Hey all,
I forgot to mention I'm now an official reviewer at ComiX-Fan, with about 6 reviews up right now and one more before the night's out. Check me out over there on a regular basis!
Adventures of Superman #640 Review
Batman: Dark Detective #2 Review
DC Special: The Return of Donna Troy #1 Review
The Flash #222 Review
The Incredible Hulk #81 Review
Manhunter #10 Review
And to think...it all started with people over at ComiXtreme pi$$ing me off (see my "Ruminations: Incredible Hulk #80" post)!
~G.
28.5.05
Siriusly F***ed Up
Last night, on the way home from my usual weekend jaunt to Dave & Buster's, I was listening to my newly-installed Sirius satellite radio. For those of you who don't yet have one, by all means, get one. But, beware. Beware Channel 11, "Kids' Stuff."
Beware!
No, really. Chancing across this channel made a longstanding thought from the back of my head (check under the hair, it's there) come to the fore. What was so terrible about this station, above all others? It was this little ditty called "Sk8er Boi." Okay, you wonder, what's so bad about that? It wasn't sung by Avril Lavigne, but rather, by some studio musician and a bunch of kids! Yes, refer back to the station's name. Back in college, I remember watching TV and a commercial came on, an ad for a new CD with today's pop hits sung by kids! Is this concept as ludicrous to anyone else out there as it is to me?
Now, if you answered "no," then maybe you just don't know the song. It's about a guy and a girl who do the nasty, she has a kid, he goes on to become a big rock star, and he's got this girlfriend he now has sex with, and she convinces him to write this song about the girl I mentioned at the beginning. And this isn't somehow weird to have kids singing this song and broadcast it on a kids' station? The same thing occurred to me when I watched that old ad, because one of the songs featured was Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?" also sung by kids. The world is really strange.
On the even more bizarre side: on Sirius Hits 1, I listened to an "aLl MaShEd" version of Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" mixed with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Weird!
~G., waiting for the Kidz Bop version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know"
P.S.: Or how about Ashlee Simpson's "Lala"?
Beware!
No, really. Chancing across this channel made a longstanding thought from the back of my head (check under the hair, it's there) come to the fore. What was so terrible about this station, above all others? It was this little ditty called "Sk8er Boi." Okay, you wonder, what's so bad about that? It wasn't sung by Avril Lavigne, but rather, by some studio musician and a bunch of kids! Yes, refer back to the station's name. Back in college, I remember watching TV and a commercial came on, an ad for a new CD with today's pop hits sung by kids! Is this concept as ludicrous to anyone else out there as it is to me?
Now, if you answered "no," then maybe you just don't know the song. It's about a guy and a girl who do the nasty, she has a kid, he goes on to become a big rock star, and he's got this girlfriend he now has sex with, and she convinces him to write this song about the girl I mentioned at the beginning. And this isn't somehow weird to have kids singing this song and broadcast it on a kids' station? The same thing occurred to me when I watched that old ad, because one of the songs featured was Michelle Branch's "Are You Happy Now?" also sung by kids. The world is really strange.
On the even more bizarre side: on Sirius Hits 1, I listened to an "aLl MaShEd" version of Destiny's Child's "Bootylicious" mixed with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit." Weird!
~G., waiting for the Kidz Bop version of Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know"
P.S.: Or how about Ashlee Simpson's "Lala"?
15.5.05
Yeah, Yeah, So Sue Me...
I know I'm pitifully late on updating this blog. It's not because I don't have anything to say--well, that may have a little to do with it, but it's mainly because I'm trying very hard to get a job, whether in the Pittsburgh area, or out in Arizona. And some things have come up just this week that make Phoenix more probable, but also, make Pittsburgh potentially more appealing. More on that as it develops.
I'm also in mid-read of Peter David and Esteban Maroto's magnum opus "The Atlantis Chronicles," published by DC Comics. It's the history of Atlantis in the DC Comics universe between the time of Arion and the birth of Aquaman--a period I neither knew nor cared about until very recently. Peter (henceforth PAD) says it's his personal favorite of all his works to date, so I took it on faith, and was able to procure the 7-issue miniseries from a local comic shop and from an online vendor. It took me several months to find time to read it, but now I'm just about finished with #5, and the series does not disappoint. It's a pretty complex story of the Atlantean monarchy, its trials and tribulations over the centuries, and it's loads of fun. I like the trick that almost every section of the story is told by a different narrator, with different biases toward chronicling the history. DC Comics should seriously consider putting this series out in trade paperback format--I can't believe it's so good.
Also, I've been watching some TV, particularly The O.C. and Smallville, and I gotta say the latter is turning itself around nicely after being in a morass for most of the season. Clark hasn't been the focal point of a lot of the stories recently, and a few weeks ago, a good episode (the "Tale of Two Lexes") was marred by the reversion of Lionel into his "Magnificent Bastard" persona. And by the by, why is it that just about everyone who's a main cast member gets their memories wiped when they get really close to a K-freak or are affected by kryptonite? I was hoping that Clark would know that Chloe knows his secret by now (brilliant episode, that), but no, everything was wiped clean again by episode's close. C'mon, Al and Miles, don't be content with the status quo! Rock the boat!
And on The O.C., the moment I had waited for since the season premiere finally happened: we know that Ryan has an illegitimate kid, that Theresa didn't miscarry. It wasn't a surprise for me--pretty much a certainty from the premiere onward, but it was nice to see the plot acknowledged. And this week, George Lucas sold out once more by providing a special guest-spot on the show, a week before Episode III comes out. I'm sure this spot will be reviled soon just about as much as the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Nothing else I can talk about right now...maybe later.
~G.
I'm also in mid-read of Peter David and Esteban Maroto's magnum opus "The Atlantis Chronicles," published by DC Comics. It's the history of Atlantis in the DC Comics universe between the time of Arion and the birth of Aquaman--a period I neither knew nor cared about until very recently. Peter (henceforth PAD) says it's his personal favorite of all his works to date, so I took it on faith, and was able to procure the 7-issue miniseries from a local comic shop and from an online vendor. It took me several months to find time to read it, but now I'm just about finished with #5, and the series does not disappoint. It's a pretty complex story of the Atlantean monarchy, its trials and tribulations over the centuries, and it's loads of fun. I like the trick that almost every section of the story is told by a different narrator, with different biases toward chronicling the history. DC Comics should seriously consider putting this series out in trade paperback format--I can't believe it's so good.
Also, I've been watching some TV, particularly The O.C. and Smallville, and I gotta say the latter is turning itself around nicely after being in a morass for most of the season. Clark hasn't been the focal point of a lot of the stories recently, and a few weeks ago, a good episode (the "Tale of Two Lexes") was marred by the reversion of Lionel into his "Magnificent Bastard" persona. And by the by, why is it that just about everyone who's a main cast member gets their memories wiped when they get really close to a K-freak or are affected by kryptonite? I was hoping that Clark would know that Chloe knows his secret by now (brilliant episode, that), but no, everything was wiped clean again by episode's close. C'mon, Al and Miles, don't be content with the status quo! Rock the boat!
And on The O.C., the moment I had waited for since the season premiere finally happened: we know that Ryan has an illegitimate kid, that Theresa didn't miscarry. It wasn't a surprise for me--pretty much a certainty from the premiere onward, but it was nice to see the plot acknowledged. And this week, George Lucas sold out once more by providing a special guest-spot on the show, a week before Episode III comes out. I'm sure this spot will be reviled soon just about as much as the Star Wars Holiday Special.
Nothing else I can talk about right now...maybe later.
~G.
29.4.05
A Crying Shame...
Guys (and femmes),
I'm upset. I'm miffed. I feel terrible. There's a great injustice happening right now, at corporate headquarters of music companies who wouldn't know good music if it bit them on the butt.
