Batgirl's Weblog

The Year of the Spoilers

marchisthemonthofmadness — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 06:44:19 +0000

Is it wrong to assume that someone you’re talking to has seen a particular popular movie? With television, it’s different since not everyone watches TV. Plus there are a gazillion channels so there’s a huge chance that they’ve never even heard of the show you’re talking about. But with movies, must we shout “SPOILER ALERT” when mentioning every minor detail? And how do you know whether someone will care if you spoil them or not?

Did you know that it’s Gwyneth Paltrow’s head in the box? How about that Kevin Spacey is Keyser Soze? Or that Rosebud is the freaking sled? If you didn’t before reading this entry, congratulations – you have just been spoiled (maybe that can be a new Punk’d type show. SPOILED!). I think one of the biggest movie surprises that has been spoiled for quite a few people since it appeared in 1999 is the ending to The Sixth Sense. And I know it’s been revealed to others because I spoiled one of my coworkers a few weeks ago and couldn’t believe that he didn’t know the twist before. It wasn’t so much that I was sorry that I had spoiled him, but more that I couldn’t believe he had no idea (SPOILER ALERT) that Bruce Willis was dead the entire time. And I didn’t even mean to intentionally spoil him. A bunch of us were talking about movie endings at lunch and he was in the kitchen when I blurted it out. And it wasn’t even the only movie surprise he was given that day. Another coworker spoiled a plot point of Burn After Reading and didn’t even blink when mentioning it. It wasn’t the ending and a lot of important plot points occur after this character’s death (SPOILER ALERT – It’s Brad Pitt’s character who is killed by George Clooney’s character. And the Ocean’s 11 fangirl in me is giddy every single time), but he was still upset that it was revealed to him without his consent. But that’s the trouble with walking in on conversations – you never know what you’re going to hear. That’s also the problem with making assumptions about other people and their knowledge – you can be completely wrong.

A lot of comic book movies have been including post credits scenes, and they seem to get spoiled online and by others right away. My friend, Martel, complained that the after credits scene from Thor was spoiled at a comic book shop he walked into. If you don’t really read comics or aren’t a huge Thor fan, it may not be a big deal. But for the comic fans, the post credits scenes are sometimes the most exciting part of the movie. With Marvel movies, they’re a hint about what’s going to happen in the next movie (Iron Man – Avengers, Iron Man 2 – Thor, Thor – Avengers). Even DC is getting into this game via Green Lantern. The studios know that these extra scenes will build up excitement for their later films. I know that the scene after Iron Man 2 made me even more excited for Thor. Just seeing Mjolnir stuck in the ground caused me to shout “YES!!!” in the theater. But I didn’t rush out and spoil it for everyone within earshot. I know how to keep my mouth shut (most of the time) because I know I’d be extremely angry if I was spoiled. It’s difficult to stay away from all of the information thrown around on the internet, but in this day and age, it’s hard to stay off of the internet completely. For now, I suppose we’ll have to deal with spoilers as they come – close your eyes and plug your ears if you come upon any. Just don’t spoil Avengers for me or there will be hell to pay.

Please bring sexy back

marchisthemonthofmadness — Sun, 03 Oct 2010 00:31:48 +0000

Hey Justin Timberlake,

Just so you know, I’ve been a fan of you since the beginning of the NSYNC days so this is all written with love. You were always my favorite in the group, your poster hung on my ceiling for a long time, and I screamed my little preteen heart out at concerts. I contributed to the U.S. one week sales record when No Strings Attached sold 2.42 million albums in its debut week. Heck, I contributed to the first week sales of all of the NSYNC albums as well as your two individual albums. ”Cry Me a River” is still my jam, “FutureSex/LoveSound” is in my Top 25 Most Played ITunes playlist, and both Justified and FutureSex/LoveSound remain two of my favorite albums of all-time. I stood by your side throughout the Britney breakup (Team Justin Forever), and even though I thought you could do way better than Cameron Diaz and Jessica Biel, I pushed it aside because I cared about your music, not your personal life. So after twelve years of support and fandom, I just have one request:

Make some damn music.

See, that’s not even a difficult request. You could probably hop in the studio and crank out a great album for next year. We already all know you’re musically gifted and can create songs that make me want to dance around my room while singing along so what’s the problem? Why won’t you give the public what it wants? Why do you insist on joking about it and stating in every recent article that no new music is on the horizon?

Oh, that’s right. You want to be an actor.

