Remember a few weeks ago, I was blogging about how the Royal Canadian Mint is coming out with a whole slew of commemerative quarters and loonies celebrating the Vancouver Olympics in 2010? Well, in case you missed the news, the first one came out last Friday. So, start scanning your change for the first Olympic quarter, which commemerates...curling!
In fact, over at the official Royal Canadian Mint website, they've got the whole list of when the quarters come out, and what they commemerate:
February 2007 - Curling
April 2007 - Hockey
July 2007 - Wheelchair Curling
September 2007 - Biathalon
October 2007 - Alpine Skiing
February 2008 - Snowboarding
April 2008 - Freestyle Skiing
September 2008 - Figure Skating
October 2008 - Bobsled
February 2009 - Speed Skating
April 2009 - Cross County Skiing
June 2009 - Sledge Hockey
Also in that mix are the two Lucky Loonies.
July 2008 - A loon taking flight from an olive bush. Of course, it comes out just in time for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
December 2009 - The official commemerative loonie of the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. It has on it, naturally, the 2010 Winter Olympics Logo.
All these coins are being released at Royal Banks and at Petro-Canadas. Of course, if you can't wait 3 years to get the whole set, you can actully buy the whole set RIGHT NOW at the Royal Canadian Mint's online store. The whole set, and the fancy board to collect them in, will set you back $30.
And here's something I just learned. Did you know that the Royal Canadian Mint has issued commemerative coins for every Olympics held in Canada? These coins are never put into circulation...they're sold only to collectors, with the proceeds going towards the Olympics. It's how the mint chips in on Olympic fundraising.
Another tradition is that these coins have a face value that no Canadian coin has had before. the 1976 commemerative coins had face values of $5 and $10...1988 had $20...and the Vancouver ones will have $25 values.
Wikipedia has all you need to know
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Klingons for Christmas
We have a release date!
The next Star Trek movie is coming out Christmas Day, 2008!
Star Trek XI, as is its working title, is being directed by JJ Abrams, who's the man behind the nerd-tastic shows Alias and Lost. He made his feature film debut last summer with Mission: Impossible III.
The script is being written by Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci. This dynamic duo are Abram's writers of choice. They were his favourite writers on Alias. They wrote Mission: Impossible III for him. They also wrote the Michael Bay mega-bomb The Island, but I'll forgive them for that if they wrote a kick-ass script for this summer's live-action Transformers.
Ya know, I'm tyring to get excited about this, I really am, but I'm just not feeling it as much as I used to.
Sad News at Wendy's / PPG on DVD
*grumble grumble* Still no Internet at home. Stupid landlord and his stupid paranoia and his new, quadruple-encrypted wireless router not giving me an IP....
Because of that, I had to wait a full 12 hours before I could blog this.
We all know I love Wendy's. It's my favourite fast food restaurant. And now, sad news from the world of Wendy's.
Wendy's is closing the first Wendy's.
The first Wendy's opened in November of 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. It's been in business ever since. But now, Wendy's is shutting her down. Wendy's is saying they're closing it because it's just not a profitable location anymore, as it lacks the ammenities of it's newer restaurants, like a parking lot and a drive-thru.
So, this Friday, the first Wendy's closes forever.
Let's take a look at the "popular 15 minutes ago" DVD corner.
Warner Brothers just announced that, on June 19, they'll be releasing the mega-DVD-boxed set The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete First Season.
Wow. Were this 2001, I'd be all over that.
Because of that, I had to wait a full 12 hours before I could blog this.
We all know I love Wendy's. It's my favourite fast food restaurant. And now, sad news from the world of Wendy's.
Wendy's is closing the first Wendy's.
The first Wendy's opened in November of 1969 in Columbus, Ohio. It's been in business ever since. But now, Wendy's is shutting her down. Wendy's is saying they're closing it because it's just not a profitable location anymore, as it lacks the ammenities of it's newer restaurants, like a parking lot and a drive-thru.
So, this Friday, the first Wendy's closes forever.
Let's take a look at the "popular 15 minutes ago" DVD corner.
Warner Brothers just announced that, on June 19, they'll be releasing the mega-DVD-boxed set The Powerpuff Girls: The Complete First Season.
Wow. Were this 2001, I'd be all over that.
Monday, February 26, 2007
Morning After...the Oscars
Needless to say, really grumpy this morning.
Because Athabasca is such a hotbed of computer crime (and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible), my landlord has once again decided to triple the security on the wireless router, once again leaving me without Internet at home. Oh, I can connect to the router OK. For some reason, it won't give me an IP, that magic little number that every computer must have if they're going online. Tekkie had a look at it last night when he was installing everything, and when I woke up this morning, I found that tekkie's temporary fix had expired.
Time to get my own Internet and stop piggybacking off my landlord. Better yet, time to see if I can get into the apartment building across the street from the radio station. I would much rather a 30-second walk to work rather than a 5-minute drive.
Anyway, Oscars last night! And I must once again share my glee that my streak continues! I can still say that I have successfully predicted the Best Animated Film category since the category's inception!
In case you didn't hear, the big winner was Happy Feet. I guess I'm finally going to have to see that one, to see what all the fuss is about.
And as for the Oscars this time next year, needless to say, I really, really hope that The Simpsons Movie gets a nomination.
Because Athabasca is such a hotbed of computer crime (and I mean that in the most sarcastic way possible), my landlord has once again decided to triple the security on the wireless router, once again leaving me without Internet at home. Oh, I can connect to the router OK. For some reason, it won't give me an IP, that magic little number that every computer must have if they're going online. Tekkie had a look at it last night when he was installing everything, and when I woke up this morning, I found that tekkie's temporary fix had expired.
