Film Threat have released their Frigid 50 for 2006, and there are some surprises. For example, Borat comes in at number three owing to his lack of sequel potential. And when you think about it, they do have a point because while Borat is undoubtedly funny, not many people would be keen for a Borat 2, would they?
The Top Ten:
01 -- Mel Gibson.
02 -- Jennifer Aniston.
03 -- Borat.
04 -- Lindsay "See My Beaver" Lohan.
05 -- Wesley Snipes.
06 -- Mark Cuban.
07 -- Tara Reid.
08 -- Lonelygirl15.
09 -- Movie critics.
10 -- TomKat.
[Link] <<-- Film Threat's Frigid 50.
Film Threat, Film, Movies, Celebrities
Wednesday, 15 November 2006
Tuesday, 14 November 2006
Zune Zune Zune
So, did anyone go out and by a Zune today? Anyone? I'm most likely going to stick to my iPod for a long time yet, but don't let me put you off buying a Zune.
Zune. "Please buy me, they're going to take my thumbs if I don't make bank!"
Zune. "Please buy me, they're going to take my thumbs if I don't make bank!"[Link] <<-- Engadget has problems installing the Zune.
[Link] <<-- The Washington Post reports on a slow first day for the Zune.
Zune, Music, technology, iPod, Portable Media
[Link] <<-- The Washington Post reports on a slow first day for the Zune.
Zune, Music, technology, iPod, Portable Media
Shieldmaiden Pelosi Slays Witch-king Rumsfeld
Watching the Democrats storm both houses last week in the US midterms, and witnessing Donald Rumsfeld's long overdue resignation, I couldn't help but think of a certain scene from the third book of The Lord of the Rings.
Now before any of you Rumsfeldians get all indignant, in no way am I suggesting that Rumsfeld is like the Witch-king of Angmar; and neither am I suggesting that Nancy Pelosi is like Eowyn, the brave shieldmaiden of Rohan. It's just a bit of fun. Actually, I can't back that up -- I am suggesting that Rumsfeld is the Witch-king.
Therefore, as you can see below, I created a very dodgy Photoshop paying homage to The Return of the King.
As Borat would say, is great success!
The Lord of the Rings, Nancy Pelosi, Eowyn, Donald Rumsfeld, Witch-king, The Return of the King, Democrats, Republicans, Politics, Photoshop
Now before any of you Rumsfeldians get all indignant, in no way am I suggesting that Rumsfeld is like the Witch-king of Angmar; and neither am I suggesting that Nancy Pelosi is like Eowyn, the brave shieldmaiden of Rohan. It's just a bit of fun. Actually, I can't back that up -- I am suggesting that Rumsfeld is the Witch-king.
Therefore, as you can see below, I created a very dodgy Photoshop paying homage to The Return of the King.
As Borat would say, is great success!
The Lord of the Rings, Nancy Pelosi, Eowyn, Donald Rumsfeld, Witch-king, The Return of the King, Democrats, Republicans, Politics, Photoshop
Watch Out For Those Tricksy Sci-Fi Buffs, Precious
A minor news story broke out a couple of days ago concerning a disturbed individual in California. The individual, Chad Castagana, was arrested under suspicion of sending dodgy letters containing white powder to prominent celebrities such as Jon Stewart, David Letterman, and Keith Olbermann.
The powder proved to be not anthrax, but harmless cocaine. Or maybe it was talcum powder. But it was definitely not anthrax, because that would have sucked for the poor pleb opening their mail.
Anywho, as I said above, the dude behind the anthrax scare was busted by G-Men who mounted a mean raid on his compound. Naturally Olbermann was in the studio to report on the story as part of his Countdown show, describing Castagana as an "unemployed sci-fi buff who had previously written anti-liberal screeds and germ warfare speculations on the internet".
I'm interested in Olbermann's choice of words here, particularly the "sci-fi buff" bit. To this observer, that piece of information could be considered redundant in a sentence that clearly establishes the individual is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
I mean, people at home watching Countdown might think, "Well, the whole screeds part and the fake anthrax care package paints this guy as mentally unstable, but what really clinched it for me was the sci-fi thing. Dude, those people are fucking deranged and what we need is a revolution to weed the mofos out. Rock on, Keith!"
