Don't even act like it's not. I hated this episode as a kid.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJUmdzTf4zE
Embedding is disabled. Boooo.
Tuesday, May 11, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
Cool Site to Check Out
http://www.gazelle.com/
Basically, they will pay you for your old electronics. A good option for those of you strapped for cash. Even if you don't go through with it, it's at least nice to know what things are worth so you can make sure other offers you get are fair. It looks like really high selling items don't earn that much. I was pretty disappointed with the pricing they gave me for my PSP, GBA SP, GameCube, and 2nd Gen iPod shuffle. Not that I expected it to be a fortune. I was pretty pleased with what it offered me for my Camcorder that is at least two years old as well as my Samsung Glyde phone. It's worth a look, they give you prices instantly without having to register or anything.
Basically, they will pay you for your old electronics. A good option for those of you strapped for cash. Even if you don't go through with it, it's at least nice to know what things are worth so you can make sure other offers you get are fair. It looks like really high selling items don't earn that much. I was pretty disappointed with the pricing they gave me for my PSP, GBA SP, GameCube, and 2nd Gen iPod shuffle. Not that I expected it to be a fortune. I was pretty pleased with what it offered me for my Camcorder that is at least two years old as well as my Samsung Glyde phone. It's worth a look, they give you prices instantly without having to register or anything.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Top 3 Comedies Still in Production
I high-high-high-high-highly suggest you check these out if you haven't already. In no particular order, here we go:
3. The Big Bang Theory
The most traditional of these three shows. Take two nerds living together, their two nerd friends, and the hot girl next door to add some spice into their nerd lives and there you go. The humor is really on point though. They reference technology and other nerd things in their jokes that I'm sure only other nerds understand. They still manage to keep some jokes mainstream enough to attract a wider audience. Sheldon steals the show though. He is the absolute king of all nerds. He fails to grasp normal social etiquette which results in a lot of the shows humor. Leonard, Sheldon's roommate is the level headed one who finally manages to get his dream girl across the hall, Penny. Throw in an Indian scientist and a horny Jew and you've got some very witty dialogue. Catch this on CBS Mondays at 9:30 I think.
2. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Three guys and a girl own a bar in south Philly. This show reminds me a lot of Seinfeld due to the character's questionable morals. They are all pretty selfish. They will do just about anything to make money or get laid and the great thing about it is it seems like they are hardly friends. They are constantly competing with one another and stabbing each other in the back. Throw in Danny Devito as the world's worst father and it makes for some funny situations. Nothing is off limits with this show. This show is on FX and while it's currently in between seasons, I believe it's usual time slot was Thursday nights at 10.
1. The Office
How can you not love The Office? The humor is as witty as you can get. I could quote this show for days. It just has so many great characters. The dimwitted boss, the "fascist nerd" salesman, the cute receptionist (or the new cute receptionist). I could go on, but why bother. Just check it out. Reruns are on TBS everyday and new episodes are on NBC Thursdays at 9 I think. Oh and FYI, I've already committed to being Dwight Scrute next Halloween. I'm sure my mustard colored shirt will be well liked.
3. The Big Bang Theory
The most traditional of these three shows. Take two nerds living together, their two nerd friends, and the hot girl next door to add some spice into their nerd lives and there you go. The humor is really on point though. They reference technology and other nerd things in their jokes that I'm sure only other nerds understand. They still manage to keep some jokes mainstream enough to attract a wider audience. Sheldon steals the show though. He is the absolute king of all nerds. He fails to grasp normal social etiquette which results in a lot of the shows humor. Leonard, Sheldon's roommate is the level headed one who finally manages to get his dream girl across the hall, Penny. Throw in an Indian scientist and a horny Jew and you've got some very witty dialogue. Catch this on CBS Mondays at 9:30 I think.
2. It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia
Three guys and a girl own a bar in south Philly. This show reminds me a lot of Seinfeld due to the character's questionable morals. They are all pretty selfish. They will do just about anything to make money or get laid and the great thing about it is it seems like they are hardly friends. They are constantly competing with one another and stabbing each other in the back. Throw in Danny Devito as the world's worst father and it makes for some funny situations. Nothing is off limits with this show. This show is on FX and while it's currently in between seasons, I believe it's usual time slot was Thursday nights at 10.
1. The Office
How can you not love The Office? The humor is as witty as you can get. I could quote this show for days. It just has so many great characters. The dimwitted boss, the "fascist nerd" salesman, the cute receptionist (or the new cute receptionist). I could go on, but why bother. Just check it out. Reruns are on TBS everyday and new episodes are on NBC Thursdays at 9 I think. Oh and FYI, I've already committed to being Dwight Scrute next Halloween. I'm sure my mustard colored shirt will be well liked.
Monday, April 12, 2010
Greg thinks patience is dead
Just sitting here listening to music and thinking about the world. One thing that has been on my mind lately is patience, a dying virtue for sure. I can't help but look at the differences between generations before us and the children of this generation and notice the crazy difference. It makes me wonder at what point will it be too much?
Think about it. I just saw on Digg that Disney is testing out a new way to have people wait to go on rides. Instead of waiting in line, they go inside these air conditioned tents to play games and whatnot until their turn comes around. Sounds fun, but what are we losing? I know I'm sounding like a ranting old man here, but I remember going to theme parks and waiting in line. I remember the build up of excitement and nervousness as we got closer to the front. Especially for the more hyped scary rides, it seemed like you started outside and then went inside where it got darker and darker. Music would play. You were entering the world of the ride and immersed in it because, well, you had no where else to go. After spending a long time in this atmosphere, it was like the ride was the grand climax of the whole story.
And what about car trips? DVD players to keep kids occupied in the back seat. Why? I remember driving with my family to Ocean City, MD as a kid. It was about 6 hours I think. Boy it was grueling. Our entertainment consisted of sleeping, answering questions off some trivia cards my mom loved, or playing Gameboy. This was the original Gameboy and all we had was Centipede and Bugs Bunnies Crazy Castle. Hardly the hand held entertainment of today. At one point I did have a cassette player, but unless I had a friend to make me a mixtape, any given tape only had about 3-4 songs I liked. Now it's like the children are immersed in a world of endless entertainment to the point where when you finally arrive at the beach, once again, it loses it's appeal.
And what about music? I remember desperately listening to the radio hoping my favorite song would come on. Now, there isn't a time where I don't have immediate access to my favorite song as well as thousands of others. With this constant stream of entertainment assaulting our minds (especially young kids) no wonder everybody seems to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I think it's time we really take a hard look at ourselves and realize it's time to unplug.
Think about it. I just saw on Digg that Disney is testing out a new way to have people wait to go on rides. Instead of waiting in line, they go inside these air conditioned tents to play games and whatnot until their turn comes around. Sounds fun, but what are we losing? I know I'm sounding like a ranting old man here, but I remember going to theme parks and waiting in line. I remember the build up of excitement and nervousness as we got closer to the front. Especially for the more hyped scary rides, it seemed like you started outside and then went inside where it got darker and darker. Music would play. You were entering the world of the ride and immersed in it because, well, you had no where else to go. After spending a long time in this atmosphere, it was like the ride was the grand climax of the whole story.
And what about car trips? DVD players to keep kids occupied in the back seat. Why? I remember driving with my family to Ocean City, MD as a kid. It was about 6 hours I think. Boy it was grueling. Our entertainment consisted of sleeping, answering questions off some trivia cards my mom loved, or playing Gameboy. This was the original Gameboy and all we had was Centipede and Bugs Bunnies Crazy Castle. Hardly the hand held entertainment of today. At one point I did have a cassette player, but unless I had a friend to make me a mixtape, any given tape only had about 3-4 songs I liked. Now it's like the children are immersed in a world of endless entertainment to the point where when you finally arrive at the beach, once again, it loses it's appeal.
And what about music? I remember desperately listening to the radio hoping my favorite song would come on. Now, there isn't a time where I don't have immediate access to my favorite song as well as thousands of others. With this constant stream of entertainment assaulting our minds (especially young kids) no wonder everybody seems to be diagnosed with ADD or ADHD. I think it's time we really take a hard look at ourselves and realize it's time to unplug.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Undefeated no more
Well, I knew it couldn't last forever, but it was nice to see the Pirates go for a little while with a zero in the loss column. I went to the home opener and it was electric. There was just an incredible energy in the air and the place lit up when Garrett Jones started knocking balls out. Booing Ramirez along with the other 30,000+ in attendance was also great. I have a 20 game plan for the year so I will be attending quite a few more games than ever before. I feel like they are a better team despite all of the unpopular trades. Unlike the PG who said this is the worst Pirate team in 50 years. They won 62 games last year, I think they will improve on that. I'm not going to sit here and explain why though. Will they finally go above .500? I don't know, I think it will be close but they will fall just short. Here's hoping they prove me wrong and more importantly, here's to baseball season being officially underway.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Greg misses M.I.A.
And no, not because I'm dying for another "Paper Planes". Don't get me wrong, Paper Planes was a good song. It's what put M.I.A. on the map for a lot of people, including myself. Unlike most though, I didn't first hear it in the Pineapple Express trailer, but about half a year earlier, in the fall of 2007. And even then it was one of the remixes. I took it for the gem it was and after a while dived into the rest of her discography only to find it surprisingly pleasing. You can only imagine my dismay when it became the stoner anthem of the summer of '08 thanks to that stupid movie. But I digress.
I guess the reason it made me so bitter was because this new-found audience didn't care to go much deeper. And the thing is, M.I.A. is an artist of depth. Most people probably can't find Sri Lanka on a map, yet they were giddy to sing the chorus of that song. In actuality, much of the content of M.I.A.'s lyrics go straight over the heads of her audience.