Time to get my own Internet and stop piggybacking off my landlord. Better yet, time to see if I can get into the apartment building across the street from the radio station. I would much rather a 30-second walk to work rather than a 5-minute drive.
Anyway, Oscars last night! And I must once again share my glee that my streak continues! I can still say that I have successfully predicted the Best Animated Film category since the category's inception!
In case you didn't hear, the big winner was Happy Feet. I guess I'm finally going to have to see that one, to see what all the fuss is about.
And as for the Oscars this time next year, needless to say, I really, really hope that The Simpsons Movie gets a nomination.
Sunday, February 25, 2007
Latest Targ's Up!
This week's episode of The Targ is up! This week, we've got Episode 39: Out in Athabasca.
So, I finally broke down and bought myself a digital voice recorder. And, breaking it in, I bring you my first on-location show! I hit the streets of Athabasca and tell you all about the famous landmarks.
Listen. Tasty.
So, I finally broke down and bought myself a digital voice recorder. And, breaking it in, I bring you my first on-location show! I hit the streets of Athabasca and tell you all about the famous landmarks.
Listen. Tasty.
Saturday, February 24, 2007
Sunny Saturday
I just finishd a big purge of my hard drive. I find big purges don't do much. No matter how much crap I gather up, I find I only free up around 1 gig or so. I have this theory, that no matter how much work you delete, Windows just kinds of gathers up a bunch of background stuff, and the only way to do a true purge is just to eventually get a new computer. I'm thinking about getting a new computer, but not now. Maybe in a few months. They all come with Windows Vista now, and it'd be best to wait for all the bugs to get worked out.
But on to happier things! It's Saturday, and I got to watch The Batman. I've blogged about it before...the best way to describe it is "Ultimate Batman." They made Batman younger, and revised all the villains' origins appropriatly. This morning was one of the most anticipated episodes since the show began. The episode: Two of a Kind. The hook: the origin of Ultimate Harley Quinn.
What made the episode truly nerd-tacular was the fact that it was written by Paul Dini, Harley Quinn's co-creator. The creators of The Batman said they sought out Dini to write it because "who better?"
This time around, Dr. Harlene Quinzel is a pop psychologist (ie Dr. Phil) with a mediocre talk show called Hart 2 Hart with Harley. She's gotten a bad reputation because she's not a very good psychologist. However, that's exactly the reason why it's the Joker's favourite show. Anyway, a ratings stunt, involving a public humiliation of Bruce Wayne, results in Hart 2 Hart with Harley getting cancelled. And this leads to the Joker hatching a plot....
The Joker seeks out the despondent Harelen Quinzel, and resolves to cheer her up. Harlene goes along, figuring a tell-all book detailing the Joker's psychological profile would lead back to the top...and earn her some much-needed credibility. But, before you know it, it's Harlene who's pouring her heart out to the Joker, and the Joker uses it to bring her to the dark side. They go on a destructive rampage together, but so as not to be recognized and have her reputation damanged further, Harelen adopts the identity of Harley Quinn.
It was pretty good. It was filled with some subtle homages to Harley Quinn's true origin. I dare say it was one of the best episodes this season.
For those curious, Harley Quinn's new voice was provided by Hynden Walch. Perhaps her best known voice acting role to date is Starfire on Teen Titans. Her voice was kinda like Starfire with a Brooklyn accent, and very similar to Harley's original voice.
April 3!
That's when the latest Pokemon movie comes out on DVD! #9 is called Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
But on to happier things! It's Saturday, and I got to watch The Batman. I've blogged about it before...the best way to describe it is "Ultimate Batman." They made Batman younger, and revised all the villains' origins appropriatly. This morning was one of the most anticipated episodes since the show began. The episode: Two of a Kind. The hook: the origin of Ultimate Harley Quinn.
What made the episode truly nerd-tacular was the fact that it was written by Paul Dini, Harley Quinn's co-creator. The creators of The Batman said they sought out Dini to write it because "who better?"
This time around, Dr. Harlene Quinzel is a pop psychologist (ie Dr. Phil) with a mediocre talk show called Hart 2 Hart with Harley. She's gotten a bad reputation because she's not a very good psychologist. However, that's exactly the reason why it's the Joker's favourite show. Anyway, a ratings stunt, involving a public humiliation of Bruce Wayne, results in Hart 2 Hart with Harley getting cancelled. And this leads to the Joker hatching a plot....
The Joker seeks out the despondent Harelen Quinzel, and resolves to cheer her up. Harlene goes along, figuring a tell-all book detailing the Joker's psychological profile would lead back to the top...and earn her some much-needed credibility. But, before you know it, it's Harlene who's pouring her heart out to the Joker, and the Joker uses it to bring her to the dark side. They go on a destructive rampage together, but so as not to be recognized and have her reputation damanged further, Harelen adopts the identity of Harley Quinn.
It was pretty good. It was filled with some subtle homages to Harley Quinn's true origin. I dare say it was one of the best episodes this season.
For those curious, Harley Quinn's new voice was provided by Hynden Walch. Perhaps her best known voice acting role to date is Starfire on Teen Titans. Her voice was kinda like Starfire with a Brooklyn accent, and very similar to Harley's original voice.
April 3!
That's when the latest Pokemon movie comes out on DVD! #9 is called Pokemon Ranger and the Temple of the Sea.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
Ghost Rider Review / Kevin Smith News / The Hot New Trailer
Since I had my big day in the city yesterday, I saw me a little movie called Ghost Rider. As is my way, I've got a review up over at the main site.
Give it a read
Here's the latest news on one of my favourite directors, Kevin Smith.