As a "sci-fi" fan myself, I'm in no way offended by the way Olbermann's teleprompter described Anthrax Man [goodness knows there are too many easily offended people in the world as it is these days], but I am still perplexed at the way it was thrown in there, as if it made all the difference in describing this guy. What if Anthrax Man had been a gardening buff, or an antique buff, or a teddy bear buff; would they have included that information in the sound bite?
[Link] <<-- Reuters story on Castagana's arrest.
[Link] <<-- Countdown with Keith Olbermann transcript, date 11/13/2006.
Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, News, CountDown, MSNBC, Anthrax, Science Fiction
The powder proved to be not anthrax, but harmless cocaine. Or maybe it was talcum powder. But it was definitely not anthrax, because that would have sucked for the poor pleb opening their mail.
Anywho, as I said above, the dude behind the anthrax scare was busted by G-Men who mounted a mean raid on his compound. Naturally Olbermann was in the studio to report on the story as part of his Countdown show, describing Castagana as an "unemployed sci-fi buff who had previously written anti-liberal screeds and germ warfare speculations on the internet".
I'm interested in Olbermann's choice of words here, particularly the "sci-fi buff" bit. To this observer, that piece of information could be considered redundant in a sentence that clearly establishes the individual is a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic.
I mean, people at home watching Countdown might think, "Well, the whole screeds part and the fake anthrax care package paints this guy as mentally unstable, but what really clinched it for me was the sci-fi thing. Dude, those people are fucking deranged and what we need is a revolution to weed the mofos out. Rock on, Keith!"
As a "sci-fi" fan myself, I'm in no way offended by the way Olbermann's teleprompter described Anthrax Man [goodness knows there are too many easily offended people in the world as it is these days], but I am still perplexed at the way it was thrown in there, as if it made all the difference in describing this guy. What if Anthrax Man had been a gardening buff, or an antique buff, or a teddy bear buff; would they have included that information in the sound bite?
[Link] <<-- Reuters story on Castagana's arrest.
[Link] <<-- Countdown with Keith Olbermann transcript, date 11/13/2006.
Keith Olbermann, Jon Stewart, David Letterman, News, CountDown, MSNBC, Anthrax, Science Fiction
Monday, 13 November 2006
Britney & Fed-Ex Played Chess?
According to The News of the World they did. That little nugget of info acted as a bizarre suffix to the hardly groundbreaking revelation that Britney and Cletus taped themselves making the beast with two backs. Yawn.
I can't picture them playing chess; one would think that Connect Four is too complicated a game for them, let alone the classic strategy board game. I think I just heard Deep Blue crash.
Scene: Brit and Cletus are holed up in their skank infested hideout sharing bodily fluids and discussing world politics when Cletus suggests a game of chess.
Brit: "The horsey moves in an L-shape, huh? Burp."
Cletus: "Heh, heh -- the bishop looks like a cock."
Brit: "Nnn, this is too complica-burp-ted."
Cletus: "Shuddup baby, I'm concentratin' on my cock, yo."
Brit: "You got, burp, cock on the brain, stoopid."
Cletus: "I'll give you cock on the brain, baby. Come 'ere, I'm gonna flip me some pancake batter on your rack, yo."
Brit: "Burp."
Fade-out as they knock their nasties on top of the chessboard. The baby Jesus weeps.
[Link] <<-- The Best Week Ever blog bought Cletus's debut rap album. Britney Spears, Fed-Ex, Celebrities, Cletus, Chess, News, Sex Tape, Pancake Man
I can't picture them playing chess; one would think that Connect Four is too complicated a game for them, let alone the classic strategy board game. I think I just heard Deep Blue crash.
Scene: Brit and Cletus are holed up in their skank infested hideout sharing bodily fluids and discussing world politics when Cletus suggests a game of chess.
Brit: "The horsey moves in an L-shape, huh? Burp."
