Here We'll Stay

Well, so much for my Sonic Kings idea....thank goodness.

So now the Kings have new owners with deep pockets and big dreams that will include a new arena next to the soon-to-be-resurrected Downtown Plaza. I can see a super Kings store in that shopping mall's future...and maybe the Hard Rock Café could come back.



Mayor Johnson held court at City Hall early Friday morning to make the announcement that the team will stay in Sacramento. Every TV reporter in town was there, plus about 50 fans. There were even city employees getting a very good view:



Johnson did thank the Seattle group for its efforts to get back in the NBA, and even the Maloofs for their years as owners.
Only one person from the new ownership was there: local businessman Mark Friedman, who was part of the creation of Arden Fair Mall. Making a downtown version of that would go a long way.



The biggest cheers went to this guy: Carmichael Dave, former KHTK employee and now the head of "#HereWeStay", the group who wants the Kings to stay in town. Anyone who traveled in an RV trying to convince every NBA owner to reject moving the team to Seattle is a man on a mission.



So, the next step is getting the ownership papers signed and notarized. Then, Mayor Johnson says a bigger rally will be held at Cesar Chavez Park Thursday at 5 PM. This link has some details, but how wild will it get? Well, here are some pictures from the last rally two years ago, when Anaheim tried to buy the team...







Oh, and they'll be a band you may have heard of: Cake! Expect "The Distance" to be played, along with "Never There" (in honor of the Maloofs and Seattle's attempt to take the Kings).

Iron Man 3: Same Villain, But Different Hero (Spoilers Ahoy)

It looks like Iron Man 3 will be the best second sequel since maybe Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King or Return of the Jedi. In some ways, this new chapter used the same bad guy as the other two, only with a twist. However, it forced Tony Stark to fight without his "iron cocoon", and stop being "a man in a can". That's why it earned more than 650 million bucks worldwide in a little over a week, and how Leonardo DiCaprio is going to get smoked by another playboy who, unlike Gatsby, got his girl. It also doesn't help that F. Scott Fitzgerald has been turned into a  Pitbull/Busby Berkeley video mashup in 3-D, but let's get to the point...

In the first two IM flicks, Tony was battling an evil businessman. In the third, same story: Aldrich Killian, played by Guy Pearce, first arrives in a movie as Tony and his then-girlfriend-of-the-moment as they prepare for the new year of 2000. Tony promises to meet with Killian, but doesn't. We also hear about Extremis, a serum that can regenerate the body. It's impressive, unless you're Claire Bennett. We also see the stuff is very unstable. In fact, it's responsible for half the explosions in the movie. We see Killian again, not so nerdy this time, trying to recruit Pepper Potts into his fold. We soon find out he's using Extremis for his evil plans...and even recruited Maya, played by Rebecca Hall, who was the girl Tony was with that New Year's Eve. Lesson: never stiff anyone, especially on New Year's Eve.

What does make Killian different is how he's connected to the Mandarin, played by Ben Kingsley. This is the big spoiler that has upset some Marvel fans. Turn away if you haven't see this....

OK.. it turns out the Mandarin is a front. It's like finding out Osama Bin Laden was hired by Blackwater and Rupert Murdoch to keep us scared and agree to anything. Some are upset because we don't see the Mandarin of Marvel lore: a Chinese warlord, supposedly the descendant to Genghis Khan, with special rings that would do as much damage as super-soldiers loaded with Extremis. Why don't we have that in this movie?

Well, the movie is funded by Chinese investors. They wouldn't like a modern Fu Manchu, or a new Mandarin in a business suit, and is an intelligent and very dangerous man.
Making him a puppet of Aldrich, though, is a really nice swerve. That's why the real Big Bad is way ahead of the other two.

The other wise move is forcing Tony Stark to fight with the basics, usually a gun, or homemade gizmos that deal with bad guys. If he wasn't Iron Man, he'd be very popular at SHIELD. When his suit goes haywire and he winds up in Tennessee, where one of the Extremis soldiers blew up, he has to use his wits to figure out what happened. Come to think of it, that's how he built his first suit in an Afghan cave. A few people moaned over his scenes with Ty Simpkins as Harley, but they were pretty good. The kid already knew a lot, and is more helpful that a few thousand of those kids in Gamera/Prince of Space movies.