In case you haven't heard, Smith will be directing the pilot episode of a new TV show called Reaper. It's about a couple who sell their son's soul the Devil. When the kid turns 21, the Devil comes to collect, and puts the kid to work hunting down those who've welched on deals with the Devil. (Speaking of Ghost Rider....)
Smith describes the pilot as a horror/comedy in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead. Smith says he's doing it because he always wanted to try his hand at directing something that he didn't write, and while he doesn't have the confidence yet to do that with a film, a 1-hour television pilot was the perfect opportunity.
Smith also let slip that he's working on writing his next two films, and he hopes to film his next two back-to-back, starting in the fall.
And ya know, while I was very disappointed that Ghost Rider didn't have a new Spider-Man 3 trailer in front, like we were promised, this weekend did see a new movie trailer released, for my third-most-anticipated film of the summer of 2007.
(In case you've forgotten, #2 is Transformers and #1 is Spider-Man 3)
Give it a read
Here's the latest news on one of my favourite directors, Kevin Smith.
In case you haven't heard, Smith will be directing the pilot episode of a new TV show called Reaper. It's about a couple who sell their son's soul the Devil. When the kid turns 21, the Devil comes to collect, and puts the kid to work hunting down those who've welched on deals with the Devil. (Speaking of Ghost Rider....)
Smith describes the pilot as a horror/comedy in the same vein as Shaun of the Dead. Smith says he's doing it because he always wanted to try his hand at directing something that he didn't write, and while he doesn't have the confidence yet to do that with a film, a 1-hour television pilot was the perfect opportunity.
Smith also let slip that he's working on writing his next two films, and he hopes to film his next two back-to-back, starting in the fall.
And ya know, while I was very disappointed that Ghost Rider didn't have a new Spider-Man 3 trailer in front, like we were promised, this weekend did see a new movie trailer released, for my third-most-anticipated film of the summer of 2007.
(In case you've forgotten, #2 is Transformers and #1 is Spider-Man 3)
Sunday, February 18, 2007
Latest Targ's Up/Reflections on a Trilogy
First and foremost, got this week's episode of The Targ up! This week, I've got Episode 38: Family Day Party. As i like to do every year at this time, I share the tale of why we celebrate Family Day, and I share the latest on Vancouver 2010, and what I'm working to do to go.
So, I had a day off with nothing to do, so naturally I thought to myself, "Hey! Do you know what I haven't done yet? Watch the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy in one sitting." I spent my afternoon watching The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.
My first impression, walking away from this, was that in making the prequels, George Lucas borrowed something he did in the Indiana Jones films. And that is, they all start with a big action sequence. #1 has got Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn escaping from the Trade Federation Ship, #2 has Obi-Wan hanging from that assasin droid through the strees of Coruscant, and #3 opens with the spectacular rescue of Chancellor Palpatine. the original trilogy...doesn't open like that.
What really strikes me though is that the prequels really don't feel like a trilogy. What I mean by that is, there's lots of set-up in the films, but very little payoff in the later films. Instead, when we hit #3, there's lots of callbacks to the previous films. "You wanted revenge, Anakin...just like with your mother and the sand people." "Hey, Anakin, I remember when you gave me this necklace." Lots of stuff like that. Lots of going backwards, but not much going forwards.
Miscellaneous thoughts and musings on the individual films:
Phantom Menace - I look back at Ep. 1 the same way I look back on Tim Burton's Batman. The movie represents more of a cultural event. Summer of '99, you couldn't do anything without encountering some manner of the hype. Watching the film brings back fond memories of the summer, making it tough to focus on the film. Jar Jar seems to get more annoying as the years go by, though.
Attack of the Clones - Really cool battles. Roar! Romantic dialogue is still kind of stilted. Prime example with what I was talking about too much set-up. All that conspiracy stuff with Jedi master Cypher Dias. I thought that it'd be leading up to some big payoff as to who Cypher Dias truly was, or the revelation that he was Darth Sideous's apprentice between 1 and 2, but Sideous offed him because he wasn't that good, but no. All that talk abou Cypher Dias, but no payoff, no big explanations, we're just left going, "Wha?"
Revenge of the Sith - OK, it was kind of expected that the films would get darker as went along, so naturally this is the darkest of the lot. Probably the best one, too.
So, I had a day off with nothing to do, so naturally I thought to myself, "Hey! Do you know what I haven't done yet? Watch the entire Star Wars prequel trilogy in one sitting." I spent my afternoon watching The Phantom Menace, Attack of the Clones, and Revenge of the Sith.
My first impression, walking away from this, was that in making the prequels, George Lucas borrowed something he did in the Indiana Jones films. And that is, they all start with a big action sequence. #1 has got Obi-Wan and Qui-Gonn escaping from the Trade Federation Ship, #2 has Obi-Wan hanging from that assasin droid through the strees of Coruscant, and #3 opens with the spectacular rescue of Chancellor Palpatine. the original trilogy...doesn't open like that.
What really strikes me though is that the prequels really don't feel like a trilogy. What I mean by that is, there's lots of set-up in the films, but very little payoff in the later films. Instead, when we hit #3, there's lots of callbacks to the previous films. "You wanted revenge, Anakin...just like with your mother and the sand people." "Hey, Anakin, I remember when you gave me this necklace." Lots of stuff like that. Lots of going backwards, but not much going forwards.
Miscellaneous thoughts and musings on the individual films:
Phantom Menace - I look back at Ep. 1 the same way I look back on Tim Burton's Batman. The movie represents more of a cultural event. Summer of '99, you couldn't do anything without encountering some manner of the hype. Watching the film brings back fond memories of the summer, making it tough to focus on the film. Jar Jar seems to get more annoying as the years go by, though.