Anyone here heard of Manfred Mann's Earth Band? Yeah, they're a British prog-rock band that really started in the 60s with such hits as "The Mighty Quinn" and "Do-Wah-Diddy," but who changed their name (still keeping the name of the famous keyboardist who assembled the group) and attitude in the 1970s. They're probably best-known for their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By the Light," which, yeah, it becomes apparent after listening to the original, they reshuffled, streamlined and butchered to death, brilliantly and all at once. "The Roaring Silence," the album from whence "Blinded" came, was the pinnacle of the band's U.S. success, and they've been all-but-forgotten on these shores. Little does everyone know that Manfred and his band have released more and more albums. I certainly didn't even know until I chanced upon their then-new release, "Soft Vengeance," whilst vacationing in Germany in 1996.
It's really fantastic music, with good lyrics, snazzy synthesizers, and the brilliant voice of Chris Thompson, who's been with the band since the 70s. And it's a crying shame that these guys haven't had a record contract over in the States since, yes, nearly 20 years ago. And seeing as there's no great movement to get their music a wider degree of proliferation in these parts, it'll probably remain Britain's best-kept secret until the band drifts apart.
I just bought Manfred Mann's Earth Band's latest album, "2006," off a retailer on eBay, and am waiting for it to come in. Not only that, I've got 14 of their albums coming on seven CDs, including the redundant "Roaring Silence," which I already have. If anyone reading this would like the extra album, then just reply here or e-mail me privately and it is yours.
Anyone else have any "best band nobody's heard" stories to tell? I promise not to laugh--hard.
~G.
I'm upset. I'm miffed. I feel terrible. There's a great injustice happening right now, at corporate headquarters of music companies who wouldn't know good music if it bit them on the butt.
Anyone here heard of Manfred Mann's Earth Band? Yeah, they're a British prog-rock band that really started in the 60s with such hits as "The Mighty Quinn" and "Do-Wah-Diddy," but who changed their name (still keeping the name of the famous keyboardist who assembled the group) and attitude in the 1970s. They're probably best-known for their cover of Bruce Springsteen's "Blinded By the Light," which, yeah, it becomes apparent after listening to the original, they reshuffled, streamlined and butchered to death, brilliantly and all at once. "The Roaring Silence," the album from whence "Blinded" came, was the pinnacle of the band's U.S. success, and they've been all-but-forgotten on these shores. Little does everyone know that Manfred and his band have released more and more albums. I certainly didn't even know until I chanced upon their then-new release, "Soft Vengeance," whilst vacationing in Germany in 1996.
It's really fantastic music, with good lyrics, snazzy synthesizers, and the brilliant voice of Chris Thompson, who's been with the band since the 70s. And it's a crying shame that these guys haven't had a record contract over in the States since, yes, nearly 20 years ago. And seeing as there's no great movement to get their music a wider degree of proliferation in these parts, it'll probably remain Britain's best-kept secret until the band drifts apart.
I just bought Manfred Mann's Earth Band's latest album, "2006," off a retailer on eBay, and am waiting for it to come in. Not only that, I've got 14 of their albums coming on seven CDs, including the redundant "Roaring Silence," which I already have. If anyone reading this would like the extra album, then just reply here or e-mail me privately and it is yours.
Anyone else have any "best band nobody's heard" stories to tell? I promise not to laugh--hard.
~G.
26.4.05
Seventeen Sketches, in My Sketchbook Will Glow...
Sorry it's been a while, guys--I have been busy. Interviews are just the tip of the iceberg. The Pittsburgh Comicon was this last weekend, and I stayed up in town with a friend for easy transit and less waste of the precious gas. My buddy Rob of ComicMonsters.com warned his artist buds of my coming, and between meeting rising stars like Josh Medors, Chris Moreno, and Chris Burnham, and reacquainting myself with luminaries like George Perez, Gene Gonzales, and Tommy Castillo, I rounded up a bunch of autographs and nice sketches--seventeen sketches, in fact! That beats the old record by more than double, I think. Go ahead. Be jealous--hate me, just don't quit reading my blog! I'll make it worth your while by posting the sketches!
See? Neil Vokes doing Space Phantom. Fun!
More later!
~G.
See? Neil Vokes doing Space Phantom. Fun!
More later!
~G.
14.4.05
If Anyone Cares...
Current news:
Still going to be doing reviews as soon as I'm able, which will be toward the middle of next week.
Cheer if you want to see me tear any of the following to shreds: The O.C., Veronica Mars, Alias, Tru Calling, Smallville, 24.
Monday I have an interview for a temp IT position up in Butler. Relax, guys, the job's in Wexford. Hopefully the job workshop I've been attending this week will serve me well. Wish me luck!
D&B hijinks forthcoming (I hope) this weekend.
Uhhh, anything else? Also being kept busy...mom chaining me to a desk and forcing me to help her with an MIS report. Oh, the agony!
More later.
~G.
Still going to be doing reviews as soon as I'm able, which will be toward the middle of next week.
Cheer if you want to see me tear any of the following to shreds: The O.C., Veronica Mars, Alias, Tru Calling, Smallville, 24.
Monday I have an interview for a temp IT position up in Butler. Relax, guys, the job's in Wexford. Hopefully the job workshop I've been attending this week will serve me well. Wish me luck!
D&B hijinks forthcoming (I hope) this weekend.
Uhhh, anything else? Also being kept busy...mom chaining me to a desk and forcing me to help her with an MIS report. Oh, the agony!
More later.
~G.
9.4.05
Ruminations: The Incredible Hulk #80
(Note: Last month, I posted follow-ups to reviews of recent HULK issues at a comics review site that shall go nameless (let's just say they take their love of comics to an extreme level and leave it there). After last month's debacle, during which I had the audacity to compare the current work to writers & artists previous (as if that isn't somehow inherent in the current work--ha!), I got in a heap of trouble with the powers-that-act-like-fascists. So, I got out of said bad situation, y'know, with free speech being my bag an' all. I don't really wanna talk about it anymore; so now, without further ado, my unbiased and unedited opinion of HULK #80...)
INCREDIBLE HULK #80
"Tempest Fugit: Part Four (of 5)"
Writer: Peter David / Artist: Lee Weeks
$2.99USD
After flirting with possible explanations for what the mysterious island is and what's really happening there, Bruce Banner inadvertently, finally sees the big picture...or does he?
Four issues into Peter David's second run on the title he made a tremendous success, it's apparent that it hasn't taken him long at all to get his "sea legs." In fact, if it's even possible to judge this new run in comparison with the quality of the one previous, I've got to hand it to PAD: he seems to have a clearer idea of who and what the Hulk character is, and what he represents--to the reader, to Banner, to others in the Marvel Universe. And I'm genuinely shocked to find the flavor of this storyline has mirrored the old Englehart/Thomas/Wein & Trimpe monster-fests of the 1970s (particularly in how quickly the metamorphoses seem to occur, and how infrequently Banner appears), but with a modern sensibility.
But first, let's get back to the flashbacks that introduce the Hulk as a force during Bruce's teenage years. Here, we're seeing the split between friends, as it were, where the relationship between personalities first turned antagonistic. It's fun, it's palpable, and the lead-in to what's sure to be revealed next issue is jarring and, let's make no mistake, very Columbine-esque. To the casual observer, Bruce Banner was a troubled teen. Is it really that much of a stretch to have this kind of scenario plant some real seeds of discord to mar Banner's life? It's quite inventive, and I'm finally settling into the idea of the Hulk "awakening" long before the Gamma Bomb detonated (even if I'm left scratching my head about how the Hulk really got his name).
