Don't Cross The Streams

Happy Valentine's Day from LOST

2010-02-12T09:20:00.001-05:00

LOST Valentine's Day Card 08: Sawyer, originally uploaded by lee bretschneider.

Life In Technicolor

2008-09-25T10:57:00.002-04:00

I need to find a way to combine my loud drunkenness with my quiet shy soberness (without the hangovers and crippling narcolepsy)

Finish Your Collapse and Stay For Breakfast

2008-09-24T09:26:00.003-04:00

Do you ever meet someone and you get along great?

And then you start to imagine how it might end up, all the things that could go wrong, how in the end you won't even be able to have nice conversations like you have now because of an attempt at romance.

And after that thought, you decide to keep things as they are?

No.

So it is just me.

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

2008-09-23T15:49:00.002-04:00

So far my favorite album of the year...

The Law Of Diminishing Returns

2008-09-22T15:26:00.001-04:00

So I sprained my left ankle playing football.

Last year,I sprained my right ankle playing kickball.

Guess which story sounds better?

The Beginning After the End

2008-09-16T11:15:00.003-04:00

So I was walking through Harlem on the way to the subway and I don't know what sparked the thought (most likely whatever song was playing on my iPhone at the time) but it crossed my mind that more than four years ago, I was looking at engagement rings.

I can't imagine this current version of myself being married, getting engaged or even getting to the point of thinking, "Do I want to spend the rest of my life with this person?" (I can barely tolerate people for more than 2 hours).

But four years ago, I was that guy.

In retrospect, I wish I blogged more about being that guy. I did in the old version of this site (that was more in the early going/lovey-dovey shit) but I usually avoided it because she would read this blog and so I censored myself.

Now I would love to remember what it was like.

Oh well.

Liar, Liar, Campaign on Fire

2008-09-12T15:42:00.001-04:00

My Summer In Photos

2008-09-11T19:33:00.002-04:00

100 (or so) Graphic Novels I Recommend

2008-09-07T18:24:00.005-04:00

Okay, this was supposed to be a straight list but then I overthought it and now you have what you see below. I tried to avoid listing any titles that are still ongoing (this list would never end). Anything with an asterisk is still going.

This list actually made me realize how many great graphic novels I haven't read (Maus, From Hell, V For Vendetta).

Otherwise, enjoy and I hope you at least read one of these books.

All-Star Superman series*

Vol. 1

The Amazing Joy Buzzards

American Virgin series

Astonishing X-Men

The Authority, Vol. 1

Daredevil Visionaries: Frank Miller

DC: The New Frontier

Vol. 1: Feral City

Lex Luthor: Man of Steel
Little Star
Local
Lost At Sea
Lost Girls
Love & Rockets series (The Locas Stories)*

Love Fights

Lucifer series

Vol. 1: Fall 1152

Nat Turner
Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E

The Other Side
Planetary*

Preacher

The Punisher: Born
The Punisher

Vol. 1: Welcome Back, Frank

The Sandman series

Shortcomings
Sin City

Sleeper series

Sleepwalk and Other Stories
Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane*

Y: The Last Man series

Zack and Miri Make a Porno Red-Band Trailer

2008-09-02T23:23:00.001-04:00

Only bad language. You can handle it.

Movie of the Week: Death Race

2008-09-02T19:18:00.002-04:00

Mindless, testosterone-y fun.

Emphasis on "mindless."

Sadly, 80% of the best scenes were in the trailer, just less graphic.

On another note, I expect to see Jason Stratham and Tyreese in movies like this, but JOAN ALLEN?!? C'mon, Joan. I understand the need to have some fun but Joan...Joan, no.

Acid Tongue

2008-09-02T17:57:00.001-04:00

Don't Call Me During...: Fall 2008 Edition

2008-08-26T09:37:00.003-04:00

I know it's a a little early especially considering a lot of shows aren't returning until October (WTF?) but I've been lacking blogging inspiration.

Here is last year's list for comparison purposes (if you are interested).

New shows are in yellow.