That's probably what impresses me the most about her. She's genuinely interesting. Her music is her vehicle to provide her unique perspective on the world. You can't help but be intrigued when somebody who comes from Sri Lanka, a place devastated by a tsunami, names her latest tour the People Vs. Money tour. Thankfully, a third album is on the way so it won't be long before not only will I have something great to listen to, but stoners will have fun getting high to. Hopefully they digest some of the messages in the music in the meantime.
Thursday, April 1, 2010
Top 3 People Who Just Need to Stop
It's pretty self-explanatory.
3. Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is almost single-handedly ruining TBS with his barrage of crap. Let's play a game. Which of these things is not like the other? Seinfeld, Friends, The Office, Tyler Perry's House of Payne. I could see if your shows were on FOX or something like that, but let's face it Tyler, your shows are sandwiched between legends which makes it even more apparent how crappy they are. If they were just on, that would be enough. But all the commercials for them just drive me insane. Oh yeah, way to go having the phrase "Best New Comedy" appear in the Meet the Browns commercial. Only if you read the fine print, you see that that honor was bestowed by a black organization. How many other new black comedies were out there this year that could have beaten it? The commercials make me just wince instead of cracking a smile. The jokes are just awful and unoriginal. And yes, I do believe black sitcoms can be funny. Smart Guy was sweet, Sister Sister had it's laughs, and two words: Steve Urkel.
And before you guys say, "Oh well what about Precious? Tyler Perry was behind that and it was up for Best Picture!" Tyler Perry had nothing to do with making Precious. All he did was watch it after it was done, realized it was so many levels ahead of anything he's done that he threw some money their way to help it get distribution. One final thing, love the way you put your name in front of everything you do. It's a good way for me to know right away that whatever follows is garbage.
2. Ben Roethlisberger
That's right, I'm from Pittsburgh and even I'm sick of Big Ben. You are lucky this whole Tiger Woods thing is such a circus or you'd be feeling more of the heat. Yes, you are a good quarterback. Are you on the level of the elites like Manning or Brady? Hell no. Do you have an arm? No. You're hail mary passes don't go more than 40 yards and every time we put in a backup like Dixon in there, it looks like he's throwing fastballs and you were throwing like a child. Well he must be smart right? No. Anybody who is smart knows it's better to scramble and then pick up 3 or 4 yards than keep scrambling and either get a 20 yard sack (most of the time) or a completion (occasionally).
So to what does Big Ben own his success to? Getting lucky. And how ironic because it seems like that's just something he can't manage to pull off with the ladies. Let's face it Ben, you're not a handsome dude. Yet how comical is it in Pittsburgh I have multiple acquaintances that have witnessed you first hand be a total douchebag. Apparently Ben likes to go up to girls in bars and instead of treating them to a drink or getting to know them, he treats them to a line like, "Hey baby, I chose you tonight." I'm not lying. So to hear now that you sexually assaulted a second girl is no surprise. You strike out more than the Pirates. And how unfortunate for you that both of these girls are smart. Instead of taking you to criminal court where the decision has to be unanimous to lock your ass up (which let's face it, will never happen as long as you still play) these girls are taking you to civil court where they only need a majority. They are going to take your money which is apparently the only thing you have going for you when attracting women since not only do you look weird, but you are a confirmed douchbag. I really hope I spot you in Pittsburgh so I can tell you this to your face and let the resulting action result in you paying for my college education.
3. Perez Hilton
And finally, Perez Hilton. You are quite a piece of work. Now Tyler Perry, he's in Hollywood. He acts, he writes, he produces. He does things. Ben Roethlisberger, he earns his living through professional football. Now I ask you Perez, what do you do? For those that don't know, he runs some awful gossip website where the talks about and does his best the trash the reputation of actual celebrities. That's it. That's all he really does. You gossip about others. What a legacy to leave. I'm so glad will.i.am punched you right in your fat face. And you have the nerve to sue him for all your "mental anguish" and the damage it gave your reputation. As well as your black eye. I couldn't stop smiling when I saw that video of you crying about it afterward. How ironic that you damage people's reputations and cause them mental anguish every day on your website. will.i.am just managed to do it with his fist. I'm sure you will try to spin this as well as any other attack against you as a hate crime since you happen to be homosexual. Hiding behind your sexuality is almost as bad as leeching off the fame of others to make a name for yourself. I envy will.i.am for getting to experience what it is like to punch one right into your fat head and trust me, if I become a director who works in Hollywood, write something about me and I promise you that I'll get to know exactly how Mr. i.am felt.
3. Tyler Perry
Tyler Perry is almost single-handedly ruining TBS with his barrage of crap. Let's play a game. Which of these things is not like the other? Seinfeld, Friends, The Office, Tyler Perry's House of Payne. I could see if your shows were on FOX or something like that, but let's face it Tyler, your shows are sandwiched between legends which makes it even more apparent how crappy they are. If they were just on, that would be enough. But all the commercials for them just drive me insane. Oh yeah, way to go having the phrase "Best New Comedy" appear in the Meet the Browns commercial. Only if you read the fine print, you see that that honor was bestowed by a black organization. How many other new black comedies were out there this year that could have beaten it? The commercials make me just wince instead of cracking a smile. The jokes are just awful and unoriginal. And yes, I do believe black sitcoms can be funny. Smart Guy was sweet, Sister Sister had it's laughs, and two words: Steve Urkel.
And before you guys say, "Oh well what about Precious? Tyler Perry was behind that and it was up for Best Picture!" Tyler Perry had nothing to do with making Precious. All he did was watch it after it was done, realized it was so many levels ahead of anything he's done that he threw some money their way to help it get distribution. One final thing, love the way you put your name in front of everything you do. It's a good way for me to know right away that whatever follows is garbage.
2. Ben Roethlisberger
That's right, I'm from Pittsburgh and even I'm sick of Big Ben. You are lucky this whole Tiger Woods thing is such a circus or you'd be feeling more of the heat. Yes, you are a good quarterback. Are you on the level of the elites like Manning or Brady? Hell no. Do you have an arm? No. You're hail mary passes don't go more than 40 yards and every time we put in a backup like Dixon in there, it looks like he's throwing fastballs and you were throwing like a child. Well he must be smart right? No. Anybody who is smart knows it's better to scramble and then pick up 3 or 4 yards than keep scrambling and either get a 20 yard sack (most of the time) or a completion (occasionally).
So to what does Big Ben own his success to? Getting lucky. And how ironic because it seems like that's just something he can't manage to pull off with the ladies. Let's face it Ben, you're not a handsome dude. Yet how comical is it in Pittsburgh I have multiple acquaintances that have witnessed you first hand be a total douchebag. Apparently Ben likes to go up to girls in bars and instead of treating them to a drink or getting to know them, he treats them to a line like, "Hey baby, I chose you tonight." I'm not lying. So to hear now that you sexually assaulted a second girl is no surprise. You strike out more than the Pirates. And how unfortunate for you that both of these girls are smart. Instead of taking you to criminal court where the decision has to be unanimous to lock your ass up (which let's face it, will never happen as long as you still play) these girls are taking you to civil court where they only need a majority. They are going to take your money which is apparently the only thing you have going for you when attracting women since not only do you look weird, but you are a confirmed douchbag. I really hope I spot you in Pittsburgh so I can tell you this to your face and let the resulting action result in you paying for my college education.
3. Perez Hilton
And finally, Perez Hilton. You are quite a piece of work. Now Tyler Perry, he's in Hollywood. He acts, he writes, he produces. He does things. Ben Roethlisberger, he earns his living through professional football. Now I ask you Perez, what do you do? For those that don't know, he runs some awful gossip website where the talks about and does his best the trash the reputation of actual celebrities. That's it. That's all he really does. You gossip about others. What a legacy to leave. I'm so glad will.i.am punched you right in your fat face. And you have the nerve to sue him for all your "mental anguish" and the damage it gave your reputation. As well as your black eye. I couldn't stop smiling when I saw that video of you crying about it afterward. How ironic that you damage people's reputations and cause them mental anguish every day on your website. will.i.am just managed to do it with his fist. I'm sure you will try to spin this as well as any other attack against you as a hate crime since you happen to be homosexual. Hiding behind your sexuality is almost as bad as leeching off the fame of others to make a name for yourself. I envy will.i.am for getting to experience what it is like to punch one right into your fat head and trust me, if I become a director who works in Hollywood, write something about me and I promise you that I'll get to know exactly how Mr. i.am felt.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Top 3 Girls Who Should Date Me Right Now
Ah, spring has sprung and you know what? Love is in the air. Well, I guess for some people yeah, for me, not so much. I'm looking to change that, so here is my plea to you people of the internet. Everybody out there has their dream girl, but I understand that the odds of dating any of these girls might be a little rough so that's why I've provided you with three. Tripled the odds, no? So here are my top 3 girls who need to date me (in no particular order). People of the internet, it is your mission to bring us together. You know where to find me.
3. Lights
Lights might be the trickiest one on this list. At age 22, we have the biggest age difference. She's also comes from this foreign land called Canada. But isn't it the differences that make relationships so interesting to begin with? I can dig her music and damn, maybe I would even direct her future music videos until we (she) takes over the music industry. Not only is she quite gorgeous, but she seems pretty down to earth and somewhat interesting from what I've seen of her. Nothing like a cute girl that I could actually carry on a conversation with.
2. Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Hayden Hayden. Honestly, I don't know what to really say about you. No, I am not one of the countless nerds who worship you because of Heroes. I think I saw you in some ice skating movie. You are the only reason I manged to tolerate Bring it On: All or Nothing... a dozen or so times. I'm sorry, it sounds like I'm trashing your filmography. Let's start over. Hi I'm Greg. I think you have one of the best smiles I've ever seen and I hope to someday be the person who puts that smile on your face everyday. Okay, that just came off as creepy. Just, uh, ah, screw it.