Last issue, we got a rather unsatisfying explanation for what's happening on the island: it was a top-secret military project code-named SMASH. Eh. Here, as Wolverine attacks the Hulk, there's another, more comic-booky theory posed by a certain time-traveller who's crossed paths with the green goliath before: Kang (for those not in the know, check HULK #135 for that li'l encounter). It's clear that Bruce, good old reintellectualized Bruce, doesn't believe the line of horse-hooey Kang spews, and here I was pleasantly reminded of the strong characterization of Banner from Peter's old days on the book. Banner's no longer the spineless, average joe who slept with Nadia Blonsky and let her slip him special "vitamin" pills in the shower (under previous writer Bruce Jones). This is a Bruce Banner who knows the score in many a discipline and can outsmart nearly anybody. Bravo.
Of course, off the strange explanation of timelines in flux and a delightfully off-color insult that Bruce hurls Kang's way, another monkey wrench is thrust into the works, one that I was thinking might come into play and one that may well rile fans of the talents who scripted everything since David's last tenure. Has everything that happened to Bruce and Hulk since 1995 been a falsity, a delusion? I think not, but then again, I've been surprised before. Still, the strip is self-aware enough to give some genuine thrills and laughs, and for that, Peter gets major props.
So who's behind the Hulk's recent agonies? Well, just ask yourself: which of his villains is adept at casting illusions in the form of those the Hulk's encountered in the past, often using alien species around which to craft those illusions? I'm worried about the character as displayed in #78 as the architect of this adventure, but that aside, it looks like more fun with the Shaper of Worlds and his apprentice, Glorian. Looks like we'll see next month.
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5
~G.
INCREDIBLE HULK #80
"Tempest Fugit: Part Four (of 5)"
Writer: Peter David / Artist: Lee Weeks
$2.99USD
After flirting with possible explanations for what the mysterious island is and what's really happening there, Bruce Banner inadvertently, finally sees the big picture...or does he?
Four issues into Peter David's second run on the title he made a tremendous success, it's apparent that it hasn't taken him long at all to get his "sea legs." In fact, if it's even possible to judge this new run in comparison with the quality of the one previous, I've got to hand it to PAD: he seems to have a clearer idea of who and what the Hulk character is, and what he represents--to the reader, to Banner, to others in the Marvel Universe. And I'm genuinely shocked to find the flavor of this storyline has mirrored the old Englehart/Thomas/Wein & Trimpe monster-fests of the 1970s (particularly in how quickly the metamorphoses seem to occur, and how infrequently Banner appears), but with a modern sensibility.
But first, let's get back to the flashbacks that introduce the Hulk as a force during Bruce's teenage years. Here, we're seeing the split between friends, as it were, where the relationship between personalities first turned antagonistic. It's fun, it's palpable, and the lead-in to what's sure to be revealed next issue is jarring and, let's make no mistake, very Columbine-esque. To the casual observer, Bruce Banner was a troubled teen. Is it really that much of a stretch to have this kind of scenario plant some real seeds of discord to mar Banner's life? It's quite inventive, and I'm finally settling into the idea of the Hulk "awakening" long before the Gamma Bomb detonated (even if I'm left scratching my head about how the Hulk really got his name).
Last issue, we got a rather unsatisfying explanation for what's happening on the island: it was a top-secret military project code-named SMASH. Eh. Here, as Wolverine attacks the Hulk, there's another, more comic-booky theory posed by a certain time-traveller who's crossed paths with the green goliath before: Kang (for those not in the know, check HULK #135 for that li'l encounter). It's clear that Bruce, good old reintellectualized Bruce, doesn't believe the line of horse-hooey Kang spews, and here I was pleasantly reminded of the strong characterization of Banner from Peter's old days on the book. Banner's no longer the spineless, average joe who slept with Nadia Blonsky and let her slip him special "vitamin" pills in the shower (under previous writer Bruce Jones). This is a Bruce Banner who knows the score in many a discipline and can outsmart nearly anybody. Bravo.
Of course, off the strange explanation of timelines in flux and a delightfully off-color insult that Bruce hurls Kang's way, another monkey wrench is thrust into the works, one that I was thinking might come into play and one that may well rile fans of the talents who scripted everything since David's last tenure. Has everything that happened to Bruce and Hulk since 1995 been a falsity, a delusion? I think not, but then again, I've been surprised before. Still, the strip is self-aware enough to give some genuine thrills and laughs, and for that, Peter gets major props.
So who's behind the Hulk's recent agonies? Well, just ask yourself: which of his villains is adept at casting illusions in the form of those the Hulk's encountered in the past, often using alien species around which to craft those illusions? I'm worried about the character as displayed in #78 as the architect of this adventure, but that aside, it looks like more fun with the Shaper of Worlds and his apprentice, Glorian. Looks like we'll see next month.
Rating: ****1/2 out of 5
~G.
5.4.05
Beware Tinky Winky's Purple Pen of Death
Hey there, caballeros:
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-04-03-red-grading_x.htm
Good f***ing grief, Charlie Brown. The sad state of education in the United States of Bush continues to go accelerate downhill at a rapid rate, defying all the laws of physics, and here, friends, is proof in lavender. For those of you who haven't heard, the color red is now a no-no when teachers grade students' tests and other papers. It's "too stressful" to those poor ne'er-do-well students, and has been vetoed, bumped out to the curb outside the school, right smack on its ass. The local 7-11 who made a mint on red ink pens is now being forced to carry purple pens or face a tragic loss of business. Okay, so maybe 7-11 doesn't supply schools with pens, but you get the idea.
Purple is the new red, and red is the new black, and black is definitely out when it comes to school fashions, pretty much always.
And parents have just been statistically proven to be frickin' insane.
Forget the obvious, that red is just plain easier to see than purple. Forget that red marks have pretty much always existed since there were red pens; in fact, I wouldn't be halfway surprised to learn red pens were invented for the sole purpose of grading papers. Let's go back to what colors mean. Yes, different colors mean something. Fact is, they serve pretty notable purposes. And red? It's a very emotionally intense color. It's a stimulant, enhancing human metabolism, increasing respiration rate, and raising blood pressure. (It also pisses off bulls something fierce.) It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment (all indicators of danger, generally speaking) are usually painted red. And blood is, of course, red.
By comparison, what's purple? Blue is stable, red is energetic; ergo, purple combines both. Back in the Middle Ages and before, purple was the color of nobility because it was so difficult to produce the color (as such, only the elite could have purple things). A number of things are said to be epitomized in purple: power, nobility, luxury, ambition, wealth, extravagance, wisdom, dignity, creativity, independence, mystery, and magic. 75% of pre-adolescents prefer the color to all others. Light purple is feminine; dark purple can cause frustration.
And, of course, the gay Teletubbie (or so the Right would tell you) is purple. Coincidence...?
Now, lest you think I've flipped and forgotten my point altogether, I'm aghast that the establishment would make this terrible move. Figure the old way: the more red marks on a paper, the more danger should be felt because not doing well in school is bad! Makes sense, doesn't it? Well, forget about it! With purple, students should feel regal and proud when many marks are strewn across a paper! Make failing students feel at ease! Why didn't I think of this before? Make students feel content, nay, privileged for reaching such depths!
Why not go all the way? Why not grade with a blue pen, and make failing students feel totally relaxed and calm? Remind them of heaven, not hell (as red may symbolize to some)? Blue symbolizes intellect and reason. It's cool and serene.
Why do parents want to make their kids feel more relaxed and calm, which in my mind produces complacency and inaction, when instead they should feel indignation toward doing such a piss-poor job in their school work? It's sending the wrong message and schools across the country should be ashamed of themselves. Encourage mediocrity, encourage failure, because you don't want kids feeling bad about themselves? Rubbish! Repeat after me, kids, with your red-penned papers in hand: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Get better grades by having that bright red failing grade leap off the page!
Why am I feeling like I've stepped into Bizarro-ville? And why do I feel like I'm the only one who's noticed?
Next up: tiger cubs nurse at fortysomething zoo worker's teat, film at 11...