Attack of the Clones - Really cool battles. Roar! Romantic dialogue is still kind of stilted. Prime example with what I was talking about too much set-up. All that conspiracy stuff with Jedi master Cypher Dias. I thought that it'd be leading up to some big payoff as to who Cypher Dias truly was, or the revelation that he was Darth Sideous's apprentice between 1 and 2, but Sideous offed him because he wasn't that good, but no. All that talk abou Cypher Dias, but no payoff, no big explanations, we're just left going, "Wha?"
Revenge of the Sith - OK, it was kind of expected that the films would get darker as went along, so naturally this is the darkest of the lot. Probably the best one, too.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
A Memory of Japan
Hockey game's almost over, and while goofing around at Wikipedia, I fond this great picture of a Chichibu Railway train, at the platform at Kumagaya Station. I rode this very train.
For those who don't care, most of the railways in Japan are run by Japan Railways, or JR for short. but, of course, there's lots of smaller railways that aren't run by JR. I loved riding the non-JR trains. They just had more personality...more character.
I didn't ride the Chichibu Railway that much, though. The first time I did, I rode it to the very end of the line, to this tiny mountain village called Mitsuminiguchi. That was a spectacular day.
The best time, though, was in the fall, when me and a bunch of friends went down the Chichibu Railway to a small town called Nagatoro. It was fall, the leaves were changing colour, and word got to us that Nagatoro had a kick-ass fall festival.
It was riding back the evening from Nagatoro where I have one of my favourite memories of Mike, my American co-worker at AEON. It was getting late...the train was kind of deserted...we stopped at one station where the doors opened, no one got on or off, and then the doors closed and we continued on our way. After the third stop like this, I turned to Mike and said.
"Did you ever wonder that when the train stops, and the doors open, and no one gets on or off, that maybe, in reality, there's a whole bunch of ghosts or spirts or something getting on and off?"
Mike just looked at me and said, "Dude, you have got to see Spirited Away."
the Chichibu Railway was spectacular. I'd go back someday, just to ride it again.
Show Prep!
ah, another Oilers game at work. Can you think of a better place for me to sit down and jot down some notes for this week's podcast? that's right, I'm doing show prep.
Well, I'm lucky enough to have the long weekend. It's Family Day again, here in the province of Alberta, and as I like to do every day on Family Day, I'd like to reflect on why we celebrate this day.
For ages now, it's been said that Canada needs a holiday in February. The stretch between New Years and Easter is just far too long to go without a government-mandated day off. So, in the grand Alberta tradition of "Screw Ottawa! Let's do it ourselves!" the Progressive Conservative government under Don Getty decided to do something about it.
they chose the third Monday in February to be the new holiday because it matches up with the American holiday of Presidents Day. It's often been speculated that the big American oil companies that have offices in Calgary played a part in choosing that day.
The Getty Conservatives decided on "Family Day," a day for Albertans to spend with their families. Of course, what made that idea highly dubious was the fact that, around the same time, Don Getty's son was busted for cocaine dealing. The popular joke in the media was that Getty just wanted a day off to visit his son in prison.
Because of that fact, a lot of Albertans didn't greet Family Day with open arms. They were all like, "Dude...this is just some thing cuz the premier's feels guilty about his son. This is so lame." Throw in the fact that, with its status as a provinical holiday, that meant the August Long Weekend was no longer a stat holiday. Now, company's choose to recognize either Family Day or the August Long Weekend as the stat holiday. For example, the federal government recognizes the August Long Weekend. that's why all federal institutions - like the post office - will be open on Monday. If you're really lucky - like me - you're with a company that recognizes both as holidays.
Anyway, the early animosity towards Family Day was so great, that one of Ralph Klein's first election promises was to abolish the holiday. But, by the time Klein got around to seriously thinking about it, they day had taken hold, and who really wants to be known as a guy who abolishes holidays?
this is the 17th Family Day now, and it's fully taken root as part of Alberta culture. Communities large and small all across the province have some kind of Family Day festivities. And it's starting to spread, too. Starting this year, Saskatchewan now also has Family Day. So...happy Family Day, Dog River!
Had a little bit of a shock last night as I watched the CTV News with Lloyd Robertson. Every Friday, they do this thing called, "Ask Us," in which they answer any kind of question about anything. One of the questions asked was, "How much are tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver going to be? And when do they go on sale?"
Naturally, as I've been saying for a long time now, I really, really, really want to go to the Olympics in 3 years, and I've always suspected that ticket prices would be the biggest part of my budget. So, I grabbed a pencil and started jotting down numbers. Here's what CTV said:
Tickets to most events will run between $23 and $100.
Tickets to your big events, such as hockey and figure skating, will max out at $500.
Tickets to the closing ceremonies will run between $90 and $720.
And tickets to the opening ceremonies will run between $90 and $1000.
And tickets to the premium events - for example, the gold medal hockey game - will be sold on a lottery system, to make things more fair.
There was a follow-up on CTV NewsNet this morning, in which they said that they're still looking into things like bar code systems, so if you change your mind and don't want to go to an event, it'll be really, really easy to return it, and for them to re-sell it.
Tix go on sale summer 2008.
But forget Vancouver! We all know that BC's party city is Victoria.
Victoria Tourism is getting in a little bit of trouble for their new tourism slogan. The new slogan is....
"The Search for your Perfect Orgasm is Over."
Victoria Tourism's defence is that the slogan is only being used in ads in cooking magazines, and that a lot of ads in cookign magazines are sensual like that.
Crazy thing is, no one is questioning the slogan that Victoria tourism is putting in the gay and lesbian publications;
"Time to Experience that Tingling Sensation."
Man, there's gotta be something in the tea at the Empress Hotel.