Well, congratulations Justin. You are officially an actor. You’ve been in twelve studio and TV films since 2000, and you have three more scheduled to be released within the next year. Now, how many of those films are actually decent? After viewing The Social Network today, I can say two. And I only mention Model Behavior as the other movie because it’s a guilty pleasure and very entertaining. But the others? I haven’t even heard of a few of them, and I know some were released directly to DVD or had very limited theatrical runs. Southland Tales was panned by critics, Shrek 3 and Shrek: Forever After continued to destroy the glory that is the first Shrek movie, and Black Snake Moan was known more for a barely clad Christina Ricci. I guess you did alright in Alpha Dog so you can have another point. But don’t even get me started on The Love Guru. I would actually like to know what you were thinking when you signed up for that. I mean, I can understand why Mike Myers and Jessica Alba would do it, but you?

Your best acting performances so far have been on SNL, and if you decided to quit music and become a full-time SNL cast member, I would support that. Your hosting episodes have been hilarious, and I’ve never been disappointed. As for The Social Network, you play a pretty convincing Sean Parker. Of course, I’m basing this on what I’ve read about the Napster founder so who knows. Maybe Sean Parker thinks you played him terribly. But what’s with all of this Oscar talk? You may do a good job in the movie, but you are not the best supporting actor in the film. Andrew Garfield and Armie Hammer should receive nominations over you. There’s something wrong with the Academy if they announce your name on nomination morning.

So please, Justin. Please go back to making music. I’m not saying that you have to make music all of the time. You can still make movies and appear on SNL. I’m just saying that you can balance the two. It doesn’t have to be one or the other. We all know that Yogi Bear is not going to make people love you but a new album might.

Thanks,

Christina

4 8 15 16 23 42

marchisthemonthofmadness — Tue, 25 May 2010 04:59:09 +0000

Lost has ended. I honestly thought I would never say that, or if I did, I wouldn’t be able to take it. But here I am, the day after the finale, and I survived. I’m exhausted both physically and emotionally, but I’ve survived the past 6 years/seasons. Was it perfect? No. Was it satisfying? Emotionally, yes. Sure, they didn’t answer every question the viewers had. The writers kind of dug themselves into a hole with that one – there have been so many mysteries over the years that to answer them all before the end date would have been impossible and extremely rushed. Sure, I would have loved to know why Walt had freaky powers (I like to think that Walt joined the X-Men after leaving the island) and what the Man in Black’s real name is (I either call him Esau since his brother is Jacob or Titus since he’s played by the amazing Titus Welliver), but the writers have given me the chance to make up my own answers. And that may be more satisfying than what they believed.
The final 2 and half hours of Lost was a roller coaster. I was completely wrong about the FlashSideways world – I thought it was a repercussion of Juliet blowing up the atom bomb and that the survivors’ souls could be transported there if they chose. Yes, I know, that’s the obvious answer. But sometimes the obvious answer works. A lot of people thought that the island could be purgatory. I believed that was the answer all throughout Season 1. And in a way, that theory was correct. The FlashSideways world ended up being a kind of purgatory for our castaways. It was a place for all of them to work out their problems and reunite after death so they could advance to the next stage. Jack and Juliet were able to have a romantic relationship after their brief flirtation on the island. It emphasized that they weren’t meant to be together – Kate and Sawyer were always their soul mates. (Tears were streaming down my face when Sawyer and Juliet reunited at the vending machine.) Ben was able to do the right thing and help Alex instead of himself – he was a good father in the end. Sawyer was given the chance to realize that there was more to life than revenge against the man who killed his parents. And, through his son David, Jack was able to have a healthy father-son relationship and become his own man. He was no longer living in his father’s shadow, trying to fix everything, and doubting every action and event. The characters were able to grow, and this show was always about the characters and the mantra, “Live together or die alone”. I’m sad that Ben didn’t join them in the church, but I understand why – he wasn’t ready to move on. He still had some issues with Alex and Danielle to work out, and I like to think that Ben would continue on to the next life with them. Ben started off as a creepy villain, but in the end, he was a part of the castaway group and had been redeemed. He was happy to be asked to help Hurley on the island and have a purpose. Benjamin Linus, you came into my life in Season 2 and quickly became my favorite Lost character as well as one of my favorite TV characters of all-time. Thank you.

I cried, I laughed, I raged. The finale brought on all kinds of emotions. I’m upset that it’s finished, but I’m also happy that it wasn’t dragged out. (I would love a Ben-Hurley island adventure spinoff though. Apparently they were a great 1-2 team.) My boys ended up surviving (and working together! Go Lapidus, Miles, Richard, and Ben!) so I honestly can’t complain. I would have loved for Kate to die in the end, but you can’t have everything. So I will take my boys living on to fight another day and move on.