~G.
http://www.usatoday.com/news/education/2005-04-03-red-grading_x.htm
Good f***ing grief, Charlie Brown. The sad state of education in the United States of Bush continues to go accelerate downhill at a rapid rate, defying all the laws of physics, and here, friends, is proof in lavender. For those of you who haven't heard, the color red is now a no-no when teachers grade students' tests and other papers. It's "too stressful" to those poor ne'er-do-well students, and has been vetoed, bumped out to the curb outside the school, right smack on its ass. The local 7-11 who made a mint on red ink pens is now being forced to carry purple pens or face a tragic loss of business. Okay, so maybe 7-11 doesn't supply schools with pens, but you get the idea.
Purple is the new red, and red is the new black, and black is definitely out when it comes to school fashions, pretty much always.
And parents have just been statistically proven to be frickin' insane.
Forget the obvious, that red is just plain easier to see than purple. Forget that red marks have pretty much always existed since there were red pens; in fact, I wouldn't be halfway surprised to learn red pens were invented for the sole purpose of grading papers. Let's go back to what colors mean. Yes, different colors mean something. Fact is, they serve pretty notable purposes. And red? It's a very emotionally intense color. It's a stimulant, enhancing human metabolism, increasing respiration rate, and raising blood pressure. (It also pisses off bulls something fierce.) It has very high visibility, which is why stop signs, stoplights, and fire equipment (all indicators of danger, generally speaking) are usually painted red. And blood is, of course, red.
By comparison, what's purple? Blue is stable, red is energetic; ergo, purple combines both. Back in the Middle Ages and before, purple was the color of nobility because it was so difficult to produce the color (as such, only the elite could have purple things). A number of things are said to be epitomized in purple: power, nobility, luxury, ambition, wealth, extravagance, wisdom, dignity, creativity, independence, mystery, and magic. 75% of pre-adolescents prefer the color to all others. Light purple is feminine; dark purple can cause frustration.
And, of course, the gay Teletubbie (or so the Right would tell you) is purple. Coincidence...?
Now, lest you think I've flipped and forgotten my point altogether, I'm aghast that the establishment would make this terrible move. Figure the old way: the more red marks on a paper, the more danger should be felt because not doing well in school is bad! Makes sense, doesn't it? Well, forget about it! With purple, students should feel regal and proud when many marks are strewn across a paper! Make failing students feel at ease! Why didn't I think of this before? Make students feel content, nay, privileged for reaching such depths!
Why not go all the way? Why not grade with a blue pen, and make failing students feel totally relaxed and calm? Remind them of heaven, not hell (as red may symbolize to some)? Blue symbolizes intellect and reason. It's cool and serene.
Why do parents want to make their kids feel more relaxed and calm, which in my mind produces complacency and inaction, when instead they should feel indignation toward doing such a piss-poor job in their school work? It's sending the wrong message and schools across the country should be ashamed of themselves. Encourage mediocrity, encourage failure, because you don't want kids feeling bad about themselves? Rubbish! Repeat after me, kids, with your red-penned papers in hand: "I'm mad as hell, and I'm not going to take it anymore!" Get better grades by having that bright red failing grade leap off the page!
Why am I feeling like I've stepped into Bizarro-ville? And why do I feel like I'm the only one who's noticed?
Next up: tiger cubs nurse at fortysomething zoo worker's teat, film at 11...
~G.
3.4.05
Accursed Cliffhangers of Dracula
All this week, I've been in the process of converting a bunch of my VHS tape collection (well, what little remained after I threw 80% of it out) to DVD via my handy TiVo with burner. And after digging tapes out to convert, and doing some research on said programs, I gotta say: AAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!
Okay. Deep breaths. That's better.
Maybe I should start at the beginning: too many years ago to mention with a straight face, I watched a two-hour telefilm called The World of Dracula. It starred a then-young Michael Nouri (infamous for Flashdance, opposite Jennifer Beals) as the prince of darkness himself, who had become so disenchanted with his everlasting existence that he became a lowly history professor at a junior college (teaching, quite naturally, night classes). He was pursued by the grandson of his mortal enemy, Van Helsing, and his girlfriend Mary, whose mother had become one of Dracula's victims. I remembered quite liking Nouri as Dracula, with the right accent, and the right charisma (but that hair was all wrong!). And Carol Baxter as Mary was at least moderately yummy.
Only later did I discover that World was, in fact, not a "real" telefilm, but rather an assemblage of the pieces of an actual TV series called Cliffhangers!, created by Ken Johnson (who'd also been responsible for The Six Million Dollar Man and, of all things, The Incredible Hulk live-action series). The concept of the series was simple: conjure the feel of the old movie serials where every week's installment ended in a cliffhanger, to be resolved the next week. To that effect, three series each of distinct genres were created, with each having 20 minutes' screen time per week. Of course, TV watchers in 1979 weren't quite ready for a series that they had to watch every week, and the heavily-touted series not only premiered with abysmal ratings, they sank even lower and Cliffhangers! was canceled after only 13 installments. And where did World fit into the puzzle? Well, it (under its then-title, The Curse of Dracula) has the significance of being the sole series to complete all of its installments prior to cancellation, ten in all.
So, when I threw out old videotapes, I naturally saved World as a curiosity, and here I am after having converted it to DVD and re-watched it. And between my research online and watching the ending all over again, as the good Count might say, I have come to an inescapable conclusion: The World of Dracula tells only half the story! That's right: all these years, I was watching only the first five (apparently) installments of the series! Another telefilm, assembled from the remainder of the material, is out there: its name, The Loves of Dracula.
I knew the ending of the World telefilm wasn't pat at all, ending not with Dracula's death, not with a resolution of any of the main plotlines. In fact, it added a complication in the return of Mary's thought-dead mother, who instead had become a vampire, like Dracula. The thrust of the story at World's end was that Dracula was seducing Mary, like he did her mother, and she was but one bite away from becoming an eternal child of the night. Mary's mother came as a strange ally, to help Kurt Van Helsing in keeping Mary away from Dracula's sway long enough to destroy him and the remaining six boxes of Transylvanian earth the Count must have nearby.
So, now I'm upset at myself for not seeing the obvious sooner, and I'm seeking out that second telefilm. I hear both it and World were released on VHS in the early 1990s, but are long out of print. If anyone has 'em...I will gladly convert it to DVD for you and me both to enjoy. How's that for service?
Anyone vaguely remember what I'm talking about? Anyone else have any favorite vampire films? Bueller?
Toodles,
~G.
Okay. Deep breaths. That's better.
Maybe I should start at the beginning: too many years ago to mention with a straight face, I watched a two-hour telefilm called The World of Dracula. It starred a then-young Michael Nouri (infamous for Flashdance, opposite Jennifer Beals) as the prince of darkness himself, who had become so disenchanted with his everlasting existence that he became a lowly history professor at a junior college (teaching, quite naturally, night classes). He was pursued by the grandson of his mortal enemy, Van Helsing, and his girlfriend Mary, whose mother had become one of Dracula's victims. I remembered quite liking Nouri as Dracula, with the right accent, and the right charisma (but that hair was all wrong!). And Carol Baxter as Mary was at least moderately yummy.
Only later did I discover that World was, in fact, not a "real" telefilm, but rather an assemblage of the pieces of an actual TV series called Cliffhangers!, created by Ken Johnson (who'd also been responsible for The Six Million Dollar Man and, of all things, The Incredible Hulk live-action series). The concept of the series was simple: conjure the feel of the old movie serials where every week's installment ended in a cliffhanger, to be resolved the next week. To that effect, three series each of distinct genres were created, with each having 20 minutes' screen time per week. Of course, TV watchers in 1979 weren't quite ready for a series that they had to watch every week, and the heavily-touted series not only premiered with abysmal ratings, they sank even lower and Cliffhangers! was canceled after only 13 installments. And where did World fit into the puzzle? Well, it (under its then-title, The Curse of Dracula) has the significance of being the sole series to complete all of its installments prior to cancellation, ten in all.
