I can't go to stores anymore without feeling sad.
I was browsing through HMV and the whole experience just depressed me. See, back in the day of, o, about three years ago when I was gainfully employed, I loved DVDs. I loved buying DVDs. It was not unusual for me to blow half my paycheque on DVDs. "Ehh, I don't need to buy groceries. If I carefully ration the ramen, it'll last another two weeks." And I'd walk out with whatever the latest special edition was.
But now, with unemployment, I just can't buy as many DVDs as I once did. One every two months if I'm lucky. So I just get very sad when I'm browsing through HMV or Future Shop. So many DVDs I want, but so little money....
I swear, when I get my first radio job, that first paycheque is going to vanish after one afternoon at Future Shop.
Besides, I shouldn't complain too much. This is about the time of year that I stop buying things for myself anyway. Actually, I suggest everyone do this. When the Christmas shopping season comes, just stop buying stuff for yourself. Two reasons why:
1) If you buy yourself all the stuff you want, there'll be nothing left for me to give you for Christmas.
2) If you buy all the stuff you want, you'll have no money left to buy ME a present.
So, I stop buying things for me, that way I have money to buy you stuff, and there's stuff for you to buy me. It's win-win.
But I still love my West Edmonton Mall. I noticed something weird today.
West Edmonton Mall is getting a third sex shop.
Now, you're probably thinking, "How the hell does Mark know West Edmonton Mall has TWO sex shops?"
Easy. WEM's two sex shops are on the short list of "mainstays," that is shops that have existed in the same place ever since I first started hanging out at WEM 20 years ago. It's a very short list, and the two sex shops are on it. And I only went browsing in one of them once, mainly because my curiosity finally got the better of me.
And it's not like I went looking for this third sex shop. It's very easy to spot. It has massive signs out front..."Coming soon, THE HUSTLER STORE!! Canada's first HUSTLER STORE opening soon! Now hiring staff for THE HUSTLER STORE!"
Granted, I'm just assuming it's a sex shop, as I'm assuming it's related to the Hustler publication.
Anyway, just thought I'd share.
Wednesday, November 23, 2005
I love watching the news. Premier Ralph Klein is my favourite sitcom character.
For those who don't care, Klein has spent the past few days on a speaking tour of the Eastern provinces and the Maritimes, with stops in Ottawa, Quebec City, and Halifax. The speeches he's giving have to do with how Alberta's incredibly large suprlus benefits all Canadians. The Alberta press has jokingly dubbed it the "Don't hate us because we're rich" tour.
But, that hasn't been the main focus of the tour. No. Before he left, Klein was asked what he'd do if reporters along the way asked him about Alberta's "Third Way." (ie the plan to privative healthcare.) Klein infamously responded, "I cannot tell a lie. If they ask me about it, I will give honest answers."
So, guess what Klein's been asked about non-stop on his trip? And, he answers every question the same way. "I don't know. We haven't worked that out yet."
And now, what happened today. It's looking more and more like we're going to have a Christmas election. When asked about the federal election, Klein said that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this next election will bring about...another Liberal minority.
The federal Conservatives are already gritting their teeth. Klein has promised to help the federal Conservatives in their campaign, but when Klien goes spouting off about how Conservatives are more friendly towards private health care, or like today with his "the Liberals will win another minority" claim, the Conservatives really wish Klein would stop "helping" them.
Today, Deputy Conservative Leader Peter Mackay was asked how the federal Conservatives would get Klein to stop "helping."
Mackay's answer? "Duct tape."
By the way, the opposition parties are going to table their motion of non-confidence tomorrow. The house votes on it on Monday. Which all means, odds are, the election campaign begins on Tuesday.
I'm going to get a lawn sign for every candidate again. This time, I'm going to hang my Christmas lights on them.
For those who don't care, Klein has spent the past few days on a speaking tour of the Eastern provinces and the Maritimes, with stops in Ottawa, Quebec City, and Halifax. The speeches he's giving have to do with how Alberta's incredibly large suprlus benefits all Canadians. The Alberta press has jokingly dubbed it the "Don't hate us because we're rich" tour.
But, that hasn't been the main focus of the tour. No. Before he left, Klein was asked what he'd do if reporters along the way asked him about Alberta's "Third Way." (ie the plan to privative healthcare.) Klein infamously responded, "I cannot tell a lie. If they ask me about it, I will give honest answers."
So, guess what Klein's been asked about non-stop on his trip? And, he answers every question the same way. "I don't know. We haven't worked that out yet."
And now, what happened today. It's looking more and more like we're going to have a Christmas election. When asked about the federal election, Klein said that, beyond the shadow of a doubt, this next election will bring about...another Liberal minority.
The federal Conservatives are already gritting their teeth. Klein has promised to help the federal Conservatives in their campaign, but when Klien goes spouting off about how Conservatives are more friendly towards private health care, or like today with his "the Liberals will win another minority" claim, the Conservatives really wish Klein would stop "helping" them.
Today, Deputy Conservative Leader Peter Mackay was asked how the federal Conservatives would get Klein to stop "helping."
Mackay's answer? "Duct tape."
By the way, the opposition parties are going to table their motion of non-confidence tomorrow. The house votes on it on Monday. Which all means, odds are, the election campaign begins on Tuesday.
I'm going to get a lawn sign for every candidate again. This time, I'm going to hang my Christmas lights on them.
Bad News: Kevin Smith was supposed to be in Edmonton last night.
Good News: It's been re-scheduled to February 6, and my tickets are still good.
Better News: At his official website, Kevin Smith mentioned that, when he does show up in Edmonton, he'll have Clerks 2 footage to show off.
Best News: Today's Edmonton Journal announced that Smith will be joined by none other than Jay, better known as Jason Mewes.
Other Kevin Smith tidbits: He finished production on Clerks 2 back on Friday, he's been editing the film as he filmed and he's about half-done editing already, and the final budget came in at a scant $5 million.
Good News: It's been re-scheduled to February 6, and my tickets are still good.
Better News: At his official website, Kevin Smith mentioned that, when he does show up in Edmonton, he'll have Clerks 2 footage to show off.
Best News: Today's Edmonton Journal announced that Smith will be joined by none other than Jay, better known as Jason Mewes.
Other Kevin Smith tidbits: He finished production on Clerks 2 back on Friday, he's been editing the film as he filmed and he's about half-done editing already, and the final budget came in at a scant $5 million.
Tuesday, November 22, 2005
Got some cool DVD news I'd like to share.
It looks like March 7, 2006 is the day that Disney will release Wave 4 of their dubbed Studio Ghibli films. Wave 4 will consist of:
Howl's Moving Castle - Hayao Miyazaki's latest epic. I saw it back in the summer and it was pretty good.
My Neighbour Totoro - The film that put Miyazaki on the map as a filmmaker, as it was the first one to get a major North American release. (Way back in 1993.) Sadly, this DVD won't contain the original 1993 dub, but an all new Disney produced dub.
Whispers of the Heart - Ghibli's 1995 film, directed by Yoshifumi Kondu, with a screenplay by Miyazaki. A shy young girl meets a walking, talking cat and this helps her come out of her shell. Ghibli's 2002 film The Cat Returns was actually a sequel to this, and The Cat Returns was part of Disney's Studio Ghibli Wave 2, which came out back in the spring.
There's no word yet on bonus materials but, based on Disney's past Studio Ghibli releases, we can expect the animatics for the whole film, a featurette on the dubbing process, and the original, uncut Japanese language tracks.
Got some other Studio Ghibli bits:
- The Studio Ghibli Museum is about to premiere three brand new exclusive animated short films. Each one was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. All three premiere on January 3, and the only place on Earth you can see them is at the Studio Ghibli Museum.
- The next film from Studio Ghibli will be directed by Miyazaki, but not the one you think. The next Ghibli opus will be directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. The junior Miyazaki was originally a landscape architect, and his last job was director of the Studio Ghibli Museum. The senior Miyazaki is apparently none too pleased that his son has decided to follow in his footsteps.
It looks like March 7, 2006 is the day that Disney will release Wave 4 of their dubbed Studio Ghibli films. Wave 4 will consist of:
Howl's Moving Castle - Hayao Miyazaki's latest epic. I saw it back in the summer and it was pretty good.
My Neighbour Totoro - The film that put Miyazaki on the map as a filmmaker, as it was the first one to get a major North American release. (Way back in 1993.) Sadly, this DVD won't contain the original 1993 dub, but an all new Disney produced dub.
Whispers of the Heart - Ghibli's 1995 film, directed by Yoshifumi Kondu, with a screenplay by Miyazaki. A shy young girl meets a walking, talking cat and this helps her come out of her shell. Ghibli's 2002 film The Cat Returns was actually a sequel to this, and The Cat Returns was part of Disney's Studio Ghibli Wave 2, which came out back in the spring.
There's no word yet on bonus materials but, based on Disney's past Studio Ghibli releases, we can expect the animatics for the whole film, a featurette on the dubbing process, and the original, uncut Japanese language tracks.
Got some other Studio Ghibli bits:
- The Studio Ghibli Museum is about to premiere three brand new exclusive animated short films. Each one was written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki. All three premiere on January 3, and the only place on Earth you can see them is at the Studio Ghibli Museum.
- The next film from Studio Ghibli will be directed by Miyazaki, but not the one you think. The next Ghibli opus will be directed by Goro Miyazaki, son of the legendary Hayao Miyazaki. The junior Miyazaki was originally a landscape architect, and his last job was director of the Studio Ghibli Museum. The senior Miyazaki is apparently none too pleased that his son has decided to follow in his footsteps.
Bloo>> Well, let's just spice this up, like how I spiced up Taco Nite last week!
(quick cut of a group of imaginary friends, flames coming out of their mouths, and screaming in pain)
Mr. Harriman>> That was you?
Bloo>> Yeah. Heh heh.
Mr. Harriman>> But...but...we thought it was Johnny Buttons!
Bloo>> I set it up so you'd think that. I framed him.
Mr. Harriman>> We had him deported....
Bloo>> I know! He still sends me postcards!
(Bloo hands Mr. Harriman a postcard. Mr. Harriman reads it. The message is made up of letters cut out from a magazine and reads "I will get you.")
Ya know, I wasn't too keen on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends when I first watched it, but it's really started to grow on me.
Here's some cool news.
Sony announced on Friday that they've just burned their first ever Blu-Ray DVD! (Blu-Ray, as you know, is Sony's next generation of DVD; the rival format is Toshiba's HD-DVD). Now, for this new format, this new disc that can hold 25G of information and provide a much higher quality picture and better sound, what film did they choose?
Sony just bought out MGM...perhaps it was some classic like Lawrence of Arabia or Gone with the Wind. No.
Perhaps it was one of Sony's recent blockbusters, like Spider-Man. No.
So, what movie has the honour of being the first film released into the next generation of DVD?
Charlie's Angels: Full Throtle.
Wow. Just wow. To quote a favourite line from Family Guy, "You've screwed that up so spectacularly that we're just going to move on."
But, on the bright side, all those non-Sony companies that are building Blu-Ray players now have something to test their machines.
The format war begins in the spring.
(quick cut of a group of imaginary friends, flames coming out of their mouths, and screaming in pain)
Mr. Harriman>> That was you?
Bloo>> Yeah. Heh heh.
Mr. Harriman>> But...but...we thought it was Johnny Buttons!
Bloo>> I set it up so you'd think that. I framed him.
Mr. Harriman>> We had him deported....
Bloo>> I know! He still sends me postcards!
(Bloo hands Mr. Harriman a postcard. Mr. Harriman reads it. The message is made up of letters cut out from a magazine and reads "I will get you.")
Ya know, I wasn't too keen on Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends when I first watched it, but it's really started to grow on me.
Here's some cool news.
Sony announced on Friday that they've just burned their first ever Blu-Ray DVD! (Blu-Ray, as you know, is Sony's next generation of DVD; the rival format is Toshiba's HD-DVD). Now, for this new format, this new disc that can hold 25G of information and provide a much higher quality picture and better sound, what film did they choose?
Sony just bought out MGM...perhaps it was some classic like Lawrence of Arabia or Gone with the Wind. No.
Perhaps it was one of Sony's recent blockbusters, like Spider-Man. No.
So, what movie has the honour of being the first film released into the next generation of DVD?
Charlie's Angels: Full Throtle.
Wow. Just wow. To quote a favourite line from Family Guy, "You've screwed that up so spectacularly that we're just going to move on."
But, on the bright side, all those non-Sony companies that are building Blu-Ray players now have something to test their machines.
The format war begins in the spring.
Monday, November 21, 2005
Well, I'm back from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I rather enjoyed it. 3 Nibs. Full review coming later.
Although, I must say, that I am now more than ever interested in reading the books. About 5 years ago, when I first heard about The Philosopher's Stone coming to the big screen, Goblet of Fire had just come out, and people were marveling at this "kids book" with over 600 pages. With Hollywood starting to adapt Harry Potter, the one question on everyone's mind was, "With over 600 pages, how the hell are the going to adapt Goblet of Fire?" Several people - including Steve Kloves, the screenwriter for all the films - were lobbying that Goblet of Fire be divided into two films. But, ultimatly, Warner Brothers said no, and firmly asserted that one book makes one movie.
So, I've got to read the book now, just to know what all was cut.
Although, I must say, that I am now more than ever interested in reading the books. About 5 years ago, when I first heard about The Philosopher's Stone coming to the big screen, Goblet of Fire had just come out, and people were marveling at this "kids book" with over 600 pages. With Hollywood starting to adapt Harry Potter, the one question on everyone's mind was, "With over 600 pages, how the hell are the going to adapt Goblet of Fire?" Several people - including Steve Kloves, the screenwriter for all the films - were lobbying that Goblet of Fire be divided into two films. But, ultimatly, Warner Brothers said no, and firmly asserted that one book makes one movie.
So, I've got to read the book now, just to know what all was cut.
Hello!
Just wanted to take a minute to tell you that it's World Hello Day! How you celebrate is quite simple: throughout this day, say "Hello!" to 10 people.
World Hello Day was started in 1973, at the end of a conflict between Isreal and Egypt. It's believed that, if you take the time to say "Hello" to your neighbours, you will open the lines of communication and thus help spread peace.
So, help spread peace! Say Hello!
And now, I am off to Edmonton to deliver soil samples to the lab, say "Hello" to a few people, and maybe, just maybe, see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
(Ya know, I always wished that the Harry Potter movies would follow the lead of the James Bond movies. Somewhere, in the end credits of Goblet of Fire I hope to see these words: The End of 'The Goblet of Fire' but Harry Potter will return in 'The Order of the Phoenix.')
Just wanted to take a minute to tell you that it's World Hello Day! How you celebrate is quite simple: throughout this day, say "Hello!" to 10 people.
World Hello Day was started in 1973, at the end of a conflict between Isreal and Egypt. It's believed that, if you take the time to say "Hello" to your neighbours, you will open the lines of communication and thus help spread peace.
So, help spread peace! Say Hello!
And now, I am off to Edmonton to deliver soil samples to the lab, say "Hello" to a few people, and maybe, just maybe, see Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
(Ya know, I always wished that the Harry Potter movies would follow the lead of the James Bond movies. Somewhere, in the end credits of Goblet of Fire I hope to see these words: The End of 'The Goblet of Fire' but Harry Potter will return in 'The Order of the Phoenix.')
Sunday, November 20, 2005
Why am I the only one who finds this weather unnerving? It's the final half of November, almost a month until Christmas, yet there's no snow, the grass is still green, and today, the temperature hit 12 degrees. I seem to be the only one in Alberta who finds this odd....
Anyway, latest column's up! this week, it's Red, Blue, Green, Gold:
" What’s that, you say? The house with the most points? Did Mark go to Hogwarts when he was boy? No, I’m no wizard. Long before it was popularized in Harry Potter, Entwistle School was divided into houses. It was drilled into me on my very first day of the first grade. As soon as you walked through the front door, you were greeted with a massive board telling you about the four houses and how many points each one had. And each one was named for a colour: Red, Blue, Green, and Gold. "
Read it all!
Anyway, latest column's up! this week, it's Red, Blue, Green, Gold:
" What’s that, you say? The house with the most points? Did Mark go to Hogwarts when he was boy? No, I’m no wizard. Long before it was popularized in Harry Potter, Entwistle School was divided into houses. It was drilled into me on my very first day of the first grade. As soon as you walked through the front door, you were greeted with a massive board telling you about the four houses and how many points each one had. And each one was named for a colour: Red, Blue, Green, and Gold. "
Read it all!
Friday, November 18, 2005
God, this is a frustrating day. We're going through some very high winds right now. I know Xplornet claims that the weather doesn't affect the wireless high-speeed Internet, but I swear, we only have problems when the wind picks up.
Anyway, SUPERMAN!!
The first teaser for Bryan Singer's Superman Returns is up and online. I downloaded it last night, you know, before the winds, so I've watched it over and over and over and I'm just geeking out and June 30 can't get here soon enough.
It's a simple teaser...just some iconic shots with recycled music from the original movie and recycled dialogue from the original movie providing the voice over.
But oh, if the film's as good as the iconic shots, then this is going to rock!
Oh, and picking up on yesterday's entry about the films that qualify for Best Animated Film. I said I didn't know anything about that Gulliver's Travels film. Well, today, I found out a little more. Turns out that it's a computer animated film from India, and that it's only played at an art house theatre in LA. Apparently, that's enough to get it to qualify.
Anyway, SUPERMAN!!
The first teaser for Bryan Singer's Superman Returns is up and online. I downloaded it last night, you know, before the winds, so I've watched it over and over and over and I'm just geeking out and June 30 can't get here soon enough.
It's a simple teaser...just some iconic shots with recycled music from the original movie and recycled dialogue from the original movie providing the voice over.
But oh, if the film's as good as the iconic shots, then this is going to rock!
Oh, and picking up on yesterday's entry about the films that qualify for Best Animated Film. I said I didn't know anything about that Gulliver's Travels film. Well, today, I found out a little more. Turns out that it's a computer animated film from India, and that it's only played at an art house theatre in LA. Apparently, that's enough to get it to qualify.
Thursday, November 17, 2005
Hey! Here's something that almost slipped by me. The Academy Awards folks have come forward and revealed that these are all the films released this year that qualify for the Best Animated Film Oscar:
Chicken Little - Disney's first CGI movie, in theaters now!
Gulliver's Travel - I can find no information on this movie.
