33 posts tagged “television”

I was a major fan of the original V miniseries, and I have to say, I was a bit pessimistic when I hear that they were remaking it into a new series. But this trailer really changed my mind. It gave me goosebumps!!!! And it's good to see Inara from Firefly getting more work!

I am going to try and make this a yearly tradition. Last year, I ranted about people or things that annoyed me. And, wouldn't you know it, I found ten things this year to rant about. What can I say, I'm a ranty guy.

These are just my opinions. I'm sure that I will rant about some things that people really love. You can love these things. That is your right. I really don't mean to offend anybody. But I just feel very strongly about the things on this list. So, no death threats or insults.

 

Without any further ado, here we go:

 

 

10. "Parody" films: There has been a recent trend of parody films sucking. It started last year with Epic Movie and continued this year with Meet the Spartans, Disaster Movie, and An American Carol.

The first two are from the same team that brought you Date Movie and Epic Movie, so they should be considered public enemy number one. These films are basically a collection of lame gags strung together with a flimsy plot  Strangely enough, up until Disaster Movie, these films always open at number one at the box office. Hopefully, this trend is going to end.

An American Carol was done by one of the Zucker Brothers, who brought us one of the best parody movies of all time, Airplane. It was his attempt to gain equal time for the conservative right by poking fun at the liberals. Unfortunately, he forgot to make it funny. This is a major disappointment.

An American Carol also tanked at the box office, which its creators probably thought was because of the unfair liberal bias in Hollywood. But really because it was a hamfisted hatchet job first, entertaining parody second.

Parodies are not easy to do. They require wit, intelligence and just the right touch. You can't just throw a bunch of scenes together and make it work. Which is what these people are finding out.

 

9. Santonio Holmes: I had the opportunity to watch at least some part of all the Steelers games this season (most from the comfort of my own home, as a lot of them were on national TV).

This was supposed to be the year Santonio Holmes was supposed to break out. The number one draft pick was entering his third season, the season when the good receivers are supposed to blossom.

Unfortunately, he did anything but blossom. The lasting impression I got of Holmes is one of dropped passes, routes run wrong, and stupid mistakes.

It got to such a point that when he actually did make a catch, my wife and I would say, "Wow, he finally caught one!" Like he won the lottery or something.

The Steelers have a history of having bad luck with high-round draft picks. Hines Ward was taken, I believe, in the 3rd round and has been nothing but clutch.  Holmes seems to be like fellow first-rounder Plaxico Burress and not living up to his potential while on the Steelers. Maybe Holmes will have better luck on his next team. And maybe the Steelers will just wait until the 3rd round to draft their WRs in the future.

 

 

8. Grant Morrison: I like a lot of what Grant Morrison does. I think he's a great writer. But he really isn't a great mainstream "event" writer.

I'll start with a caveat--All-Star Superman was a great book, filled with big moments and was one of the best interpretations of Superman ever.

But he seems to have been given carte blanche on that title, which is probably why it was so good. But when he has to work in the constraints of someone elses sandbox, he withers away.

"Batman R.I.P.," which was supposed to be the earth-shaking event which would turn the Bat-family of books on its ear, but instead was a chaotic mess. It was rumored that he was asked to rewrite the ending because DC wasn't satisfied with it. In my opinion, they should have stepped in much sooner.

Final Crisis was supposed to be the big event of the summer, the bookend to DC's "Crisis" trilogy. After bitching about not getting exclusive use of the New Gods (which, granted, he has a point) he gave us a rehash of an arc from his JLA run. For a big. blockbuster event with many other crossovers DC expects us to buy, we deserved more. And he was rumored to do rewrites on this one as well.

Morrison should stay to Vertigo where he can do what he wants and doesn't have to worry about continuity. He's a much better writer that way.

 

 

7. Kristen Wiig: I know I am in the minority here. Almost every magazine in the world has anointed her as the funniest woman since Lucille Ball. But I really don't find her funny at all.

Of course, one of her stock and trades is being an "annoyance comedienne" (I.E. the more annoying she is, the funnier she is supposed to be). But I didn't like that style when Borat did it, and she doesn't do it any better.