So, when I threw out old videotapes, I naturally saved World as a curiosity, and here I am after having converted it to DVD and re-watched it. And between my research online and watching the ending all over again, as the good Count might say, I have come to an inescapable conclusion: The World of Dracula tells only half the story! That's right: all these years, I was watching only the first five (apparently) installments of the series! Another telefilm, assembled from the remainder of the material, is out there: its name, The Loves of Dracula.
I knew the ending of the World telefilm wasn't pat at all, ending not with Dracula's death, not with a resolution of any of the main plotlines. In fact, it added a complication in the return of Mary's thought-dead mother, who instead had become a vampire, like Dracula. The thrust of the story at World's end was that Dracula was seducing Mary, like he did her mother, and she was but one bite away from becoming an eternal child of the night. Mary's mother came as a strange ally, to help Kurt Van Helsing in keeping Mary away from Dracula's sway long enough to destroy him and the remaining six boxes of Transylvanian earth the Count must have nearby.
So, now I'm upset at myself for not seeing the obvious sooner, and I'm seeking out that second telefilm. I hear both it and World were released on VHS in the early 1990s, but are long out of print. If anyone has 'em...I will gladly convert it to DVD for you and me both to enjoy. How's that for service?
Anyone vaguely remember what I'm talking about? Anyone else have any favorite vampire films? Bueller?
Toodles,
~G.
2.4.05
We Now Interrupt This Blog...
Go visit ComicMonsters.com, register and get some prizes! (Yes, I'm actively involved in the site--it's not spam.) I'll make a regular blog post tonight, honest! I've been busy! Without further ado...
PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate Release
ComicMonsters.com, the internets leading news and information site for horror and monster comics announces its April contest.
ComicMonsters.com and Chanting Monks Press president and horror writer Joe Monks are joining forces for a month long promotion that features an exclusive interview, special project announcements, and a month of giveaways of Chanting Monks Press prizes.
Week 1: Signed copies of Roadkills & The Night Terrors and a copy of Zacherley's Midnite Terrors #1
Week 2: Signed copies of Roadkills, Stuff Out'a My Head paperback and ZMT #2
Week 3: Roadkills, Stuff Paperback, and copies of Night Terrors and ZMT 1 & 2
Week 4: Roadkills, Stuff, ZMT 1 & 2 and Night Terrors with tee shirt
Week 5: ZMT 1, 2, and 3 signed, Stuff Out'a My Head paperback and copy of the Flowers on the Razorwire DVD.
For a chance to win any of the cool prizes involved in this promotion, all you will need to do is go to ComicMonsters.com and register, its free. A winner will be picked each Saturday. Use this link below to register for a chance to win: You will get an email confirmation of your registration that you will have to click to activate your membership.
27.3.05
Best idea, fallen flat as a pancake?
Yo,
Back to getting non-serious and non-controversial for now. It'll be no surprise to a lot of you that I've spent quite some time lately on eBay, buying up some cool stuff I haven't seen anywhere else. One of those things is a series about a DC Comics badguy I didn't think was too terribly interesting: Kobra.
Y'see, I've heard about him and seen him in some issues of Mark Waid's Flash run circa #100, but he seemed like just a generic bad guy in charge of a generic bad guy organization. It was Marvel Comics' HYDRA organization done sideways. Blah. At least Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker had that cool Satan Claw and that death-spore virus to make him passably interesting beyond being Supreme Hydra.
Recently, I started hearing rumblings of what Kobra was like before the modern era. Something about twin brothers, one good and one evil. Sounded cheesy, but definitely in a good way. Turns out KOBRA, the series, ran seven issues between 1977 and 1978, and folded as result of the DC Implosion at the time (same one that halted books like STEEL, MAN-BAT, and my personal favorite, FIRESTORM). The first issue even has plot and art by Jack "King" Kirby. It's about this twentysomething named Jason Burr who discovers a brother he never knew he had--Kobra, who's head of an international crime cartel, and one of the most dangerous men alive, besides.
The trick of the characters was that as result of some sort of bizarre accident, Burr and Kobra shared some kind of physiological link which enabled them to share pain. Whatever befell Burr, Kobra would share in the agony. In other words, Kobra couldn't kill Burr without, most assuredly, killing himself. It was a truly unique setup back in the day, and it should have succeeded. I still haven't read the stories--I have them sitting in front of me since I'm missing three of the issues (well, two of the regular and a special edition that published what would have been the eighth issue). But I'm wondering how dismal the execution could have been so that not only was the title canceled, but the story that would have been the eighth issue featured the death of Jason Burr, while Kobra stayed alive! It's amazing to me that the trick of the series proper that should have given it its lifeblood was destroyed so quickly. Could Kobra himself really have been that intriguing? I'm doubting.
Anyone have some thoughts on this? Seeing things the same way I am? Please, respond, 'cause I'd love to hear some comments.
~G.
Back to getting non-serious and non-controversial for now. It'll be no surprise to a lot of you that I've spent quite some time lately on eBay, buying up some cool stuff I haven't seen anywhere else. One of those things is a series about a DC Comics badguy I didn't think was too terribly interesting: Kobra.
Y'see, I've heard about him and seen him in some issues of Mark Waid's Flash run circa #100, but he seemed like just a generic bad guy in charge of a generic bad guy organization. It was Marvel Comics' HYDRA organization done sideways. Blah. At least Baron Wolfgang Von Strucker had that cool Satan Claw and that death-spore virus to make him passably interesting beyond being Supreme Hydra.
Recently, I started hearing rumblings of what Kobra was like before the modern era. Something about twin brothers, one good and one evil. Sounded cheesy, but definitely in a good way. Turns out KOBRA, the series, ran seven issues between 1977 and 1978, and folded as result of the DC Implosion at the time (same one that halted books like STEEL, MAN-BAT, and my personal favorite, FIRESTORM). The first issue even has plot and art by Jack "King" Kirby. It's about this twentysomething named Jason Burr who discovers a brother he never knew he had--Kobra, who's head of an international crime cartel, and one of the most dangerous men alive, besides.
The trick of the characters was that as result of some sort of bizarre accident, Burr and Kobra shared some kind of physiological link which enabled them to share pain. Whatever befell Burr, Kobra would share in the agony. In other words, Kobra couldn't kill Burr without, most assuredly, killing himself. It was a truly unique setup back in the day, and it should have succeeded. I still haven't read the stories--I have them sitting in front of me since I'm missing three of the issues (well, two of the regular and a special edition that published what would have been the eighth issue). But I'm wondering how dismal the execution could have been so that not only was the title canceled, but the story that would have been the eighth issue featured the death of Jason Burr, while Kobra stayed alive! It's amazing to me that the trick of the series proper that should have given it its lifeblood was destroyed so quickly. Could Kobra himself really have been that intriguing? I'm doubting.
Anyone have some thoughts on this? Seeing things the same way I am? Please, respond, 'cause I'd love to hear some comments.
~G.
26.3.05
Time For Something Schiavo-versial
I'm going to be open and honest with my audience (what little audience I have, granted, but that'll change). The Terri Schiavo situation gets to me. Today I've listened to both sides--Michael Schiavo's lawyer and the family of Terri, and I stick by my conclusion that the Schindlers don't have a clue what's really happening and are refusing to accept what a lot of other people know in their hearts to be true: Terri is not going to get any better. She's a vegetable. The laughing, smiling, crying, pissing and whatever else Ms. Schiavo does on a regular or irregular basis are instinctual and are completely unrelated to any sign of actual, intelligent life. I'm sorry to break that to the conservatives and pro-lifers out there, but having been brought up Catholic (going to Easter mass in a little over an hour, in fact) and also being the son of a very well-educated Registered Nurse, I'm confident in saying that removing the feeding tube was absolutely the right thing to do in Mrs. Schiavo's situation.
