...
Saturday, August 05, 2006
What a disappointing weekend Pt 2: Movies on DVD/ Cable
Good Lord that was a long last post. It wasn't even that much-- looks like I'll have to get used to blog formatting.
Well, I'm off the hook and can give nice, short "reviews" this time around.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Maybe it's because I didn't care about the block party part, but I thought this movie was pretty pointless. Sure Chappelle had his moments, but I've seen his stand-up and his work on TV. Nothing new here. I didn't even watch the last half-hour; I just let it play while I was web surfing.
The Aristocrats was one I was looking forward to. I really like the creative process, seeing how artists of all types think. But I didn't get much out of this.
The idea behind the movie was to give non-comics an idea what comics do in their spare time, when they're with other comics. One thing they do is tell a joke called "The Aristocrats". It starts with someone (either a member of the act or a manager) entering an agent's office and describing the act, and then when the vile act has been described, the agent asked what the act is called, and the punchline is: "The Aristocrats!"
The beginning and the end are the same (mostly), no matter who tells it, so comics look to outdo each by going into the most grotesque details of the act. Bodily fluids, depraved sexual acts, anything goes. The more outrageous the better.
Now, I'm no prude. I can actually stomach a lot more than the average person, but it wasn't the vileness of the details that rubbed me the wrong way, it was the fact that film was wasted on a joke that each comic said was bad from the outset. The punchline isn't even funny; most of the times the telling of the joke isn't funny. So why should I hear the joke dozens of times? I don't know... But I watched to see what the point was. There just wasn't one.
Movie upside: I also watched Layer Cake. Not groundbreaking, but certainly one of the better things I watched all weekend. I can't see Daniel Craig as James Bond, but I'm no playa hater. I, actually, haven't seen a Bond movie in the theatres before, so what do I know anyway?
Well, I'm off the hook and can give nice, short "reviews" this time around.
Dave Chappelle's Block Party. Maybe it's because I didn't care about the block party part, but I thought this movie was pretty pointless. Sure Chappelle had his moments, but I've seen his stand-up and his work on TV. Nothing new here. I didn't even watch the last half-hour; I just let it play while I was web surfing.
The Aristocrats was one I was looking forward to. I really like the creative process, seeing how artists of all types think. But I didn't get much out of this.
The idea behind the movie was to give non-comics an idea what comics do in their spare time, when they're with other comics. One thing they do is tell a joke called "The Aristocrats". It starts with someone (either a member of the act or a manager) entering an agent's office and describing the act, and then when the vile act has been described, the agent asked what the act is called, and the punchline is: "The Aristocrats!"
The beginning and the end are the same (mostly), no matter who tells it, so comics look to outdo each by going into the most grotesque details of the act. Bodily fluids, depraved sexual acts, anything goes. The more outrageous the better.
Now, I'm no prude. I can actually stomach a lot more than the average person, but it wasn't the vileness of the details that rubbed me the wrong way, it was the fact that film was wasted on a joke that each comic said was bad from the outset. The punchline isn't even funny; most of the times the telling of the joke isn't funny. So why should I hear the joke dozens of times? I don't know... But I watched to see what the point was. There just wasn't one.
Movie upside: I also watched Layer Cake. Not groundbreaking, but certainly one of the better things I watched all weekend. I can't see Daniel Craig as James Bond, but I'm no playa hater. I, actually, haven't seen a Bond movie in the theatres before, so what do I know anyway?
What a disappointing weekend Pt 1: TV
So, I have a whole weekend to myself. I love my wife & kids, but I'm a major introvert. I need quiet, alone time to recharge, and my sainted wife was kind enough to let me have it.
So what did I do: try to catch up on my TV/DVD watching.
First disappointment: I've been taping Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis for two years now. I tried SG-1 a few years back, and it just wasn't for me. But two years ago, they added the fantastic Ben Browder to the cast. Dude ruled in Farscape, so I was happy to finally see him back to work in a major role. Only, the show was still pretty basic. I know it's got a big fanbase-- and is also the longest running science fiction show EVER-- but I just wasn't enthralled. It happens: but I've got about 20 shows on tape I haven't gotten to yet, so I can't spend it on either Stargate series.