After that, she is essentially just a two-trick pony. She does that staccato monotone thing, like a surfer girl Rain Man. And she makes stupid faces and quirky body movements. Neither one impresses me.

Don't misunderstand me. It's not because she's a woman. I've seen Amy Poehler do improv and it was brilliant. And I find something I like in everything Tina Fey does. They are ten times the comediennes Wiig is, but get less press (well, maybe not Fey. She seems not to lack press ar all).

What it boils down to is that I don't find her funny. And the fact that it seems like everyone else does gets on my last nerve. In my eyes, she isn't the second coming of Gilda Radner, she's the new Melanie Hutsall.

 

 

 6. Thomas Beatie: Okay, let me just state that I really have nothing against transgender people in general. If you believe you should be a sex other than the one you're born with, you have the means to change it, and no one gets hurt in the process, I say more power to you.

But if you think you should be a man yet were born a woman, and you decide to change it, then you should leave every thing that makes you a woman behind and become a man. Thomas Beatie supposedly want to be a man. But she held on to her female reproductive organs. This causes doubt as per her motivation.

And, yes, I refered to Beatie exclusively as a female, because that's what she is-- a woman. Because if she truly wanted to be a man, believes she was a man, believes she should be a man, then she'd give up everything that made her a woman, a big part of which is the ability to bear children.

But know, she kept that. And when her wife found she couldn't have kids, Beatie decided to step in an help out and became the first pregnant "man.".

Naturally, this gained national attention through almost every news outlet, including ones that really shouldn't be covering it at all, because it is a curiousity. She gave birth and if that was the end of it, it wouldn't be as annoying.

But she is pregnant again. And she makes the announcement to Barbara Walters. Because, well, I guess all parties involved think its news or something.  And we face the possibility that this will become a reoccuring theme.

This makes me think Beatie is using the supposed freakish nature of her pregnancies as a means of self-promotion. I'm sure there will be other talk show appearances, maybe another book, and perhaps a TV deal. And that doesn't sit well with me. Having a child is a sacred, special thing. To exploit it the way Beatie has seems unctious at best. 

But, lets face it, Thomas Beatie is not a pregnant man. She is a woman who looks like a man who has gotten pregnant. This should have only been a mild curiousity the first time. The second time shouldn't have gotten any attention at all. But Beatie appears to be turing her situation it a gigantic circus sideshow just for want of attention. Yes, she should be blamed for it, but if we weren't so attracted by the whole car-wreck aspect of Beatie's sideshow, she'd slip into the obscurity she deserves..

 

 

5. Twilight: It seems the media and book publishers were really too desperate to fill the void left by Harry Potter. They were frantic to find a franchise that would appeal to both kids and adults. It appears that it has got what it wanted with Twilight. I heard absolutely nothing about the books while JK Rowling was still putting out novels. But now, it's the biggest thing ever.

And, granted, I am not its target audience, but Twilight seems to be the lamest thing ever as well.

First off, I believe vampires only should come out at night. Period. It was good enough for my parents. It was good enough for their parents. It's good enough for me.

However, the previews for the movie have the vampires wandering around in broad daylight. I understand the reason for this. After all, it is hard to have a teenage romance when the teens in question should be sleeping. But it kind of violates Bill's first law of vampires.

Other than that, based on what I've heard and read, it looks like it is goth-lite. It's goth for people who don't want to go full goth. There are pale people, a lot of shoegazing, a bit of romance, but all done in earth tones so as not to scare the squares.

And, logically, a romance between a vampire can only end two ways. Either she grows old while he stays the same age (unless they changed that vampire rule too) until her inevitable death does them part. That would be tragic and bittersweet and not at all happy, but would probably be the best option. Or he turns her into a vampire and they live forever and ever together in a perfect love, which, if that is the end result, the longer she is not a vampire the more annoying it will be (apparently, this the way Meyer went, and it happened in the 4th installment, which is another reason why the whole thing is annoying).

But, hey, I am not its target audience. It sold incredibly well and millions of people love it (to the point of obsession). Pehaps there is something I am missing, some subtle nuance, by not reading it. But I'll never know because I just have no desire to get into it.