1. Shenae Grimes
Yet another Canadian (come on U.S.A., where you at?). I'm not going to even act like I know much about you either, Shenae. I will fess up, I watched you on Degrassi. I haven't really followed you over to 90210. Sorry, don't hold it against me. Maybe we could hit the beach sometime?
There you have it internet. I know somebody out there knows at least one of these girls. Vouch for me. You know I'm a good guy. I'll be waiting for the flood of responses. Until then, check back often to see what other words I decide to write.
3. Lights
Lights might be the trickiest one on this list. At age 22, we have the biggest age difference. She's also comes from this foreign land called Canada. But isn't it the differences that make relationships so interesting to begin with? I can dig her music and damn, maybe I would even direct her future music videos until we (she) takes over the music industry. Not only is she quite gorgeous, but she seems pretty down to earth and somewhat interesting from what I've seen of her. Nothing like a cute girl that I could actually carry on a conversation with.
2. Hayden Panettiere
Hayden Hayden Hayden. Honestly, I don't know what to really say about you. No, I am not one of the countless nerds who worship you because of Heroes. I think I saw you in some ice skating movie. You are the only reason I manged to tolerate Bring it On: All or Nothing... a dozen or so times. I'm sorry, it sounds like I'm trashing your filmography. Let's start over. Hi I'm Greg. I think you have one of the best smiles I've ever seen and I hope to someday be the person who puts that smile on your face everyday. Okay, that just came off as creepy. Just, uh, ah, screw it.
1. Shenae Grimes
Yet another Canadian (come on U.S.A., where you at?). I'm not going to even act like I know much about you either, Shenae. I will fess up, I watched you on Degrassi. I haven't really followed you over to 90210. Sorry, don't hold it against me. Maybe we could hit the beach sometime?
There you have it internet. I know somebody out there knows at least one of these girls. Vouch for me. You know I'm a good guy. I'll be waiting for the flood of responses. Until then, check back often to see what other words I decide to write.
Monday, March 29, 2010
Greg isn't dead
Who would have thought I could only cut this blogging thing for a few weeks before I already went back on my word. Well, here's the scenario. To be honest I could see that this blog wasn't getting a lot of visitors and it was starting to get tedious thinking of something to talk about relating to music every Monday and nostalgia every Thursday. I'll still continue doing that kind of thing, but not with the same kind of strict regularity. I was practically set with abandoning this blog altogether, but decided to check back and see that it had accumulated a healthy amount of new visits since I left. So everybody, let me mark this as my return. I can't guarantee how often I'll update, but I will try not to leave you guys hanging for two weeks like I just did. So keep on checking, I predict a top 5 list in the near future.
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Greg went to the Jay-Z concert
And while I did take a few pictures, it was so dark the shutter speed had to slow to 1/4 on the camera, so they are all pretty blurry. Anyway, while I can't possibly give a full account of what happened, I can simply tell you about some things that happened.
I went with my sister who actually showed up to meet me early (if you knew her, you would know how amazing this was). We got in our seats which were admittedly a little high up, but still were somewhat close to the stage as some local dj was playing a set. Before long, Trey Songz comes on. I can't name a Trey Songz song. I'm sure I've heard one though. Well, after last night I'm really sure I am. I guess he was alright for what he's about. I feel like a 19 year old white boy isn't really his target audience. He did his thing, singing and moaning while some softcore porno played on the screen in the background. The black girls around us were going insane. The black guy next to us sparked a blunt about 30 seconds in.
Then, the first surprise of the night. After Trey Songz there was a long break and then the countdown began. Even as the countdown hit zero I was confused because I thought Young Jeezy was playing a set, but low and behold, it was Jigga who took the stage. And boy did he take it. His songs take on a whole new level with a live band and the intensity he puts into his performance. Run This Town, DOA, On to the Next One, all amazing. Memphis Bleek came out to help out (when the hell will Jay give up on this guy?) and they even brought Trey Songz to sing the hook on Heart of the City. Jeezy finally comes out and Jay then peaces out while Jeezy does a set. This was kind of a downer for me because I'm not much of a Jeezy fan. He only seems to impress me on remixes (Hurt remix, Top Back remix). He goes on for a while until My President is Black which is when Jay returns to do his verse from the remix.
Enter one great transition. He puts up a video of Obama. I think we are about to watch a healthcare video, but it's video from Obama at a speech brushing off his shoulders to which he says something like, "That's just what you gotta do." Jay turns around and says, "Well let's do it then."
Most of the show was all stuff from The Blueprint 1 onward, especially BP3. I was disappointed in no American Gangster or Kingdom Come songs. No Roc boys? Really?
After Thank You, Jay tells all the people who came for the Blueprint 3 that they can head home and beat the traffic, but no we are going back. I was pretty juiced at this point. Can I Get A, Hard Knock Life, and especially Big Pimpin were absolutely awesome. At one point he asked who had Reasonable Doubt and when a lot of people yelled, he said it was time to test them. He played the whole song "Can I Live" which is definitely a hidden gem in his catalog, but instead of singing the chorus, he just asked the crowd, "What's the name of this song?" I knew. I was yelling.
He spent some time checking out people in the crowd. One guy had a Heinz Ward jersey. Everybody cheered. One girl had a sign asking for a hug. He let her come on stage. Finally, he wrapped things up with Encore and before you knew it he was gone.
I gotta say, it was one hell of a show. The live band really took things to another level and the lights were amazing. Jay has incredible stage presence. While it's hard to compare, I still think I liked Girl Talk more simply because his show was like a non stop party. As far as stadium concerts go, Jay has now set the bar. Go see him if he's coming to your town.
I went with my sister who actually showed up to meet me early (if you knew her, you would know how amazing this was). We got in our seats which were admittedly a little high up, but still were somewhat close to the stage as some local dj was playing a set. Before long, Trey Songz comes on. I can't name a Trey Songz song. I'm sure I've heard one though. Well, after last night I'm really sure I am. I guess he was alright for what he's about. I feel like a 19 year old white boy isn't really his target audience. He did his thing, singing and moaning while some softcore porno played on the screen in the background. The black girls around us were going insane. The black guy next to us sparked a blunt about 30 seconds in.
Then, the first surprise of the night. After Trey Songz there was a long break and then the countdown began. Even as the countdown hit zero I was confused because I thought Young Jeezy was playing a set, but low and behold, it was Jigga who took the stage. And boy did he take it. His songs take on a whole new level with a live band and the intensity he puts into his performance. Run This Town, DOA, On to the Next One, all amazing. Memphis Bleek came out to help out (when the hell will Jay give up on this guy?) and they even brought Trey Songz to sing the hook on Heart of the City. Jeezy finally comes out and Jay then peaces out while Jeezy does a set. This was kind of a downer for me because I'm not much of a Jeezy fan. He only seems to impress me on remixes (Hurt remix, Top Back remix). He goes on for a while until My President is Black which is when Jay returns to do his verse from the remix.
Enter one great transition. He puts up a video of Obama. I think we are about to watch a healthcare video, but it's video from Obama at a speech brushing off his shoulders to which he says something like, "That's just what you gotta do." Jay turns around and says, "Well let's do it then."
Most of the show was all stuff from The Blueprint 1 onward, especially BP3. I was disappointed in no American Gangster or Kingdom Come songs. No Roc boys? Really?
After Thank You, Jay tells all the people who came for the Blueprint 3 that they can head home and beat the traffic, but no we are going back. I was pretty juiced at this point. Can I Get A, Hard Knock Life, and especially Big Pimpin were absolutely awesome. At one point he asked who had Reasonable Doubt and when a lot of people yelled, he said it was time to test them. He played the whole song "Can I Live" which is definitely a hidden gem in his catalog, but instead of singing the chorus, he just asked the crowd, "What's the name of this song?" I knew. I was yelling.
He spent some time checking out people in the crowd. One guy had a Heinz Ward jersey. Everybody cheered. One girl had a sign asking for a hug. He let her come on stage. Finally, he wrapped things up with Encore and before you knew it he was gone.
I gotta say, it was one hell of a show. The live band really took things to another level and the lights were amazing. Jay has incredible stage presence. While it's hard to compare, I still think I liked Girl Talk more simply because his show was like a non stop party. As far as stadium concerts go, Jay has now set the bar. Go see him if he's coming to your town.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Music Monday #4
Happy Monday everybody. I'm happy to present a very special Music Monday. Not only is this artist a big personal favorite of mine, but I just happen to be going to his concert tomorrow night. That artist is none other than Jay-Z.
Where to start? Well I wrote a big thing about why I think Jay-Z is the best rapper alive. But you know, it's all opinion. Everybody has their own for whatever reason. Instead, I'm going to try to live my top 5 favorite Jay-Z songs at the moment, since this list would probably change everyday.
5. Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) - The Blueprint. Kanye really came through on this beat and Jay-Z is typical Jay-Z.
4. 30 Something - Kingdom Come. Classy classy beat featuring a more mature Jay-Z rapping like somebody his age should.
3. Lost One - Kingdom Come. Two songs from one of his "worst" albums. Yeah. Another relaxing, classy beat. Content is very personal on this track.
2. I Love the Dough - Life After Death. It was hard to choose between this and Brooklyn's finest, but as far as Jay and Biggie collabs go, I like Jay in this one much more.
1. Dead Presidents II - Reasonable Doubt. I couldn't make this list without a song from Reasonable Doubt. This is vintage Jay-Z.
Like I said, ask me again and this list will probably change, but you can't go wrong with these songs. I tried to stay away from some of the more recent mega hits to expose you guys to some other gems. I'll be sure to let you guys know how the concert goes. Until then, have a great week!
