Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Rabbitt/Rabbitt




Rabbitt Rabbit! (and Happy April Fool's Day!)

[On vacation, not much to blog about. Be back later.]

Saturday, March 27, 2010

Thursday, March 25, 2010

"Go Ask Alice"

I might have mentioned before how I am not a fan of "Alice In Wonderland" or "Through The Looking Glass".

I have never read any of the books; they didn't interest me. I do remember seeing a book (when I was little) that had a cartoon of Alice laying on a table with her belly 'sliced' as if it were a loaf of bread. (I had to be under 10 years old; because I was scarred for life from it.) I wonder if that's where Tom Petty got the idea for his video "Don't Come Around Here No More". In it, Alice winds up having her "body" sliced and eaten by Tom Petty's hatter's friends (because she's made into a cake--you have to see it to understand--it's most likely on YouTube).

I have seen the Walt Disney animated movie (of course); I skipped the 1990's redux (with Martin Short and Whoopie Goldberg in it).

Sister Bubba told me all about the Tim Burton/Johnny Depp version (which sounds more like "The Looking Glass"); but I have no desire to see it.

But then there was SyFy's 2009 version "Alice". It was on for two nights (which in SyFy's definition meant it was on about 12 times over that whole to week period). I taped it; but never watched it. Like I said, I'm not a fan.

WELL, that's changed. It seems the reason I didn't like the other versions was because Alice is always portrayed, as I recall, as a twit. Always roaming around Wonderland (or Underland) saying "curiouser and curiouser" and getting into one predicament after another that would make a grown person curl up into a ball, sucking their thumb and saying "why me?".

On this past Sunday, I was waiting for Sister Bubba to come and pick me up (we were going to Red Lobster for dinner, delicious!). So I had some time to kill, and the Pocket Ferengei was gone for the day (watching racing at his friend Wayne-O's house). So I figured, why not get over watching this (so I could free up some space on the old DVR).

Wow! You know, I'm glad I watched it this week (because last week or the week before it came out on DVD and I went out and bought it [$15.00 at Wal-Mart].)

"Alice" (like SyFy's version of The Wizard Of Oz) went in a different direction.

First off, Alice is a brunet, 20-something Karate instructor. Second, the people in Wonderland were named "Hatter" or "Dodo" or "Doormouse"; the Queens guards were the "suits" (since they were wearing black suits, with the card number/suit embossed in black thread); and the secret organization (think FBI/CIA/KGB) was called "The White Rabbit". And third, this was a romance story (on par, I think, with "The Princess Bride" which is my all-time favorite film).

I would just like to tell the casting people "thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou" for getting Andrew-Lee Potts to play "Hatter". (I never imagined myself turning into an 'emo' loving person; but damn this guy was just so cute/hot/drool worthy--sorry Wesley you've been dethroned.)

The movie was well-paced (although I would've loved the ending to have been longer...or better yet, SyFy just make a T.V. show with Potts and Caterina Scorsone (who played Alice). The chemistry between those two was so fricking refreshing. I haven't seen a love story like that since BBC's "Pride And Prejudice" (Colin Firth, meltmeltmelt). [Well, it seems they can't because he's on a BBC T.V. show ("Primeval" or something like that); but one can dream.]

This is definitely "a Keeper" (as I already said, I went out and bought it).

Well, here are some "Hatter" photos. (I'm gonna have to search the internet for the Alice one I described earlier.)

Hatter Photos:

Creepy Hatter from the books:



Johnny Depp Hatter:



Andrew-Lee Potts Hatter:



Sweet dreams y'all. More later. Booboo

Wednesday, March 24, 2010

I Heard A Rumor.

While I was flitting about the internet today (like any day), reading the news, catching up on what's happening in T.V./Movies, etc.; I've come upon some rumors. Some are interesting, most are just sad, and some made me scratch my head and go "huh?". So here we go:

The "Why Even Bother" rumor: Apparently a remake of Gilligan's Island is in the works. It's going to be a movie. Sigh, hollywood=no brains. This is just one of a long list of T.V. reboots: "Hawaii Five-O" (they are really trying to do something with actor Alex O'Loughlin (previously of 'Moonlight' (Mick St. John-vampire) but so far nothing is sticking); "Smurfs" (of all things, and hitting while the iron is still hot, they've got Neil Patrick Harris in it), and "The A-Team". Boy, you know, I just can't wait until they really start getting ahold of some really good ones, like "My Mother The Car" (they can get Angelina Jolie for the car); or "The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis" (hey, Steve Carrell seems to be up for anything lately); or, or "Cop Rock" (they can remake it, c'mon musicals are relevant again); or "The White Shadow" (they can make it "PC" can't they?). I think I better stop before someone actually does do something we'll regret...what's that you say? Too late? I wholeheartedly agree.

