The Notorious I.G.

Oscars 2012: Nostaligia Keeps Some Movies Out

2012-01-24T17:48:00.001-08:00

I was thinking of calling this comment "No Movies For Young Men", bt I'm not sure that would have worked.
The point is this: the big winners in the nominations announcement had one thing in common: they honored the past glories of the cinemas, and are also both comeback movies.

The Artist is about a silent screen star who is having problems dealing with the prospect of talkies, but is helped by a girl who he meets by chance, and returns his kindness to create a happier version of A Star Is Born. Hugo may be about a boy who lives in a train station that he has to maintain because his uncle died, but it winds up being about his efforts to revive the reputation of a long-forgotten movie pioneer. Entertainment Weekly commented on this, but the final paragraph got my attention, about whether choosing these movies is a way for the movie industry in general to look back at the days when it made movies for the heck of it, not because it had to maintain franchises or bring comic books to life (whether or it it's done badly).

In fact, there's a lot of nostalgia that will be surrounding the Oscars. They brought back Billy Crystal as if no one else in the whole wide world can host them unless you used holograms of Bob Hope or even Johnny Carson. Anne Hathaway can handle it, if she gets a better co-host....Hugh Jackman or Steve Martin. Maybe they can go back to a group of co-hosts like they did in the 1970s. No shame in that.

As for the other nominees, we have movies that look back to our past, like The Help or Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close or good family dramas like The Descendants. As usual, if you make Oscar laugh (Bridesmaids, Young Adult) or give it too much of a fright (Drive, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 2), it can't be best picture. Not only that, the idea of motion-capture anything is still considered an unforgivable sin. Thus, no Tintin or Andy Serkis.

This is due to the average age of the Oscar voter, mainly very old. If you cut the average age to maybe 45 to what it is now, maybe 128, maybe we'd have a more viewer-friendly event. We'd have someone from the Harry Potter movie in supporting actor categories. We'd have Ryan Gosling in the mix. We'd have Tintin in Best Animated Feature instead of two movies literally no one barely knew existed before the nominations were read. We'd have more than two Best Song nominees, since this rate-a-record judging process doesn't work. "Man or Muppet's" win next month will be more inevitable than Sunset Boulevard winning Best Musical in the 1995 Tonys. It's a good song, but why not add "The Seeker" from Machine Gun Preacher, or "Life's a Happy Song" from The Muppets..or even Elton John's song from Gnomeo and Juliet. That should get the kids watching the show, and when I say kids I mean anyone under the age of 45.

Someone from the Huffington Post also suggested that "R"-rated movies were also snubbed, including Bridesmaids, Shame and Drive. Again, that may be due to getting the teens and young people inside the theaters so they can cover the cost of the films for the "adults". That's what really counts these days.

For me, I am ticked off Young Adult was apparently too mean to get Oscar notice. It was great to see a Mean Girl who wound up not learning a thing, even though you sure learned a lot about her. I liked Drive, but it should have gotten a bit more respect, especially for Albert Brooks.

We should realize that while Glenn Close and Meryl Streep deserved their nominations, their chances would be better if their movies lived up to what they did. Streep is more likely to overcome this, and might get her third Oscar because Hollywood thinks it has to. She's done a lot..and we do mean a lot...between Sophie's Choice and The Iron Lady, and the Academy will think that 2012 will be her year.
Besides, it's best to do it now while she's got a lot of movies in her, rather than Christopher Plummer, who has made a nice comeback with Beginnings (which was a good story when it was between the father and son, but not so much with the son and his girlfriend). It looked like Supporting Actor may be certain except for Max Von Sydow also in the mix.
The real favorite for Best Actor and Actress may be clearer after the SAG Awards. If Streep gets that nod, it's over. If it's Viola Davis or Michelle Williams, it's game on. Ditto if George Clooney upsets Jean Dujardin.

So now, we visit our Netflix, video kiosks and iPads to catch up on all these performances, and a few more once those movies are released through DVD or streaming video. This means you, Rango and Midnight in Paris. We'll soon see how well nostalgia works at this year's Academy Awards. I still say The Artist will, in the end, leave us speechless, but Hugo will get a bunch of tech awards.

Some Other Cool Things I Saw in L-A

2012-01-18T13:39:00.000-08:00

First off, I finally hopped aboard that Starline Tour Bus where you can hop on and off whenever you want. Next time, I will devote the whole day to this, not half. Still here's some of the best shots I got....
First, the typical view of L-A on Sunset Boulevard, complete with droopy palm tree:

Then something new at the Burbank Airport: trailers to TV shows and movies:

The Pantages Theatre sign, in the cold light of day. It needs moisturizer...

But looks better at night...

The Cirque du Soliel camps out at Santa Monica beach while they do "Iris" at the Kodak Theater. That's why Santa Monica has its own big top...

Looks even better at sunset...

Still really competes with this street of palm trees...

Also, the Universal Citywalk looks really cool at night, especially the Hard Rock Cafe...

I'll have more later...

How I Was At Golden Globes...Sort of

2012-01-18T12:34:00.000-08:00

As I said before, I had hoped to get close to the red carpet to the Golden Globes at the Beverly Hilton. Thing is, they did a good job keeping people away. It's easier to be across the street from the Kodak Theater the week before the Oscars, which I did a few years back. At least there, you have the chance to hold an Oscar.
So I had to settle for people starting the preparations two days before where once would see this:

and the famous E! shrine

However, the Globes did give a few hundred people a chance to be in the same room as Angelina Jolie and Pedro Almodovar, for starters. It took place at the Egyptian, thanks to American Cinematique. They had a discussion of the nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. Here's Jolie with Asghar Fahardi, who made the movie that will probably win awards by the ton, A Separation.

and Jolie by herself....

.

I was also there for Almodovar, who made The Skin I Live In, which I HAVE to see after I missed my chance before. I think his translation, who he didn't really need, looks like someone from one of his movies....

It was a pretty good discussion of the people behind the movies. Jolie admits she's not a filmmaker, but she certainly learned a lot about bringing Land of Blood and Honey, a very important story, to the screen. Some of the cast was in the audience, and she certainly praised them. The movie is about love in the time of the civil war in Yugoslavia back in the 80s. She points out the couple in the story was born in the same hospital back in Yugoslavia, but the war forced them to be on opposite sides. Jolie was also able to make basically two versions, English and native language. We're getting the latter version, and hopefully it will head to Sacramento soon.

Almodovar also talked about how he had to learn the filming process from using Super 8 films (hello, JJ Abrams) and even doing all the jobs himself. That's why he admitted he'd have a tough time trying to make a movie in the U-S in the usual way we make movies. He'd drown in the permits alone.

There was also the Dardennes brothers, who make The Kid With A Bike, about a young boy deserted by his father but taken care of by a hairdresser. They said it was based on the story of a Japanese orphan who wound up killing someone. In this movie, we have an orphan who finds another way to deal with his situation.

I was really happy that Fahardi was there. He's the guy behind A Separation, which will likely get Oscar gold next month (and then the next day some radio pundit will claim that Oscar will be the final piece Iran needs to build a bomb to kill us all). Well, he admits the movie doesn't represent all of Iran. It shows a middle class family dealing with the mom (Simin) and dad (Nader) separating because she wants to leave and he has to take care of his dad with Alzheimer's. Caught in the crossfire is their daughter Termeh (played by Farhadi's daughter). Nader hires a maid who has a young daughter, and she takes care of his dad. Things get difficult when Nader fires the maid after she ties his dad to his bed to keep him from wandering off, and is also accused of stealing. He pushes the maid out of the house, and suddenly he hears the maid's in the hospital due to a miscarriage. There's even more twists to the story about how one couple's decision can affect many more people. It's a situation that fits any nation and any faith. Fahardi calls this movie a detective story, in a way. He also talked about how we are all the same although politics, here and in Iran, tend to emphasize the differences.
Fahardi spoke mainly Farsi at the panel, although he spoke good English when he won the Golden Globes the next night. I am sure he felt more comfortable in his native language. By the way, here's where it played in L-A, the Royal. It may not look like much on the outside. Inside, though, it's one VERY nice place to see a film.

Sadly, the director of The Flowers of War with Christian Bale, couldn't make it. Otherwise, they would have talked about that movie. They should have tried.

Maybe I could have tried to get as close to the red carpet the next night, but this is more complicated than a movie premiere. Just as well. Besides, at least it convinced me to go to that flea market at Fairfax High School and find some very rare stuff for a song.

Among My Souvenirs and eBay Bait

2012-01-17T17:13:00.000-08:00

Sure, most people would want to see the Hollywood sign, or ride a tour bus. I did all that and more when I spent four days in Los Angeles. I had hoped to be close to a movie star or two, and I did, sort of, thanks to the Golden Globes. I did enjoy an unexpected meeting with an actress well known in the Whedonverse, and found out how small Craig Ferguson's studio really is. It's less than half the size of Conan's talk show, and more foul-mouthed...but in a good way.

The unexpected surprise I had through the weekend, aside from an Apple store that eased my fears about my iPod Touch, was the Melrose Trading Post that raises cash for activities at Fairfax High School. It was also the first flea market I attended in a while. I managed to get some really good stuff like this....

This is a mock-up of an Oscar ad for Martin Scorsese's ill-fated musical New York, New York from 1978. I will have three for sale. I even have a poster that promotes an exhibition of paintings by Robert DeNiro's dad. It's a bit worn, but OK. Also for sale. These were literally at the bottom of a box filled with DeNiro staff some guy collected. There were even mock-ups for small newspaper ads for a double feature of the first two Godfather movies. I decided not to get those.

Here's what else I got:

Looks impressive, doesn't it? A small box of note paper from The Burbank Studios, a facility that Warner Brothers and Columbia shared in the 1970's. It was made for Lewis T. Rosso, who was known for....well...being a production manager in B movies from the '40s and '50s. Still, getting something like this made for you ain't bad. This is the definition of Hollywood fame: being forgotten but still being part of the entertainment machine somehow.
I also got an Alaska Airlines pilot pin, and this piece of Disneyana...

From 1957, a brochure describing Disneyland's Tom Sawyer Island way before Pirates of the Caribbean took it over.

So if you're at a loss of who to spend a Sunday, try going to Melrose and Fairfax. You'd be surprised what pieces of Hollywood you can find. No doubt, it's not something you could find at the Warner Brothers Gift Shop

I'm Published, and Other 2012 Surprises

2012-01-05T18:35:00.000-08:00

The thing with social media is that people, if they want to, can see your latest vacation photos, which you brag about to no end. Some may even claim the photos would be great for a magazine.

Well, dig this...

I took a photo of a guy from the Pizza Rock restaurant in downtown Sacramento on the day regular car traffic was re-opened to K Street. Someone e-mailed me, asking if his magazine can use it. I said yes, and now this photo is seen by tens of people looking for a good pizza place, and relying of a magazine available at airports and train stations. I still have the issue, so I can at least prove it to someone. The photo itself is found here.

The other big surprise was at my neighborhood Goodwill store. I looked through the CDs and found this...

an autographed Garbage CD. Yep, that's Shirley Manson's signature. It takes me back to when she was at Wondercon a few years back when she was a Terminatress during season 2 of the Sarah Connor Chronicles. Latest word is that she's heading back to the studio, but I wouldn't mind seeing her in sci-fi again. It's not every day you find an autographed CD at Goodwill, but it's a nice bargain.

Now that everyone has had their Christmas breaks, it's now my turn. I'm still hoping to be a seat filler at the Critic's Choice Awards, which is what I was hoping for. I'm on the waiting list. If that doesn't work, I'll be happy to sit on some bleachers, if there are any. In any case, at least I'll have a chance to see a movie that's not playing in Sacramento yet. Just haven't decided which one, but I also hope to throw in Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy too. I'm also hoping to get in a taping of Real Time. The new season starts next week, just in time for the primary season. The Golden Globe,s of course, are out unless there's a secret way to get on the bleachers that doesn't require staying at the hotel. We'll see.

2012, Day 2--and a look back at 2011

2012-01-01T23:52:00.000-08:00

Yes, this is my first project for the New Year. I challenge people to find meaning in this "revised" Mayan calendar to mainly honor what Joss Whedon has planned for us: three movies (including one made at his house) and four anniversaries of note.
It was one way to help me forget how the Oakland Raiders collapsed in front of our eyes as the NFL season wound down. Pundits are applauding how the 49ers did, but they think they'll probably lose to whoever they'll play in two weeks. I'll hope for Harbaugh Bowl II.

My first really big thing is going to L-A in a few days. I am really hoping to see the Critics Choice Movie Awards, mainly because you can get at the Red Carpet bleachers, at least, for free. If I wanted to get on the Red Carpet bleachers at the Golden Globes, I'd have to stay the weekend at the Beverly Hilton. If I had that much dough on hand, I'd get my car repaired first. If nothing else, I'm hoping to see a Real Time taping for the first time in a long while, plus head back to Universal Studios. Also, I might try taking a tour bus.

So what kind of a year did I have in 2011. Well, I did accomplish something new: I came up with lyrics to a Katy Perry spoof, met Nick Brendon in Sacramento, wrote a movie review of Hanna that seems to be popular after nearly nine months, actually got a close look at the Giants World Series trophy, saw Dr. Horrible live, and got a burrito that was (sort of) given out my a Time Lord at Comic-Con. As far as tangible contributions that I can mention, I got my name as a "contributor" in the credits of two DVDs of Incognito Cinema Warriors XP, and I invested in a romcom called Lust For Love thanks to Kickstarter. I also have been getting my Twitter comments retweeted by famous people like Felicia Day, Charisma Carpenter, Kristy Swanson, Marcos Breton and Jane Espenson. I also got a tweet reply from a Nog Hog, that pig that Conan didn't put on is show...yet. It hasn't translated to more followers, but I can always hope.

Could I make a real mark on the world, in a good way, in 2012? I sure hope so. If a movie review I wrote nine months ago still gets views, there's hope.

Silents, Please: Artists At Work

2011-12-24T20:56:00.000-08:00

Only one silent movie has won Best Picture at the Academy Awards, but in 2012, that number might double.

In a world of movies filled with Dolby sound, CGI, Imax and 3-D, the idea of making a silent movie just like the ones in the '20s seems quaint, and maybe crazy. How can such a movie match up to Transformers, Harry Potter, or even Bridesmaids?
Michel Hazanavicius, who was well-known for making two very stylish spy films, came up with a way called The Artist. It has the look of an old silent flick of the 1920s, but has a few modern tricks up its sleeve to tell the story of a silent film star who couldn't accept progress, and played a bitter price, only to recover thanks to a girl who owes her success to a chance meeting.

In 1927, George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) was a dashing matinee idol, kind of like a cocky Douglas Fairbanks. By chance, he meets a girl named Peppy (Berenice Bejo, aka Mrs. Hazanavicius). Their meeting makes Variety, much to the concern of George's wife Doris (Penelope Ann Miller). To say their passion is rather chilly is putting it mildly. Her favorite pastime is doodling on George's face in the magazines.

Peppy manages to land a job at George's movie studio, and it's clear they have a connection. It doesn't lead to romance, but it inspires her. Then George is hit by a one-two punch: the Crash of 1929 and talkies. Both lead him to a road of ruin while Peppy's star is on the rise.

As I mentioned, Hazanavicius uses some great tricks to keep the story going. When George is confronted by the "threat" of talkies, he finds himself in a world filled with sound, while he stays silent. George and Doris' fading love is illustrated by a scene that may remind people of the "breakfast table" scene in Citizen Kane, which was also a portrait of a marriage gone sour. When George's self-produced movie fails against talkies, he drinks, and sees a miniature version of himself on the bar. Even the marquees show themselves to be a Greek chorus. Why else would we see a movie title called "Lonely Star" just after George is forced to sell his belongings?

Dujardin is wonderful as George, a man who is frightened by the future despite his bravado. His slow collapse is hard to see, and you wonder why he won't take a risk at people hearing him on film. If you notice early in the film, he's interviewed on the radio. Bejo is also dazzling. You can just see her develop her personae from typical girl to movie star. All the while, she never forgets George.
If there's a scene stealer, it has to be Uggie as George's dog. It's a pity he can't be nominated for Best Supporting Actor.
If The Artist comes to your town, please see this movie. It is poised to dominate awards season. There may be some who may dismiss this movie because the fact that it's a silent film is a gimmick. They'd be wrong, of course. Hazanavicius uses the lack of words to its advantage. You don't need Doris to say she's unhappy being married to George. Just see her ruin his pictures. You don't need to hear his despair. Seeing him burn his films but not want to leave the flames is proof. It's all about the visuals.

If I had my way, I'd run this as a doubleheader Hugo, Martin Scorcese's latest movie and proof that he can even do family films. The trailers may suggest it's about a boy who is trying to repair a mechanical man, but it's really how this boy completes a more complicated job: repairing a human soul. Namely, an old man who thought his career in the movies wouldn't be remembered. Thanks to this young boy, it is. I saw it in 3-D only because I wanted to see what it would be like. It looks really good, but 2-D will still do.

High School Does End, Mavis Gary

2011-12-17T19:44:00.000-08:00

Let's be clear about this: Juno MacGuff would be able to handle life after high school...decades, even.
Mavis Gary, however, didn't. Not really.
She's a ghost author for a dying young adult book series. She's in a condo tower in Minneapolis that has seen better days, like her. She wastes time watching reality shows, or sleeping off the night before, with her Breakfast of Champions...Diet Coke.
Now she gets an e-mail from an old high school beau, asking her to visit at the old home town of Mercury and see his wife and new child.
She thinks it's a sign, that she can have a second chance at high school glory.

Thus, Young Adult begins, where Charlize Theron plays a different kind of "Monster": the high school prom queen that was so popular, everyone hated her.
Director Jason Reitman says Theron was only person who would bring Mavis to life, and man, was he right on this one. She plays the girl who's afraid she peaked too soon perfectly.
Still, Mavis hangs on to those years: she still has a cassette mix tape from Buddy Slade, the high school sweetheart in question. She plays "The Concept" over and over. You see t-shirts from the '90s, from the Pixies to the Breeders.
Her plan: to get Buddy (Patrick Wilson) back, despite the fact he's married and with a kid. Hey, it's just baggage to Mavis.

She later meets Matt, played by Patton Oswalt, who had a locker next to her back in high school but she didn't seem to notice. She just knew him the guy who was beaten and crippled by football players who thought he was gay. Once people found out Matt wasn't gay, they didn't care about him anymore. Despite this, he's managed to move on. He's there as Mavis' sounding board, and also her conscience. Oddly, they even have a connection. Oswalt is great at this role, and it's too bad he's not getting more love from award shows. Hopefully, Oscar will fix that.

But just as Juno was Ellen Page's show, Young Adult is Theron's show. It's a story of a girl who desperately wanted to feel as special as she thought she was back at Mercury High School. It's safe to say she couldn't do it. Would her reunion with her friends in Mercury change all that?

She does use her visit, and her occasional eavesdropping of "typical teens", to write the final "Waverly High" book, or try to. In it, she casts herself as "Kendall Strickland", who trying to figure out life as graduation nears. It's a clear parallel to what's happened to Mavis.

Theron should easily make the final cut for Best Actress at the Oscars, and two scenes will guarantee that. The first is when Mavis is at a local bar, seeing Buddy's wife's band play. Once they play "The Concept", which Mavis thinks is HER song with Buddy, the look on her face says it all. The other scene is the naming ceremony for the baby at Buddy's house. Just look for it. It will lead to probably the most unlikely and tender love scene in the past 20 years. Credit writer Diablo Cody and Reitman for pulling these moments off.

So, if you want a more realistic rom-com, Young Adult is for you. Check it out, guys. I predict it will get nominations for Best Actress and Original Screenplay, and maybe a longshot for Best Director. At least the Critics Choice Awards are giving it the love it deserves.

Cinematic Titanic Returns..Finally..on DVD

2011-12-09T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's been more than a year since Cinematic Titanic, one of the Two MST3K alumni groups, has released a DVD. The crew (Joel Hodgson, Trace Beauleau, TV's Frank Coniff, J. Elvis Weinstein and Mary Jo Pehl) have been busy touring the nation, spreading their mirth and movie riffing far and wide. They were even in my neck of the woods, namely UC Davis, but I couldn't make it.

Well, just in time for the holidays, the CT gang has the perfect companion to the Santa Claus Conquers the Martians DVD: War of the Insects, aka Genocide, a turgid Japanese drama that, according to Joel, is the type of movie that "needs a good Gamera attack". I saw the CT gang riff this movie live in August 2010 at the Castro in San Francisco. My review of that performance is here, but here's the plot: a cheating husband named George is seen with a foxy blond named Annabelle ("From eternity to here?") who is actually a mad scientist. She wants to unleash insects to destroy all humans. Meanwhile, A US Air Force bomber crashes after a huge swarm of bees attack it. No, really.
Another group of officers show up to look for the bomb, unaware they're already in a bomb...namely this movie. Add the fact George is arrested for murder, and his wife Yukari is pregnant, and you start wishing Godzilla would show up to put them all out of their misery.

This performance was taped in September 2011 in Minneapolis, the birthplace of modern severe movie criticism. Compared to the Castro performance, they added a lot of new jokes, and changed their anti-Glee riff. The first riff on what Michelle Bachman's first day as president was kept, along with J Elvis' haunting song at the end. I liked the DVD show more only because I could hear the movie better. Some of the highlights:

Charley, one of the Air Force guys, goes nuts when he sees a bee outside the plane:
MJ: His memories of watching the History Channel have haunted him forever

The owner of the bar is happy to see new customers thanks to the bomb search:
Frank: It's like a stimulus package with dead people.

Dr. Komura is still upset over being attacked by an insane Charley, who was laughing and shooting a pistol. "I don't understand at all.."
Joel: Who would ever vote for Rick Perry?

Dr. Nagumo allows himself to be bitten by the poisoned bees to see why they are attacking humans. He convulses, hallucinates and babbles like Charley
Joel: Insects, peppermint, meaningless nouns

Annabelle explains her plan to Nagumo: "Genocide. The extermination of man. That's what I've been waiting for."
Joel: That, and Star Wars on blu-ray (which finally happened a few days after this performance)

And Trace summing the whole thing up: I always thought the end of the world would look like Carrot Top.
There also also jokes about Piers Morgan, Monty Python, Bewitched and David Carradine.

Aside from the movie, there are clips of the live show, with audience members raving about it, along with trailers to Danger on Tiki Island, East Meets Watts and The Alien Factor. This may suggest they are abandoning studio shows, where they pretend to be trapped in an underground facility, forced to riff on bad movies for future generations for some reason or other. There is supposed to be a new DVD called Rattlers, where mutated rattlesnakes cause havoc.

You can order DVDs and get a schedule of their 2012 tour at cinematictitanic.com

It's Not Your Older Brother's ICWXP, But Still Funny

2011-11-07T21:09:00.000-08:00

If you miss the days of Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its original form, namely seeing a guy and two robots mock bad cinema while dealing with some intergalactic problem or other, those days are back.

Rikk Wolf and his movie-riffing epic, Incognito Cinema Warriors XP, has returned for a second season with a new DVD that was released this week. While Rifftrax and Cinematic Titanic are both content with MST3K alumni mocking movies, good and bad, young and old, without a B-plot in between the movie segments, ICWXP revives the old MST3K version with its own mix of comedy and lousy movies.

For the uninitiated, the jist: Rikk is a soldier named Commander Rick Wolf who's trapped in a zombie apocalypse that has nothing to do with The Walking Dead. He finds refuge in an abandoned movie house where he finds two robots, Johnny Cylon (Zach Legler) and TopsyBot 5000 (Nick Evans, 3rd guy to do this). Anywho, they were forced to watch bad movies sent to them by a mad scientist, but he got replaced by Kincaid, an evil agent from the Ludivoco Corporation who had his own evil iPhone. Now HE'S gone (maybe), and the theater sends its unholy films automatically. A comic book based on the show will be produced to explain what happened. The Satellite of Love never did that.

Apparently there was a five year gap between the fourth DVD and the new one, and Rick doesn't remember what happened, although it did involve battling zombies finally. He was also put in an evil chair where he was forced to riff on Bride of the Gorilla, the first movie of the series.

Once he gets cleaned up, Rick and the bots are back riffing. They first see an Alka-Seltzer commercial that features a pie-eating contest and is described as "the Morbidly Obese Olympics". Then, they see a short about Victory Gardens, which is duller than the dirt the garden grows on. Rikk says in the audio commentary they had to add music to make it easier to watch. Some of the choice riffs:

The short is about the Holder Family and their Victory Garden from 1942. The son is named Dick.

Cylon: So his name is Dick Holder. Ouch!

After some more tips on how to grow a garden...

Rick: Yes, soon you'll be wishing you were old enough to be drafted

A couple more from Rick:

Why, just look at this nutritious crop of crabgrass
Farming's a breeze with your Hitler Youth Pocket Knife.

They get pretty bored after a while (Cylon: How about instead of this we just go bomb Hiroshima?), and instead come up with the names of Professional Eating Teams. The Chicago Oprah Thighs and the Buffalo Wild Wings were very popular.

Afterwards, the gang is greeted by a strange image who calls itself Bottomless Epiglottis. Whoever it is hates Ludivuco ("the enemy of my enemy is my...frenemy"), and wants them to help it bring them down. It helps the guys find a back-up back-up back-up back-up generator to keep the theater going. They also meet a new robot called Flux Namtani (Dave Thompson), who has the ego of Buzz Lightyear.

We also get a preview of the next DVD, which apparently features an intruder being attacked by a super-snowblower. It's called "Where's Your Big Bad Apocalypse Now?"

The extras are also pretty good. You see the whole show with commentary by Rikk and newcomer Nick Evans. They talk about how much work goes into the show, and they also thank the fans for keeping this show together. They even mention a few fans who want the show on Adult Swim. However, with the recent success of online shows, The Guild and Dr. Horrible especially, who needs networks? There's also behind-the-scenes stuff about the new set and Cylon getting legs. We also see Rick re-riff the first five minutes of Bride of the Gorilla, apparently while he was in that chair.

While the show will only riff on educational shorts for now, they do plan to go back to full-length features. They even plan a season finale, and let's hope Kincaid will be around for that. In the show's forum, it was mentioned the original actor, Gregory Wyatt Tinnen, couldn't make it for the new season.

You can learn more about the show, and buy DVDs and event direct downloads at www.icwxp.com. For those who are a little impatient for new Cinematic Titanic DVDs, the return of Rikk and the gang is more than enough to satisfy your movie riffing needs. Welcome back, guys!

Wondercon Heads South

2011-09-23T01:12:00.000-07:00

San Francisco is usually Nerd Central every Spring, because it's Wondercon season. I loved going here because it's easier to get to than Comic-Con, and it's in my neck of the woods.

Well, in 2012, that will change. Wondercon is headed to Anaheim around St. Patrick's Day weekend. With the beer flowing, and NCAA March Madness about to emerge, it would be a heck of a time to have the event.