Cletus: "Heh, heh -- the bishop looks like a cock."
Brit: "Nnn, this is too complica-burp-ted."
Cletus: "Shuddup baby, I'm concentratin' on my cock, yo."
Brit: "You got, burp, cock on the brain, stoopid."
Cletus: "I'll give you cock on the brain, baby. Come 'ere, I'm gonna flip me some pancake batter on your rack, yo."
Brit: "Burp."
Fade-out as they knock their nasties on top of the chessboard. The baby Jesus weeps.
[Link] <<-- The Best Week Ever blog bought Cletus's debut rap album. Britney Spears, Fed-Ex, Celebrities, Cletus, Chess, News, Sex Tape, Pancake Man
High Five! For Borat
We took in a matinée showing of Borat today, and I can report that it more than lived up to the hype. In fact, it's probably one of the funniest films I have seen for a long time and I'm sure I missed parts through laughing too hard.
A standout from the film has to be the naked man fight between Borat and Azamat. Let's just say the two actors held nothing back for that scene, and I hope Azamat's arse was washed before he parked it on Borat's face. So wrong.
I also enjoyed Borat's interview with the Veteran Feminists of America, particularly when he says in the voice over, "I could not concentrate on what this old man was saying" owing to Borat's infatuation with CJ, a.k.a. Pamela Anderson.
The scene where Borat is picked up by the intoxicated frat guys was largely tame, as we all know frat guys are stupid sober, let alone drunk. The lawsuit filed by two of them last week seeking damages for fraud gives the drinking scene a little more attention than it probably deserves, as it was a largely forgettable interlude.
Overall, Borat is a great success and will surely make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan. High five!
Borat, Film, Movies, Entertainment, Humour
A standout from the film has to be the naked man fight between Borat and Azamat. Let's just say the two actors held nothing back for that scene, and I hope Azamat's arse was washed before he parked it on Borat's face. So wrong.
I also enjoyed Borat's interview with the Veteran Feminists of America, particularly when he says in the voice over, "I could not concentrate on what this old man was saying" owing to Borat's infatuation with CJ, a.k.a. Pamela Anderson.
The scene where Borat is picked up by the intoxicated frat guys was largely tame, as we all know frat guys are stupid sober, let alone drunk. The lawsuit filed by two of them last week seeking damages for fraud gives the drinking scene a little more attention than it probably deserves, as it was a largely forgettable interlude.
Overall, Borat is a great success and will surely make benefit glorious nation of Kazakhstan. High five!
Borat, Film, Movies, Entertainment, Humour
Geek Nirvana Courtesy of Battlestar Galactica
Once in awhile there are certain scenes in one's favourite TV shows that surpass expectations. It might be a cool bit of dialogue, a suspenseful piece of drama, or a well-timed comic interlude. For geeks, and I am surely one, all it takes is a freakin' awesome special effects moment. Not that I don't appreciate any of the previous examples, mind.
However, awesome special effects moments are few and far between these days in the age of CGI, so when something like a Battlestar jumps into the atmosphere of a planet to launch its fighters before jumping back into space happens, geeks tend to sit up and notice. And why not, it was beautifully executed as you can see below.
Battlestar Galactica, galactica, Science Fiction, Television, Entertainment, Cool, Geek
However, awesome special effects moments are few and far between these days in the age of CGI, so when something like a Battlestar jumps into the atmosphere of a planet to launch its fighters before jumping back into space happens, geeks tend to sit up and notice. And why not, it was beautifully executed as you can see below.
Battlestar Galactica, galactica, Science Fiction, Television, Entertainment, Cool, Geek
Sunday, 12 November 2006
This Video Is No Longer Available
Aw, nuts -- it looks like YouTube is really cracking down on those videos that might, erm, skirt legal boundaries. Case in point, the Cartman/Buck Rogers intro was taken down, presumably at the request of Comedy Central.
However, it seems like someone else placed another version online and, with some nifty editing work, it's back on the air at Pluperfection FM.
Thought you'd be excited about that.
YouTube, South Park, Cartman, Buck Rogers
However, it seems like someone else placed another version online and, with some nifty editing work, it's back on the air at Pluperfection FM.