In fact, the tube should probably never have been put in. Do you know how Mrs. Schiavo came to be in this condition? She was a bulimic who, instead of dying like Karen Carpenter, suffered cardiac arrest due to Potassium deficiency (from throwing up so much), and the resulting brain damage made her like this, and so she's remained since 1990. And now, ironically, we're making a fuss about feeding her (or rather, not feeding her). It's ironic, and you may call it tragedy, but I call it poetic justice.
There's no quality of life in Terri right now; hasn't been for well over a decade. As-is, can she lead a good, unassisted existence as productive member of society? Look at the file footage and dare to disagree with me. I've listened to enough people on radio call-in shows chastising the Bushies (Jeb and Dubya) for not doing nearly enough to help, that if they wanted to, they could override the judicial branch of government Like hell they should. Checks and balances exist in government for a reason! I also keep hearing that Michael Schiavo should be put on trial for bigamy--maybe so, maybe not. Fact is, Michael has tried to care for Terri as best he could these past several years; he should be admired for sticking by her as long as he has.
More and more, I'm convinced that the Schindlers' struggle is less and less about Mrs. Schiavo herself and more about their own (and, by extension, everyone else's) fear of death. And it's gone ludicrously far into government. Why? It's an open-and-shut matter between husband and wife, as far as I'm concerned. For having historically been hands-off with regard to government over the people, Bush and his fellow Republicans sure are pushing an awfully tough, broad agenda for giving us rules to live and die by.
What's more humane--a couple weeks' starvation, or fifteen years of a woman rotting away day by day while her relatives banter on and on, reduced themselves to little more than animals and carrying on an absurd "he said/she said" game?
And now, the parents say Mrs. Schiavo just tried to say "I want to live!"(nevermind the state of her mind) and give this as new reason that the tube should be reinserted. It reeks of desperation. I have to shake my head, over and over and over.
Huh, maybe that's why my neck hurt so much this week.
Let Terri die with what little dignity she now has left.
~G.
In fact, the tube should probably never have been put in. Do you know how Mrs. Schiavo came to be in this condition? She was a bulimic who, instead of dying like Karen Carpenter, suffered cardiac arrest due to Potassium deficiency (from throwing up so much), and the resulting brain damage made her like this, and so she's remained since 1990. And now, ironically, we're making a fuss about feeding her (or rather, not feeding her). It's ironic, and you may call it tragedy, but I call it poetic justice.
There's no quality of life in Terri right now; hasn't been for well over a decade. As-is, can she lead a good, unassisted existence as productive member of society? Look at the file footage and dare to disagree with me. I've listened to enough people on radio call-in shows chastising the Bushies (Jeb and Dubya) for not doing nearly enough to help, that if they wanted to, they could override the judicial branch of government Like hell they should. Checks and balances exist in government for a reason! I also keep hearing that Michael Schiavo should be put on trial for bigamy--maybe so, maybe not. Fact is, Michael has tried to care for Terri as best he could these past several years; he should be admired for sticking by her as long as he has.
More and more, I'm convinced that the Schindlers' struggle is less and less about Mrs. Schiavo herself and more about their own (and, by extension, everyone else's) fear of death. And it's gone ludicrously far into government. Why? It's an open-and-shut matter between husband and wife, as far as I'm concerned. For having historically been hands-off with regard to government over the people, Bush and his fellow Republicans sure are pushing an awfully tough, broad agenda for giving us rules to live and die by.
What's more humane--a couple weeks' starvation, or fifteen years of a woman rotting away day by day while her relatives banter on and on, reduced themselves to little more than animals and carrying on an absurd "he said/she said" game?
And now, the parents say Mrs. Schiavo just tried to say "I want to live!"(nevermind the state of her mind) and give this as new reason that the tube should be reinserted. It reeks of desperation. I have to shake my head, over and over and over.
Huh, maybe that's why my neck hurt so much this week.
Let Terri die with what little dignity she now has left.
~G.
25.3.05
Blogfight at the O.C. Corral
Yes, I am an unabashed, unapologetic fan of Fox's The O.C. Oh, it wasn't my obsession straightaway. Rather it aged and became stronger, better like--no, that's a bad comparison. Does anyone know something that actually smells better when it gets rotten? Anyway, I watched the first few minutes of a couple of episodes when it aired after, I think, 24? My full addiction began when I purchased the first season on DVD, and it's been downhill ever since.
After watching three recent episodes in one go (all except this weeks, so don't spoil me!!!), I've witnessed the unshakable marital fidelity of the Cohens become suddenly, overdramatically shakable; I've seen Julie Cooper-Nichol go deliciously past camp into extreme camp as former teenage porno queen (complete with 80s-style faux footage); I've nearly averted my gaze when it took a whole episode's worth of orchestrations to get to an over-the-top, completely strained yet still enjoyable homage to the cheesy upside-down kiss from the first Spider-Man movie between two of the teen leads; and I went through an agonizing break-up right alongside ol' Ryan, knowing the relationship couldn't work in a "meta" sense simply because the girlfriend wasn't a regular cast member (I love you, Shannon Lucio!).
And on last week's show, I laughed out loud (and often) when two of the leads jibed back and forth about how things weren't as fresh as last year, and one tried his best to make things like the year previous by manipulating his friends back into a relationship! The funny thing is, this is just what the online fans have been kibitzing about since around the beginning of the season. I've decided that part of the fun of the show is the self-awareness it often displays, trying to straddle the line between keeping the show static (i.e. giving the fans what they want) and forging boldly onward, not resting on laurels. I like change, I like evolution, and I like seeing how loony the plots can get and still have a millionth of a degree of plausibility.
Now then, without further ado, the 5 things I like best about the show, in no particular order:
1. "California, here we come! Right back where we started from! Californiaaaaaaaa!!!!! Here we coooooooommmmmmmmeeee!!!!!" At the risk of sounding crazy myself, The O.C. has the most infectious title ditty this side of--oh, let's date myself here--Hardcastle and McCormick. No cheap hype. (Now look up H&C on imdb.com!)
2. Allan Heinberg isn't just a savvy TV writer; he's also one of the biggest comic book fans around, and he's just been crowned writer of the brand-spankin'-new Marvel Comics series Young Avengers. A series, I'll add, which is at least twice as cool as you think. In fact, the second issue, in stores now, features a growing, nearly-nekkid fourteen-year-old girl. In a pink thong. Get your mind out of the gutter! (Okay, mine's there too, sicko!)
3. Mr. Heinberg and his many comic references peppered throughout the series (including that delightful plot of Zack, Summer & Seth going to San Diego to pitch their comic to Wildstorm) are far from the only comic-related business. Q: Which cast member's father and grandfather worked on the short-lived 1990 TV adaptation of The Flash? (Doo dee do, de doo doo doo...) A: Rachel Bilson, who plays Summer. Her father Danny was co-developer of the show (as well as Sentinel, Viper, and the oft-forgotten Human Target series starring Rick Springfield...anyone got that last one on bootleg DVD?:-D). Her grandfather, Bruce Bilson, directed some Flash episodes and a lot of TV back through the 1970s. So she comes from good stock.
4. Something I ordinarily wouldn't admit unless I was really, really drunk: I like Ryan Atwood (played by Benjamin McKenzie). No, I don't just like; it's straining the barriers of platonic guy stuff. He's just beyond cool.
5. Forget Mischa, forget Rachel, forget Melinda, Samaire, Olivia, Amanda (oh, God, Amanda!), and even Shannon...Ms. Kelly Rowan has it all. She's blonde, she's gorgeous, she's smart, she's sassy. Girls, take some lessons.