Thank you, Lost. I will see you in another life, brutha.

The end of the decade

marchisthemonthofmadness — Sat, 02 Jan 2010 07:08:41 +0000

Since everyone has been writing “Best Of” lists for the end of the decade, I figured it was time to add mine. Agree? Disagree? There have been some great movies and TV shows these past 10 years. Here’s hoping the next 10 are even better. Bring it on, 2010!

Top 10 Movies of 2009

1-Inglourious Basterds

2-Up

3-Star Trek

4-District 9

5-The Hangover

6-The Princess and the Frog

7-A Serious Man

8-Fantastic Mr. Fox

9-Zombieland/Sherlock Holmes (tie)

10-Up in the Air

Top 10 Movies of the Decade

1-No Country for Old Men

2-Ocean’s 11

3-The Departed

4-The Dark Knight

5-Finding Nemo

6-Grindhouse

7-Spider-Man 2

8- O Brother, Where Art Thou?

9-Up

10-In Bruges

Top 10 TV Shows of the Decade

1-Arrested Development

2-The Wire

3-Lost

4-Smallville

5-Justice League/Justice League Unlimited

6-Rome

7-30 Rock

8-Deadwood

9-Supernatural

10-Breaking Bad

What a nerdy child

marchisthemonthofmadness — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 03:17:19 +0000

While paying for my purchases at Borders yesterday, a thought occurred to me, one that has crossed my mind many times before. ”Is the cashier judging me based on what I’m buying?”. It’s something I wonder every time I buy something or read/listen to music in public. Can someone make an assumption about me based on a book jacket? And do I do the same? Basically, can you judge a book (and its reader) by its cover?

Case in point. On the way to the library today, three High School Musical songs and two Disney songs came onto my IPod. I had put my IPod on Shuffle, and lo and behold, Disney songs kept popping up. That’s not surprising, considering 159 songs show up on ITunes when I type “Disney” into Search. There are probably even more since some aren’t labeled as Disney. I love everything about Disney and have since I was a child. So am I still a child or a child at heart? Do other people view me as some crazy Disney fan? I’ll take that label proudly (I’m dying to play Disney Scene It and kick some butt), but it’s not all I would want to be known for.

If you look at the list of my favorite TV shows on Facebook, you’ll see that the first few are all scifi/fantasy in some way (minus Gossip Girl). In fact, my TV taste can be described as a mix of scifi/fantasy and teen dramas. My top 3 favorite shows are Smallville, Lost, and Supernatural, three shows that are usually represented at Comic Con. And I’ll admit that I only want to go to Vancouver to stalk the Smallville, Supernatural, Fringe, and V sets. Basically, if you only knew me through the TV section of my Facebook profile, you would think I was a huge TV watching nerd. Which I am. Sometimes Facebook does reveal all.

I suppose the reason I’m writing this post is because of Twilight. Now, I hate Twilight. Maybe hate isn’t strong enough of a word. I DESPISE Twilight. I’ve read all of the books, and I wish I could get those hours back. The fact that female readers are saying that Edward is the perfect man even though he’s an abusive stalker is astounding. When I received my newest issue of Entertainment Weekly in the mail, Twilight stars grinning on the cover, I was worried that people would see me reading it on BART and think I was a Twilight fan. And I definitely didn’t want people thinking I was a fan. Yet I judge people on BART based on what they’re reading. When I see someone reading Twilight, I immediately text my friends so we can laugh at them. In my mind, I think, “What made them want to read it? And do they actually enjoy it? WHY???”. Do I deserve to be judged based on what I’m reading in the morning because I do the same thing? I’m a “glancer” – I always glance at others’ books to see what they’re reading. Others must do it too. So do people glance at me reading a graphic novel or historical fiction, and think, “God, what a nerd?”. Should I even care what others think?

And what exactly did I purchase at Borders to bring about this post? Star Trek on DVD, the new Gossip Girl book, and a birthday card for my friend, Caitlin. I guess if the cashier or a passerby did judge me based on those, I’d be classified as a good friend, a nerd or Trekkie, and an adult attempting to relive their teenage years. In reality, I am a damn good friend (and who doesn’t include a card with a birthday present?). Star Trek is on my Top 5 Best Movies of the Year list, but my only experience with the Trek universe beforehand was watching the first few movies on VHS, watching Star Trek Voyager and a few episodes of the original, and loving Zachary Quinto. As for the Gossip Girl book? I could just say that I love the TV show and leave it at that. But I’ve been reading the books from the beginning and wanted to finish the series. And I still love some teen fiction (Gossip Girl, The Carlyles, A-List). So maybe I really am a nerdy child at heart. Sue me.