Well, I'm lucky enough to have the long weekend. It's Family Day again, here in the province of Alberta, and as I like to do every day on Family Day, I'd like to reflect on why we celebrate this day.
For ages now, it's been said that Canada needs a holiday in February. The stretch between New Years and Easter is just far too long to go without a government-mandated day off. So, in the grand Alberta tradition of "Screw Ottawa! Let's do it ourselves!" the Progressive Conservative government under Don Getty decided to do something about it.
they chose the third Monday in February to be the new holiday because it matches up with the American holiday of Presidents Day. It's often been speculated that the big American oil companies that have offices in Calgary played a part in choosing that day.
The Getty Conservatives decided on "Family Day," a day for Albertans to spend with their families. Of course, what made that idea highly dubious was the fact that, around the same time, Don Getty's son was busted for cocaine dealing. The popular joke in the media was that Getty just wanted a day off to visit his son in prison.
Because of that fact, a lot of Albertans didn't greet Family Day with open arms. They were all like, "Dude...this is just some thing cuz the premier's feels guilty about his son. This is so lame." Throw in the fact that, with its status as a provinical holiday, that meant the August Long Weekend was no longer a stat holiday. Now, company's choose to recognize either Family Day or the August Long Weekend as the stat holiday. For example, the federal government recognizes the August Long Weekend. that's why all federal institutions - like the post office - will be open on Monday. If you're really lucky - like me - you're with a company that recognizes both as holidays.
Anyway, the early animosity towards Family Day was so great, that one of Ralph Klein's first election promises was to abolish the holiday. But, by the time Klein got around to seriously thinking about it, they day had taken hold, and who really wants to be known as a guy who abolishes holidays?
this is the 17th Family Day now, and it's fully taken root as part of Alberta culture. Communities large and small all across the province have some kind of Family Day festivities. And it's starting to spread, too. Starting this year, Saskatchewan now also has Family Day. So...happy Family Day, Dog River!
Had a little bit of a shock last night as I watched the CTV News with Lloyd Robertson. Every Friday, they do this thing called, "Ask Us," in which they answer any kind of question about anything. One of the questions asked was, "How much are tickets to the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver going to be? And when do they go on sale?"
Naturally, as I've been saying for a long time now, I really, really, really want to go to the Olympics in 3 years, and I've always suspected that ticket prices would be the biggest part of my budget. So, I grabbed a pencil and started jotting down numbers. Here's what CTV said:
Tickets to most events will run between $23 and $100.
Tickets to your big events, such as hockey and figure skating, will max out at $500.
Tickets to the closing ceremonies will run between $90 and $720.
And tickets to the opening ceremonies will run between $90 and $1000.
And tickets to the premium events - for example, the gold medal hockey game - will be sold on a lottery system, to make things more fair.
There was a follow-up on CTV NewsNet this morning, in which they said that they're still looking into things like bar code systems, so if you change your mind and don't want to go to an event, it'll be really, really easy to return it, and for them to re-sell it.
Tix go on sale summer 2008.
But forget Vancouver! We all know that BC's party city is Victoria.
Victoria Tourism is getting in a little bit of trouble for their new tourism slogan. The new slogan is....
"The Search for your Perfect Orgasm is Over."
Victoria Tourism's defence is that the slogan is only being used in ads in cooking magazines, and that a lot of ads in cookign magazines are sensual like that.
Crazy thing is, no one is questioning the slogan that Victoria tourism is putting in the gay and lesbian publications;
"Time to Experience that Tingling Sensation."
Man, there's gotta be something in the tea at the Empress Hotel.
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Latest Targ's Up
Got this week's episode of The Targ up! This week, we've got Episode 37: More About Movies, in which I talk about Athabasca movie night, and muse aloud whether I should get my Surround sound system.
Give it a listen!
And don't forget, it's the Grammies tonight! My man, "Weird Al" Yankovic is up for two: Best Comdey Album and Best Surround Sound Album. Wish him luck!
Give it a listen!
And don't forget, it's the Grammies tonight! My man, "Weird Al" Yankovic is up for two: Best Comdey Album and Best Surround Sound Album. Wish him luck!
Friday, February 09, 2007
The Latest Pixar Sequel/Fast Food in Canada/Canadian on Reality TV
Well, it's official. When Pixar was sold to Disney, Pixar sold their soul.
It was announced yesterday that Pixar's computer animated blockbuster for the summer of 2009 will be....
Toy Story 3.
That's right, the film that started as Disney's way of saying "Fuck you" to Pixar when Pixar threatened to go independent is actually getting made.
The director will be Lee Unkrich, a longtime Pixar editor who served as co-director on Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. Michael Arndt, the Oscar-nominated writer of Little Miss Sunshine has just been tapped to write the screenplay.
Well, perhaps not all is dark. John Lassetter, the big boss of Pixar and now also Disney Animation, and the director of the first two Toy Stories, said in a statement that, "The best thing about this merger is we can now make the movie we want to make."
Well, statistics for fast food in Canada were released the other day. Being a fast food devotee, I found it interesting.
It turns out that "pizza places" has climbed up to #3 on the list of popular fast food places. The previous #3 was "chicken."
#2 is "hamburgers," you know, your McDonald's and Wendy's and stuff.
And the most popular kind of fast food restaurants in Canada are "bakeries." That may make go, "Wha?" until you remember that "bakeries" includes the cult that is Tim Hortons.
And I've got to talk about the upcoming reality TV show On the Lot.
This is the one from Steven Spielberg and Survivor creator Mark Burnett. Each week, our two teams have to produce a short film of a certain genre of film. The short is screened before a group of Hollywood executives, film credits, and "experts in that genre." Plus, a poll from an audience tells you which one is most popular. The winner gets a development deal at DreamWorks Studios.