 

 4. Brett Favre: I've already covered my annoyance with Brett earlier in this blog. Yes, the whole ordeal over the summer really seemed to show Brett's true colors. People think he was justified in throwing the tantrum and can't understand why the Packers would not just ignore the public support they put behind Aaron Rogers and take Brett back with open arms.

But Brett became a whiny baby, an indecisive wuss and a petulant child in my eyes. Heck, he is still one of the best QB's in NFL history, and is destined for the Hall of Fame, but he isn't as much of a hero as he once was to me.

But now, with a whole season of football behind us, what has Brett done for the Jets. You could say Brett made them in to a playoff contender (although, not one who could win it when it was all on the line). But, outside of last year's abberation, the Jets were in the playoffs several times in the past few years. And the man Brett replaced, Chad Pennington, led the 1-15 of last year Miami Dolphins to a division championship and a playoff spot--with arguably less talent than Brett has. Who's to say Pennington could do the same if he stayed with the Jets.

What Brett did bring to the Jets was the whole "will he retire" rigamarole that plagued his last few years with the Pack. It's started again, and it's sure to get a lot of media attention. But if he does decide to re-retire, keep a locker open for him just in case. Or have a trade waiting in the wings in case he wants to come back, only not with you.

 

3. Sarah Palin: You know, I lived through the era of Dan Quayle, and I thought that was about as low as Republican Vice-Presidential Candidates could go. Then along came Sarah.

I try to figure out the reason why McCain added her to the ticket. I hope it wasn't just because she had girl parts and Hilary Clinton had girl parts and they hoped all the people who supported Hilary because of her girl parts would switch to McCain because of Palin's girl parts.

Part of the reason probably because she was folksy. She was supposed to embody that "person you'd like to have a beer with" quality that got Dubya inexplicably elected twice. But instead of folksy she came across as a rube who you wouldn't a heartbeat away from the presidency.

She couldn't interview her way out of a paper bag. She didn't appear to be knowledgeable about foreign affairs or practically anything presidential. She used her office as governor to punish her ex-brother-in-law. And, worse of all, she winked at us during a nationally televised debate. Winked. At. Us. Let's face it. I was probably never going to vote for McCain/Palin. But if I was on the fence, that wink would have sent me permanently over to Obama's side.  

People say Palin is the future of the Republican party. If she is, well, get used to a long reign with the Democrats in power.

 

 

2. This "Chapter" of Heroes:  The Heroes season so far is like fast food TV. You consume it, and at the time you think it is good and satisfying. But when you think about it later, you wonder why you bothered taking it at all.

This was supposed to be the bounce back year, the one where they fixed all the problems that plagued the series before the writer's strike. But not only didn't they fix the problems, they developed a whole new batch of them.

It seemed fairly obvious that they had no long range plan for the series in general or this season in particular. Questions were raised that were never explained. Heroes turned to villains with little or no known motivations. Characters acted like idiots just so they could advance the plot. Other characters when through season long developments which were interesting and could have been explored further but instead they were abruptly returned to the status quo. Powers of the cast were only what the writers need that week, and changed as per their whim.

There was a major creative shake-up, the effects of which will be seen when the series returns in February. I hope upon hope that the series will be able to right itself because of these changes. Because if it doesn't, it might not remain on the air that long.  

 

1. The Hills: I think this show is proof that God exists, Because if Satan exists, then God has to exist. And there has to be a lot of blood oaths to the dark lord for this series to remain on the air and have the popularity it has.

If this was just a reality program about a bunch of vapid bints complaining that their almost perfect lives are not completely perfect wholly through their own asinine actions, it would be pretty unbearable. Because, you know, I always find people who could afford to sell me a thousand times over whining because the a-hole they are dating is, well, an a-hole so gosh darn interesting.

But what makes it extra annoying that this is a unreal reality show. The "real life" events that make up the show are obviously shot and shot over again until they get it just right. That heart to heart talk you see probably took hours to shoot because the lighting was off or there was too much background sound.

This makes the fake and phony lives of these people even more fake and phony. The result is a poorly acted melodrama masquerading as real life. I simply can't understand what the appeal is. I just hope they reach teh ceiling fast. These yahoos 15 minutes of fame has long expired.   