Tis the Season

marchisthemonthofmadness — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:52:21 +0000

The fall TV season is almost here, and I’m attempting to figure out my schedule. The new shows seem to have more potential this year, but who knows how I’ll feel about them after they premiere. I’ve also added a few older shows onto my TV schedule since I spent a lot of time catching up this summer. So here’s my possible schedule with the reasons as to why I’ve chosen these shows:

Mondays:

8:00 – The Secret Life of the American Teenager (season ends September 7th): This show is so trashy and you could get drunk within the first 5 minutes if you took a shot every time someone said “sex”, but man, is it addictive. I love it even though I want to punch some of the characters every week.
8:00 – Heroes (September 21 through December): Why haven’t I given this up after I claimed I would after Seasons 2 and 3? Two words: Zachary Quinto. Once he leaves, I leave, and I pray that he leaves soon cause it does not look like the quality of the show is getting any better. Can we please go back to Season 1 and stop after that? I do want to see what happened to my buddy, Zeljko, as well as see how creepy Robert is going to be. But I’m definitely fastforwarding through the Claire scenes which always make me want to throw my laptop across the room. This show has been delegated to Hulu viewing.
9:00 – Gossip Girl (September 14): Chuck and Blair are finally together, a good amount of the characters are now students at my alma mater, and Chuck may be bi. Guilty pleasure.
9:00 – Greek (begins August 31): In my eyes, ABC Family can do no wrong, and this is the show that got me hooked. College was never this exciting for me so it’s nice to live vicariously through the characters.
9:00 (?) – Make It or Break It (returns January 2010): I’m not sure what day and time ABC Family will put the new season on, but this is where Season 1 was. Not as trashy as The Secret Life but just as entertaining. I’m still upset that Peyson was the one who got hurt and cannot compete as a gymnast anymore. Way to crush a fictional character’s dreams, ABC Family.
9:30 – Big Bang Theory (September 21): Apparently this is me in male form so I should start watching.
9:00 – Trauma (September 28): San Francisco represent!!! (Give me a job!)

Tuesdays:

8:00 – 10 Things I Hate About You (returns January 2010): I was skeptical when I heard that they were making the movie into a series since the movie is my favorite teen flick ever. But I love the show. It’s funny and the young cast clicks.
8:30 – Ruby & the Rockits: I had no idea whether I would like this show when it premiered, but it makes me laugh every single week. ABC Family, you have taken over my life.
8:00 – V (November 3): A scifi mystery with Juliet from Lost and a mini Firely reunion? Count me in.
10:00 – The Good Wife (September 22): Nurse Carol back on TV with Detective Logan and Logan Echolls in a story about a wronged wife.

Wednesdays:

8:00 – Parenthood (spring): Maura Tierney and Peter Krause in one show will make up for my ER and Dirty Sexy Money withdrawal.
8:00 – Mercy (September 23): A new hospital show that may lower my ER withdrawal. The commercials make it seem entertaining.
9:00 – Glee (September 9): I was unsure about the pilot after seeing the commercials ten thousand times, but I loved it. It has comedy and musical performances and a great cast. I cannot wait for the soundtrack (listening to their version of “Gold Digger” cheers me up). It kind of makes me wish that my high school had a glee club. Not that I’d join or anything since I have stage fright, but still that’d be cool.
9:00 – Human Target (spring): Jackie Earle Haley on my screen every week? Sweet.
9:00 – Criminal Minds (September 23): I’ve watched a few episodes over the summer and it’s an entertaining procedural. Plus it has Fat Tony.
9:00 – Modern Family (September 23): The commercials make me laugh specifically when the dad sings High School Musical.
10:00 – CSI:NY (September 23): The best of the three CSIs.
10:00 – Eastwick (September 23): I haven’t seen many commercials for this and I’ve never seen the movie so I’ll watch the pilot and go from there.

Thursdays:

8:00 – Flash Forward (September 24): The freshman show I’m most excited about. A great cast and an intriguing, mystery filled premise. Lost 2.0. Plus it has Shakespeare, Penny, Peter Griffin, ADA Carver, Norrington, and Sulu.
8:00 – Vampire Diaries (September 10): There is a serious amount of vampire overload in popular culture right now, and this is unfortunately adding to it. I do, however, love Ian Somerhalder since he played Boone on Lost (hated him on Smallville though. Boo to Batman wannabes). Honestly, anything is better than Twilight.
9:00 – Supernatural (September 10): I started watching this show at the beginning of August and finished the series in less than a month. It’s extremely addicting with a fun story, and I love the family dynamic and the boys’ banter with each other. Now with the apocalypse, Lucifer (aka Mark Pellegrino aka Jacob from Lost), the 4 Horsemen (one of whom is my buddy Titus), and angels, it’s going to get even crazier. Thanks to ONTD and their Supernatural posts/gifs for getting me hooked!
9:30 – Community (September 17): The most promising of the new comedies. I do enjoy Joel McHale on The Soup every week so here’s hoping his humor translates well in primetime.
9:30 – 30 Rock (October 15): My favorite comedy on television. If I could choose one moment to demonstrate its brilliance, I’d choose this: Werewolf bar mitzvah, spooky scary. Boys becoming men, men becoming wolves…
9:00 – Burn Notice (returns in winter): Another show I got into this summer and devoured all of the episodes. Very fun and full of action.
10:00 – Private Practice (October 1): Violet better not die now that she’s chosen Pete. And I’m still mad at Cooper for choosing to go see whiny Charlotte instead of walking into Violet’s house and seeing that she was being cut open by a crazy patient who wanted her unborn baby.

Fridays:

8:00 – Smallville (September 25): MY FAVORITE SHOW IN THE WORLD. I am very angry that the CW moved it to Fridays and split up the epic Smallville/Supernatural pairing. I’m still entertained every week (minus the Lana episodes), and the show has gotten even better now that Clark is closer to becoming Superman. This season, we get the JSA, Roulette, Metallo, the Wonder Twins, Speedy, and Clark and Lois growing even closer; yes, I know that they’re canon and there’s no way they wouldn’t end up together, but I still become excited when they have moments on the show.
8:00 – Law & Order (September 25): This show will never die, and if they keep the cast they currently have, I’d be fine with that. Lupo and Cutter, how did Law & Order survive without you?
9:00 – Southland (October 23): A sophomore show I like that actually survived. It took over ER’s time slot, and even though it hasn’t taken over ER’s spot in my heart, it’s a well-written character driven show. You actually care about the ensemble of characters.

Sundays

8:00-10:00 – Animation Domination (September 27): The Simpsons has been a part of my life since 1989. Hopefully The Cleveland Show is as funny as Family Guy . Family Guy has been so-so lately, but I still laugh at least twice every episode, and American Dad has grown on me this past year purely because of Steve and Roger.
9:00 – Three Rivers (October 4): I miss ER and loathe Grey’s Anatomy so hopefully this medical drama will fill in that gap.

Lost, Friday Night Lights, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (Goren and Jeff Goldbum means I’ll watch every week) are returning in 2010, and Venture Brothers returns in 2009 so they’ll eventually be added to the list. Lost is my second favorite show on TV, and I become even more addicted with each week and season. This season will be its last, and I’m hoping that they answer all of the questions I’ve had since Season 1. As long as there’s a lot of Ben, Richard, Desmond, Miles, Lapidus and angsty Jack and his infinite well of tears, I’ll be happy. I started watching Friday Night Lights this summer because of Taylor Kitsch and was drawn in by the relationships and the heart. If I had HBO, I’d throw True Blood, Entourage, and Boardwalk Empire (aka the show that makes me squeal every time it’s mentioned) in there. So there is my fall TV schedule. We’ll see if anything falls off. And RIP Kings, Life on Mars, ER, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies. You’ll be missed.

And I know that everyone is expecting me to comment on the news that Disney has bought Marvel. I’ll just say this: As long as they don’t mess with the characters, comic book stories, and movies, I’ll be happy. No turning The Hulk into a cuddly green monster. No making the X-Men into PG teens and kids (they’re all adults now. Let them live adult lives). No making Daredevil burst into song about his horrible string of relationships (although that would be very entertaining. I need a Daredevil musical, NOW). No Jonas Brothers or Miley Cyrus casting please. Don’t cast Disney stars just for the sake of casting Disney stars. Only do it if they fit the part and will do the job well (which is highly unlikely). Please let Deadpool be as crazy as he is and let the violence and humor run wild. The Pixar/Marvel collaborations, however, will surely be sick. These are two of my favorites companies, and although I am a little scared of what’s to come, Disney has a history of letting their companies do their own thing (Pixar, Miramax, etc). Plus, Disney knows better than to mess with the formula. Marvel movies make a ton of money, and if they start turning out a G rated Avengers, they’ll most likely lose money. So don’t fix what’s not broken, Disney. At least they’ve confirmed that they’re not making any changes to the movies in development or filming (Iron Man 2 and 3, Spidey 4, Captain America, Thor, The Avengers). So good luck, Disney and Marvel!!!