Hoodwinked - More on this further down
Howl's Moving Castle - Hayao Miayazaki's latest
Madagascar - Dreamwork's latest
Robots - Blue Sky's latest; came out in the spring
Steamboy - The latest from the guy who did Akira, but sadly not as good.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - Good, but not Oscar worthy.
Valiant - Did ANYBODY see this in the theatre?
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Considered to be the front runner, cuz Oscar just loves Wallace and Gromit.
So, we know the drill. This will be narrowed down to three nominations, which will be announced with ALL the other Oscar nominations in January. And then, the Oscars will be on TV at the end of February.
Now, welcome to "further down." You may remember I did my CGI Scorecard column a few weeks back, well, here's a few other CGI films on the horizon that should be noted:
Hoodwinked - This one comes out in December. It's actually an independent film. It was picked up by the Weinstein Company, re-dubbed with a big name voice cast, and is getting a nation-wide release. It's a sarcastic (ie Shrek-like) retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The plot: we all know the climax of Little Red Riding Hood, where Red Riding Hood is being chased around by the wolf, the wolf is being chased by the heroic woodsman, and granny's locked in the closet. Well, in this film, at this point the police come in, calm everyone down, and then try to sort out what happened. Each character then tells the tale of Little Red Riding Hood...from their point of view. Could be interesting, but I've seen the trailer, and its low budget indie roots still shine through.
Happy Feet - You knew it was just a matter of time before Warner Brothers got into the computer animation field. This is their first product, coming out November 2006, but the teaser will be in front of Harry Potter this Friday, and went online yesterday. It's nothing but singing and dancing penguins. Although, it has a good pedigree. The guy behind this one is George Miller, the Aussie director who gave us the Mad Max films for the grown-ups and the Babe films for the young-uns.
Chicken Little - Disney's first CGI movie, in theaters now!
Gulliver's Travel - I can find no information on this movie.
Hoodwinked - More on this further down
Howl's Moving Castle - Hayao Miayazaki's latest
Madagascar - Dreamwork's latest
Robots - Blue Sky's latest; came out in the spring
Steamboy - The latest from the guy who did Akira, but sadly not as good.
Tim Burton's Corpse Bride - Good, but not Oscar worthy.
Valiant - Did ANYBODY see this in the theatre?
Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit - Considered to be the front runner, cuz Oscar just loves Wallace and Gromit.
So, we know the drill. This will be narrowed down to three nominations, which will be announced with ALL the other Oscar nominations in January. And then, the Oscars will be on TV at the end of February.
Now, welcome to "further down." You may remember I did my CGI Scorecard column a few weeks back, well, here's a few other CGI films on the horizon that should be noted:
Hoodwinked - This one comes out in December. It's actually an independent film. It was picked up by the Weinstein Company, re-dubbed with a big name voice cast, and is getting a nation-wide release. It's a sarcastic (ie Shrek-like) retelling of Little Red Riding Hood. The plot: we all know the climax of Little Red Riding Hood, where Red Riding Hood is being chased around by the wolf, the wolf is being chased by the heroic woodsman, and granny's locked in the closet. Well, in this film, at this point the police come in, calm everyone down, and then try to sort out what happened. Each character then tells the tale of Little Red Riding Hood...from their point of view. Could be interesting, but I've seen the trailer, and its low budget indie roots still shine through.
Happy Feet - You knew it was just a matter of time before Warner Brothers got into the computer animation field. This is their first product, coming out November 2006, but the teaser will be in front of Harry Potter this Friday, and went online yesterday. It's nothing but singing and dancing penguins. Although, it has a good pedigree. The guy behind this one is George Miller, the Aussie director who gave us the Mad Max films for the grown-ups and the Babe films for the young-uns.
Yay! Kevin Smith is returning to Degrassi: The Next Generation!
See, for those who missed it, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes were special guest stars on Degrassi back in the spring. It was a 3-episode arc in which Smith came to Canada to film his latest movie Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?. They were filming on location at Degrassi, and thus got mixed up in all the school kids lives. It was just released on DVD under the title Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi, which makes a wonderful Christmas present for the Kevin Smith fan in your life.
(In case you're intersted, the plot of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? was that Jay and Silent Bob never finished high school. And the only high school that would accept them now was in Canada. So, they were off to the Great White North to get their diplomas.)
Anyway, Smith and Mewes will be back in a two-parter, airing on the 28th and December 5. The plot this time is that Smith and Mewes return to Degrassi for the premiere of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?, and thus get to tie up all the loose ends from their original arc.
Oh, and here's another bit of Kevin Smith news. With podcasting being the big thing right now, there's even a Kevin Smith-sponsored podcast dedicated to pop culture and what the Kevin Smith regulars are currently doing in it. It's called Radio Askew. I listened to a bit of it the other day, and it opens with a sound clip from Dogma. It's Metatron, warning everyone that God's about to speak:
"Anyone who's not already dead or from another plain of existence would do best to cover their ears...right about now!"
I heard that and could only think one thing: "How come I never thought of using that?"
See, for those who missed it, Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes were special guest stars on Degrassi back in the spring. It was a 3-episode arc in which Smith came to Canada to film his latest movie Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?. They were filming on location at Degrassi, and thus got mixed up in all the school kids lives. It was just released on DVD under the title Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi, which makes a wonderful Christmas present for the Kevin Smith fan in your life.
(In case you're intersted, the plot of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh? was that Jay and Silent Bob never finished high school. And the only high school that would accept them now was in Canada. So, they were off to the Great White North to get their diplomas.)
Anyway, Smith and Mewes will be back in a two-parter, airing on the 28th and December 5. The plot this time is that Smith and Mewes return to Degrassi for the premiere of Jay and Silent Bob Go Canadian, Eh?, and thus get to tie up all the loose ends from their original arc.
Oh, and here's another bit of Kevin Smith news. With podcasting being the big thing right now, there's even a Kevin Smith-sponsored podcast dedicated to pop culture and what the Kevin Smith regulars are currently doing in it. It's called Radio Askew. I listened to a bit of it the other day, and it opens with a sound clip from Dogma. It's Metatron, warning everyone that God's about to speak:
"Anyone who's not already dead or from another plain of existence would do best to cover their ears...right about now!"
I heard that and could only think one thing: "How come I never thought of using that?"
Wednesday, November 16, 2005
Well, I just wasted an hour.
I finally found a website that had all of Gotham Girls archived.
For those who don't remember, you have to cast your mind back to 2000. "Internet content" was the big buzz word, and everyone and their brother was making Flash cartoons for their websites. Gotham Girls was a contribution from Warner Brothers Animation.
Made by a lot of the same creative staff from Batman: The Animated Series, Gotham Girls focused on the female characters from Gotham City. You'd have Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn engaging in Odd Couple hijinks, Catwoman doing her thing, and then Batgirl swooping in and kicking everyone's ass. The sorceress Zatanna even popped up for a few episodes. Each episode was about 3 minutes long, and they even got the same voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series.
It ran for 3 seasons (2000, 2001, 2002), with 10 episodes in each season. For season 3, they went all out and it was essentially a 10-part episode. It even spawned a 5-issue mini-series from DC comics.
I discovered it late in season 2, and even then, I was reluctant to watch it because of slow downloading on dial-up.
So I just wasted the past hour watching all of season 1 and what I missed in season 2. It's crudly animated...I mean, 5 year old Flash animation, it's expected. But it's still quite entertaining.
And what's this wonderful archive? Why, it's the Wikipedia entry for Gotham Girls!
Or, you can go to the official Gotham Girls website, but they only have season 3 archived for you.
I finally found a website that had all of Gotham Girls archived.
For those who don't remember, you have to cast your mind back to 2000. "Internet content" was the big buzz word, and everyone and their brother was making Flash cartoons for their websites. Gotham Girls was a contribution from Warner Brothers Animation.
Made by a lot of the same creative staff from Batman: The Animated Series, Gotham Girls focused on the female characters from Gotham City. You'd have Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn engaging in Odd Couple hijinks, Catwoman doing her thing, and then Batgirl swooping in and kicking everyone's ass. The sorceress Zatanna even popped up for a few episodes. Each episode was about 3 minutes long, and they even got the same voice actors from Batman: The Animated Series.
It ran for 3 seasons (2000, 2001, 2002), with 10 episodes in each season. For season 3, they went all out and it was essentially a 10-part episode. It even spawned a 5-issue mini-series from DC comics.
I discovered it late in season 2, and even then, I was reluctant to watch it because of slow downloading on dial-up.
So I just wasted the past hour watching all of season 1 and what I missed in season 2. It's crudly animated...I mean, 5 year old Flash animation, it's expected. But it's still quite entertaining.
And what's this wonderful archive? Why, it's the Wikipedia entry for Gotham Girls!
Or, you can go to the official Gotham Girls website, but they only have season 3 archived for you.
OK. Time for another political rant.
Christmas election. No one wants one, yet it sure looks like we're going to have one.
Well, technically, not at Christmas. With our laws and when a non-confidence motion could be passed, the earliest we'd have an election is January 3. but still, who the hell is going to be reading the papers and actually following an election over Christmas vacation?
This is what really pisses me off. Paul Martin has said that he will call an election when the final Gomery report comes down. The one that came out a few weeks ago was just a preliminary report. The final Gomery report comes down in February. Everyone wants an election in the spring.
So, why can't the opposition parties just keep it in their pants for another two months?
Trust me, if we have an election over Christmas, it won't be the Liberals' fault, like the opposition parties want us to believe. It'll be because the opposition pushed for it.
This whole thing is making me rethink my whole opinion on having fixed election dates. I used to be fairly indifferent, but now it seems to be like a good idea. None of this "We'll bring down the government!" bullshit posturing, which is grinding Parliment to a halt. We know we'll have an election in four years, so just shut up and wait.
But, my question towards fixed election dates has always been, what happens if we have a minority government? Do we have to put up with this bullshit posturing and nothing getting done for a full four years? At least, with our current system, the plug can be pulled, we go to the polls, and hopefully clear things up.
So, my idea: if we do move to a system of fixed election dates, we have to have some kind of safeguard in place that allows for government to continue for the full term in a minority government, rather than having a 4-year long philibuster courtesy the opposition.
I know they're trying the whole "fixed election dates" thing in BC right now. I should look into how they're doing it in BC.
Christmas election. No one wants one, yet it sure looks like we're going to have one.
Well, technically, not at Christmas. With our laws and when a non-confidence motion could be passed, the earliest we'd have an election is January 3. but still, who the hell is going to be reading the papers and actually following an election over Christmas vacation?
This is what really pisses me off. Paul Martin has said that he will call an election when the final Gomery report comes down. The one that came out a few weeks ago was just a preliminary report. The final Gomery report comes down in February. Everyone wants an election in the spring.
So, why can't the opposition parties just keep it in their pants for another two months?
Trust me, if we have an election over Christmas, it won't be the Liberals' fault, like the opposition parties want us to believe. It'll be because the opposition pushed for it.
This whole thing is making me rethink my whole opinion on having fixed election dates. I used to be fairly indifferent, but now it seems to be like a good idea. None of this "We'll bring down the government!" bullshit posturing, which is grinding Parliment to a halt. We know we'll have an election in four years, so just shut up and wait.
But, my question towards fixed election dates has always been, what happens if we have a minority government? Do we have to put up with this bullshit posturing and nothing getting done for a full four years? At least, with our current system, the plug can be pulled, we go to the polls, and hopefully clear things up.
So, my idea: if we do move to a system of fixed election dates, we have to have some kind of safeguard in place that allows for government to continue for the full term in a minority government, rather than having a 4-year long philibuster courtesy the opposition.
I know they're trying the whole "fixed election dates" thing in BC right now. I should look into how they're doing it in BC.
Monday, November 14, 2005
This is the time of day I hate.
I was out working in the oil fields all day with Dad, there's a couple of good looking jobs posted that I should get an application together for, but I just don't feel like it. Instead, I'm just surfing around.
Over at my friend's blog, she's doing this thing right now where she and a bunch of other bloggers living outside of Canada share their tales of culture shock. Today, the common topic is all about food. And, it reminded me of a story about Japan.
Now, I've never told this story to anyone before, so you're in for a treat.
So, there I was, with my American co-worker and a couple of our Japanese co-workers. We were in the mood for sushi, so we went to the best sushi place in Kumagaya. After my friend and I had our fill of what was rolling down the conveyer belt, we wanted something a little different. We went through the menu and ordered some deep fried/tempura looking thing.
We got it. We started eating it. We found it to be quite good. "I've finally got to find out what this is," said the Yankee, so he pulled his pocket-sized English/Japanese dictionary out of his bag.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"You won't believe what we're eating."
"Let me guess. It's fish testicles!"
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"How did you know?"
"How did I know what?"
"That these are fish testicles?"
"No way. Really?"
"Yup."
"I just said the first disgusting thing that popped into my head!"
"Wow. That's a coincidence."
"These are really fish testicles?"
"Yup."
"You're not just jerking me around?"
"Nope."
"We're eating fish testicles?"
"Yup."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ya know, they're not bad."
"Yeah, there's actually kind of good."
But we didn't order seconds.
I was out working in the oil fields all day with Dad, there's a couple of good looking jobs posted that I should get an application together for, but I just don't feel like it. Instead, I'm just surfing around.
Over at my friend's blog, she's doing this thing right now where she and a bunch of other bloggers living outside of Canada share their tales of culture shock. Today, the common topic is all about food. And, it reminded me of a story about Japan.
Now, I've never told this story to anyone before, so you're in for a treat.
So, there I was, with my American co-worker and a couple of our Japanese co-workers. We were in the mood for sushi, so we went to the best sushi place in Kumagaya. After my friend and I had our fill of what was rolling down the conveyer belt, we wanted something a little different. We went through the menu and ordered some deep fried/tempura looking thing.
We got it. We started eating it. We found it to be quite good. "I've finally got to find out what this is," said the Yankee, so he pulled his pocket-sized English/Japanese dictionary out of his bag.
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"You won't believe what we're eating."
"Let me guess. It's fish testicles!"
"Oh my God."
"What?"
"How did you know?"
"How did I know what?"
"That these are fish testicles?"
"No way. Really?"
"Yup."
"I just said the first disgusting thing that popped into my head!"
"Wow. That's a coincidence."
"These are really fish testicles?"
"Yup."
"You're not just jerking me around?"
"Nope."
"We're eating fish testicles?"
"Yup."
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
"Ya know, they're not bad."
"Yeah, there's actually kind of good."
But we didn't order seconds.
Wow! This is a TV show that I...I just have to report on.
Superman has had several TV shows, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash have all had TV shows...what DC hero is the next to get a live-action TV show?
Aquaman!
Yes, Aquaman is getting his own TV show. He's being adapted for the small screen by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the same duo responsible for Smallville. (they also wrote Spider-Man 2.) In their new take, Arthur Curry is going to be an early-20s marine biologist working in the Florida keys. He's just discovering his powers and is using them to investigate all kinds of weird goings-on in the nearby Bermuda Triangle. Naturally, he thinks all this has something to do with the mysterious disappearance of his mother.... His father will still be around, but this time, his dad's an officer in the Coast Guard. (In the comics, he's a lighthouse keeper.) And, just like Smallville, he won't be wearing his "superhero uniform."
Now, a 20-something Aquaman did make an appearance on Smallville a couple weeks ago. But, Gough and Millar are quick to point out that they'll pretty much ignore that and go their own way with this Aquaman show.
They're going to film a pilot sometime in the spring and, if the execs like it, look for it to hit TV screens in fall 2006.
Superman has had several TV shows, Batman, Wonder Woman and the Flash have all had TV shows...what DC hero is the next to get a live-action TV show?
Aquaman!
Yes, Aquaman is getting his own TV show. He's being adapted for the small screen by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the same duo responsible for Smallville. (they also wrote Spider-Man 2.) In their new take, Arthur Curry is going to be an early-20s marine biologist working in the Florida keys. He's just discovering his powers and is using them to investigate all kinds of weird goings-on in the nearby Bermuda Triangle. Naturally, he thinks all this has something to do with the mysterious disappearance of his mother.... His father will still be around, but this time, his dad's an officer in the Coast Guard. (In the comics, he's a lighthouse keeper.) And, just like Smallville, he won't be wearing his "superhero uniform."
Now, a 20-something Aquaman did make an appearance on Smallville a couple weeks ago. But, Gough and Millar are quick to point out that they'll pretty much ignore that and go their own way with this Aquaman show.
They're going to film a pilot sometime in the spring and, if the execs like it, look for it to hit TV screens in fall 2006.
Sunday, November 13, 2005
There we are! Latest column's up! This week, it's The Fastest Man Alive:
" The year was 1990. Hollywood was expecting that there’d be this explosion of comic book movies, with Batman having been the big hit the year before. But, it didn’t quite explode…it just kind of fizzled. It was enough, though, to produce the TV show I was sitting down to watch. At the end of the 2-hour pilot, I was completely in love. The show lasted only one year, but I was able to catch every episode of The Flash."
Read it all here!
Let me explain something a little odd about how I've been doing the column lately. About a month ago, I was hit with a real brainstorm, and I managed to sit down and write 3 columns in one day. Even though that was 3 weeks ago, I still spend a couple hours on the weekend writing a new one. The goal is try and forever remain 3 weeks ahead. The eventual goal is to have some time to revise, and thus make the column better. The truth is, once I get comfortable with this set-up, I'll be able to do some kind of "In Next Week's Issue" gag at the end of each one.
" The year was 1990. Hollywood was expecting that there’d be this explosion of comic book movies, with Batman having been the big hit the year before. But, it didn’t quite explode…it just kind of fizzled. It was enough, though, to produce the TV show I was sitting down to watch. At the end of the 2-hour pilot, I was completely in love. The show lasted only one year, but I was able to catch every episode of The Flash."
Read it all here!
Let me explain something a little odd about how I've been doing the column lately. About a month ago, I was hit with a real brainstorm, and I managed to sit down and write 3 columns in one day. Even though that was 3 weeks ago, I still spend a couple hours on the weekend writing a new one. The goal is try and forever remain 3 weeks ahead. The eventual goal is to have some time to revise, and thus make the column better. The truth is, once I get comfortable with this set-up, I'll be able to do some kind of "In Next Week's Issue" gag at the end of each one.
I had dinner with two women at the same time...cuz I'm a stud. - The Flash attempting to save face, after his attempt at reconciling Wonder Woman and Hawkgirl goes kerblooey.