Variety is reporting that character actor Julius Carry has lost his battle with pancreatic cancer. He was 56.

Fans of The Last Dragon might remember Carry as the villain Sho'nuff. I knew him from two other projects.

I recall being a fan of of the short lived sitcom, Doctor Doctor, back in 1989. Carry played Abraham Butterfield on the show. His character was uptight without ever being pompous. I don't know if it was the talent of the writers or the ability of Carry as an actor (most likely a combination of both), but what could have become a "Frank Burns" type of character became a relatable, three dimensional portrayal.

That show only lasted two season before being cancelled. Then he went on to another one of my favorite short-lived shows (I seem to like a lot of short lived shows), The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr. He played the memorable character Lord Bowler.

 

In a complete opposite to his Doctor Doctor character, Lord Bowler was a cantankerous, down and dirty bounty hunter. He started out as Brisco County's nemesis but eventually became his partner. The role was a great one, full of flash, showy scenes, and killer dialogue. If anyone besides Bruce Campbell played the lead, Carry could have stolen the program. As it was, they played of each other well and the show became a cult favorite.

I was so impressed by him as an actor that I kept waiting for him to get his own series or move over to the movies. But the 'continuing character" roles were what he excelled in, and were what he did after Brisco went off the air.  

Condolences go out to his family and friends.

Images taken from this site. 

So, I don't know if you are fans of Katherine Heigl or not, or if you heard the latest, but my opinion of her has changed a bit.

She recently pulled her name out of Emmy consideration. Why? This is what she said:

"I did not feel that I was given the material this season to warrant an Emmy nomination and (so), in an effort to maintain the integrity of the Academy organization, I withdrew my name from contention. I did not want to potentially take away an opportunity from an actress who was given such materials."

That's kind of obnoxious, is it not?

I mean, first there's the open swipe at the writers. She was never given the material? Okay. I don't watch Grey's Anatomy, but I do know that it's called "Grey's Anatomy". Not "Whatever the hell Katherine Heigl's character's name is Anatomy". She's about four or five down on the feeding chart on the show. Heck, they don't have to give her any material if they don't want to. If her character doesn't appear in an episode of the show, I doubt that the world would end.

Besides, there was a writers strike this season. That means a limited number of episodes. What were the writers to do? Stop advancing the main character to throw as many "For Your Consideration" moments at Heigel as they can?  "Hey guys! Stop writing those scenes for the Ellen Pompeo. Katherine wants another scene where she can cry so she gets another Emmy. Get on that! Stat!" 

And not only are these many of the same writers who wrote the season that won her the Emmy, she'd be nowhere without the show in general. She's be starring in the Sci-Fi Network's movie of the week. Maybe she'd play a scientist chasing after a giant, cannibalistic, zombie turtle and not a co-ed who gets eaten by said turtle in the first act. And maybe she'd last to the final act before getting eaten. But that would be her lot in life without Grey's Anatomy.

My favorite part of the statement is the very concrete implication that she believes that she was a lock for an Emmy nomination, bad material or not. Maintain the integrity of the Academy organization? Like, people would just vote for her if she sucked because she is the awesome. "Hey, voting for Katherine Heigl is morally wrong, because we all admit she wasn't the best supporting actress in a drama or comedy this year. But, come on! It's Katherine Heigl! We got to nominate her." Yeah, right. Get off of that cloud.

Am I supposed to feel pity for her? That the show that made her famous isn't sacrificing their long range plans to give her meaty scenes--forget that they are accomodating her movie career by working around her schedule--so she can get another award?

You might think that I'm coming down on her because she is an opinionated woman who speaks her mind. No. Being opinionated isn't bad. Not thinking before you air those opinions willy nilly is bad. Being hurtful to the people who work so hard to make you look good is bad. Speaking your mind without ever thinking of the consequences or who you might hurt is bad. Her being a woman has nothing to do with it.

Yeah, I know I just made two other posts. But this one is going to be a catch all for all the other, smaller new items I want to rant about. It could be a long one. And all over the place.

ITEM!!! I will be attending the New York Comic Con: I know, I know. I have been critical of the NYCC in the past. But it is practically in my back yard and it is quickly becoming a place where my comic loving friends from NEPA and I can meet up.