Where to start? Well I wrote a big thing about why I think Jay-Z is the best rapper alive. But you know, it's all opinion. Everybody has their own for whatever reason. Instead, I'm going to try to live my top 5 favorite Jay-Z songs at the moment, since this list would probably change everyday.
5. Heart of the City (Ain't No Love) - The Blueprint. Kanye really came through on this beat and Jay-Z is typical Jay-Z.
4. 30 Something - Kingdom Come. Classy classy beat featuring a more mature Jay-Z rapping like somebody his age should.
3. Lost One - Kingdom Come. Two songs from one of his "worst" albums. Yeah. Another relaxing, classy beat. Content is very personal on this track.
2. I Love the Dough - Life After Death. It was hard to choose between this and Brooklyn's finest, but as far as Jay and Biggie collabs go, I like Jay in this one much more.
1. Dead Presidents II - Reasonable Doubt. I couldn't make this list without a song from Reasonable Doubt. This is vintage Jay-Z.
Like I said, ask me again and this list will probably change, but you can't go wrong with these songs. I tried to stay away from some of the more recent mega hits to expose you guys to some other gems. I'll be sure to let you guys know how the concert goes. Until then, have a great week!
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Thinking Back Thursday #3
I was just about to leave for the morning when I remembered I should do this. I guess that's what happens when you have final projects to shoot and film in a short amount of time. Well, let's get right into it.
Do you remember Space Jam? I remember Space Jam. How could you not? Michael Jordan. The Looney Tunes. Some... other people. I didn't care about any of them. I just cared about MJ and Bugs Bunny mostly. Michael was a good sport for being in a movie like that and it did feature a lot of cameos from NBA stars. I just like it when athletes can come together on a project like that.
In case you didn't see it, I'll give a brief plot summary from what I remember. So Bugs and the guys are all in Looney Tune land when these aliens come down and want to use the Looney Tunes as entertainers in their galactic theme parks or something. So Bugs is just toying with the shrimps and tells them sure, if they beat them in basketball. So the aliens steal the talent from NBA players in the real world and grow all huge to become the Mon-Stars. Meanwhile MJ is retired and is just failing at baseball. Bugs lures him to Tune world and convinces him to join the team. They play and win (because you know, Michael Jordan retired is still better than 5 NBA all stars put together), the players get their talent back and all is restored.
What might you ask was the best part of the movie? The soundtrack of course! My mom bought me the cassette and I listened to it all the time. It had some cool sporty type songs to get you pumped, some softer, inspirational types (I Believe I Can Fly). Oh yeah, it also had one of the best rap collaborations OF ALL TIME.
B Real (from Cypress Hill aka the "Insane in the Membrane" guys), Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man joined forces from Hit Em High (The Monstars Anthem) which to this day is still one of the tightest songs period. The best part, they made a video for it! Be sure to check out if anybody's verse, check out LL. He murders this one. Busta Rhymes is an animal as usual.
Do you remember Space Jam? I remember Space Jam. How could you not? Michael Jordan. The Looney Tunes. Some... other people. I didn't care about any of them. I just cared about MJ and Bugs Bunny mostly. Michael was a good sport for being in a movie like that and it did feature a lot of cameos from NBA stars. I just like it when athletes can come together on a project like that.
In case you didn't see it, I'll give a brief plot summary from what I remember. So Bugs and the guys are all in Looney Tune land when these aliens come down and want to use the Looney Tunes as entertainers in their galactic theme parks or something. So Bugs is just toying with the shrimps and tells them sure, if they beat them in basketball. So the aliens steal the talent from NBA players in the real world and grow all huge to become the Mon-Stars. Meanwhile MJ is retired and is just failing at baseball. Bugs lures him to Tune world and convinces him to join the team. They play and win (because you know, Michael Jordan retired is still better than 5 NBA all stars put together), the players get their talent back and all is restored.
What might you ask was the best part of the movie? The soundtrack of course! My mom bought me the cassette and I listened to it all the time. It had some cool sporty type songs to get you pumped, some softer, inspirational types (I Believe I Can Fly). Oh yeah, it also had one of the best rap collaborations OF ALL TIME.
B Real (from Cypress Hill aka the "Insane in the Membrane" guys), Busta Rhymes, Coolio, LL Cool J, and Method Man joined forces from Hit Em High (The Monstars Anthem) which to this day is still one of the tightest songs period. The best part, they made a video for it! Be sure to check out if anybody's verse, check out LL. He murders this one. Busta Rhymes is an animal as usual.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Greg saw Let the Right One In (review)
Okay okay, bear with me on this one. I am a bit late on this one since it did come out in 2008, but given the huge surge in the *gulp* Vampire Romance genre as of late, it seems pretty relevant. I'm going to get it right out of the way, this is a Swedish film, so if you are too stupid to read subtitles, don't bother. I guess the DVD version does have English dubbing, but I still need to buy it. More on that later.
Now before you start rolling your eyes as I was when a friend suggested this movie, give it an honest shot. It's been a rough year for vampires and I promise you that this movie features no vampires who sparkle in the daytime and will not inspire you to join any meaningless "team". And hey, if you don't trust me, why not trust RottenTomatoes.com which in 147 reviews, ONE HUNDRED FORTY THREE WERE POSITIVE GIVING THIS MOVIE AN AWESOME RATING OF NINETY-SEVEN PERCENT. I hope that got your attention.
The film takes place in where else but Sweden and follows a grade school boy named Oskar. Oskar is kind of a punk and gets picked on frequently by the school bullies. Meanwhile there are murders being committed in the town so everybody is a bit on edge. I'll reveal some more since this stuff is revealed in the first half of the movie and not part of some big ending twist or anything. Well, the murders are being committed by a guy who believe it or not, he's not a vampire. He's not, his daughter, or whoever she is is the vampire. I guess I missed whether or not they make it clear. They are living together and he goes out killing people, collecting some blood, and hiding their bodies so she can drink it no problems. I hesitate from saying that that is his daughter because while he is an older man, the vampire, Eli, says that she's been 12 for a very long time. How long is that? Who knows. Either way, I'm spending way too much time on this, but I like to appear thorough.
So the man is doing his killing and in the meantime Oskar meets Eli and they become friends. They learn Morse code together and start communicating by knocking on the walls of their conveniently adjacent apartments. The problem is, Eli's blood provider is having a bunch of close calls and eventually, he screws up royally. Rather than get caught and have the cops trace him back to Eli, he mars his face so he can't be identified. In his last act of helping Eli, he offers himself to her and she sucks his blood just before he falls out the hospital window to his death.
This leaves Eli alone to get the blood for herself while Oskar is painfully unaware of what is the deal with his girlfriend. Maybe he's too distracted by the bullies who have it out for him now more than ever.
The film has a lot of great moments throughout it that really won me over. I mean seriously, this is a vampire romance movie. The past year has taught me to hate the genre and yet this film comes along and is a new favorite of mine. It is satisfying up through and including the ending. It rarely drags and never comes off as corny. It also sticks to a lot of vampire lore for all you geeks out there (as in, things vampires are supposed to do as opposed to stand in the sunlight so they sparkle). All and all, it's an awesome movie that I can't wait to add to my collection. However, wouldn't you know things aren't that simple.
Apparently there is quite the controversy over the DVD release of this movie. THEY CHANGED THE ENGLISH SUBTITLES FROM THE ORIGINAL THEATRICAL VERSION. Now, let me explain what it means with an example I read. At one point when the blood collector has a boy he's ready to kill, the boy's friends are waiting for him and yell through the window something like, "Hurry up, you can jerk off at home!" where as the new DVD subtitles say something like "Hurry up, time to go home!". Now, that may seem picky, but which statement has more character to you? The second one is just dumbed down and pretty basic. Apparently, this sparked quite the outrage and the company released a new version with the original theatrical subtitles. Only problem, THERE IS NO DISTINCTION ON THE BOX. Well, almost none. Apparently if you look on the back it should say under the subtitles section English (Theatrical) instead of just English. The problem is, the old DVDs and the new DVDs still have the same number and everything, so if you are buying it online you just have to cross your fingers and hope you get the version you want because most online retailers aren't thorough enough to give you all that information before buying. Or they might not even know. They might have both versions just mixed together.
Here's what was suggested to me and what I plan to do. Proceed as normal and find the best price you can online for the DVD version. When you get it, look on the back. If it says English (Theatrical) congratulations, you won. If not, here's what you do. Don't open the DVD packaging. Go to Wal-mart or whatever store you hate with a passion. Find the DVD and find one that has the theatrical subtitles. Buy it. Then, use your receipt and return the one you got online that didn't have the theatrical subtitles. The retailers don't know the difference because as I said, both versions have the same id number.
Okay, sorry for that digression, but trust me, once you see this movie, it will be well worth the wait and all the work. And one more interesting thought, tell me if this isn't stupid. The novel this movie is based on came out in 2004. This movie came out in 2008. They are now making an American version due out in 2010 called Let Me In. WHY? I could understand if it's been 30 years, but WHY MAKE A REMAKE OF A TWO YEAR OLD FILM ESPECIALLY WHEN IT WAS A MASTERPIECE?!?!?!?
I have no clue, but do yourself a favor and see the original so when the remake comes out, you can sound like a cool kid by talking about how much better this one is.
Monday, March 8, 2010
Music Monday #3
Happy Monday everybody. I hope everybody stayed up to watch the Oscars last night. It proved to be a profitable night for me thanks to the suckers in my Oscar pool. I got worried in the middle of the show, but I sealed the deal with Best Actor. Thank you Jeff Bridges. Moving on, here's the subject of today's Music Monday, none other than Andre 3000.