The "Oh You Can't Be Serious" rumor: John Kasinski (the guy from "The Office") is to possibly be "Captain America". The guy does absolutely nothing for me. I'm not a fan of (either) "The Office", and he's just some generic guy. Why don't they go with "unknown's" for roles like this. It worked for Christopher Reeves in the 70's with Superman (not so much for Brandon whoever in the reboot "Superman [whatever]" a few years ago [can you tell I wasn't a fan of that movie]). As I said, this was a rumor. Update: now it seems that they have cast Chris Evans as Cap. This I'm not too sure about. Chris Evans played "Johnny Storm/Human Torch" in both Fantastic Four movies. But him for Cap, I don't know. I still wish they would go with an unknown.

The "This Could Possibly Work" rumor: Sam Raimi has bought the rights to do "The Shadow". Hopefully he'll make it. I'd like to see it done by him, and done well.

The "OK, Why?" rumor: {Sir} Ridley Scott is doing a pre-quel to 'Alien'. Well, I guess if he is hurting for money (which he's not; he's got a hit show on T.V. right now "The Good Wife") or [hopefully, please, please, please be this] they actually have a good idea and a good script. Casting will definitely have to be brand newbies because I have no idea how they would be able to get Sigourney figured into it.

The "Hollywood Is Killing My Favorite Movies" rumor: An actress/whatever that I COMPLETELY despise, Jennifer Lopez, is going to be in the re-make of "Overboard". I hate her. Plain and simple. There is nothing about her that I like. Now she's doing this, ugh.

One more I found today: the "What Are They Thinking" rumor: John Malkovich and Frances McDormand are now scheduled to appear in the next "Transformers" movie. Ugh. Well, with this economy, I guess everybody needs all the money/work they can get.

Oh well, it looks I'll be saving a lot of money in the future because there's no way I'd see most of these in completed form.

More later. Booboo {shuffles off to hide in cave}

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Vampire: How The Industry Is Sucking The Life Out Of The Concept




OR, this can also be called "How To Make Money While The Iron Is Hot".

I have never read any of the Twilight books. And I don't think I ever will have the urge to read them. I have never been a fan of Harlequin Romance: and these seem to fall under that category. I am, however, a fan of vampire (lore, movies, t.v. and novels) when they are done well.

The movie industry has most definitely struck while the iron is hot on these novels. And it's falling into the same trap as the "Harry Potter" movies. They have to make them quick before the lead actors age or start asking for more money or completely get disinterested in making the movies anymore.

Bubba, Shark-Boy and Frog love them; and for them I won't bash the movies too much.

Twilight the movie, IMO, falls into the category of "not done well". Mainly because it was boring (except for the parts where it was laughable.) I still can't get past the sparkling vampire concept; or the concept of the new girl immediately being loved by the entire school. I find the chemistry of (or lack thereof) Robert Pattinson and Kristin Stewart unbelievable. And the director (Catherine Hardwicke) is pretty unimpressive with her direction. But, to each his own.

Twilight Saga: New Moon is more of the same. They got a different director: Chris Weitz (who directed two movies that I did like: American Pie and About A Boy). And the acting was about the same. All-in-all, unimpressive. And now she's supposed to have a thing for the werewolf Jakob. I think the problem is the actress. She's just unempathetic and unbelievable.

It looks like I'll be going back to my old favorites: Interview With A Vampire and Near Dark to get me re-interested in the vampires again (but not now, I can wait on that).

Well, time to go enjoy the day. More later, Booboo

Monday, March 22, 2010

Dedicated To A Strong Woman




Happy birthday, my friend.

All the hurt and pain that you've endured in the past have made you that much stronger. You don't know how much I admire you.

Titantica, today's your birthday. And I wish you nothing but happiness. You truly deserve it.

Prophecy

Sunday, March 21, 2010

Sunday Matinee

So, today I'm saving the trash for last.

There were four movies on the Netflix list this week. We didn't get around to watching "Armoured" (Matt Dillon robbery movie); and I didn't feel like hanging onto it...so we'll watch it when it comes out on Encore.

So that left us with three. I had already seen "Astro Boy" in the theatre; so it was on the rental list for the Pocket Ferengei to watch--and he didn't seem too keen on watching it, so that one went back unwatched. (I love Netflix's unlimted "at a time" movie rentals...we are on the 5 at a time one [$34.ish a month]).