Sunday:
8:00 - 8:30 PM: The Simpsons (FOX) - I should probably take this off because I only watch it when I'm in the mood and it's only good half the time.
9:00 - 9:30 PM: Desperate Housewives (ABC) - Every year, I say I'll drop it. Sometimes I actually do. But I always get sucked back into it
9:00 - 9:30 PM: True Blood (HBO) - Alan Ball (creator of Six Feet Under) and vampires. 'Nuff said.
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Brothers & Sisters (ABC)
10:00 - 10:30 PM: Entourage (HBO) - This show needs to redeem itself more than USA Basketball needed to in the Olympics
10:30 PM - 11:00 PM: Little Britain USA (HBO) - I loved the BBC version but I have no idea how this is going to work
11:00 - 11:30 PM: The Life & Times of Tim (HBO) - I really don't know much about this but it's animated and it's on HBO so I'll give it a shot

Monday:
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Gossip Girl (CW) - It was between this, Chuck and Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles but the latter two I can watch on Hulu the next day
8:00 - 8:30 PM: The Big Bang Theory (CBS) - This show grew on me with it's geekiness
8:30 - 9:00 PM: How I Met Your Mother (CBS) - PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW SO IT WON'T GET CANCELLED! PLEASE! PLEASE!!!!
9:00 - 10:00 PM: Heroes (NBC): Another show in need of redemption. I used to recommend that people get the season one DVD but I'm afraid they'll want to watch season two and be mad at me.

Tuesday:
8:00 - 9:00 PM: 90210 (CW): C'mon! Who's not curious?
8:00 - 9:00 PM: House (FOX)
9:00 - 10:00 PM: Fringe (FOX): Yay, Jasika!
9:00 - 10:00 PM: The Mentalist (CBS): Sounds like Psych but serious. I'll give it a shot.
10:00 - 11:00 PM: The Sheild (FX): Ok, who DOESN'T think Vic Mackey goes down this season?
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Eli Stone (ABC): It started corny but definitely closed out their short season strong.

Wednesday:
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Bones (FOX)
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Pushing Daisies (ABC) - PLEASE WATCH THIS SHOW SO IT WON'T GET CANCELLED! PLEASE! PLEASE!!!!
9:00 - 10:00 PM: Private Practice (ABC) - I'm a glutton for punishment
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Sons of Anarchy (FX) - Every show on FX gets a shot
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Dirty Sexy Money (ABC) - As does every show starring Peter Krause (Six Feet Under almuni)

Thursday:
8:00 - 9:00 PM: Ugly Betty (ABC) - I wonder how this show will look now that it's set in New York
8:00 - 8:30 PM: My Name Is Earl (NBC) - It hasn't been very good lately
8:30 - 9:00 PM: Kath & Kim (NBC) - Ehhhhh, we'll see
9:00 - 10:00 PM: Grey's Anatomy (ABC) - In my opinion, they shouldn't give Izzie a brain tumor. Give her oral herpes.
9:00 - 9:30 PM: The Office (NBC) - I hope Amy Ryan never leaves
9:30 - 10:00 PM: 30 Rock (NBC) - Have they done away with the constant Rachel Dratch cameos?
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Life on Mars (ABC) - I tried to watch the BBC version and really couldn't get into it. We'll see if it works better for me here.
10:00 - 10:30 PM: It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia (FX): This is probably the funniest show you aren't watching
10:30 - 11:00 PM: Testees (FX) - See Sons of Anarchy

Friday:
10:00 - 11:00 PM: Life (NBC): I started watching season one on Hulu and it's growing on me. Plus it stars Sarah Shahi (featured in my short list of famous women I'm attracted to)

Saturday:
11:30 PM - 1:00 AM: Saturday Night Live (NBC) - Who's the new head writer? You mean they didn't get a new one? Uh oh

Shows I'll Be Watching Via Other Means: Dexter (SHO), Chuck (NBC), Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles (FOX)

I'm not counting how many hours of TV this is total. I already know I have a problem.

Late Reviews: Pineapple Express & Tropic Thunder

2008-08-19T17:33:00.002-04:00

I've been slacking. This isn't a reflection on how I felt about the movies but I just didn't have it in me to write comments about a movie. Anywho...

Pineapple Express

I was kinda disappointed. I enjoyed it and laughed alot but it was clearly a movie written through a series of puff-puff-pass sections as there were parts where the plot just disappeared. Plus, any movie that can't find anything funny for Gary Cole to do has committed a crime against comedy gods.

That said, Danny McBride is quickly becoming the guy who steals every scene he's in.