Thought you'd be excited about that.
YouTube, South Park, Cartman, Buck Rogers
Thursday, 9 November 2006
Eric Cartman 2546
You have to love the Buck Rogers homage on South Park. Who would have thought that Cartman would be so impatient for the Nintendo Wii that he'd get Butters to freeze him in snow, suspended animation style, until the Wii was released.
However, it all went horribly wrong....
South Park, go god go, Cartman, Buck Rogers, Comedy, Humor, Nintendo Wii, Butters
[-- Edited 12/11/06 --]
However, it all went horribly wrong....
South Park, go god go, Cartman, Buck Rogers, Comedy, Humor, Nintendo Wii, Butters
[-- Edited 12/11/06 --]
Wednesday, 8 November 2006
Democrats Indahouse
The Democrats have won control of the House for the first time in something like 12 years, which is certainly a long time between drinks.
I'm not sure if they're going to win the Senate as well, because at the time of this post there were still two undecided seats [Montana, and Virginia]. For the Dems to win the Senate they need to capture both of those.
So what does this all mean? I have no idea as it's far too early in the morning to make predictions but I guess Bush is going to have to add "purdy please" whenever he wants something now. It should make his last two years in office very interesting.
Oh, and many pundits are predicting Nancy Pelosi will become the first woman House speaker, so that's certainly good news. That final glass ceiling in national politics, while certainly not broken, is beginning to crack -- and you all know what that means boys and girls: Hillary 2008!
[Link] <<-- CNN's coverage of Election 2006.
[Link] <<-- Yahoo article on the Democrats winning the House.
Midterms, Elections, Politics, Current Affairs, Republicans, Democrats
I'm not sure if they're going to win the Senate as well, because at the time of this post there were still two undecided seats [Montana, and Virginia]. For the Dems to win the Senate they need to capture both of those.
So what does this all mean? I have no idea as it's far too early in the morning to make predictions but I guess Bush is going to have to add "purdy please" whenever he wants something now. It should make his last two years in office very interesting.
Oh, and many pundits are predicting Nancy Pelosi will become the first woman House speaker, so that's certainly good news. That final glass ceiling in national politics, while certainly not broken, is beginning to crack -- and you all know what that means boys and girls: Hillary 2008!
[Link] <<-- CNN's coverage of Election 2006.
[Link] <<-- Yahoo article on the Democrats winning the House.
Midterms, Elections, Politics, Current Affairs, Republicans, Democrats
Tuesday, 7 November 2006
Indecision 2006: America Votes For Douches
On a Tuesday. Yeah, I was a little surprised that voting day is during the week, especially when schools are used as polling stations which leads to the little dudes being turned out onto the streets to fend for themselves. Call me foreign, but I thought Saturdays were perfect for voting. However, Tuesday it is and the 2006 general election is in full swing.
Mind you, it's a good thing that I'm not a citizen because looking at the options here in Florida I would have broken down and cried on election day. Take the battle for the Governor's mansion for example: Democrat Jim Davis, a douche; Republican Charlie Crist, also a douche. It appears that one has to choose the lesser of two douches.
I watched those two titans battle it out in the MSNBC Thunderdome, and it was like attending a master class in avoiding the moderator's questions and telling the voters why they should not vote for the other guy. But what the candidates didn't say was why you should vote for either one of them.
The television ads have also seen an avalanche of negative propaganda along the lines of: "Candidate X is a Mr. Poo Poo who beats small children and steals their lunch money, so don't vote for him"; to "Candidate Y read a porno when he was fifteen and then boxed the bald bishop over it, so don't vote for someone who wanks." You get the idea.
Thankfully it will be all over by tomorrow bar the crying, and then we can relax until Indecision 2008 when Hillary makes her play for the White House and meets Condi standing in her way. Let's get it on!
[Link] <<-- Slate's Midterm Elections linkfest.
[Link] <<-- The Guardian reports on the negative advertising.