Now, I've been to the Anaheim Convention Center when I went to one of those Wizard World cons. It wasn't too bad, but it had less events compared to Wondercon. You also had to walk a mile and a half to get to a grocery store. You were surrounded by other hotels, chain restaurants and Disneyland. If only there was a Ralph's.

Hotel prices weren't too bad, if you stayed for a weekend. I'd need four days: three for the con and an extra day to get use from my Universal Studios Annual Pass. If I suddenly got a Disneyland pass, I'd reconsider. Also, there's only one multiplex at Downtown Disney. That's not a big problem, since Wondercon used one multiplex, too.

To afford this, I will have to make some sacrifices. I was thinking about going to the annual Doctor Who convention in February, but that is now out the window.
Of course, I could skip this con and save all my cash for Comic-Con, but that wouldn't be a wise idea. The con would be an ideal spot to start the buzz for The Avengers, especially since Joss Whedon is directing. The Cabin In The Woods, also a Joss production, would be a month off. There's The Hunger Games a week after the con, Dark Shadows, Men In Black 3, and Battleship. It would be wise to be there, especially if they throw in Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. I should be there, and I hope to add an extra day for my Universal Studios pass. If I can squeeze in a quick L-A trip in December, especially if Southwest Airlines has another cheap air sale, I can adjust.

I've also learned that Wondercon will go back to San Francisco in 2013. It's just that I've been used to going there every fall for this event, it will be quite different to be in the same con but about 425 miles south. I would skip this, but the new location will make it easier for the movie studios to start summer buzz with this event, especially since Joss will be involved, too. So, I gotta go!

Well, March is still two seasons away, but I should be thinking about it.

Broken Stars On The Walk of Fame

2011-09-21T21:13:00.001-07:00

This isn't exactly news but more of a tourist observing that one of Hollywood's most popular attractions isn't perfect.
It started when I looked for Neil Patrick Harris' new star on the Walk of Fame.

It's between the Frolic Room and the Pantages Theater.
While walking around, I noticed not all the stars are shining as bright as they should be. I know the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce knows about this, and it takes big bucks to make sure all of the stars are in good shape. Still, it's a sad sight to see broken stars, like Michael Landon...

I'm guessing construction work caused this problem, but what about this star of Rodney Dangerfield? No respect, after all these years? Not cool...

or the star of The Three Stooges...

This is the star for Arthur Kennedy. You can barely see which category his star was from. This is probably due to millions of people walking over it over the years.

Still, there is hope: I saw this guy making sure the star of actress Hillary Brooke stays shiny. She may not have been as well-known as the others, but she's important enough for this guy...

In fact, she takes care of a lot of stars every day. I saw him the next monting hard at work near Hollywood and Vine.

There's also a piece of game show heaven: Allen Ludden and Betty White's stars, side by side.

For the most part, the Walk of Fame is in good shape, honoring the best in entertainment properly. A little more maintenance would be great, but I am sure that is being planned. Meanwhile, there is the sign of a coming attraction, like this one at Hollywood and Highland

For the record, Melissa Etheridge will be on that spot. let's hoe a fan will keep her star shiny in the future.

My Talk Show Double-Header

2011-09-19T20:50:00.001-07:00

Usually, a person has to make a choice when heading to Warner Brothers: either attend a taping for Ellen DeGeneres at 4 PM or Conan at 4:30.
Tough choice. Not today, I got to see both. Thanks, Ellen.

For the first time in six years, she decided to do a live show at 11 AM to talk about the Emmys, and basically hang out with Harry Connick Jr. Makes sense. She was concerned about the temptation to swear...and fell into it a couple of times. So did Harry, basically because he objected to a couple of things she wrote about him in her new book coming next month. They had a guy with a delay button, but he may not have made it on time. Of course, if Ellen did this on cable, she wouldn't need a delay button. Just ask Conan.

Aside from that, it was a great show. They threw in a live interview with Emmy Prom Winner Melissa McCarthy, coming soon to SNL. Ellen liked doing a live show, and may do it again...and she should. Now that Oprah has retired, someone has to do a post-Oscar show at the Kodak or El Capitan. Why not Ellen? Do that for the Grammys and Golden Globes, too.

After that, I walked down Forest Lawn Drive to head to gate 8 to get my Conan ticket. I had so much time left I walked to get a Subway sandwich.The show was unusual. First, I got a FRONT ROW SEAT! I got a great view of Conan in the monologue, but got blocked by cameras once we got to the guests.

No matter. This was pretty unusual because it revealed a deep, dark secret: they tape guests out of sequence, just like other talk shows. That's why I had to see tonight's show to see how Ryan Gosling really did when they taped the interview a few days ago. I am ticked off I wasn't there, because he was weird...in a good way. Especially when he accused Disney of breeding a new species of cats. He also gave Conan a replica of the jacket he wore in Drive. It was too small for Conan. Gosling will get Oscar buzz by interviews alone, especially how he did with Conan.

So who did we see instead of Ryan? Taylor Lautner, who taped his interview for Abduction a week early. He was OK, but what really made the interview was a clip from a movie he made when he was 8. Imagine Tayor as a male version of Hanna, eight years old, taking down a nasty bald guy twice his size..and yet he smiles like an eight year old. Funny! It airs next Monday.
This was also the second time I saw him with Conan. The first time was at the Tonight Show two years ago.

Nicole Scherzinger of the Pussycat Dolls was actually pretty good, especially when she chided Conan for staring at her breasts, and delivered a killer Britney Spears impersonation.

So, after three days, I have seen celebrities, a very good movie and two talk shows. Not bad. Tuesday is Universal Studios, Kimmel with Simon Cowell, and a social media mixer. Wednesday is the last day when anything I want, including buying new Guild stuff, and maybe being at a red carpet.

Drive, he said..is what you should see

2011-09-17T22:59:00.000-07:00

It makes sense that a quarter mile away from the Regal L-A Live Theater, you'd see a really big billboard for what may be the hottest film around. In this case, the movie would have been more effective than the billboard.
Ryan Gosling has been many things from a romantic lead in The Notebook to a ladies' man in Crazy Stupid Love. He was even Young Hercules a long time ago.

That's why seeing him in Drive will blow your mind. He is a driver for hire. You have him for five minutes, no questions asked, whether it's being part of a robbery or even doing a movie stunt. He's a man of few words, bit he is focused and intense. Just look at the opening scene, where he tries to hide from the cops after a robbery. There's a good reason why he's paying close attention to the Clippers game on the radio. The camera also looks at the back of his jacket, a scorpion embroidered in gold. It is symbolic of what he is: cool and collective until it's time to act.

He crosses paths with Irene, a young mom played by Carey Mulligan. It seems her role isn't that much, but she is also conflicted about things. Her husband is about to leave prison, and she wonders if they can be a real family again. It's safe to say Ryan, known only as The Driver, is keeping an eye on them.

The Driver also has hopes for the future. He and a fellow mechanic named Shannon (Bryan Cranston) hope to get into NASCAR, and figure the Driver can do it for them. They get help from a local hood played by Albert Brooks. Now, forget Brooks' comedies. He ca play a real bad-ass guy you don't want to make angry.It's amazing he never got a chance at this before. It's quite a journey how he starts as a possible sponsor for the Driver's dreams, and winds up as his enemy. He's an easy Oscar nominee only because he does a great job here.

Anyway, the Driver decides to help Irene's husband with a robbery to get him away from the hoods that are threatening him. Everything goes wrong, and it happens so suddenly you'll wonder what happened. That's the thing about this movie: when people get killed, it's done very quickly and very suddenly.

Another unforgettable scene happens in an elevator where the Driver and Irene kiss while a suspicious looking guy is with them. You will not believe what happens after that, but it defines who the Driver is, in every way.

This is a fantastic crime movie that may seem slow, but once something happens, you won't forget it.

I had a chance to see Drive in the "Premiere Cinema" section, which I guess is the "big room" at the L-A Live Multiplex. Still, the #2 screen is also very big and comfortable. So, that's how I spent my first day in Los Angeles. I'll have a busy Sunday and Monday for different reasons, but I expect them to be enjoyable.

Where Were You at 9/11?

2011-09-10T18:14:00.000-07:00

It was ten years ago, and I was a former radio news announcer trying in vain to get back in the business. To stay above water, I was a temporary worker at a sawmill near Marysville. Didn't pay much.

I also had to get up early to get to work. When I turned on the news, I saw the two burning World Trade Center towers, and heard about another plane hitting the Pentagon. I couldn't stay long, because I had to go.
So, I turned on Howard Stern, when he was still on regular radio. I would never forget the shock he expressed when he saw the towers burn, and then collapse. He even admitted he wanted to get off the air, but he stuck around for a while.

In fact, YouTube has two videos of that broadcast...

Someone called RadioBlooie has an even more extensive recording of this event. That's the one I will always remember. I also have Don and Mike's broadcast, or much of it.

Anyway, the fact I had to cut wood or move tiles around kept my mind off the horror. I didn't have time to stay glued to my TV. I'd have enough time for that by the weekend.

Thinking back on that, I have to wonder how TV would have covered D-Day or even Pearl Harbor, since those events changed our nation. It would probably be much like what we had in 2001, even more so thanks to smartphones.

There will be some events in honor of the tenth anniversary Sunday. I'll be there, taking a lot of pictures.

Warrior: A Two-Fisted Sibling Rivalry

2011-09-05T00:26:00.000-07:00

When I decided to check out the sneak preview of the MMA movie Warrior, I thought that the ads for the film told me everything I wanted to know: two brothers wind up facing off in an MMA tournament with five million bucks on the line. The "good" brother, Brendan (Joel Edgerton), is a teacher with financial problems with a wife and kids to support. The "bad" brother, Tommy (Tom Hardy), has returned from the Iraq war, and reunited with his alcoholic father (Nick Nolte) who trained him as a youth.

Notice I said "good" and "bad" with quotations because as you get to know these guys, you know they both made mistakes in life. They'd like to forgive, but the bitterness is so strong. Anyway, we see Tommy and Brendan on their road to the tournament, known as Sparta. Other rivals stand in their way, including a Russian who looks unbeatable...and he's played by pro wrestler Kurt Angle. Doesn't have any lines, but he sure looks intimidating.

What I like about the story is that they keep Tommy and Brendan apart as long as possible. The story's about their individual roads to the Sparta finals, and what motivates them. For Brendan. it's keeping a roof over his head. For Tommy, it's helping a widow of an Army buddy.
Then, we find out Tommy actually saved some lives in Iraq, but he doesn't want to talk about it. There's a tragic reason why.

I loved Tom Hardy as Tommy. the haunted brother. He's trying to pull his life together, and appreciates the help his dad provides. Still, he has secrets and bitterness that can ruin his progress. Joel Edgerton was also great as Branden, the family man who made mistakes with his own family.

There is the traditional training montage, but at least it's updated with split-screen action--but not with some cheesy Eddie Rabbitt song. It's also interesting how other people get caught up in Tommy and Brendan's stories, and we see those fans cheer their favorite warriors on. The ending is a bit cheesy, but it leaves you wanting just a bit more about how the final result will affect both brothers and the dad.
The producers of Warrior played it smart by having a sneak preview during the Labor Day weekend. This should get more people to the theaters just before the NFL starts its season, and even more may check it out after we see ads for this film in between touchdown drives.

As for the trailers, they're still showing those trailers for Abduction and (ugh) Breaking Dawn. However, I am interesting in Drive because it has ALBERT BROOKS as a gangster. Ryan Gosling and Christina (yowza!!) Hendricks are two good reasons, too.

Attack the Block: Inner City Youth vs. Aliens

2011-09-04T12:37:00.000-07:00

While most people were really excited about seeing Cowboys battling Aliens, especially because Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig were part of the fight, another alien invasion movie was featured during Comic-Con. It came from England, and was a big hit at a couple of movie festivals. It's also better than Cowboys battling Aliens. In some ways, Attack the Block is similar to Cowboys and Aliens. Naturally, we've got aliens attacking the earth, and the whole battle is centered in a small area. We also have less-than-heroic guys being the only ones who can save us all. It's easier to root for Daniel Craig as a gunfighter than an unknown who starts the movie robbing a nurse, and winds up as the guy who can stop the invasion. Yet, John Boyega makes quite an impression as Moses, the leader of a gang who is anything but heroic. He starts off the movie robbing a nurse, then his gag makes short work of an alien who lands near their apartment block in south London. He even shows the body off to friends, and Hi-Hatz, a fellow gangster. They think nothing of this....until a few other aliens show up. They are much tougher: big black dogs with glowing and sharp blue teeth. These guys cause a lot more problems. Joe Cornish, who wrote and directed this movie, does a wise thing: he keep s the action centered to the apartment block and not much further, It's a little like Alien, where the crew of a spaceship has to deal with a monster of its own. Seeing a couple of Moses' crew lost in fog, wonder where the monster is, really amps up the suspense. Through circumstance, Sam, the nurse who gets robbed, winds up getting involved in the fight, especially after the aliens take out two cops who just arrested Moses for mugging her. He also has to deal with Hi-Hatz, who thinks Moses is at fault for all that has happened. What Attack the Block has over Cowboys and Aliens is that Moses and his crew use some very clever ways to fend off the aliens, usually machetes or fireworks. Better yet, we don't have anyone providing "unexpected help" to Moses (unlike Cowboys and Aliens, where that "help" nearly ruined the film). He does it his way, and take responsibility in the end. I could have seen this at Comic-Con, but I was called to a red carpet for Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, which is also a great movie. Waiting an extra six weeks for Attack the Block was worth it, and proves once again that the story is what counts, not CGI boogey-men.

Out With the Old, In With The New

2011-08-14T21:14:00.000-07:00

Blu-ray DVD players have been around for ten years, but have become more reasonably priced in the past couple of years. I've been tempted to make the big jump to blu-ray, except I like to record stuff on my DVD recorder. That's why I usually buy plain DVDs rather than the fancier blu-rays.

Anyway, since blu-ray seems to be the way to go, I decided to finally join the 21st century and get a player. Thanks to a 50 dollar Target gift card, I got on for 40 bucks net, but also had to get Paul and Super, too (the regular version). Now, the next problem: what blu-rays do I get? Sci-fi? Animation? Should I get gently used blu-rays? Seems to be the way to go, aside from the going out of business sales happening at Borders stores. I might get a blu-ray or two come Labor Day. I certainly won't try to replace the DVDs I have now with a blu-ray version. I'm hoping they'll still play great.

Now, with the addition of new technology, and yet another reason why I should get a flat-screen once my current TV finally fizzles, that means I will have to make the final break with my VHS recorder. Remember those, in the days before TiVo? It also means converting some of my old VHS tapes to DVD. This isn't much of a problem, except I have two really good ABC Sports VHS tapes I can't convert to DVD because they have macrovision on them. It's a pity because of one them has a really good history of ice skating from the 1950's to the late '80s, while the other one looks back at Wide World of Sports in the 1960s. As long as there's a chance I can convert them, I am not letting them go. The VHS recorder, however, is another story.

So, this week, I'm getting rid of the last of the tapes I can convert. They have old Japanese TV shows, subbed of course. Basically Kikaider and Kikaider 01. After that, it's off to Goodwill, and the new blu-ray player will take its place. The only ting left is teaching myself to switch to blu-ray, but not necessarily get rid of the plain DVDs I already have. Some are homemade, and thy also include the Whedon library. I should have it done by the end of the month.

We All Need Some "Help", and Some Trailer Talk

2011-08-10T02:59:00.000-07:00

When a movie house does a midnight showing, it's usually on a Friday morning. The film is usually the latest blockbuster, from Harry Potter to Iron Man, and that means a full house.
So how come the Century Downtown 7 decided to be the first to show The Help on a Wednesday morning? That usually happens just before Thanksgiving. I was almost expecting a bunch of women with their own copies of the book, checking to see if the movie followed the book to the letter.

No such luck. About ten people were inside with me, but it was well worth it.
You know the story: a white girl just graduating from Ole Miss decides to risk a lot to write a book about what it's like for Black maids to work in White families in 1962. We get some interesting viewpoints from Skeeter, the author and Aibileen and Minny, two of the maids.
Risks are taken, and there is a fair amount of loss, but there are also rewards in the end.
The movie does start with Skeeter interviewing Aibileen, but it's really the story of people finding their voice, and making sure they are heard...and it's not just the maids. Aibileen may be the narrator, but she is just part of the story.

We start with Skeeter, played by Emma Stone. After being in Zombieland and Easy A, this is her most serious role yet, and she does a great job. After getting a job at the local paper writing a housekeeping column, she befriends Aibileen (Viola Davis). After a while, Skeeter thinks about writing a book about her and the other Black maids. We also meet Minny (Octavia Spencer), a sharp tongued maid who's been fired from every household. Even with all that bravado, though, life away from work is anything from perfect.
We also meet the social queen bee, Hilly Holbrook, played by Bryce Dallas Howard. Now, she may be well-known as a vampire in Twilight: Eclipse, but she is even scarier here. She is the Ultimate Southern Housewife, who believes in good Christian values including building a separate toilet for the Help. She also has a special way of getting rid of maids she doesn't like. Skeeter is expected to fit into this society, but is very reluctant. She even wonders why her family's maid has suddenly left.

So, Skeeter tries to get the maids to hell their story. First Aibileen does, followed by Minny. Soon, others tell their story, too. We see that Aibileen is proud of how she and the other maids take care of the white children in Jackson, and how they grow up to be their new bosses a few years down the line. She is also scared about the emerging civil rights movement, especially the death of Medgar Evers. She knows her place because it's the only place she's allowed to exist. It's that tension, however, that also convinces Minny to help out with the book.

What really caught my attention was the relationship Minny has with Celia Foote, played by Jessica Chastain. The other housewives see Celia as some silly woman who will never be part of their club. Minny soon discovers Celia can't even cook...and a few other things...but they help each other out. You get the feeling that eventually, Celia will soon get more respect than Hilly. This movie isn't about a white person "saving" Blacks. People either save themselves or each other..while others who need help just can't admit it.
Of course, a certain pie is involved in the story, too. Let's say it gives new meaning to the term "just desserts".

You may also spot Sissy Spacek as Hilly's mom, who clearly has more sense than her daughter, Alison Janney as Skeeter's mom who has a big fat regret on her mind, Cicely Tyson as the maid Skeeter misses, and Mary Steenburgen as the New York editor who's intrigued by Skeeter's book.

After weeks of super heroes, robots and super-smart apes, and a few rom-coms, it's nice to have a movie with good performances and a great story. If you want to hide from all the noise of the blockbuster, The Help will be what you need.

They also threw in some trailers, including Breaking Dawn and that overly-sentimental War Horse trailer while I hope reveals a movie that's just as good as the Tony Award-winning play. I'm also interested in Tower Heist, where Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy rob a Bernie Madoff-type of 20 million bucks. It better be good. There was also a trailer for New Year's Eve, sort of a follow up to Valentine's Day. Robert DeNiro's in it, but don't be fooled. There's some guy looking for the girl he thinks is his destiny, and Katherine Heigl's being pointless and annoying...again. There's also Halle Berry, Abigail Breslin, Susan Sarandon and Ryan Seacrest too. I do know Lea Michele is in it as a singer who's not as driven as Rachel Berry, but she might go places.

While I'm on the horn, I must talk about how they're promoting In Time, with Justin Timberlake, Amanda Seyfried, and Vincent Kartheiser as super-creepy Future Pete Campbell. First, you should see this movie when it comes around Halloween because it proves a Logan's Run economy won't improve our global credit rating. Second, the latest movie trailer features Olivia Wilde as Justin's mom too much. I'm guessing the scenes she's in are in the trailer. If you want a better taste of what this movie is really about, try this trailer..

Now THIS will have you counting the days on your wrist.
Until then, we still have a lot of interesting movies like Apollo 18, Attack the Block (please, by Labor Day), Abduction (maybe), Moneyball (a baseball movie with Brad Pitt), Fright Night and Contagion...among others.

CGI Has Made a Better Monkey, and a Good Movie

2011-08-06T16:36:00.000-07:00

Remember the old explanation of how the humans made apes their pets and helpers, but were attacked by them, creating the Planet of the Apes?
Forget it. Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a more evolved version of the old movies from the 1970's and even the recent reboot.
They came up with a great idea: what if Man came up with a miracle cure for Alzheimer's, and it wound up making monkeys smarter, and eventually able to outsmart us?

In this case, the man is James Franco, who plays scientist Will Rodman. He has a personal stake in this because his father suffers from Alzheimer's. A prototype is tested on a monkey called "Bright Eyes" (the first of many callbacks to the original Planet of the Apes canon). The drug makes the chimp super-smart, but she is shot dead when she attacks someone at the lab. We see the properties of the drug is passed to her son, who is called Caesar. He is a chimp prodigy, who is able to communicate with Will quite well. However, the chimp has also inherited his mom's temper, and soon he's put in a primate prison. It's there that Caesar gets a hard education that will help him develop into Man's worst nightmare.

It's no accident that while the human actors are generic, although Franco has a wonderful relationship with Caesar, the chimp and monkeys are the most developed characters in this movie. Just look at the expressions Caesar have. You can see him evolving with one look. This is also due to the genius work of Andy Sirkis, who does a great job bringing Caesar to life. Some have said he should get an Oscar nomination for this. The Academy's reluctance to embrace a new type of acting, especially assisted with CGI, will probably keep that from happening. Otherwise, Zoe Saldana could have had a chance at a nomination for Avatar. It's still a great performance. When Caesar does something even more unlikely, I heard a lot of gasps in the audience.

They also have an orangutan named Maurice who's a dead ringer for a familiar Planet of the Apes character. That is no accident. Neither is a guy named Dodge, played by Tom Felton of Harry Potter fame. This guy sees the primates as his own objects of abuse. He's not too far off from Draco Malfoy.

Some may be a bit skeptical abut how quickly Caesar gathers his army against the humans, but the story is a starting point to how Earth could wind up being ruled by apes. When it ends, you wonder if it will become the PotA that we know from the original movie and sequels, or will go a different route.

As far as the trailers that came before the movie, the only one that got my attention was Contagion, about a doomsday virus. It's got an all-star cast, and I hope it can live up to its potential

My Second Movie Double Feature

2011-07-31T22:33:00.000-07:00

You know, we should have suspected that Cowboys and Aliens wouldn't live up to the hype when we saw Jon Favreau everywhere. We were distracted by seeing Olivia Wilde everywhere, but still...
I still took a chance on the movie, and it was good, not great. Daniel Craig was the top selling point as Jake, the guy who can't remember how he got a strange looking bracelet that will fire off lasers occasionally....in 1875.
Maybe the problem was we had a generic story, a gunslinger with a mysterious past coming to a town down on its luck and helps them face down a major threat, and added aliens who plan to take over Earth because the puny humans can't possibly fight back.
Or maybe it was a case of too many high-powered cooks not making a good enough broth. The producers included Steven Spielberg, Jon Favreau and Ron Howard. The writers included the guys from Lost and Fringe. It was still entertaining, but this was one of those times where I was glad to spend only $5.50 on it.
But in the name of God, how could it barely earn enough cash than the SMURFS?? I mean, how did they succeed (for lack of a better term) where Alvin and the Chipmunks, Hop and Yogi Bear didn't? OK, maybe it was the kids or nostalgic parents, but by THAT much?

I noticed the BEMs looked a lot like Cooper, the alien from Super 8. At least that movie had a better story that ended in Spielberg schmaltz but still earned big bucks. I would have really enjoyed it if we had a situation where primitive puny humans figured out a way to knock down the aliens without some unexpected help. But the movie decided some "help" was needed. You'll see where, especially if you saw the trailer a couple hundred times before the movie.

The second movie, Captain America in 3-D, was much better. It was fast-paced, loaded with action and good performances. Chris Evans is Captain America without a doubt, but Hugo Weaving was just scary as Red Skull. He makes Voldermort look lame. I also enjoyed Dominic Cooper as Howard Stark, and it's easy to expect him to be the father of Robert Downey Jr., and Sebastian Stan as Bucky..this time as a young man and not a teen sidekick. I really hope that somehow Hayley Atwell will be brought back for a Captain America sequel...as Stephanie Carter, the granddaughter of Peggy--and SHIELD agent.
I also notice Stan Lee is becoming just like Hitchcock, making sure he gets a cameo somewhere in the Marvel movie-verse. He's in Captain America, but I would have cast him in something else.
For now, the Avengers are next. Joss Whedon says directing this movie was easier than he thought, and that his version may be better than the original. Let's hope he's right in nine months.

Happy Birthday, MTV, But Your Party Should Have Been Bigger

2011-07-31T22:12:00.001-07:00

Today is the 30th birthday of a cable channel that has changed the world, but whose relevance ain't what it used to be.
Over the weekend, VH1 Classic has been rotating 12 hours of what it considers the best of MTV, Music Television, over the past 30 years.

12 hours? Not a month, at least?

What bugs me is that to limit itself to 12 hours, they leave out a MASSIVE amount of history. They will be airing the first hour of the network three times Monday. We get a fair amount of Mark Goodman, and cameos by Nina Blackwood, JJ Jackson, Alan Hunter and Martha Quinn. It's like talking about the Declaration of Independence and barely talking about the Founding Fathers. Sure, they give us clips of Club MTV (such as a very nice performance by Debbie Gibson), 120 Minutes, the final TRL (why not the first one, you knobs?), Jackass, Unplugged, House of Style, Remote Control, Cribs, Beavis and Butthead, and contest promos.

But come on! Why not turn VH1 Classic into MTV Classic, where we get bumps of the VJs, and throw in both Julie Browns (especially Just Say Julie) and Adam Curry? Why not have ENTIRE VMAs? Who wouldn't want to see the year Dana Carvey hosted, or the first one? How about the retrospectives the network had in 1999? Show whole episodes of Remote Control, especially with Denis Leary and Adam Sandler? Heck, show where the VJs are now. It's sad the original network doesn't think being 30 is important enough to throw itself a birthday party. I'm sure Katy Parry, Gaga, Rhianna, P. Diddy, and Pitbull would love to be on the decorating committee.
On the other hand, maybe MTV didn't want to admit hitting the big 3-0 because it's afraid the kids won't trust anyone over 30...like maybe CNN.

Martha Quinn had her own take on the big 3-0, and her brthday wish speaks volumes. Bless you, Martha! You were so great as a VJ, Canada had to invent its own version of you.

OK, so let's admit You Tube, Vevo really, has replaced MTV as the main source for music videos these days. Let's at least honor the channel that started it all.
Well, when August 2nd rolls around, and China doesn't foreclose on us because our government's financial expertise is worse then Bernie Madoff's, this will all be forgotten.

I will give VH1 Classic credit for showing MTV's first hour with the original ads. It just reminds us what we had back then, especially Superman II, a gum that's no longer available, and cologne that would be rejected in favor of Axe spray.