I will only be going on Friday, however, for those of you who will accept that as a protest. A wedding and Kids in the Hall tickets interfere with me making a weekend out of it.

They are making changes to some of the issues I had with the convention. Not necessarily the changes I think they should make, but at least they are addressing the problems. When I got my ticket, the letter, instead of saying I could proceed directly to the show floor like last year's did, at least alerts me that there will be a line. Why there needs to be a line is beyond me, but at least now I know. Not that knowing does me any good, because I can't get there early, like they recommend, because I have class that day. Of course, if I had a VIP badge, which costs $400, I could get directly in. This is quite a bit more expensive than Wizard's baseline VIP package, and you get far less swag for it.

They also addressed the issue of not everybody getting a chance at an autograph with their special guests (last year, all the ticket were handed out a good 8 hours ahead of schedule due to demand). Their solution? Charge for it! $200 for Mike Mignola and Grant Morrison, $350 for a VIP party with Stan Lee, $500 for a party with Neil Gaiman. The proceeds for the last one go to the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund, a worthy cause, but the rest I guess the money goes to NYCC. I guess there could be a better way, but at least this give the people who want Grant Morrison's autograph but can't camp out overnight a chance at meeting him.

ITEM! Bill Richardson creates divisive act, calls for unity: I was going to give this one it's own post, but decided against it. I will say this: if you are a man who kept his name in the political spotlight through mentioning his friendship with the Clintons--even going so far as to speak to Anderson Cooper for 10 minutes about watching the Super Bowl with Bill Clinton--then you go and give your Superdelegates to his wife's opponent, you, sir, are a hypocrite and are in no position to ask for unity. And the fact you gave them to Obama after your state voted for Clinton is even worse. Worse yet is the fact that you stated that the Governors should give their Superdelegates to whoever their states votes for makes you the king of all hypocrites. Sure, he might have been just following his own beliefs, but lets just see if he lands a place on Obama's ticket somewhere.

ITEM!! Firefly might be coming out with a special edition of the complete TV series: If I thought for a second that buying this might get another season or movie out of the cast and crew, I'd buy it. But it reeks of the powers that be trying to wring a little more dough out of their fevorent fan base. I mean, really. Will there be enough new stuff on this edition that I have to buy it? If so, why not put it on the first edition in the first place. It's not like you seriously thought it would be this popular at the time, was it?

ITEM!!! Comic Book Resources updates it's look: I don't like it. The old way might not have been fancy, but at least you knew that the left side had news, the right had columns, and the new ones were at the top.

ITEM!! Comics Should Be Good starts its 100 Greatest Creative Team Runs countdown!: The idea is to list the Top 100 creative teams or creators who worked on a book for an extended period of time. Clicking above will take you to 100 to 91, clicking here will take you to 90 to 86.

ITEM!!! Entertainment Weekly runs down the 20 Worst Comic Book Movies: Their definition of "comic book" is a bit stretched. I'm not certain, but I don't believe Brenda Starr ever was a comic book. But, regardless, it is fodder for conversations at your local comic shop.  

ITEM!!! Kids on the Block to reunite: I'm with Joel McHale. I doubt the apocalypse is ever going to arrive. I mean, if this isn't a sign, then nothing is.

ITEM!! Set pictures from The Spirit released: You know, the more I see of this movie, the less I want to see.

ITEM!!! Uwe Boll will stop making movies if they gets 1,000,000 signatures on a petition asking him to stop: Finally! A cause everybody can get behind!

ITEM!!! Fraction and Brubaker off of Iron Fist, Johns and Katz off of Booster Gold, Ellis off of Thunderbolts: My reactions, in order:1) Noooooooooooooooo!!!!! (Swierczynski is, really, no replacement), 2) Noooooooooo!!! (If DC really wanted to give fans a treat, they'd have Jurgens take over the writing as well. 3) Wait a minute? Marvel is still publishing Thunderbolts? (No, seriously, are they still publishing Thunderbolts?)