So in case you aren't aware, Andre 3000 makes up half of the hip hop duo known as Outkast. Outkast is one of the most creative things to ever come out of hip hop. Growing up, I was too young to really get what they were all about. I heard their songs on the radio, knew some of the words, but that's about it. It wasn't until years later that I realized the poetry and deepness of Andre 3000's lyrics. Their beats and their sound weren't like what everybody else was doing and nobody has really seemed to do it the same way since. While I am a bit of an Outkast fan, I am a much bigger Andre 3000 fan thanks to his recent comeback via a few guest spots and select songs.
For instance, he murders "Royal Flush" on Big Boi's album.
Styles will change. They say change is dang-erous
As a King standing on the terrace
While his partner pointing up at the riflemen
Coward shooter, never know when your life will end
Then live like there ain't no 'morrow
And if one come then this the motto
Now I put message in bottle
You go to the nearest beach and open your car door
And walk to the place where the sea meets the land
Yeah, it's easier to run the street than walk in the sand
Hey, I'm talking young man. As if chalk in my hand
I will take y'all little ass to school
It's cool when the kids call me Sunny, the hood calls me Stacks
The B's call me honey, Hollywood calls me back
Crack and I have a lot in common
We both come up in the 80's and we keep that bass pumping
That's a nega-tive comparison, embarrassing
Unfortunate that if you come up fortunate the streets consider you lame
Ha, I thought the name of the game was to have a better life. I guess it ain't. What a shame
I don't slang. Never slung but I'm one with the slum that has a name well fitting
Plenty cheese getting. No wonder why they call it the trap
So watch your tail and I'm not kidding
The rats and mice will give advice, they say, "you can paint and draw
Get out of here. Go show them that we're more than slanging raw."
That's when I broke into my Big Rube impression
And I tried to enlighten but that night I learned a lesson
That the morals that you think you got go out the window
When all the other kids are fresh and they got new Nintendo Wiis
And your child is down on her knees praying hard up to God for a whopper with cheese
Do you B) hit the street hard with a flair
Or do you A) go to school for heating and air?
Dare make an honest living or make a crooked killing
Or do a bit of both until you're holding on a million?
Brilliant. You got one foot in, one foot out
You put your left foot back in and then you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey til you turn your life around
That's what it's all about. 3000 out
I hear he's supposed to come out with a solo album soon. That's one I will buy no questions asked. Until then, be sure to check his verse on the Walk it Out remix and another favorite I have by his, Chronometrophobia. In the meantime, here's a classic Outkast banger, Atliens (as it turns out, the music video embedding is disabled, but here's the song).
So in case you aren't aware, Andre 3000 makes up half of the hip hop duo known as Outkast. Outkast is one of the most creative things to ever come out of hip hop. Growing up, I was too young to really get what they were all about. I heard their songs on the radio, knew some of the words, but that's about it. It wasn't until years later that I realized the poetry and deepness of Andre 3000's lyrics. Their beats and their sound weren't like what everybody else was doing and nobody has really seemed to do it the same way since. While I am a bit of an Outkast fan, I am a much bigger Andre 3000 fan thanks to his recent comeback via a few guest spots and select songs.
For instance, he murders "Royal Flush" on Big Boi's album.
Styles will change. They say change is dang-erous
As a King standing on the terrace
While his partner pointing up at the riflemen
Coward shooter, never know when your life will end
Then live like there ain't no 'morrow
And if one come then this the motto
Now I put message in bottle
You go to the nearest beach and open your car door
And walk to the place where the sea meets the land
Yeah, it's easier to run the street than walk in the sand
Hey, I'm talking young man. As if chalk in my hand
I will take y'all little ass to school
It's cool when the kids call me Sunny, the hood calls me Stacks
The B's call me honey, Hollywood calls me back
Crack and I have a lot in common
We both come up in the 80's and we keep that bass pumping
That's a nega-tive comparison, embarrassing
Unfortunate that if you come up fortunate the streets consider you lame
Ha, I thought the name of the game was to have a better life. I guess it ain't. What a shame
I don't slang. Never slung but I'm one with the slum that has a name well fitting
Plenty cheese getting. No wonder why they call it the trap
So watch your tail and I'm not kidding
The rats and mice will give advice, they say, "you can paint and draw
Get out of here. Go show them that we're more than slanging raw."
That's when I broke into my Big Rube impression
And I tried to enlighten but that night I learned a lesson
That the morals that you think you got go out the window
When all the other kids are fresh and they got new Nintendo Wiis
And your child is down on her knees praying hard up to God for a whopper with cheese
Do you B) hit the street hard with a flair
Or do you A) go to school for heating and air?
Dare make an honest living or make a crooked killing
Or do a bit of both until you're holding on a million?
Brilliant. You got one foot in, one foot out
You put your left foot back in and then you shake it all about
You do the hokey pokey til you turn your life around
That's what it's all about. 3000 out
I hear he's supposed to come out with a solo album soon. That's one I will buy no questions asked. Until then, be sure to check his verse on the Walk it Out remix and another favorite I have by his, Chronometrophobia. In the meantime, here's a classic Outkast banger, Atliens (as it turns out, the music video embedding is disabled, but here's the song).
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Thinking Back Thursday #2
I've been waiting to do this one since I thought of it before last weekend. I'm glad I'll finally get to share it.
I don't know about you guys, but I love pizza. LOVE IT. To me, it's like it's own food group. You have your big places like Pizza Hut (my personal favorite), but then you also have the local spots that each have their unique style.
Growing up, I never went to Little Caesars. Still haven't. I don't know of one around me. What I do remember, oh man I remember, were the commercials. More specifically, the little guy at the end who always goes, "Pizza Pizza". I remember being a little kid and always trying to time it so I said it right when he did. It seems like now, commercials are all pretty similar. None of them really leave much of an impression on me anymore. The actors are mostly just forgettable and they just don't seem as wild as they did in the 90s.
This commercial on the other hand, I can only describe as magical. I remember seeing it and just being in awe and being able to find it on YouTube and dying of laughter from it is great. I can't give this commercial an adequate introduction, so I'm not even going to try. Just watch this Little Caesars commercial about a man and his really great day.
I don't know about you guys, but I love pizza. LOVE IT. To me, it's like it's own food group. You have your big places like Pizza Hut (my personal favorite), but then you also have the local spots that each have their unique style.
Growing up, I never went to Little Caesars. Still haven't. I don't know of one around me. What I do remember, oh man I remember, were the commercials. More specifically, the little guy at the end who always goes, "Pizza Pizza". I remember being a little kid and always trying to time it so I said it right when he did. It seems like now, commercials are all pretty similar. None of them really leave much of an impression on me anymore. The actors are mostly just forgettable and they just don't seem as wild as they did in the 90s.
This commercial on the other hand, I can only describe as magical. I remember seeing it and just being in awe and being able to find it on YouTube and dying of laughter from it is great. I can't give this commercial an adequate introduction, so I'm not even going to try. Just watch this Little Caesars commercial about a man and his really great day.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Music Monday #2
Happy Monday everybody! Well, let's get right into it.
It seems like mashups are all the rage these days. And why not? Take a great song, take another great song and make a new great song. I remember when MTV mixed ACDC's "Back in Black" with Eminem's "My Name Is". So sick.
Well this next guy takes it to a whole new level. Instead of just taking and combining two good songs to create a new one, he takes DOZENS. Strangely enough, his name is Greg. He's from Pittsburgh. You'll know him as Girl Talk.
He's had a few albums, but his latest release, from 2008 I believe, Feed the Animals is by far his best. I've heard many other mashup artists' albums before. Something about this one really stands out and I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's just sample selection. I don't know but it works and it works better than the rest. The album itself plays out kind of like flipping through a radio station or an iPod, which is good for our attention deficit generation. A sample comes on that you don't like, just hang out, it'll be gone in a few seconds.
You get a great mix on here. I can pick out the rappers and singers from their lyrics, but a lot of the instrumentals are from rock groups I'm not quite as familiar with. I can tell you that this album runs the gamut from Busta Rhymes, to the Jackson 5, to Kelly Clarkson. It is divided into tracks, but flows well and is really meant to be listened to in it's entirety. I stuck this CD in my car and had it there for a while because as time goes by, certain samples and parts that you weren't crazy about before grow on you. It's fun to sing along and is an essential road trip album because chances are, all your friends in the car at least know SOME of the words.
This brings me to his live performances. I was lucky enough to see him this past summer in Pittsburgh. OH. MY. GOD. I'm not a frequent concert goer, but that concert is now the standard by which all others will be judged. Absolute insanity. Tons of people dancing on the stage. Lights everywhere. Everybody was dancing like crazy for hours. It was a better party atmosphere than even any club or party I've been to. If you ever have an opportunity to see this guy live, you are a FOOL if you miss this show. Bottom line. No argument. I still check his MySpace every now and again to make sure I'm not missing out on any upcoming shows. Until then, I'll still have Feed the Animals to hold me over.
It seems like mashups are all the rage these days. And why not? Take a great song, take another great song and make a new great song. I remember when MTV mixed ACDC's "Back in Black" with Eminem's "My Name Is". So sick.
Well this next guy takes it to a whole new level. Instead of just taking and combining two good songs to create a new one, he takes DOZENS. Strangely enough, his name is Greg. He's from Pittsburgh. You'll know him as Girl Talk.
He's had a few albums, but his latest release, from 2008 I believe, Feed the Animals is by far his best. I've heard many other mashup artists' albums before. Something about this one really stands out and I just can't put my finger on it. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's just sample selection. I don't know but it works and it works better than the rest. The album itself plays out kind of like flipping through a radio station or an iPod, which is good for our attention deficit generation. A sample comes on that you don't like, just hang out, it'll be gone in a few seconds.