"Bandslam"



Here's the synopsis: "Social outcast Will (Gaelan Connell) doesn't know what to think when the popular Charlotte (Alyson Michalka) asks him to manage her fledgling rock group. But agreeing to help her win the school's upcoming battle of the bands turns out to be one of the best decisions he's ever made. For one thing, it's brought him closer to Sam (Vanessa Hudgens), a girl who shares Will's passion for music but doesn't realize how talented she is."

Now from that, it doesn't sound like much...and I really didn't give it much hope to catch my interest, boy was I wrong. Catch it, and kept it, it did. It even kept the Pocket Ferengei's interest (and he was ready to go to sleep). We watched this after watching "Did you hear about the Morgans" (which was about 11:30 pm); and I just wanted to get it watched and out into the mailbox so I could get the new releases that are coming out on Tuesday. (Yes, now that I see this in writing, I do have a "problem"--but at least it's not crack; I don't judge you, don't judge me.)

The movie stars Alyson Michalka (who has been in a few movies--not that I've seen any of them); and Gaelan Connell (who is brand spanking new). They are two people to watch out for as they grow in the industry (which I hope does not "chew them up and spit them out" as the industry tends to do with teens and newbies). They made you really feel for their characters. Vanessa Hudgens is turning out to be a pretty decent actress (she of the "High School Musical" tweenybop movies). Lisa Kudrow (from "Friends") plays Will's mom (and she's very funny and sweet). And the director, Todd Graff, is one of those "childhood" actors ("Sesame Street" and "The Flamingo Kid" (another good Kevin Dillon movie)) and he does a decent job directing this one.

Anyway, the movie has a very solid story. The "Powers That Be" hired actors that could sing, so that was a plus. And boy can Vanessa sing. Not often do you have teens sing Bread's "Everything I Own" (which IMHO is an awesome song-I'm a child of the 70's/80's), but Vanessa and the band gave it a good re-tuning (turning it into a "Ska" tune). And Alyson Michalka does a decent version of Cheap Trick's "I Want You To Want Me".

All-in-all, definitely worth a watch.


"Astroboy"



I saw this movie in the theatre when it came out...and I was the ony person in the theatre (thankfully the ticket was a free ticket; otherwise I would've waited to see this on DVD).

It's not a bad movie. It's definitely NOT a kiddie flick (for the 8-under crowd). It's more for the tweens-up crowd.

The story is based on a Japanese manga-comic and cartoon. Here's the synopsis: "Set in futuristic Metro City, Astro Boy is about a young robot with incredible powers created by a brilliant scientist in the image of the son he has lost. Unable to fulfill the grieving man's expectations, our hero embarks on a journey in search of acceptance, experiencing betrayal and a netherworld of robot gladiators, before he returns to save Metro City and reconcile with the father who had rejected him."

Now that synopsis is a very "nice" synopsis. The reason I say this is because in this movie the father (voiced by Nicholas Cage) tries to have the robot version of his boy (voiced by Freddie Highmore) "disassembled" (i.e.: killed). So here you have this Dad trying to kill his son. Now, maybe I'm being a bit nitpicking on that subject, but when I told a couple of people that I know that have kids and were interested in seeing it with them, they said they'd wait until the kids were older.

The animation is very well done; but, compared to "Up", there's no contest. "Up" is definitely the winner in the animation and story department.

Is it worth a look: sure. But definitely one to watch on cable.


"Did You Hear About The Morgans?"



Ugh. The funny parts (I'm being nice by calling them the funny parts) were shown in the previews. I'm not a fan of Sarah Jessica Parker; and the PF is not a fan of Hugh Grant (so this was another "why are we watching this" movie). I usually find Hugh Grant funny, but not this time. The synopsis: A husband and wife from New York (or Chicago, because Hugh kept interupting her and telling her she was from Chicago a bunch of times in the movie) witness a murder, have the murderer hunting them down, so the FBI puts them in Witness Protection in Montana with Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen.

It's been done better before. And Hugh was just unfunny. Sarah was irritating. And poor Sam Elliot and Mary Steenburgen (two very good actors) had to deal with them; I felt so sorry for them.

This is a "late night cable for insomniac" movie. Don't waste the money on a DVD rental.

The last one for this week is "Twilight Saga-New Moon", which I'll be watching (by myself) today. The PF puts up with watching A LOT of crappy movies; but he has put his foot down on this series. So Monday will be my reviews on this (and the first one). Whoo boy.

More later, Booboo

Saturday, March 20, 2010

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

What Irish Eyes Are Watching

So, I got to talk with my sister Bubba last night. We were making semi-final confirmation of our plan to go out to dinner this weekend or next Tuesday (she's got a hankering for some Red Lobster). Before we got off the phone she mentioned she was going to watch "Brigadoon" (such a wonderful musical with Gene Kelly and Cyd Charisse). Which got me to thinking what I'm gonna watch to celebrate the day.