ITEM!!!: Marvel fan is a contestant on Deal or No Deal: Spoiler alert: The guy opens a million on the first case. The banker reveals himself to be Mephisto and offers to put the million back in play if the guy gives up his marriage.

ITEM!!! New Guiding Lines columns published: There's a link to all of them.

ITEM!!! Also, my article on the Geppi Entertainment Museum is posted: Click above for the link to that.

• 

  Ombudsman,-header

• A New Guiding Line Column is up: This week, I cover Spirit #14, Cable and Deadpool #50, Superman/Batman #46, Zorro #1, Perhapanauts Annual #1, Jenna Jameson's Shadow Hunter #1, The Umbrella Academy: Apocalypse Suite #6, Immortal Iron Fist: Orson Randall and the Green Mist of Death, Loaded Bible 3: Communion, and Aspen Showcase: Grace #1.
• Lindsay Lohan appears nude in New York magazine: Yeah, just before all you horndogs click that link, just remember that just a few short years ago she looked like this:
  

  Lindsay_lohan
• Gambit cast in Wolverine movie: Because, you know, Marvel really really wants to put him in a movie, Who cares if he really doesn't fit. And Liev Schreiber is playing Sabretooth? Really?
• New Guardians of the Galaxy series could be good: But it's not really the Guardians of the Galaxy. I hope you know that.
• Brave and the Bold to be DC's next cartoon: YES!!!!
• MENSA chairman picks the 10 smartest shows of all time: I think Mad About You is only on the list just so angry people will blog about it. I mean, Star Trek was way smarter than Mad About You.
• USA Today covers the Red Hulk: And the Red Hulk is news, why?
• New York magazine advises people to send hair to ABC in order to save "Cavemen": This and the Lindsay Lohan thing means that New York Magazine must have suffered a greivous head injury. Did they move April Fool's to February?

 

The first Knight Rider series was a guilty pleasure from my youth. I used to love watching it. For the younger me, the real star was KITT. I was too young to be impressed by David Hasselhoff's roguish charm. But a talking, invulnerable car? Sign me up.

I have fond memories of my father saying "turbo boost" when the family station wagon entered a highway. So, I was hesitant to watch the Knight Rider movie tonight. Especially after what NBC did with the Bionic Woman revamp. But the wife and I watched it anyway.

And whatever they did wrong with Bionic Woman they did right with Knight Rider. Where the Bionic Woman was morose, the Knight Rider had just a little bit of fun.

It wasn't campy as the original series. But there was enough humor to make the watching interesting. The only problem was that the power went out in my condo four times during the show. Each time, my cable box had to reboot, and it took about 10 minutes each time. So we missed a good part of the show.

I don't know how many people watched it, but I kinda hope they pick it up for a series. The cast is pretty good (Sydney Poitier, Bruce Davidson) and Val Kilmer is perfect as the voice of KITT. I wouldn't mind seeing more of this version of Knight Rider.

Here is a round up of some news articles that caught my eye in the last several weeks.

• Rock band Boston tells Mike Huckabee to not to use their song: Isn't it just like those commie lib rock stars to not to continue to allow Huckabee to use "More Than a Feeling" without payment or permission? Or even Huckabee asking? Maybe Mike can use "The Eyes of the Ranger are Upon you" for his next rally.
• When will your favorite show return, post strike? Here is an hourly updated list: Bad news for Journeyman, Big Shots, and Bionic Woman. Because it doesn't look like they're coming back EVER. Wow. Who would of thought that a lame, male remake of Sex in the City, a lame ripoff of Quantum Leap, and a completely joyless revamp of Bionic Woman wouldn't resonate with the audiences?
• Rucka and Brubaker are on an upcoming Daredevil arc: One word describes my feelings about this:Glee!
• Fall Out Boy comes to comics: I'd make a joke about this be another way they are ripping off My Chemical Romance, but I actually like the band. But good luck with that deal with Dabel Brothers.
• Toy Fair Opens: Yes, I am totally wishing I was there.
• Pop Candy has another entry in their comic crash course: This time, Whitney covers kid-friendly books.
• FOX sues Warners over Watchmen: Yeah, because their holding on to the rights for a movie that they never intended to make is very important. Or, that they have Warner's over a barrel and want to make a quick buck.