You get a great mix on here. I can pick out the rappers and singers from their lyrics, but a lot of the instrumentals are from rock groups I'm not quite as familiar with. I can tell you that this album runs the gamut from Busta Rhymes, to the Jackson 5, to Kelly Clarkson. It is divided into tracks, but flows well and is really meant to be listened to in it's entirety. I stuck this CD in my car and had it there for a while because as time goes by, certain samples and parts that you weren't crazy about before grow on you. It's fun to sing along and is an essential road trip album because chances are, all your friends in the car at least know SOME of the words.
This brings me to his live performances. I was lucky enough to see him this past summer in Pittsburgh. OH. MY. GOD. I'm not a frequent concert goer, but that concert is now the standard by which all others will be judged. Absolute insanity. Tons of people dancing on the stage. Lights everywhere. Everybody was dancing like crazy for hours. It was a better party atmosphere than even any club or party I've been to. If you ever have an opportunity to see this guy live, you are a FOOL if you miss this show. Bottom line. No argument. I still check his MySpace every now and again to make sure I'm not missing out on any upcoming shows. Until then, I'll still have Feed the Animals to hold me over.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Greg reacts to Olympic Hockey
So I guess now is as good a time as ever to give my personal perspective on the whole Canada beating U.S.A. in hockey just a few hours ago. I did watch the game on and off. I was on my computer and making food, but I was glancing at it here and there and I think I caught every goal. Both teams seemed to play a pretty good game.
Now I'll be honest, hockey isn't my game. Growing up, I just never had any interest in it. You had to drive all the way to an ice rink to play and and needed all that equipment. I only had one friend who ever played in an organized league. I dabbled in street hockey towards the end of high school, but can't say I really enjoyed it. I couldn't take watching it. People say, "THERE'S SO MUCH MORE ACTION THAN FOOTBALL OR BASEBALL!!!" Action is not all of what sports is about. It seems to me in hockey, while they do try to apply strategy and some plays, everything falls apart relatively easy. Possession changes every few seconds. It's just chaos. For some people that's cool, whatever. I prefer something like football or baseball, where you have brief moments of action resulting from a build up of strategy. For the most part, the only reason I got dragged into playing it at all was this guy:
Sidney Crosby. Before he came onto the scene, there were a few goofballs around that were Penguin fans, but being in Pittsburgh, it was all about the Steelers. Even though the Pirates sucked, the people around me seemed to care more about them. When the NHL went on strike for a whole season, nobody I knew really noticed or cared. It's just hockey. Then, Crosby came.
All of a sudden, the Penguins became great and everybody around me started changing. People started talking about last night's hockey game. People started wearing around hockey jerseys for the first time (which are the ugliest jerseys there are. Seriously, you look like a billboard). Even girls were rattling off player name after player name, all of which sounded completely unfamiliar to me. I knew Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr and both of them were pretty much gone. And I'll tell you what, I didn't like it. It just seems shallow to root for a team, much less get into an entire sport, just because the local team turned into winners. I found myself secretly rooting for the Penguins to lose just so they would be eliminated as a topic of conversation amongst everybody. Then, they win the Stanley Cup.
At this point, I've pretty much accepted it. I'm quite content going to Pirate games for a fraction of the price. I ignore people who only want to talk Penguins since I know they'll fall off eventually. No team is good all the time (except maybe the Yankees). Even dynasties like the Steelers have rough periods. Teams have their good years, then they fall off for a while, and then they return towards the top. I believe the Pirates are in that phase now which makes it only more entertaining for me to watch, and I'll admit, I'm a die hard fan. Not because they are winners like the Penguins. I am a Pirate fan because of their stadium, the fact that I can watch every game either in person or on television without some special cable deal, the fact that I believe in what their management is doing to rebuild the organization (as opposed to the Penguins who just won the draft lottery), and I love the history of the organization. But I digress.
With the Olympics coming around, I thought you know, screw this, I'll give up my anti hockey emotions for a while and root for the good old red, white, and blue. I was impressed with their play, I guess. When they lost, I wasn't disappointed. It is Canada's national pass time. And how ironic that it was none other than Crosby to score the winning goal. That's when I started browsing the internet and seeing all the trash talking. It just seems odd that most people know nothing about these players and what kind of people they are, yet they will get into verbal confrontations with people just because that team is comprised of players who are from your country. Your country, which like any country, is just a shape made from man made borders. Am I supposed to be sad that we lost? What does it mean anyways? We as Americans aren't as good as Canadians at hockey? Well, from a technical standpoint, it proves that one team of Canadians were better than one team of Americans at a certain point in time. Even still, what does it mean? Am I supposed to feel inferior now? Canada is 250 miles from me. If that border scooted down and I was now Canadian, am I supposed to feel superior? Since when are borders created by men supposed to influence my self worth?
Sure I like to see my fellow countrymen do well. But that isn't necessarily because they are American. It's because of their exposure within the American media. I get to see what type of person they are through interviews. If they leave a favorable impression, I root for them. Usain Bolt was my favorite athlete of the 2008 Summer games. Not because he won, but he was much more interesting than anybody else out there (including a swimmer using a cheat suit).
Now I'll be honest, hockey isn't my game. Growing up, I just never had any interest in it. You had to drive all the way to an ice rink to play and and needed all that equipment. I only had one friend who ever played in an organized league. I dabbled in street hockey towards the end of high school, but can't say I really enjoyed it. I couldn't take watching it. People say, "THERE'S SO MUCH MORE ACTION THAN FOOTBALL OR BASEBALL!!!" Action is not all of what sports is about. It seems to me in hockey, while they do try to apply strategy and some plays, everything falls apart relatively easy. Possession changes every few seconds. It's just chaos. For some people that's cool, whatever. I prefer something like football or baseball, where you have brief moments of action resulting from a build up of strategy. For the most part, the only reason I got dragged into playing it at all was this guy:
Sidney Crosby. Before he came onto the scene, there were a few goofballs around that were Penguin fans, but being in Pittsburgh, it was all about the Steelers. Even though the Pirates sucked, the people around me seemed to care more about them. When the NHL went on strike for a whole season, nobody I knew really noticed or cared. It's just hockey. Then, Crosby came.
All of a sudden, the Penguins became great and everybody around me started changing. People started talking about last night's hockey game. People started wearing around hockey jerseys for the first time (which are the ugliest jerseys there are. Seriously, you look like a billboard). Even girls were rattling off player name after player name, all of which sounded completely unfamiliar to me. I knew Mario Lemieux and Jaromir Jagr and both of them were pretty much gone. And I'll tell you what, I didn't like it. It just seems shallow to root for a team, much less get into an entire sport, just because the local team turned into winners. I found myself secretly rooting for the Penguins to lose just so they would be eliminated as a topic of conversation amongst everybody. Then, they win the Stanley Cup.
At this point, I've pretty much accepted it. I'm quite content going to Pirate games for a fraction of the price. I ignore people who only want to talk Penguins since I know they'll fall off eventually. No team is good all the time (except maybe the Yankees). Even dynasties like the Steelers have rough periods. Teams have their good years, then they fall off for a while, and then they return towards the top. I believe the Pirates are in that phase now which makes it only more entertaining for me to watch, and I'll admit, I'm a die hard fan. Not because they are winners like the Penguins. I am a Pirate fan because of their stadium, the fact that I can watch every game either in person or on television without some special cable deal, the fact that I believe in what their management is doing to rebuild the organization (as opposed to the Penguins who just won the draft lottery), and I love the history of the organization. But I digress.
With the Olympics coming around, I thought you know, screw this, I'll give up my anti hockey emotions for a while and root for the good old red, white, and blue. I was impressed with their play, I guess. When they lost, I wasn't disappointed. It is Canada's national pass time. And how ironic that it was none other than Crosby to score the winning goal. That's when I started browsing the internet and seeing all the trash talking. It just seems odd that most people know nothing about these players and what kind of people they are, yet they will get into verbal confrontations with people just because that team is comprised of players who are from your country. Your country, which like any country, is just a shape made from man made borders. Am I supposed to be sad that we lost? What does it mean anyways? We as Americans aren't as good as Canadians at hockey? Well, from a technical standpoint, it proves that one team of Canadians were better than one team of Americans at a certain point in time. Even still, what does it mean? Am I supposed to feel inferior now? Canada is 250 miles from me. If that border scooted down and I was now Canadian, am I supposed to feel superior? Since when are borders created by men supposed to influence my self worth?
Sure I like to see my fellow countrymen do well. But that isn't necessarily because they are American. It's because of their exposure within the American media. I get to see what type of person they are through interviews. If they leave a favorable impression, I root for them. Usain Bolt was my favorite athlete of the 2008 Summer games. Not because he won, but he was much more interesting than anybody else out there (including a swimmer using a cheat suit).
Greg went to BCSD
For the 4th straight year I believe?
I'll make this a short posting since I realize that not all of my readers are rollerbladers. If you are ever interested in what I am talking about though, feel free to hop on youtube and search for "bittercold showdown".
To sum it up, it is the biggest rollerblading event of the year. Not rollerblading like spandex on the boardwalk, but rollerblading like doing tricks. It was a great event as always and keeps getting better and better every year. Best improvement by far was adding bleachers in the skatepark (in the past we've had to all stand for about 6 hours during the whole contest). It was awesome seeing so many familiar faces. What few rollerbladers are left out there really are like one big family. That makes it kind of disappointing that a legend, Chris Haffey, was booed when it was announced he won because people felt Bolino out skated him. Like they said, it was a hard contest to judge. Once the edits come out people will see. Either way, I don't really think this contest is about the winner.
It makes me wish more sports were like this. Before the contest there's a tradeshow and most of the competitors can be found there. How often do you get to buy a signature product from the guy who's name is on it? It's such a great atmosphere to be in and I'm glad I could make the drive out to Detroit again this year to take it all in.