Last year I watched "The Matchmaker" (with Janeane Garofalo and David O'Hara [Who? He is a bit player in a lot of movies, most notably in the next Harry Potter movie he's gonna play "Albert Runcorn" [who is that? In the "Deathly Hollows" when they go to the Ministry of Magic in search of one of Voldemort's horcruxes, Ron steals his identity to be able to go in and search.] Oh joy, I don't believe I remember that.--ha, I didn't. I had to Google it.]

Anyway, The Matchmaker is a cute, romantic movie. Even the Pocket Ferengei liked it. Janeane's character works for a Senator seeking re-election and wants to get as many Irish votes as he can. The Senator sends Janeane to Ireland to find out his ancestry. The thing is, the day she gets into Ireland is the beginning of the annual Matchmaking festival. So all-in-all, it's a cute romantic comedy.

For St. Patty's Day two year's ago I watched Brigadoon and "Darby O'Gill and the Little People". This is the role that got Sean Connery cast as James Bond; and not because of his singing (the producer of the Bond movies saw Sean and thought he was perfect for the role of James Bond). This movie is another "cute" movie…but I don't think it's time for me to watch it again.

I'll probably wind-up watching "The Last Unicorn". I love that movie. It's one of the Rankin/Bass animated movies. (I think it’s the last one they made.)

Oh well, off to the movies. More later. Booboo

[Wow, two in one day. It makes up for the days I didn't Blog. hehehe.]
Happy St. Patty's Day to all my friends.

I was going to post "The Unicorn Song" here; but obviously I am a "tard" and have not figured it out. When I do, I shall post it. BUT, here are the lyrics:

A long time ago, when the Earth was green
There was more kinds of animals than you've ever seen
They'd run around free while the Earth was being born
And the loveliest of all was the unicorn

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
The loveliest of all was the unicorn

The Lord seen some sinning and it gave Him pain
And He says, "Stand back, I'm going to make it rain"
He says, "Hey Noah, I'll tell you what to do
Build me a floating zoo,
and take some of those...

Green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
Don't you forget My unicorns

Old Noah was there to answer the call
He finished up making the ark just as the rain started to fall
He marched the animals two by two
And he called out as they came through
Hey Lord,

I've got green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but Lord, I'm so forlorn
I just can't find no unicorns"

And Noah looked out through the driving rain
Them unicorns were hiding, playing silly games
Kicking and splashing while the rain was falling
Oh, them silly unicorns

There was green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Noah cried, "Close the door because the rain is falling
And we just can't wait for no unicorns"

The ark started moving, it drifted with the tide
The unicorns looked up from the rocks and they cried
And the waters came down and sort of floated them away
That's why you never see unicorns to this very day

You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
Some cats and rats and elephants, but sure as you're born
You're never gonna see no unicorns

[New Lyrics]
Now you might think this is the ending to the song,
But I'll have to tell you friends that in fact you're wrong
You see, Unicorns are magical, so when the rain started pouring,
They grew themselves some wings and they took to soaring.

You'll see green alligators and long-necked geese
Some humpty backed camels and some chimpanzees
But if you're looking for the unicorns, don't be forlorn,
The second star to the right and straight on until morning.


(As I am the oddest Irish person I know (i.e.: I don't drink), I will be celebrating tonight by watching "The Last Unicorn" or "Brigadoon" or both. If you drink, bring a driver and have a safe Patty's Day.)

More later. Booboo

Saturday, March 13, 2010

Happy Caturday Everybody!



'Tis the Catuday before St. Patrick's Day (the 1st holiday of the year devoted to binge drinking); and I found a green kitty).

It's raining and windy outside (yet another "Noreaster" has hit us, this time without the snow); so today will more likely than not be spent watching movies.



Last night we watched Netflix movies - "Planet 51". It was a cute movie. Not one worth buying (or as I call them "a keeper"); but it's worth a look. Dwayne Johnson voices an astronaut who lands on what he thinks is an uninhabited planet, only to find out that it is inhabited (with natives who are living in our 1950's era). The animation was pretty, it was a cool concept, and it was cute...but that's about it.