The best thing for me was seeing James Franco get a comedic role. just because he's a pretty boy who looks like James Dean doesn't mean he should be doing dramas. Anyone who watched Freaks & Geeks knows how funny he could be in a laidback way.

Tropic Thunder

Now this movie was hilarious. There were definitely parts where it dragged but when it was funny, it was asthmatically hysterical.

If Heath Ledger doesn't get Best Supporting Actor for The Joker, I hope Robert Downey Jr. does (although I'd like to think Hollywood would flinch at nominating a guy in blackface no matter how inoffensive I found it). Better yet, Tom Cruise should get the nomination

Welcome to Jamrock!

2008-08-17T19:58:00.002-04:00

Face Your Manga

2008-08-16T19:53:00.001-04:00

Make your own

Better Than Being RickRolled

2008-08-11T21:28:00.000-04:00

R.I.P. Isaac Hayes

2008-08-10T19:16:00.001-04:00

What the fuck is going on?

All Points West Music Festival '08

2008-08-10T16:26:00.006-04:00

Who I Saw: (click name to see photos)

Highlight: Seeing Sia live for the first time and right in front no less

I also got a video of her singing "Breathe Me."

Lowlight: Before the Radiohead set, this group of people were SNORTING OXYCONTIN PILLS. One of them annoyed the living shit of me during most of the set by jumping into me, elbowing me in the eye and singing loudly and offbeat. I tried to elbow him in the ribs but of course, it meant nothing to him.

Another Lowlight: They had this stupid policy where you got a bracelet with five tabs. That was as many beers as you were allowed to have the entire day. Wait...it gets worse. You were only allowed to drink in these three "beer gardens" (they looked more like concentration camps for drunks) and couldn't walk around with your beer.

R.I.P.Bernie Mac

2008-08-09T10:34:00.002-04:00

Lollapalooza '08

2008-08-06T11:42:00.004-04:00

Who I Saw: (click name for pictures)

Highlight: While Radiohead was performing "The Bends" and "Fake Plastic Trees," fireworks went off in the background. It was kind of surreal especially considering it was my first time seeing them.

Lowlight: An hour before the Rage Against The Machine, a group of drunken fools tried to force their way to the front, crushing a bunch of us. My arms were essentially trapped at my sides and I couldn't breathe. Once Rage started performing, it only got worse. I spent the first 20 minutes or so with my feet off the ground. I was either being leaned forward onto someone's back or leaned back with my weight being held up whoever was behind me. At least three people were carried over my head from heat exhaustion and I know tons of others that we carried out on the other side. Zach had to stop the show several times to plead with the crowd to move back so the people in the very front wouldn't be crushed to death.

Movie of the (Last) Week: Step Brothers

2008-08-05T15:00:00.001-04:00

Not as good as Anchorman or Talladega Nights but better than the other Will Ferrel/non-Adam McKay comedies that strived for the same aesthetic (Blades of Glory, Semi-Pro, etc.)

It slows down towards the end but the last 15 minutes is insane.

Movie of the Week: The Dark Knight: The IMAX Experience

2008-07-25T16:29:00.005-04:00

(that's 4/5th)

I guess I'll finally get to this. I'll try not to spend too much time on this because there's already been a shitload of things written about it.

Is it the best comic book movie ever? Yes, sorta. I'd say it's the best one for adults. There is something aesthetically pleasing to the kid in me about movies like Superman II, Spider-Man 2 and X2: X-Men United in that they exist in complete fantasy worlds and appeal to kid and teens. The Dark Knight was made with the conceit that "Let's pretend that Bruce Wayne actually existed and that there was a terrorist that wore makeup." This was like Heat with a cape. The Dark Knight is a comic book movie in the way that Road to Perdition and A History of Violence were comic book movies.