I'll make this a short posting since I realize that not all of my readers are rollerbladers. If you are ever interested in what I am talking about though, feel free to hop on youtube and search for "bittercold showdown".
To sum it up, it is the biggest rollerblading event of the year. Not rollerblading like spandex on the boardwalk, but rollerblading like doing tricks. It was a great event as always and keeps getting better and better every year. Best improvement by far was adding bleachers in the skatepark (in the past we've had to all stand for about 6 hours during the whole contest). It was awesome seeing so many familiar faces. What few rollerbladers are left out there really are like one big family. That makes it kind of disappointing that a legend, Chris Haffey, was booed when it was announced he won because people felt Bolino out skated him. Like they said, it was a hard contest to judge. Once the edits come out people will see. Either way, I don't really think this contest is about the winner.
It makes me wish more sports were like this. Before the contest there's a tradeshow and most of the competitors can be found there. How often do you get to buy a signature product from the guy who's name is on it? It's such a great atmosphere to be in and I'm glad I could make the drive out to Detroit again this year to take it all in.
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Thinking Back Thursday 1
Well here's another thing which I hope to make a weekly fixture for this blog, which literally popped into my head a second ago. Thinking Back Thursdays will be just looking back at things either from just the past few years, or even back to my early childhood and just sort of reflecting upon them.
Where to start, where to start... well, here's a nod to all the gamers out there, who remembers the N64?
Yeah, what a beast. I got into games kind of late compared to my friends, so this was my first ever console. I still remember opening it up Christmas Day, only I don't think I was as energetic as that one kid.
Anyway, I want to just talk about one game in particular. That game, is Banjo Kazooie.
This is still one of my favorite games of all time. I even played through it again a few months ago, and a lot of it's charm is still there. It felt like such an adventure at the time. Walking through those caves or whatever while trying to find the levels, hearing the witch laughing. The worlds themselves were huge and each one had a very distinct feel and left an impression on me. The game had some pretty witty dialogue. It was just so awesome collecting notes, Jinjos, Jiggys, and all that other ridiculous stuff that seemed so important to get. And who could forget Mumbo Jumbo? It was also cool how when you did quit the game, it played a little cut scene showing your poor sister's fate. I remember being little and thinking, "No! I can't let that happen! I gotta beat this game!!!" I was quite young, so beating a game of this magnitude was a big deal for me, but who could forget that one last step before you got to the top of the witch's castle, the quiz show.
What an awesome idea. Quizzing you about the game. I remember it would play music or something and you would have to guess the level. Most of the time these weren't that hard as long as you paid attention, but the challenge was the witch squares. Those were the ones were you had to answer questions about Grunty, answers you only knew if you talked to her good sister when you found her throughout the game. I always talked to her, but it was still so hard to remember because every answer was just some stupid pun about how disgusting Grunty was.
I can still remember the satisfaction of beating Grunty and having all right with the world, only to be so disappointed at the end. They basically harass you if you don't get all the Jiggys and saw gee if you would have got them, we have pictures of the sequel to show you. What a bunch of jerks.
I did play and beat the sequel, but it just seemed too different and didn't leave as much of an impression on me as the first. There were so many new characters, Bottles was DEAD. It was just strange.
As for the 360 game, Nuts and Bolts, well I bought it. I played it for about 3 hours total. Then I put in another game. And well, I never put it back in. Banjo looked weird. You were so slow if you weren't in a vehicle. It just seemed so foreign, like it wasn't even a Banjo Kazooie game. It was just disappointing to me. I knew it would be very different from the first two, but I still gave it a shot just hoping it would be better. Well, it wasn't. Maybe I'll give it another try someday. Probably not. At least I'll still always have Banjo Kazooie.
And with that, I will be heading to Detroit tomorrow for the Bitter Cold Showdown. If you don't know what that is, prepare to be informed in my next posting, but unfortunately that won't come until after this weekend. Have a nice weekend and remember, less than a month until spring.
Where to start, where to start... well, here's a nod to all the gamers out there, who remembers the N64?
Yeah, what a beast. I got into games kind of late compared to my friends, so this was my first ever console. I still remember opening it up Christmas Day, only I don't think I was as energetic as that one kid.
Anyway, I want to just talk about one game in particular. That game, is Banjo Kazooie.
This is still one of my favorite games of all time. I even played through it again a few months ago, and a lot of it's charm is still there. It felt like such an adventure at the time. Walking through those caves or whatever while trying to find the levels, hearing the witch laughing. The worlds themselves were huge and each one had a very distinct feel and left an impression on me. The game had some pretty witty dialogue. It was just so awesome collecting notes, Jinjos, Jiggys, and all that other ridiculous stuff that seemed so important to get. And who could forget Mumbo Jumbo? It was also cool how when you did quit the game, it played a little cut scene showing your poor sister's fate. I remember being little and thinking, "No! I can't let that happen! I gotta beat this game!!!" I was quite young, so beating a game of this magnitude was a big deal for me, but who could forget that one last step before you got to the top of the witch's castle, the quiz show.
What an awesome idea. Quizzing you about the game. I remember it would play music or something and you would have to guess the level. Most of the time these weren't that hard as long as you paid attention, but the challenge was the witch squares. Those were the ones were you had to answer questions about Grunty, answers you only knew if you talked to her good sister when you found her throughout the game. I always talked to her, but it was still so hard to remember because every answer was just some stupid pun about how disgusting Grunty was.
I can still remember the satisfaction of beating Grunty and having all right with the world, only to be so disappointed at the end. They basically harass you if you don't get all the Jiggys and saw gee if you would have got them, we have pictures of the sequel to show you. What a bunch of jerks.
I did play and beat the sequel, but it just seemed too different and didn't leave as much of an impression on me as the first. There were so many new characters, Bottles was DEAD. It was just strange.
As for the 360 game, Nuts and Bolts, well I bought it. I played it for about 3 hours total. Then I put in another game. And well, I never put it back in. Banjo looked weird. You were so slow if you weren't in a vehicle. It just seemed so foreign, like it wasn't even a Banjo Kazooie game. It was just disappointing to me. I knew it would be very different from the first two, but I still gave it a shot just hoping it would be better. Well, it wasn't. Maybe I'll give it another try someday. Probably not. At least I'll still always have Banjo Kazooie.
And with that, I will be heading to Detroit tomorrow for the Bitter Cold Showdown. If you don't know what that is, prepare to be informed in my next posting, but unfortunately that won't come until after this weekend. Have a nice weekend and remember, less than a month until spring.
Monday, February 22, 2010
Music Monday #1
Well I'd like to start what will probably be a weekly tradition, Music Monday. Basically, every Monday I'll share an artist, album, song, or whatever with you guys that I've been listening to lately. You'll soon realize that my tastes are mostly rap music, but occasionally I'll listen to something else. This is one of those days. Who better to start with than the girl who's my computer wallpaper?
Introducing.... Lights!
In addition to rocking a killer smile, she actually has quite a bit of talent. While the best way I can think to classify her would be a "pop" singer, this Canadian is hardly another Britney Spears clone. She writes her own music and can actually play guitar. As for the music itself, it's very interesting. It is by no means depressing, but it is still very introspective for the most part and I guess the overall sound gives it a lonely night time feel. At first I was kind of indifferent about it, but it really has grown on me.
Lucky for you, it's not too hard to get into her music, since she has only dropped one album, The Listening. The album is overall pretty solid from start to end. It leads right off with the song that is probably my favorite video from the album, "Savior"
It really shows off her creativity and is a decent enough representation of the type of stuff you'll see on the rest of the album. I'm not going to lie, Lights is great eye candy as well.
As for my favorite track? Well she hasn't made a video for it and I'm not sure if there are plans in the future, but I really like the hidden gem that is "Face Up".
Just the halting and starting of the lyrics in the chorus really adds to the overall struggling mood of the song. My favorite off the Listening for sure. She's a really talented artist for sure and I really hope to see more from her in the future. Something tells me her shows would be awesome as well.
Well that concludes the first ever Music Monday, hope you enjoyed and keep checking back to see what else I have in store for you guys.
Introducing.... Lights!
In addition to rocking a killer smile, she actually has quite a bit of talent. While the best way I can think to classify her would be a "pop" singer, this Canadian is hardly another Britney Spears clone. She writes her own music and can actually play guitar. As for the music itself, it's very interesting. It is by no means depressing, but it is still very introspective for the most part and I guess the overall sound gives it a lonely night time feel. At first I was kind of indifferent about it, but it really has grown on me.
Lucky for you, it's not too hard to get into her music, since she has only dropped one album, The Listening. The album is overall pretty solid from start to end. It leads right off with the song that is probably my favorite video from the album, "Savior"
It really shows off her creativity and is a decent enough representation of the type of stuff you'll see on the rest of the album. I'm not going to lie, Lights is great eye candy as well.
As for my favorite track? Well she hasn't made a video for it and I'm not sure if there are plans in the future, but I really like the hidden gem that is "Face Up".
Just the halting and starting of the lyrics in the chorus really adds to the overall struggling mood of the song. My favorite off the Listening for sure. She's a really talented artist for sure and I really hope to see more from her in the future. Something tells me her shows would be awesome as well.
Well that concludes the first ever Music Monday, hope you enjoyed and keep checking back to see what else I have in store for you guys.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Greg saw Shutter Island (Review)
Where to begin with Shutter Island? Well, I had been excited about this movie ever since seeing the trailer for it, before Inglourious Basterds I think. I guess I shouldn't really judge movies by their trailers though as seen in my favorite movies post. I had been checking up on this movie with interest only to see that it had only earned a 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. Even worse, I watched At the Movies today and both said to skip it. How could this be? I have seen a few Scorsese films. Not the certified classics like Taxi Driver or Raging Bull (their on my list), but I found Goodfellas entertaining and thought the Departed was awesome. How did he screw this one up?