Hermes>> I've got something for you here...it's pretty important...Zeus paid for overnight service.... (Removes a scroll from his bag) Here it is!
Wonder Woman>> (Reading scroll) 'For a good time, call Podeminus'.
Hermes>> Woah, hey! Wrong scroll. (snatches back the scroll) I think I got a shot...it's her cell number.
That's right! I'm an angel! You can mess with me if you want to, but I don't think you want to mess with the boss! - Hawkgirl, bluffing her way past an army of demons on the way to Hell.
(Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman materialize in a winter landscape)
Hawkgirl>> Aren't you cold in that outfit?
Wonder Woman>> Not really.
Hawkgirl>> Of course not. The "Princess" doesn't get cold. The "Princess" doesn't even sweat in the fire pits of Tardaris.
Wonder Woman>> I do to sweat!
Hawkgirl>> Please. You glow. I wouldn't be surprised if you never have to....
(Their conversation is cut off.)
God, I love my Justice League Unlimited.
Hermes>> I've got something for you here...it's pretty important...Zeus paid for overnight service.... (Removes a scroll from his bag) Here it is!
Wonder Woman>> (Reading scroll) 'For a good time, call Podeminus'.
Hermes>> Woah, hey! Wrong scroll. (snatches back the scroll) I think I got a shot...it's her cell number.
That's right! I'm an angel! You can mess with me if you want to, but I don't think you want to mess with the boss! - Hawkgirl, bluffing her way past an army of demons on the way to Hell.
(Hawkgirl and Wonder Woman materialize in a winter landscape)
Hawkgirl>> Aren't you cold in that outfit?
Wonder Woman>> Not really.
Hawkgirl>> Of course not. The "Princess" doesn't get cold. The "Princess" doesn't even sweat in the fire pits of Tardaris.
Wonder Woman>> I do to sweat!
Hawkgirl>> Please. You glow. I wouldn't be surprised if you never have to....
(Their conversation is cut off.)
God, I love my Justice League Unlimited.
Saturday, November 12, 2005
So, I'm just doing some mindless surfing tonight and I came across this article at the Hollywood Reporter. It essentially goes on to say that the race for Best Animated Film at the Oscars has begun, and already tries to predict the winner. Let me give you the Coles Notes:
According to the article, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the clear frontrunner. Nick Park is an Oscar darling, with 3 of his animated shorts having won Best Animated Short Film Oscars (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers). In fact, it's even been theorized that the Best Animated Film Oscar was created primarily because Park's Y2K film Chicken Run was deserving of something, but not really eligible for anything. Kinda have to agree with this.
They also say that Tim Burton's Corpse Bride may be a contender, if only for the novelty of stop-motion animation. Now, I kind of have to disagree with this one. As much as I loved it, I have my doubts over its Oscar worthiness.
Madagascar will probably score a nomination because it made so darn much.
Hayao Miyazaki's latest, Howl's Moving Castle, is actually considered to be a bit of a longshot, mainly because a) It didn't make much money b) the critics didn't like it as much as Spirited Away c) Miyazaki already got the gold with Spirited Away.
Some say Robots deserves to be nominated if only because of its striking and imaginative design, but because it hit theatres way back in March, it may have been forgotten.
And Chicken Little just might get a nomination too, because (at the time this article was written), it was getting "positive advance buzz."
I don't know. In my perfect world, I'd love the three nominations to be Wallace and Gromit, Corpse Bride and Howl's Moving Castle. Let's shut out the CGI films in an effort to prove that CGI hasn't killed all other forms of animaiton.
According to the article, Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit is the clear frontrunner. Nick Park is an Oscar darling, with 3 of his animated shorts having won Best Animated Short Film Oscars (Creature Comforts, Wallace & Gromit: A Close Shave, Wallace & Gromit: The Wrong Trousers). In fact, it's even been theorized that the Best Animated Film Oscar was created primarily because Park's Y2K film Chicken Run was deserving of something, but not really eligible for anything. Kinda have to agree with this.
They also say that Tim Burton's Corpse Bride may be a contender, if only for the novelty of stop-motion animation. Now, I kind of have to disagree with this one. As much as I loved it, I have my doubts over its Oscar worthiness.
Madagascar will probably score a nomination because it made so darn much.
Hayao Miyazaki's latest, Howl's Moving Castle, is actually considered to be a bit of a longshot, mainly because a) It didn't make much money b) the critics didn't like it as much as Spirited Away c) Miyazaki already got the gold with Spirited Away.
Some say Robots deserves to be nominated if only because of its striking and imaginative design, but because it hit theatres way back in March, it may have been forgotten.
And Chicken Little just might get a nomination too, because (at the time this article was written), it was getting "positive advance buzz."
I don't know. In my perfect world, I'd love the three nominations to be Wallace and Gromit, Corpse Bride and Howl's Moving Castle. Let's shut out the CGI films in an effort to prove that CGI hasn't killed all other forms of animaiton.
Friday, November 11, 2005
After having a look at my friend's blog, I'm just kind of thinking that maybe I should say something, or at least acknowledge, that today is Rememberance Day. I have a few things to say abou it...many things, actually:
If there's one thing that I do like about Rememberance Day, it's that it's the only holiday that has yet to "go commercial." You don't see the greeting card stores selling Rememberance Day cards, store shelves aren't cluttered with "poppy candies" or anything like that. It is still a solemn and sacred day. And, given it's purpose, that's very much a good thing.
And people are still fighting to keep it from going commercial, too. I remember working at Extra Foods, I saw one of our cashiers have an all-out screaming match with the store manager about whether or not to have a 2-minutes silence at 11AM on Rememberance Day. Cashier was for it, store manager was against it. The cashier one, but we still grumbled under our breaths that Rememberance Day is one of the few holidays where everything should shut down.
Of course, had to watch the CBC's coverage of the ceremonies in Ottawa. I'd sure like to go to Ottawa someday, and see all those monuments and memorials for myself. I'm sure that we all know that the brand-new Canadian War Museum opened up this year. The old one was in dire need of replacement. While the old War Museum was a grand old building, it had grown ridiculously small...the museum was only able to display 2% of their collection. So, the new one was built. The final cost was $100 million and it took 2.5 years to build. But it's worth it to remember the sacrafices.
Here's a small part of today's Rememberance Day ceremonies that will probably be glossed over, but shouldn't be.
Today, the government dedicated the seventh Book of Rememberance.
For those who don't know, the Books of Rememberance are a series of hand-bound books commissioned by the government. They list the names of every Canadian soldier who's died in service. One of the books sits on display in the Peace Tower in Ottawa, and, every day (yes, EVERY DAY), there's a solemn ceremony in the House of Commons where the page is turned in the book.
This seventh book lists every Canadian soldier that's died from 1947 to the present.
My grandmother fought in World War II.
She was a corporal in the Royal Canadian Air Force. She was over in England for most of the war. I do know that a point of family pride has always been a photo of my Grandma being inspected by the Queen. You know, we've all seen it in the movies...all the troops line up in their dress uniforms, the Queen marches down the line looking over the uniforms, and, if you're lucky, you get to share a few words with the Queen:
Queen>> What's your name, soldier?
Soldier>> Private Mike Johnson.
Queen> Where you from?
Soldier>> A small town you never heard of.
My Grandma was one of those ones that the Queen spoke to.
I never got the whole story of my grandma's war service. When I was a kid, at her house one Rememberance Day, she took out her medals and wore them. She had at least 4 or 5. I asked about them, but she didn't want to say much. "I earned each and every one, and this is the only day I wear them," was all she'd tell me.
I do know the story of why she joined the military. Her family urged her to do it to get her away from "that good for nothing Cappis boy." Of course, she came back from the war, and settle down with that Cappis boy. Well, except these days, I call him Grandpa.
I don't feel right asking questions about my grandmother's military service. She passed away 10 years ago, but the issue of who gets her war memorabilia is still a very heated argument between my aunts and uncles. That, and my grandfather has a real mean-on for veterans. Why is a long and rather dull story that I won't get into here. So, asking about Grandma in the war always creates incredibly awkward moments.
But she fought so I could be free to sit down and write this today.
And that, I'll always remember.
And, with my mother's side of the family being German, they've got their war stories too. They were the civilians we were fighting to liberate, after all.
Not too long ago, my mother told me about my Great Opa. He died when I was 8 years old, I barely knew him. But a few months ago, my mother told me an interesting fact about him.
His birthday was May 6. But, he always celebrate his birthday on May 8 - more commonly known as VE Day, the day that World War II officially ended. He changed his birthday to May 8 on the original VE Day: May 8, 1945.
I asked my mother why he changed his birthday like that. "Because," she told me, "Like everyone else in the world, he was glad that the war was finally over."
If there's one thing that I do like about Rememberance Day, it's that it's the only holiday that has yet to "go commercial." You don't see the greeting card stores selling Rememberance Day cards, store shelves aren't cluttered with "poppy candies" or anything like that. It is still a solemn and sacred day. And, given it's purpose, that's very much a good thing.
And people are still fighting to keep it from going commercial, too. I remember working at Extra Foods, I saw one of our cashiers have an all-out screaming match with the store manager about whether or not to have a 2-minutes silence at 11AM on Rememberance Day. Cashier was for it, store manager was against it. The cashier one, but we still grumbled under our breaths that Rememberance Day is one of the few holidays where everything should shut down.
Of course, had to watch the CBC's coverage of the ceremonies in Ottawa. I'd sure like to go to Ottawa someday, and see all those monuments and memorials for myself. I'm sure that we all know that the brand-new Canadian War Museum opened up this year. The old one was in dire need of replacement. While the old War Museum was a grand old building, it had grown ridiculously small...the museum was only able to display 2% of their collection. So, the new one was built. The final cost was $100 million and it took 2.5 years to build. But it's worth it to remember the sacrafices.
Here's a small part of today's Rememberance Day ceremonies that will probably be glossed over, but shouldn't be.
Today, the government dedicated the seventh Book of Rememberance.
For those who don't know, the Books of Rememberance are a series of hand-bound books commissioned by the government. They list the names of every Canadian soldier who's died in service. One of the books sits on display in the Peace Tower in Ottawa, and, every day (yes, EVERY DAY), there's a solemn ceremony in the House of Commons where the page is turned in the book.
This seventh book lists every Canadian soldier that's died from 1947 to the present.
My grandmother fought in World War II.
She was a corporal in the Royal Canadian Air Force. She was over in England for most of the war. I do know that a point of family pride has always been a photo of my Grandma being inspected by the Queen. You know, we've all seen it in the movies...all the troops line up in their dress uniforms, the Queen marches down the line looking over the uniforms, and, if you're lucky, you get to share a few words with the Queen:
Queen>> What's your name, soldier?
Soldier>> Private Mike Johnson.
Queen> Where you from?
Soldier>> A small town you never heard of.
My Grandma was one of those ones that the Queen spoke to.
I never got the whole story of my grandma's war service. When I was a kid, at her house one Rememberance Day, she took out her medals and wore them. She had at least 4 or 5. I asked about them, but she didn't want to say much. "I earned each and every one, and this is the only day I wear them," was all she'd tell me.
I do know the story of why she joined the military. Her family urged her to do it to get her away from "that good for nothing Cappis boy." Of course, she came back from the war, and settle down with that Cappis boy. Well, except these days, I call him Grandpa.
I don't feel right asking questions about my grandmother's military service. She passed away 10 years ago, but the issue of who gets her war memorabilia is still a very heated argument between my aunts and uncles. That, and my grandfather has a real mean-on for veterans. Why is a long and rather dull story that I won't get into here. So, asking about Grandma in the war always creates incredibly awkward moments.
But she fought so I could be free to sit down and write this today.
And that, I'll always remember.
And, with my mother's side of the family being German, they've got their war stories too. They were the civilians we were fighting to liberate, after all.
Not too long ago, my mother told me about my Great Opa. He died when I was 8 years old, I barely knew him. But a few months ago, my mother told me an interesting fact about him.
His birthday was May 6. But, he always celebrate his birthday on May 8 - more commonly known as VE Day, the day that World War II officially ended. He changed his birthday to May 8 on the original VE Day: May 8, 1945.
I asked my mother why he changed his birthday like that. "Because," she told me, "Like everyone else in the world, he was glad that the war was finally over."
Wednesday, November 09, 2005
YES YES, oh God, YES!! It's finally official!
The very first teaser for Superman Returns will be running in front of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire next Friday!
The teaser clocks in at 1:33. (One minute, 33 seconds.) Oh, I hope Bryan Singer handles the Man of Steel as well as he handled the X-Men. The film itself is still slated for June 30, 2006.
Here's some news about an upcoming computer animated film. This upcoming outing from DreamWorks seems...mildly interesting.
Kung Fu Panda follows the tale of Po the Panda, a fat, lazy slob of a panda. But when is home, the Valley of Peace, is threatened by invaders, he does nothing. The citizens of the valley have a martial arts competition to choose a champion, and they all drop the jaws when they notice that Po bears the mark of "The One." So, they've got to whip Po into shape to take on the invaders. The voice cast was announced today:
Jack Black will be voicing Po.
Dustin Hoffman will be voicing Shifu, the kung fu master charged with whipping Po into shape.
Jackie Chan will be voicing Master Monkey, Po's rival.
Ian MacShane will be voicing Tai Lung, a snow leapord who leads the bad guys.
And negotiations are still underway to have Lucy Liu voice Master Viper, another kung fu master who teaches Po.
May 2008 for this one.
The very first teaser for Superman Returns will be running in front of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire next Friday!
The teaser clocks in at 1:33. (One minute, 33 seconds.) Oh, I hope Bryan Singer handles the Man of Steel as well as he handled the X-Men. The film itself is still slated for June 30, 2006.
Here's some news about an upcoming computer animated film. This upcoming outing from DreamWorks seems...mildly interesting.
Kung Fu Panda follows the tale of Po the Panda, a fat, lazy slob of a panda. But when is home, the Valley of Peace, is threatened by invaders, he does nothing. The citizens of the valley have a martial arts competition to choose a champion, and they all drop the jaws when they notice that Po bears the mark of "The One." So, they've got to whip Po into shape to take on the invaders. The voice cast was announced today:
Jack Black will be voicing Po.
Dustin Hoffman will be voicing Shifu, the kung fu master charged with whipping Po into shape.
Jackie Chan will be voicing Master Monkey, Po's rival.
Ian MacShane will be voicing Tai Lung, a snow leapord who leads the bad guys.
And negotiations are still underway to have Lucy Liu voice Master Viper, another kung fu master who teaches Po.
May 2008 for this one.
Tuesday, November 08, 2005
But let's be honest! You don't come by my blog to read my half-assed ramblings about politics. No! You want the latest DVD news!
On January 31, you'll be able to run on out to the store and buy Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. It has a slew of behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes, an isolated music track (sweet!), galleries of pre-production artwork, "and more!" I hope the "more" includes a Tim Burton running commentary.
As for DVDs that came out today, you can head on out and get Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi. This was Kevin Smith's 3-episode guest-starring-arc on Degrassi: The Next Generation. You can get the regular broadcast version, or an "uncensored extended edition." That uncensored one boasts a few extra featurettes and a running commentary with Smith and the creators and stars of Degrassi.
This is also a great day for DVDs if you're a Tim Burton fan. Burton's big summer hit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes out today. It's available in a "movie only" version and a 2-disc "deluxe edition." Burton's last film, Big Fish, gets re-released today. They essentially took the old edition and added a collectable book. Oh, and, there's also an Edward Scissorhands: 15th Anniversary Edition. This is EXACTLY THE SAME as the 10th anniversary edition that came out 5 years ago, only now it's in a fancy tin.
Oh, and another of my favourite failed TV shows comes out today: Space: Above and Beyond - The Complete Series.
On January 31, you'll be able to run on out to the store and buy Tim Burton's Corpse Bride. It has a slew of behind-the-scenes documentaries and featurettes, an isolated music track (sweet!), galleries of pre-production artwork, "and more!" I hope the "more" includes a Tim Burton running commentary.
As for DVDs that came out today, you can head on out and get Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi. This was Kevin Smith's 3-episode guest-starring-arc on Degrassi: The Next Generation. You can get the regular broadcast version, or an "uncensored extended edition." That uncensored one boasts a few extra featurettes and a running commentary with Smith and the creators and stars of Degrassi.
This is also a great day for DVDs if you're a Tim Burton fan. Burton's big summer hit, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory comes out today. It's available in a "movie only" version and a 2-disc "deluxe edition." Burton's last film, Big Fish, gets re-released today. They essentially took the old edition and added a collectable book. Oh, and, there's also an Edward Scissorhands: 15th Anniversary Edition. This is EXACTLY THE SAME as the 10th anniversary edition that came out 5 years ago, only now it's in a fancy tin.
Oh, and another of my favourite failed TV shows comes out today: Space: Above and Beyond - The Complete Series.
OK, I wanna knuckled down and get some job applications out, but first, I want to get all politico on you.
Firstly, here we all are, encompased in the grip of the possibility of having a Christmas election. Quick re-cap: the preliminary Gomery report came out a couple of weeks ago. While Paul Martin was exonerated, the people ain't buying it, so the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecios are threating to bring down the government at the first possible opportunity.
Yesterday, the NDP came forward and said, "You know, we don't like the Liberals and their health care reforms. We can no longer support the Liberals. When the Conservatives bring forth their non-confidence motion, we're going to vote the Liverals out of office."
Immediatly, the Conservatives dismissed this as an NDP negotiating tactic in their negotiations with the Liberals. The Conservatives essentially said, "What? WE never said anything about bringing down the government! If there's going to be a non-confidence motion, it'll have to tabled by the NPD."
Bottom line: odds are very good that we'll be having an election over Christmas holidays. And I'm sure we can all agree, a Christmas election is VERY STUPID!! Who the hell is going to get out there and vote when they're having turkey with the family, or have taken off to Mexico to get away from the snow?
Now, let's get to the current stupidity of Ralph Klein and the Alberta Conservatives.
Back in the spring, Klein finally unveiled plans for his much-ballyhooed healthcare "thrid way." The Third Way is shaping up to be two parallel healthcare systems: one public, the other private. But, in pure Klein fashion, they don't have a plan in place yet.
No, in order to get a plan in place, they put out a contract to private consulting firms. The contract was won a few weeks ago by Aon Consulting, a healthcare consulting firm that specializes in setting up health plans for companies.