Midterms, Elections, Politics, Slate, Current Affairs, Republicans, Democrats
Mind you, it's a good thing that I'm not a citizen because looking at the options here in Florida I would have broken down and cried on election day. Take the battle for the Governor's mansion for example: Democrat Jim Davis, a douche; Republican Charlie Crist, also a douche. It appears that one has to choose the lesser of two douches.
I watched those two titans battle it out in the MSNBC Thunderdome, and it was like attending a master class in avoiding the moderator's questions and telling the voters why they should not vote for the other guy. But what the candidates didn't say was why you should vote for either one of them.
The television ads have also seen an avalanche of negative propaganda along the lines of: "Candidate X is a Mr. Poo Poo who beats small children and steals their lunch money, so don't vote for him"; to "Candidate Y read a porno when he was fifteen and then boxed the bald bishop over it, so don't vote for someone who wanks." You get the idea.
Thankfully it will be all over by tomorrow bar the crying, and then we can relax until Indecision 2008 when Hillary makes her play for the White House and meets Condi standing in her way. Let's get it on!
[Link] <<-- Slate's Midterm Elections linkfest.
[Link] <<-- The Guardian reports on the negative advertising.
Midterms, Elections, Politics, Slate, Current Affairs, Republicans, Democrats
Britney Listens to K-Fed's Album, Files For Divorce.
According to TMZ.com, Britney Spears has filed for divorce from her industrious husband, K-Fed [a.k.a. Cletus, a.k.a. K-Foo]. The website also has a copy of the legal papers that show irreconcilable differences, an archaic and barely-used reason for divorce, is the reason she's throwing him out on his end.
But we all know it was K-Fed's album, Playing With Fire, which was the straw that broke the Britney's back. And her realising that he's actually a grubby knob, a lazy douche, a colossal moocher, and a talentless hobo -- and that's saying something because most hobos play a mean harmonica, mister.
Seeing as Britney's only other option was suicide, divorce shouldn't be too bad because she was a smart girl and got herself a prenuptial. Yep, and that means no bank for the moochy sponge although I dare say he will write a song about it and put it on his next album. Maybe he could call it, Burnt.
So with that piece of terribly important news, the saga has ended. Let's all hope that they don't do a Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor and get married a second time....
[Link] <<-- TMZ.com has the breaking story.
[Link] <<-- New York magazine reports on K-Fed's less than sold out show.
Britney Spears, TMZ.com, K-Fed, Divorce, Rap, Playing With Fire, Moocher, Gallery of the Absurd, News
But we all know it was K-Fed's album, Playing With Fire, which was the straw that broke the Britney's back. And her realising that he's actually a grubby knob, a lazy douche, a colossal moocher, and a talentless hobo -- and that's saying something because most hobos play a mean harmonica, mister.
Seeing as Britney's only other option was suicide, divorce shouldn't be too bad because she was a smart girl and got herself a prenuptial. Yep, and that means no bank for the moochy sponge although I dare say he will write a song about it and put it on his next album. Maybe he could call it, Burnt.
So with that piece of terribly important news, the saga has ended. Let's all hope that they don't do a Richard Burton-Elizabeth Taylor and get married a second time....
[Link] <<-- TMZ.com has the breaking story.
[Link] <<-- New York magazine reports on K-Fed's less than sold out show.
Britney Spears, TMZ.com, K-Fed, Divorce, Rap, Playing With Fire, Moocher, Gallery of the Absurd, News
Sunday, 5 November 2006
Lost
Last week's episode of Lost was not so good. Actually, parts of it were downright awful, and if you haven't seen it yet then you might want to avoid some of the plot details about to be disclosed.
Eko talks with his "brother" Yemi.
Mr. Eko was killed last week. This was distressing because Mr. Eko kicked ass. I've heard various reasons for his character being written out of the series, from the actor wanting to make a movie back in London, to being a dildo to the other actors on the set, to getting busted for DUI like Libby and Rodriguez, and to not wanting to be tied down by a potentially long-running series. Whatever the reason, Eko is gone and the show will be poorer for his absence.