My Movie Double Feature

2011-06-26T18:45:00.000-07:00

Today I've done something I haven't done in about two years....I went to two movies, and enjoyed the second one more.
I still have some cash left in my Fandango gift certificate, and decided to check out Bad Teacher, mainly because Cameron Diaz was actually beating Green Lantern in the box office. Maybe SHE should be Star Sapphire if they really bother with a sequel.
Diaz is truly a bad teacher as Liz Halsey. Even as she tries to take advantage of the system and also get a bonus to pay for a boob job by hook and crook, you can't help but like her, especially if she has an annoying nemesis teacher who's a bit too perfect. Lucy Punch is great in a role that's a long way from Dinner for Schmucks. She will also be in the pilot for Powers, too. Justin Timberlake is also such a nerd as Scott, the target of Liz's diabolical plans to land a guy who'll take care of her. One surprise is Eric Stonestreet from Modern Family. He's in this movie as Liz's biker roommate.

The other movie was Conan O'Brien Can't Stop, a documentary of last year's nationwide tour that reminded people that NBC still has the wrong guy hosting the Tonight Show. You really get to see Conan unplugged and raw, and you admire him for pulling off a great tour despite all that he felt after losing the big gig. We see how the show was formed from very fast sellouts minutes after the tour was announced, rehearsals, and then the first show in Oregon. We also see stops in Las Vegas, L-A, Seattle, New York and Bonnaroo. We may see him overworked but we also see that he just loves to perform....and we love him. If you can, see this movie. It's worth it.

Oh, and as far as the trailers are concerned:

If Kevin Bacon has any need to tell people to reject the Footloose remake coming in October, the trailer has done the job for him. Dennis Quaid is no John Lithgow, Julianne Hough is no Lori Singer, and whats-his-name is no Kevin Bacon (OK, he's Kenny Wormald, but still...). There's no Kenny Loggins in the new soundtrack, either. Adding a secret place where the teens dance to hide from their parents doesn't help, either. HitFix's "C" grade for the trailer is generous.

Much better trailers include Horrible Bosses (which was seen on UFC on Versus this past weekend), 30 Minutes or Less, and The Help with Emma Stone, which may be the ideal movie for those who are Harry Potter-ed and Transformer'd out.

Comic-Con: Now the TV Beauty Pageant Begins

2011-05-17T16:41:00.000-07:00

Remember when Comic-Con was an annual convention where a bunch of comic book shops got together and talked about the latest Spider-Man?
Me, neither. No one does, or at least no one under the age of 40.

Two things got me to make this event an annual summer tradition: Sarah Michelle Gellar and Joss Whedon.
Whether either of them will be in San Diego in about nine weeks is not certain. After all, he has this movie to direct.

What is certain is that people will get their first looks at what most of us will be seeing this fall. Sometimes a show can have a really cool pilot, then fade out fast. That's why The Event was really the pilot episode, when the plane vanished to keep the President from getting killed--followed by a loud bunch of nothing.
Other times, it can be the start of shows that have become classics, from Lost, Chuck, Warehouse 13 and Fringe to Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Being Human, Stargate SG-1 and The Guild (yes, Felicia, your show counts because it proved all the internet can be better than cable sometimes).

So, now that the Big Four and a Half networks have unveiled their fall plans, let's see which shows will likely get a panel at Comic-Con.

ABC: Castle will be the only returning show, thanks to the appeal of Nathan Fillion. Two mysteries will be discussed: will Rick and Kate get together after she recovers from what happened just as season three ended, and if his Derrick Storm graphic novel will sell more books than Nikki Heat. Three new shows will likely be featured: The River (search for a missing explorer), the Charlie's Angels reboot, and Once Upon a Time (what if part of Maine was the home of fairy tales). I think Angels will get more attention because of the legacy of the old show and even the movies.

NBC: Like ABC, only one returning show, Chuck. Fans of the show will be speculating what will happen next for the Bartowski Gang. Two new shows may get a panel: Grimm, a crime drama where fairy tale characters are involved, and Awake, where a man lives in two realities after an accident. I'd throw in the new version of Prime Suspect with Maria Bello as a wild card.

CBS: Hawaii Five-O may be back. It was a popular panel last year. Big Bang Theory is a lock for a return. One dark horse may be A Gifted Man, about a surgeon who gets life lessons from the ghost of his dead wife.

CW: Hellcats will not be here. Nikita will, and a lot more than just a new episode. Supernatural will also be back because the girls just love those Winchester Boys. Vampire Diaries will also be back. The new Kevin Williamson show, Secret Circle, is certain to get a preview.
To most people, though, there is only one CW show everyone wants to see: Ringer. It's the only show because of Sarah Michelle Gellar, making a long-awaited return to TV as a girl who impersonates her rich twin sister, only to learn sis also made too many enemies. It will air Tuesdays at 9, which happens to be when Buffy used to air way back when.
The only question is whether she'll be there to promote the show. She hasn't been in San Diego since The Grudge. If she is there, they'll need Petco Park and Hall H and the Sails Pavilion to accommodate everyone who wants to see her.

FOX: As usual, this network will dominate the TV side of Comic-Con. It's a mix of animation domination, returning shows and two high-priced rookies. The veteran dramas include Fringe, Bones and Glee. The animated shows include The Simpsons to Family Guy, along with two new ones, Napoleon Dynamite and Allan Gregory.
Most of the attention will be on Terra Nova, where a family goes back to prehistoric times to save Earth's future, and Alcatraz, where several inmates from that prison somehow travel to the future. Terra Nova got an early look at Wondercon, and more special effects scenes will be featured to get people to watch this show on Mondays. Alcatraz has the backing of JJ Abrams, and Jorge Garcia for the Lost fans.

Cable shows will also be featured including Doctor Who's second half of the 2011 season, Being Human, Warehouse 13, Eureka, True Blood, Game of Thrones, Torchwood: Miracle Day, and even Weeds. (ETA: I forgot about Alphas, a new Syfy show where people with enhnced abilities join together against evil. It will premiere before the con).
TV networks of today are dominating Comic-Con the way neighborhood comic book stores did when Comic-Con fit neatly in a local hotel.

Thor: If He Had A Hammer

2011-04-30T17:00:00.001-07:00

While the USA is literally one of the last areas of the world to see the long awaited movie version of Thor after months of hype, some lucky souls have already seen the movie thanks to many sneak previews.
There was one last weekend in Sacramento, and I was lucky to get a seat to it. It meant losing a bit of sleep, but it was worth it.
It's a variation of the origin story where a man picks up a hammer and becomes Thor by striking it. Instead, Thor gets exiled from Asgard to Earth, and becomes mortal and must prove to be worthy of his status as God of Thunder. Natalie Portman is there as the plucky love interest, but Kat Dennings was pretty funny, too. Any Norse gods out there who'd like to share a beer with her?
Chris Hemsworth, though, is great as Thor. He seems to be one of the best actors no one has seen yet due to MGM's money problems (he's in two movies made by them, including Cabin in the Woods). When he first meet Thor, he acts like the cock-sure big man on campus, sort of like Brett Farve times 20. He's let his own glory go to his head.
It's when he's tossed to Earth that he gets a crash course of how he must be a real man to be worthy of his title. One scene that really got my attention is when he finally finds his hammer in a crater outside of town. Once he realizes he can't lift it, the fact that he's lost his divinity really hits him hard. Of course, he will prove himself, or The Avengers will be missing one hero.

Against Thor is Loki, played to diabolical perfection by Tom Hiddleston. However, the movie is slightly sympathetic of Thor's brother, even revealing his real origins that Odin only knows. However, when his jealous leads to destruction, then he becomes Thor's dark rival.

The movie has some connections to the Marvelverse which will all come together in next year's Avengers movie. There's a scene that's familiar to those who saw Iron Man 2, while Dr. Selvig (Skellan Skargard) talks about a man who experimented in gamma rays. There's a scene where many locals try to lift Thor's hammer, including an old man who wrecks his truck by trying to tow it out. Let's just say the guy will look familiar to many.

Granted, the Rainbow Bridge did look like a disco floor to me, and seeing Thor fly did remind me of Green Lantern (also about an arrogant guy who learns true heroism), but the 3-D was pretty good, especially the aerial shots of Asgard.

I'd say Thor was between the two Iron Man movies in quality, and is a good start to the Summer movie season. I am still very interested in the Captain America movie, and how that will play out. In any case, with two Iron Man movies, Thor and Captain America about to be in the books, it looks like Joss Whedon's vision for The Avengers is taking shape. Can you imagine Thor dealing with Tony Stark and HIS arrogance? Or Captain America wondering about how things have changed? This year's Marvel movies are just the preliminaries to the main event next year, while the DC movies featuring Batman and Green Lantern just have to prove themselves. There's less pressure since a Justice League movie is far in the horizon.

In any case, Thor has already taken theaters around the world by storm by earning 93 million before the big premiere Friday. With good buzz so far, he just may turn a profit by Mothers' Day.

A Killer Fairy Tale: A Review of "Hanna"

2011-04-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

Commercials for Saoirse Ronan's new movie, Hanna, have been going strong. People are pretty much aware of the new movie about a teenage girl who's been trained to kill, and that her target is a CIA official who has "Evil Stepmother" written all over her. Anyone who's seen the trailer, though, wonders why the dad is leaving his snowy cabin in a suit.

During Wondercon, about 350 people, including myself, were lucky enough to get a six-day head start on finding out what Hanna is all about. Ronan and director Joe Wright, who has worked together in Atonement, were even there to talk to the fans afterwards. They both had a lot to say, and I'll include that in this review.
Here they are....

This movie is an action thriller, but Wright says it's more than that. It's structured like the old fairy tale about an innocent girl having to leave her cozy home and go out in the big bad world to battle whatever is out there, if it's a big bad wolf, evil witch, or ogre.
Hanna is a girl who has lived with her father Erik Heller (Eric Bana) for most of her life. She hunts, learns about the world from an encyclopedia and a book of fairy tales, and is also a skilled fighter. Her dad has trained her for a specific purpose, and if that means never having Bieber fever, that's the price she'll pay.

Eventually, as kids do, they want to move on. She tells her dad "I'm ready". So, she turns on a transponder, whose signal is picked up in Washington. Specifically, it's heard by a CIA official named Marissa, played by Cate Blanchett. She passes it off as no big deal, but we soon learn Heller has done a lot of things for the CIA, and now must be captured. Naturally, she wants it kept quiet, which is a tip-off she has something to hide. Heller leaves for Berlin and tells Hanna to let herself be captured. We soon learn they want Marissa killed, and this is all part of the plan.
Once Hanna is in an underground compound, she asks to see Marissa. Someone does come but it's a decoy, who inadvertently winds up as a lamb led to a slaughter.
The chase is then on: Marissa tries to find both Hanna and Eric before they get to Berlin.
Simple, right? The hook is a teenage girl battling bad guys, and she's about as skilled as Jason Bourne.
Not so. There are other factors, such as why Hanna grabs her medical file before she leaves the compound...and discovers she's in Morocco. It's really all about what Hanna really is, and why Marissa will do anything to keep that a secret.

It's been a while since we've seen Ronan, who was last seen in Atonement and The Lovely Bones. At Wondercon, she said Hanna is really pure because she's lived in nature for so long. She doesn't know about the media-saturated world that tries to define what a girl wants, or what girl power is. Wright knows that, and isn't happy about how powerful women have to be sexualized.
Hanna is an innocent, even if she is also deadly. She gets excited seeing a plane for the first time. She is fascinated by turning a fluorescent light on and off, then is terrified when things like an electric kettle and a TV start rattling. She also feels free in movement, whether on a scooter or RV. She's able to use the fact that she is a lost and naive girl to her advantage, and hitch a ride with a vacationing British family. Through all that, she is looking back, wondering if the Big Bad CIA Agent is about to get her.

Speaking of which, Marissa soon gets help from a very creepy strip club owner named Isaacs, played by Tom Hollander. He reminds me of a German Tennessee Williams, although someone at the screening said he seemed to be from A Clockwork Orange because he whistled while he worked. She orders him, in a southern drawl that will make your skin crawl, to find Hanna. It's just like in Snow White where she sends the Huntsman to cut Snow White's heart out. The only difference is, Isaacs the Huntsman will follow her orders, but Hanna may be more able to cut hearts out than he is. Still, it also means the family that Hanna has joined are in danger, and it's up to her to make sure they don't get hurt.

There's another great scene when Hanna is in bed with her new friend Sophie, played by Jessica Barden. Hanna is excited to have a friend, and share a part of herself. It's all closeups, because that's how she and Sophie see each other. Barden is also a riot as a very typical teen who soon gets caught in an untypical situation. Olivia Williams (Dollhouse) is there, too, as Sophie's mom Rachel. At Wondercon, Wright described Rachel as a "failed feminist". She admits she doesn't like wearing makeup, and tries to cling to a little idealism of her youth. Hanna doesn't mind, because she finally has a mother figure to be with.

The relationships between mothers and daughters is an important part of the movie. You might say Hanna is the "daughter" (note the quotes here), while Marissa is the "Evil Stepmother". Hanna has to escape Marissa's clutches to return to her dad, and to grow up. Once we learn more about Hanna's true background, and how Marissa is part of it, that becomes more clear. Compare that to the relationship between Rachel and Sophie, which is truly typical.

You may also be impressed about how Bana tries to get to Berlin, even swimming across Europe if he has to. However, his determination also leads to major damage, and one very cool fight scene at a subway stop.

You will also love the soundtrack by the Chemical Brothers. Whether it's mimicking sounds of nature early in the film, pouring our techno music as Hanna tries to run, or even a fairy tale song as Marissa finds Isaacs in a strip club that includes a hermaphrodite stripper dressed as Snow White, it's a great counterpart to the film.

Still, Wright reminds us that this is still an action movie, if it was written by the Brothers Grimm. He pointed out at the press conference the original Grimms' Fairy Tales were really violent, and happy endings aren't as guaranteed as the Disney versions of these tales. That's why the final confrontation takes place in an amusement park complete with gingerbread house, where a guy called Grimm lives.

Ronan really does a great job as the teen assassin who, in the end, is the one with the purest heart compared to the adults trying to capture and/or kill her. Blanchett is a great villain as Marissa. Maybe she should be an Evil Queen/Stepmom in a future fairy tale movie. She has that role down in this movie.

Again, the screening at the Metreon attracted 350 people but could have drawn twice that if they decided on two screens. Wright was asked why we don't find out what happens to Sophie's family after Marissa questions them about Hanna. He said he left that ambigious because he did have a scene in mind, but the studio considered it too dark. When you see what happens to those who are also interviewed about Hanna, you'll see why. He also decided against having an epilogue after the fates of everyone are revealed. Actually, that decision does work out.

Check out Hanna when it comes to theaters this week. She'll be battling Russell Brand as Arthur 2.0, plus Natalie Portman as a warrior who'd also clobber Cate Blanchett, but she'll hold her own.

Rainn Wilson is Super in San Francisco

2011-04-02T08:06:00.000-07:00

With tons of superhero fans looking for a movie to see after the first day of Wondercon, what would be better than one about a short-order cook who loses his wife to a drug dealer, and decides to become a superhero to bring her back?

Sounds like a fine, upstanding commercial project.
Now, add James Gunn, then Rainn Wilson, Kevin Bacon, Liv Tyler and Ellen Page, plus a dash of Nathan Fillion.

There. you have Super, a superhero movie that clearly is not for everyone. In fact, Super has split the critics, but it has found an audience for those who want something a bit different.
Friday night's 7:30 showing at the Landmark Embarcadero was two-thirds full, but the crowd really enjoyed the action, especially Wilson telling crime to shut up, with a wrench in his hand

Now, this movie is very violent, and not just with Wilson and his wrench. Even in the credits, there's a lot of blood. In fact, the only superhero who could be traditional is the Holy Avenger, played by Fillion. He is the inspiration that convinces Frank, the cook, to become a superhero. Fillion is incredibly cheesy as the Bibleman/Heteroy-type hero shown by a religious channel. The guy who plays the villain is kinda creepy, too. Just check the credits.

What also stunned me about this movie is Ellen Page, as a comic book store clerk who becomes Frank's kid sidekick. She was a superhero once, namely in X-Men 3, Here, though, she enjoys being Boltie a bit too much, and gets way too close to Frank...in her costume.

Overall, this is a twisted superhero/revenge story, but there is heart as well. See Frank recall how he met a married Sarah, who was a recovering drug addict working with him. You can see why he'd do all this for her.

After the movie, Rainn talked about the film, and how it is an underdog story, compared to all the other superhero movies coming this year. He also said he'd like to get Page on The Office next year.

Super will be adding more screens through this month, and will also be available through on-demand cable the end of the month.

Wondercon's A Lot Less Wonderful This Year

2011-03-21T17:58:00.000-07:00

For the past few years, Wondercon in San Francisco has been the little brother of Comic-Con. People get a chance to see some big productions abut upcoming movies, and see a star or two. In recent years, it's been a pretty impressive event. It's where I got my first Joss Whedon autograph, and very close look at Serenity.
Last year, fans got a chance to see Kick-Ass early, see the cast of Chuck and Human Target, and even see the latest episode of V. Heck, it's where most people got their first look at Inception.

You'd think the 25th anniversary of Wondercon would mean big stars plugging big movies. The fact that it's held on the first weekend of April would be perfect timing for a preview of Thor, Scream 4, Apollo 18, Fast 5 or even Dylan Dog.
Well, no. The fact that no one from Thor is VERY surprising. However, we will get a panel on Super, James Gunn's version of Kick-Ass. Rainn Wilson will be there with Gunn. It makes sense because it premieres in San Francisco the day before the panel. There's also a panel on Hanna, which starts a week later. I'm interested in that because Olivia Williams (Dollhouse) will be in it.
The big panel will be Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds on 4/1, which will probably be the highlight of the whole weekend. What's surprising that three movies that won't premiere until much later in the year will also appear: Cowboys vs. Aliens (late July), Three Musketeers (October) and Immortals (November). At least with Immortals, Henry Cavill will get a lot of interest since he'll be the new Superman.

What's also surprising is TV Sunday will not be as star-studded as it usually is. Or, as Daniel Feinberg of HitFix tweeted:

@loquaciousmuse "Fringe," "Chuck," "Smallville," "Camelot," "Castle," "Community," "Supernatural." Heck "Glee" goes to supermarket openings.

NONE of them are coming to Wondercon. You'd think Smallville would come because it is ending its run on the CW, while Fringe and Chuck would have big finales.

So who is coming?
Doctor Who is coming, since it will kick off its new series with a visit to America (how come he doesn't drop in to San Diego, July 2011? We'll make room).
ETA: The panel will be moderated by Chris Hardwick. Mark Sheppard (aka Badger) will be there along with Neil Gaiman and director Toby Haynes. This should rival the Green Lantern panel.
A new Fox comedy called Breaking in, about high-tech security guards, will be coming with Christian Slater. That big new sci-fi show, Terra Nova, is also coming, despite the fact its May preview was cancelled a couple of weeks ago. There will also be a screening of Nikita, which resolves a big cliffhanger from the night before.
Two panels may be interesting because they involve two shows that likely won't be back. One is Human Target with Mark Valley. The other is V with Elizabeth Mitchell. I kind of hoped Morena Baccarin would also be there, too, since she and Liz never shared a real scene in season two. The V panel will also be interesting because fans will be asking if those who died in the season two finale are beyond resurrection, not to mention the show itself.

How Wondercon ends is also a surprise: we'll be seeing Dr. Horrible instead of Once More With Feeling. I'm not sure why, but this may be a new pattern: Dr. H at Wondercon and Once More With Feeling at Comic-Con. We'll see.

Wondercon is 25 years old. It should have gotten a better party. I hope it's not too late to add more guests.
Anyone want to e-mail Asgard?

Paul: He's Of Peace Always, and a Real Event

2011-03-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

You notice these days that people are telling us not to trust aliens if they ever decide to come here?
On some radio shows, they figure aliens will be as arrogant and cruel as humans were towards their less civilized brothers, such as the Spaniards against the Aztecs and the Ack-Ack Martians in Mars Attacks!.
Recently, a lizard lady from space made Earthlings her slaves while she locked up her double-crossing human-loving daughter, while another alien wants to start a nuclear reaction to set up a portal to bring his people over...and kill us.
And let's not forget that alien invasion in Los Angeles that was stopped by Aaron Eckhart, Ne-Yo and Michelle Rodriguez.
Yeah, aliens. Just can't trust those arrogant critters.

But then there's Paul. He's grey with a big head held up by a small body. He's got eyes cuter than that Puss and Boots guy in those Shrek movies. What's so dangerous about him?
Nothing, really. At least that's what two British sci-fi nerds learn, and a lot more, in a new movie that would be considered The Complete Sci-Fi Cliche Assortment, but is also a good road movie.
It's written by Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright, who revolutionized zombie movies with Shaun of the Dead a few years ago. They're the British nerds who decide to take a road trip after visiting Comic-Con. One night, they see a car in a rollover accident. When they look for survivors, they see a strange looking creature with a cigarette. That creature is Paul, who sounds just like Seth Rogan.

Anyway, once Paul convinces our two nerds he comes in peace, but would like to leave now, he gets them to drive them to the place where his alien friends can get him home. He also claims that he's played a large part in popular culture, especially a familiar movie and TV show.
They're followed closely by tough-as-nails Secret Service Agent Zoil played by Jason Bateman, and his assistants played by Bill Hader and Joe Lo Truglio. Bateman is really convincing as Zoil, and should repeat that role in other dramas. However, his boss is even more bad-ass. For most of the movie we only hear her voice, but we do know she has a picture of President Bush the Elder with the words "best thing I ever invaded", Gee, does Barbara know?

Along the way, the gang meet up with a lonely Christian trailer-park gal played by Kristen Wiig. I kind of liked her as a girl who gets a very unique revelation about her world, and how it convinces her to help Paul. Problem is, her dad soon joins the chase....along with two other rednecks who are upset the nerds wrecked their truck before they found Paul.

After weeks of us vs. aliens, it's nice to have a movie where reaching out to someone or something new is encouraged. Sure, the sci-fi references come thick and fast, especially in a redneck bar, but it's still quite entertaining.
When I saw it at the Century Stadium 14, the place was half-full. Apparently humans are in full March Madness even though the games so far haven't been close this March 19th. It may not overtake Battle: L-A, but it should do well in the long run. As usual, it's the story that sells the movie, even more than special effects.

As for the sneak previews, I saw the Bad Mother trailer again, but to get the real taste of that movie, find the red-band version. There was also Your Highness, and it does include Natalie Portman in a thong, and Hanna, who will put new meaning to the term "Hit Girl". They'll likely be featured during Wondercon, and I am going to say right now if Cate Blanchett isn't revealed as Hanna's mom, I will be shocked. I also saw one for Dylan Dog, who's a "cop" to keep the peace in the world of zombies, vampires and such. I was pleasantly surprised by that one, and I may check that out.

The Triplecast Lives Again...In March Madness

2011-03-17T11:19:00.001-07:00

For the first time, basketball fans can literally see every game of the NCAA Basketball Tournament. The new deal with the NCAA allows fans to choose between CBS, truTV, TBS and TNT to see their favorite teams, or at least a game that's more interesting than the others.
The only odd thing about this is truTV actually being a sports channel for a few days. It's about as strange as Lifetime carrying the WNBA for a while.
So why spread the NCAA basketball wealth on cable, rather than subtly suggest that getting a special channel on DirecTV to see all of the games would be better?
Two words: Olympic Triplecast.
I'm an old man, compared to the average age of people who write blogs. I remember when Pay-Per-View channels were new, when you could still hear what was happening even if the picture was scrambled. That was 1992, and it was the year NBC decided to offer live coverage of the Summer Olympics in Barcelona for a fee. Remember the Red, White and Blue Channels? They expected people who just HAD to see the Olympics live to pay a fee to get that chance.
Well, that didn't work. In fact, they discounted the price almost immediately, and even simulcasted the pictures on CNBC. That's why NBC decided to just spread the events to its cable channels four years later.

However, the idea of letting cable channels pick up the less popular Olympic events did work out for NBC. For one thing, it helped curling pick up fans in the past three Winter Olympics.
When CBS approved a new deal with the NCAA for the men's basketball tournament, it realized that whipping around from one game to another is no way to cover a billion-dollar event. So, they set up their own "quadruple-cast", with TBS, TNT and truTV carrying games at the same time. It also came up with a bar on top to show the scores of the other games happening on the other channels. Turner Sports and CBS know fans will be turning to their favorite teams or the most exciting game, but they still benefit.
So, why not offer this to, say, new satellite subscribers of DirecTV, or maybe a premium cable channel like the NFL RedZone?
Because still remember how much of a flop the Triplecast was. If you can offer people a special event, and avoid charging them for it aside from commercials, do it!That's one reason why the World Series and the Super Bowl will be on free TV forever. Anyone who tries to turn them to PPV events would be considered worse than al-Qaeda.

So, the idea of the Triplecast does live on, but in the best way: not charging fans for something they'll figure out a way to see for free.
After all, who needs a Triplecast when there's Twitter, Facebook, and certain ways to see PPV stuff for free?

PBS Brings Back Les Miz

2011-03-09T13:11:00.000-08:00

A staple during PBS pledge drives is showing the 10th anniversary Dream Cast Special from Les Miserables. It was shown mainly between 1995 and the early 2000s. It was part of my diet of occasional Broadway along with Sweeney Todd, pre-Tim Burton version.

This past weekend, a new version of Les Miserables was shown on PBS during another pledge drive. This was the 25th anniversary arena version that was shown in theaters first (kind of like how they show operas from the Met). It's also available on DVD.

The reviews in the papers mainly harped on how Nick Jonas ruined what's otherwise a really good special. I realize casting him as Marius, the boy among men, is also designed to get the tweens to learn about Broadway. Ironically, the people who created this musical already did that with the "schools version". Seeing young students perform the musical at the very end showed that you don't need a Jonas Brother to keep Broadway alive, If they wanted a teen near-idol as Marius, get Cory Monteith or David Archuleta. At least Lea Michele makes a credible Eponine because she did that as an understudy on Broadway (and young Cosette before that) and in concert in Hollywood.

So, how about the venues: the Dream Cast played at the Royal Albert Hall, while the 25th anniversary event was in the O2 arena, which is like doing A Chorus Line at Madison Square Garden. Despite that, presenting the musical like a massive concert still works, thanks to big screens that add backgrounds and scenes. People still miss the rotating stage, but the O2 stage still works. Also, the Dream Cast is mainly a concert while the 2010 version is more like a musical, including some scenes I didn't see before.
I thought Alfie Boe looked a bit too young as Jean Valjean, but he really made the role his own. Just avoid shedding a tear while he sings "Bring Him Home".
Norm Lewis is a very menacing Javert, a man who has no doubts which winds up staining his humanity. It's the first time I've seen an African-American in that role, but the way he struts around is something you don't forget.
The one thing that recommends this version is bringing back Lea Salonga, the eternal Eponine, as Fantine. Having her be the doomed mother who gives all for Cosette was a great idea.
Matt Lucas makes a great oafish Thenadier, and if his wife looks familiar....yep, it's the same Jenny Galloway who was there 15 years before. Hasn't lost a step. I thought Katie Hall was a bit too bright as Cosette. I guess I prefer Judy Kuhn in that role.