As soon as it was announced that Aon Consulting had gotten the contract, the Alberta opposition parties struck. See, in the States, Aon Consulting recently paid out $190 MILLION in an out of court settlement when health fraud charges were brought against them.
The opposition called for the contract to be revoked. How DARE the Tories put Alberta healthcare in the hands of crooks! The Tories refused, however. Klein pointed out that the charges were brought against the American parent company, and the American parent company and the Canadian branch are really two seperate companies. Health Minister Iris Evans said that maybe, probably, the government would think about reviewing their screening process.
The opposition struck again. Turns out the Canadian branch of Aon Consulting is currrently paying out over $1 MILLION in fines for health care violations...in Ontario. Again, the opposition called for the contract to be revoked.
This time, Klein said, "FUCKING LET IT GO!! ALBERTANS DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS!!" I'm paraphrasing, of course.
And, you know what? The media is now silent on the subject.
And that's why the Alberta Conservatives keep getting re-elected.
Firstly, here we all are, encompased in the grip of the possibility of having a Christmas election. Quick re-cap: the preliminary Gomery report came out a couple of weeks ago. While Paul Martin was exonerated, the people ain't buying it, so the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecios are threating to bring down the government at the first possible opportunity.
Yesterday, the NDP came forward and said, "You know, we don't like the Liberals and their health care reforms. We can no longer support the Liberals. When the Conservatives bring forth their non-confidence motion, we're going to vote the Liverals out of office."
Immediatly, the Conservatives dismissed this as an NDP negotiating tactic in their negotiations with the Liberals. The Conservatives essentially said, "What? WE never said anything about bringing down the government! If there's going to be a non-confidence motion, it'll have to tabled by the NPD."
Bottom line: odds are very good that we'll be having an election over Christmas holidays. And I'm sure we can all agree, a Christmas election is VERY STUPID!! Who the hell is going to get out there and vote when they're having turkey with the family, or have taken off to Mexico to get away from the snow?
Now, let's get to the current stupidity of Ralph Klein and the Alberta Conservatives.
Back in the spring, Klein finally unveiled plans for his much-ballyhooed healthcare "thrid way." The Third Way is shaping up to be two parallel healthcare systems: one public, the other private. But, in pure Klein fashion, they don't have a plan in place yet.
No, in order to get a plan in place, they put out a contract to private consulting firms. The contract was won a few weeks ago by Aon Consulting, a healthcare consulting firm that specializes in setting up health plans for companies.
As soon as it was announced that Aon Consulting had gotten the contract, the Alberta opposition parties struck. See, in the States, Aon Consulting recently paid out $190 MILLION in an out of court settlement when health fraud charges were brought against them.
The opposition called for the contract to be revoked. How DARE the Tories put Alberta healthcare in the hands of crooks! The Tories refused, however. Klein pointed out that the charges were brought against the American parent company, and the American parent company and the Canadian branch are really two seperate companies. Health Minister Iris Evans said that maybe, probably, the government would think about reviewing their screening process.
The opposition struck again. Turns out the Canadian branch of Aon Consulting is currrently paying out over $1 MILLION in fines for health care violations...in Ontario. Again, the opposition called for the contract to be revoked.
This time, Klein said, "FUCKING LET IT GO!! ALBERTANS DON'T CARE ABOUT THIS!!" I'm paraphrasing, of course.
And, you know what? The media is now silent on the subject.
And that's why the Alberta Conservatives keep getting re-elected.
Monday, November 07, 2005
Wow. I'm doing some reading on techno-stuff, and I can't believe this.
the Japanese television network NHK is currently testing what they call "Super Hi-Vision." The goal is to create a TV picture so clear and so detailed that it's comperable to looking out the window. How high is the resolution? Here's the scale:
Regular TV: 704x480
Average computer monitor: 1024x768
HDTV: 1920x1080
Super Hi-Vision: 7680x4320
Now THAT'S hi-definition.
Oh, and here's the latest Disney animated classic that's getting the 2-disc special edition treatment. Coming out on February 28 is...
Lady and the Tramp: Special Edition
Besides the expected beautifully digitally restored picture and an all new surround sound mix, you also get:
- two long-lost cut scenes
- a documentary called "Finding Lady: The Art of the Storyboard."
- another documentary called "Lady's Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp."
- a newly discovered alternative storyboard concept (I have no idea what this is)
- and, as always promised, more!
the Japanese television network NHK is currently testing what they call "Super Hi-Vision." The goal is to create a TV picture so clear and so detailed that it's comperable to looking out the window. How high is the resolution? Here's the scale:
Regular TV: 704x480
Average computer monitor: 1024x768
HDTV: 1920x1080
Super Hi-Vision: 7680x4320
Now THAT'S hi-definition.
Oh, and here's the latest Disney animated classic that's getting the 2-disc special edition treatment. Coming out on February 28 is...
Lady and the Tramp: Special Edition
Besides the expected beautifully digitally restored picture and an all new surround sound mix, you also get:
- two long-lost cut scenes
- a documentary called "Finding Lady: The Art of the Storyboard."
- another documentary called "Lady's Pedigree: The Making of Lady and the Tramp."
- a newly discovered alternative storyboard concept (I have no idea what this is)
- and, as always promised, more!
Sunday, November 06, 2005
Latest column's up! I give you a CGI Scorecard:
" I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I love animation. I have a particular fondness for computer animation. Think about it: this is probably the newest moviemaking medium. This is a medium that we’ve been able to watch grow and evolve over the past few years. And then, I saw that Disney was releasing a special 10th anniversary edition of Toy Story. Wow! It was 10 years ago that Toy Story hit theatres and it was marveled as a technical achievement. That means this medium is 10 years old. So, I just wanted to sit down, note how far we’ve come, point out certain developments that have been made, and try to ponder where it’s going."
Gotta say, I'm actually kind of proud of this one. I did some actual research, some genuine revising and rewriting...I actaully put some work into it.
Check it out.
" I think I’ve made it abundantly clear that I love animation. I have a particular fondness for computer animation. Think about it: this is probably the newest moviemaking medium. This is a medium that we’ve been able to watch grow and evolve over the past few years. And then, I saw that Disney was releasing a special 10th anniversary edition of Toy Story. Wow! It was 10 years ago that Toy Story hit theatres and it was marveled as a technical achievement. That means this medium is 10 years old. So, I just wanted to sit down, note how far we’ve come, point out certain developments that have been made, and try to ponder where it’s going."
Gotta say, I'm actually kind of proud of this one. I did some actual research, some genuine revising and rewriting...I actaully put some work into it.
Check it out.
OK, so this has been on my mind a lot lately. I'm not sure I've got enough for a full column yet, so for now, I'm dumping it here. Here are my...
Most Wasted Concepts in Star Trek
Sadly, this happened a lot in Star Trek. Someone comes along with a great concept, but it usually gets forgotten and/or abandoned, never to be fully explored. Now, I'm not going to get catty and say "Enterprise as a whole" or "this particular character," I'm going to try to limit myself to specific concepts.
1) Space Boomers (Enterprise) - So, in Enterprise's first season, we were introduced to the concept of the "space boomer." It went like this. Even though warp speed had been invented, it still took many months, even years, for ships to reach other solar systems. (We're talking speeds of warp 1 and 2 and the like.) Because of this, whole generations of humans were being born and raised on cargo ships. I mean, hey, you're on a trip that could take a year and a few months, what else are you gonna do? This generation was dubbed "the space boomers." In fact, the character of Travis Mayweather was a space boomer. Had they developed Mayweather a little more, we may have seen a little more of "space boomer" culture.
2) MACOs (Enterprise) - OK, so Gene Roddenberry always maintained that Starfleet's primary purprose was exploration. That's fine and dandy, but then how the hell did the Federation defend itself? Many a fan has specualted that maybe there's a "Starfleet Marine Corp" that handles most of the Federation's military operations. The closest we ever got to seeing something like this were the MACOs: Military Action Command Operations. As far as we know, they were Earth's army in the 22nd Century. A platoon of them were assigned to the Enterprise to help out with Xindi war at the start of season 3. Sadly, they were not the colonial marines of Aliens. They turned out to be little more than over-glorified redshirts. What a waste. (And yeah, I said I wasn't going to do this, but what would have really helped was if we got to see more of Major Hayes, the commander of Enterprise's MACO platoon. The man didn't even get a first name, for cripes sake!)
3) The Female Caretaker (Voyager) - The Caretaker bring Voyager to the Delta Quadrant. The Caretaker mentions that he had a mate who abandoned him. The Caretaker dies. Captain Janeway cryptically mentions that there's a "female Caretaker" out there, with the power to get them home. That's all in the pilot. We ran into the female Caretaker ONCE, in which she took off and it was hinted that she would return. SHE NEVER DID!! And I always hoped she'd be the Q of Voyager.
4) Voyager's mixed crew - In the first season, they made a big deal of the fact that half the crew was Starfleet and the other half Maquis. By season 2, everyone was buddy-buddy. WHAT THE HELL??
5) The Reconstruction of Bajor (DS9) - It was clearly established that Sisko's primary mission was to oversee the reconstruction of Bajor, with the final goal being Bajor's entrance into the Federation. That was prelevant in season 1. But then, in season 2, exploration of the Gamma Quadrant came to the fore, and then, in season 3, the Dominion War started and all bets were off! Isn't Bajor EVER going to get into the Federation?
6) The Defiant's Cloaking Device (DS9) - The Defiant is the only Federation starship with a cloaking device. It was obtained in a special treaty with the Romulans. The Federation could only use it against the Dominion and the Dominion only, on the condition that the Federation shares all tactical knowledge of the Dominion with the Romulans. The Romulan Empire even went so far as to assign a Romulan officer to the Defiant to monitor the cloaking device. WE ONLY SAW THAT ROMULAN OFFICER ONCE!! This whole treaty was moot after the the cloaking device was introduced.
And that's the start....
Sadly, this happened a lot in Star Trek. Someone comes along with a great concept, but it usually gets forgotten and/or abandoned, never to be fully explored. Now, I'm not going to get catty and say "Enterprise as a whole" or "this particular character," I'm going to try to limit myself to specific concepts.
1) Space Boomers (Enterprise) - So, in Enterprise's first season, we were introduced to the concept of the "space boomer." It went like this. Even though warp speed had been invented, it still took many months, even years, for ships to reach other solar systems. (We're talking speeds of warp 1 and 2 and the like.) Because of this, whole generations of humans were being born and raised on cargo ships. I mean, hey, you're on a trip that could take a year and a few months, what else are you gonna do? This generation was dubbed "the space boomers." In fact, the character of Travis Mayweather was a space boomer. Had they developed Mayweather a little more, we may have seen a little more of "space boomer" culture.
2) MACOs (Enterprise) - OK, so Gene Roddenberry always maintained that Starfleet's primary purprose was exploration. That's fine and dandy, but then how the hell did the Federation defend itself? Many a fan has specualted that maybe there's a "Starfleet Marine Corp" that handles most of the Federation's military operations. The closest we ever got to seeing something like this were the MACOs: Military Action Command Operations. As far as we know, they were Earth's army in the 22nd Century. A platoon of them were assigned to the Enterprise to help out with Xindi war at the start of season 3. Sadly, they were not the colonial marines of Aliens. They turned out to be little more than over-glorified redshirts. What a waste. (And yeah, I said I wasn't going to do this, but what would have really helped was if we got to see more of Major Hayes, the commander of Enterprise's MACO platoon. The man didn't even get a first name, for cripes sake!)
3) The Female Caretaker (Voyager) - The Caretaker bring Voyager to the Delta Quadrant. The Caretaker mentions that he had a mate who abandoned him. The Caretaker dies. Captain Janeway cryptically mentions that there's a "female Caretaker" out there, with the power to get them home. That's all in the pilot. We ran into the female Caretaker ONCE, in which she took off and it was hinted that she would return. SHE NEVER DID!! And I always hoped she'd be the Q of Voyager.
4) Voyager's mixed crew - In the first season, they made a big deal of the fact that half the crew was Starfleet and the other half Maquis. By season 2, everyone was buddy-buddy. WHAT THE HELL??
5) The Reconstruction of Bajor (DS9) - It was clearly established that Sisko's primary mission was to oversee the reconstruction of Bajor, with the final goal being Bajor's entrance into the Federation. That was prelevant in season 1. But then, in season 2, exploration of the Gamma Quadrant came to the fore, and then, in season 3, the Dominion War started and all bets were off! Isn't Bajor EVER going to get into the Federation?
6) The Defiant's Cloaking Device (DS9) - The Defiant is the only Federation starship with a cloaking device. It was obtained in a special treaty with the Romulans. The Federation could only use it against the Dominion and the Dominion only, on the condition that the Federation shares all tactical knowledge of the Dominion with the Romulans. The Romulan Empire even went so far as to assign a Romulan officer to the Defiant to monitor the cloaking device. WE ONLY SAW THAT ROMULAN OFFICER ONCE!! This whole treaty was moot after the the cloaking device was introduced.
And that's the start....
Friday, November 04, 2005
There you go! I've got my review of Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit up. You can go read it at the main site.
And, as I'm sure you know, I've been wasting a lot of time watching my brand-new Episode III DVD. I just love watching all the behind-the-scenes stuff for Star Wars. I havne't watched the huge-ass documentary Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III yet, but I have watched a huge pile of the featurettes and web documentaries, and you know what I'm getting from all this?
George Lucas reminds me a lot of Thomas Edison.
Let me explain. When the average person thinks of Thomas Edison, they think of this lone genius, sitting alone in a lab, working effortlessly to invent the light bulb. Well, that's not true. The truth is Thomas Edison had this massive, massive team of engineers working under him, and they did the core of the inventing. In fact, Thomas Edison was often chided for not sharing the credit with his team.
And that's how Lucas reminds me of Edison. I'm sure that, the average guy on the street, thinks of Star Wars and thinks that George Lucas is this lone genius, and that all of it sprung from his mind. Well, that's not true. Lucas has this massive team of artists working under, designing General Greivous, building the lightsabers, and animating the FX.
Unlike Edision, though, Lucas gives his team their due credit. And that due credit comes from the behind-the-scenes stuff.
And, all this stuff reminds me of how, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I watched the featurette all about designing General Greivous, and how all the artists would work tirelessly on their designs, and then Lucas would come in, look over the drawings and go, "That one!" And thus Greivous was born.
Well, I remember being six years old and watching a little TV special called The Making of Return of the Jedi. And you know what? In that special, I saw Lucas and his team of artists doing THE EXACT SAME THING for Jabba the Hutt.
And, as I'm sure you know, I've been wasting a lot of time watching my brand-new Episode III DVD. I just love watching all the behind-the-scenes stuff for Star Wars. I havne't watched the huge-ass documentary Within a Minute: The Making of Episode III yet, but I have watched a huge pile of the featurettes and web documentaries, and you know what I'm getting from all this?
George Lucas reminds me a lot of Thomas Edison.
Let me explain. When the average person thinks of Thomas Edison, they think of this lone genius, sitting alone in a lab, working effortlessly to invent the light bulb. Well, that's not true. The truth is Thomas Edison had this massive, massive team of engineers working under him, and they did the core of the inventing. In fact, Thomas Edison was often chided for not sharing the credit with his team.
And that's how Lucas reminds me of Edison. I'm sure that, the average guy on the street, thinks of Star Wars and thinks that George Lucas is this lone genius, and that all of it sprung from his mind. Well, that's not true. Lucas has this massive team of artists working under, designing General Greivous, building the lightsabers, and animating the FX.
Unlike Edision, though, Lucas gives his team their due credit. And that due credit comes from the behind-the-scenes stuff.
And, all this stuff reminds me of how, the more things change, the more they stay the same. I watched the featurette all about designing General Greivous, and how all the artists would work tirelessly on their designs, and then Lucas would come in, look over the drawings and go, "That one!" And thus Greivous was born.
Well, I remember being six years old and watching a little TV special called The Making of Return of the Jedi. And you know what? In that special, I saw Lucas and his team of artists doing THE EXACT SAME THING for Jabba the Hutt.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Well, in case you haven't heard yet, the brand-new trailer for King Kong is online. There's some nifty computer animation going on there.
But you know...hmm. I hope I don't have to turn in my "geek membership" for admitting this but....
I'm just not getting psyched about King Kong.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it'll be a very good movie. I'm sure it'll make a buttload of money. But, I look at the trailers and all that, and I can't help but think, "Meh."
Weird, isn't it? This is supposed to be the kind of movie that's right up my alley: spectacular special effects, helmed by a master of the genre (Peter Jackson), some really sweet action, but all I'm thinking is "Meh."
I just can't get excited about it.
This isn't the first time this has happened. The first time it happened was about two years ago with Pirates of the Carribean: the Curse of the Black Pearl. Again, it seemed like the kind of special effects filled geek-fest that would be right up my alley, but all the trailers just had me going, "Meh." And, when I finally did see it on DVD, to tell the truth, I thought it was just simply "OK," unlike most of the world, which thought, "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! MY WORLD IS FOREVER CHANGED BECAUSE JOHNNY DEPP PLAYED A PIRATE!"
So, yeah. I just can't get excited about Kong. I'm still gonna see it. But, right now, as of this moment, I'm just not getting swept up in the hype.
And while I'm at it, I'd like to say that I'm already sick of Disney's Chicken Little.
See, here's the story: Chicken Little was originally supposed to come out back in the summer, with Pixar's Cars coming out this month. But, Cars got pushed back to Summer 2006, meaning Chicken Little got pushed back to November 2005 to fill the gap.
Now, as it was originally supposed to be in theatres six months ago, Disney got their hype machine way back in September of 2004. The film got pushed back, and the hype machine went into extra innings.
The Disney hype machine has been going flat-out hyping up Chicken Little for about 16 months now, and it's pretty much killed all interest I have in seeing the film. When I saw the first TV spots about two months ago, i was already thinking, "Isn't it out yet?"
It finally comes out tomorrow. Let's see what the reviews will say.
But you know...hmm. I hope I don't have to turn in my "geek membership" for admitting this but....
I'm just not getting psyched about King Kong.
Don't get me wrong. I'm sure it'll be a very good movie. I'm sure it'll make a buttload of money. But, I look at the trailers and all that, and I can't help but think, "Meh."
Weird, isn't it? This is supposed to be the kind of movie that's right up my alley: spectacular special effects, helmed by a master of the genre (Peter Jackson), some really sweet action, but all I'm thinking is "Meh."