Thursday night we got to watch another Netflix movie - "Up In The Air" (after the Oscars, of course). And George Clooney acted exactly as I thought he would--George playing George. The movie, itself, was good; and the only person that I thought did really well with their part was the "Natalie Keener" part (who I thought was supposed to be taking his job, but that's not how it worked out in the movie). The part(s) I thought were interesting were the people who were getting fired by George. I knew that most of the people were from a open casting call, they used people who recently were fired and asked them to say what they really thought. So knowing that, it was really sad in a way seeing those parts (but at least those people got to get what they felt out of their systems--so I guess that was a good thing). The movie is worth a look (for all the press it got), and I liked what Jason Reitman did with it.



As I'm writing this, the Pocket Ferengei and I are watching "Public Enemies" (Johnny Depp is a gangster). As you can tell, I am 'so enthralled' with the movie [yawn], [I'm been writing my blog while watching it]. (The PF wanted to watch it, I was curious about it (I guess the old saying "curiosity killed the cat" is true-because boredom is killing me)).

Here's the synopsis: "In the shadow of the Great Depression, criminal minds are thriving -- notorious men like John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham) and "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) -- and it's up to J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and the FBI to bring them down. Michael Mann directs this gritty crime drama based on the book by Bryan Burrough."

The PF said he liked it (I did my Saturday chores, got the laundry started, washed dishes, etc.). He said it's reminiscent of what could likely happen nowadays (which I agree); but I hope it doesn't.

So, in order to get the bad taste that that movie left me with, I've got "The Untouchables" out and waiting to go into the player. The Untouchables is an AWESOME movie. Most gangster movies made nowadays haven't even touched it. You've got Sean Connery, Kevin Costner and Robert DeNiro being directed by Brian De Palma--it didn't miss. When this movie came out (1987) I was working at a movie theatre and I remember very well opening day for this movie (of course it was completely sold out)...ah, it's just bringing back the memories -- such fun times.


**********stars!

Oooops, the movie is sucking me in. More later, Booboo

Thursday, March 11, 2010

Is The Dry Spell Over?

Wow, it's not much but we finally saw two decent movies this week. (Well I watched two, my PocketFerengei only watched one of them).



The first movie came out about 10 years ago; and the "powers that be" just got around to doing the sequel.

Here's the synopsis for the first movie: "Sensing a God-given mission to cleanse the earth of all evil, twin brothers Conner (Sean Patrick Flanery) and Murphy (Norman Reedus) set out to rid Boston of crime. But instead of joining the police force, these Irish Americans decide to kick criminal butt their own way. Willem Dafoe co-stars; and Billy Connoly also stars."

I like Willem Dafoe. He's a good actor. But I put him in a category called "Walken" (for Christopher Walken) -- one of those actors who are just so 'out there' that you can't really categorize them, and (most times) you can't really turn away from their performance. And in this movie he proves it. He plays "Special Agent Paul Smecker" and he's the guy trying to figure out the murders the brothers are doing. He is so out there its like he's channeling Christopher Walken.

The movie is bloody, and it has hit "cult" status (which means it didn't make money when it was in the theatre, but it has made up for it on cable and home video sales; but mainly word of mouth--like this!) This is definitely worth a look.



Now alot of people didn't like the sequel (the pure "fans"). Here's the synopsis: "Skillfully framed by an unknown enemy for the murder of a priest, wanted vigilante MacManus brothers Murphy (Norman Reedus) and Connor (Sean Patrick Flanery) must come out of hiding on a sheep farm in Ireland to fight for justice in Boston."

It didn't really live up to it's predecessor. But it's just as entertaining to watch. And instead of Willem Dafoe's character ("Paul Smecker"), they gave us a female version of him: "Special Agent Eunice Bloom", his protege (played by Julie Benz, she's been on Dexter (or at least that's what her bio says)). She was alright, but Willem owned his role. Both movies were written and directed by the same guy: Troy Duffy.

I recommend them both.



I watched this one by myself, I knew I was gonna cry--and I did. This is a "true" story. It's funny when you see a movie labeled this, because it usually means that its been changed, sometimes drastically--like this movie. The true story is from 1924, Japan. A professor in the agricultural department would take the train to his job everyday. His dog would walk him there and meet him at the train when he came home at night.

Richard Gere was the professor (so that was partially true, except he's an American instead of a Japanese man); they got the name and the species right for Hachi (shortened from Hachiko; an Akita); and they got the profession of the guy correct (he is a professor of music; I don't know what the Japanese man was a professor of).

This movie wasn't out in the theatres (a first for Richard Gere, Direct-To-Video), and it is a remake of a 1987 Japanese movie ("Hachikō Monogatari").

I definitely recommend it. The story was touching, and the dog(s) are really cute (I say plural for dog because the dog aged in the movie so they used a number of dogs--and they are a beautiful breed). Keep some tissues near you when you do watch it.