What also makes the 25th anniversary special great is the Four Valjeans, including Colm Wilkerson signing "Bring Him Home". It's as incredible as the hearing 19 different Valjeans from around the world, including Iron Chef Chairman Kaga, signing "Do You Hear the People Sing?" in 1995. Also, we hear from the people who created the musical, including Cameron Mackintosh, and the current London casts and the original members. For now, I'll keep my copy of the Dream Cast, but might pick up the 2010 version eventually.

History Celebrated in Sacramento

2011-02-13T10:27:00.000-08:00

It's not every day that world history can also be celebrated in Sacramento.
Local Egyptians had their say in what was happening in Cairo. First, they held out signs at 16th and J just after the protests started...

The real celebration, and honoring those who sacrificed to change Egypt, came recently. It was at the same corner, but it was just different. I didn't feel I was part of it, but I wanted to be there to show others what it was like, which is why I'm glad to share these pictures...

It's interesting that Egypt winds up being the best example of people power, and the strongest since the Philippines in the '80s. In the U-S, we have Tea Party followers demanding smaller government, no more spending, lower taxes, and maybe someone else as president. All the shouting, though, winds up to be just that: shouting, which results to nothing except the latest catch phrase which a pundit uses to look messianic and ratings-savvy. What Egypt did, with its shouting, resulted in a new country, and hopes for a new future.

The Return of ICWXP: The Return of Rikk Wolf

2011-02-13T08:42:00.000-08:00

Three years ago, heavy metal musician and MST3K fan Rikk Wolf decided, with a few friends, to make a little project where he was a zombie-fighting soldier trapped in a movie theatre with two weird looking robots. A mad scientist forces them to watch bad movies, mainly for fun. He admits it's cruel, and sounds vaguely familiar.
It was made into a DVD called Incognito Cinema Warriors XP, and it was sold on MySpace.
Little did he know that he would create an internet sensation, and something that MST fans have been craving for since the Satellite of Love went into TV history.

Now, after two years of weather disasters, technical difficulties, and depression that the Chiefs weren't what they used to be, Rikk is back with a new ICWXP movie. This time, Rikk, Johnny Cylon, Zed the Zombie Head and TopsyBot 5000 face new perils, including the most boring horror movie ever, and a new Big Bad.

Everything about it is new, starting with a live-action version of the old theme, complete with zombies who are looking for brains or a walk-on role in The Walking Dead. Rikk also recorded a new version of the theme, plus other scenes from episodes never shown including an homage to Dragon Ball.
After a sketch that mocks Starbucks, Rikk and the Bots see that Dr. Blackwood, their old nemesis, has been sent off. He's replaced by Special Agent Kincaid (Gregory Wyatt Tinnen), who is so evil he could clearly be Pearl Forrester's male clone. Anywho, he works for the Ludivico Corporation (who probably started this zombie apocalypse because it's so Resident Evil), and he decides to show bad movies more cruelly. He even has an evil smartphone that Pearl would envy.

We start with Ghost Rider, which isn't the Nicholas Cage movie, It's a safety film where a new kid learns about bus safety from a ghost. It's not bad, but it does drive Cylon to sing Jim Croce and TB5K to remark "The dead walk the earth and they want us to read bus safety pamphlets." It also ends with Topsy doing a killer Morgan Freeman.
Then the gang is startled by a famous Lucky Strike ad where cigarettes are square dancing. In fact, we got a lot of callbacks from the short and ad.

The main event: Werewolf in a Girls Dormitory, an 1961 Italian horror movie which is self-explanatory. After very sexy horror flicks like Lady Frankenstein and Bloody Pit of Horror (yes, even that Crimson Executioner guy), we get 87 minutes of droning talk between the characters about blackmail, gossip, funerals and zzzzzzzzzz, etc. We barely get three minutes of werewolf, and it's not even a good one. In fact, it's described as a "were-Michael C. Hall". We're supposed to wonder who the werewolf is: the Peter Lorre caretaker, the teacher who could be a young Frau Blucher, the handsome new teacher, an old guy who's having a near-affair with one of the students, his creepy wife, or maybe whoever came up with this movie. Rick and the gang have to muster all their strength to come up with some good riffs to keep from dozing off.

Some examples:

Opening titles show the "horror" of the monster: "It's the Satan Platypus!"
The new teacher shows up: "I think I'm going to live it here on Wicker Man Island."
Alfred goes home after talking to Mary, the student who's blackmailing him: "He's gonna lay low in Paul Lynde's house for a while."
The caretaker sneaks into the girls' bedroom: "Ben Roethlisberger, your wet dream is here."
When the real werewolf is revealed in a "plot swivel", he then attacks one of the students: "This makes me feel like a teen wolf again."

The host segments include Cylon and Topsy mocking Ghosthunters, with a surprise cameo, Topsy doing something so disturbing it excites Kincaid, and the worst surprise party ever. There's even a callback to the letters segment MST3K did way back when.
It's clearly a triumphant return to form for ICWXP. Sadly, it's also the last movie they're going to attack. They're switching to short subjects that could be even worse than any movie Nicholas Cage is in. But we're left wondering what is Kincaid's deal, where he got that evil smartphone, and whether Dr. Blackwood is gone.

Actually, we get a few clues in the extras: Rikk has a commentary on the host segments, and reveals a few tidbits on what's to come. He also includes a couple of music videos from his band At the Left Hand of God. There's a Q and A session with Rikk, Tinnen and Zach Legler (Cylon). They even answer a question I forgot I ever sent them. I do find out Rikk didn't start this show because he worked at an AMC theater. We also see how the bots were made, and a quick tour of the studio. It's more cramped than Best Brains in its early days, but it shows how damn good humor can spring from humble beginnings.

They have a new website at www.ICWXP.com, where you can get past DVDs, YouTube bits, including the new theme, links to Twitter and Facebook, apparel, and even a hint on what season one will be all about. I'm praying for Robo-Blackwood, personally, or maybe the zombies will make their own TV show about how they battle the hideous threat of the living, and call it The Walking Braaaaaaaaaaaaaaiiiiiiiinnnnnnnnssssss.
Until then, pray for Rikk Wolf, Johnny Cylon, Zed and TopsyBot 5000..and for more adventures to come.
Maybe they can throw in their version of Alice from Resident Evil, or whoever Kate Beckinsale plays in Underworld, who helps them out because she is an even bigger MST3K fan.

Oscar Party: The Real Season Begins

2011-01-30T15:47:00.000-08:00

The Golden Globes were a fraud...as usual.
So, the Screen Actor's Guild Awards is the real start of the speculation on who will be the new Hollywood Royalty after this 2011 Academy Awards.

So far, people think that The King's Speech is the odds-on favorite for Best Picture, after The Social Network was given that title thanks to movie critics and film societies. People are now betting on TKS because Oscar voters are old, and like quaint things. TKS is an old-fashioned British period piece like (ugh) The English Patient. It's about a British King....who has a stammer....which he has to overcome as his country is hurtling towards World War II. It screams Oscar bait, although not on purpose. This is to Oscar voters what Red Bull is to college students who have to finish a term paper three hours before it's due.
Granted, I loved it. Seeing Colin Firth as a King who is just plain scared to talk in public places, partially because he thinks he's destined to be lost in the shadow of the future Edward VIII, is quite a sight. Remember, we see him as the dashing romantic hero with a way with words.

Still, Oscar voters would rather vote for this man rather than Jesse Eisenberg, who plays the total asshole who gave us Facebook. In fact, Jesse might be considerd third behind Jeff Bridges, who is wonderful as the real Rooster Cogburn in True Grit. I just saw the 1969 version on AMC, and that version just wouldn't fly today. John Wayne got his Oscar for that version because it was mainly his last hurrah as a western hero. However, The True Grit of 1969 was too...bright and clean. It was more of a family movie, like The Rifleman. The Coens thought we should see the real True Grit of the 1880's. We hear what people really talked like back then. We don't see Mattie's family because, aside from Rooster and LeBouef, she is on her own in her bid to avenge her father's murder. Also, the ending is much different.
It also made me wonder...how would John Wayne handle Hallie Steinfeld, and how she portrayed Mattie Ross. It would have been a better match.

But back to TKS.....it's a good piece of history, but The Social Network is also good history, and it cuts between the two lawsuits Mark Zuckerberg is battling, and how he created Facebook. You see Eisenberg as a driven guy who is so focused, he forgets to make enough friends to have his back. It's a good story...if you're under 45. If not, you'll go to the old-fashioned drama of TKS.

Overall, the academy may spread the wealth in the major awards. TKS gets Best Actor and maybe Best Picture, Social Network gets Best Director and Adapted Screenplay, Inception should get Best Original Screenplay while Christopher Nolan would have the right to punch anyone who didn't think he should have been in the Best Director mix, Christian Bale gets Supporting Actor for The Flighter, while Steinfeld wins Supporting Actress, and Natalie Portman wins Best Actress for Black Swan (and for wisely making a sex comedy that will be 125 times better than the kind of sex "comedies" that will come down the pike in a few weeks (coughJustGoWithItcoughHallPasscoughevenworsethanNoStringsAttached).

ETA: Sure enough, TKS takes best cast. If the actors are leaning towards the traditional choice, then Social Network just lost its last chance to get the middle-age vote. TKS is a shoo-in in the BAFTAs in two weeks. It's all because in TKS, we have a hero and a comeback story. In Social Network, you have a massive jerk who just didn't have enough regrets while he was changing how we use the internet.
I am surprised Melissa Leo beat Hailee Steinfeld in Best Supporting Actress. It looks like Leo will get the sweep, along with Christian Bale. Steinfeld's last best hope could be the BAFTAs, if she wins Best Actress over Natalie Portman. I really think if we get a major upset somewhere, it would be there.

Donald Sutherland and the Walk of Fame

2011-01-30T15:11:00.000-08:00

While my hopes of seeing Conan and Ellen Degeneres didn't work out (tip: call the Ellen Standby line hotline at 8:00:01 AM), I did enjoy seeing Donald Sutherland get his star on the Walk of Fame, just off of Hollywood and Orange. It is also where they shot an early scene from the original Buffy movie. It was where she was leaving a lousy movie. The building used to be a movie house, but has been converted to a fancy strip mall. It was also a chance to take my Kodak Zi6 for a whirl. Thing is, I also tried to take photos at the same time, and put both cameras above a few photographers who were in front of me.
However, the photos came out much better.....

With Colin Farrell, who will be in a movie with Donald called "Horrible Bosses":

and the sign, who is wondering when its first close-up is coming...

The Flickr set is right here.

Of fog and football

2011-01-24T09:00:00.000-08:00

About a month after everyone else, I am finally on my winter holiday. I'll spend three days in Los Angeles, and, as usual, talk shows will be top of my list.
I'll be at Kimmel, and will try to get into Conan and Ellen DeGeneres if they suddenly have a lot of standby seats to fill.

Also, it's the real start of Oscar season. Usually, it's the Golden Globes, but this year is an exception because they snubbed True Grit. That's why next week's SAG Awards is the real start. Melissa Leo's chances of winning Best Supporting Actress will really be measured once she is competing against Hailee Steinfeld.
Despite this, the nominations will be announced tomorrow. It's a given both Leo and Steinfeld will make the final cut in that category. It seems it will be the war between George VI and Facebook, with Rooster Cogburn 2.0 as a possible spoiler. I am hoping all of the TV stations will be stalking movie houses to get instant opinion on who got nominated.

I will also try to fit in a tour, too. I was thinking about going to Paramount, where the cast of Glee will supposedly hide from tourists who pass by, especially Lea Michelle. Considering they think they're justified after their Golden Globe bonanza, that's show biz for you....and that there's a lot of pressure in making music. Who else is in their position on TV? However, I don't know if I can get in today, or even Wednesday if I'm out of luck in trying to get a standby spot to Ellen. If nothing else, I can wander around the Kodak Theater. It's been years since I've done that. It would be perfect now, since preparations for the Oscars should be underway.

I'm only going because of a fare sale, and a new hotel deal. I could have gone last week to celebrate Buffy's birthday at a comic book store in L-A, but it didn't occur to me. I just wanted to be in L-A when the Oscar nominations came out. If nothing else, I'd like to do something I haven't done in L-A before, or it's been years since I have. Just do something different.
At least, I'll start using the AMC movie passes, which means a direct route to the Citywalk to see True Grit.

So, what about fog and football?
Well, it's really foggy in Sacramento, except at the airport. For some reason, it's less foggy, and no flights have been severely delayed. So, I should head for L-A's premature spring, with temps in the 70s. Sacramento will be lucky to hit 61.
Now the football part: Green Bay vs. Pittsburgh will mean big ratings because it's a Super Bowl matchup that traditional fans would love. What I've noticed is that the NFL has changed its conference trophies. They used to be shaped like the side of a stadium. Now, the trophies are variations of the Lombardi Trophy. I guess it makes the Super Bowl loser feel like they've almost won the big trophy, but almost. Trust me, those who don't win the Super Bowl from now on will now the difference between the Lombardi Trophy and the conference trophy they wind up getting.

Nothing Lasts Forever, but COME ON!

2011-01-22T17:30:00.000-08:00

For those who take life for granted, this has been a rough week.
First, Regis Philbin announces he's retiring from his morning show in New York. He's had a nice run, but most thought he;d never retire.
Besides, he's 79. Betty White is older and has a cable sitcom
Then, Keith Olbermann was kicked out of MSNBC, soon to the Comcast News Network. Let's not kid ourselves. He was the most popular guy on the network with Countdown, and now he's gone, Just like that.
At least Conan O'Brien was given a few days to vacate the premises. From what we hear, Olbermann was given the same exit deal. No TV for who knows how long, but he can be on the internet. If that means video blogs are OK, this will make him stronger. If there's something internet junkies have learned, the net can be one big channel.
Who knows? Maybe Regis will follow suit.

The Giants Start Their Victory Lap

2011-01-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

I'm sure the World Series trophy has had its share of tours in recent years. The team that wins the Commissioner's Trophy usually arranges a tour so that all fans can take a look at the trophy, up close.
The Phillies did it, and the Yankees, the Red Sox, even the Chicago White Sox.
Now, it's the Giants' turn.

The last time I got close to any championship trophy was the Stanley Cup, and that was when San Jose hosted the NHL All-Star Game.
At least the Gants think that they should bring the trophy to the fans. Sure beats trying to get to AT&T Park, although that is possible, too.

There were two ways to see the trophy. Many decided to wait in line for a very long time to see the trophy. This is how long...

Until at least you see this sign...

and room 211 on the State Senate side....

It was a pretty long line, but at least people got out of the cold that morning.

Later that afternoon, the trophy was placed in the big lobby at Sacramento City Hall. I had expected the line to stretch out to the Downtown Plaza. It didn't, but the line was still long...

These fans were officially the last in line, according to the police department.

Otherwise, it would have gone on all night. After all, it may take another 56 years to bring the trophy back. At least with the Sacramento Rivercats, they have a couple of Pacific Coast League trophies and a Triple A World Series title. You can see those anytime at Raley Field.

And for those who forgot the World Series Trophy was in town, I took these pictures to symbolize the envy of those who wished they came sooner....

However, it's not too later. The Giants website says the trophy's tour has just begun. It'll stay within Northern California for the most part, except for stops in New York, Scottsdale and Medford. It's supposed to tour the city before the home opener on April 8th.
Still it was quite a thrill to see the World Series Trophy up close.

So What Kind Of Old Year Did I Have?

2011-01-02T10:56:00.000-08:00

There's nothing more depressing that January 2nd.
The excitement of a New Year is over, even though there are still a few football games to be seen, the biggest one coming in a week. You have to either put away those holiday decorations, and toss those dried out trees that looked so festive a week before.
Then you look back to see if you really accomplished anything in the previous year. Either you star into space, thinking about all the things you could have done, or you adopt Felicia Day's style of reviewing the year. I suggest the latter. It reminded me that while I failed to get published in a book of essays on Dollhouse, I wrote a much shorter sketch on what should have happened to the MST3K crew at the end of the series...and got a free ticket to a Cinematic Titanic show. It showed me that small victories can actually be pretty big after a while.

I also realized that many of my stories for Whedonopolis could be considered world exclusives...only because I just happened to be the only guy who thought to show up. Thus, my interview with Juliet Landau in San Francisco, coverage of Jewel Staite and Amber Benson's appearances in Sacramento, and recap of the Whedonverse CreationCon at LAX could be considered world exclusives. Technically. Because I was there. Just me.
Well, it's SOMETHING!
I can also claim to be one of the first people to take a picture of someone buying an iPad, since its debut happened the same day as Wondercon in San Francisco.

However, I have to claim two events that were the highlight of 2010 for me:

Attending a World Series Game....sort of:

This happened as a fluke. I had October 27th off for a Rifftrax event, but then the Giants suddenly found itself in a World Series. I found out I could be at AT&T Park on that date, and maybe get to see the game in the "Knothole" section for three innings. I made it in the middle of the game, then went to see Rifftrax. It got even better when we finally won the Series.
The trophy is coming to Sacramento this week. Of course, I plan to be there, and maybe for the FanFest, too. It should have even more people than usual. Winning a World Series will do that.

Getting Into Conan O'Brien's 2nd TBS Show:

The last time I tried to get tickets before dawn was to see Inglorious Basterds at Comic-Con. That paid off.
So did this. After my request for a ticket to see Ellen DeGeneres didn't work out (as in they didn't even tell me they already had enough people and try again next time), I gambled on getting a standby ticket for the second show. For one thing, it had Tom Hanks.
I just barely made it, and I have a souvenir to the real start of Conan's cable days. The first show was basically a hero's return. With the second show, you have to get back to work..and Conan certainly did.

So, my goals for 2011?
Well, I will try again to ask the Emmys if I could be a seat-filler again, or go back to the bleachers. I skipped 2010 only because it happened in late August. I prefer to come to September, so I can combine it with other events.
I may go back to the Paley Festival, although there's a lack of shows I'd like to see honored. It wasn't like the old days when there was Dr. Horrible, Pushing Daisies, How I Met Your Mother or Dollhouse. I would hope V gets to be part of the PaleyFest...if it's still on the air. Ditto for The Cape.
Yes, I'm mainly interested in shows that have Whedon Alumni. I might even see a Castle panel, if there is one.
As for wild wishes, the one right on top would be to go to London. I have a passport, and I'd like to use it before it expires in six and a half years. Second place would be Canada, tied with New York.
I also hope that somehow, my Whedonopolis stories will eventually lead to new opportunities. Even though I am 51, and write as if I'm 20 years younger (maybe 15), I would like to think I can write stories that would appeal to fans out there. I know my blogs won't inspire movies, much less webisodes. I would just hope someone would have me do something special. Until then, of course, these blogs will keep coming.

Already, 2011 will start with a bang: the new old Governor, Jerry Brown, will host a free lunch at the State Capitol, and the Giants World Series trophy is coming to town.
Then, Drones will be On Demand well before it comes to theaters. Gotta review that. What's interesting is that Amber Benson fans in New York and L-A will be upset this sneak preview won't be available. Other major markets, like San Francisco, Philly and Chicago, will be luckier.

My movie weekend

2010-12-19T14:38:00.000-08:00

Since awards season is underway with the announcement of the Golden Globe and SAG Award nominations, that means I'm spending more time at a theater near me.
After having to wait out the less-than-worthy movies, and still regretting not seeing Toy Story 3 when I had the chance, I'm starting to put together a list of which ones to see.
As usual, I go to the bargain matinees. I'm cheap and proud of it. So what if I have to wade through semi-flooded streets to save a few bucks. So be it. That's what I did to see The Black Swan.

At least one person has said this movie is The Wrestler in a tutu, or something like that. In this case, it's a bade of honor. It's directed by Darren Aronofsky, who shows us the ugly side of stardom and what one has to do to keep up.
Remember Randy the Ram? He relied on steroids and very unhealthy habits to stay in the pro wrestling game, even if he was way past his prime.
What has that got to do with up-and-coming ballerina Nina Sayers, played by Natalie Portman? Actually, a lot. Even if she is moving up the ranks of her ballet company, she has to undergo a punishing physical process to stay in shape and do the routines over and over. She's up for the Swan Queen in Swan Lake, even though director Thomas Leroy, played by Seymour Cassel, isn't sure she can do it. He wants someone who can be pure and then seductive. She does get the role, but now she has to fight to keep it.
Her rival is Lily, played by Mila Kunis. Lily is a free spirit, and the first ballet dancer I've seen with a tattoo of swan feathers. It's no coincidence.

Looking at this movie, you have to see Nina's life. She may be an adult, but inside there's a scared little girl who wants to be perfect. Technique she can handle, but trying to be the white and dark swan may be too much for her. It may also be a metaphor for trying to achieve emotional maturity.
Her family life is a little scary, too. She lives with her mom Erica (Barbara Hershey) who was a dancer until she gave it up to raise Nina. She keeps Nina in a little girl world. Compare that to Randy the Ram's attempts to reconnect with his daughter. While that relationship fell apart, Nina is way too close to her mom. Both extremes wind up hurting the main characters.

When Leroy explains to his cast how his version of Swan Lake will end, I had a flashback to how The Wrestler ended. Let's just say both involve a leap of faith.
I'm trying to keep spoilers to a minimum, but I can Natalie Portman is incredible as Nina, the ballerina who gives everything, and maybe to much, for her career and her role as the Swan Queen. Unfortunately, it's a little too similar to how much Randy the Ram gave to wrestling, right down to the cheering of the crowd.
I also liked Kunis as Lily, She's also believable as a ballerina, as she represents the darkness Nina wishes she could embrace, but also fears.

Meanwhile, I also decided to use up a Crest Theater movie card by seeing The Fighter, about boxer Micky Ward and his brother Dicky. I'll make this short by saying Christan Bale is fantastic as Dicky, a former boxer who trains brother Mickey. Much of the drama centers around the Ward family, and how mother Alice manages Micky's career. Melissa Leo is great as Alice, but Amy Adams is a big surprise as Charlene, Micky's love interest who the family doesn't trust because she thinks Micky should take career in a new direction. This is especially true when Dicky winds up in prison. Forget Gisele or the nun she played in Doubt. Adams has real edge as Charlene. She and Leo may wind up competing for Best Supporting Actress several times this winter.

So, what's next? True Grit, for one. I'd like to see how his Rooster Cogburn matches up with John Wayne. I already think Hailee Steinfeld will be much better than Kim Darby.
But, I have a lot of over cash I have to spend: three AMC passes, 25 dollars in Fandango cash gotten at a 50 percent discount, and two e-Movie Cash tickets. The toughest part will be using the AMC passes (provided by Coke Rewards, by the way) because I live in a Cinemark town. I can use them in L-A and San Francisco, and they won't expire. I hope to use two of the AMC passes, if the Citywalk Cinema has the right movies there. Of course, that means True Grit, Tangled and (if necessary) Tron Legacy.
I'll also be in L-A when they announce the Oscar nominations. That will also influence my choices. Of course, I could also go to a DVD kiosk to get Winter's Bone, which may play a big role in the final results.
If nothing else, I'll be a more informed Oscar viewer.

Christmas in Downtown Sacramento Isn't the Same

2010-11-28T16:29:00.000-08:00

Time for me to add holiday cheer to my blogs, web page and Twitter page. Before I do that, I took some time to see what Christmas is like in downtown Sacramento.

The recession has already taken a toll on Downtown Plaza. The annual lighting of the traditional tree was cancelled. Instead we have this...

A toy display in front of the former Hard Rock Cafe. If that is not symbolic of hard times in downtown, this is...

A dozen small trees with lights is not the same. We could have just one in my house.

So, it's left to Old Town to bring in the big Christmas cheer. They have a new show called Theater of Lights that happens twice a night from Thursdays to Sundays. It's a bit of Disneyland in Old Town. It's hosted by a guy who says he's Mark Twain.....

He gives a brief history of Old Town, but the highlight is a reading of The Night Before Christmas. The performance I saw on November 27th was actually a hoot. We have Santa with his eight reindeer...

Then he ho-ho-ho'ed just a bit too much, resulting in this...

He should perfect this part of the job in no time, and do it perfectly by Christmas Eve.

There's also the tree as the area's centerpiece. This is a lovely view at sunset.

I also liked this row of trees, with hats instead of angels on top.

So, if you happen to be at Old Town this holiday season, take some time to enjoy the way they celebrate Christmas. It also shows the advantage of having local businesses. I bet Westfield decided to pool all their holiday cheer at the Roseville Galleria and neglect Downtown Plaza because people would rather go to Roseville and its better variety of shops. Well, adding a Hyundai store to Downtown Plaza doesn't make up for not having a tree this year. Not in my opinion.

Is It Too Soon To Judge Conan?

2010-11-11T08:28:00.001-08:00

It didn't take long for people to decide if Conan O'Brien's new show on TBS would be a hit or a miss.
After big ratings Monday, they have dropped, as expected. It happened when he took over The Tonight Show. In the long run, he did pull in a bigger audience than Jay Leno, but NBC wanted that "comfort midnight snack" that carried the show since 1992.
After three days, USA Today is saying the show is just like the one he had on NBC, which is both good and bad. Entertainment Weekly, for some reason, is upset he makes fun of TBS a lot. Yeah, and why shouldn't he? The other hosts mock their networks,. It's kind of like federal law.

I think I know the problem: everyone wants Conan to be the TV version of the Legally Prohibited from Being Funny on TV Tour. They expect that because they think cable can allow it.
You know, they may be right. I'd like to see Conan go free-form a bit more, and maybe involve his guests in comedy bits, make it more of a variety show with interviews. Tuesday's whale-watching bit with Tom Hanks proves that. Imagine what they could do with Jon Hamm, the most handsome SNL host in years, and damn funny to boot.
Maybe Conan isn't sure what he can do or get away with right now. He's starting the new era with what he knows best, which is the show he's been doing since 1992. Then, he can decide what walls he can remove.
Here's another idea: bring back the characters he had in the NBC days, and say, "OK, NBC, I expect your gun-toting lawyers tomorrow. Come and get me!"
That would be worth it, to see Triumph, the Masturbating Bear. the Preparation H guy, S&M Lincoln, and the like. Heck, bring back Amy Poehler as Andy's little sister Stacy. This time, since she's grown up since then, we can see if she still has a crush on Conan or is dating a Jay Leno clone.
Also, with the Conan Blimp being grounded by winds, why not do a bit about that? Conan can say the Blimp is grounded because those assassins who shot him in the first show now want to blast the blimp out of the sky. However, you get the pilot armed with a "say hello to my little friend" rocket launcher, and he blasts the assassins away. Then, the blimp flies again, and finally starts its West Coast swing.