I just wish I wouldn't have recorded the show for TWO FREAKIN' YEARS before I started watching it. My bad.
The second disappointment: ECW on Sci-Fi. Okay, I was P.O.ed that rasslin' was on the Sci-Fi Channel in the first place, but the channel has been rapidly getting rid of the Sci-Fi for years now.
Now that I don't think wrestling is a waste of time. I was into it pretty well until two-three years ago. I stopped watching completely a year ago. But I decided to give ECW a try since it was only an hour long-- and The Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle, had defected to ECW (which is still owned by the WWE-- don't ask). Plus, it was EC-F'in-W; who knows what'll happen?
But the things I stopped liking about the WWE were there on this show, too. Constant promos of the PPVs and other shows, recaps of earlier events of the night. The show is ONE HOUR LONG! How many people would have forgotten that RVD got jumped by Edge in the span of a half-hour? They trot out their super-hardcore 5-time champ Sandman every episode to wail on a guy no one's ever heard of (who is also the "comedy relief"-- just not funny). The jobber (a guy destined to lose) comes out, Sandman appears in the crowd, slams a beer, comes to the ring, whacks the jobber with a stick for 30 seconds, pulls another beer out of his pocket, slams it, and then leaves-- to the raucous cheers of the sheep in the audience.
And while I'm a raging heterosexual, I just don't get off on seeing the valets/divas/ECW's vixens stripping on TV. Maybe it's because I know I'll never see "anything" since it's basic cable, or maybe it's just because the WWE has forced titillation on fans since Sable. You've only got an hour, why not have another match?
And my favorite wrestler of all time: Kurt Angle? He doesn't get any promos, and certainly not any of the comedy bits he excelled at just a few years ago.
Ah well, one less show to record every week...
Disappointment number 3: Bravo's Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos. How cool is that? I don't have the time to scour the web for them myself, so it's cool to have them in a handy TV format. Only, it's not that cool. The narration sucked, hardly any web addresses were mentioned (just in case you may want to see it again), and many videos were cut. I watched four episodes/ two hours. Blah.
Upside to the weekend: I started watching Deadwood Season Two. Now that's good TV. It's not for everyone due to the crazy amounts of vulgar language and the no-holds-barred violence, but it has restored my faith in television.
The other big show of the year I fell in love with, Prison Break has its first season DVD set drop on Tuesday. Check it out. Preposterous at times, but a heck of a ride...
So what did I do: try to catch up on my TV/DVD watching.
First disappointment: I've been taping Stargate SG-1 and Stargate Atlantis for two years now. I tried SG-1 a few years back, and it just wasn't for me. But two years ago, they added the fantastic Ben Browder to the cast. Dude ruled in Farscape, so I was happy to finally see him back to work in a major role. Only, the show was still pretty basic. I know it's got a big fanbase-- and is also the longest running science fiction show EVER-- but I just wasn't enthralled. It happens: but I've got about 20 shows on tape I haven't gotten to yet, so I can't spend it on either Stargate series.
I just wish I wouldn't have recorded the show for TWO FREAKIN' YEARS before I started watching it. My bad.
The second disappointment: ECW on Sci-Fi. Okay, I was P.O.ed that rasslin' was on the Sci-Fi Channel in the first place, but the channel has been rapidly getting rid of the Sci-Fi for years now.
Now that I don't think wrestling is a waste of time. I was into it pretty well until two-three years ago. I stopped watching completely a year ago. But I decided to give ECW a try since it was only an hour long-- and The Olympic Champion, Kurt Angle, had defected to ECW (which is still owned by the WWE-- don't ask). Plus, it was EC-F'in-W; who knows what'll happen?