Well, I'm off to feed my Pocket Ferengei. Meatloaf (again).

More later, Booboo.

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Doctor, Doctor, Tell Me The News?

Today was the day for my annual visit to Dr. NewMexico (my cardiologist). [Heh, that still looks weird: I'm 43 years old and I have a cardiologist--go figure.] He's a good doctor. [Butch Cassidy (my friend the nurse) told me to go to him, and I have not regretted this (or any of her recommendations). HINT: if you have a friend who is a nurse, and you have a problem, ask them to recommend you to a doctor. Nurses know these things.]

Dr. NewMexico told me that my blood pressure, EKG and blood work came back fine (although some were a little high, but not "worry about diabetes" high). And I love how he told me--(without telling me directly)--that I was fat and I need to loose weight! ["So everything came back fine, here's a print-out of a guy I recommend you follow regarding diet. You can find his books on Amazon. See you next year?"] Actually, I respect this. I'd rather have the type of doctor that tells you what you don't want to hear. (Now, me following-up what he tells me to do, that's a different story.)

Actually, I think it is time. Writing yesterday's blog reminded me of how fit I used to be. [I have never never ever been thin. But there have been times in my life where I have been at a decent enough weight. And Elder Sister's wedding was one of those times.]

I've been watching a couple of people on the internet (one who blogs [Hi, Thumper]; and one on Facebook [Hi, Titanica]), and I've been reading their struggles with losing weight.

So, I think it's time to join them. Wish me luck.

More later, Booboo.

Tuesday, March 9, 2010

Happy Anniversary. Happy Anniversary. Happy Anniversary. Haaaaappy Anniversary.




Today is Elder Sister's (and her husband (Golf Guy)) anniversary. And it seems to be a "remake" of that day (only they got married on a Saturday and today is Tuesday).

It's a beautiful, no cloud in the sky outside day and its not too cold; the same as it was on their wedding day. I was her MOH (maid of honor) and his brother was the best man. I remember it as a fun day, and I'm glad that I was a part of it.

The funniest thing about that day (which I didn't find out until they got back from their honeymoon) was on their videotape (yep, it was that far back that we used a video camera and VHS tape). Our 'cousin' SVN* video taped little speeches from people for the happy couple. Mine was dumb and quick (because I hate being on video); most speeches were alright; but the Golf Guy's and Elder Sister's were hilarious (for different reasons).

Golf Guy can be a bit of a "cut-up", he can be funny when he wants to be [there, it's in writing, I have acknowledged that you are a funny guy, GG], and his part of the tape was friggin' hilarious. It seemed like he was doing a stand-up routine: "Do I love you? Would I not pay for this big wedding? Do I love you? Did I not come out, in the pouring rain and change your tire? [etc.].". (It's one of those things that you'd have to see.)

Then we get to Elder Sister's part of the tape, and she's a crying mess. (It was just funny, comparing her's to her husband's.)

My date to the wedding was an old friend -- Rickay. (We were just friends, nothing ever came of it.) That was actually the second time he'd been my date to a wedding. The first time was when an old childhood friend of mine, Custard, got married in Florida a few years later. I asked Rickay if he would be my date, and he said sure. So we made it into a nice vacation. Rickay, one of his sisters (Trip #1) and I wound up driving to and old friend of ours in Hollywood, Florida; where we stayed for the week. That was a fun trip. AND I learned never to go to Florida in July (because there is NO escaping the heat). One day, I thought I'd cool off by taking a dip in the pool they had where our friend lived; but it was like jumping into a bathtub filled with warm water. Ugh.

As far as I can tell, Rickay's still doing good. He was one of those boys who, in his younger years, was always in trouble (i.e.: a party monster). More recently I heard from his sisters that he was going through some medically tough times (the doctors used him as a guinea pig for a new treatment for the problem he had [which I'm not 100% sure about, but I think it was a type of cancer]--and it worked; he's still with us).

I recently got back in touch with him on Facebook. He sounds happy, and I do believe that he found religion. Good for him. Whatever gets YOU through the day, go for it…just don't push it on anyone else.

Oh yeah, and another anniversary that's happening this month: Dunkin' Donuts is now 60 years old. Whoo Hoo. Here's to another 60 DD.

Well that's all for now. More later, Booboo



*Not a blood relative cousin, but a daughter of our parents friends who I've known my whole life as "cousin SV" before she got the "N"; now she's cousin SVN. Who, by the way sent me an e-mail today with this in it (titled "Why The Dog Ran Away"):



(I want a cat like this. Murphy is almost as big, but compared to this guy--nah, he's little.)