But I don't get why they waited an extra week to kill him. If they wanted to, the writers could have offed him via the polar bear Locke rescued him from the previous week. I guess they needed another flashback to pad out the episode, which is a cynical observation to make but you get that.
The other thing that bugged me is the inclusion of the two n00bs Paulo and Nikki, otherwise known as the Take a Dump Dude, and Holy Exposition! Girl. These two actors are so wooden they leave the viewer with splinters, and their joining the ensemble makes no sense. Sure, much of Lost makes no sense but that's part of the fun for viewers wanting to unravel the mystery. Paulo and Nikki have no mystery: at the very best they are a nuisance; at the very worst they are an extension of the episode's writer's contempt for their audience. I'll explain.
Scene: Locke, Desmond, Eko, Sayid, Take a Dump Dude, and Holy Exposition! Girl are walking to the Pearl Station. They pass the drug runners plane, and we're treated to a voice over narrative from Holy Exposition! Girl. I'm paraphrasing here, but it goes a little like this: "That's the plane where Eko's brother died."
No, you don't fucking say? I'm surprised she didn't add, "And that's also the plane that was originally in a tree but fell down when Boone jumped in to use the radio. Oh, and the plane was full of these Virgin Mary statues that were stuffed with heroin and Charlie stockpiled them all because he's secretly a junkie."
Lost, due to its serial nature, requires [and hopefully rewards] dedicated viewing. It's not a show one jumps into halfway through without having seen what came before it. By having Holy Exposition! Girl state the fucking obvious regarding the Heroin Express shows contempt for that dedicated audience. And I don't use the word contempt lightly; I've thought about it for a few days and have come to the decision that it's an apt choice. And it doesn't end there. Oh, hell no.
Scene: the aforementioned dudes [minus Eko who's waiting up top to confess to his brother, and Paulo who's ducked out to take a dump in the Pearl's khazi] are chilling down in the hatch scratching their collective heads about how to use the computer to communicate with the Others.
Naturally HEG solves the problem by looking at all of the monitors and suggesting to the group they try and use one to pick up a live feed from one of the other hatches. Locke looks over at her sheepishly and says, "Suddenly I feel very stupid."
Huh? Locke has already been in the Pearl Hatch -- he saw live feeds of the other hatches, and even spotted Jack moving around in the Swan. Sayid hot wired the Swan's computer after Desmond shot it, and Desmond was no slouch with technology, either. It does not follow, based on what has already been established, that those characters would be stymied. Unless the writers want to set up HEG as some sort of tech Goddess, the only explanation I can come to is lazy writing and the c-word again.
The Eye Patch Man, as discovered by Holy Exposition! Girl.
The episode was not a total loss, and is almost saved by Jack and the Others. It seems there is some sort of leadership struggle going on between Ben and Juliet, with Juliet suggesting to Jack that he should "make it look like an accident" when he operates on Ben's spine. This is an interesting revelation, and is something Jack could exploit by trying to widen the fissures between the two.
Or it might be just another game and he's still being played by both Ben and Juliet from opposite sides with the same goal: to make Jack one of them.
As for Eko, it's obvious the smoke monster was impersonating his brother Yemi. I did like the symbolism with the rocks blocking the entrance to the plane, and Eko discovering that Yemi's body had disappeared like someone whose name escapes me. ;-)
I also think that the smoke monster is, on some level, the island itself. And whenever a character encounters something from their past whether it's Jack's father, Kate's horse, Sawyer's pig, Hurley's imaginary friend, or even Yemi, it's actually the smoke monster manipulating its form to fit the image it needs. The purpose of this, well, that's anyone's guess.
And as for the mystery of the Eye Patch Man, I think we'll be waiting for a few months to find out more about him.
Lost, ABC, Television, Drama, Mr. Eko, Entertainment, Holy Exposition! Girl, Take a Dump Dude, The Hatch
Eko talks with his "brother" Yemi.Mr. Eko was killed last week. This was distressing because Mr. Eko kicked ass. I've heard various reasons for his character being written out of the series, from the actor wanting to make a movie back in London, to being a dildo to the other actors on the set, to getting busted for DUI like Libby and Rodriguez, and to not wanting to be tied down by a potentially long-running series. Whatever the reason, Eko is gone and the show will be poorer for his absence.