I just can't get excited about it.
This isn't the first time this has happened. The first time it happened was about two years ago with Pirates of the Carribean: the Curse of the Black Pearl. Again, it seemed like the kind of special effects filled geek-fest that would be right up my alley, but all the trailers just had me going, "Meh." And, when I finally did see it on DVD, to tell the truth, I thought it was just simply "OK," unlike most of the world, which thought, "OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD! MY WORLD IS FOREVER CHANGED BECAUSE JOHNNY DEPP PLAYED A PIRATE!"
So, yeah. I just can't get excited about Kong. I'm still gonna see it. But, right now, as of this moment, I'm just not getting swept up in the hype.
And while I'm at it, I'd like to say that I'm already sick of Disney's Chicken Little.
See, here's the story: Chicken Little was originally supposed to come out back in the summer, with Pixar's Cars coming out this month. But, Cars got pushed back to Summer 2006, meaning Chicken Little got pushed back to November 2005 to fill the gap.
Now, as it was originally supposed to be in theatres six months ago, Disney got their hype machine way back in September of 2004. The film got pushed back, and the hype machine went into extra innings.
The Disney hype machine has been going flat-out hyping up Chicken Little for about 16 months now, and it's pretty much killed all interest I have in seeing the film. When I saw the first TV spots about two months ago, i was already thinking, "Isn't it out yet?"
It finally comes out tomorrow. Let's see what the reviews will say.
Wednesday, November 02, 2005
I had one of those impossibly good days that seem to be few and far between these days. Many good things happened to me:
- After two years of searching, I finally got my hands on one of the J-Pop songs I absolutly loved when I was in Japan. I love it when I get one of those songs...it kinda cements the fact that teaching in Japan was something I really did, and not some crazy dream.
- Went to see Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. My God, that is one funny movie. I'm still deciding whether it was 3 nibs or 3.5. There's this one bit involving a coin-operated biplane...you have to see it to believe it.
- Bought Episode III on DVD!!
- Stopped by NAIT and did some fiddling with the equipment and whipped up a new announcing demo. I like this one a lot more than the last one I made about three weeks ago.
- And, to top it all off, I got paid to do all this, because in between, I swung by the lab to drop off some soil samples!
It was a good day. A lot of good things happened, and at the end I felt as though I'd accomplished something. That feeling's gotten so rare....
About the only thing that would have made it better was if Dax welcomed me home wearing nothing but a smile and her spots.
(Been watching a lot of DS9 reruns as of late.)
- After two years of searching, I finally got my hands on one of the J-Pop songs I absolutly loved when I was in Japan. I love it when I get one of those songs...it kinda cements the fact that teaching in Japan was something I really did, and not some crazy dream.
- Went to see Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit. My God, that is one funny movie. I'm still deciding whether it was 3 nibs or 3.5. There's this one bit involving a coin-operated biplane...you have to see it to believe it.
- Bought Episode III on DVD!!
- Stopped by NAIT and did some fiddling with the equipment and whipped up a new announcing demo. I like this one a lot more than the last one I made about three weeks ago.
- And, to top it all off, I got paid to do all this, because in between, I swung by the lab to drop off some soil samples!
It was a good day. A lot of good things happened, and at the end I felt as though I'd accomplished something. That feeling's gotten so rare....
About the only thing that would have made it better was if Dax welcomed me home wearing nothing but a smile and her spots.
(Been watching a lot of DS9 reruns as of late.)
Tuesday, November 01, 2005
Well, I've got some sad news to report from the world of Star Trek.
Michael Piller has passed away.
Piller was one of those responsible for the golden years of The Next Generation. Hell, the man wrote "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Unification" (aka the Spock episode).
He went on to co-create Deep Space Nine (with Rick Berman) and Voyager (with Berman and Jeri Taylor). He wrote tons of episodes of the inagural seasons of both those shows. He even wrote one of the films: Star Trek Insurrection.
Piller left the Star Trek fold and struck out on his own. He was currently riding high as the creator of two hit made-for-cable TV shows: The Dead Zone and Wildfire.
Piller died of neck cancer. He was 57.
Michael Piller has passed away.
Piller was one of those responsible for the golden years of The Next Generation. Hell, the man wrote "The Best of Both Worlds" and "Unification" (aka the Spock episode).
He went on to co-create Deep Space Nine (with Rick Berman) and Voyager (with Berman and Jeri Taylor). He wrote tons of episodes of the inagural seasons of both those shows. He even wrote one of the films: Star Trek Insurrection.
Piller left the Star Trek fold and struck out on his own. He was currently riding high as the creator of two hit made-for-cable TV shows: The Dead Zone and Wildfire.
Piller died of neck cancer. He was 57.
I love this story. It was plastered on the front page of today's Edmonton Journal.
They think they found moose in New Zealand!
Here's the whole story: way back in 1910, a group of Canadian immigrants in New Zealand got in their head to try to introduce moose to New Zealand. 10 moose from Saskatchewan were shipped to New Zealand and released into the wild!
Now, the moose never really took off in New Zealand. The last one died in 1952. But, that was just enough for New Zealand moose to become like Bigfoot. Kiwis would come back from their camping trips, telling tales of moose that they saw in the wild after a few beers.
So, flash forward to the present day, when some Kiwi campers came across a mysterious tuft of hair in the bush. They sent it off for analysis, and you know what?
Genetic tests say it's moose hair!
Once again, the New Zealand population is all a twitter at the prospect of a long-lost moose herd, hiding somewhere deep in the rain forest. Trippy, eh?
Oh, and got a little bit of DVD news for you.
Serenity has just been cleared for a December 20 release. Sadly, it won't be a huge-ass, 2-disc, mega-super-special edition. You'll get 3 featurettes, some deleted scenes, bloopers, and an intro and running commentary by writer/director Joss Whedon.
Serenity will be available in full screen, widescreen, and UMD.
They think they found moose in New Zealand!
Here's the whole story: way back in 1910, a group of Canadian immigrants in New Zealand got in their head to try to introduce moose to New Zealand. 10 moose from Saskatchewan were shipped to New Zealand and released into the wild!
Now, the moose never really took off in New Zealand. The last one died in 1952. But, that was just enough for New Zealand moose to become like Bigfoot. Kiwis would come back from their camping trips, telling tales of moose that they saw in the wild after a few beers.
So, flash forward to the present day, when some Kiwi campers came across a mysterious tuft of hair in the bush. They sent it off for analysis, and you know what?
Genetic tests say it's moose hair!
Once again, the New Zealand population is all a twitter at the prospect of a long-lost moose herd, hiding somewhere deep in the rain forest. Trippy, eh?
Oh, and got a little bit of DVD news for you.
Serenity has just been cleared for a December 20 release. Sadly, it won't be a huge-ass, 2-disc, mega-super-special edition. You'll get 3 featurettes, some deleted scenes, bloopers, and an intro and running commentary by writer/director Joss Whedon.
Serenity will be available in full screen, widescreen, and UMD.
Episode III on DVD!!
That's the only DVD release you should be caring about today.
Oh, well, that and Star Trek Enterprise: Season 4 is also out. Hands down, this is the best season of the Star Trek prequel series, but I'm still trying to figure out if it's so good because of improved writing, a strengthening of the characters, and finally giving the rest of the crew something to do...or just the extensive, extensive continuity whoring.
Trust me, Episode III does that all of that...and better.
That's the only DVD release you should be caring about today.
Oh, well, that and Star Trek Enterprise: Season 4 is also out. Hands down, this is the best season of the Star Trek prequel series, but I'm still trying to figure out if it's so good because of improved writing, a strengthening of the characters, and finally giving the rest of the crew something to do...or just the extensive, extensive continuity whoring.
Trust me, Episode III does that all of that...and better.
Monday, October 31, 2005
YES!! A day late, and by no fault of my own, the latest column is finally up!
This week it's The Dark Knight Strikes:
" He’s been one of the most enduring superheroes of the past 60 years. He’s been a dark avenger of the night, a bright, cheerful hero of the Silver Age, and a gross parody of the genre. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is the Batman. And he is perhaps the one superhero I love the most. But how did I reach this point? How did I arrive at the place where, at the ripe old age of 28, I still collect the trade paperbacks and read them cover to cover? I suppose it all started way back in the summer of 1989…."
Read it all!
This week it's The Dark Knight Strikes:
" He’s been one of the most enduring superheroes of the past 60 years. He’s been a dark avenger of the night, a bright, cheerful hero of the Silver Age, and a gross parody of the genre. He is vengeance. He is the night. He is the Batman. And he is perhaps the one superhero I love the most. But how did I reach this point? How did I arrive at the place where, at the ripe old age of 28, I still collect the trade paperbacks and read them cover to cover? I suppose it all started way back in the summer of 1989…."
Read it all!
Sunday, October 30, 2005
DAMN IT!! What happened to you, Angelfire? Why can I not log in? Why is my website suddenly an "Error 403: Forbidden?"
I wonder if this is it..."the end." I've been fearing this for some time, now. I've been using Angelfire as my server ever since that cold, November night in 1997 when my best friend and I were hanging out one night, and he told me about this one website he found that let you have a FREE website!
I signed up for my free website, and Chaos In A Box.com was born. Back in those days, Angelfire only gave you 200k of free server space. Now, they give you 20M.
But still, it was free. And using something for free for 8 years is quite remarkable. But now...if it is gone for good, I guess I have to rebuild.
I've got most of the original webpages still here on my hard drive. Maybe now I should buy decent server space, and upgrade to some kind of php formatting that my best friend has been trying to sell me on.
I've been wanting to buy decent server space for years, but I've been worrying about the price. My best friend boasts of paying only $17.95 per year for his, and that sounds good, but while I've got no job, I can't help but wonder if I'll have an extra $17.95 NEXT year, ya know?
Hopefully, I'm just panicking. Hopefully, my part of Angelfire is just down for maintenance right now.
But man, if I've got to rebuild....
I wonder if this is it..."the end." I've been fearing this for some time, now. I've been using Angelfire as my server ever since that cold, November night in 1997 when my best friend and I were hanging out one night, and he told me about this one website he found that let you have a FREE website!
I signed up for my free website, and Chaos In A Box.com was born. Back in those days, Angelfire only gave you 200k of free server space. Now, they give you 20M.
But still, it was free. And using something for free for 8 years is quite remarkable. But now...if it is gone for good, I guess I have to rebuild.
I've got most of the original webpages still here on my hard drive. Maybe now I should buy decent server space, and upgrade to some kind of php formatting that my best friend has been trying to sell me on.
I've been wanting to buy decent server space for years, but I've been worrying about the price. My best friend boasts of paying only $17.95 per year for his, and that sounds good, but while I've got no job, I can't help but wonder if I'll have an extra $17.95 NEXT year, ya know?
Hopefully, I'm just panicking. Hopefully, my part of Angelfire is just down for maintenance right now.
But man, if I've got to rebuild....
Friday, October 28, 2005
I've been left pretty immobile all week, thanks to the flu. And, since I don't feel like moving or going anywhere, I've been watching a lot of Star Trek reruns. Between SpikeTV and Space: the Imagination Station, I can watch Star Trek reruns for a good one-third of the day.
Today's DS9 reruns were the end of the sixth season and the start of the seventh. These two episodes are notable for one main reason: they killed Jadzia Dax, and brought in Ezri Dax.
For those who don't remember, Jadzia Dax died in the Bajoran temple on DS9. She was saying a prayer to the Prophets, when a possessed Gul Dukat came in and gunned her down. Well, she wasn't gunned down as much as she was zapped down with mystical energy from Dukat's fingertips. All in all, I think it's fair to say it was a "punk death." Sadly, unless it's in a movie, Star Trek characters always die punk deaths.
And then, the introduction of Ezri. I, personally, kind of like it for being simple and understated. Capt. Sisko, refreshed from his sabbatical, is about to go off and rescue the Prophets. And then, there's a knock on the door of the Sisko family restaurant. The door opens, and in walks the cute-as-a-button Nicole deBoer. "Hello, Benjamin," she says. "It's me...Dax." Fade to black. Yeah, this happens in the last 2 minutes of the episode. But still, it's so simple and it works.
Today's trivia bit: Ezri Dax is the only Star Trek main character who has yet to be made into an action figure.
And then, I've also seen my fair share of Star Trek's "metaphor" episodes. See, some of the best science fiction has always been satirical in nature. They'll take some present-day issue, push it to ridiculous extremes, and then move it to an alien planet. The goal is - hopefully - to get you to look at the issue in a new light. Star Trek's done several episodes like this. The best ones are when the metaphor/satire is subtle. The worst ones are when they beat you over the head with it and get a little preachy.
I saw one of the more recent, better examples of a worse one. It was a Voyager episode called "Critical Care." The issue it was satirizing: private, for-profit healthcare.
The set-up was like this: the Doctor was kidnapped and forced to work in this alien hospital. Now, this alien hospital was run by a computer that would calculate your "worth to society." The more you were worth, the better the healthcare you got. The Doctor saw such atrocities as the "worthless" citizens being denied the necessary cures while those with "a great deal of worth" frittered away these cures on frivilous things like anti-aging treatments. Eventually, the Doctor started subverting the system to make sure everyone got the same quality of healthcare. The episode ends with the Doctor re-programming the computer so the hospital's administrators are deemed "worthless," and then infecting them with a deadly plague. Because the administrators are now "worthless," the necessary cure is denied to them. And thus, the Doctor brings and end to this system.
See? Now that's not subtle at all. Prime example of being beaten over the head with the message.
Today's DS9 reruns were the end of the sixth season and the start of the seventh. These two episodes are notable for one main reason: they killed Jadzia Dax, and brought in Ezri Dax.
For those who don't remember, Jadzia Dax died in the Bajoran temple on DS9. She was saying a prayer to the Prophets, when a possessed Gul Dukat came in and gunned her down. Well, she wasn't gunned down as much as she was zapped down with mystical energy from Dukat's fingertips. All in all, I think it's fair to say it was a "punk death." Sadly, unless it's in a movie, Star Trek characters always die punk deaths.
And then, the introduction of Ezri. I, personally, kind of like it for being simple and understated. Capt. Sisko, refreshed from his sabbatical, is about to go off and rescue the Prophets. And then, there's a knock on the door of the Sisko family restaurant. The door opens, and in walks the cute-as-a-button Nicole deBoer. "Hello, Benjamin," she says. "It's me...Dax." Fade to black. Yeah, this happens in the last 2 minutes of the episode. But still, it's so simple and it works.
Today's trivia bit: Ezri Dax is the only Star Trek main character who has yet to be made into an action figure.
And then, I've also seen my fair share of Star Trek's "metaphor" episodes. See, some of the best science fiction has always been satirical in nature. They'll take some present-day issue, push it to ridiculous extremes, and then move it to an alien planet. The goal is - hopefully - to get you to look at the issue in a new light. Star Trek's done several episodes like this. The best ones are when the metaphor/satire is subtle. The worst ones are when they beat you over the head with it and get a little preachy.
I saw one of the more recent, better examples of a worse one. It was a Voyager episode called "Critical Care." The issue it was satirizing: private, for-profit healthcare.
The set-up was like this: the Doctor was kidnapped and forced to work in this alien hospital. Now, this alien hospital was run by a computer that would calculate your "worth to society." The more you were worth, the better the healthcare you got. The Doctor saw such atrocities as the "worthless" citizens being denied the necessary cures while those with "a great deal of worth" frittered away these cures on frivilous things like anti-aging treatments. Eventually, the Doctor started subverting the system to make sure everyone got the same quality of healthcare. The episode ends with the Doctor re-programming the computer so the hospital's administrators are deemed "worthless," and then infecting them with a deadly plague. Because the administrators are now "worthless," the necessary cure is denied to them. And thus, the Doctor brings and end to this system.
See? Now that's not subtle at all. Prime example of being beaten over the head with the message.
Got a little more King Kong news today. In case you've missed it, King Kong officially clocks in at 3 hours, with a final budget of $207 million.
Anyway, the long-awaited new trailer is that much closer to hitting theatres. You'll be able to see it in front of the war drama Jarhead, coming out on November 4. And, if you miss it in front of Jarhead, the new Kong trailer will be given "priority placement" in front of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on November 18!
(Ooo, and at this point, I'd like to point out that rumour has it that the first-ever teaser for Superman Returns will also be in front of Goblet of Fire.)
And don't forget, the original, 1933 version of King Kong FINALLY comes out on DVD on November 22. It'll be a brand-new 2-disc special edition, featuring a painstakingly digitally restored print of the film. For your bonus materials, you get a 7-part documentary about the film (directed by Peter Jackson!), a documentary about Meriam C. Cooper (writer and director of the original Kong), and a running commentary involving special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, special effects guru Ken Ralston, and historical soudbites from the cast and crew.
Or, if you want to go the prestige route, you can get the "Collector's Edition." It's the above 2-disc special edition, only packaged in a collectable tin, with a reprint of the program you got when you saw Kong back in 1933, 5 postcards featurning King Kong movie posters from over the years, and a mail-away offer for a reprint of the orignal King Kong movie poster!
And, also coming out on November 22 is the oft-forgotten 1976 version of King Kong. that's just a movie-only disc.
Anyway, the long-awaited new trailer is that much closer to hitting theatres. You'll be able to see it in front of the war drama Jarhead, coming out on November 4. And, if you miss it in front of Jarhead, the new Kong trailer will be given "priority placement" in front of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire on November 18!
(Ooo, and at this point, I'd like to point out that rumour has it that the first-ever teaser for Superman Returns will also be in front of Goblet of Fire.)
And don't forget, the original, 1933 version of King Kong FINALLY comes out on DVD on November 22. It'll be a brand-new 2-disc special edition, featuring a painstakingly digitally restored print of the film. For your bonus materials, you get a 7-part documentary about the film (directed by Peter Jackson!), a documentary about Meriam C. Cooper (writer and director of the original Kong), and a running commentary involving special effects pioneer Ray Harryhausen, special effects guru Ken Ralston, and historical soudbites from the cast and crew.
Or, if you want to go the prestige route, you can get the "Collector's Edition." It's the above 2-disc special edition, only packaged in a collectable tin, with a reprint of the program you got when you saw Kong back in 1933, 5 postcards featurning King Kong movie posters from over the years, and a mail-away offer for a reprint of the orignal King Kong movie poster!