Monday, March 8, 2010

The Big Bang Theory & Aquaman


As you know, I am a geekette. One of my favorite shows on T.V. right now is "The Big Bang Theory". They throw in a lot of pop, movie, comics references.

On tonights episode they had found a box full of things at a sale. The main story was about a ring that may or may not have been an original from "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship Of The Ring".

But that's not what got me lauging--they found an Aquaman figurine that someone had drawn a "phalic symbol" on it. Ruthrapoly says he'll fix it, and he grabs it and proceeds to start rubbing it off. (O.K. I did warn you that I was a geekette...and it was late...and my sleeping/happy pills kicked in).

Sunday, March 7, 2010

"Castle" Keeper



So, today is another beautiful day outside....and I'm choosing to watch my backlog of "Castle" episodes.

"Castle" is a police procedural television show that is on ABC, currently on Monday nights at 10:00 pm. It stars Nathan Fillion and Stana Katic* as "Richard Castle" and "Detective Kate Beckett" in New York City. Is this brand new TV: no; can it be kind of repetitive with the other police-type TV shows out there: sure. So why am I hooked? They work very well together. Sometimes I catch a vibe off of "Kate Beckett" that reminds me of Cybil Sheppard, but it works. The writing is not overly engaging, but it is fun to watch.

I started watching the show because of Nathan Fillion--he's just so handsome. I kind of felt sorry for the show for being on ABC because they have a tendency of killing shows (not as bad as FOX (ptui)) but its the same old story: if the show don't bring in the money--its gone (but on the other hand, I get the feeling that they seem to "forget" about certain shows that they have and let them continue (see "According To Jim"--I never thought they'd cancel that show, it just seemed to have a life of its own)).

Nathan's had a pretty iffy career so far:

"Two Guys, A Girl & A Pizza Place" (horrible name for a show) it was on ABC for four seasons (here's some trivia: before being on ABC, the show was proposed to FOX who passed on it; & it co-starred Ryan Reynolds**).

"Firefly" (Fox sucks) -- this was a fantastic show, it actually was "a western in space" (which is what Gene Roddenbury said that Star Trek was supposed to be). Nathan was perfect in the role of "Captain Mal Reynolds". This was the first time that I paid attention to Josh Whedon (I never got into "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" [except for the original movie] or its spinoff "Angel" (and I love those types of stories) I just could not get into them]. But, I loved this show: the writing was great, the casting was perfect, the acting was really good. Fox just killed it (as it always does with any show that I like/love): first off, they showed the episodes out of order so it didn't make sense (to some people, I understood it), and second, they kept moving it around to different nights/times. (Fox has done this to other shows I loved: Millenium, Space: Above and Beyond...it's just a horrible network.) That's why I stand by what I said before "FOX SUCKS".

Other shows that Nathan's been in include: "Miss Match"; "Drive"; a stint on "Desparate Housewives" and "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"; and then he found (or they found him for) "Castle".

So far, the show's been on for 2 years--I hope it goes on longer. I haven't heard if its been picked-up yet, but one can hope.

One other little side job Nathan did was "Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog". Written and directed by Josh Whedon (for the internet--they did this while the writers strike was happening a couple years ago). Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible and Nathan stars as Captain Hammer. There's a lot of singing and they do it very well. It's a very well written story and definitely worth a look if you haven't seen it yet.

Oh well, back to my marathon. More later: Booboo.

*Boy did Marvel get casting wrong for Iron Man 2. Specifically the part of the "Black Widow". Scarlett Johanson is playing her, but they should have gotten Stana--she'd have been perfect for the role.

**Ryan Reynolds is currently filming "Green Lantern" (as Hal Jordan [a DC comic]) and "Deadpool" [a Marvel comic]. Why isn't Nathan being asked to be "Captain America"? I think he'd be perfect for the role (he can act, he does the "heroic" thing well (Firefly)), but {sigh} I don't think they will. (Nasty rumor I heard about "Captain America": heard they were thinking about having John Krasinski (the dude from "The Office" - USA show). Ugh, horrible choice. Maybe "Bucky Barnes", but not Cap.

Saturday, March 6, 2010

Happy Caturday Everybody!



[My Pocket Ferengei and our Spazz-enjoying a moment together--Spazz does this every night.]

Friday, March 5, 2010

And So It Continues...


So, we watched three movies from the festering pile...ooops, meant to say our Netflix rentals. Yesterday, I wrote about "2012". Today are your warnings for "Sorority Row" and "Gentlemen Broncos".

Sorority Row



Synopsis: "When a prank results in the accidental death of a Theta Pi sister, the sorority's members keep the crime under wraps. But as graduation rolls around, a masked killer begins stalking and slaying the girls responsible for the death."