Spoilers below

What I Loved:

Heath Ledger as The Joker. Believe the hype. As a guy who can say he's seen 80% of the movies Heath Ledger has been in, even I didn't think he had this in him. To get a full range of what we lost with Ledger's death, compare Ennis De Mar from Brokeback Mountain to The Joker.
Gary Oldman as James Gordon. Talk about range. It's already been established what a great actor Gary Oldman is but it's rare to see him do such restrained work. It's a shame that his performance is getting lost behind all the (well-deserved) praise Ledger's Joker is getting
Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent. Eckhart is one of my favorite actors and he sold the transition of the "White Knight" to Two-Face. Especially the scenes in the hospital with Gordon and Joker
The characterization of the Joker and Two-Face. The Joker is a pull from Alan Moore and Brian Bolland's The Killing Joke where The Joker is convinced that all it would take is one bad day to make someone lose it like him (and Batman) Harvey Dent is pulled from Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale's The Long Halloween where the only killings Two-Face does are to the people he feels are responsible for his situation. Also that's where the idea of Harvey Dent, Gordon and Batman working together on cases came from. Since these are two of my all-time favorite Batman stories, I was quite pleased.
Maggie Gyllenthal did what she could with what little she was given but she made me care about her fate. I doubt Katie Holmes could have pulled off her last scene over the phone with Harvey.
Batman as a detective. I'm glad they didn't just have Batman figuring stuff out by looking at like he's Monk.
The IMAX shots. Holy shit. When you see the picture fill up the entire IMAX screen for the first time, you will be taken aback.
I'm glad Two-Face wasn't the main villain. The way this universe that Nolan has created works, it's not like Harvey Dent was going to start gathering henchmen and start to rob banks.

What I Didn't Like:

Bale's Batman voice. It works when he's only saying one or two lines but when he's having full conversations with The Joker, Gordon or Harvey, he starts to sound ridiculous. I know everyone can't be Kevin Conroy but if there is one thing Michael Keaton had over fellow Batmen is his voice didn't sound silly.
Speeches. There were too many speeches driving home the themes of the movie

What Made Me Think:

Batman sure causes a lot of property damage when he hits the street. I'm not the only one who thinks so. I hope Bruce Wayne is somehow paying for all of this.

Who's Gonna Save My Soul Now?

2008-07-23T16:30:00.000-04:00

Watchmen Trailer

2008-07-17T15:14:00.005-04:00

Bad Form!*

2008-07-15T11:28:00.004-04:00

I get what they are trying to say with the cover.

And if you actually read the articles in that issue of The New Yorker it makes sense.

But most people are just going to see the cover and that's why it doesn't work..

Because The New Yorker doesn't put copy on its covers (a simple line like "Scare Tactics: How the GOP is painting Obama" would have quelled this entire controversy), the image has to explain itself and it doesn't. It just looks like an offensive, out of context caricature of Barack and Michelle Obama.

* Captain Hook from Hook

Movie of the Week: Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008-07-14T09:42:00.003-04:00

And the summer of good comic book movies continues.

This must have been a cross between director Guillermo Del Toro clearing his mental sketch pad from Pan's Labyrinth and warming up for The Hobbit. The imagination in Hellboy II makes the first movie look like a straight to video affair. The collection of creatures throughout the whole movie - especially the scene in the Troll Market - was probably the greatest collection of random creatures since the Cantina in Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope.

Ron Perlman is more comfortable as Hellboy this time and Selma Blair as Liz Sherman didn't bother me so much this time (I still think she can't act). The evolution of their relationship with each other and the outside world really carries this movie. Seth McFarlane as the voice of Johann Kraus almost stole the movie though.

Movie Characters I Want To Date: Laura

2008-07-11T15:51:00.003-04:00

Since I’m not dating real people, I came up with this idea a couple of days ago. I think I’ll make this an ongoing thing that I’ll fall back on when I have nothing to blog about. This has nothing to do with the attractiveness of the actress playing the role (although it’s a movie so, odds are, they’re attractive). Certain elements of the character appeals to me romantically and sets unrealistic standards for real people who don’t have the benefit of rewrites.

Character: Laura

Film: High Fidelity

Actress: Iben Hjejle

Attractive Qualities: Rob describes her best: "Top five things I miss about Laura. One; sense of humor. Very dry, but it can also be warm and forgiving. And she's got one of the best all time laughs in the history of all time laughs, she laughs with her entire body. Two; she's got character...She's loyal and honest, and she doesn't even take it out on people when she's having a bad day. That's character...Three; I miss her smell, and the way she tastes. It's a mystery of human chemistry and I don't understand it, some people, as far as their senses are concerned, just feel like home. [Four;] I really dig how she walks around. It's like she doesn't care how she looks or what she projects and it's not that she doesn't care it's just, she's not affected I guess, and that gives her grace. And five; she does this thing in bed when she can't get to sleep, she kinda half moans and then rubs her feet together an equal number of times... it just kills me. Believe me, I mean, I could do a top five things about her that drive me crazy but it's just your garden variety women you know, schizo stuff and that's the kind of thing that got me here."