But the things I stopped liking about the WWE were there on this show, too. Constant promos of the PPVs and other shows, recaps of earlier events of the night. The show is ONE HOUR LONG! How many people would have forgotten that RVD got jumped by Edge in the span of a half-hour? They trot out their super-hardcore 5-time champ Sandman every episode to wail on a guy no one's ever heard of (who is also the "comedy relief"-- just not funny). The jobber (a guy destined to lose) comes out, Sandman appears in the crowd, slams a beer, comes to the ring, whacks the jobber with a stick for 30 seconds, pulls another beer out of his pocket, slams it, and then leaves-- to the raucous cheers of the sheep in the audience.
And while I'm a raging heterosexual, I just don't get off on seeing the valets/divas/ECW's vixens stripping on TV. Maybe it's because I know I'll never see "anything" since it's basic cable, or maybe it's just because the WWE has forced titillation on fans since Sable. You've only got an hour, why not have another match?
And my favorite wrestler of all time: Kurt Angle? He doesn't get any promos, and certainly not any of the comedy bits he excelled at just a few years ago.
Ah well, one less show to record every week...
Disappointment number 3: Bravo's Outrageous and Contagious Viral Videos. How cool is that? I don't have the time to scour the web for them myself, so it's cool to have them in a handy TV format. Only, it's not that cool. The narration sucked, hardly any web addresses were mentioned (just in case you may want to see it again), and many videos were cut. I watched four episodes/ two hours. Blah.
Upside to the weekend: I started watching Deadwood Season Two. Now that's good TV. It's not for everyone due to the crazy amounts of vulgar language and the no-holds-barred violence, but it has restored my faith in television.
The other big show of the year I fell in love with, Prison Break has its first season DVD set drop on Tuesday. Check it out. Preposterous at times, but a heck of a ride...
Ads? ADS?
I know what you're thinking: "WTF? He's got a freakin' ad in his blog. Sell out!"
What can I say? Please , please, please click on it once in a while. I have no clue how many fractions of a penny each click is worth, but I will promise you this: if, in a few years, I raise enough money to warrant a check from adsense, I will use it for this blog. Whether it be for content or for upgrades, I promise to reinvest it into this blog.
See, I'm not a total sell-out...
What can I say? Please , please, please click on it once in a while. I have no clue how many fractions of a penny each click is worth, but I will promise you this: if, in a few years, I raise enough money to warrant a check from adsense, I will use it for this blog. Whether it be for content or for upgrades, I promise to reinvest it into this blog.
See, I'm not a total sell-out...
Welcome to my blog.
My intentions for this site are to compile all the entertainment news I find interesting and post them all in one place. I may add my thoughts on the subject, and I hope you'll add yours. I also will review the various things I watch/read-- probably in a very short manner.
I'm a VERY active television watcher. It's sick when I think about it, but that's what I enjoy. I've counted all the different shows I've watched since May 2005, and came up with more than 150. So I've got some knowledge on the subject.
I've also found myself reading a ton of books lately as well (libraries are a good thing). I probably knock out a book every ten days or so.
I used to be an avid comic book reader, and I still read a number of titles a month. Since I've gotten married and had kids, I've found it harder to afford them (not that I ever could afford all I wanted).
And, lastly, I'll probably also comment on movies from time to time. That's been the biggest fun thing I've dropped. Not enough time, and not enough money.
Hopefully, with my varied interests, you'll find something worth checking my blog regularly for.
teameck
My intentions for this site are to compile all the entertainment news I find interesting and post them all in one place. I may add my thoughts on the subject, and I hope you'll add yours. I also will review the various things I watch/read-- probably in a very short manner.
I'm a VERY active television watcher. It's sick when I think about it, but that's what I enjoy. I've counted all the different shows I've watched since May 2005, and came up with more than 150. So I've got some knowledge on the subject.
I've also found myself reading a ton of books lately as well (libraries are a good thing). I probably knock out a book every ten days or so.
I used to be an avid comic book reader, and I still read a number of titles a month. Since I've gotten married and had kids, I've found it harder to afford them (not that I ever could afford all I wanted).
And, lastly, I'll probably also comment on movies from time to time. That's been the biggest fun thing I've dropped. Not enough time, and not enough money.
Hopefully, with my varied interests, you'll find something worth checking my blog regularly for.
teameck
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