R.I.P. King of Pop

marchisthemonthofmadness — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 01:32:59 +0000

On June 25, 2009, a musical icon died in LA. At 50 years old, Michael Jackson left this earth and left a legacy in music and pop culture that probably won’t be surpassed anytime soon. It was a celebrity death that is affecting people around the world. For my dad’s generation, it was Elvis Presley. For me, it’s Michael Jackson. It was one of those situations where I will remember exactly where I was and what I was doing. Princess Diana’s death: at my aunt and uncle’s house in Pacifica for my grandmother’s birthday party. September 11, 2001: I had just gotten up to get ready for school and turned on my radio. Marlon Brando’s death: my dad had called to wake me up for the day and told me the news which then caused me to start crying while lying in bed. Heath Ledger’s death: sitting at my computer between classes at NYU and checking Yahoo before reporting it to every one of my friends. Michael Jackson’s death: getting ready to leave work for the day.

Headlines had been popping up all over the internet right before I left work about how Michael Jackson had been rushed to the hospital. Originally, everyone at work thought it was a hoax or nothing serious. It was until a coworker yelled out, “Michael Jackson died” that we expressed our shock and disbelief. At that time, it was only being reported on TMZ which is not the most refutable source on the internet. But CNN, Yahoo, and the TV news stations started reporting it immediately after and the text messages started coming in droves. It seems that everyone had heard at the same time and had to express their opinions. It was the hot topic on BART, and when my train was stranded at Daly City for 20 minutes, it was all people could talk about it. Coupled with Farrah Fawcett’s passing earlier in the day, celebrity deaths were the topic of the day. World affairs, the economy, all forgotten.

I couldn’t believe it and part of me still can’t believe it. This was an artist I had grown up on, one I distinctly remember listening to and watching videos of since I was little. His biggest album, Thriller, was released before I was even born, but those songs are some of the most played on my IPod and sung by me in the shower. I walked home from BART blasting Michael’s songs on my IPod then arrived at home and spent the next hour and a half watching his music videos on Youtube. It seems that most of my time over the past few days has been spent listening to his music, downloading this music, reading news about him or celebrity reactions to his death, and watching his music videos. Radio stations have been playing his music nonstop; VH1, MTV, and BET have dedicated hours to his music videos; and his songs, albums, and music videos have taken over the Top 10 lists on ITunes. His albums are selling out all over the world. Thriller already holds the record for most records sold, with Jackson’s passing, it will break that record by an even greater number.

Now I’m skipping over the weirder and crazier aspects of Jackson’s career. That’s not the Michael I currently want to remember or celebrate. Besides it seems like that’s all CNN, FOX News, and all the other news stations can talk about so it’s been already covered extensively. No, what I want to remember is the Michael Jackson I grew up with. The Jackson 5 and “ABC” and little dancing Michael. Watching Captain Eo at Disneyland multiple times as a child and being creeped out by the evil queen reaching out at me in 3D; dancing around to and singing “Another Part of Me” as an adult and searching for Captain Eo in its entirety on Youtube. Thinking “Thriller” was an insanely good video and then later appreciating it even more for what it did for the music video business and the fact that it has both Vincent Price and dancing zombies. Thinking the “You Are Not Alone” was a kind of annoying song and creepy video in 1995 and still believing that in 2009, but hey, I still sing the chorus aloud whenever I can. Loving “Bad” the song, loving “Bad’ the music video, loving “Fat” by Weird Al, loving it even more because Marty Scorsese directed the video and Wesley Snipes randomly pops up in it. Being able to recognize the beat of “Beat It” and random dance moves from the video and getting West Side Story flashbacks. Playing “Billie Jean” so many times that it has entered my Top 25 Most Played list on my ITunes – I’ve now recognized it as my favorite Michael Jackson song of all time (plus, I wish I could touch things and make them light up). Not getting into “PYT” until this year and now blasting it whenever I can. Naming “Black and White” as the most remembered MJ music video from my childhood due to the Macaulay Culkin cameo. Coming to appreciate “Remember the Time” as a great song and great video. Still loving “You Rock My World” 8 years later and being able to fully described the music video, a few dance moves, and the various cameos (creepy guy from The Untouchables gets his comeuppance in it, cementing its greatness). As you can see, a lot of his music has been a part of my life.

I didn’t realize how many random dance moves I knew from the music videos until I started rewatching them these past few days. Now I’m finally going to try and achieve my goal of learning the entire “Thriller” dance as well as the dances for “Beat It”, “Bad”, “Remember the Time”, and “You Rock My World”. I’m going to continue blasting his music and singing along (I’m currently playing “Rockin Robin” on my computer). This is how I’m going to honor the King of Pop. R.I.P. Michael Jackson.