But I don't get why they waited an extra week to kill him. If they wanted to, the writers could have offed him via the polar bear Locke rescued him from the previous week. I guess they needed another flashback to pad out the episode, which is a cynical observation to make but you get that.
The other thing that bugged me is the inclusion of the two n00bs Paulo and Nikki, otherwise known as the Take a Dump Dude, and Holy Exposition! Girl. These two actors are so wooden they leave the viewer with splinters, and their joining the ensemble makes no sense. Sure, much of Lost makes no sense but that's part of the fun for viewers wanting to unravel the mystery. Paulo and Nikki have no mystery: at the very best they are a nuisance; at the very worst they are an extension of the episode's writer's contempt for their audience. I'll explain.
Scene: Locke, Desmond, Eko, Sayid, Take a Dump Dude, and Holy Exposition! Girl are walking to the Pearl Station. They pass the drug runners plane, and we're treated to a voice over narrative from Holy Exposition! Girl. I'm paraphrasing here, but it goes a little like this: "That's the plane where Eko's brother died."
No, you don't fucking say? I'm surprised she didn't add, "And that's also the plane that was originally in a tree but fell down when Boone jumped in to use the radio. Oh, and the plane was full of these Virgin Mary statues that were stuffed with heroin and Charlie stockpiled them all because he's secretly a junkie."
Lost, due to its serial nature, requires [and hopefully rewards] dedicated viewing. It's not a show one jumps into halfway through without having seen what came before it. By having Holy Exposition! Girl state the fucking obvious regarding the Heroin Express shows contempt for that dedicated audience. And I don't use the word contempt lightly; I've thought about it for a few days and have come to the decision that it's an apt choice. And it doesn't end there. Oh, hell no.
Scene: the aforementioned dudes [minus Eko who's waiting up top to confess to his brother, and Paulo who's ducked out to take a dump in the Pearl's khazi] are chilling down in the hatch scratching their collective heads about how to use the computer to communicate with the Others.
Naturally HEG solves the problem by looking at all of the monitors and suggesting to the group they try and use one to pick up a live feed from one of the other hatches. Locke looks over at her sheepishly and says, "Suddenly I feel very stupid."
Huh? Locke has already been in the Pearl Hatch -- he saw live feeds of the other hatches, and even spotted Jack moving around in the Swan. Sayid hot wired the Swan's computer after Desmond shot it, and Desmond was no slouch with technology, either. It does not follow, based on what has already been established, that those characters would be stymied. Unless the writers want to set up HEG as some sort of tech Goddess, the only explanation I can come to is lazy writing and the c-word again.
The Eye Patch Man, as discovered by Holy Exposition! Girl.The episode was not a total loss, and is almost saved by Jack and the Others. It seems there is some sort of leadership struggle going on between Ben and Juliet, with Juliet suggesting to Jack that he should "make it look like an accident" when he operates on Ben's spine. This is an interesting revelation, and is something Jack could exploit by trying to widen the fissures between the two.
Or it might be just another game and he's still being played by both Ben and Juliet from opposite sides with the same goal: to make Jack one of them.
As for Eko, it's obvious the smoke monster was impersonating his brother Yemi. I did like the symbolism with the rocks blocking the entrance to the plane, and Eko discovering that Yemi's body had disappeared like someone whose name escapes me. ;-)
I also think that the smoke monster is, on some level, the island itself. And whenever a character encounters something from their past whether it's Jack's father, Kate's horse, Sawyer's pig, Hurley's imaginary friend, or even Yemi, it's actually the smoke monster manipulating its form to fit the image it needs. The purpose of this, well, that's anyone's guess.
And as for the mystery of the Eye Patch Man, I think we'll be waiting for a few months to find out more about him.