It was also a great idea of have Tony suffer major after-effects from the climax of The Avengers, where Iron Man had to divert a nuclear bomb through a wormhole to take care of the Chitauri. Who wouldn't suffer PTSD after that? There was a suggestion to recreate the "Demon In a Bottle" story, and maybe they switched it with the "panic attacks". That's my guess, mainly because he refused a beer from one of the friendlier bad guys.

As for Pepper, what happened to her in the last 30 minutes was very surprising. Yes, she does wear the suit at one point, but that was to protect someone else. She doesn't have one made for her, although they should work on that.

Iron Man 3 is the start to the road to Avengers 2 in 2015. If Joss Whedon's hint of "your own worst enemy" is part of the final story, maybe that means Tony slips again. How that may also apply to Captain America, Thor, Hulk and Black Widow may be hinted over the next year or so. His influence is felt in the "Phase 2" period of Marvel movies, which is why he got "special thanks" in the credits. It may also explain the post-credits scene at the end.
For now, let's enjoy the trip, as it's starting very well. Your turn, Thor.

Super Groovy Time In Sacramento

A long time ago, Kevin Smth tried to turn his classic movie Clerks into a cartoon show. ABC tried it for a while, but decided to end it after a few episodes. Looking back, it was an idea that was given to the wrong network a few years too early.

Now, Jason Mewes decided to turn a script Kevin had that featured those stoner super-heroes Bluntman and Chronic into a cartoon movie. So far, it's been well-received by fans as it's been presented as a roadshow. This past Tuesday, it reached the Crest Theater in Sacramento.



I waited until the last second to get a ticket. Granted, it was the cheap seats, but it's a much better view than the last row of  Hall H in San Diego, even if it doesn't include a big screen. This was my view...



It was a pretty good deal: you get wry comments from Kevin and Jay,  and a way-out animation feast with a story better than whatever Battleship or Transform3rs could scrape together. Hearing an evil villain with the voice of Bubbles from Powerpuff Girls is kinda weird. Seeing Eliza Dushku as the main Big Bad, though, is more than worth it...or Neil Gaiman as the heroes' butler.

Anywho, it's about Jay and Silent Bob deciding to be super heroes after avoiding the chance to be heroes in three other familiar ways. The only reason the villains hate Bluntman and Chronic is, well, the same reason Callisto hates Xena (or the "it's your fault more or less that I'm evil" reason). It's got plenty of obscene but witty jokes, especially a comment on how Michael Bay will retcon the creation of a certain group of mutant turtles. The movie is preceded by Kevin and Jay's "Cartoon Lagoon" where they try to placate a shark named Benchley with a cartoon that's a spoof of Gremlins.

Then there's the podcast part, called Jay and Silent Bob Get Old It included Jason's really gross story about him having sex with his wife...



They also talk about a few other things, from The Dark Knight Rises to how just trying to make your own podcast can improve your life. They also fielded questions from the audience.



and in this one, Kevin tries to cast a future Justice League movie..if and when that ever happens...



It wound up with a game where three people tried to come up with some pretty weird sex positions. One position involved doing pretty obscene things while writing a story for the Sacramento Bee. Good news is this will be released a podcast, and eventually on home video.

I was hoping to show Kevin my copy of a 2005 issue of TV Guide Canada where he and Jason were on the cover. They were in a few episodes of DeGrassi back then. I was hoping they'd sign it, but they had to go. If I somehow manage get to Comic-Con this year, I'll try again.

So, it was a super-groovy time, and here's hoping Kevin and Jason come back soon.

To Those With Tender Ears

Granted, the American Family Association may be horrified by this, and demand that NESN should have its broadcasting licensed revoked. They may even demand that this foul-mouthed ruffian have his mouth washed out with soap, and apologize to the overly-fragile children at Fenway Park who had the misfortune to hear this.

Well, AFA....TOUGH!