The point is this: we shouldn't say if Conan has succeeded or failed after a week. We shouldn't complain about his choice of jokes. Let him spit out the last of the NBC-caused venom. Let him mock his new surroundings, even if they're nicer than the old set. Let him admit his new situation. he'll know that after a week or two, he'll tell the crowd that he's gone through the Seven Stages of Grief, and from now on, it's gonna be Conan time every night.
If there is a time to make any judgement, it should be during the holiday break. Then we can decide what works, what doesn't and what changes can be made.
Heck, he had a hard enough time trying to keep his job at NBC during his first year. Let's not be hasty. That's too prime-time. It's also too much like pro sports.

Nice Little Vacation

2010-11-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

Well, that was five days that went fast.
Much of it was spent hammering out stories about the "Weekend of Whedon", which apparently is giving Whedonopolis a lot more visitors these days. I was sure someone else would recap what happened at several other websites. Apparently, I have been thanked for going the extra mile getting all the big stories.

Aside from that, I did something I hadn't done since Comic-Con two years ago when I wanted to see the premiere of Inglorious Basterds: I woke up at the crack of dawn to get a standby ticket for Conan O'Brien's second show for TBS. As you can see....

I made it, but barely. I was number 11 on the standby line, and the magic number was 14. Still, it was worth sacrificing some sleep to get to see the real beginning of Conan's career on basic cable. I got there about seven a-m, and wondered how many people would be there. There were seven people in front of me, including five that had been here since 2 AM. It was cold but at least it was dry. I had a book about Dollhouse to keep me occupied. Couldn't have brought the iPod, since I could also prove it doesn't record anything.
The best part, of course, was Tom Hanks very happy to get the new show on a good start, since his next movie is more than eight months away. The best part was when he got drenched by the CGI whale. You can bet the backdrop will be the scene of many a strange situation. That's one-up on most late-night shows, except for Letterman. At least his backdrop can feature some trains, planes, and orange blimps.

Because of the usual prohibition of cameras, I decided to take a picture of some of the first fans from Monday's show.

A food truck called the Patty Wagon dropped by, to sell sliders to hungry Conan fans. It didn't show up for Tuesday's show, for some reason.

I also got a chance to see a taping of Jeopardy. The shows won't air for four months, but they have one guy who just make take the show for a lot of cash.
It was a lot better than the Catch 21 taping I saw last year. The seats at the Sony studios are much more comfortable. The set looks high-tech, but it's the contestants we're supposed to look at. Alex Trebek is also a very sharp wit. If Dancing With the Stars started ten years ago, he'd host it..or should.

So, that's my last visit to SoCal of 2010. I'll make another trip in late January. I hope this time the people who run The Ellen DeGeneres Show will accept my request to get a ticket. I lost out last year because they changed the schedule, and still got my "guaranteed" ticket three weeks after the episode aired. If my request for the November 9th show was accepted, I never would have gone to see Conan. I'll ask for tix for both, and maybe I'll be lucky this time. Getting a ticket to Kimmel is never a problem.

Changing Times

2010-11-07T08:05:00.001-08:00

As you may know, it's the end of Daylight Savng Time for this year. We all experience something we haven't had to do for months..be aware at 7:25 AM while thinking it's still 8:25.

At least I put the extra hour to use by finishing my stores from the frist day of the LAX CreationCon. They'll be posted later today at Whedonopolis. They're basically summaries, but with pictures very few people can see anywhere on the net. I really wish I could have talked to Nick Brendon some more abut his recent role in Private Practice, such as what convinced him to take the role, what's been the response (pretty good so far, according to yesterday) and whether he'd take darker roles in the future. If I do get a chance in the future, I'll do that.

But back to time itself...

It's interesting the reaction we have when we have to change our clocks. In the spring, we get upset that we've lost an hour right off the bat. Once we see we can stay out in the sun a bit longer, that anger is gone.

When we turn our clocks back, we think we have an advantage. We wake up an hour early, and realize we woke up just in time for football. Others, meanwhile, wonder what can they do when the sun is up earlier, and whish they could sleep a little longer. They are also usually the ones with big hangovers, and I don't mean from Election Day.
Once we see the sun set an hour earlier, we see that "profit" we had in the morning go away. Soon, our body clocks will be reset, and we'll get used to earlier mornings and longer nights. At least, though, it's just in time for Christmas.

World Series: View From the Knothole

2010-10-29T22:16:00.000-07:00

It's not too often that San Francisco has had a chance to set the baseball world on its ear. That accomplishment was done by Oakland in the 1970's and 80's, because it has the cooler ball park that's also near a BART train stop.
1962. 1989. 2002. Those were the three chances the Giants had to bring a World Series win to the Golden Gate. In order, they came within a line drive of beating the Yankees, got swept after an earthquake, and was beaten by a rally monkey from Anaheim.
I never even got the chance to get close to a World Series because I was too far away, or I had to work. I finally got lucky when a day off on October 28th, which I requested to see a Rifftrax movie, got turned into a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
I got to see the middle innings of game 2 through the famous right field Knothole. About 450 people got that rare chance to step inside and see a very important game, or part of it, for free.

Sure, people could have gone to the Public House to see it on HDTV, or at several nearby bars, restaurants and small grocery stores. Still, being just a few feet away from Edger Renteria's homer in the fifth is still something special, even under the bleachers separated by a fence.
In fact, people waited for hours to get a wrist band to get in for three innings.

Thanks to my Comic-Con training, and a filled iPod, I managed to get a writsband to see the game in the middle innings after waiting two hours. People who wanted to get into the first game waited since two a-m for their wristbands.
Looking back, I should have gotten some kind of World Series souvenir, but I bet one will be in my hands sooner than later.

Here's another view from inside the Knothole....

For those who could not get in, that didn't matter...

As long as got a glimpse somehow of the action, that was enough....because this was the World Series, and it's only the third time it's come to San Francisco since 1962. At AT&T Park, it's a very special atmosphere. Even if you couldn't get inside, being around the place, and watching the game at the bar outside the park is good enough.
Otherwise, just sail on McCovey Bay, and hope a home run ball comes your way, like these guys...

Since the game came just before Halloween, a lot of people came in costume, from kids whose faces dressed like Brian Wilson to a guy named the Rally Pumpkin....

Here's a link to the entire set of photos I took. I might add more from a sports bar in Sacramento, but that depends on what happens this weekend.

Why Being A Giants Fan Is Blissful Torture

2010-10-24T09:57:00.000-07:00

It was a difficult Saturday night for me, wondering if I was actually going to check off something from my ever-changing Bucket List: being near a World Series.
C'mon, you know how much tickets costs? You need to win Fantasy 5 at least twice.

Anyway, while the Giants were battling the Phillies in Game 6, I watching many things besides that game.
Why? Well, I kind of blame Marcos Breton of the Sacramento Bee.
When PBS aired Baseball: The 10th Inning last month, he was a featured commentator. He talked about how he waited for years to see the Giants get back to the World Series and win it all, and that Barry Bonds would lead the way. He also recalled how the Giants were six outs away from doing just that in the 2002 World Series.
Of course, the Angels and that Rally Monkey ruined that.
Then there was a column he wrote last week after the Giants lost game 5 at home. He talked about how the Giants failed to win the 1986 NLCS and 2002 Series after leading three games to two. He sounded very worried...in print.
AND...the Phillies were practically expected to dismantle Texas when the Series starts Wednesday. These were the Phillies of the 21st Century, far more advanced than their ancestors.

So, I wound up watching the NFL Network, seeing a show about why there are a handful (literally) of left-handed quarterbacks that had good careers. I saw a Ken Burns documentary about radio. I kept checking on the Oklahoma-Missouri football game.
Occasionally, I watched the Giants and Phillies, fearing the worst.
I also started working on my Whedonopolis story about Amber Benson doing a book signing at Borders in Sacramento the night before.

Finally, I committed to watching the game around the sixth inning. I wondered what happened to Johnathan Sanchez, but that was before I heard about him hitting a guy with a pitch, and how that sparked a near-riot. The Giants bullpen kept the Phillies at bay, and it stayed tied at two.
Then came Juan Uribe's homer in the 8th. I was hopeful, but not confident.

Torture. Giants fans were feeling it again.
That included Breton, whose comments in the Baseball documentary suggested that the Giants were the West Coast version of the Red Sox. Every few years, they get to the World Series, yet fail to bring a world title to Northern California.
The A's did it several times, even against the Giants in 1989.
Not the Giants. Six outs away, then looking forlorn as the Angels celebrated in 2002. So similar to what the Red Sox felt in 2003 against the Yankees, or 1976 and 1986.
Sure, Boston finally got that World Series title in 2004, then another in 2006.
But the Giants are not the Red Sox. They were not supposed to be pennant winners in 2010. The Phillies would come back, then win game seven the next night, and clobber the Texas Rangers a week later.
It all came to this: Brian Wilson against Ryan Howard, who was due to drive in some runs and end this silly idea of the Giants beating the Phillies.
3-2 pitch. Howard didn't swing.
He should have.
The Giants won the pennant. The Giants won the pennant!
THE! GIANTS!! WON!!! THE!!!! PENNANT!!!!!
Breton, of course, wrote a much happier column, and an even happier one will likely follow that.

Wonderful news for Northern California fans, but not so much for Fox TV executives who were hoping for a Yankees-Phillies rematch. Even a few web reporters are predicting a Giants-Rangers World Series will attract fewer viewers than Lone Star, the show that lasted all of three weeks against Dancing With The Stars.

Well, so what? People wondering whose these guys are will attract enough interest and fans.

This also changes by plans for this week. A while ago, I asked to have this coming Thursday off so I can see the annual Rifftrax (or MST3K 2.0...Cinematic Titanic is MST3K 2.1) Halloween Movie Barbecue. Mike Nelson and the guys were going to riff on the original House on Haunted Hill, which would be colorized.
My request was granted, mainly because I was piling up some vacation time anyway.
Now, with the Giants playing on Thursday at home, should I choose between Rifftrax and the Series?
Let's see...Rifftrax is 12 bucks, and they're likely going to do another holiday spectacular in December. The World Series is five zillion dollars a ticket, and that's in the bleachers.
Well, naturally, I'd go to Rifftrax, but it doesn't cost that much to stand outside AT&T Park while the Series is being played. There's also bound to be a lot of activity before the game itself. That's reason enough to go.
I'll hang around until about seven p-m, then I'll head to the Century Theater at Market, and see Vincent Price's mustache be mocked.

Of course, if for some reason, I actually get a real ticket...welll.....
I doubt it, naturally. I was at the Citywalk outside the MTV Music Awards last year, and was glad about that after the fact since Twilight swept everything.

So, we'll see what happens. I'm glad this blog got published at all, since heavy rain and some blown transformers cut off power twice in 30 minutes. Thank goodness for auto-save,

RED Almost Lives Up To Hype

2010-10-17T10:56:00.000-07:00

When I saw the previews for RED at Comic-Con more than two months ago, I thought ths would be one cool movie.
I'll admit it. Helen Mirren with a machine gun was really the selling point. What other reason would get her there, considering her past roles?

Saw RED yesterday, and it was a solid action movie. With some tweaks, it could have been more awesome, such as more Mirren.
The plot, of course, is that some retired CIA agents are marked for death by someone. Bruce Willis does a heck of a job as Frank Moses. Even at his advanced age, which isn't that advanced, he kicks butt. Mary-Louise Parker as his reluctant sidekick, Sarah, is really quirky. I just wish she was allowed to fire a few shots at the bad guys. Morgan Freeman and John Malkovich are also good. I think John's response to someone trying to kill him with a rocket launcher should be on a t-shirt, sold by the AARP.
I am kind of torn about Karl Urban, as Cooper, the CIA official sent to kill Frank. When we first meet him, he is seen as ruthless, but also talks to his kid on the cell phone. That's supposed to show he's not totally without a soul, like his supervisor. From then on, he's ruthless and rather arrogant in his efforts to bring Frank down. His fight with Moses enlightens him a bit, but not enough to realize he's being used by the real bad guys. Either they make him soulless, or have some compassion and sense. He and Frank would have been very scary as a team. However, that would have gone against the comic that the movie is based, which, again, would have been reason to make him ruthless.

Also, did you know Bran Cox is in this movie? He plays Ivan, a Russian agent who's also been put out to pasture, and is asked by Frank to help out. Maybe the trailers sould have mentioned this.
And speaking of the trailers, they spoil a plot point when it appears someone has the drop on Freeman's character, but they don't reveal what eventually happens and why.

The movie hasn't been as well-received as most action movies right now. It could be because of the reasons I mentioned. It could also be due to the fact that it came after The Expendables and Machete, which were both action packed and bloody. Maybe people were hoping RED would be just as insane as The Expendables, which also include aging block ops guys. Well, it isn't, but it's a good movie that could have been better with a few adjustments....like more Killer Helen Mirren.

So, what's next? If Let Me In is still in an AMC theater in L-A next month, I'll get to that. I still regret not seeing Toy Story 3 when I had the chance. I will get it soon, like maybe when it's released on DVD. If I buy that and The Shepherd's Tale, I save on postage. From the trailers I saw yesterday, Dwayne Johnson looks like revenge on two legs with Faster. I also expect the GOP to demand that everyone connected with Fair Game (the Valerie Plame movie with Naomi Watts and Sean Penn) be charged with treason. It'll keep Fox News busy for a month, that's for sure. I think it's time to find an indie to see, like Nowhere Boy or It's Kind of a Funny Story.

17 Years Between Innings, But Worth The Wait

2010-09-19T10:50:00.001-07:00

When PBS aired Ken Burns' epic history of Baseball in 1993, people were fascinated by how the history of the game reflected America. It reintroduced modern fans to the greats from Ty Cobb to Willie Mays and everyone in between . And...it made Buck O'Neill a star

Last year, Burns announced he would make a tenth inning to cover what has happened up to today. Considering that he'd have to look at the 1994 strike, steroids, and how 9-11 impacted the game, he'd have a tall order. It's already been previewed in special events, with the premiere scheduled for next Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thanks to dumb luck, I managed to get a DVD screener of the four-hour "inning", and gave it a whirl yesterday while Stanford was clobbering Wake Forest.
Burns has met that tall order and more in this update of the classic series. I do have a few quibbles about it, but I'll get to that later.

The main point is this: how does Burns condense 15 years of history in four hours? He concentrates on the main issues that affected that period. The biggest one is the popularity of steroid use, and how it may not that surprising it would happen. In fact, one person gives a really good reason why players would turn to steroids, and you'll be surprised who says it.

He looks at how the game is passed on from father to son, especially in the case of Barry Bonds. If nothing else, this documentary explains his development as a player and person very effectively. You may not be a fan, but you see him in a new way.

It looks at the 1994 strike, and how it robbed fans of what would have been a history-making season. Ask any Montreal baseball fan. It also looks at how the chase for Roger Maris' home run record practically brought the game back from the brink, even though it may have been helped by...yep...steriods.

The second half looks at how the Giants came so close to finally getting a World Series title to San Francisco, while the Red Sox finally reached the holy grail. It points out the Sox really won in the American League Championship Series, not by sweeping St. Louis a few days later.
It also looks at 9-11's impact on the game, and it also looks at Steve Bartman, but thankfully briefly.

If anyone does dominate the "inning", it would be Bonds. He was a guy who's the son of a player, and thought his abilities should be recognized. When they were not due to the Mcgwire/Sosa home run chase, he did what he thought he had to do. Then, once he did achieve two major home run records, the adulation he thought he'd get didn't quite happen. That's baseball, especially if you remember the previous nine innings of the series.

Some commentators from the original series are back, including George Will, Gerald Early, Daniel Okrent, and long-suffering Red Sox fan Doris Kearns Goodwin. They're joined by Keith Olbermann, Sacramento Bee reporter Marcos Breton and Mike Barnacle. In fact, the second half is dominated by Barnacle, and how he suffered along with his Sox against those damn Yankees.

As I said, I do have some quibbles. For some thing, where was Jack Buck's poem just before the Cardinals resumed play after the 9-11 attacks? Why just 8 seconds for the Chicago White Sox winning the World Series? Was Burns afraid he'll make too many Cubs fans mad?

Well, maybe this "inning" should have been a bit longer to fit them in. Still, "Baseball: The Tenth Inning" is a great update of an already classic documentary series. Let's just hope we get an 11th inning in a few years.

An Interesting Way To Test Your Health

2010-09-06T12:09:00.000-07:00

A while ago, I got a chance to interview Juliet Landau, aka Drusilla on Buffy, when she was in San Francisco. That interview is at Whedonopolis.
It took place at a small pop culture shop called Neon Monster at 22nd and Castro. It's interesting for several reasons...

The monsters are very popular, along with the comic books and records they have. Also, this is at the foot of the door...

This means this used to be a drug store before it was a comic book store. Reusing old buildings isn't that unusual, but I would think they'd replace that tile with the monster logo.

The most interesting thing about this place is that you have to climb a VERY steep hill to get there. If you can walk from the Castro Theater to 22nd and Castro, and not wind up out of breath, that really proves you're physically fit.
In fact, if you can walk to certain parts of San Francisco,and be able to conquer its hills, you're physically fit. Walking around town is better than a membership at 24 Hour Fitness.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

2010-09-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

When I created Impaler General's Home Page in 2001, I did it as a place to do my Buffy and Angel recaps, and commentaries about what I felt about the show. I kept it going when Firefly was launched, and even through Dollhouse. I dedicated sections to my favorite conventions from Comic-Con to the legendary Flanvention, Browncoat Backup Bash, and Wolfram and Hart Revue, the original Buffy movie and even the late, lamented WB Bronze.

However, times do change. There's a ton of places where you can get the latest Whedonverse news, or get it even faster through Facebook and Twitter. Not only that, blogs are becoming the new webpages where we put our two cents worth about anything in the verse. I'm also a regular contributor to the Whedonopolis news site.

So, I have had to make some changes to the old home webpage. It used to be my home. Now, like most old real homes, I've changed mine into a museum. It will still be there as a place where I dedicate memories of classic cons. It will still have links to my blogs and Twitter.

It also brings up an interesting question: what's easier to have, a blog or a website? Well, I guess it also depends on the needs of the average fan. While fans want everything from pictures to news links and testimonials about their favorites, I am a reporter and commentator. Thus, blogs are better for me.

That being said, I just hate to get rid of my best memories, from Summer Glau saying I looked great being dressed as Simon in the Serenity movie premiere to my first Whedon con where I was pressed into being a temporary MC...and also talking to David Fury about those puppets from the Angel episode "Smile Time".

So, for all the latest rants, pleas come to this blog or The JW Network, or Whedonopolis under my impaler general byline. They'll still be going strong. I should be done with the conversion just before the NFL season starts.

Rifftrax: "What About Juvenile Delinquency?" Revisited

2010-08-09T10:16:00.001-07:00

Nearly two years ago, Cinematic Titanic revisited an MST3K classic, Santa Claus Conquers the Martians. As any hard-core fan would do, I reviewed it and compared it with the original version on this blog.

Now Rifftrax has taken a second look as a classic short called "What About Juvenile Delinquency?" That was the short before "The Atomic Brain". It's been nearly 15 years, and the Rifftrax crew thought it needed some refreshing. That means getting rid of a few dated jokes, and putting the emphasis on something else. For example, in the MST version, Mike Nelson starts off with "What About Juvenile Delinquency? That's a viable career option." In the Rifftrax version, he emphasizes the name of the film series, "Discussion Problems in Group Living." To be honest, that's not as much fun.

I decided to take a few pieces to compare the riffing. First, the gang waits for their ride.

MST3K: (Crow) The Martin Milner Gang (Servo on the logo) Oh, they're so klandikto (callback to "Clash of the Moons")
Rifftrax: (Mike on the logo) It's the Fearsome Electric Fried Egg Gang.

Then they decide to beat up a bald headed guy who's driving too slow

MST3K: (Mike) When good natured ribbing goes too far
Rifftrax: (Mike) Don't hurt me! I've got Mitch Miller tickets

Followed by the picture of the driver, who is really Jamie's dad. Jamie's with the gang, by the way.

MST3K: (Crow as Jamie's mom) Oh, Willard Scott, I'll gently polish you
Rifftrax: (Bill) His high school graduation photo

When the gang goes to the dry cleaners or the H&R Block place, depending of your version, Jamie hears about how his friends clobbered a big bald headed guy in a yellow Buick. They wonder why Jamie is so interested.

MST3K: (Mike) Just trying to draw you out. Want some fries?
Rifftrax: (Mike) Because your story was a little flat. I think the kind of car he drove really helps paints a vivid picture.

Jamie comes home to find his wounded dad. He asks mom how he is

MST3K: (Crow) He's kind of rubbery
Rifftrax: (Kevin) I've given him three intravenous chuck roasts.

When Jamie meets the gang the next day at school, they urge him to come back to the club or else. While MST talks about how they tell Jamie they can beat up their other dads, Rifftrax talks about "nobody leaves our club...except for the guy who did last week"
Then the football captain, student body president and senior class president talk to Jamie about the city council meeting, and how they'll ban everything to protect the city from the wild teens. While MST was afraid of the student body president's face, the Rifftrax crew seems to be scared of him and the football guy speaking up close.
Then the class president says "They'll listen to you Jamie, because it was your dad who...."

MST3K: (Crow) Awkward....
Rifftrax: (Kevin) made a pass at me at the wrestling meet.

The mean gang is about to stop them from going to city hall, when the oldest teacher in school walks by. The gang is intimidated for some reason

MST3K: (Mike) It's Martha Graham. Run!
Rifftrax: (Mike) Cheese it. It's Orville Redenbacher

Then the final scene when the mayor asks Jamie and his friends what they can do to fight juvenile delinquency..

MST3K: (Mike) They called our bluff. What do we do?
Rifftrax: (Mike) uh...put a pop machine in the lunch room? I don't know!

I prefer the MST version better, only because the Rifftrax version had too much riffing. On the other hand, you could hear a bit more of the story, such as it is.

This brings up an interesting question...what other shorts or movies should Rifftrax re-riff? Mr. B Natural? Junior Rodeo Daredevils? Gamera? Manos (despite what Mike's wife thinks about that movie)? Maybe the final episode of Undersea Kingdom, or even Eegah?

It may not be necessary for Rifftrax or Cinematic Titanic to recycle past MST3K shows, since there are plenty of lousy reboots and cheesy dramas to attack...not to mention really bad monster movies from the Philippines. But, maybe, they could.

Way Overdue Comic-Con Entry About Expendables and RED

2010-08-07T12:41:00.000-07:00

I know this is two weeks late, but it's also relevant since one of the movies I will rant about is coming next week.
As I said before, the worst thing about Comic-Con is that people are spending more time standing in line for panels they wind up missing. That's why we should thank God for YouTube, which allows us to see the moments we missed.

However, I did see three movie panels from Hall H. This included Angelina Jolie plugging her new movie, Salt.

I was more interested in The Expendables, the manly movie that will kick Julia Roberts' scrawny.....movie. That goes for Scott Pilgrim, too.
Sure, those guys will pick up their fans, but who could possibly resist a movie with the most famous action stars under one roof?
Here are some of my favorite pictures from that panel.

Stallone ready for business

Gets a hug from Bruce Willis, who was part of the RED panel, while Dolph Lungren looks on

Mount Rushmore of Kick-Ass, with Stallone, Lungren and Randy Couture...and a bit of Stone Cold Steve Austin

To be fair, here's all of Stone Cold

To be honest, I am more interested in RED, coming in October. Seeing Bruce Willis and Morgan Freeman kicking butt at their age is one reason, but this will get people to the movie:

This woman with a machine gun in one hand, and a tea cup in the other.
Of course, after Helen Mirren pulls this off, Meryl Streep will have to be in a movie where she's tossing hand grades right and left...and she'll probably make sure that happens.

Seeing Helen with Bruce Willis will be great, too, but imagine John Malkovich with as the NRA with legs. He wasn't at Comic-Con, but it's something to anticipate.

Let's not forget Mary Louise Parker, who's a low-level CIA employee who sides with RED after figuring out that killing ex-agents considered too old to fight back is just wrong. It also doesn't work.

Warren Ellis, who wrote the original comic book series, was also there. He admitted that he did this for the money, which is why the movie is very different than the original comics. Still, it's because this man wanted to fill his wallet that we'll see The Talented Mr. Ripley turn bad guys into hamburger, and The Queen into Dame Rambo.
Come to think of it, could Diana Rigg be just as deadly as Grandma Emma Peel? Someone will ask her after this movie opens...and makes a pile of dough.

State Fair: Weird Al Comes To Town

2010-08-07T12:26:00.000-07:00

Weird Al Yankovic, who can mock music like no one else, has been a staple at the California State Fair. For the first time, though, he wrapped up the fair...which means I could go.
It was a good show, with a mix of original spoofs and the usual parodies. Thing is, my camera battery chose that time to be on its last legs. What I got is still pretty good.

This last one was really a stunner. I've seen him as an Amish guy, Kurt Cobain, and Devo, but never like this! This is why he's a Grammy award winner, and still a fave in the music industry.

Cinematic Titanic in San Francisco: It's Better Than Hippies

2010-08-04T12:26:00.001-07:00

Well, Dave "Gruber" Allen said so, but he was probably joking.
Still, it's no joke that the Cinematic Titanic crew, one of the two major Faiths For Protesting Against Bad Movies In A Jovial Way (Rifftrax being the other), has an intense following in San Francisco. They just had their third visit to the Bay Area this past Tuesday, and second time at the Castro this year.

Some fans had CT t-shirts, but I think I saw a guy wearing a green furry jacket, as if he was Big Daddy Clayton Forrester.
And there's this guy....

He's in bliss wearing the Gizmonic uniform.

They had the basic opening act from crazy haikus from J. Elvis Weinstein and DVD's Frank Coniff's Convoluted Man, but had some interesting additions. Allen did a cool rap to introduce J. Elvis' rendition of "Year of the Cat," while DVD's Frank suggested that the movie version of Mamma Mia shouldn't have a sing-a-long version as Grease just did. What he did suggest...well, it's a bit more dark. He may repeat the joke, which is why I won't say it. Actually, what he suggested would be more appropriate for Glitter, Step Up 3-D, or even the Hannah Montana movie.

Now, the target for that night: it's called War of the Insects, but it was originally called Genocide. It's supposed to be a monster movie about how insects are killing people at a remote island. Cool, huh? Mothra-sized bees eating people?
Uh, no. Actually, it starts as a wartime drama where some Japanese guy named George cheats on his pregnant wife with a blond while the Army is looking for a missing H-bomb after one of its planes crashed. Also, a Black Air Force guy named Charlie freaks out after seeing a bee outside the plane, just before a few thousand more insects force the plane to crash. Oh, and George is charged with murder because he tries to sell a watch from one of the pilots.