Now, I have to highlight this one because, unlike a lot of other reality TV shows, Canadians are allowed to enter!
The deadline is in one week, so if you've got a short film, and want to be a reality TV star, swing on by the official Canadian website at CTV and fill out an application.
It was announced yesterday that Pixar's computer animated blockbuster for the summer of 2009 will be....
Toy Story 3.
That's right, the film that started as Disney's way of saying "Fuck you" to Pixar when Pixar threatened to go independent is actually getting made.
The director will be Lee Unkrich, a longtime Pixar editor who served as co-director on Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo. Michael Arndt, the Oscar-nominated writer of Little Miss Sunshine has just been tapped to write the screenplay.
Well, perhaps not all is dark. John Lassetter, the big boss of Pixar and now also Disney Animation, and the director of the first two Toy Stories, said in a statement that, "The best thing about this merger is we can now make the movie we want to make."
Well, statistics for fast food in Canada were released the other day. Being a fast food devotee, I found it interesting.
It turns out that "pizza places" has climbed up to #3 on the list of popular fast food places. The previous #3 was "chicken."
#2 is "hamburgers," you know, your McDonald's and Wendy's and stuff.
And the most popular kind of fast food restaurants in Canada are "bakeries." That may make go, "Wha?" until you remember that "bakeries" includes the cult that is Tim Hortons.
And I've got to talk about the upcoming reality TV show On the Lot.
This is the one from Steven Spielberg and Survivor creator Mark Burnett. Each week, our two teams have to produce a short film of a certain genre of film. The short is screened before a group of Hollywood executives, film credits, and "experts in that genre." Plus, a poll from an audience tells you which one is most popular. The winner gets a development deal at DreamWorks Studios.
Now, I have to highlight this one because, unlike a lot of other reality TV shows, Canadians are allowed to enter!
The deadline is in one week, so if you've got a short film, and want to be a reality TV star, swing on by the official Canadian website at CTV and fill out an application.
Tuesday, February 06, 2007
DVD Day/Flash Update
It's Tuesday! Lots of really cool animated films out today. Let's take a look at a few.
Hellboy: Sword of Storms - Ah, with the DVD market having exploded like it did, more and more filmmakers are exploring the straight-to-DVD animated film market. I believe, in anime circles, this is what they call OVA. And today, one of the most anticipated OVA's comes out. Hellboy: Sword of Storms is based on the classic Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola. Hellboy gets zapped back in time to ancient Japan while his compatriots in the future deal with all kinds of unleashed beasties. Featuring the entire cast of the live-action movie from a few years back. Of course, I also mention this because the director, Tad Stones, has been doing a really sweet blog detailing the making of this and its upcoming sequel. Well worth checking out.
The Amazing Screw-On Head - If you're craving more animated Mike Mignola wackiness, you'll want to check this out, too. A potential pilot for a potential series based on the same-named Mignola comic, and brought to the small screen by Bryan Fuller, the former Star Trek: Voyager writer who brought us the brilliant-but-cancelled Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. Featuring the voices of Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pearce, and Molly Shannon. Included in the box is a reprint of the comic that started it all.
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo - Of course, Warner Brothers is getting in on the act with this OVA film re-visiting their hit cartoon. Also included in the bonus materials is a brand new, made just for this DVD, episode of the cartoon!
The Last Unicorn: 25th Anniversay Edition - I just might be succumbing to the double-dip to pick up this, one of my favourite animated films from my childhood. The original DVD (which I have) is just movie only. This new 25th anniversary edition contains a brand new, animorphic widescreen transfer, digitally restored picture and sound, the trailers, and a brand new interview with Peter S. Beagle, the guy who wrote the original novel and the screenplay!
And hey! We've got some news on the live-action movie version of The Flash. I knew it wasn't dead! So, here's what's going on. David S. Goyer, the writer of all three Blade movies and Batman Begins has been removed from the project. Apparently, the stuio found his take on the fastest man alive to be "too dark."
And today, it was announced that the new director is...Shawn Levey. Levey brought us such fine films as the re-makes of Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther, the Christmas mega-blockbuster Night at the Museum. Apparently, the studios want something "lighter," but not a comedy.
Time will tell....
Hellboy: Sword of Storms - Ah, with the DVD market having exploded like it did, more and more filmmakers are exploring the straight-to-DVD animated film market. I believe, in anime circles, this is what they call OVA. And today, one of the most anticipated OVA's comes out. Hellboy: Sword of Storms is based on the classic Hellboy comics by Mike Mignola. Hellboy gets zapped back in time to ancient Japan while his compatriots in the future deal with all kinds of unleashed beasties. Featuring the entire cast of the live-action movie from a few years back. Of course, I also mention this because the director, Tad Stones, has been doing a really sweet blog detailing the making of this and its upcoming sequel. Well worth checking out.
The Amazing Screw-On Head - If you're craving more animated Mike Mignola wackiness, you'll want to check this out, too. A potential pilot for a potential series based on the same-named Mignola comic, and brought to the small screen by Bryan Fuller, the former Star Trek: Voyager writer who brought us the brilliant-but-cancelled Wonderfalls and Dead Like Me. Featuring the voices of Paul Giamatti, David Hyde Pearce, and Molly Shannon. Included in the box is a reprint of the comic that started it all.
Teen Titans: Trouble in Tokyo - Of course, Warner Brothers is getting in on the act with this OVA film re-visiting their hit cartoon. Also included in the bonus materials is a brand new, made just for this DVD, episode of the cartoon!