Well, in short, he didn't. He really, really didn't. In fact, this movie was awesome. Like, really really awesome.
In case you are in the dark, Shutter Island follows a U.S. Marshall in 1954 sent to investigate the disappearance of a prisoner from the mental facility on Shutter Island. It's not as easy as it sounds since security is very tight and the management is not very helpful in his investigation. That's not to say he's the perfect guy by any means. He served in WWII and was part of a group that liberated a concentration camp. The memories still haunt him. The movie is about an investigation so for that I won't reveal much else about the plot. I won't spoil this movie because it's a movie you need to see.
As you may have guessed, the movie is very creepy. The mental patients are all really well played. They are just some lunatics jumping around screaming, but simply people who are functioning how they believe they should based on their perception of reality.
The whole film has this aura of eerie mystery. They don't waste any time either. A few titles pop up and then BAM, we're on the boat and then a few minutes later BAM, we're off the boat on the island and dramatic music is playing to set the mood. That's not to say the music is overbearing. There are times when things are silent and I could feel everybody in the theater just holding their breath. At times, the tension was almost unbearable. There were also several quite disturbing images that were practically horror filmish to me. This is by no means just some episode of Law and Order on a field trip. I rarely see horror films, but this movie did manage to creep me out.
The movie is just a roller coaster that thankfully has an ending that lives up to the rest of the ride. It's one of the most satisfying endings I've seen in a while. This movie won't be loved by everyone, no movie will. But if the trailer intrigued you, this review peaked your interest, or you are just a fan of the genre, I highly recommend you check it out.
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Greg lists his current favorite movies
Well I think I'll get this blog officially rolling by popping off my favorite movies as of right now. I'll keep it all pretty spoiler free since I hope some of you will be motivated to check these movies out as a result. Here's my top three in order of release.
First up is Fight Club. I'm breaking the first two rules by talking about it, but screw it. This movie is definitely not what I expected going in. You may be thinking, "Gee, pretty boy Brad Pitt in a movie about fighting. Let me guess, it's like Rocky except for the younger crowd." Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. The story this movie brings to you is quite a treat. It is one of those movies rich movies full of hints and foreshadowing that reward repeat viewings just to pick up on things you missed. That being said, the story has plenty of twists.
It is Fight Club, so yes, it is violent, but the violence does actually have a very profound message behind it that to me anyway, feels unique to our generation. The movie is able to seamlessly jump from serious themes like that to some downright hilarious moments, especially from the narration. I'm not really one for funny movies, but this movie has made me laugh. Check it out.
Next up is Slumdog Millionaire. I did see this movie the summer of it's release. The trailers did an excellent job of explaining absolutely nothing besides how great it is. I hate that. So here's the lowdown and why you need to see this movie.
First of all, if you are an idiot who hates reading, don't bother watching this movie (unless you speak Hindi). Then again, why would you be reading this blog? Anyway, the movie is told through flashbacks spanning this Indian boy Jamal's life. The third of the movie where he is a child is all in Hindi, so be ready to read the subtitles. Get over it, I did. Jamal falls in love with this girl Latika, they become seperated and Jamal spends the rest of the movie trying to find her and win her back.
He faces obstacles like local gangsters, his jealous older brother, and oh yeah, trying to find a girl in a country of one billion. As outrageous as it sounds, the Jamal's story is in the words of one of the detectives interrogating him, "plausible". Detective? Oh yeah, in desperation to get a hold of Latika he goes on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which he knows she watches. The show serves as the vehicle to bring us in and out of the flashbacks of Jamal's life as he's able to answer questions the world feels he shouldn't know. Great movie.
And finally, Inglourious Basterds. Yet another movie with deceiving trailers. If you think this is Kill Bill + Brad Pitt + World War 2, you are mistaken. Well at least some. Yes, the movie does feature Brad Pitt kicking some Nazi ass (and on a side note, if you have a soul you will laugh at least once in every scene he is in). Unfortunately, he is only in about half of the movie. The rest features the beautiful Melanie Laurent. Oo la la. This movie has even more subtitles than Slumdog, so either study your French AND German, or learn to read. I was surprised to see Diane Kruger in this. Who would have thought the eye candy from the National Treasure movies was not only a great actress, but spoke German?
These characters are all in one way or another involved in a plan to destroy a French theater as it's showing a movie in front of an audience packed with Nazi leadership, including the head honcho, Hitler. The movie is quite stylish and is just downright fun to watch. There are quite a few scenes with amazing tension in them. They even got my heart beating. Like Fight Club, it is both violent and funny, so do yourself a favor and see it.
First up is Fight Club. I'm breaking the first two rules by talking about it, but screw it. This movie is definitely not what I expected going in. You may be thinking, "Gee, pretty boy Brad Pitt in a movie about fighting. Let me guess, it's like Rocky except for the younger crowd." Well, that couldn't be further from the truth. The story this movie brings to you is quite a treat. It is one of those movies rich movies full of hints and foreshadowing that reward repeat viewings just to pick up on things you missed. That being said, the story has plenty of twists.
It is Fight Club, so yes, it is violent, but the violence does actually have a very profound message behind it that to me anyway, feels unique to our generation. The movie is able to seamlessly jump from serious themes like that to some downright hilarious moments, especially from the narration. I'm not really one for funny movies, but this movie has made me laugh. Check it out.
Next up is Slumdog Millionaire. I did see this movie the summer of it's release. The trailers did an excellent job of explaining absolutely nothing besides how great it is. I hate that. So here's the lowdown and why you need to see this movie.
First of all, if you are an idiot who hates reading, don't bother watching this movie (unless you speak Hindi). Then again, why would you be reading this blog? Anyway, the movie is told through flashbacks spanning this Indian boy Jamal's life. The third of the movie where he is a child is all in Hindi, so be ready to read the subtitles. Get over it, I did. Jamal falls in love with this girl Latika, they become seperated and Jamal spends the rest of the movie trying to find her and win her back.
He faces obstacles like local gangsters, his jealous older brother, and oh yeah, trying to find a girl in a country of one billion. As outrageous as it sounds, the Jamal's story is in the words of one of the detectives interrogating him, "plausible". Detective? Oh yeah, in desperation to get a hold of Latika he goes on India's version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire which he knows she watches. The show serves as the vehicle to bring us in and out of the flashbacks of Jamal's life as he's able to answer questions the world feels he shouldn't know. Great movie.
And finally, Inglourious Basterds. Yet another movie with deceiving trailers. If you think this is Kill Bill + Brad Pitt + World War 2, you are mistaken. Well at least some. Yes, the movie does feature Brad Pitt kicking some Nazi ass (and on a side note, if you have a soul you will laugh at least once in every scene he is in). Unfortunately, he is only in about half of the movie. The rest features the beautiful Melanie Laurent. Oo la la. This movie has even more subtitles than Slumdog, so either study your French AND German, or learn to read. I was surprised to see Diane Kruger in this. Who would have thought the eye candy from the National Treasure movies was not only a great actress, but spoke German?
These characters are all in one way or another involved in a plan to destroy a French theater as it's showing a movie in front of an audience packed with Nazi leadership, including the head honcho, Hitler. The movie is quite stylish and is just downright fun to watch. There are quite a few scenes with amazing tension in them. They even got my heart beating. Like Fight Club, it is both violent and funny, so do yourself a favor and see it.
Greg makes a blog
Hello happy readers! Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Greg and this is my blog. I am 19 years old and ready to share my vast knowledge I've gained in those years with the world!
But seriously, this blog will hopefully provide entertainment and maybe even some knowledge to those who stumble upon it. While I have many ideas buzzing around at this point, here's just a brief rundown of what to expect:
1. Lists. Is it weird that the first item on this list is lists? I don't know, but what I do know is I like lists. I think everybody does. I intended to make all sorts of lists relative to my interests. Movies, music, sports, things I like, things I hate, whatever.
2. Reviews. If I think something is awesome, I'm going to let you know. If I think something sucks, YOU WILL ALL BE AWARE OF IT.
3. Opinions. Whether it's just random stuff or current events, I'll chime in here and there about how I feel. Feel free to post comments on this stuff (as well as other posts) because hey, I want to know what my readers are thinking.
4. Stories. In addition to sharing interesting things that happen to me, I also like to write short fictional stories that I'll be sure to sprinkle in here and there. I promise they aren't as boring as they sound.
That's about all I can think of at this point. I'm sure there will be more, this was just to give you readers out there a general idea of what to expect. While I won't be updating this blog religiously, I don't think a few times a week or at least once a week will be out of the question. So if you like what you're reading, check back and tell your friends!
But seriously, this blog will hopefully provide entertainment and maybe even some knowledge to those who stumble upon it. While I have many ideas buzzing around at this point, here's just a brief rundown of what to expect:
1. Lists. Is it weird that the first item on this list is lists? I don't know, but what I do know is I like lists. I think everybody does. I intended to make all sorts of lists relative to my interests. Movies, music, sports, things I like, things I hate, whatever.
2. Reviews. If I think something is awesome, I'm going to let you know. If I think something sucks, YOU WILL ALL BE AWARE OF IT.
3. Opinions. Whether it's just random stuff or current events, I'll chime in here and there about how I feel. Feel free to post comments on this stuff (as well as other posts) because hey, I want to know what my readers are thinking.
4. Stories. In addition to sharing interesting things that happen to me, I also like to write short fictional stories that I'll be sure to sprinkle in here and there. I promise they aren't as boring as they sound.
That's about all I can think of at this point. I'm sure there will be more, this was just to give you readers out there a general idea of what to expect. While I won't be updating this blog religiously, I don't think a few times a week or at least once a week will be out of the question. So if you like what you're reading, check back and tell your friends!
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