On that note, I bid you adieu. (And that DVD quiz is still forthcoming, promise!)
~G.
After watching three recent episodes in one go (all except this weeks, so don't spoil me!!!), I've witnessed the unshakable marital fidelity of the Cohens become suddenly, overdramatically shakable; I've seen Julie Cooper-Nichol go deliciously past camp into extreme camp as former teenage porno queen (complete with 80s-style faux footage); I've nearly averted my gaze when it took a whole episode's worth of orchestrations to get to an over-the-top, completely strained yet still enjoyable homage to the cheesy upside-down kiss from the first Spider-Man movie between two of the teen leads; and I went through an agonizing break-up right alongside ol' Ryan, knowing the relationship couldn't work in a "meta" sense simply because the girlfriend wasn't a regular cast member (I love you, Shannon Lucio!).
And on last week's show, I laughed out loud (and often) when two of the leads jibed back and forth about how things weren't as fresh as last year, and one tried his best to make things like the year previous by manipulating his friends back into a relationship! The funny thing is, this is just what the online fans have been kibitzing about since around the beginning of the season. I've decided that part of the fun of the show is the self-awareness it often displays, trying to straddle the line between keeping the show static (i.e. giving the fans what they want) and forging boldly onward, not resting on laurels. I like change, I like evolution, and I like seeing how loony the plots can get and still have a millionth of a degree of plausibility.
Now then, without further ado, the 5 things I like best about the show, in no particular order:
1. "California, here we come! Right back where we started from! Californiaaaaaaaa!!!!! Here we coooooooommmmmmmmeeee!!!!!" At the risk of sounding crazy myself, The O.C. has the most infectious title ditty this side of--oh, let's date myself here--Hardcastle and McCormick. No cheap hype. (Now look up H&C on imdb.com!)
2. Allan Heinberg isn't just a savvy TV writer; he's also one of the biggest comic book fans around, and he's just been crowned writer of the brand-spankin'-new Marvel Comics series Young Avengers. A series, I'll add, which is at least twice as cool as you think. In fact, the second issue, in stores now, features a growing, nearly-nekkid fourteen-year-old girl. In a pink thong. Get your mind out of the gutter! (Okay, mine's there too, sicko!)
3. Mr. Heinberg and his many comic references peppered throughout the series (including that delightful plot of Zack, Summer & Seth going to San Diego to pitch their comic to Wildstorm) are far from the only comic-related business. Q: Which cast member's father and grandfather worked on the short-lived 1990 TV adaptation of The Flash? (Doo dee do, de doo doo doo...) A: Rachel Bilson, who plays Summer. Her father Danny was co-developer of the show (as well as Sentinel, Viper, and the oft-forgotten Human Target series starring Rick Springfield...anyone got that last one on bootleg DVD?:-D). Her grandfather, Bruce Bilson, directed some Flash episodes and a lot of TV back through the 1970s. So she comes from good stock.
4. Something I ordinarily wouldn't admit unless I was really, really drunk: I like Ryan Atwood (played by Benjamin McKenzie). No, I don't just like; it's straining the barriers of platonic guy stuff. He's just beyond cool.
5. Forget Mischa, forget Rachel, forget Melinda, Samaire, Olivia, Amanda (oh, God, Amanda!), and even Shannon...Ms. Kelly Rowan has it all. She's blonde, she's gorgeous, she's smart, she's sassy. Girls, take some lessons.
On that note, I bid you adieu. (And that DVD quiz is still forthcoming, promise!)
~G.
24.3.05
TiVo Made Me a Bad, Bad Man
Hey, all.
Neck is at least feeling good enough for me to think tonight, which may or may not be the effect of the good drugs kicking in. (Well, not too good...Extra Strength Tylenol.) Got a haircut (yes, I got them all cut...dumb, dumb joke for those of you in the crowd thinking it), and when I came back, as per my "Season Pass," tonight's episode of The O.C. had been TiVo'ed for my perusal. (Any bets on when that verb will show up in Webster's? I hear "wedgie" made it in this year...)
Now, back when I had the outmoded tool called a VCR, I used to make a habit out of generally being around when my favorite shows were on, and recording them as I watched. Then, I could rewatch the shows as the quality degraded, to be saved just in time these last few years when TPTB released DVD season sets, those miracles of modern science. Sounds logical, right? (You're allowed to say I'm loony. No, really.)
Today, as a result of getting one of those Humax DVRs with TiVo and a DVD burner (which, when quality's adjusted, can burn sometimes 3, sometimes 4 hour-long episodes per disc), I've become a video slacker. Perhaps the problem wouldn't assert itself so much if the TiVo were in the same room where I regularly watched all the shows when I used the VCR. But since I don't have to be in that room where I feel comfortable watching my shows, and TiVo is programmed to automatically record said shows no matter what day or time they air, and since I have the option (nay, the necessity) to burn the programs to DVD for archiving (at least until those season sets with their superior quality and extras arrive)...well, 'nuff said?
So, tonight I finally burned the last several weeks' worth of The O.C. to DVD so I can take them into my other room and watch at my leisure. Pitiful, innit? And you wanna know the real kicker?
Only 3 of the last 4 episodes fit on the @!^#* disc, meaning I probably won't see tonight's episode until...well, 3 weeks from now, give or take a few weeks of possible reruns.
And, to think, next week I'll be able to see the last four episodes of Alias, at long last...
More on my DVD fetish, and a poll for y'all to see who's all out there and reading, next time.
~G.
Neck is at least feeling good enough for me to think tonight, which may or may not be the effect of the good drugs kicking in. (Well, not too good...Extra Strength Tylenol.) Got a haircut (yes, I got them all cut...dumb, dumb joke for those of you in the crowd thinking it), and when I came back, as per my "Season Pass," tonight's episode of The O.C. had been TiVo'ed for my perusal. (Any bets on when that verb will show up in Webster's? I hear "wedgie" made it in this year...)
Now, back when I had the outmoded tool called a VCR, I used to make a habit out of generally being around when my favorite shows were on, and recording them as I watched. Then, I could rewatch the shows as the quality degraded, to be saved just in time these last few years when TPTB released DVD season sets, those miracles of modern science. Sounds logical, right? (You're allowed to say I'm loony. No, really.)
Today, as a result of getting one of those Humax DVRs with TiVo and a DVD burner (which, when quality's adjusted, can burn sometimes 3, sometimes 4 hour-long episodes per disc), I've become a video slacker. Perhaps the problem wouldn't assert itself so much if the TiVo were in the same room where I regularly watched all the shows when I used the VCR. But since I don't have to be in that room where I feel comfortable watching my shows, and TiVo is programmed to automatically record said shows no matter what day or time they air, and since I have the option (nay, the necessity) to burn the programs to DVD for archiving (at least until those season sets with their superior quality and extras arrive)...well, 'nuff said?
So, tonight I finally burned the last several weeks' worth of The O.C. to DVD so I can take them into my other room and watch at my leisure. Pitiful, innit? And you wanna know the real kicker?
Only 3 of the last 4 episodes fit on the @!^#* disc, meaning I probably won't see tonight's episode until...well, 3 weeks from now, give or take a few weeks of possible reruns.
And, to think, next week I'll be able to see the last four episodes of Alias, at long last...
More on my DVD fetish, and a poll for y'all to see who's all out there and reading, next time.
~G.