I went into this movie knowing that it was going to be a dumb horror flick...and I wasn't disappointed. I fell asleep through it; that's how great it was. Sad to say Carrie Fisher was in it; and if she was 'camping' it up in this movie then I missed what happened to her (fell asleep). Thankfully I think I remember this being a small role for her. (I wish she'd do some more comedies, she's really funny.) I just had to find out who the killer was (Wikipedia, thanks bunches), and I don't remember that person at all. So, this movie was another complete waste of time.

Gentlemen Broncos



Synopsis: "Hoping that his novel brings him fame and fortune, high school loner Benjamin Purvis (Michael Angarano) attends a fantasy writers conference and later discovers that his masterwork has been plagiarized by an iconic author (Jemaine Clement)". This movie is from the guys who created "Napolean Dynamite" and "Nacho Libre" (so I guess this was their trilogy of crap). It stars Sam Rockwell (why, Sam, why -- you did so good in "Moon"), Michael Angarano ("Sky High"), Jennifer Coolidge ("Stifler's Mother" from "American Pie" movies, among others), and some guy named Jemaine Clement (from some show called "Flight of the Conchords", which I have heard about and, after seeing him in this movie, I have absolutely no desire to watch).

I can't describe how crappy this movie was. I'd say think of the crappiest Monty Python skit you could think of and multiply it by 100, but that's being too nice to the film makers. So let this be your warning, avoid this movie like the plague.

I am really glad that I bought the Pocket Ferengei beer yesterday, because he deserved it for watching these movies with me. AGAIN, Sweetums, I'm sorry for putting you through that.

There are still two movies to watch: "The Private Lives of Pippa Lee" (starring Alan Arkin and Robin Wright Penn as a husband and wife moving to a retirement village--what a match-up); and "Public Enemies" (Johnny Depp as a bank robber). "Pippa" I'll be watching by myself (don't want to piss off the PF too much) and "Public" we'll probably watch tomorrow night after the Nascar race. Whoo hoo, I....Can't....Wait.

More later, Booboo

Thursday, March 4, 2010

"2012" (Or "How I Still Love Cusack, Even Though He Made A Bomb")

The movie "2012" came out this week, and I sure was lucky enough to have gotten my copy from Netflix. [Please watch the sarcasm dripping on the floor -- I wouldn't want you to slip and hurt yourself.]

As you can tell, I'm not a fan of it. With a running time of 2 hours and 30 minutes, you'd think a new idea would pop-up somewhere? But sorry, no.

If you don't know the story already, here's the synopsis: "An epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors." The movies that I believe he ripped-off are [in no order, just like his movie]: "Poseidon Adventure", "Deep Impact" and/or "Armageddon" (historical sites blowing up), "Earthquake", "Flood", and portions of "The Greatest Story Ever Told" (bible movie, part about Noah). That's fine and dandy. If the guy wants to make a movie about the end of the world, go for it. But at least you'd think he'd have a unique idea about it -- he didn't.

Now as for the actors, well I'm thinking it had to be about the money. Woody Harrelson I can understand -- he's a character and he played a character. But John Cusack? I love him, he's a really good actor, one of my top three favorites, but -- wow. Did he really want to act against a blue screen? I'm still scratching my head about it. I don't think he wants to be a part of the "action hero" crew. His biography kind of proves that. Yeah he did "Con Air" (which was a good movie, good script, good actors, really a fun movie [Malkovich chewing-up the scenery]) and the same year he did "Grosse Pointe Blank" (which definitely was a "shoot-em-up" movie, but no big special effects); other than that, I don't think he did any other movies like this. Oh well, hopefully in the future he'll come upon a huge special effects movie that's worth him.

This movie was directed by Roland Emmerich (one of the many "shoot-em up, pow, bang" directors that are out there now). Here's his biography so far: "Universal Soldier" (proved that he has an idea -- okay); "Stargate" (proved he has some more interesting ideas in his head -- good job); "Independence Day" ([sort of] proving that he's not a one-idea kind of guy -- good job); "Godzilla" (remake; "stick a fork in him folks, he's done"); "Patriot" (no wait, he's still got something to give to us -- good job); "The Day After Tomorrow" (wait folks, he tripped-up a bit); and "10,000 B.C." and "2012" (fell into the fire head first; th-th-th-that's all folks). I read somewhere (I think it was on IMDB) that he has stated that this was going to be his last big effects-laden movie. Well, anyway, one can hope.

With that, I'm out-of-here. Off to see The Illegal for my bi-weekly fix of comics. More later, Booboo.