After that, we get to see these characters interact aimlessly, even including the blond flirting with a Japanese doctor who's interested in the insects on the island. Suddenly, the action ramps up when we see the local insects sting two Air Force guys to death, while Charlie laughs uncontrollably while firing a pistol and molesting the pregnant wife.
Then we find out the blond has something to do with the insects attacking humans. Something about insects upset that man is destroyng itself with these H-bombs. Even the ending is creepy.

So, how does the CT crew react to a Japanese movie that makes them wish it was a Sandy Frank production? Well, they welcome the movie's first image of a bomb exploding with the words, "Sarah Palin's first day as president" (which is actually familiar if you change the name to Dan Quayle). At one point Joel Hodgson wished that Gamera suddenly came to attack anything. We get jokes about Dollhouse, Flavor Flav, Monty Python and LSD. At one point, two local hoodlums try to find the George, and Frank says "Crockett and Tubbs, Miami Rice".
Two jokes stick out in my mind. When the Doctor's nurse says "I don't understand", Trace Beaulieu says "Who likes Glee?" The other one was when the doctor carries a cross for Charlie's grave, Joel asks "there are vampires, too?"
As for the creepy and bleak ending, J. Elvis sings Tomorrow like you've never heard it before. Of course, the sell-out crowd enjoyed every minute of it. I think it was even better than the "Danger on Tiki Island" show a few months ago.

Afterward, the crew stuck around for autographs. Since I have lots of their autographs already, I just talked to them. I told Frank I noticed they were using iPads for their scripts, and he said it wasn't a big deal. He's right, since TV stations are starting to replace scripts with iPads. I asked J. Elvis about future DVD plans, and he said that was up in the air. Personally, I wished they'd go back to the time tube with War of the Insects, since its end-of-the-worlds message would be appropriate. They can also claim the live tour is paying for the shadowy group's plan. The only other "new" movie that's part of the tour is Samson and the Seven Miracles, from the old East European school of fantasy that produced The Day The Earth Froze.
And..I got a new photo with Joel...

Finally, I thanked Ron DeGroot for getting me a guest ticket for this, after I had that entry for the "what happened to Pearl?" contest on another MST site. He assured me the CT and Rifftrax groups truly support each other. That stoked my hopes that we'd have a super-riff doubleheader as the entire MSTverse takes on Eclipse and Jonah Hex..or maybe a Godzilla movie that was never released here.

For now, I'll be waiting for my next Rifftrax DVDs, and also watch Star Trek 2009, fully riffed. I'd never bother with the Twilight movies unless I got those movies at gunpoint.

OK, after Kate Bennett throws Richard Castle to jail....

2010-07-26T13:22:00.001-07:00

Fans of Castle may already know that he'll start season three as a murder suspect. It goes without saying he'll clear his name and will probably figure out who did it before the cops do. Still, the damage will be done: he'll have serious trust issues with Kate Bennett for years. After all, if she's eager to arrest him for anything, it's obvious he thinks he'll never be good enough for her. Any sexual fantasies he's got for her will wind up in his books. She may even arrest him for that, too.

Also, he'll be busy with a movie adaptation, Alexis dating and a serial killer Kate can't catch. They won't have any time for failing to connect romantically.
As a veteran of past romance shows where the male and female leads try to connect, but do a terrible job at it (from Cheers to Moonlighting), I suspect Castle is stuck in this track, It's not like Friends, where Ross did win Rachel after all, The Closer, where Brenda Johnson did marry her beau, or The Office's Jim and Pam.

That being said, what can we expect on Castle for the next five years?
First, I'm guessing when Kate does corner the serial killer that will taunt them all season, the killer may be about to kill her. Then Castle saves her, and she gets mad at him because he never stays in the police car after telling him to. However, Castle gets shot with a serious wound. He recovers, but she's so mad she doesn't visit him at the hospital.

The experience inspires him to write a third book where Nikki (Kate) and Jamison Rook (Castle) battle a serial killer. The only difference: Jamison is also shot, but dies. This would serve two purposes: it means a lonely life for Nikki Heat for another book or two, and it forces Castle to stop living out his sexual fantasies in his books.
The book is well-received, but fans are upset Jamison is dead. They eventually get over it when Castle explains he's just aiming the Nikki Heat series towards a new direction. He does think about a Jamison Rook prequel, but doesn't mention it.
However, a really crazy fan expresses her anger over losing Rook. She kidnaps.....Kate Bennett, thinking that Kate told Castle to kill Jamison because everyone thinks those scenes are really her and Castle. The fan demands that Kate confess this, or at least admit she loves Castle, but just can't tell him because she doesn't think it would work out. Surprisingly, Kate does just that, or just enough. Kate's rescued, and she asks Castle why he killed Jamison. He repeats the "new directions" explanation, and that is that. The fan sees this, and starts to think she kidnapped the wrong person.

So, when will Kate figure out the truth? I am guessing another obsessive fan will approach her, but only to ask Kate if Castle killed Jamison because he doesn't think he's good enough for her. Kate asks this other woman if that means it's her fault, and the other fan backs off. Still, Kate thinks she's got to confess her feelings, but never does because of another case or something.

After that, well, maybe Castle will once again save Kate when she doesn't want him to, and that finally does it. The producers should realize that if you take too long in pairing up Kate and Rick, the fans will get bored, if not upset, about it.
After all, if they want to see a pretty couple exchange banter but never have sex because they don't want to try, they can watch Bones. If Hawaii 5-0 gets much more successful against Castle, Nathan Fillion may have to rethink his comments on G4 about why Kate and Rick should never get together.
Two words, Captain....The Closer. And besides, Wash and Zoe were interesting as a well-armed married couple....

UPDATE: Just had to admit that I was right that someone wound up getting shot at the end of season three...and it was Kate. Not only that, it was Castle who said those magic words. I will not guess about what will happen next until the ComicCon panel on the show. Of course, I'll be 99 percent wrong...but what I speculated could have happened..maybe. Except I'm not part of the show's writing staff, so what do I know?

Heading Back to Sacramento

2010-07-26T10:30:00.000-07:00

Well, another Comic-Con has come and gone.
The good news is I met Patten Oswalt, attended my first Hollywood party, kind of, talked to the Guild about that Bollywood video, and already wrote four reports for Whedonopolis. I will later predict what will happen on Castle for the next five years. It will NOT include Kate and Rick having sex for real (but only in the books he writes).
Again, for all the economic power this convention produces, I think it's now too big for San Diego. People will get more out of the con through YouTube than any other way now. The lines are getting longer and longer while the space only expanded a little. Adding the Marriott and the Hilton Bayfront may help, but as Tom Petty once said, "the waiting is the hardest part." It also robs you of having some time to buy stuff. I only got a replacement plug for my iPod Touch, two Doctor Who tote bags made out of billboards (one will be sold on ebay), and three comic books (two that got autographed).
The enjoyment of the panel I did wind up seeing, from Joss and JJ, The Expendables, The Guild and Castle, does make it worth while. It's just that people may decide the only way to really enjoy Comic-Con is through what they can see from another guy's Flip Video Camera. If you don't believe me, see how many clips you can find of Conan O'Brien's recent tour on YouTube.
Marsia Powers, who works with me at Whedononpolis, says she's heard from professionals who also also sick of the lines and crowds. She thinks Comic-Con should lower the number of attendees to 100 thousand and raise prices. That's unlikely, but may be better than turning the rooms into large sardine cans...or places where people fight each other over chairs.

Still, some are keeping the faith. I saw this just after the last event ended...

Some are not going to let go of Comic-Con without a fight. We will know for sure soon. I agree with Captain America that Anaheim wouldn't work because the only downtown that's there is part of Disneyland. If downtown L-A had a Vons or Trader Joe's, then the decision would be over. You can also use the Metro Rail, too.

So, I will be back in 2011, working laptop and all. I just wish the organizers would turn up the wi-fi so you can do live blogging, even in Hall H or the Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom. They should also set aside space for press if they ask. The real issue, though, is where will Comic-Con be in 2013, and whether fans decide it's better to see it on the Internet.
Otherwise, they'll be on-line...and I mean the line that never moves outside Hall H.

Am I getting too old for Comic-Con?

2010-07-24T10:13:00.000-07:00

Maybe, or maybe it's getting too bad for San Diego.
Two days, and I spent most of those days on line.
Sure, the end result was worth it: seeing Joss and JJ Abrams, then Joss alone. Seeing Angelina Jolie. Seeing Helen Mirren blow people away with big guns. Seeing the Mount Rushmore of Kick-Ass. Riding in the Black Beauty.
only one thing: it's getting to the point where an attendee has to choose between missing several panels to see one big panel, usually at Hall H, or spend all day in line to miss a chance at buying cool stuff. Either buy stuff or stay in line.
That's not right.
Maybe it will get to a point where it'll be easier to see Comic-Con on pay-per-view than going there live. Imagine it: the Hall H Channel or Ballroom 20 channel, shopping on-line instead of being on the floor. It'll get to that.
Of course, it would be easier if those with press passes sign up for specific panels to be guaranteed a seat...if they have just cause. That would make things easier.
But for the average fan, not so much.

If I am asked to return for Whedonopolis, I would. I just wish Comic-Con would give priority access for the press if they sign up. Hey, that's why there are fast passes at Disneyland.

Well, if I do manage to get a major get tomorrow, it will be worth it. At least my laptop works. Too bad the wi-fi in the main building is hit and miss. They should flood the place, including the rooms, with wi-fi. Relying on specific hotspots just doesn't work.

So, for today, it's off to the new Hilton for the Guild. After that, I'll have to miss the Marvel event. I'll bet to accommodate everyone, they'd have to use Petco Park. If only they could.

If I finally win one of those autograph drawings from Dark Horse, that would also make up for the past two days. Doubt it, though.
I will have full reports Sunday night after I finally give the Westin 15 bucks for internet

The Dream Is Over...for local sports bars

2010-06-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

The 2-1 loss by the U-S to Ghana in World Cup 2010 is bad news for local sports bars. Seeing England and Mexico lose over the weekend doesn't help either. Still, we can expect some local bars to offer World Cup action through the next two weeks for soccer fans, or those who are looking for a place to cool off.

This past weekend, I decided to visit three different places to compare how they celebrate the World Cup, after two games at the Streets of London Pub. Before I get to that, I noticed something else.
It's starting to bother American sports fans that our soccer team lost to Ghana in extra time, 2-1.
They're concerned that we let the other team score first, and we had to make a comeback in all four games of the tournament.
They wonder if the team will get better for 2014 because our top players are getting old, and maybe we need a new coach by then. They want changes to be made so that we'll finally be at the level of Europe and Brazil.
In other words, the USA finally cares abut soccer.
Not quite as much as Arena Football, but we care now. We're almost England, or maybe Nigeria.
Remember, we really didn't care about soccer until England 1966, followed by two pro leagues and even TV coverage. Pele helped in the '70s, but not enough to give soccer a foothold. After all, most countries have soccer as their only major sport, with nothing to compete. They're the ones who do the best in soccer. In America, four sports, celebrity ballroom dancing, and the Olympics get our attention before soccer does.
Univision and Cable TV have changed all that. So have Twitter and Facebook, which can spread opinions faster than the angriest tabloid newspaper.

So, we'll look forward to who wins the Cup this year. Lost of interesting possibilities are coming, like maybe a Brazil-Uruguay semifinal that's 60 years of revenge in the making, or maybe an outsider making the final four like a Japan or Ghana. If Brazil does win it all, it has a chance to repeat while hosting the Cup four years from now. Sounds almost automatic, doesn't it?
For Brazil, sure. France and Argentina pulled it off, but it's not easy.

So, let's get to my tour of sports bars hosting World Cup viewing parties:

I saw the first half of USA-Ghana at DeVere's, an Irish pub in midtown. It's much bigger than the Streets of London, but the crowd wasn't in the mood to chant or shout. Since Ghana scored the first goal, and the U-S was desperate to score, that made sense.

Then I walked over th the MVP Sports Bar, which moved a few blocks to 21st street. These guys were much louder and spirited. Some wore bunting which is similar to the flag, but is more commonly seen as decorations for baseball games. They also had chants like "America, F*ck yeah" and "Ghana-rhea"

The crowd was really pumped when the score was tied. When Ghana got the goal early in extra time, the mood was much different.

I was surprised how excited the crowd was for this. As I left I saw someone in the men's room baning on the wall, angry about how we lost. One other fan said he was glad he's Mexican. He still had that team to root for, as they prepared for Argentina the next day.

For that game, I went to Zocolo's, a Mexican restaurant located at the site of a former car dealership. It's quite fancy, but was filled with Mexican fans and a sprinkling of Argentine supporters.

Once Mexico lost, this gal had the last laugh.

She was joined by two other fans, and a woman who waved a small Peru flag.

So, I will settle for watching the rest of the Cup at home, until the final on July 11th. I'll go back to Zocolo's because they promise a lot of hoopla plus samba dancers. I guess they've already decided who will reach the final.

World Cup Fever Is Real In Sacramento

2010-06-24T11:10:00.000-07:00

As I'm typing this, I am recording the USA-Algeria game from yesterday on a DVD. I want to have a keepsake of the USA team's wild ride to round two...and hopefully beyond.

I think World Cup fever is real because it led me to do something I have never done before....postpone by bedtime by four hours to see history. I could have went to bed and taped the game, but this was important. We had to win to get to round two, and wipe away the bad memories of Germany 2006.
After all, the world is starting to accept the fact the US is truly a soccer nation, or at least one that accepts its existence. Even with the 1950 upset over England, the US didn't care about soccer because Mickey Mantle, Jim Brown and Bill Russell's exploits distracted us. Oh, and hockey with Bobby Hull and Gordie Howe. That alone kept Canada's interest away.

We didn't start caring until 1967 when England's win inspired a pro soccer league that didn't catch on. Pele comes in, and that gives US soccer more attention. Without enough home-grown stars, or even playing in the World Cup, that didn't work for long. It wasn't until qualifying for Italy 1990 (and getting clobbered) and hosting USA 1994 that soccer proved it's here to stay. Getting more opportunities to see soccer anytime though cable TV sure helps, too.

So now we are at the Streets of London Pub, two blocks from my house, where USA and England fans gather to see their heroes get to the sweet 16.

USA fans enjoy the big screen, while England fans make do with the smaller but brighter flat screens. It's almost like picture-in-picture.
I did have a picture of fans celebrating the USA's goal in the first half, but that was disallowed. I had to delete it.

With the US staying scoreless while England scored a goal against Slovenia, the fans got worried, including this guy....

At this point, I was hoping Slovenia would tie England, and put the US back on the road to round two. Of course, the US could do it themselves with a goal, but bad aim and even worse referees was making that unlikely.
Some still hoped...

but past 90 minutes, it looked bad.
Until...Landon Donovan saves the day. I can't embed this wideo, so here's a link to the game, including his goal in the 91st minute.

The reaction from Sacramento....

and Mr. Flag Guy...

I was even interviewed by KCRA, but any video proof of that interview is nowhere to be found. Since I am a radio guy, that's fine.
So, what now? I will try another soccer bar when I see the game against Ghana Saturday. There's an Irish bar nearby, which was featured in KFBK's coverage of "people watching soccer and drinking Guinness before work". I will see how they celebrate the game.
Sunday should be even better. Mexico plays Argentina, and there's a restaurant that's located on the site of an old auto dealership. It includes a mariachi band, so watching soccer there will be a much different experience. I'll be careful to wear a Mexican jersey in order to be welcome.
From there, who knows? I just don't think a sports bar is the best place to see a World Cup match. A small bar, out of the way, filled with jerseys and scarfs is much better. Once NFL pre-season starts, then you need a sporta bar.

New from Cinematic Titanic: "Danger on Tiki Island"

2010-06-20T17:18:00.000-07:00

There seems to be a split on whether the Cinematic Titanic crew should stick to live shows, or go back to the traditional route where they have to riff on movies for future generations because of some electron scaffolding or other. For all we know, some ex-Gizmonic employees are trapping Joel and the gang because they feel threatened by a group who they think will destroy life as we know if....RIFFTRAX!!
I just dare them to come out and say that.

That being said, the latest live DVD, Danger on Tiki Island, is now available. Once again, this is from their Largo Theater performances in Los Angeles. We'll try to describe the plot while tossing out a few choice riffs from the show:

A handsome Peace Corps volunteer is joined by Dr. Henderson and her undersexed wife on a trip to a tropic isle. While the natives look at their new visitors ("Native #2, he's got an Igloo cooler"), the doc wants to examine how nearby atomic bomb testing has affected the area ("This guy's like Bob Goulet after a Grand Slam Breakfast"). She wishes the doc would examine her in fairly obscene ways, The Peace Corps guy just wants to help the natives.
Anyway, they soon find out the natives have reverted to primitive ways. They have a Shirley Jackson lottery to choose who will be sacrificed to the forest monster who is now their god ("Sigmund the Sea Monster, NOOOO!"). Peace Corps guy falls for one of the natives named Alla, and we see a mysterious rich guy called Estaban ("Juan Stamos?"), complete with mysterious accent. He lives in a mansion run by very small natives who care often compared to Oompa-Loompas.

There's plenty of walking scenes, with the only excitement coming from the trees who sometimes attack passers-by with their branches ("I'm sorry I forgot Arbor Day")...then turn back into normal trees suddenly. Once one of the trees get violent, the tribe decides more sacrifices, and this time Alla's chosen. Peace Corps guy objects, and he takes her away. He goes to Esteban's mansion, where the doc and horny wife are staying.

Later that night, the doc's wife is unable to arouse him ("Is he playing dead or playing gay?"). She tries to seduce Esteban while he's sleeping, but his manservant Goro interrupts her. She tries again the next night, but gets lost in the violent forest. She then meets the monster, who's basically a pickle mascot gone horribly wrong. Let's just say her wishes do come true but in a horrible way ("Oh, she's thinking about it").

The doc gets Peace Corps guy to help him find his wife, but Goro battles the doc in a terrible fight scene that's more like Tom DeLay's performance in Dancing With the Stars.
This, of course, leads to the final battle, and the slightly shocking truth about the monster. Joel, of course, gives the perfect description of this movie: Roger Corman's South Pacific.

There are flubs, especially from Frank, but having the CT crew riff live makes it more real. We wish these guys would be included in showings of lousy movies, with them giving their comments from the wings. Imagine what they could do to the Twilight movies or Jonah Hex....or 99.999999999999 percent of romantic movies. While we may have another studio DVD in the future, having these guys live would be great, too. The Rifftrax guys are already seeing how live shows can work, thanks to their special theater shows in the past year which are also available on DVD (especially the Christmas show from 2009).

The DVD also has interviews with the crew, who say nice things about each other, and why they're back in the movie riffing game. We learn TV's Frank is quite a show biz expert, and has an interesting fan base. Of course, we also hear from the fans who can't get enough of watching bad movies get humiliated...and we never will.

A couple of years ago, everyone from MST3K got together for a special panel on the show at Comic-Con. We should have it again. We could have a riffing rumble, but I'm not sure if the CT crew would be the Sharks or the Jets. Then again, we could have a rumble where the CT's are the Torgos and the Rifftrax guys be the Krankors or Brain Guys. Now THAT should be shown in theaters across the country.

Until then, the CT live tour continues with shows in Ann Arbor, San Francisco and Los Angeles..and even more stops well into next Spring. I think the next target is a Japanese movie called War of the Insects. At least Sandy Frank didn't give us this movie.

World Cup Fever At A Sacramento Pub

2010-06-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

The whole world in taking the next 30 days off to see what they think is the most important sporting event, the World Cup in South Africa.

Normally, we Americans wouldn't care about soccer. Any sport that forbids using your hands and scoring six points at a time is not a sport. Two "distinguished" commentators called soccer a "women's sport" and barbaric because it was invented by South American Indians who used a human head as the ball.
Then again, some people think basketball's origins can be traced back to a Mayan game where teams had to put a ball through a hoop...and the losers are killed. That was even pointed out in an NBC sports NCAA broadcast in the 1970s. It's no more outrageous than what these "experts" think about soccer.

Some Congressmen have shown their patriotism by not having any idea what the World Cup is. I read a story in Fox News Radio where one member hoped North Korea wouldn't wind up winning the whole thing. Sure, it beat Italy 44 years ago, but that's as close as it got.

Anyway, to all you haters...

Soccer is an American game. It may not compete with the eternal battle between a Celtic and a Laker, but soccer is part of this country. We've been in the World Cup for 20 years after a long drought from the 50s to the 80s, but we matter. Besides, you can see soccer from several countries if you can handle the cable bill...or the beer tab, if you prefer seeing it at a bar.

I went to Streets of London Pub to see USA-England. It was the first time I saw the World Cup there since 2002 when the US was a goal short of reaching the semi-finals.
It was loud and crowded, with face paint and beer. Pitchers sold as quickly as pints there. And there was this...

I couldn't get the red-eye out of this picture, and I think it expresses how he felt about his team.

Also, my camera almost didn't survive this game. As Clint Dempsey scored the tying goal, I tried to get a picture. Someone knocked the camera from my hand, and it looks like it was broken. Thankfully, it wasn't, and at least I got this response of people seeing the replay...

I think people were relieved it ended in a tie. Now both England and the US will be under pressure to win over Algeria and Slovenia by 7-0 margins to get to the next round.
If the US gets to the quarterfinals, I may consider going to another pub to see the game. Going to Pyramid Ale or a sports pub wouldn't be as authentic.

Soon, I will be at Raley Field to see an MLS exhibition between San Jose and Chivas USA. It should be interesting what type of crowd will be coming. They had Mexican league teams play before to sellout crowds. Tonight shouldn't be any different. It'll be almost like being in a World Cup game.

Tour of California

2010-05-18T00:34:00.000-07:00

In 2008, I was barely getting a look at some of the best cyclists in the world whiz by in downtown Sacramento.
Last year, I had to skip the event to spend Valentine's Day in San Francisco seeing a lousy kung-fu movie...with justified commentary from a group who knows how to insult cinematic incompetence.
This past weekend, I finally got a chance to see the Tour of California up close and personal. If I was lucky, I'd get a good picture of a hundred riders whiz past me at 25 miles per hour.
It's not exactly like the Tour de France, even if I've never been there, but I am sure both tours have this in common...

They had another bike race before that from a smaller tour, but still very fast and exciting...

My spot was at 12th and L, near the Hyatt. I stood there for more than tour hours, practicing for the best shot.

and there was acceptable graffiti, just like the Tour de France....

Eventually, they did arrive...

I even got a picture of the winner, Mark Cavendish...

This, of course, is no cyclist

I'm sure next year will be even better. I just might try the same street corner.

San Francisco's Cuckoo for Coco...again!

2010-04-23T12:53:00.000-07:00

When I was at Anaheim Wizard World, I called this picture, "What do Serenity and Conan have in Common?"

First Fox threw Firefly away, then Universal decided not to give us a Serenity sequel....yet. Maybe adapting the Dark Horse comics could help?

You may say Conan O'Brien is in the same boat, but in reverse. NBC tossed him aside in favor of Jay Leno and his old yet reliable viewers, then Fox decided not to choose him because the affiliates believe endless sitcom reruns at 11 PM are the highest form of TV.

Oh yeah? You think Charlie Sheen or Jay Leno can do THIS??

Conan wowed his fans at the Masonic Auditorium last night with songs, stories, illegal-ish appearances by some of his favorite characters, and overall unleashed fun.
My seat was a little farther away from the 10th row chair I had when he had his Late Night show at the Orpheum in 2007. Still, a balcony seat is not too bad.

Now, there's a ton of YouTube clips of Conan in action, and it's possible you could save 70 bucks by getting the experience that way.
Forget it. You have to see this live for at least one absolute reason:
there is not a chance in HELL Jay Leno could ever do what Conan is doing, and selling out as quickly as he has. NEVER! NEVER!!!!
David Letterman and Stephen Colbert....maybe, but in nightclubs somewhere.

If you have fished for Conan clips on YouTube, you know the line-up: Conan as a complete mess, then getting into fighting weight for the tour, the "Polk Salad" song,

Triumph, the Masturbating Bear and his new "disguise",

the Chuck Norris lever, and the band rocking out to kick things off. There's also the inflatable bat he bought from Meat Loaf. It's almost guaranteed that's going to be outside Conan's new home studio in November.

However, there's nothing better than local touches to each stop. While Seattle enjoyed Eddie Vedder and Vancouver had Seth Rogan, the 4/22 show had Chris Isaak (quite the oddball himself) and Conan doing Elvis quite well.

Andy Richter even explained what he learned during his hiatus, while riding a Muppet horse, and also gave the most unusual live commercials you ever heard. Let's say they involve a Fisherman's Wharf tradition and something you'd never expect to see on Geary Street.

I wonder what Conan will have planned for Sacramento on May 6th. Mocking Governor Schwartzengger's Jingle All the Way seems likely....along with him showing up. I certainly hope they get a good musical guest, too.

My next wish...hoping to combine a CreationCon Whedon Weekend with getting tickets to Conan's second show for TBS. Hey, hoping to see the first show live would be nuts!

Anaheim: Home of Lots of Hotels

2010-04-17T09:20:00.000-07:00

I'll say this...the Convention Center is big.
Aside from the predicted sea of celebs who will just happen to show up for Anaheim Wizard World this weekend, there's also another convention devoted to chocolate and coffee, at least. One of the security guys told me it's not unusual to see four conventions at once.
Well, it's just two this weekend. I will say Anaheim's argument that it has a mountain of hotel rooms, is a good one. Here's another: more affordable restaurants aside from the chains. Little shops. Maybe a Vons store.
Then again, if L-A wants Comic-Con, it should also get a Vons downtown. All it has is the Staples Center and a Rite-Aid. The fact there is a Metro hub nearby is helpful, but not enough.

So far, I've talked to Doug Jones, Camden Toy and Mark Lutz (aka Groo from the Pylea arc on Angel). The big guns, especially Jewel Staite, start today. Hope they have time. I especially want to hear from Miracle Laurie, and whether she thinks she can make a good Wonder Woman, as one blogger says.

I am also careful not to spend too much on action figures designed to be eBay bait. I got a Matt Smith, and may get another Buffy figure. We'll see. There are always Sunday bargains.
I just wish there were more giveaways, especially Kick-Ass. If I somehow snag a signature from Stan Lee, years after I got a picture of him at Comic-Con, that would also be cool. But first, have to get those interviews!

Now, Anaheim Awaits

2010-04-15T22:22:00.000-07:00

Usually, when I go to Hollywood or San Diego, I stay in one place, or one city.
This is different.
The first half of my Spring holiday is done, and I am ready to go to Anaheim by train, only because I can.
I just have to squeeze in a Hollywood Walk of Fmae ceremony tomorrow, then I'm on my way.

