Saturday, August 20, 2011
Tuesday, August 9, 2011
I was a small child when the original Planet of the Apes movies came out. I have very little memory of those movies, but I know that when the remake from a couple years ago starring Marky Mark came out, I absolutely refused to see it. Something wasn't right about the vibe. However, when I recently saw a trailer for Rise of the Planet of the Apes, I suddenly felt inspired to see this movie. 
1. Unfading; everlasting.2. Of or like the amaranth flower.3. Of purplish-red color.
- Subtly letting others now about how fantastic your life is while undercutting it with a bit of self-effacing humor or "woe is me" gloss.
- Corellia.
Tower of Pisa: construction on the campanile began; it would take 200 years to complete, and the uneven settling of the foundation would cause it to lean (1173)- Sistine Chapel: the private chapel of the popes was consecrated and its first mass was celebrated (1483)
- Webster-Ashburton Treaty: established much of the border between the US and Canada (1842)
- 1936 Summer Olympics: Jesse Owens became the first American to win four gold medals in one Olympiad (1936)
- Singapore: seceded from and became independent of Malaysia (1965)
- Richard M. Nixon: officially left office as America's 37th president and the first one to resign; vice president Gerald Ford became president (1974)
- Jean Piaget (1896-1980): specialist in developmental psychology
P.L. Travers (1899-1996): author, Mary Poppins; plus, writers Izaak Walton (1593-1683), John Dryden (1631 [O.S.]-1700), Gaston Paris (1839-1903) and Philip Larkin (1922-1985)- Rod Laver (73): tennis great; athletes Ralph Houk (92), Bob Cousy (83), Ken Norton (68), Brett Hull (47), Deion Sanders (44) and Chamique Holdsclaw (34) were also born on this date
- Eric Bana (43): time-traveler Henry DeTamble in The Time Traveler's Wife; also, actors Robert Shaw (1927-1978), David Steinberg (69), Sam Elliott (67), Melanie Griffith (54), Amanda Bearse (53), Whitney Houston (48), Gillian Anderson (43), Jessica Capshaw (35) and Audrey Tatou (33)
Monday, August 8, 2011
1. Rise of the Planet of the Apes $54M
2. The Smurfs $21M
3. Cowboys & Aliens $15.7M
4. The Change-Up $13.5M
5. Captain America: The First Avenger $13M
Saturday, August 6, 2011
For those of you who think that think that just cause it ain't Fall there ain't nothing to watch on TV, you're so fucking wrong. In fact, there is some really good stuff on TV, right now. Here's a round up for some of the stuff, I'm watching currently.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
All reviews out of 4 stars (and are based on how the show has been up and until this point in time).
Torchwood: Miracle Day- The fourth series from the BBC show (but the first to be in collaboration with the US), this amazing sci-fi drama on Starz is jaw droppingly good. In it, Miracle Day has come and no one dies. Ever. NO matter what happens to them or is done to them. It brings up some great philosophical questions, that coupled with the great writing and acting make for excellent genre television. Last night's ending, involving what is done to those who should be dead, has a real "HOLY SHIT!! THAT'S fucked up!!!" feel to it. Highly recommended. ****
Thundercats- This update on the classic 80s toon, is like the 2001 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toon, a HUGE improvement over the original. It's darker, smarter, and more mature. The animation is stunning and action scenes are exciting. Plus, Snarf don't talk, characters die, and Lion-O is cool as fuck. And, Mumm-Ra fucking rules! It's only been three episodes (including the premiere which was two episodes in one), but it's already got my fullest attention. Also highly recommended. ****
G4/ Marvel Anime: Iron Man & Wolverine- Like the two aforementioned show, this airs on Friday night, making Friday nights extra awesome and geeky. They are the first of four Animes based on the Marvel Universe (the next two are The X-Men and Blade). Both feature gorgeous animation. Iron Man is decent enough, Wolverine is the better of the two with some exciting and violent action. Neither are great, yet, but are worth seeing, nonetheless. I like the more mature take on Marvel heroes, as opposed to the usual kid-friendly crap toons. Iron Man- **1/2, Wolverine- ***
True Blood, Season 4- After the highly uneven last season, this one has turned out great, so far. The first episode comes off as all over the place, but it needed to be to set up what would follow. Tara is a lesbian (her girlfriend is HOT!!), Bill is the vampire king of Louisiana, Jason is sheriff, and lot of other plot points. Including the fact that now we got witches!!! And, thanks to them Eric is as sweet and nice as a puppy dog. Sookie and him have hooked up, and it seems to only be getting better and better!! It's good to see one of my fav shows back in form. ***1/2
Celebrity Rehab- In the past I have said I hate most reality TV, but there are always exceptions. I watched some of last season thanks to them having Jennifer "Penny Flame" Ketcham on. This season has Sean Young, Bai Ling, and Amy Fisher, so I had to watch. I have to say I really feel for Ling, her story of what happened to her is heart-wrenching. Steven Adler proves that Axl Rose was not the only asshole in GN'R. In all it's good TV, and I'm glad to be watching it more often, than I had been. ***
Voltron Force- By far the weakest of the shows, that I am reviewing this one ain't bad. But, it's not really great either. It's a sequel to the original TV show. And, it makes up for the errors of that show, IE no corny mice or repetitive episodes, but I still want more Ro-Beasts! Also, I do not like the animation. But, my biggest problem are the kids added to the show. They are suppose to take over for our heroes, when they are done. But, they are mostly annoying, and I wish a Ro-Beast would step on them. I haven't watched it as religiously as I should. But, it just hasn't caught my interest as much. Which means, I forget it is on, sometimes. Oh, well. **
For those of you who think that think that just cause it ain't Fall there ain't nothing to watch on TV, you're so fucking wrong. In fact, there is some really good stuff on TV, right now. Here's a round up for some of the stuff, I'm watching currently.