More Than Meets the Eye

marchisthemonthofmadness — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 06:19:01 +0000

I saw Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in IMAX tonight (IMAX is always the way to go with these movies although $17 is a little steep), and frankly, I loved it. I tried to stay away from a lot of reviews and comments since I didn’t want to be spoiled or think that I’d be disappointed because other people were. I did read a few though, and I couldn’t believe that people were complaining about the quality of the movie. Hello, it’s a Michael Bay film! What were they expecting? Obviously, this movie wasn’t going to be an Oscar caliber film. It’s a summer action movie which will rake in the money and set records. With Michael Bay films, the moviegoer should only go in expecting lots of things blowing up and fights. And that’s what we got. We also got to see the characters grow a little, comedy, and a lot more robots (I wouldn’t be able to tell you what most of their names were. Unlike most geeky things, I was not a part of this fandom before the first movie). Also, I’m tired of fanboy complaints about the lack of plot and character development. If I remember correctly, these same fanboys were complaining in 2007 about how the first Transformers focused too much on plot, the human characters, and character development – they wanted more robot fights. Well, congrats, that’s what you got. But heaven forbid you all accept it and enjoy the movie. No, you have to complain on the internet like you do about everything else. I should have learned my lesson from The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk, Watchmen, and Wolverine and just have stayed away from fanboy reviews. Go cry to someone else. I, however, was a content moviegoer and thoroughly enjoyed myself. It was a little longer than it needed to be, but it was worth it. T:ROTF had everything I wanted and expected: action, comedy, robot fights, an old crotchety British robot, things going boom, lots of Shia, less Megan Fox, and lots of comedic Turturro (who also showed his butt in this movie which means I’ve seen a lot of Turturro this month). That means I was able to experience both Turturros this month: comedic Turturro in Transformers and dramatic Turturro in Pelham 123. I love celebrating the month of Turturro. Anyways, I loved Transformers and am telling all of my friends to see it and enjoy themselves. Everyone deserves to have fun at a summer popcorn flick.

According to the news today, the Academy Awards will now have 10 Best Picture nominees. I’m still not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, I feel like 10 is too many. It would have been better if they had upped it to 6 or 7. Plus, what if the year doesn’t have 10 great, Oscar-worthy films? Have there been any yet? Here’s hoping “Shutter Island”, “Nine”, and “A Serious Man” live up to the hype. On the other hand, it would enable more quality films to be recognized. And maybe more comedies and animated films will join the fray. It would be nice for the Academy to actually give them the praise they deserve like the Golden Globes do. It would have been better if they had started this new tradition last year; that way, Wall-E, The Dark Knight, and In Bruges all could have been nominated and could have possibly won. Heck, just let me be an Academy member and I’ll vote for all of these great films.

It was all Jacob’s fault

marchisthemonthofmadness — Thu, 14 May 2009 16:11:52 +0000

I thought that the worst thing that could happen after watching the season finale of Lost Season 5 was that I’d be upset about one of my boys dying (they were all still alive by the end of the episode. Whoot! Now bring on Season 6 in 2010). Instead, I ended up stuck in my own bathroom for an hour.

I headed to bed around 12:20 a.m. after reading other people’s comments on the finale. What I should have done, like a normal person that has to get up at 6 a.m. for work, was headed to bed directly after Lost at 11 p.m. Instead, I was a nerd and wanted to read my fellow nerds’ opinions. After brushing my teeth, I went to open the bathroom door, and it was stuck. I thought it was just normal stuck, and turned the knob and jiggled. The knob could turn perfectly, but the door would not budge. The lock was jammed into the door frame. Surprisingly, I remained calm, but that may have been cause I was a mix of exhausted and hyped up. I banged on the door to wake my parents to help. Both my mom and dad woke up and we tried to open the door with tools. We even unscrewed the doorknob, but, even though the knob came off, the lock was still jammed. We attempted to take the hinges off of the door, but the hinges had been painted over so it was like we were just taking the paint off of the door. My dad called a few locksmihs, but they were either unable to come to our area or were not 24/7. So there was only thing left to do – call the SSF Fire Department.