The past two days have been fine. Kimmel was funny and sexy, or actually Alyssa Milano was. Green is her color.
The Specials mini-concert was a little shorter than I expected. Then again, they had just arrived from being on Jimmy Fallon the night before. They need practice, but they also need sleep. I just wish they had played "Rat Race" or "Message to You Rudy."
Then I spent the whole day seeing off The Bonnie Hunt Show. As usual, both tapings ran over, and were worth it. I'm a little disappointed the taping for the 4/20show didn't have Chris Kattan as I thought. If I knew that, I would have tried to get to that Streamys unofficial event.
Still, it s a BIG shame her show is wrapping up next month. There's lots of room for a show like hers, especially since Tyra Banks is leaving and Martha Stewart is going to share a cable channel, or dominate its programming. It also ends any reason to go to Culver City...for now.
I was thinking of going to Kick-Ass at the Arclight, but I didn't see any people dressed up as the main characters. I also was a bit tired. I may try to see it at the nearby AMC multiplex.

My main concern is seeing if the Anaheim Convention Center can handle Comic-Con as well as San Diego. So far, my only concern is that Anaheim lacks a downtown...and Downtown Disney doesn't count. Thanks to San Diego officials suddenly seeing they could lose their big nerd money train, they're finally starting to expand.
Anyway, I originally planned to go to finally meet Eliza Dushku. However, she's now in Central America for another goodwill mission. She even tweeted about sleeping with termites. Some may hope she'll be in San Diego for Comic-Con to talk about the season two DVD of Dollhouse. At least I can talk to Miracle Laurie about the show, if it can be done.

I had also hoped I'd talk to Juliet Landau about the response to Take Flight, and her YouTube interviews. However, she came down with the flu. So, she'll spend the weekend at home, However, more TF interviews are coming.

It's certain we'll get a zillion celebrities in Anaheim, and I will get to talk to some of them. I just have to remember this isn't like Comic-Con or a CreationCon event. This is just different, and I'll approach it that way. I will still get some interviews for Whednopolis, and maybe I'll spot some "surprise" guests. It is just the first time I'll be in Anaheim with no need for Disneyland.

Then, Conan O'Brien awaits!

This Week In Cable: The Future Is Conan...and Wrestling?

2010-04-13T16:18:00.000-07:00

It's been a very interesting week in TV, and it's only Tuesday.

Then again, having Conan O'Brien return to TV in an unexpected place would be the biggest TV story of the year. Nearly everyone was certain he'd return to late-night TV on Fox. After all, it has everything except late-night success during the week. The network itself started with a late-night show with Joan Rivers in 1986, then went on to prime-time slowly. With the prestige of 24, The Simpsons, American Idol and House, plus sports, having Conan would be the final piece of the puzzle.
Sure, the affiliates weren't sold on having Conan at 11 PM, because he wouldn't be as lucrative as endless repeats of Seinfeld, Two and a Half Men and Family Guy. Still, Conan almost had to go to Fox, because it's his only chance to make NBC regret the day it dumped him for Jay Leno. Maybe, if Conan's lucky, all of Fox's stations will air him at 11 PM by 2013. He'll understand. He has no choice.
At least, that's according to entertainment "experts".

Then we find out he has found a new home....on cable....TBS.
Wha? Who? TBS? Didn't they have wrestling at one time? They say they're "very funny", but it's just cable...not Fox, where he's supposed to be.
To be honest, I didn't believe it either, when Conan mentioned it on his Twitter feed. I thought it was a joke.
It wasn't.
So, what does this mean? Has Conan failed? Does this mean he'll never defeat Jay Leno, and make Jeff Zucker weep? Have we, as a nation, failed?
Or maybe we should look at it another way....Fox blew it!!
Or, its stations did.

I can't help but think Fox was too confident Conan would make a deal with them, and get used to the idea that only 70 percent of the nation would want him at 11 PM. This was based on one belief: we are Fox, and Conan going to cable would be a further humiliation that a wildly successful live tour could never erase. Thus, Conan will call us any....
Then, in the words of Homey the Clown, "I don't think so. Homey...or Coco..don't play that"

TBS has a lot to offer: a salary about the same as NBC, 100 percent coverage at the flip of a switch, he owns the show, web presence, anything he likes.
As for the guy who's already at 11 PM, George Lopez, he's all for it, because Conan's fans may stay for his show, too.
Also, West Coast viewers can see Conan at 8 PM, if they have the HD feed.
We sometimes forget cable is beating regular TV in many ways, especially creatively. Mad Men, True Blood, The Tudors and Rescue Me, anyone? While it's also doing well with late-night comedy, especially Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, having someone as big as Conan O'Brien would be...all together now...the final piece of the puzzle.
Conan's tour now serves as the prelude to his new show on cable, while the network prepares to promote the heck out of it. Maybe TBS will even sell ads for the show to Fox affiliates...around 11 PM, during a repeat of Seinfeld.
Now, if only I can get an "I'm With Coco" button and a TBS hat. I do have a homemade t-shirt that will serve the same purpose, though.

Now, the inexplicable....

Syfy will be ending its "reality" wrestling show WWE NXT this fall, which hopefully means SyFy will imagine greater by sticking to sci-fi.
Nope. It will be the new home for Friday Night Smackdown starting October 1st. Thus, Friday nights, the home of Battlestar Galactica, the Stargate shows and Sanctuary, now give way to Jack Swagger, Edge and Beth Phoenix.
Unless you can introduce some wrestlers that look like minotaurs, aliens or N'avi, this is a terrible idea for the network. Wrestling has pulled in a lot of viewers for SyFy, but it shouldn't end its traditional Friday fare for the WWE. Thursdays with a Sunday repeat would make more sense.
Also, what happens to MyNetwork TV now? The only original shows it has are Smackdown, Deal or No Deal, which may be on its way out, and Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. Aside from that, it was reruns and movies. The affiliates would go back to being independents, and no one would notice.
Remember when the channel figured to be something new with tele-novelas in English and reality shows? So much for those days.
The Smackdown move is really a setback for a a network that no longer exists, and cable channel that should be living up to its name.

Wondercon: Other Impressions

2010-04-04T08:57:00.000-07:00

As my annual Wondercon weekend comes to a close, I am preparing for the Chuck press conference that NBC had the courtesy to tell us about, unlike other networks I know. While my hotel is comfortable and close to the action, next time I will choose one with free coffee and internet. Travelodge, all is forgiven.

That said, some other impressions...

James Marsters meeting with fans. He's now in the center of things on Caprica. We should know more this fall.

California Browncoats have an interesting way to wait money for charity. Just choose the lucky chopsticks!

This would make both fans of MST3K and Naruto wonder...a lot

Considering he made a census taker's life interesting in an SNL sketch in 2000, why not? He'd also demand more cowbell.

As you can see, Wondercon needs someone who checks place cards with the actors. Not only that, Nicholas Cage didn't use that place card. By the way, this is Columbus Short, Chris Evans and Zoe Saldana plugging The Losers

Jackie Earle Haley, the new Freddy Krueger, and also still a Watchman and Chris Chance's best friend on Human Target

Christopher Nolan, a big surprise at Wondercon, and he had more footage from a very wild sci-fi flick called Inception. It has Leo DiCaprio, Ellen Page and Michael Caine...and that is only the beginning

Kick-Ass will do just that. Here's some pix of Nicholas Cage, Aaron Johnson, Clark Duke, Chris Mintz-Plasse and Chloe Moretz. Cage had some interesting things to say about how comic books have been a big part of our culture, about the came as old mythology. Johnson is actually British, and Duke is still that damn funny! I still say he looks like the son of the PC guy from the Apple ads.
And...if Joss wants to remake the original Buffy movie, he should call Chloe, especially after her Hit Girl scenes. If she can also do justice to the US version of Let the Right One In, she will hit it big.

One more thing...I am through with V. I don't like seeing Morena Baccarin so cold and stoic she makes Spock look like Jim Carrey. At least the V's from the '80s had some personality. Must be that Bliss that she uses to controls her followers. Ruins the acting.
The only interesting plotline is one of the Vs discovering he's made his girlfriend pregnant, and that it's making her do very scary things.
But after seeing Anna try to make an army by choosing a sperm donor, having the ugliest sex ever, then killing the guy like she was a Black Widow, forget it. Not even John May can save this. This is why Captain Tightpants can count on anoher busy TV season but a Companion may not.
One more thing...when Wondercon decided to show trailers before the Kick-Ass panel, the crowd loudly booed the latest Twilight movie. This is not a sign the movie will be a bomb (it'll make its usual 125 mil). It just shows their resentment towards Twilight fans who have flooded the Comic-Con crowds...and for what? Shirtless werewolves? A lot of supernatural angst?
We have that. it's called Buffy the Vampire Slayer...and Vampire Diaries, if you say.

Wondercon: A 26-Year-Old Time Lord? Sure!

2010-04-04T08:44:00.000-07:00

Aside from Kick-Ass and Chistopher Nolan making a surprise appearance for his new film about stealing ideas from brains, Wondercon also featured the first U-S appearance of the 11th Dr. Who, Matt Smith.
Not him, of course (darn it!), but the episode "Eleventh Hour".
Folks, relax. This guy has the role down cold, and mainly because of how he handles the latest life-or-death situtaion while still recovering from his regeneration. Usually, first episodes with a new Doctor can be tricky, from Twin Dilemma to Christmas Invasion. Not here.

The way they intoduce her new sidekick, Amy Pond, is also brilliant. Let's just say they get introduced twice, but it's all because of the same problem: an escaped prisoner whose very presence threatens the Earth. Karen Gillan is quite a spirited redhead, and can certainly hold her own. They will guide the new era of Doctor Who quite well, with Stephen Moffatt as showrunner.

For those who couldn't make Wondercon, "Eleventh Hour" is coming on the 17th, with some additional footage. Americans will basically see the show two weeks after the UK does, which is still an improvement over even two years ago, when we had to see the Christmas Invasion in July. Smith and Gillan will actually visit the states next week at the Paley Center NY. Expect lots of interviews after that.
Ah, but if only they could come to Comic-Con, with San Diego in the 80's.

The First Kid On My Block....

2010-04-04T07:36:00.000-07:00

Aside from a little thing called Wondercon, and news about silly things like movies or TV, there was something more important happening at the Apple store in San Francisco...

Way back in the 40's you'd expect this crowd to get the latest shipment of nylons. Now, it's the iPad, Apple's newest invention that will change computers forever. From the early reviews, they may be right. It's a big iTouch, but imagine surfing the net, typing, and everything you can do with an iPhone with this iPad. It's even got a non-speaking part on Modern Family, for crying out loud.
While I am tempted, I'll stick with my laptop, and see if the Windows-verse has anything similar I hear Hewlett-Packard will pretty soon, and it will include what the iPad doesn't have, like an USB port, a webcam, and a less silly name.

Still, the iPad is the Breakthrough of the Hour...until iPad 2 has what it doesn't have now. or now, this man has the most famous new toy in the world, and the first to get it that day.

He says he can't wait to get it home and try it. At least for now, Christmas came in April for Apple fans. For more demanding computer nerds, it may come when Windows has its own version, with the webcam and USB ports.

Wondercon: Never Been To A Protest Before

2010-04-04T07:08:00.000-07:00

Just after I arrived at Wondercon this past weekend, I saw this guy...

I had heard of these guys. They think one of the most famous video game developers is hiding somewhere and Encom, the company he made, won't look for him. In fact, Alan Bradley, who knows more about the bottom line than being online, has been living on Flynn's success. He's supposed to be at a press conference at the Embarcadero near the Hyatt Regency.

Then, this started to circulate...

A protest meeting at the Hyatt Regency, instead of some abandoned complex? Well, I'll tag along.
Actually, this was part of a secret pan to tell the world about Flynn, and how he can be saved from the evil Encom...or worse.
However, anyone who knows more about the plot of Tron Legacy says it's a bit trickier than that. In fact, Bradley's announcement that Space Paranoids will be going online just like XBox Live means gaming is about to take a whole new dimension....by affecting ours.

So, here's some of the pictures before the event started...

Bradley himself, who looks a lot like Bruce Boxlietner...

The announcement of Space Paranoids online...

Then...things take a sudden turn...

The protest group, Flynn Lives, takes the stage, saying Encom should spend its money on finding him, while his son is doing just that. Both will have a big surprise in store...

And to paraphrase Billy Bragg, Join the struggle while you may, the next revolution is just a website away...

That was followed by someone jumping out of a company helicopter, which I didn't get a good picture of. He landed, and there's word it could have been Flynn's son. Again, everyone is unaware where Flynn really is..but his son will find out--and how.
The "protesters" got some cool swag for their trouble, and may get more. Those who have registered with Flynnlives.com have recorded the fact there were at the protest, and plan to do more things for Flynn. After all, July in San Diego is perfect protest weather.
As for me, I applied for a fake Encom pass. Who knows when it may come in handy.
The footage of the press conference, of course, will be part of the movie. I probably won't since I had a Warner Brothers bag with me. Can't have that in a Disney movie.

Will Sacramento Ever Host NCAA Basketball Again?

2010-03-28T15:36:00.000-07:00

Last September, Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson said on his blog that Arco Arena was no longer considered an ideal place to hold NCAA basketball regional playoffs. Compared to some of the newer NBA arena that are hosting such games, this may have been inevitable. The city is finally getting closer to building a new arena near downtown, which is bound to bring the NCAA back.

That being said, it's too bad the NCAA women's basketball regionals didn't attract more of a crowd, considered they'll be the last playoff games that will be played at Arco for some time. After all, Stanford's there, and that should have brought in more fans. However, look at this....

Only the lower sections were available, while the men's games three years before sold out all of the seats. Sure, for 20 bucks you get a fantastic view of the action that you'd never get if you were watching the Kings play. I just think the whole arena should have sold out. Heck, when the arena hosted the NCAA women's volleyball final, that sold out.
Still Arco is a basic, generic arena back when you could do well with such buildings. Now, it's all about the luxury suites, bells, whistles, sports bars and such. They're about as important to an arena as a floor. You should see the concession stands around and inside AT&T Park, or stand outside Staples Center. That proves my point.
So, Arco Arena II not only has to have more seats and luxury boxes, but a mall, too. The important thing, of course, is that it gets built, period. The unspeakable phrase, "Las Vegas Kings", isn't heard much these days. Once ground is broken next year, hopefully, it never will be heard again. However, we will hear from college basketball fans from out of town...a lot.

Now, here's some of my faves...

This was not shown on TV, because there were many signs anyway. This teaches me to think fan signs can cover the stands as much as in the WWE. Sorry, Knights of Good.

You know, those shirts should be plugging a horror movie. According to Georgia's basketball team, it was...namely them getting clobbered by Stanford

I can't recall Stanford's band playing the National Anthem anywhere. That's why I called this the "ultimate in bi-partisanship".

One of the few good action shots I got.

Knitting during a basketball game? Baseball, sure, but....Well, they were waiting for the second game, Xavier vs. Gonzaga

Maybe we should fear the Tree, but it should be in an ESPN ad

I doubt she is taking my picture

I hardly ever come to Arco because I don't usually have a reason. I just hope if we do get a new arena near the rail yards, I'll have a reason

The Battle For Comic-Con's Future

2010-03-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Well, the fight to house Comic-Con has reached "Keep the Colts in Baltimore" levels.
Facebook is already in the fight thanks to two new pages: one who wants the event to move to Anaheim in 2013, and one who wants the place to stay. There is another that has less fans but the only difference is that it has no exclamation point. I guess that proves the importance of a catchy title in your Facebook page.

So far, the Anaheim page has more people making clear arguments for a move. They claim it's bigger, close to Disneyland, and there are more hotel rooms that won't rip your wallet to shreds. I've never been there, although I will soon. The best thing about San Diego is that there are a lot of places to go and eat in between panels. There's also a CVS and a Ralph's. It was great for me when I first went to Comic-Con, but not when it's getting so crowded.
Those who favor keeping Comic-Con in San Diego rely on tradition. It's been around for 40 years. It's more iconic that the Padres, but not as much as the Chargers. Besides, there's light rail. Anaheim doesn't have that.

I see this as a city hoping to attract a sports franchise who isn't happy with its stadium anymore. I've seen this before with the Raiders going to Los Angeles for a few years, the Colts leaving Baltimore, the Rams leaving L-A, and the Kings leaving Kansas City for Sacramento. Currently, Comic-Con has had to rely on a new hotel for some of its events. Hall H isn't enough anymore, and...well...waiting for panels that attract a modest following is becoming too much like waiting in line at Disneyland for anything.

San Diego officials are aware of the problem. They have asked nearby hotels to add more available space while they try to get the center expanded...and that may be easier said that done. They know Comic-Con means Ewoks, Zombies, Slayers and such in bars and restaurants..and that also means money. They want Comic-Con to stay in San Diego.
But, as Walter O'Malley decided Ebbets Field was just too small and antiquated for his Dodgers more than 50 years ago, Comic-Con officials may look at the San Diego Convention Center the same way. Besides, while San Diego may try to expand its facilities, just moving will get that extra space immediately. Thus, we may have to practice saying Anaheim Comic-Con in 2013.

Personally, I think moving to the Los Angeles Convention Center would be a perfect compromise. It's also big, and you can use the subway, which is better than you think, to get there. It also widens the number of convenient hotel spaces a lot...and who wouldn't like to use the Nokia Theater as the new Hall H? Maybe by 2013they can also add a few fast food places, too.

We may know for sure just after Wondercon ends next week. At least the Moscone Center in San Francisco is still big enough for that event.

It's More Than Training A Dragon In 3-D

2010-03-20T17:16:00.000-07:00

I'm a sucker for free movie passes, even movies in 3-D and Imax.
That's why I decided to skip the second half of St. Mary's vs. Villanova and take in a preview of How To Train Your Dragon at the local Imax in Sacramento. All I knew about it is that it involves a bunch of Vikings who had their own version of the Olympics. At least, that's what they did during the Olympics coverage.

Actually, it's an adaptation of a kid's book, with some changes to make it more epic and prone to 3-D wonder. It's why the ads include one critic saying some of the 3-D imagery is just like Avatar.
The story is about Hiccup, a young boy who's also the disappointing son of a Viking chief. The tribe has been battling dragons for centuries because they steal livestock and burn their homes. They're very familiar with the types of dragons, but not about the mysterious Nightfury, who's fast and deadly.
Somehow Hiccup brings a Nightfury down, and looks for him the next day. He's supposed to kill the dragon to prove himself. He's also surprised to learn the Nightfuly can't fly because its tail has been injured. Hiccup decides making a friend out of this dragon is a better idea. This is what makes the movie something special. Also, Toothless, the Nightfury, is actually kind of cute.

Hiccup undergoes training in dragon killing with the local teens, including Astrid (who serves as the romantic interest). The tribe becomes interested in Hiccup after he finds ways to fight dragons without a weapon. Astrid is interested, too, but mostly out of jealousy. She soon learns the truth about Hiccup and Toothless...and even why the dragons have been attacking the village for so long. Let's just say they have a bigger problem than the Vikings do.

The voice talent is pretty good, especially Gerard Butler as Stoick, Huccup's dad, and Craig Ferguson as Gobber. Other notables include America Ferrera, Kristen Wiig, Johan Hill and McLovin himself, Christopher Mintz-Plasse.
Animation is getting even more attention thanks to 3-D. While Up is still the gold standard in 3-D animation, we will get stiff competition from Toy Story 3 and Despicable Me this summer. How To Train Your Dragon is a good effort, especially with the Hiccup/Toothless angle. It's not enough to make podcast king Adam Carolla like dragon movies, which he never has, but I'd like to see what he thinks of this movie when he takes his kids to see it...and he's bound to do that.

No Conan, No Peace...But A Sold-Out Tour Will Do

2010-03-11T17:07:00.000-08:00

From time to time, we are told the real reason why "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" exists: it was cheaper to fire Conan than let Jay Leno go. There are reports he could have pocketed 120 million if the Peacock kept Conan. Thus, Conan isn't worth 120 million, but is worth 45 million....reluctantly.

Well, geniuses, considering how quickly seats for this "Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On TV" tour are selling, Conan is worth 45 million...and more.
It's been revealed slowly he'd do a 30-city tour to meet with fans, and maybe try out some ideas when he comes back to TV, preferably at Fox so it can prove to itself it doesn't need 24 and American Idol to exist (but should have admitted having a Dollhouse or a Firefly would have been great).
Anywho, when I woke up to discover the news, I immediately got a $57 dollar ticket to the show on April 22nd at the Masonic. Sure, with convenience fees, it's 74 bucks, but at least I am getting a decent seat at a 3200 seat facility. I was hoping the Orpheum was available, because that's where he had his show three years ago. Well, it should be some night.

Now, I didn't know there was a list of the 30 cities on the tour. Still, it wouldn't include Sacramento....but it did. He's coming two weeks after the SF show. I blew at least 50 bucks because I thought Conan would consider Sacramento too shoddy to be considered...just like the guys who decide where the NCAA Final Four regionals should be held. Not only that, I could have gone for a 40 dollar ticket if I could.
Sure, I jumped the gun, but looking back, it's better to be quick. I'm already hearing of Conan tickets being scalped big time. Does that ever happen to Jay Leno when he does a stand-up comedy show in Vegas or Thunder Valley Casino? Nope.

So, the point is, I'm going. If I'm lucky, maybe I'll see him wandering around the Sacramento Memorial Auditorium, discovering that the most gourmet thing he'll get near that place is Wolfgang Puck Pizza. Actually, he'll have better luck at the Hyatt or Sheraton nearby. Maybe he'll be seen at either place. I'd be stunned if he stopped by KFBK, since his Sacramento stop is immediately after a show in San Jose the night before. He does have two days to rest before the next stop in Colorado. We'll hope for the best.

With the popularity of the "Prohibited" tour after just one day, you have to wonder if NBC could ever make 125 mil from Leno is just one day. The network certainly will as long as he's there, likely after ten years. It might take even longer, once Conan returns to TV. If people can pay between 50 and 75 bucks to see him for one night, after seeing him for free, what does that say about Jay Leno?

Dear Comcast: Please Upgrade When Nothing Is Happening

2010-03-08T09:08:00.000-08:00

I got a notice a couple of days ago from Comcast saying it was going to do some rewiring as part of its efforts to bring me better service and not get near those socialists, Dish Network and DirecTV.
I thought nothing of it because I thought they'd probably get to my street on a Tuesday. Instead, they arrived last Saturday....and nearly ruined my Oscar weekend.
They spent about 20 minutes doing their job, then left. I thought my service would be restored, and I'd get to a long evening of catching up on my DVR stuff, including the Independent Spirit Awards. Instead, I had NO DVR service, or premium service or OnDemand service. Oh, and no news, USA network, or sports. All I had was the local digital channels, which would be enough if the ABC channel would be there for me Oscar night.
Yesterday, I wound up having no channels at all. I called AND texted Comcast to at least give me the Oscars so I can mock them MST3K style through Twitter (as were millions of others worldwide). To their credit, Comcast did come through. It seems I wasn't the only person who was panicking. Of course, it means I won't get a chance to see what a movie awards show is SUPPOSED to be until later this week (and yes I mean the Spirit Awards), but at least I'll still have it.

So, my anger will hopefully mean a refund, and maybe an offer to give me a free OnDemand movie or six months of HBO. I think if Comcast is going through all the trouble of trusting them with our entertainment needs, even relying on Shaquille O'Neal, they should make sure the "upgrades" actually work. After all, even though the Oscars are over, the preparations for NCAA basketball playoff action is getting into full swing. Take cable away from a guy during that, and you deserve all the grief you make

At Last! The Latest Cinematic Titanic DVD Review

2010-03-04T18:25:00.000-08:00

I've had the new Cinematic Titanic Live DVD for nearly a week, but I've been sidetracked by bobsleds and the best hockey game on TV since the Miracle on Ice.
Now, I've had the chance to look over the second live show, which is also from the Largo in Los Angeles when they had a three-day run there late last year.

I had thought they would have Danger on Tiki Island, which the CT crew wrestled with last month. Instead, they had The Alien Factor, which is about a small Maryland town being attacked by alien animals in completely embarrassing ways.
Or maybe the movie is the thing that is embarrassing. At least you can't blame Independent International Pictures on this tripe. It's locally owned, operated and filmed, and looks like it.

Aside from the aliens, there's political intrigue as the Mayor tried to get the local sheriff to hush the whole thing up, or the new amusement park won't be built. There's a reporter who is determined to find the truth, but likely can't find her car. There's a weird looking guy who apparently can handle these aliens, maybe a little too well. There's also long, thoughtful walks in the woods to pad whatever lack of drama the movie has.

Naturally, it's the riffing that makes the movie worth watching, because it illustrates why the movie wasn't worth making.
A sampling:

A "police" car responds to a guy getting killed by one of the aliens who looks like his skin was duct tape: "Has there ever in history been a two-door cop car?"

Some guys walk to the sheriff to offer their help: "It's Three Dog Night!"

A girl sees one of the aliens and tries to run away: "Even the film is trying to escape."

One of the locals gets zapped, then the film cuts to three kids playing with a ball: "Childhood syphilis can happen to anyone."

A local band sings to pad the film: "They're actually a tribute band to themselves."

A mysterious guy named Benjamin Zachery asks the Mayor to come in his house to discuss the aliens: "I was right in the middle of my Chevy Chase lessons, but come on in." (possibly a ripoff to a Mike Nelson joke from "Laserblast")

The Sheriff battles another of the aliens: a tall bulky fellow who looks like a cross between an ant and Bigfoot: "Dark Horse presents Godzilla vs. McCloud".

The climax involves Zachery battling the worst of the aliens...an Iguana ghost that's really an SFX shot so bad, it would make Ray Harryhausen throw up: "What has two arms, no legs and has made this movie even worse?"

The DVD, at least, has the guts to list the entire cast at the end, but for three seconds and in very small font. There's also a preview of "East Meets Watts", guaranteed to convince you to get this DVD, too.
As for the future, another live DVD is coming, most likely the "Danger on Tiki Island" movie. After that, let's hope they go back to the traditional style, including comedy bits to interrupt the movie. After all, the premise is they're riffing on bad movies against their will, like the other guys. We can't have them enjoy it, or we'd unleash them against Avatar or Transformers 2. Say....

TV Life After Vancouver

2010-03-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been four days since the snow-ish carnival that was the Winter Olympics. It may have had a less-than-perfect start but had a perfect ending with the US-Canada hockey final, and that way out closing ceremony. I still say Bill Murray would have been a better choice for the musical number with those inflatable Mounties and such. Can Nick Poutine really outdo Michael Buble? Hell yes!

So, what now? Well, in Canada, there's the NHL, and the Memorial Cup. We Yanks, on the other hand, have lots of options: the Oscars, spring training baseball, and the NCAA Final Four.