WARNING: SOME SPOILERS AHEAD!!!!
All reviews out of 4 stars (and are based on how the show has been up and until this point in time).Torchwood: Miracle Day- The fourth series from the BBC show (but the first to be in collaboration with the US), this amazing sci-fi drama on Starz is jaw droppingly good. In it, Miracle Day has come and no one dies. Ever. NO matter what happens to them or is done to them. It brings up some great philosophical questions, that coupled with the great writing and acting make for excellent genre television. Last night's ending, involving what is done to those who should be dead, has a real "HOLY SHIT!! THAT'S fucked up!!!" feel to it. Highly recommended. ****Thundercats- This update on the classic 80s toon, is like the 2001 He-Man and the Masters of the Universe toon, a HUGE improvement over the original. It's darker, smarter, and more mature. The animation is stunning and action scenes are exciting. Plus, Snarf don't talk, characters die, and Lion-O is cool as fuck. And, Mumm-Ra fucking rules! It's only been three episodes (including the premiere which was two episodes in one), but it's already got my fullest attention. Also highly recommended. ****G4/ Marvel Anime: Iron Man & Wolverine- Like the two aforementioned show, this airs on Friday night, making Friday nights extra awesome and geeky. They are the first of four Animes based on the Marvel Universe (the next two are The X-Men and Blade). Both feature gorgeous animation. Iron Man is decent enough, Wolverine is the better of the two with some exciting and violent action. Neither are great, yet, but are worth seeing, nonetheless. I like the more mature take on Marvel heroes, as opposed to the usual kid-friendly crap toons. Iron Man- **1/2, Wolverine- ***True Blood, Season 4- After the highly uneven last season, this one has turned out great, so far. The first episode comes off as all over the place, but it needed to be to set up what would follow. Tara is a lesbian (her girlfriend is HOT!!), Bill is the vampire king of Louisiana, Jason is sheriff, and lot of other plot points. Including the fact that now we got witches!!! And, thanks to them Eric is as sweet and nice as a puppy dog. Sookie and him have hooked up, and it seems to only be getting better and better!! It's good to see one of my fav shows back in form. ***1/2Celebrity Rehab- In the past I have said I hate most reality TV, but there are always exceptions. I watched some of last season thanks to them having Jennifer "Penny Flame" Ketcham on. This season has Sean Young, Bai Ling, and Amy Fisher, so I had to watch. I have to say I really feel for Ling, her story of what happened to her is heart-wrenching. Steven Adler proves that Axl Rose was not the only asshole in GN'R. In all it's good TV, and I'm glad to be watching it more often, than I had been. ***Voltron Force- By far the weakest of the shows, that I am reviewing this one ain't bad. But, it's not really great either. It's a sequel to the original TV show. And, it makes up for the errors of that show, IE no corny mice or repetitive episodes, but I still want more Ro-Beasts! Also, I do not like the animation. But, my biggest problem are the kids added to the show. They are suppose to take over for our heroes, when they are done. But, they are mostly annoying, and I wish a Ro-Beast would step on them. I haven't watched it as religiously as I should. But, it just hasn't caught my interest as much. Which means, I forget it is on, sometimes. Oh, well. **
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Cowboys & Aliens. What an odd title. Who would come up with such a thing? What sort of combination is this? That was exactly what Jon Favreau in mind when he put this together: MEMORABLE. He did it!
1. Cowboys & Aliens $36.4M2. The Smurfs $35.6M