Unlike a locksmith who probably would have taken forever to get there, the firemen came right away. They followed my mom’s request and didn’t turn on their lights or sirens (as if I wanted the neighborhood to know what was going on). The 3 firemen tried to open the door by trying to get the lock out, but to no avail.. The guys were really nice. They asked if I was ok which took me a few seconds to answer cause I was tired and the loud fan that turns on with the light in the bathroom was on so I couldn’t hear anything very well. Honestly, all I had been doing in there while waiting was sitting or plucking my eyebrows. Eventually they sent my dad and the smallest firefighter, Jimmy, out into the backyard where Jimmy climbed up a ladder, unscrewed the screen on the bathroom window, and shimmied through our tiny bathroom window and dropped into the shower. I didn’t think anyone was capable of fitting through that window (I sure can’t), but Jimmy was able to pull himself in lengthwise and not hurt himself. SSF trains their firemen well. I stood there and watched the firemen try the lock again then Jimmy took off the hinges from the door by hammering a screwdriver up them. The door popped open, the lock popped out, and now we have a doorless bathroom which is going to be a lot of fun when one of us needs to pee or take a shower. The firemen were happy to see that I was ok, my parents were happy to see that I was ok, my mom was happy to see the firemen, and Joe might have slept through most of it. Exhausted and estatic that I wouldn’t have to sleep in the bathroom, I headed to bed at 1:55 a.m. How I’m going to survive the day at work, I have no idea. At least I have the Smallville season finale to look forward to tonight. And I’m going to blame this whole thing on Jacob from Lost, with his all-encompassing power and knowledge that allows him to figure out who will come to the island but apparently does not prevent him from getting shanked by Ben or save me from the bathroom. Thanks to my parents and the SSF Fire Department!!!

Shows, Shows, Everywhere A Show

marchisthemonthofmadness — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 01:52:44 +0000

This week marks the end of two of my favorite shows currently on TV. One has been a part of my life for a number of years while the other has only been here for less than a year. Life on Mars has its series finale on Wednesday while ER has its series finale on Thursday. ER has lasted 15 seasons and multiple cast changes while Life on Mars was only given one season and two casts.

First, ER. I know that I am going to sob through the three hour finale on Thursday. I began watching it religiously during Season 10 after my parents had stopped watching it a few years before (Season 10 being Parminda’s first season). With the constant reruns on TNT, I was able to make my way through the previous seasons and enjoy my buddy, George Clooney, on a daily basis. I think the reason I love ER so much is because I am extremely invested in the characters and their stories whether it be the Chief of Medicine or the patient who comes in for 5 minutes of an episode. Each has a different story and all are well-developed. I am so glad that a good amount of the previous actors and actresses have stopped by the ER this past season to remind us of how much has changed over the 15 years as well as how much has stayed the same. From Dr. Doug Ross to Dr. Benton to Dr. Greene, we’ve seen them all appear again and interact with the new cast members. Even my favorite ER doctor of all time, Dr. Carter, is back as a full-time cast member to say his goodbyes. I am so glad that the little intern that could is back as the amazing doctor he has grown into. Thank god, the writers have decided that he is going to survive his kidney failure. I don’t think I could handle Dr. Carter dying in the end. Some other highlights this season for me have been Neela and Ray finally getting the ending us Roomies fans have waited for for 4 years (now go get married and have babies!) and watching Archie Morris grow into a respected man and doctor. Dr. Morris started as an annoying, slightly funny, kinda stupid doctor, but he has become one of my favorite characters. Watching him deal with Dr. Pratt’s death earlier this season was tough, but we all knew how he felt since we had grown to love Dr. Pratt as a friend too. Thank you, ER for a great 15 seasons.

Life on Mars ends its first and only season on Wednesday, and the producers have promised that all will be answered in the finale. We will finally know why Sam has been sent back to 1973 and whether he’ll stay. Is it a dream? Is it an experiment? Is he dead? All I know is that it will be very well-written and acted. This was the only new show I watched this season, and ABC of course decided to squash it. They already cancelled two of my other favorite shows in the same year, Dirty Sexy Money and Pushing Daisies, so of course, they had to cancel this one before it established a permanent fan base. ABC needs to learn to give its quirky and different shows a chance. They all can’t be formulaic like Grey’s Anatomy and Desperate Housewives. Another part of me is happy that LoM is ending after one season. That way it can’t get all muddled in its own mythology (cough, Heroes, cough) and can end the way the producers want it to, the way fans will enjoy. So thanks, Life on Mars for making my Wednesday and Thursday nights more interesting. (And thanks, Jason O’Mara, for taking a picture and talking with me in NYC in October!)

One more thing. I urge you all to watch Kings, Sundays at 8PM on NBC. This is another well-written, thought provoking drama that is not being fully embraced by the mass audiences. I’m worried that NBC will cancel it before its 13 filmed episodes air or right after they do. Please, give it a chance and give it a second season. NBC doesn’t need another night of Leno; it needs more good dramas like Kings. So please watch it and email NBC to let them know how much you like it.