And, also coming out on November 22 is the oft-forgotten 1976 version of King Kong. that's just a movie-only disc.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
If you don't mind, I'm going to take a minute to rant about the Government of Alberta.
First up: the lobbyist registry. This has been a minor issue for a few years now. People are pushing to create a lobbyist registry for the provincial government. It seems like a good idea. I mean, the federal government has one. Other provinces have them. And, wouldn't you like to know who gets paid the big bucks to try to influence our leaders?
An all-party committee was commissioned to analyze the situation. They delivered their report. And you know what? They said it was a good idea. It's very rare when here in Alberta the Tories, the Liberals, and the NDP all agree on something.
Except, of course, Ralph Klein.
Klein's been dead-set against a lobbyist registry ever since the issue first came up. Originally, he'd try to shrug off the issue...say that it would be difficult to set-up because "it's difficult to define a lobbyist." And now, today, when the committee came back with their report and said it was needed, do you know what Klein said? His exact quote:
"We don't need a lobbyist registry. I know all the lobbyists. You know all the lobbyists. The opposition knows all the lobbyists. Everyone knows all the lobbyists!"
Umm...no we don't.
If I were paranoid, I'd say Klein's trying to hide something.
Power deregulation. What's up with that?
I've never understood it completely. This is my closest to grasping it.
See, back in the good ol' days, TransAlta Utilites ran everything. If they wanted to increase the cost of electricity, they'd ask the government. Nice and simple.
But then...deregulation. "Look," said the government. "Stop asking us if it's OK to increase power costs or not! Here's what we're gonna do. We're going to open the doors! We'll allow more power companies than TransAlta to operate! Then, the free market can determine the prices! Viva la capitalism!"
So, they did that with electricity and natural gas. Some of the bigger players in the game right now are Epcor (formerly Edmonton Power) and EnMax (formerly Calgary Power). And suddenly, power prices shot up like a rocket. Electricity became outrageously high. The power companies had you signing into contracts, similar to a long-distance plan with your phones, in order to guarantee a fixed rate. But, because prices were so high, and the fixed rates on the contracts were even higher, no one wanted to sign onto a contract.
"Oh, don't worry!" said the government. "Once we all get used to this and the market stabalizes, the prices will come plummeting down! Just you watch!" Guess what? The prices never came down.
So, the government decided to re-regulate. When you sign up for your power, you have a choice: you can either go on the government-decided floating rate, or you can sign onto a power company contract.
As I write this, only 7% of Albertans have signed onto a contract. Ralph Klein, the mastermind of this project, doesn't even have a contract. And, Klein tells us that the re-regulation is going to end in 2011, so if the market hasn't stabalized by then, we're screwed.
I don't know. This was triggered by EnMax and their new ad campaign. They finally got the bright idea to offer a bundled electricity/natural gas contract. They promise it'll save you $100/year. "Not even Klein can turn down this contract," they said!
They say the $100/year savings comes from administrative costs...they'll be sending you just one bill instead of two, you see.
Turning on the lights became a whole lot more complicated because of deregulation.
You probably never expected me to say this, but our education system is fucked.
This was brought on by reading a letter to the editor in the Edmonton Journal last week. A mother had just come from NAIT's open house and was lamenting that her "average" daughter couldn't meet NAIT's minimum 60% average for admissions. This mother was also distraught over NAIT's requirement of the Career Investigation Report for part of your application. "What happened to the good old days, when the demands of the course weeded out those who weren't acceptable?" decried the mother.
OK, I'll admit, because I was an honour student, i have no concept as to what the average average is. So, I asked my mother, former school board trustee who lived with these stats for 15 years, and she assured me that 60% is around the average average. So, if 60% is too high for the "average" person...then what kind of standard is this mother using?
Secondly, the Career Invesitgation Report. I had to write one to get into NAIT. The instructors explained to me why. See, those "good old days, when the demands of the course weeded out those who weren't acceptable," were incredibly stressful. Drop-out rates became phenominally high. It was frightening. Radio actually had the dubious distinction of having the highest drop-out rate in NAIT. So, the Career Investigation Report was brought in to seperate those who were serious about it from those who were just goofing around.
A Career Investigation Report is the easist thing in the world to write, too. Just grab the phone book. Just pick anyone who's doing the job you want to do. Call them up, ask them a few questions about the job. Then, stretch it into a one-page essay. IT'S JUST THAT EASY! If you're too lazy to do even that, then you don't go to NAIT. And those who aren't serious about it are weeded out.
I will admit, though, that this shows how our education system is fucked. The mother lamented in her letter that they were only bothering with NAIT because her kid's grades weren't good enough for the U of A. And this is where the problem is.
The entire school curriculum has become geared for university entrance. As soon as you start grade 7, to when you graduate from grade 12, you are being groomed to go to universtiy. No where along the line anymore are the teenagers told, "You know, you might do good in a trade! Why don't you start looking at the trade schools?" It's become all "university or nothing."
And that's got to change.
First up: the lobbyist registry. This has been a minor issue for a few years now. People are pushing to create a lobbyist registry for the provincial government. It seems like a good idea. I mean, the federal government has one. Other provinces have them. And, wouldn't you like to know who gets paid the big bucks to try to influence our leaders?
An all-party committee was commissioned to analyze the situation. They delivered their report. And you know what? They said it was a good idea. It's very rare when here in Alberta the Tories, the Liberals, and the NDP all agree on something.
Except, of course, Ralph Klein.
Klein's been dead-set against a lobbyist registry ever since the issue first came up. Originally, he'd try to shrug off the issue...say that it would be difficult to set-up because "it's difficult to define a lobbyist." And now, today, when the committee came back with their report and said it was needed, do you know what Klein said? His exact quote:
"We don't need a lobbyist registry. I know all the lobbyists. You know all the lobbyists. The opposition knows all the lobbyists. Everyone knows all the lobbyists!"
Umm...no we don't.
If I were paranoid, I'd say Klein's trying to hide something.
Power deregulation. What's up with that?
I've never understood it completely. This is my closest to grasping it.
See, back in the good ol' days, TransAlta Utilites ran everything. If they wanted to increase the cost of electricity, they'd ask the government. Nice and simple.
But then...deregulation. "Look," said the government. "Stop asking us if it's OK to increase power costs or not! Here's what we're gonna do. We're going to open the doors! We'll allow more power companies than TransAlta to operate! Then, the free market can determine the prices! Viva la capitalism!"
So, they did that with electricity and natural gas. Some of the bigger players in the game right now are Epcor (formerly Edmonton Power) and EnMax (formerly Calgary Power). And suddenly, power prices shot up like a rocket. Electricity became outrageously high. The power companies had you signing into contracts, similar to a long-distance plan with your phones, in order to guarantee a fixed rate. But, because prices were so high, and the fixed rates on the contracts were even higher, no one wanted to sign onto a contract.
"Oh, don't worry!" said the government. "Once we all get used to this and the market stabalizes, the prices will come plummeting down! Just you watch!" Guess what? The prices never came down.
So, the government decided to re-regulate. When you sign up for your power, you have a choice: you can either go on the government-decided floating rate, or you can sign onto a power company contract.
As I write this, only 7% of Albertans have signed onto a contract. Ralph Klein, the mastermind of this project, doesn't even have a contract. And, Klein tells us that the re-regulation is going to end in 2011, so if the market hasn't stabalized by then, we're screwed.
I don't know. This was triggered by EnMax and their new ad campaign. They finally got the bright idea to offer a bundled electricity/natural gas contract. They promise it'll save you $100/year. "Not even Klein can turn down this contract," they said!
They say the $100/year savings comes from administrative costs...they'll be sending you just one bill instead of two, you see.
Turning on the lights became a whole lot more complicated because of deregulation.
You probably never expected me to say this, but our education system is fucked.
This was brought on by reading a letter to the editor in the Edmonton Journal last week. A mother had just come from NAIT's open house and was lamenting that her "average" daughter couldn't meet NAIT's minimum 60% average for admissions. This mother was also distraught over NAIT's requirement of the Career Investigation Report for part of your application. "What happened to the good old days, when the demands of the course weeded out those who weren't acceptable?" decried the mother.
OK, I'll admit, because I was an honour student, i have no concept as to what the average average is. So, I asked my mother, former school board trustee who lived with these stats for 15 years, and she assured me that 60% is around the average average. So, if 60% is too high for the "average" person...then what kind of standard is this mother using?
Secondly, the Career Invesitgation Report. I had to write one to get into NAIT. The instructors explained to me why. See, those "good old days, when the demands of the course weeded out those who weren't acceptable," were incredibly stressful. Drop-out rates became phenominally high. It was frightening. Radio actually had the dubious distinction of having the highest drop-out rate in NAIT. So, the Career Investigation Report was brought in to seperate those who were serious about it from those who were just goofing around.
A Career Investigation Report is the easist thing in the world to write, too. Just grab the phone book. Just pick anyone who's doing the job you want to do. Call them up, ask them a few questions about the job. Then, stretch it into a one-page essay. IT'S JUST THAT EASY! If you're too lazy to do even that, then you don't go to NAIT. And those who aren't serious about it are weeded out.
I will admit, though, that this shows how our education system is fucked. The mother lamented in her letter that they were only bothering with NAIT because her kid's grades weren't good enough for the U of A. And this is where the problem is.
The entire school curriculum has become geared for university entrance. As soon as you start grade 7, to when you graduate from grade 12, you are being groomed to go to universtiy. No where along the line anymore are the teenagers told, "You know, you might do good in a trade! Why don't you start looking at the trade schools?" It's become all "university or nothing."
And that's got to change.
Wednesday, October 26, 2005
Wow! It's the day for top 100 lists.
As I was flipping through the channels tonight, I came across a CBC documentary called The Alberta 100. In honour of Alberta's centennial, this show counted down the top 100 Albertans. And, since I've been all about the centennial kitsch, I tuned in.
As with the geek moments, I'll just recount the top 10 for you:
10) Ian Tyson, Alberta singer and songwriter.
9) Father Albert Lacombe, frontier missionary
8) W.O. Mitchell, author
7) Vern "Dry Hole" Hunter, the man who struck oil in Leduc.
6) Grant MacEwan, author and politician
5) Col. James MacLeod, NWMP Commisioner
4) Norm Kwong, our current Lieutenant Governor and the first Asian to play in the CFL.
3) Crowfoot, Sisika chief
2) Ernest Manning, Alberta's longest serving premier (1943-1968)
1) Lois Hole, Lieutenant Governor, entrepreneur, activist, and author
Some other notables from down on the list:
93) Todd McFarlane, Comic Book Artist
77) Leslie Nielsen, Actor
71) Stu Hart, Wrestling Promoter
56) Kurt Browning
52) Douglas Cardinal, world-renouned architect (my mother loathes him)
37) Ralph Klein
19) Wilf Carter
17) Emily Murphy (all five of the Famous Five made the list; Murphy is the highest-ranking)
12) Peter Lougheed
You can check out the complete list at The Alberta 100.com
Oh, and I thought you'd like to know, the big movie of the holiday season, Peter Jackson's King Kong, clocks in at 3 hours exactly. Jackson originally promised Universal Studios that the filmw ould only be 2.5 h, but when the Universal executives saw Jackson's final cut, they agreed that it needed to be 3 hours long.
As I was flipping through the channels tonight, I came across a CBC documentary called The Alberta 100. In honour of Alberta's centennial, this show counted down the top 100 Albertans. And, since I've been all about the centennial kitsch, I tuned in.
As with the geek moments, I'll just recount the top 10 for you:
10) Ian Tyson, Alberta singer and songwriter.
9) Father Albert Lacombe, frontier missionary
8) W.O. Mitchell, author
7) Vern "Dry Hole" Hunter, the man who struck oil in Leduc.
6) Grant MacEwan, author and politician
5) Col. James MacLeod, NWMP Commisioner
4) Norm Kwong, our current Lieutenant Governor and the first Asian to play in the CFL.
3) Crowfoot, Sisika chief
2) Ernest Manning, Alberta's longest serving premier (1943-1968)
1) Lois Hole, Lieutenant Governor, entrepreneur, activist, and author
Some other notables from down on the list:
93) Todd McFarlane, Comic Book Artist
77) Leslie Nielsen, Actor
71) Stu Hart, Wrestling Promoter
56) Kurt Browning
52) Douglas Cardinal, world-renouned architect (my mother loathes him)
37) Ralph Klein
19) Wilf Carter
17) Emily Murphy (all five of the Famous Five made the list; Murphy is the highest-ranking)
12) Peter Lougheed
You can check out the complete list at The Alberta 100.com
Oh, and I thought you'd like to know, the big movie of the holiday season, Peter Jackson's King Kong, clocks in at 3 hours exactly. Jackson originally promised Universal Studios that the filmw ould only be 2.5 h, but when the Universal executives saw Jackson's final cut, they agreed that it needed to be 3 hours long.
So, I highly recommend picking up the 100th issue of ToyFare. In it, they list the top 100 geek moments. I'm not going to share all 100 with you, but I will share the top 10:
10) April 27, 1956 - The first Godzilla movie hits theatres.
9) May 10, 1975 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail hits theatres.
8) February 18, 1990 - The Simpsons premieres.
7) May 3, 2002 - The most-anticipated comic book movie of all time, Spider-Man, finally hits theatres.
6) The climax of Superman in which Superman, totally distraught over Lois Lane's death, flies off into space and turns back time to resurrect her.
5) Wolverine launches into his berzerker rage and takes down all of Styker's troops in X2
4) The climax of The Matrix, in which Neo finally believes that he is "the one" and launches into his final battle with Agent Smith.
3) "No...I am you father" from The Empire Strikes Back
2) Gandalf vs. the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
1) Darth Vader takes down Emperor Palpatine, thus earning redemption, in The Empire Strikes Back.
It's a great list...not sure I'd agree with all their choices, but they do cover all aspets of geek culture: movies, TV shows, comics, video games, and toys.
10) April 27, 1956 - The first Godzilla movie hits theatres.
9) May 10, 1975 - Monty Python and the Holy Grail hits theatres.
8) February 18, 1990 - The Simpsons premieres.
7) May 3, 2002 - The most-anticipated comic book movie of all time, Spider-Man, finally hits theatres.
6) The climax of Superman in which Superman, totally distraught over Lois Lane's death, flies off into space and turns back time to resurrect her.
5) Wolverine launches into his berzerker rage and takes down all of Styker's troops in X2
4) The climax of The Matrix, in which Neo finally believes that he is "the one" and launches into his final battle with Agent Smith.
3) "No...I am you father" from The Empire Strikes Back
2) Gandalf vs. the Balrog in The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
1) Darth Vader takes down Emperor Palpatine, thus earning redemption, in The Empire Strikes Back.
It's a great list...not sure I'd agree with all their choices, but they do cover all aspets of geek culture: movies, TV shows, comics, video games, and toys.
Tuesday, October 25, 2005
It's Titanic Tuesday!
Another of those DVD mega-special editions I've been waiting for for oh-so-long comes out today:
Titanic: Special Collector's Edition
This 3-disc edition finally gives you everything you ever wanted to know about the 1997 classic. Three running commentaries, completed deleted scenes, and a slew of featurettes! I wouldn't mind having it under my Christmas tree.
Now, last week I told you that there was something controversial about this DVD. And here it is. Originally, it was going to be a 4-disc special edition, and the fourth disc was going to have a brand-new, huge, documentary about the making of the film. (Similar to Empire of Dreams with the Star Wars Trilogy boxed set.) The documentary was finished, it was all ready to be pressed to DVD but, at the last minute, Titanic writer/director James Cameron pulled the plug! He refused to release the documentary!
So, the question on everyone's mind is...why?
Oh, well. It's still a nicely stacked special edition.
Some other notable DVD releases today:
The Wizard of Oz - This classic film also gets a long-deserved mega-special edition. You can go for the nicely-stacked 2-disc special edition, or you can get the 3-disc special edition that contains the original Wizard of Oz silent films made by Oz author L. Frank Baum back in the 1910's!
Alias: The Complete Fourth Season - Better include this for my best friend, who's simply nuts about this show.
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein Volume 1 - HOLY SHIT!! I can't believe this made it to DVD. The highly surreal Canadian children's show, starring Billy Van in every role, makes it to DVD. This particular disc contains the first four episodes of the show.
Kids in the Hall: The Complete Third Season - Speaking of surreal Canadian shows.... You get running commentaries by the Kids, and very old footage from some of their first public performances.
Tripping the Rift: Season One - My god, nothing but surreal Canadian shows this week! The incredibly raunchy and very funny sci-fi cartoon made for Space: the Imagination Station. All thirteen episodes from Season 1.
And that's it. Well, that's all that I find notable.
So, for those who have lived in Alberta for a long time, then you know that, whenever the economy is doing good, the Government toys with the notion of building a high-speed rail line between Edmonton and Calgary.
Today, Infastructure Minister Lyle Oberg decided to settle this once and for all.
He's commissioned a study to find out if Albertans would actually use such a thing. Oberg is very pessimistic, citing that far too many Albertans love to drive rather than take the train.
I think there's more support for this than one may think.
Another of those DVD mega-special editions I've been waiting for for oh-so-long comes out today:
Titanic: Special Collector's Edition
This 3-disc edition finally gives you everything you ever wanted to know about the 1997 classic. Three running commentaries, completed deleted scenes, and a slew of featurettes! I wouldn't mind having it under my Christmas tree.
Now, last week I told you that there was something controversial about this DVD. And here it is. Originally, it was going to be a 4-disc special edition, and the fourth disc was going to have a brand-new, huge, documentary about the making of the film. (Similar to Empire of Dreams with the Star Wars Trilogy boxed set.) The documentary was finished, it was all ready to be pressed to DVD but, at the last minute, Titanic writer/director James Cameron pulled the plug! He refused to release the documentary!
So, the question on everyone's mind is...why?
Oh, well. It's still a nicely stacked special edition.
Some other notable DVD releases today:
The Wizard of Oz - This classic film also gets a long-deserved mega-special edition. You can go for the nicely-stacked 2-disc special edition, or you can get the 3-disc special edition that contains the original Wizard of Oz silent films made by Oz author L. Frank Baum back in the 1910's!
Alias: The Complete Fourth Season - Better include this for my best friend, who's simply nuts about this show.
The Hilarious House of Frightenstein Volume 1 - HOLY SHIT!! I can't believe this made it to DVD. The highly surreal Canadian children's show, starring Billy Van in every role, makes it to DVD. This particular disc contains the first four episodes of the show.