 

Back at my old Friendster blog, I used to do a semi-regular news review on a quasi-daily basis called The Gates Ombudsman. Since it has been a while since I've blogged, I decided to bring back the format to catch up on things I've missed. But now, we have a snazzy, yet amateurish header for it. Yay!

• Where have I been?: College is a drag on my time. Between classes, homework and reading assignments, I barely have time to write what I am supposed to write, let alone blog.
• Pop Candy starts "A Crash Course in Comics":  Whitney Matheson is a writer for USA Today and a pop culture maven. Think a female version of me, only cuter. And more alternative. Anyway, she has decided to treat her readers the a crash comics course. This first of the four part weekly course hit today, and she gives us 25 essential graphic novels. Can't really argue with the list, although it favors the shoe-gazing, indie books a bit much, but a lot of the agreed essential books are their.
• Another of my Guiding Line colums have been published: Usually, I post this in a separate post, but tonight I am trying to be economical. This week, I cover Scud, the Disposable Assassin #21, Uncanny X-Men #495, Halloween: Nightdance #1, Abe Sapien: The Drowning #1, ClanDestine #1, Midnighter #16 and Marvel Illustrated: Moby Dick #1. Check it out.
• Heath Ledger died of an accidental overdose: He died of a fatal cocktail of a bunch of prescription meds. I wonder if People Magazine is going to a cover story apologizing for the cover story in their February 4th edition in which they make a point to include quotes from "friends" of Heath Ledger saying that he was a rampant partier and depressed over his breakup with Michele Williams. Because that article implied that Ledger was either A) A reckless druggie or B) Suicidal. Now that both those are ruled out, People Magazine should do the right thing and set the record straight. They won't but they should.
• Super Tuesday does not settle the election: I don't know if this is because we have so many good candidates or because all the candidates are kinda, eh? For the record, I voted for Hillary. Heath care is very important to me, and I believe she is stronger on that issue. I do appreciate that parking was on a preimium at the polling place. I am also glad to be living in New York instead of Pennsylvania. Because, usually by the time the primaries reached PA, the race was over.
• Elisabeth Hasselbeck has a "baby blog": The term "gag me with a spoon" is so outdated, but it really sums up what I'm feeling about this perfectly.
• Shaquille O'Neal is traded to the Phoenix Suns: In related news, Shaquille O'Neal is still playing basketball, apparently.
• My second favorite team wins the Super Bowl: I have two favorite NFL football teams. This causes me to be teased mercilessly by my friends. But I came into loving the Pittsburgh Steelers on my own, and love the New York Giants because they were my father's favorite team. It was a bonding experience for us both. I rooted for the Giants with him, and he would root for the Steelers with me. Now that he's passed away, 10 years gone now, I still root for the Giants. Don't get me wrong, there is a hierarchy, Steelers are first, Giants are second. But I am happy that my two favorite teams have won the SuperBowl within three years. And Giants had to beat the Perfect Patriots and the hated Cowboys to do so.
• However, the Super Bowl commercials were lackluster: Yeah, the ads, which some years are the best part of the game, were kind of blah. Especially disappointing were the Bud Light ads. Usually they are solid comedy. Instead they were kind of lame. My favorite had to be the soda commercials. The "Wkae Up" ad was made with Chris Kattan's appearance at the end, who doesn't love to see Justin Timberlake's crotch rammed into a post, and I love that Charlie Brown wins the Coke bottle in the end.
• The Writer's Strike might be over: Yee haw! I just hope the writers didn't give up too much.
• The early release of the 3rd season of SNL depresses me:  You know, when one and two came out in December, I got them immediately after for Christmas. Now number 3 will be released in April? I'm sure another one will be coming in December. Getting one $60 box set for X-Mas was hard enough. Getting two is impossible.

I am a rare bird in many ways, but one is because I have just about an equal love for Star Wars and Star Trek. Usually, it's one or the other. I like both.

So, in case anybody out there hasn't seen it yet, here is the teaser trailer. As it is a teaser, you won't see much along the lines of plot or actors. But it is enough to give the hardcore fan goosebumps.

Thanks to The Beat for pointing me in the right direction.