Lost, ABC, Television, Drama, Mr. Eko, Entertainment, Holy Exposition! Girl, Take a Dump Dude, The Hatch
All Blacks 41, England Not So Much
I managed to watch my first rugby game in over a year this morning thanks to the pay-per-view option on DirecTV. Sure, it set me back 25 clams but it was worth every penny as the All Blacks got their end of season tour off to the best start by beating England at Twickers.
The England players were certainly spirited, but they lacked the individual brilliance of their opponents. Being able to turn half chances into points, and being able to capitalise on an opponent's mistakes, is something the All Blacks do well and the period before halftime, when the lead ballooned to 28-5 on the back of English mistakes, rendered the match effectively over.
However, watching the game it was obvious the All Blacks had not played together for several weeks, struggling to get out of third gear for much of the match. The defence was also a little dodgy at times, leaking a couple of ordinary tries.
In saying that, a rusty All Blacks team was still able to put 41 points on England at their West London fortress, and that is scary when one thinks of what they could have done had they been playing at the super awesome level we know they're capable of.
Oh, and what was with the England lock Danny Grewcock pulling Andy Ellis's hair near the end of the game? I thought only little girls pulled hair, usually when having a fight over their tea sets, or when contesting ownership of dolly. Rugby players punch one another, or on the good days they gouge each other's eyeballs. But they never pull hair like little girls.
Danny Grewcock: hair puller.
Now it's across the Channel to France for two important games. The French are unpredictable when it comes to rugby and run the gamut from brilliant to fucking awful, often in the same game. Hopefully the All Blacks encounter the latter, but I think the French are still smarting from the hiding they got in Paris in 2004, so we'll have to play very well to win.
[Link] <<-- Match report, BBC Sport.
Rugby, All Blacks, New Zealand, England, Sport, France, BBC Sport
The England players were certainly spirited, but they lacked the individual brilliance of their opponents. Being able to turn half chances into points, and being able to capitalise on an opponent's mistakes, is something the All Blacks do well and the period before halftime, when the lead ballooned to 28-5 on the back of English mistakes, rendered the match effectively over.
However, watching the game it was obvious the All Blacks had not played together for several weeks, struggling to get out of third gear for much of the match. The defence was also a little dodgy at times, leaking a couple of ordinary tries.
In saying that, a rusty All Blacks team was still able to put 41 points on England at their West London fortress, and that is scary when one thinks of what they could have done had they been playing at the super awesome level we know they're capable of.
Oh, and what was with the England lock Danny Grewcock pulling Andy Ellis's hair near the end of the game? I thought only little girls pulled hair, usually when having a fight over their tea sets, or when contesting ownership of dolly. Rugby players punch one another, or on the good days they gouge each other's eyeballs. But they never pull hair like little girls.
Danny Grewcock: hair puller.Now it's across the Channel to France for two important games. The French are unpredictable when it comes to rugby and run the gamut from brilliant to fucking awful, often in the same game. Hopefully the All Blacks encounter the latter, but I think the French are still smarting from the hiding they got in Paris in 2004, so we'll have to play very well to win.
[Link] <<-- Match report, BBC Sport.
Rugby, All Blacks, New Zealand, England, Sport, France, BBC Sport
Thursday, 2 November 2006
Not at Work, Feeling Sick
I rarely stay home sick from work. Indeed, in the past I have chosen to work through my affliction and tough it out.
However, it's taken me until something like my ninth job to realise that working while sick is fucking stupid. You're definitely not at your best in the productivity department, and you are potentially passing on your cold to co-workers. Oh, and here's the clincher: your employers couldn't give a shit one way or the other if you showed up when sick. If they did you'd get more than a 25 cent pay rise a year.
So if sick or sniffly, stay home.
[And don't forget to blog about it].
work, Life, Personal, employment, Job, Blogging
However, it's taken me until something like my ninth job to realise that working while sick is fucking stupid. You're definitely not at your best in the productivity department, and you are potentially passing on your cold to co-workers. Oh, and here's the clincher: your employers couldn't give a shit one way or the other if you showed up when sick. If they did you'd get more than a 25 cent pay rise a year.
So if sick or sniffly, stay home.
[And don't forget to blog about it].
work, Life, Personal, employment, Job, Blogging
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)