Kids in the Hall: The Complete Third Season - Speaking of surreal Canadian shows.... You get running commentaries by the Kids, and very old footage from some of their first public performances.
Tripping the Rift: Season One - My god, nothing but surreal Canadian shows this week! The incredibly raunchy and very funny sci-fi cartoon made for Space: the Imagination Station. All thirteen episodes from Season 1.
And that's it. Well, that's all that I find notable.
So, for those who have lived in Alberta for a long time, then you know that, whenever the economy is doing good, the Government toys with the notion of building a high-speed rail line between Edmonton and Calgary.
Today, Infastructure Minister Lyle Oberg decided to settle this once and for all.
He's commissioned a study to find out if Albertans would actually use such a thing. Oberg is very pessimistic, citing that far too many Albertans love to drive rather than take the train.
I think there's more support for this than one may think.
Sunday, October 23, 2005
Oy. Not a good day. I woke up in the middle of the nigh with a charlie horse of intense pain that still hasn't gone away...my tooth still hurts despite the dentist telling me that the pain would go away "in a few days" (that was 10 days ago)...I think I'm getting my mother's flu...I'm still hurting emotionally from my recent spate of job rejections...and Space thought it'd be a good idea to preempt the Aquaman episode of Smallville in favour of the biography of William Shatner.
I'm experiencing 7 flavours of pain, and not one of them is chocolate.
But all this pain has been good. I managed to write three columns this weekend! That's a feat I haven't accomplished in a good long while. But, you're not going to read any of those. Instead, you're reading the crappy one I wrote last week. It's called Timmy's:
" Granted, in Canadian pop culture, there’s very little that we have to call our own. We’ve got very little in the way of our own TV industry, film industry, and music industry. As for a fast food industry, though, there’s one thing that rises above it all. There’s one nationwide restaurant we all look to and claim as our own. At least, I think that’s why Tim Horton’s has gotten so freakin’ popular in recent years. "
Read it all right here
Oh, and in case your interested, here's a couple of notable dates for you:
- Marvel Entertainment and 20th Century Fox have selected July 4, 2007 to be the day of the release of Fantastic Four 2. That's the same day as the live-action movie version of The Transformers. Something tells me one of those films will get moved....
- December 13 is when we here in North America will finally be able to see Godzilla: Final Wars. The last Godzilla movie ever gets a straight-to-DVD release here in the USA and Canada.
And one useless trivia fact from Wikipedia:
If you go to Google and type in "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" Google will tell you she's in Cairo.
I'm experiencing 7 flavours of pain, and not one of them is chocolate.
But all this pain has been good. I managed to write three columns this weekend! That's a feat I haven't accomplished in a good long while. But, you're not going to read any of those. Instead, you're reading the crappy one I wrote last week. It's called Timmy's:
" Granted, in Canadian pop culture, there’s very little that we have to call our own. We’ve got very little in the way of our own TV industry, film industry, and music industry. As for a fast food industry, though, there’s one thing that rises above it all. There’s one nationwide restaurant we all look to and claim as our own. At least, I think that’s why Tim Horton’s has gotten so freakin’ popular in recent years. "
Read it all right here
Oh, and in case your interested, here's a couple of notable dates for you:
- Marvel Entertainment and 20th Century Fox have selected July 4, 2007 to be the day of the release of Fantastic Four 2. That's the same day as the live-action movie version of The Transformers. Something tells me one of those films will get moved....
- December 13 is when we here in North America will finally be able to see Godzilla: Final Wars. The last Godzilla movie ever gets a straight-to-DVD release here in the USA and Canada.
And one useless trivia fact from Wikipedia:
If you go to Google and type in "Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego?" Google will tell you she's in Cairo.
Friday, October 21, 2005
So, Edmonton is getting this brand-new smooth jazz station.
All week long, I've been in interviews with them. Phone interviews...in-person interviews...casual inquiries and follow-up questions over the phone and through e-mail.
And today, I was told I didn't get the job.
This is far more heartbreaking than the thing with Sonic. Every step along the way, I was getting nothing but positive feedback from the interviewers. "Oh, it's down to you and just one other person!" And it always goes to the other person.
This is why I stopped setting goals. Something always comes up, causing me to choke at the finish line.
All week long, I've been in interviews with them. Phone interviews...in-person interviews...casual inquiries and follow-up questions over the phone and through e-mail.
And today, I was told I didn't get the job.
This is far more heartbreaking than the thing with Sonic. Every step along the way, I was getting nothing but positive feedback from the interviewers. "Oh, it's down to you and just one other person!" And it always goes to the other person.
This is why I stopped setting goals. Something always comes up, causing me to choke at the finish line.
Thursday, October 20, 2005
OK, for the hell of it, I took this quiz, "Which sci-fi/fantasy character are you most like?" and lookie who I'm most like!
I'm just as stunned as you are. Sure beats the hell out of being Chakotay. That's what happened the first time I took one of these tests about 4 years ago. Completely turned me off of doing it again. But tonight, I figured, "What the hey? Let's try again."
I'm just as stunned as you are. Sure beats the hell out of being Chakotay. That's what happened the first time I took one of these tests about 4 years ago. Completely turned me off of doing it again. But tonight, I figured, "What the hey? Let's try again."
This is the nerdiest thing I'm ever going to say.
I've been trying to get out to the library more.
See, about a year ago, the Entwistle Library was amalgamated with the Entwistle School Library. I was one of the ones lobbying for the change. On paper, it just made sense. Firstly, the Entwistle Library is now open regular hours. It's open whenever the school's open. That is a lot more functional than the original hours: 10-12 on Saturday Morning, 6-8 on Wednesday night.
Plus, now, they have a real, competent librarian working there. In the Province of Alberta, they have this wonderful system now where you can check-out books online. I go to the website, request the book I want, and in about a week, I get a call from the library saying that the book is now in and I can go pick it up. Thanks to having a real, competent librarian working, the Entwistle Library now actually uses this system and I can request a book pretty much from any library in the province, and have it in the Entwistle Library in about a week.
And, seeing as to how I was one of the ones lobbying for all this to happen, I figured it was finally time to partake.
Right now, I'm about halfway through Downsize This by Michael Moore. This is Moore's first book. It came out in 1996, and I've always wanted to read it. I figured it was a good one to start my newfound use of the library. It's OK...granted, as it is 9 years old, it is somewhat dated. Analyses of the OJ Simpson trial, a call to have the "Rodney King 5th Anniversary Commemerative Riot," and ripping apart Bill Clinton for being too right-wing are so...well, 1996. It doesn't seem as well thought-out as Stupid White Men. A lot of it seems like just the average guy venting. But it's still good, and still has some good points.
In the weeks ahead, I'm going to have to watch The Big One again. For those who don't remember, the Big One was Moore's third movie, in which he chronicled his book tour plugging Downsize This. The more I read Downsize This, the more it feels like The Big One is just the movie version.
And then, today, from the library, I get a call telling me that my next book is in. I'm going to have to start reading faster. Next up is Silent Bob Speaks: the Collected Writings of Kevin Smith. You know I'm just a big fan of Kevin Smith's, and this is his first book that came out back in the spring. It's nothing fancy, it's just a compilation of essays and articles he's written over the years for various magazines and websites. It has an interview he conducted with Tom Cruise, some ruminations and rants for indie film mags, and his complete Jersey Girl production blog - all 3 entries. I've already been leafing through it. It looks to be a very easy read, and damn funny.
I'm going to have to get my best friend to read Smith's review of the Star Wars prequels. Smith wrote it in the summer of 2002, right when Attack of the Clones came out, and he writes why exactly he is loving the prequels.
That essay is called "Defender of the Faith."
I've been trying to get out to the library more.
See, about a year ago, the Entwistle Library was amalgamated with the Entwistle School Library. I was one of the ones lobbying for the change. On paper, it just made sense. Firstly, the Entwistle Library is now open regular hours. It's open whenever the school's open. That is a lot more functional than the original hours: 10-12 on Saturday Morning, 6-8 on Wednesday night.
Plus, now, they have a real, competent librarian working there. In the Province of Alberta, they have this wonderful system now where you can check-out books online. I go to the website, request the book I want, and in about a week, I get a call from the library saying that the book is now in and I can go pick it up. Thanks to having a real, competent librarian working, the Entwistle Library now actually uses this system and I can request a book pretty much from any library in the province, and have it in the Entwistle Library in about a week.
And, seeing as to how I was one of the ones lobbying for all this to happen, I figured it was finally time to partake.
Right now, I'm about halfway through Downsize This by Michael Moore. This is Moore's first book. It came out in 1996, and I've always wanted to read it. I figured it was a good one to start my newfound use of the library. It's OK...granted, as it is 9 years old, it is somewhat dated. Analyses of the OJ Simpson trial, a call to have the "Rodney King 5th Anniversary Commemerative Riot," and ripping apart Bill Clinton for being too right-wing are so...well, 1996. It doesn't seem as well thought-out as Stupid White Men. A lot of it seems like just the average guy venting. But it's still good, and still has some good points.
In the weeks ahead, I'm going to have to watch The Big One again. For those who don't remember, the Big One was Moore's third movie, in which he chronicled his book tour plugging Downsize This. The more I read Downsize This, the more it feels like The Big One is just the movie version.
And then, today, from the library, I get a call telling me that my next book is in. I'm going to have to start reading faster. Next up is Silent Bob Speaks: the Collected Writings of Kevin Smith. You know I'm just a big fan of Kevin Smith's, and this is his first book that came out back in the spring. It's nothing fancy, it's just a compilation of essays and articles he's written over the years for various magazines and websites. It has an interview he conducted with Tom Cruise, some ruminations and rants for indie film mags, and his complete Jersey Girl production blog - all 3 entries. I've already been leafing through it. It looks to be a very easy read, and damn funny.
I'm going to have to get my best friend to read Smith's review of the Star Wars prequels. Smith wrote it in the summer of 2002, right when Attack of the Clones came out, and he writes why exactly he is loving the prequels.
That essay is called "Defender of the Faith."
I have to get my "geeking out" under control.
I had a job interview in Edmonton today, and on my way out of the city, I had to stop buy Toys R Us. This is just a great time of year to be an action figure collector and/or a kid. The toy stores are starting to put all the new stuff on the shelves for Christmas, plus re-stock on what's been the favourites all summer. So, finally, a lot of stores are starting to get those Revenge of the Sith action figures I've been reading about.
So, there I was, and I saw staring me in the face one of those Episode III action figures I thought they'd never make:
The charred remains of Anakin Skywalker. Complete with removable limbs.
Yes, they actually made this version of Anakin into an action figure, so you can re-create that scene where he's lying next to the lava river, burning to death, cussing out Obi-Wan and awaiting rescue from Palpatine.
It's actually a 2-pack. Also in there is a "pre-charred" Anakin, looking just as he did before he tried to reach higher ground.
So, of course, I geeked out and bought him.
I got home and managed to catch The Real Ghostbusters on TeleToon. These scant two weeks before Halloween is the only time of the year that TeleToon shows it. Despite my love of this toon, it was actually the first time in about 14 years that I'd seen an episode. It was a lot darker than I remembered. In this particular episode, a C'thulu-worshipping cult managed to get their hands on the Necronomicon and sought to awaken C'thulu. Of course, they did, and it was the Ghostbusters vs. C'thulu. Very dark.
But I still love it so.
I had a job interview in Edmonton today, and on my way out of the city, I had to stop buy Toys R Us. This is just a great time of year to be an action figure collector and/or a kid. The toy stores are starting to put all the new stuff on the shelves for Christmas, plus re-stock on what's been the favourites all summer. So, finally, a lot of stores are starting to get those Revenge of the Sith action figures I've been reading about.
So, there I was, and I saw staring me in the face one of those Episode III action figures I thought they'd never make:
The charred remains of Anakin Skywalker. Complete with removable limbs.
Yes, they actually made this version of Anakin into an action figure, so you can re-create that scene where he's lying next to the lava river, burning to death, cussing out Obi-Wan and awaiting rescue from Palpatine.
It's actually a 2-pack. Also in there is a "pre-charred" Anakin, looking just as he did before he tried to reach higher ground.
So, of course, I geeked out and bought him.
I got home and managed to catch The Real Ghostbusters on TeleToon. These scant two weeks before Halloween is the only time of the year that TeleToon shows it. Despite my love of this toon, it was actually the first time in about 14 years that I'd seen an episode. It was a lot darker than I remembered. In this particular episode, a C'thulu-worshipping cult managed to get their hands on the Necronomicon and sought to awaken C'thulu. Of course, they did, and it was the Ghostbusters vs. C'thulu. Very dark.
But I still love it so.
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
IT'S BAT-TUESDAY!!
Today, out comes one of the DVD boxed sets I've wanted since DVD began:
Batman: the Motion Picture Anthology 1989 - 1997. At long last, 2-disc super-special editions of Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin! All in a handsome boxed set! The only question is do I dip into my savings and buy it now, or put it in the #1 spot on my Christmas list? If only they waited another month to release this...then there'd be no debate, it'd be on the Christmas list for sure!
Also out today, Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan's Batman movie is, by far, the best, finally treating Batman seriously, contending with the whole of Batman's origin, and giving us a more realistic Gotham City. Plus, it has my two favourite Bat-villains, Ra's Al Guhl and the Scarecrow.
I know, I know, a friend of mine didn't like it because Batman wasn't fighting any supervillains. But that's actually an integral part of Batman's origins. Batman first took down the mob, and that created a power vacuum that the supervillains rushed in to fill. Batman Begins only contends with the "taking down the mob" part.
Batman Begins is available in both full screen and widescreen AND single-disc movie only version and a 2-disc "Deluxe Edition."
And, for historical completeness, also out today is Batman: The Complete 1943 Movie Seriel. This Batman movie seriel was the first time ever that Batman was portrayed on the big screen. Set during WW2, it features Batman and Robin busting up a Japanese spy ring. It's now infamous for it's highly racist, incredibly negative sterotyping on the Japanese people. It was released on video about 10 years ago with most of the racist content cut out, but, amazingly, people objected. On DVD, it's available in its complete, uncut form.
For the young'uns, today also sees the release of The Batman vs. Dracula. The latest animated incarnation of the Bat stars in his first straight-to-DVD movie, where he does battle with the Joker, the Penguin, and a resurrected Dracula.
Stay tuned for next week, when, at long last, we get our 3-disc super-special edition of Titanic. There's actually a huge controversy about that, but I'll get into it next week.
Today, out comes one of the DVD boxed sets I've wanted since DVD began:
Batman: the Motion Picture Anthology 1989 - 1997. At long last, 2-disc super-special editions of Batman, Batman Returns, Batman Forever and Batman & Robin! All in a handsome boxed set! The only question is do I dip into my savings and buy it now, or put it in the #1 spot on my Christmas list? If only they waited another month to release this...then there'd be no debate, it'd be on the Christmas list for sure!
Also out today, Batman Begins. Christopher Nolan's Batman movie is, by far, the best, finally treating Batman seriously, contending with the whole of Batman's origin, and giving us a more realistic Gotham City. Plus, it has my two favourite Bat-villains, Ra's Al Guhl and the Scarecrow.
I know, I know, a friend of mine didn't like it because Batman wasn't fighting any supervillains. But that's actually an integral part of Batman's origins. Batman first took down the mob, and that created a power vacuum that the supervillains rushed in to fill. Batman Begins only contends with the "taking down the mob" part.
Batman Begins is available in both full screen and widescreen AND single-disc movie only version and a 2-disc "Deluxe Edition."
And, for historical completeness, also out today is Batman: The Complete 1943 Movie Seriel. This Batman movie seriel was the first time ever that Batman was portrayed on the big screen. Set during WW2, it features Batman and Robin busting up a Japanese spy ring. It's now infamous for it's highly racist, incredibly negative sterotyping on the Japanese people. It was released on video about 10 years ago with most of the racist content cut out, but, amazingly, people objected. On DVD, it's available in its complete, uncut form.
For the young'uns, today also sees the release of The Batman vs. Dracula. The latest animated incarnation of the Bat stars in his first straight-to-DVD movie, where he does battle with the Joker, the Penguin, and a resurrected Dracula.
Stay tuned for next week, when, at long last, we get our 3-disc super-special edition of Titanic. There's actually a huge controversy about that, but I'll get into it next week.
Monday, October 17, 2005
If there's one kind of humour that I'm obsessed with analyzing, it's the current trend of "pop culture reference as joke." Why o why do I laugh at Peter Griffin on Family Guy when he screams "Oh no! Run ET!" and ET runs across the room, yet roll my eyes in annoyance when, while watching Shrek 2, I notice that the Ginerbread Man's dying words - "Be Good" - are exactly the same as ET's final words? It's become a very common, but sadly very difficult, style of humour. A lot of it is done poorly, but when it's done well, I laugh my ass off.
A great example of doing it well was tonight's episode of Corner Gas. A stray German shepard comes into town, and Hank is convinced it's the Littlest Hobo. The ultimate pay-off is at the end of the episode.
Hank and Brent are having a BBQ. The dog comes in and starts barking at the tool shed. Hank and Brent go into the tool shed out of curiosity, only to have the dog lock them in, grab the steaks off the table, and head for the hills, all to the strains of the theme song from The Littlest Hobo. The "heading for the hills" was actually a fairly faithful re-creation of the end credits montage from The Littlest Hobo.
It just made me laugh my ass off, to see this German shepard, running down main street Dog River, a giant stolen steak dangling from his mouth, as we heard, "Maybe tomorrow, I'll wanna settle down/Until tomorrow, the whole world is my home."
A great example of doing it well was tonight's episode of Corner Gas. A stray German shepard comes into town, and Hank is convinced it's the Littlest Hobo. The ultimate pay-off is at the end of the episode.
Hank and Brent are having a BBQ. The dog comes in and starts barking at the tool shed. Hank and Brent go into the tool shed out of curiosity, only to have the dog lock them in, grab the steaks off the table, and head for the hills, all to the strains of the theme song from The Littlest Hobo. The "heading for the hills" was actually a fairly faithful re-creation of the end credits montage from The Littlest Hobo.
It just made me laugh my ass off, to see this German shepard, running down main street Dog River, a giant stolen steak dangling from his mouth, as we heard, "Maybe tomorrow, I'll wanna settle down/Until tomorrow, the whole world is my home."