The Last Unicorn: 25th Anniversay Edition - I just might be succumbing to the double-dip to pick up this, one of my favourite animated films from my childhood. The original DVD (which I have) is just movie only. This new 25th anniversary edition contains a brand new, animorphic widescreen transfer, digitally restored picture and sound, the trailers, and a brand new interview with Peter S. Beagle, the guy who wrote the original novel and the screenplay!
And hey! We've got some news on the live-action movie version of The Flash. I knew it wasn't dead! So, here's what's going on. David S. Goyer, the writer of all three Blade movies and Batman Begins has been removed from the project. Apparently, the stuio found his take on the fastest man alive to be "too dark."
And today, it was announced that the new director is...Shawn Levey. Levey brought us such fine films as the re-makes of Cheaper by the Dozen and The Pink Panther, the Christmas mega-blockbuster Night at the Museum. Apparently, the studios want something "lighter," but not a comedy.
Time will tell....
Sunday, February 04, 2007
No Targ This Week
I hate to break your hearts, but there's no episode of The Targ this week. Why? Well, it was just a darn busy week at work, followed by an even busier Satruday as I had two big local sports tournaments to cover, and now it's Sunday, and my parents are going to be here in about half-an-hour to give me a second bookcase, which is cool, because the first bookcase they gave me is now totally overflowing with DVDs, but I'm a little saddened, because this second bookcase won't be big enough to accomadate all the spillover, but at least I'll be able to clear the DVDs off my dinner table, and I'll be able to eat like a civilized person, ya know? Civilization. It's what seperates us from the animals.
Umm...where was I? Kinda lost my train of thought there. But the point I"m really trying to make is I hate saurkraut. That's all I'm really trying to say.
No Targ this week, but feel free to treat yourselves to a rerun.
Umm...where was I? Kinda lost my train of thought there. But the point I"m really trying to make is I hate saurkraut. That's all I'm really trying to say.
No Targ this week, but feel free to treat yourselves to a rerun.
Saturday, February 03, 2007
Shake Ups in DC Universe Films
Wow. It's been an active 48 hours in the world of movies based on DC Comics.
First comes the announcement that Joss Whedon is no longer working on the movie version of Wonder Woman. Whedon, of course, is the man responsible for the cult-classic TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.
The announcement that Whedon would be working on Wonder Woman came about 2 years ago, just as Whedon was wrapping up work on his first feature film, Serenity (the movie version of Firefly). Whedon's been trying to hammer out the perfect screenplay ever since. Truth be told, it's no surprise to me that Whedon is no longer involved. About six months ago, I read an interview with Whedon in which he explained what a difficult time he'd been having. "I look at Batman Begins, and I think that [Christopher Nolan] had it easy!" said Whedon. "Batman's got the best origin and the best rogues gallery...Batman writes himself!"
The announcement that Whedon's off the project was made by Whedon himself, over at his official blog. Whedon said that the split was fairly amiable. I'll just have you click on that link there, and read his complete statement if you like.
But you know what? I still have optimism that a great Wonder Woman movie can be made. For the producer, the man in charge of the whole endeavour, is Joel Silver, the same who filled a similar role in helping the Wachowski Brothers bring The Matrix Trilogy and V for Vendetta to fruition.
This'll happen, eventually. I'm sure of it.
And then, just 24 hours later, comes the announcement that David S. Goyer is no longer working on a movie version of The Flash. And, just like Whedon, Goyer made the announcement at his official blog.
Goyer - in case you're too lazy to click on the link - wrote all three Blade movies co-wrote Batman Begins. He also directed Blade: Trinity and has an upcoming film he wrote and directed called The Invisibles. I once read an interview with him in which he boasted that he's consulted on every superhero adaptation currently in development (except Superman).
Goyer had some good ideas for The Flash. I read a couple of interviews with him in which he said he'd been consulting with physisists to see what would really happen if you could run "very near the speed of light" like the Flash.
And I really hope we get a good The Flash movie someday. Out of all the dark, brooding superhero movies we've been getting, the Flash is still truly a superhero that loves his job. He's probably my second-favourite DC hero, after Batman.
But yeah, similar to the Whedon situation, he and the studio just had differing views, so they parted company very aimiably.
Ya know, this an idea I had for sometime now. I really wish that DC Comics would take all these rejected screenplays for some of their heroes and turn them into graphic novels. Of course, I'm talking about the rejected screenplays that were written by these geek-friendly writers.
I can see it now. Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman, David S. Goyer's the Flash, and , the graphic novel that'd start it all off, Kevin Smith's Superman Lives.
First comes the announcement that Joss Whedon is no longer working on the movie version of Wonder Woman. Whedon, of course, is the man responsible for the cult-classic TV shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Firefly.
The announcement that Whedon would be working on Wonder Woman came about 2 years ago, just as Whedon was wrapping up work on his first feature film, Serenity (the movie version of Firefly). Whedon's been trying to hammer out the perfect screenplay ever since. Truth be told, it's no surprise to me that Whedon is no longer involved. About six months ago, I read an interview with Whedon in which he explained what a difficult time he'd been having. "I look at Batman Begins, and I think that [Christopher Nolan] had it easy!" said Whedon. "Batman's got the best origin and the best rogues gallery...Batman writes himself!"
The announcement that Whedon's off the project was made by Whedon himself, over at his official blog. Whedon said that the split was fairly amiable. I'll just have you click on that link there, and read his complete statement if you like.
But you know what? I still have optimism that a great Wonder Woman movie can be made. For the producer, the man in charge of the whole endeavour, is Joel Silver, the same who filled a similar role in helping the Wachowski Brothers bring The Matrix Trilogy and V for Vendetta to fruition.
This'll happen, eventually. I'm sure of it.