As far as TV is concerned, it's basically Lost for me. I suspect the Islandverse and SidewaysVerse will collide a lot sooner than the two Earths battling for survival on Fringe. I just hope JJ Abrams will not go to "it's all a dream" copout, like SPider-Man (the comic book) did. I just have the feeling the destinies of Flight 815 will be "adjusted" in the final battle, whatever it is.
For the first time in years, I am skipping 24, and don't think I am missing anything. Besides, the real point of this season won't happen until maybe mid-April, as it always does.

Personally, my month is going to be dull until three weeks from now, when I head for three big events: the NCAA Women's Basketball Regional Finals at Arco (cheaper ticket, Stanford may be there, and a much better seat), WonderCon (on Easter weekend this year, which better mean more movie previews for Memorial Day) and Wizard World Anaheim (only because I want to see Miss Dushku, and whether Anaheim can possibly handle Comic-Con if it steals it from San Diego the way Indy stole the Colts from Baltimore).

For now, I just wait for March to get warmer, although I have this fear (not in CA, thankfully) we may get an Easter blizzard somewhere in the US. I'd like the self-appointed weather experts explain this.

ETA: just found out that Eliza Dushku won't be going to Anaheim after all. Apparently an unexpected awards ceremony...oh, wait, that's someone else's line...er...well, she has a new film role.
Maybe she'll send someone with confirmation that she will be filming a new movie with Joss at the helm. It would be nice to know a silly rumor turned out to be true...and a good one.
While I am REALLY disappointed by this, since this was the reason I wanted to go to Anaheim, there are still plenty of other Whedon celebs, too, from Jewel Staite (fresh from CreationCon four months ago) to Juliet Landau and Miracle Laurie.
Maybe Sarah Michelle Gellar...nah....but if James Marsters can commit to some Wizard events later this year.....whoa.
It's still several weeks away, though. I can still grade the event on whether Anaheim can handle Comic-Con

Halfway Through Vancouver

2010-02-20T12:02:00.000-08:00

Well, we are halfway through the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It's been a fantastic event for the U-S team, picking up so many medals you'd swear it was the Summer Olympics.
There's also general agreement from TV viewers that while they're watching the games in record numbers (ha-ha Simon Cowell), they wish they were in Canada, where several different channels are showing everything live. Sure, there is the overnight review, but it's bigger.
NBC is clearly a couple of years behind in how to present the games, especially when it can be shown live. Three times in the past week, NBC underestimated how long an event would take place. One was the opening ceremonies, and that couldn't be helped. Another was the men's figure skating final. Again, that couldn't be helped because some genius thought it was a good idea to end that event, plus the medal ceremony, after midnight eastern time. That's why we should give the gold medal to Comcast On Demand because it was smart enough to have those events available for those who retire early. It would be even better if it publicized that fact. After all, it's thisclose to owning NBC anyway. Why not go that far?

I'm trying to make the new catch phrase I registered, "Vonncusover", popular. That, of course, is combining Vancouver, Lindsey Vonn and Julie Mancuso into one word. The fact the two girls have four medals between them, with three events to go, should make this weird word popular somehow. Maybe it doesn't flow as much as "Vonncouver", but you have to remember Mancuso, too, since she's setting a record for most Alpine medals for any American. If she take another gold Wednesday, I just might make enough to cover the costs of registering "Vonncusover" for sale...including the t-shirt I made for myself.

An unlikely star in these games is fake conservative knucklehead, and genuine Olympic benefactor, Stephen Colbert. It is a crying shame the CBC doesn't have these games. Otherwise, seeing Rick Mercer (Canada's answer to Jon Stewart and Bill Maher combined) and Colbert squaring off would have been bigger than any U-S-Canada hockey clash. Colbert has been a hit during the late-night show, especially when he "warmed himself up" by crawling into the fake fireplace with Bob Costas watching. Oh, and his stuffed moose and Mountie uniform have been getting noticed, too. That's what happens when you do something stupid like ask your fans to help fund the Speed Skating team after one of its big sponsors goes bankrupt--and they do! Not even Fox News can claim that.

The second half should have its moments, like the ladies' figure skating final, and the finals in curling and hockey, plus more skiing. It's already a great games for the Americans. It's just a matter of how much greater they can be.
Sadly, we West Coast fans will just have to wait our turn to see them, because Dick Ebersol says we prefer to see the Olympics tape-delayed...while forgetting there are such things as Twitter and TiVos...and Comcast On Demand.

I think when the Summer games start in London in 2012, there will be an option to see the events live, the major ones anyway, and people will be happy to pay for it. It can be the first reason people will pay for a special Hulu subscription and be glad about it. After all, it works for pro teams.

One more thing: the Olympics should be uncernsored. If there aren't any obscene words being said add some. Works for Mad Men...and Shaun White.
Also, whose idea was it to use that seems to be an Olympic Titantron to introduce the participants in the half-pipe? Did Vince McMahon through some bucks to the IOC?

Conan O'Brien? Who's He?

2010-02-09T00:35:00.000-08:00

This week, NBC will be showing more reruns of The Tonight Show with Conan O'Brien, but it's not showing the final episodes. In fact, you can't even find full episodes of the show anywhere. Hulu has some bits and pieces, and interviews, but not the show.
That's why it's a great idea to get a DVD recorder. That way, you can record the final episodes, and have proof it really happened. Kind of like Super Bowl XLIV.

Not only that, the NBC Universal store website has a "Getting Rid of Conan" sale. All Conan stuff 20 percent off, then they dump it all at local Goodwill stores or maybe It's a Wrap in Burbank. I got a cap and two shot glasses. Hopefully, if I am lucky to see the new Conan show in Los Angeles, I'll go, wearing the cap. I'm sure they'd encourage that sort of thing. I'm still kind of torn whether to see Leno again when I got to Anaheim and L-A in April. It depends of who's there. Otherwise, it's Kimmel for me.

So, no matter if NBC is taking the George Orwell approach by denying it ever had a Cnan O'Brien on the payroll, we'll always have the proof.

By the way, I had planned to go to Anaheim for three days for the Wizard World event, but then I wanted to see Bonnie Hunt one more time before her show ends (barring an epiphany by Warner Brothers that daytime TV will really suck without her...and that Tyra and Martha Stewart are leaving broadcast TV). I also want to shop at the usual places where the unused swag shows up, like Goodwill, It's a Wrap and Out of the Closet. Maybe some leftovers from Dollhouse will come my way. So, why not take care of both, especially when I learned you can get to Anaheim to the Burbank airport at a reasonable price?

Why Super Bowl is America's Answer to the FA Cup

2010-02-08T11:51:00.001-08:00

As it got closer to Super Bowl XLIV, my plan was to watch the game at home, eat pizza, and drink Red Stripe beer.
Then I realized I had a replica Archie Manning jersey, a "Go Saints" placard and a CBS Super Bowl hat.
You just can't let that go to waste..so I didn't.
I went to the MVP sports bar at 17th and Capitol, and had a great time. I was allowed to drink three glasses of lemonade at the bar, and enjoyed a nice view of the game. I also discovered its bathrooms have TV's just above the sinks. That way, you don't miss a thing. I don't think any other sports bar has that, but it convinced me to come back soon.
It was really noisy, and I didn't get an idea of how the Who did. The stage looked cool, though. As I am typing this, I am hearing the band through YouTube (before they take it down, of course). They do sound old, and I am sure anyone younger than 50 must have thought the show was really a 12-minute ad for CSI. It also makes you wonder who has aged more gracefully, the Who or the Rolling Stones. Now, halfway through "Baba O'Riley," Roger Daltry is recovering well.

I had suggested through Twitter than getting someone who is, say, not quite 40, should be the halftime guest. I remember a classic performance of "Message in a Bottle" with Sting and No Doubt in Super Bowl XXXVII. Damn the Wardrobe Malfunction that ruined everything, the NFL should trust musicians younger than 40 to perform at halftime. Let's have Pink do her act that she did at the Grammys. She'd still be covered up. Green Day is approaching statesmen status with a Broadway show coming up. My guess is the closest they'll get to having a current star at halftime is Taylor Swift, especially when Super Bowl XLV comes to Dallas. She can lip-synch through the event, as others have before. If her real voice improves in the next year, so much the better. The only other possibility would be the Dixie Chicks, and wouldn't that be interesting? It would also make more sense because they're from Texas.
And as I type this, Daltry is now in the zone with "Won't Be Fooled Again". Pink would have been in the zone, too, and the stage wouldn't be more impressive that she was.

The Super Bowl seems to be the one sporting event where people are compelled to see it at a bar rather than at home, unless you're at a friend's hose with chips, buffalo wings and such. I've seen the game a few times from bars, even if they were usually parties sponsored by radio stations. One of the my favorite memories was Super Bowl XXIII, where I saw the game at a bar in Chico. It was the same day as the anniversary of Roe v. Wade, which means a pro-life protest. I covered that for my radio station in Oroville, killing two birds with one stone.

The Olympics are coming up this week, and I have to wonder if bars will be filled when we see out athletes skiing, bobsledding, or even figure skating. I doubt that's likely, but you can expect those events to be on the TVs anyway. If Canada meets the US in the ice hockey final, then you'll see filled sports bars. Canada has a different approach: getting people to see HD coverage at local theaters for a small fee. We, of course, prefer seeing the Olympics at bar for a small fee, also known as buying a round.

It's likely the next big days for sports bars will be the NCAA Basketball Final Four and the World Cup. The latter event will be a bit different because you can expect pubs, rather than typical sports bars, have watching parties. I remember when the US was in the quarterfinals of Korea 2002. The pub close to my house was filled with people eating beans and eggs at 5 AM, hoping the Yanks will reach the semifinals. Since the event will be in South Africa this year, expect a few long lunches when the Americans play.

Make no mistake: the Super Bowl is our version of the FA Cup, Grey Cup, Copa Libertadores final or UEFA Champions League final. It's something that's no fun if you watch it alone. I know that now.

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:31:00.003-08:00

What video game have you played the most?

Pong, but that was a loooooong time ago

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:31:00.001-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/impalergeneral

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:30:00.001-08:00

If you had a bucket list, what would be the top five goals?

1. Get a nice condo, at least
2. Attend the Olympics
3. Go to Europe, England at least
4. Somehow wind up as an extra in anything Joss
makes
5. Get invited to a panel in a convention

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:19:00.001-08:00

How would you improve bradcast TV?

Allow adult themes shows at 10 PM, and allow nudity and profanities. Cable has taken away the lead from broadcats TV when it comes to innovative dramas. This is the only way the networks can compete. Apply this t late night shows, too

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:12:00.001-08:00

What was your #1 fan moment?

Shaking Joss Whedon's hand after the premiere of Serenity in Los Angeles, followed by Summer Glau noticing I dressed up like Simon Tam

Ask me anything

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:11:00.003-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/impalergeneral

formspring.me

2010-02-06T15:11:00.001-08:00

Ask me anything http://formspring.me/impalergeneral

formspring.me

2010-02-05T21:34:00.001-08:00

What would your dream job look like?

A nice office, lots of space to place my personal souvenirs, and maybe a small flatscreen TV

Ask me anything

Cinematic Titanic Back in the Bay Area

2010-02-04T02:00:00.000-08:00

It's been nearly a year since Joel Hodgson, and his fellow MST3K alumni, visited San Francisco to entertain people with their clever way of mocking bad movies.
More than a thousand people at the Castro Theater decided to forget about getting Lost, and encounter "Danger on Tiki Island," another Independent International picture that carries on a movie tradition equal to Coleman Francis, Sandy Frank and Ed Wood. Yeah, that bad.

Apparently a scientist and his sex-starved wife encounter a monster who desires sacrifices from the local village. They are helped by a Fabian-ish assistant, a lot of short natives and a suspiciously handsome rich guy. The scientist, by the way, is played by Kent Talyor, the same guy who played the evil surgeon in the first CT classic, "The Oozing Skull."

I couldn't get all the jokes because the sound system wasn't as good as the one at the Marines Memorial Theater, where the CT gang appeared nearly a year ago. It's just as well, since the next DVD will be a live version of the same movie people saw at the Castro.

When that DVD is available in April, or at least that's what Joel told the fans after the show, we'll have comments on the doctor's face ("Mount Rushmore isn't that chiseled"), the natives doing Blue Swede's version of "Hooked on a Feeling", the doc's wife looking for sex ("Good God, woman, you've struck man"), and some of the midget natives being called "Filipino Time Bandits." As for the monster, Joel said it looked like the Michelin Man after a fiery car crash.

Aside from that, it was basically the same show as last year's event. Dave "Gruber" Allen was back, ready with a joke about Avatar and even one about a kid's magazine I hadn't picked up since I was 12.

J. Elvis Weinstein, the artist formerly known as Dr. Forrester's sidekick, joined in for some cool be-bop haiku.

Then we had TV's Frank Coniff, who talked about how a CHP officer stopped him, then let him off with a warning: don't see "Tooth Fairy" (wise cinematic advice, that). Afterwards, he went into his Convoluted Man routine.

Cinematic Titanic was the official end of this year's Sketchfest, which featured more comics than you can shake a rubber chicken or clown nose at. It's interesting Rifftrax was there in 2007, perfecting their "Plan 9 From Outer Space" routine that was quite the hit in theaters nationwide.
It was also great they chose the Castro for their second visit. It's probably the most impressive looking movie house around, aside from Grauman's Chinese and the Arclight Dome. Here's a link to some of the pictures inside the place, plus CT's appearance in 2009. To wrap up, here's two more pictures of the CT crew...

and a true MST3K fan, because he's wearing a shirt from its first convention from about 20 years ago.

Of course, the ultimate dream would be Rifftrax and the CT gang joining forces to meet its greatest challenge....riffing Avatar and both Transformers movies to submission.

This Weekend at the Movies

2010-01-31T15:16:00.000-08:00

The weekend before the Super Bowl is a strange one for sports fans. After keeping tabs with a competitive NFL season, it's tough to switch to another sport. That's especially true if you've paid too much attention to football. If Stanford and Cal were battling for the Pac-10 title, that would be easier. Also, there are the Sharks. They're doing great. I should turn my attention to them, since it would help me forget how the Sacramento Kings always collapse at the end.
At least it's easy for fans of Indianapolis and New Orleans. They're busy stocking up for the Super Bowl party they'll have. Then again, I have a big frozen pizza and Red Stripe beer ready to go. At least it would be cheaper than going to a bar to watch the game with mainstream light beer.
I do have five hours of 24 to get to, and maybe the Grammys. If I time it right, I can see the 3-D section that honors Michael Jackson.

Still, let's get to the title of this blog. I spent the weekend checking out two movies that will make their mark at the Academy Awards in just five weeks. Yesterday, I saw Avatar for the second time, but it was in Imax, and it was for free. One thing you can say about Imax: it makes any movie, good or not, good enough to stick around. I saw Transformers in Imax, which made it more watchable. I forget if it made Megan Fox sexier, but it wouldn't have worked for the sequel.
With Avatar, Imax made Pandora much more incredible. You have to hand it to James Cameron for revolutionizing movie-making with incredible 3-D effects. The story's not 3-D, though, but maybe 1.723-D. Same with Titanic, but when it presents grand, epic moments, it delivers well.
Titanic had the love story and the big moment when the boat hits hits the iceberg. Avatar also has the cheesy love story, but a lot of viewers must have thought "whoa" in their minds when they see Pandora's center of civilization, Hometree, destroyed by a corporate army. I thought Pearl Harbor, 9-11, and Katrina all rolled into one. Balance that with the planet's deity unleashing the power of nature, or basically very angry animals, and you have a movie that shouldn't be Best Picture, but still something important in movie history.
At least it hasn't dominated pop culture, aside from a few new parents naming their kids Jake or Neytiri. Still, the success of Avatar will convince other studios to prove that 3-D movies can also have good stories. The first example may likely be the next Harry Potter movie.

The other movie was Crazy Heart, or why Jeff Bridges will be winning the Big Lebowski. His portrayal of hard-living country singer Bad Blake is just great. You see a man who can really entertain a crowd, an old-fashioned country singer who is starting to fall apart. Bridges does a lot with his role. A lot of things he does will make you wince, but he needs a reason to clean up his act. That reason is Maggie Gyllenhall, who plays a reporter who's attracted to Blake, mainly because she's dated guys like that before. What surprised me is Colin Farrell does a good job playing Tommy Sweet, a singer that got his first break thanks to Blake. The movie does a nice job showing the difference between old-school country and the little-bit-too-corporate version. It's no wonder why Bridges has dominated the Best Actor awards so far.
It also makes you wonder if Christoph Waltz could beat Bridges if both were up for Best Actor at the Oscars. Bad Blake vs. Badder Landa. I'd vote for Waltz because he can make being soulless so charming.

So, Tuesday morning, we'lll see who will be the front-runners at the Academy Awards. I hear some predict Inglorious Basterds may get as many as ten nominations. Not bad for a movie that premiered at Comic-Con. Avatar should get that many, mainly for technical awards.

Just a week away from Hollywood's Super Bowl

2010-01-24T10:00:00.000-08:00

In the space of a week, we know a few things about what may be coming at the Academy Awards in March.
Two acting races are just about over, for starters, Christoph Waltz's dominance was a given ever since his portrayal of Hans Landa in Inglorious Basterds was shown to everyone last May in Cannes, last July at Comic-Con and everywhere else the month after that. He's got Supporting Actor for sure. The other race is Supporting Actress, and it looks like Mo'Nique has that cold, too, thanks to her role in Precious. You should see her as the abusive mother. She is scarier than any Volturi, Freddy Krueger or bad werewolf can ever be.
Also, Avatar will get every technical award that isn't nailed down, or at least nearly all of them. As far as revolutionizing how movies are made and shown, James Cameron has shown the way. This is Titanic in space, except the iceberg (corporate interests and trigger-happy soldiers) attacks the ship (Pandora), and the ship strikes back. Add the fact it has love, incredible scenery, and a message some may consider a subtle comment about Iraq or a ripoff of Dances With Wolves, and you have the movie of the new decade.
So could it win Best Picture? Well, if the Oscar voters are easily amused by shiny objects, of course it can. There are still some people who think Crash won Best Picture because there were enough voters who were homophobes would couldn't accept Brokeback Mountain as Best Picture. In this year's race, the tech that Avatar has could be enough. They could overlook the all-too-familiar story.
However, if they think story is just as important, Up In The Air and Hurt Locker should be right up front in the race. I've seen both, and they are good character studies as they are snapshots of how we live today. Hurt Locker follows a bomb disposal technician played by Jeremy Renner. His character, Will James is a guy who likes the thrill of defusing a bomb. We learn he's taken care of nearly a thousand. However, he is not invulnerable to how war can hurt you in other ways. Looking back at it, you might say Will is a war junkie. If you're expecting a traditional war movie, forget it. Kathryn Bigelow does a great job showing us the Iraq War, and the soldiers who live and fight in it. All that without any CGI or 3-D.
I've already talked about Up In The Air, but it's also a slice of life in the current economy. Jason Reitman and a great cast led by George Clooney do a wonderful job. In fact, this movie has already been part of one of the major show biz stories of 2010. Just see how Clooney's character tells employees they are fired, and compare that to how Steve Carrell "fires" Conan O'Brien during last Friday's Tonight Show.
Some are still quite stunned Inglorious Basterds won Best Ensemble at the SAG Awards, while Up In The Air was not nominated. If it was, it would have won. IB is a great war movie that only Quentin Tarantino can play. However, it's also violent, and that's something a Best Picture can't be (although The Departed showed you could only if Scorsese made it).

So, again, could Avatar win Best Picture at the Oscars? It can, but I prefer that Up In The Air get that nod.

So, what's next on my movie "to do" list?
I should see Julie and Julia, but I already got a hefty taste of what Meryl Streep does as Julia Child. Her performance and reputation should be enough to get her a third Oscar. I mean, if the Academy denied Eddie Murphy an Oscar for Dreamgirls a few years ago because he made Norbit, Sandra Bullock would not get one vote because of her string of silly romcoms. All About Steve is her Norbit.
Yet Bullock snagged a SAG award and Golden Globe so far. That's enough to get me to see The Blind Side. I also saw clips of the real Leigh Ann Tuohy. That's also reason enough.
Still, what will decide Best Actress, performance or reputation? Being Meryl Streep or living down Miss Congeniality II?
It would be obvious, expect Drew Barrymore won two awards for Grey Gardens, and she still can't believe it. Just ask her.

Best Actor seems to be Jeff Bridges' fate, but Crazy Heart has barely been released. It just came to town, and it sounds like the 21st century version of Tender Mercies. I will check it out, though.

We'll know more in a little more than a week

Say what?

2010-01-20T11:40:00.000-08:00

It was just six months ago I was wrapping up what was a less-than-perfect Comic-Con. My laptop died, a ticket to an autograph session with the cast of Dollhouse was declared void before it even started (but again, this must have happened to similar sessions of Glee and Fringe, and will likely happen again), and half the panels I wanted to attend were too crowded to even get in. No wonder Los Angeles is so certain it will get this event three years from now.

However, there were some good moments, like getting to see Inglorious Basterds before everybody, and finally seeing a Time Lord for the first time since the '80s.
During the Doctor Who panel, I wore a long scarf Doctor #4 would have worn. A BBC cameraman came up to me, and asked me to say something. I flippantly welcomed the current Doctor, David Tennant, to San Diego, and hoped the Doctor will be viisting America...in 2010 or 2011 hopefully, once again. I suspected this was part of a DVD release, but I thought my flippant comment would wind up on the cutting room floor.
Well, look at this...

Yes, I look stupid, and I didn't think I looked "Time Lord-ish" enough. Still, I guess my invite for Doctor #11 to come down may be enough. There are rumblings about making a U-S version of Torchwood, and that would work if it's a mini-series and the current cast is used. Try the same for the Doctor, guys. There will be a need for this.

Anyway, I will be part of the "Doctor Who at Comic-Con" featurette that will be in the "End of Time" DVD in a couple of weeks. I was going to get it anyway because it's a cool finale. I think maybe two or three people will recognize me when this DVD is made available. It's not as if the BBC will come looking for me, you know, if they do decuide to make a Dr. Who episode set in America, in 2011.
And they won't either...or at least not anywhere near me.

Finally, a post for the New Year

2010-01-14T12:51:00.000-08:00

I know I have been paying attention to the other blog because of the Dollhouse thing. So, I think I'll start 2010 here with a few remarks.
First, NBC and its late-night screwups: there must be a few old-time executives who think this would be a much different world if NBC gave The Tonight Show to David Letterman the second Johnny Carson retired in 1992. The other two major networks would not have jumped into the late-night talk scene so quickly. I mean, could anyone think of an ideal late-night talk show host aside from Johnny and Dave back then. Sure, Merv Griffin was tried until he decided to stick to game show producing, and Joey Bishop's viability was long gone. We only accept people like Arsenio Hall, Jimmy Kimmel and Craig Ferguson as our late night thing because people had to look for them, and given them their shot.
Maybe Leno would have been on late night anyway, but either syndicated or after Letterman. What a different world it would have been, if NBC treated Letterman right.
So how about the world we have now?
After Jimmy Kimmel's killer smackdown the other night with his classic impression of Leno on his show, I wonder if ABC should watch its back as the other networks start coveting him, like Fox? Well, ABC has Kimmel for keeps, now more than ever. It's also a cinch bigger stars will be coming in more often after this. He's the top guy in Los Angeles if only for a day or two, but that will last as more people see what he does.
My guess: NBC has to pay $50 million to Conan and his staff because of the big move they had to do. Let him start on Fox in June, and but I am sure he won't keep his current spot at Universal. NBC give Leno Conan's current theater and complete the humiliation. However, if the Peacock paid attention to the public's response, Leno would go. However, NBC would have to pay $80 mil to do that. As Letterman said on his show, it's all about money. It's why NBC thought it had to keep Leno, and still thinks that way because dumping Conan would be a less expensive mistake...at least for now. The real price tag comes a year from now, if you add the additional money the network would lose, and I don't mean from the Olympics.
I just wonder....if NBC decides after two years Leno's time really is over, and they want Conan back, how much MORE will they have to pay to get him? Yeesh!
Well, we'll all see the slow death of the peacock starting next Friday if Conan really does leave on the same night Fox forecloses on Dollhouse. Man, will it be a depressing night.

I'm just thankful I can recover from this with good news: after maybe nine months of trying to get on GSN Live, I succeeded. I won 225 bucks by answering two incredibly easy music questions. The cash will go towards my four-day trip to Anaheim to see Eliza Dushku, and this time hopefully getting an autograph from her, at Wizard World. The extra day will be used to say goodbye to Bonnie Hunt, who also is taking risks as she's reading towards her show's final days. With so many people quitting, from Tyra Banks to Simon Cowell (or being tossed out like Conan), maybe Warner brothers may think twice about keeping Bonnie around.

Reviewing Old Christmas Tapes

2009-12-25T08:39:00.001-08:00

Aside from the traditional fare that TV stations and cable show every year, such as Lifetime and Hallmark Channel's Totally Ridiculous Holiday Happy Endings Marathons, I review some of my old homemade DVDs or other Christmas specials.

Aside from the Grinch and Charlie Brown, I also have holiday specials from Billy and Mandy, My Life As A Teenage Robot, and Robot Chicken. I also have Little Drummer Boy and the Alistair Sim version of Christmas Carol, which don't seem to be on TV this year. I also have a ton of GSN reruns including Christmas shows from I've Got A Secret and What's My Line, but they can be seen anytime.

Anyway, I also started to look at which specials have the best stories. I saw Santa Claus Is Coming To Town, but I have to admit after Kris Kringle escaped from Burgermeister the story starts to fade out. We should have had Burgermeister tossed out of town by the kids who didn't have toys thanks to him, and their parents. For compelling stories, nothing beats the Grinch, Rudolph and Charlie Brown. That's why they're required viewing.

Cable TV , meanwhile, have their own ideas. It explains why Spike is running Bad Santa 24 hour a day, while TNT has A Christmas Story. It's too bad NBC is only allowed to show It's A Wonderful Life twice a year. Why not throw in a couple of cable showings on Lifetime, USA or even SyFy? It should really be in Turner Classic Movies.

Whedonistas, meanwhile, now swear that proper holiday fare are are both the "Amends" episode from Buffy and "Objects In Space" from Firefly, only because Jubal Early compares himself to Santa. Angel should have had a New Year's episode where some terrible thing was about to happen at the start of a New Year, only it gets defeated by too much vodka.

Afterwards, what happens on the 26th? Are holiday specials automatically obsolete? There's Boxing Day in the UK and Canada, and that's Leftover Christmas. I say you watch those specials through Sunday, especially in those areas where their NFL teams are not going to the playoffs (cough49erscoughRaiders,dammitcough).

So, I will look over as much as I can from my Xmas DVD collection, even though Saturday. If I saw the MST3K version of "Santa Claus Conquers the Martians", I should see the Cinematic Titanic version.