The kids probably hear that from their own parents, or drunken fans in back on them. What David Ortiz said at the pre-game ceremony after Boston suddenly became a man-made Hellmouth for a week because its marathon was bombed by two guys was appropriate. Thanks to YouTube, it will also live on for all time...if you bothered looking for it...



What he said was an act of defiance against the people apparently responsible for the deaths of four people this week. Besides, you can always pretend he said "fracking" instead.

At least he's not like "Rob, Arnie and Dawn" at 98 Rock in Sacramento, who made some inappropriate remarks after the bombings that wound up getting them suspended. He's not like cable news, who tried to solve the crime as fast as those TV crime detectives, only to wind up looking like fools.

It's been a very cruel week for Boston, and he wanted to say something that proved Boston will survive, as New York came back after 9/11. Excuse his French, but it's fine this time.

Jackie Robinson Bio A Few Details Short of a Home Run

I just came back from seeing 42, the new bio picture about Jackie Robinson. I did read a few reviews that mixed about the movie, mainly about how the story was told. Here's my takes, and it will include some spoilers...

The movie does lack several details that would have improved the story, and what Robinson really meant to baseball and this nation. It's still a good baseball movie that traces Robinson's road from the Negro Leagues to the major leagues, but it was just only the basics about Jackie's struggles. We see fans upset that he's on the field, plus racist remarks from opposing players. That was what was party of the first movie about him. Why not add a few more details, mainly about those who wanted him to play and those who didn't.

Sportswriter Wendell Smith, who plays a big part in the movie, could have mentioned early in the film how he tried to convince baseball owners that adding the best of the Negro Leagues could help them and the game...only to be ignored. In fact, Smith was about as welcome in the press box as Jackie was on the field.

If you saw PBS' Baseball mini-series, you know Rickey was deeply influenced about how racism affected a ball player he knew, and how he wanted to make sure that never happened again. That should have been made more clear. We should have had more on Jackie's year in Montreal, and how the team's manager, who didn't want him there, changed his mind.

Also, the movie claims Brooklyn manager Leo Durocher was suspended in 1947 because he had an affair with eventual wife Laraine Day, and the Catholic League was threatening to boycott. It was really because of Durocher's connection with gamblers, and that Yankees owner Larry MacPhail pressured Commissioner Happy Chandler to bench Durocher. MacPhail also hated Durocher.

On the other hand, it does include Durocher's famous "he's coming" speech to Dodger players who signed a petition saying they won't play with Robinson. The movie also included Pee Wee Reese willing to stand next to Robinson before a hostile Cincinnati crowd.

Chadwick Bozeman did a good job portraying Robinson, and Harrison Ford was just great as Rickey. If nothing else, it showed what an aging Han Solo will be like if we get a new Star Wars movie someday. Fans of Law and Order SVU and True Blood may recognize Chris Meloni as Durocher. He was pretty good in that role

There was one section that really sounded too good to be true. This was where Brooklyn played Philadelphia. Ben Chapman, manager for the Phillies (and played by Alan Tudyk), baited Robinson with racist remarks, Eventually, Robinson collapses from pent-up anger...and from out of nowhere, Rickey appears and gives him a pep talk to get him back on the field. That was a real stretch, although it's easy to imagine that both men had a lot of discussions about how people and players were reacting to Robinson being there.
(Update: Looking back, I would have believed Rickey's pep talk to Robinson if it happened after the game).

Robinson's legacy is well-known, but could there be a movie about him that's different to what we already know about him?
We could make one that starts when he retires, and we see how he makes a difference in the civil rights movement, and established businesses including a bank. The ending would be perfect: throwing out the first pitch of game two of the 1972 World Series, and saying he'd be more proud when he sees a Black man as a manager. That would send a message that baseball has come a long way, but not that far.
We had a TV movie that showed Robinson's court-martial because he wouldn't sit at the back of the bus. Why not one that shows his life after baseball?

For now, 42 is a good reminder of how Robinson changed baseball and this nation. It comes just in time for the 66th anniversary of his debut with the Dodgers. That's when everyone wears 42 for one day.