23.3.05
Second verse, subtly altered from the first
More good news/bad news:
For the Dead (and Bad News) travel fast - Neck pain in day 3...I woke up around 3 a.m. and, unable to get more sleep, I decided to watch a couple more episodes of Werewolf, and remembered even more reasons why I loved the show when it first aired. (I hadn't seen many of these episodes since the late 1980s.) If you're unfamiliar, think of the old Hulk TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, but add a snout and a few tons of fur to the green guy, and take out one bumbling tabloid news reporter and insert one half-Indian, shades-wearing, blue-jean-clad bounty hunter who actually seems to know what he's doing most of the time. And our protagonist is tracking the big daddy werewolf of the pack (named after the vampire antagonist from The Night Stalker and played by ex-Rifleman Chuck Connors), whose death may cure him. I can't wait to see some of the later episodes, where Connors' character is killed and it's revealed that he wasn't the head of the pack, after all--thus the series, to borrow Buffy terminology, switched "Big Bads" midstream (to relative newcomer and nowadays genre TV pro, Brian Thompson). It was canceled shortly thereafter.
Also, called my LCS today about the New Avengers variant. Orders are going wonky and apparently he didn't get any, so that means I have to get it elsewhere. It just shows my resentment for the whole variant cover scheme, but I refuse to refrain from participation because there are some damn fine variants that have become available, and NA #4 currently heads the pack. And I love my Astonishing X-Men #1 group cover variant I bought in San Diego. Wouldn't trade for the world--more later. Let's face it--when my LCS is "on," they're really, really on the ball, and when they're not, they're not. I can't really complain overmuch because I do get a great discount on new books.
Come on, you can't tell me this isn't cool:
Good news--and me, the living--travel slow, slow, slow - I took the cash I got from some recent eBay auctions and bought the aforementioned New Avengers variant for about 6 times more than I would've at my LCS. Yes, I know there's some bad news in there at that cost, but at least I'll have the book.
I'm thinking about reviewing my regular TV shows after they air, so you may see capsule reviews & discussion of tonight's Alias at some point. No comic reviews today because I haven't made it to the shop (blame the neck pain).
Oh, and lest I forget, I'm thinking of going to the cinema this weekend. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to see?
~G.
For the Dead (and Bad News) travel fast - Neck pain in day 3...I woke up around 3 a.m. and, unable to get more sleep, I decided to watch a couple more episodes of Werewolf, and remembered even more reasons why I loved the show when it first aired. (I hadn't seen many of these episodes since the late 1980s.) If you're unfamiliar, think of the old Hulk TV show starring Bill Bixby and Lou Ferrigno, but add a snout and a few tons of fur to the green guy, and take out one bumbling tabloid news reporter and insert one half-Indian, shades-wearing, blue-jean-clad bounty hunter who actually seems to know what he's doing most of the time. And our protagonist is tracking the big daddy werewolf of the pack (named after the vampire antagonist from The Night Stalker and played by ex-Rifleman Chuck Connors), whose death may cure him. I can't wait to see some of the later episodes, where Connors' character is killed and it's revealed that he wasn't the head of the pack, after all--thus the series, to borrow Buffy terminology, switched "Big Bads" midstream (to relative newcomer and nowadays genre TV pro, Brian Thompson). It was canceled shortly thereafter.
Also, called my LCS today about the New Avengers variant. Orders are going wonky and apparently he didn't get any, so that means I have to get it elsewhere. It just shows my resentment for the whole variant cover scheme, but I refuse to refrain from participation because there are some damn fine variants that have become available, and NA #4 currently heads the pack. And I love my Astonishing X-Men #1 group cover variant I bought in San Diego. Wouldn't trade for the world--more later. Let's face it--when my LCS is "on," they're really, really on the ball, and when they're not, they're not. I can't really complain overmuch because I do get a great discount on new books.
Come on, you can't tell me this isn't cool:
Good news--and me, the living--travel slow, slow, slow - I took the cash I got from some recent eBay auctions and bought the aforementioned New Avengers variant for about 6 times more than I would've at my LCS. Yes, I know there's some bad news in there at that cost, but at least I'll have the book.
I'm thinking about reviewing my regular TV shows after they air, so you may see capsule reviews & discussion of tonight's Alias at some point. No comic reviews today because I haven't made it to the shop (blame the neck pain).
Oh, and lest I forget, I'm thinking of going to the cinema this weekend. Does anyone have any recommendations for what to see?
~G.
22.3.05
Believe in me, I'm with the High Command
Howdy, cowpokes,
Welcome to Ye Olde Weblog, compliments of the fine folks at Blogger.com. If you're here, you probably have way too much time on your hands, and you know damn well that I'm not half as funny as I think I am. :-D Anyway, it's here that I'll be trying to write pretty regularly. I'll pick books apart, tear music to shreds, and stick your favorite DVDs in the microwave oven for in-depth analysis or just general crispefying (if that's even a word--I have my doubts). If you want to see me tackle a particular topic that I don't have on my mind usually, then post away and I'll try my best to dedicate a blog entry to your very own crusade.
So what's new with me? At the moment, I'm suffering through a second day of agony along the left side of my neck and part of my shoulder. So, shall my pain die by fire (heating pad) or ice (ice pack, actually)? You decide my fate.
Through my pain, which I came upon curiously after I'd left the unemployment office (did one of the workers there stick me under some cruel hex?), I've set up this blog, gone out to eat, and connected a name to the song that's been running through my head ever since I had the chance to re-watch the pilot episode of "Werewolf," a short-lived FOX TV series that aired in 1987. If you recognize the title to this entry, then chances are you know the song. (For the uninitiated: it's Mike and the Mechanics' "Silent Running," from 1985. Shame on you for making me tell!) It's a pretty good theme for what's happening in the world and in my life, but the story to that will have to wait until the neck pain goes away--can't really concentrate right now.
Oh, yeah, what else is happening? I'm saving a bunch of VHS tapes off to DVD compliments of my trusty TiVo and a stack of DVD-Rs a mile high, trying to banish the ghost called videocassette once and for all. And I'm hoping against hope that tomorrow, my Local Comic Shop (forevermore abbreviated LCS) retailer has ordered me a New Avengers #4 variant edition so I can pick it up tomorrow. Beyond that, well, still having trouble thinking.
More tomorrow, presuming this pesky pain goes away.
Tamam Shud!
Welcome to Ye Olde Weblog, compliments of the fine folks at Blogger.com. If you're here, you probably have way too much time on your hands, and you know damn well that I'm not half as funny as I think I am. :-D Anyway, it's here that I'll be trying to write pretty regularly. I'll pick books apart, tear music to shreds, and stick your favorite DVDs in the microwave oven for in-depth analysis or just general crispefying (if that's even a word--I have my doubts). If you want to see me tackle a particular topic that I don't have on my mind usually, then post away and I'll try my best to dedicate a blog entry to your very own crusade.
So what's new with me? At the moment, I'm suffering through a second day of agony along the left side of my neck and part of my shoulder. So, shall my pain die by fire (heating pad) or ice (ice pack, actually)? You decide my fate.
Through my pain, which I came upon curiously after I'd left the unemployment office (did one of the workers there stick me under some cruel hex?), I've set up this blog, gone out to eat, and connected a name to the song that's been running through my head ever since I had the chance to re-watch the pilot episode of "Werewolf," a short-lived FOX TV series that aired in 1987. If you recognize the title to this entry, then chances are you know the song. (For the uninitiated: it's Mike and the Mechanics' "Silent Running," from 1985. Shame on you for making me tell!) It's a pretty good theme for what's happening in the world and in my life, but the story to that will have to wait until the neck pain goes away--can't really concentrate right now.
Oh, yeah, what else is happening? I'm saving a bunch of VHS tapes off to DVD compliments of my trusty TiVo and a stack of DVD-Rs a mile high, trying to banish the ghost called videocassette once and for all. And I'm hoping against hope that tomorrow, my Local Comic Shop (forevermore abbreviated LCS) retailer has ordered me a New Avengers #4 variant edition so I can pick it up tomorrow. Beyond that, well, still having trouble thinking.
More tomorrow, presuming this pesky pain goes away.
Tamam Shud!
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