And then, just 24 hours later, comes the announcement that David S. Goyer is no longer working on a movie version of The Flash. And, just like Whedon, Goyer made the announcement at his official blog.
Goyer - in case you're too lazy to click on the link - wrote all three Blade movies co-wrote Batman Begins. He also directed Blade: Trinity and has an upcoming film he wrote and directed called The Invisibles. I once read an interview with him in which he boasted that he's consulted on every superhero adaptation currently in development (except Superman).
Goyer had some good ideas for The Flash. I read a couple of interviews with him in which he said he'd been consulting with physisists to see what would really happen if you could run "very near the speed of light" like the Flash.
And I really hope we get a good The Flash movie someday. Out of all the dark, brooding superhero movies we've been getting, the Flash is still truly a superhero that loves his job. He's probably my second-favourite DC hero, after Batman.
But yeah, similar to the Whedon situation, he and the studio just had differing views, so they parted company very aimiably.
Ya know, this an idea I had for sometime now. I really wish that DC Comics would take all these rejected screenplays for some of their heroes and turn them into graphic novels. Of course, I'm talking about the rejected screenplays that were written by these geek-friendly writers.
I can see it now. Joss Whedon's Wonder Woman, David S. Goyer's the Flash, and , the graphic novel that'd start it all off, Kevin Smith's Superman Lives.
Friday, February 02, 2007
The Double Dip Strikes Again
Well, one of those DVD re-releases that's been rumored for a couple of years has finally been announced.
On April 17, we'll be getting Spider-Man 2.1, the extended edition of Spider-Man 2 featuring 8 minutes that you weren't allowed to see in theatres!
Among the new bonus features:
- a new introduction by producer Avi Arad
- running commentary with producer Laura Ziskin and writer Alvin Sargent
- featurette about the making of 2.1
- behind the scenes look at Spider-Man 3
I, myself, won't buy it. You, however, may do as you please.
On April 17, we'll be getting Spider-Man 2.1, the extended edition of Spider-Man 2 featuring 8 minutes that you weren't allowed to see in theatres!
Among the new bonus features:
- a new introduction by producer Avi Arad
- running commentary with producer Laura Ziskin and writer Alvin Sargent
- featurette about the making of 2.1
- behind the scenes look at Spider-Man 3
I, myself, won't buy it. You, however, may do as you please.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
Must Be Thursday....
Ah, I get to do so few Oilers games these days. Lots of evening events to go cover. But, on those rare nights I still do Oilers games, I can do long, rambling blog entries!
Well, here's some sad news for the world of animation. it seems that DreamWorks and Aardman Animation have parted ways.
DreamWorks, of course, the big, boom-bad movie studio sold to Paramount last year.
Aardman Animation, is, of course, the UK-based animation studio that gave the world Chicken Run, Flushed Away and everything Wallace & Grommit.
The original deal was for Aardman to produce 5 animated films for DreamWorks. With 3 done (Chicken Run, Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Flushed Away), DreamWorks decided to end it early. The official statement is that they've just grown apart as businesses, and I can see that. I sure hope Aardman finds a new distributor soon. they make good movies.
I've blogged this before, and I'll blog it again. The Star Trek expanded universe just doesn't get the same respect as the Star Wars expanded universe. While the average Star Wars fan will take every novel and comic that comes their way and devour it for any kind of new insight into a beloved character, most Star Trek novels and comics are dismissed as fanfic with a marketing campaign.
I was thinking about this the other day as I was catching up on the world of Star Trek comic books. For thsoe who don't care, the comic book company IDW Publishing has picked up the comic book rights to Star Trek, and has started churning out new comics. Their first mini-series, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between just hit store shelves. It takes place in the first season of TNG, so you got Tasha Yar mixing things up.
But the one comic announcement that's making headlines is the 5-issue mini-series Star Trek Klingons: Blood Will Tell. This mini-series is going to take some classic Federation/Klingon skirmishes from the original series, and tell them from the Klingons' point-of-view. And, in the grand tradition of variant covers and other comic book marketing gimmicks, there'll be two versions. One published in English, and one in Klingon.
Well, here's some sad news for the world of animation. it seems that DreamWorks and Aardman Animation have parted ways.
DreamWorks, of course, the big, boom-bad movie studio sold to Paramount last year.
Aardman Animation, is, of course, the UK-based animation studio that gave the world Chicken Run, Flushed Away and everything Wallace & Grommit.
The original deal was for Aardman to produce 5 animated films for DreamWorks. With 3 done (Chicken Run, Wallace & Grommit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Flushed Away), DreamWorks decided to end it early. The official statement is that they've just grown apart as businesses, and I can see that. I sure hope Aardman finds a new distributor soon. they make good movies.
I've blogged this before, and I'll blog it again. The Star Trek expanded universe just doesn't get the same respect as the Star Wars expanded universe. While the average Star Wars fan will take every novel and comic that comes their way and devour it for any kind of new insight into a beloved character, most Star Trek novels and comics are dismissed as fanfic with a marketing campaign.
I was thinking about this the other day as I was catching up on the world of Star Trek comic books. For thsoe who don't care, the comic book company IDW Publishing has picked up the comic book rights to Star Trek, and has started churning out new comics. Their first mini-series, Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Space Between just hit store shelves. It takes place in the first season of TNG, so you got Tasha Yar mixing things up.
But the one comic announcement that's making headlines is the 5-issue mini-series Star Trek Klingons: Blood Will Tell. This mini-series is going to take some classic Federation/Klingon skirmishes from the original series, and tell them from the Klingons' point-of-view. And, in the grand tradition of variant covers and other comic book marketing gimmicks, there'll be two versions. One published in English, and one in Klingon.
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