Over the weekend, I watched Mallrats again. My favourite bit of dialogue is still the debate about Superman's sex life. "The only way he could bang regular chicks is with a Kryptonite condom. But that would kill him."
Then, I watched Smallville this morning. Huh. Here's what's gone on in the first three episodes this season:
Episode 1: Clark loses his powers.
Episode 2: Clark loses his virginity to Lana.
Episode 3: Clark regains his powers.
I can't help but wonder if the writers engineered it like that so they wouldn't have to contend with the "Kryptonite condom" debate.
Here's two words that'll fire up your soul.
Stamp collecting!
Because I clicked on something I shouldn't have, I now get Canada Post's stamp collecting magazine. And they have an interesting article in the latest issue. Of course, they borrowed it from the Canadian Stamp News, which is THE stamp collector's magazine.
They ran a poll of stamp collectors to find the best stamps that Canada Post issued in 2004. The two categories were "Favourite" (which ones you liked the best) and "Most Relevant" (which is the thing most worthy of getting a stamp). Here was the breakdown:
Favourite stamp of 2004: Pets. Kids frollicking with pets.
Most relevant stamp of 2004: 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Least favourite of 2004: Urban transit. Pics of subway trains.
Least relevant stamp of 2004: Year of the Monkey.
They also point out the irony that, even though "Pets" was voted the favourite, it also scored high on "Least relevant." (#3 in the top 10)
Then, I watched Smallville this morning. Huh. Here's what's gone on in the first three episodes this season:
Episode 1: Clark loses his powers.
Episode 2: Clark loses his virginity to Lana.
Episode 3: Clark regains his powers.
I can't help but wonder if the writers engineered it like that so they wouldn't have to contend with the "Kryptonite condom" debate.
Here's two words that'll fire up your soul.
Stamp collecting!
Because I clicked on something I shouldn't have, I now get Canada Post's stamp collecting magazine. And they have an interesting article in the latest issue. Of course, they borrowed it from the Canadian Stamp News, which is THE stamp collector's magazine.
They ran a poll of stamp collectors to find the best stamps that Canada Post issued in 2004. The two categories were "Favourite" (which ones you liked the best) and "Most Relevant" (which is the thing most worthy of getting a stamp). Here was the breakdown:
Favourite stamp of 2004: Pets. Kids frollicking with pets.
Most relevant stamp of 2004: 60th anniversary of D-Day.
Least favourite of 2004: Urban transit. Pics of subway trains.
Least relevant stamp of 2004: Year of the Monkey.
They also point out the irony that, even though "Pets" was voted the favourite, it also scored high on "Least relevant." (#3 in the top 10)
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Latest column's up! This week, I tell you all about Free Money:
"I don’t like wading into political debates. Granted, I do enjoy politics and follow them closely, but debates are not friendly to me. No matter how well prepared I am; no matter how many statistics I have in my corner backing me up, my opponent always seems to have just that much more in his/her corner, and it’s not long before I’m left gasping for breath. My opponent walks away, assured of his/her victory, and I’m left there questioning my own beliefs. But, there’s something going on right now that I feel I just have to contribute my own two cents. That’s the upcoming $400 “prosperity bonus” going to every Albertan."
Let's get political!
Actually, I have a little footnote to this week's column. In order to get your $400 prosperity bonus, you have to meet two requirements: you have to be an Alberta citizen as of September 1, and you have to have filed your 2004 income tax return. Now, a lot of people are of the mindset "The government won't care if I don't file my taxes unless I owe something," and thus don't file their tax return. And, with this requirement of "must have filed last year's tax return to get your $400," those tax places like H&R Block are finding themselves SWAMPED! This is usually the slowest time of the year, but now, everyone is rushing to file their 2004 tax return so they can get their $400.
And yes, I filed my tax return back in the spring. My mother always told me to file my taxes even if I don't owe anything, because that way, I'll get my GST rebate.
Just got back from a day trip to Red Deer. I think I told you this tale...my cousin just got back from a trip to Disneyland. Now, as you all know, I collect Star Wars action figures, and Disneyland is the only place on the planet where you can buy Star Wars action figures of the Star Tours characters. I was explaining this to my aunt and uncle:
Them>> Can't you buy them at the Disney Store?
Me>> Nope.
Them>> Can't you buy them online at Disney's online souvineer stores?
Me>> Nope. I've tried. The only place on the planet where you can buy them is at Disneyland. Well, and Disney World, too.
So, when they left, I requested that they bring me 2 Star Wars: Star Tours action figures, and I'd pay them back. Picked them up today. I now have 2 Star Tours action figures for my collection! And it cost me $22 American.
And then, after that, I was browsing through Toys R Us, and I geeked out and bought Zett Jukassa. For those who don't care, Zett Jukassa is the young Jedi padawan that's mercilessly slaughtered in front of Bail Organa in Revenge of the Sith. The only thing that makes this character notable is that he's played by Jett Lucas, son of George Lucas. That little fact has made him popular with collectors...and very tough to find.
So I geeked out and bought him.
Also had coffee with one of my old classmates from NAIT, who is now doing very well for herself in the Red Deer radio market. She's kept in closer touch with the rest of my class and, apparently, the biggest unsolved mystery among my old classmates is "How come no one will hire Mark?" Apparently, among my classmates, I had the reputation of being the smartest and the most talented and the hardest working.
(Personally, I thought that the SHE, the one I was having coffee with, was the smartest and the most talented and the hardest working. That's why I'm working to stay in touch with her. She's gonna go far, and I'm gonna ride on her coattails as far as I can.)
And she told me some very good news. As you've heard me rant about, I was totally distressed when I turned on the news one night and saw that the class stoner was now at 96X, one of Edmonton's top radio stations. I told that to my friend, and she said, "What? No! That wasn't him! He got fired from his practicum and thus flunked out of NAIT. He went to work for another radio station, and got fired from there, too. Last I heard, he'd given up on radio and he was a clerk at Sport Check or something like that."
Needless to say, that REALLY brightened my day.
"I don’t like wading into political debates. Granted, I do enjoy politics and follow them closely, but debates are not friendly to me. No matter how well prepared I am; no matter how many statistics I have in my corner backing me up, my opponent always seems to have just that much more in his/her corner, and it’s not long before I’m left gasping for breath. My opponent walks away, assured of his/her victory, and I’m left there questioning my own beliefs. But, there’s something going on right now that I feel I just have to contribute my own two cents. That’s the upcoming $400 “prosperity bonus” going to every Albertan."
Let's get political!
Actually, I have a little footnote to this week's column. In order to get your $400 prosperity bonus, you have to meet two requirements: you have to be an Alberta citizen as of September 1, and you have to have filed your 2004 income tax return. Now, a lot of people are of the mindset "The government won't care if I don't file my taxes unless I owe something," and thus don't file their tax return. And, with this requirement of "must have filed last year's tax return to get your $400," those tax places like H&R Block are finding themselves SWAMPED! This is usually the slowest time of the year, but now, everyone is rushing to file their 2004 tax return so they can get their $400.
And yes, I filed my tax return back in the spring. My mother always told me to file my taxes even if I don't owe anything, because that way, I'll get my GST rebate.
Just got back from a day trip to Red Deer. I think I told you this tale...my cousin just got back from a trip to Disneyland. Now, as you all know, I collect Star Wars action figures, and Disneyland is the only place on the planet where you can buy Star Wars action figures of the Star Tours characters. I was explaining this to my aunt and uncle:
Them>> Can't you buy them at the Disney Store?
Me>> Nope.
Them>> Can't you buy them online at Disney's online souvineer stores?
Me>> Nope. I've tried. The only place on the planet where you can buy them is at Disneyland. Well, and Disney World, too.
So, when they left, I requested that they bring me 2 Star Wars: Star Tours action figures, and I'd pay them back. Picked them up today. I now have 2 Star Tours action figures for my collection! And it cost me $22 American.
And then, after that, I was browsing through Toys R Us, and I geeked out and bought Zett Jukassa. For those who don't care, Zett Jukassa is the young Jedi padawan that's mercilessly slaughtered in front of Bail Organa in Revenge of the Sith. The only thing that makes this character notable is that he's played by Jett Lucas, son of George Lucas. That little fact has made him popular with collectors...and very tough to find.
So I geeked out and bought him.
Also had coffee with one of my old classmates from NAIT, who is now doing very well for herself in the Red Deer radio market. She's kept in closer touch with the rest of my class and, apparently, the biggest unsolved mystery among my old classmates is "How come no one will hire Mark?" Apparently, among my classmates, I had the reputation of being the smartest and the most talented and the hardest working.
(Personally, I thought that the SHE, the one I was having coffee with, was the smartest and the most talented and the hardest working. That's why I'm working to stay in touch with her. She's gonna go far, and I'm gonna ride on her coattails as far as I can.)
And she told me some very good news. As you've heard me rant about, I was totally distressed when I turned on the news one night and saw that the class stoner was now at 96X, one of Edmonton's top radio stations. I told that to my friend, and she said, "What? No! That wasn't him! He got fired from his practicum and thus flunked out of NAIT. He went to work for another radio station, and got fired from there, too. Last I heard, he'd given up on radio and he was a clerk at Sport Check or something like that."
Needless to say, that REALLY brightened my day.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Today at around 10AM, I get a call from Sonic's producers. They were whipping up some 30-second spots for us wildcard candidates. They gave me 20 seconds to say why people should vote for me. I took a deep breath and said,
"People should vote for me because I have the experience, I have the education, and I've worked too hard for too long for a job in radio to be denied now."
I recounted this tale to my father. Dad said, "I think that [what you said] was more a message for the Sonic management than the voters."
Anyway, there's 24 hours left in the polls, and I'm a distant second-last. Unless something freakin' miraculous happens over the next day, I think we can say this ball game is over.
I'd like to say thanks to everyone who voted for me. And a special thanks to Drew King Dalby and Adam Kerr for letting me crash at their place on the eve of my on-air shift, so that way I could get there on time.
Monday morning, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again. And the adventure continues....
"People should vote for me because I have the experience, I have the education, and I've worked too hard for too long for a job in radio to be denied now."
I recounted this tale to my father. Dad said, "I think that [what you said] was more a message for the Sonic management than the voters."
Anyway, there's 24 hours left in the polls, and I'm a distant second-last. Unless something freakin' miraculous happens over the next day, I think we can say this ball game is over.
I'd like to say thanks to everyone who voted for me. And a special thanks to Drew King Dalby and Adam Kerr for letting me crash at their place on the eve of my on-air shift, so that way I could get there on time.
Monday morning, I pick myself up, dust myself off, and start all over again. And the adventure continues....
Friday, October 14, 2005
THE POLLS ARE NOW OPEN!!
The Sonic 102.9 FM Wildcard voting has now begun, so maybe, just maybe, you can vote me back into the running.
All you have to is go to the Sonic 102.9 Website and click on CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!
So rally your friends and neighbours!! Help me win a job in a contest!!
Polls close Sunday at 1800h. (6PM, for those who are 24-hour clock challenged.)
The Sonic 102.9 FM Wildcard voting has now begun, so maybe, just maybe, you can vote me back into the running.
All you have to is go to the Sonic 102.9 Website and click on CLICK HERE TO VOTE!!
So rally your friends and neighbours!! Help me win a job in a contest!!
Polls close Sunday at 1800h. (6PM, for those who are 24-hour clock challenged.)
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Well, I'm feeling kind of sad today.
Ever since I was a kid, there was this hardware store that stood at the end of main street here in Entwistle. Next to that hardware store stood a big blue barn, which was built in the early 1980s sometime.
The hardware store was a Link Hardware. I used to go there a lot with my Dad. It was infamous in this town because a group of old men would always sit on the stoop of that hardware store, look down main street, and ponder the fate of the universe. Link Hardware eventually became a Home-All Building Centre, and the Home-All eventually moved to Evansburg.
The Blue Barn was a variety of stores over the years. I mostly remember it as a video rental store & arcade. I remember dropping a lot of quarters into Star Wars: the Arcade Game. Eventually, it became a feed store. The owner of the feed store also aquirred the hardware store, connected the two together, and turned it into one big feed store.
Now, as it turns out, in the late 80s or so, before all this feed store stuff took place, the hardware store and blue barn were bought by the village. Why? I don't know. The village council loved buying property. Naturally, when the county took control of the village, all the village properties were now owned by the county. And the county has been trying hard for the past few years to unload all these properties.
The feed store didn't want to to buy the building, so that moved to a newer, nicer building on the other side of town. The hardware store and blue barn have stood empty for about a year now, and the county just couldn't find any buyers.
And then...it was discovered that the hardware store and blue barn were built with asbestos insulation. Suddently, the cost of fixing up and selling off these buildings was a lot more expensive than tearing them down and selling the empty lot.
So, today, the county is tearing down the hardware store and the blue barn. It was a landmark, that's for sure.
Ever since I was a kid, there was this hardware store that stood at the end of main street here in Entwistle. Next to that hardware store stood a big blue barn, which was built in the early 1980s sometime.
The hardware store was a Link Hardware. I used to go there a lot with my Dad. It was infamous in this town because a group of old men would always sit on the stoop of that hardware store, look down main street, and ponder the fate of the universe. Link Hardware eventually became a Home-All Building Centre, and the Home-All eventually moved to Evansburg.
The Blue Barn was a variety of stores over the years. I mostly remember it as a video rental store & arcade. I remember dropping a lot of quarters into Star Wars: the Arcade Game. Eventually, it became a feed store. The owner of the feed store also aquirred the hardware store, connected the two together, and turned it into one big feed store.
Now, as it turns out, in the late 80s or so, before all this feed store stuff took place, the hardware store and blue barn were bought by the village. Why? I don't know. The village council loved buying property. Naturally, when the county took control of the village, all the village properties were now owned by the county. And the county has been trying hard for the past few years to unload all these properties.
The feed store didn't want to to buy the building, so that moved to a newer, nicer building on the other side of town. The hardware store and blue barn have stood empty for about a year now, and the county just couldn't find any buyers.
And then...it was discovered that the hardware store and blue barn were built with asbestos insulation. Suddently, the cost of fixing up and selling off these buildings was a lot more expensive than tearing them down and selling the empty lot.
So, today, the county is tearing down the hardware store and the blue barn. It was a landmark, that's for sure.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Oh my God! Another of my favourite failed TV shows is coming to DVD! Coming out on Boxing Day is...
seaQuest DSV: Season 1
We don't have any specifics yet on bonus material, but we are promised "never before seen footage!"
Now, a lot of people are thinking that it's weird that it's coming out on December 26, because December 26 is a Monday this year, and DVDs always come out on Tuesday. But, it makes perfect sense when you think of it. Wouldn't you like to target all those Boxing Day shoppers?
Actually, I'm going to take advantage of this to make a little list. For the longest time, I've been wanting to throw together a bit of a DVD shopping list for my website...something to keep track of the new releases I want to buy.
So, with this seaQuest announcement, I'm going to throw together - right now - a list of all the TV shows on DVD I want that are coming out between now and January. I mean, this is in addition to all the Star Treks and Futurama and GI Joe and Transformers and Batman: The Animated Series that are already readily available.
Anyway, here's the list!
October 18
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 1, Volume 1
November 8
- Space: Above and Beyond - The Complete Series
- Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi
December 6
- Gargoyles: Season 2, Volume 1
- The He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special
- Star Wars Clone Wars: Volume 2
December 26
- seaQuest DSV: the Complete First Season
January 10
- The Flash: The Complete Series
that should do it.
seaQuest DSV: Season 1
We don't have any specifics yet on bonus material, but we are promised "never before seen footage!"
Now, a lot of people are thinking that it's weird that it's coming out on December 26, because December 26 is a Monday this year, and DVDs always come out on Tuesday. But, it makes perfect sense when you think of it. Wouldn't you like to target all those Boxing Day shoppers?
Actually, I'm going to take advantage of this to make a little list. For the longest time, I've been wanting to throw together a bit of a DVD shopping list for my website...something to keep track of the new releases I want to buy.
So, with this seaQuest announcement, I'm going to throw together - right now - a list of all the TV shows on DVD I want that are coming out between now and January. I mean, this is in addition to all the Star Treks and Futurama and GI Joe and Transformers and Batman: The Animated Series that are already readily available.
Anyway, here's the list!
October 18
- He-Man and the Masters of the Universe: Season 1, Volume 1
November 8
- Space: Above and Beyond - The Complete Series
- Jay and Silent Bob do Degrassi
December 6
- Gargoyles: Season 2, Volume 1
- The He-Man and She-Ra Christmas Special
- Star Wars Clone Wars: Volume 2
December 26
- seaQuest DSV: the Complete First Season
January 10
- The Flash: The Complete Series
that should do it.
Monday, October 10, 2005
When I saw Serenity last week, I saw it at Edmonton's North Edmonton Common theatre. I think I'll be going there more often...it's just like South Edmonton Common, only easier for me to get to. And cheaper than Silver City.
Now, the "Edmonton Commons" theaters are Cineplex Odeons, and I don't get to them much because Silver City is a Famous Players. And, as I was sitting in the theatre waiting for Serenity to start, I noticed something cool.
Cineplex Odeon has its own radio station.
They do! It's their own radio station to pipe into movie theatres before the movie starts. I was listening to this station and I started thinking, "That must be a pretty sweet gig!"
I started thinking of the logistics...odds are, Cineplex Odeon has subcontracted this to some production house in Vancouver. They probably don't have to do much work, because, let's face it, people are only listening to 20 minutes worth as they wait for the movie to start. It's probably only a 2 or 3 hour show, recorded in this Vancouver production house, then beamed via satallite to every Cineplex Odeon in Western Canada. Probably just record a new one every week, too.
Really sweet gig.
Now, the "Edmonton Commons" theaters are Cineplex Odeons, and I don't get to them much because Silver City is a Famous Players. And, as I was sitting in the theatre waiting for Serenity to start, I noticed something cool.
Cineplex Odeon has its own radio station.
They do! It's their own radio station to pipe into movie theatres before the movie starts. I was listening to this station and I started thinking, "That must be a pretty sweet gig!"
I started thinking of the logistics...odds are, Cineplex Odeon has subcontracted this to some production house in Vancouver. They probably don't have to do much work, because, let's face it, people are only listening to 20 minutes worth as they wait for the movie to start. It's probably only a 2 or 3 hour show, recorded in this Vancouver production house, then beamed via satallite to every Cineplex Odeon in Western Canada. Probably just record a new one every week, too.
Really sweet gig.
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