Lists: Favorite Movie From Every Year You've Been Alive

2008-07-11T14:59:00.003-04:00

You know I had to do it after the music one.

This one was harder as it took me a day to pick out various movies from every year and a few days afterwords to narrow it down to one. 1985 was particularly difficult.

1977: Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope
1978: Superman: The Movie
1979: The Muppet Movie
1980: The Empire Strikes Back
1981: Superman II*
1982: Rocky III
1983: A Christmas Story
1984: The Karate Kid
1985: Back to the Future
1986: Aliens
1987: The Princess Bride
1988: Die Hard
1989: Say Anything...
1990: Quick Change
1991: Terminator 2 : Judgment Day
1992: Unforgiven
1993: Groundhog Day
1994: The Lion King
1995: Before Sunrise
1996: Trainspotting
1997: Chasing Amy
1998: Elizabeth
1999: Fight Club
2000: High Fidelity
2001: Hedwig and the Angry Inch
2002: Raising Victor Vargas
2003: Finding Nemo
2004: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
2005: Brokeback Mountain
2006: Children of Men
2007: Lars and the Real Girl
2008 (so far): WALL·E

* I cheated a little because it came out in Australia in 1980 but in the US in 1981 so I didn't have to chose between my favorite Star Wars movie and my favorite Superman movie.

100 Facts About Sean, Vol. 3, Fact #65

2008-07-09T11:04:00.005-04:00

I told Sheila she could pick one of the recent 100 Facts About Sean and I would expound upon it and she chose this one:

65. One day, two friends and I went on a shoplifting spree throughout Broadway Mall leaving with at least $200 worth of bounty

Here's what happened:

When I was 15-16 years old, I was a frequent purchaser of cassette tapes. I would take my allowance and by a new album at Record Town at Broadway Mall in Hicksville.

Now I wasn't a thief per se but I was a very curious person. One day in the summer, while I was looking at the cassette tape section, for the first time, I noticed the little metal security strip on the cassette. I wondered if I pulled it off, would I be able to walk out the store? So I bought one cheap cassette and pulled the security strip off another --all prepared to be like "Oh, I forgot I had this" if I got caught. I walked through the security spot in the doorway, held my breath and...nothing.

Now, I many not have been a thief or a delinquent (a matter of fact I was very nerdy) but I hung out with a lot of people who imagined they were. I grew up in Westbury Hills, a quiet little suburb with a bunch of kids who tried to act hard despite the fact that their parents were middle-class, they lived in nice houses and they went to Catholic/Lutheran School for the most part (although most of them got kicked out of those schools for indulging in hood fantasies).

Anyway, I excitedly rode my bike back home to share my new found discovery with my friends. The only ones I could find was my friends Nick (Fun Fact: At 12 years old, he backed his uncle's car over his little sister. She ended up with cuts and scratches over her face) and Kenny (Fun Fact: If you made him laugh too much, he'd piss himself). Nick was all too excited to try this out and Kenny was always along for the ride. So, we got a duffel bag and went back to the mall.

We hit every store we could find that a) had their items protected with the easily removable sticker and b) had idiot employees. By the time it was 5 PM, we had filled up the entire duffel bag. We rode back to my friend Jeff's house where all my friends were hanging out and showed them our bounty. I can't remember everything we took exactly but here's what I can remember:

Wayne's World on VHS
A pair of Oakland Raiders boxers that were too big for all three of us
25-40 cassette tape albums and singles

I'm sure shoplifting increased substantially that summer because word of our actions and how we did it made it throughout our little suburb. People would periodically show me stuff they stole like "It worked, Sean!"

When I got home, I had to tell my brother to pretend that all my stuff. he was quite proud (Fun Fact: My brother got caught stealing at Tower Records, driven home by the police and was given the biggest beating either of us had ever received in the smallest room in the house...the downstairs bathroom).

I would periodically steal cassette tapes but my reign of terror was brought to an end when I got caught stealing an 8 pack of AA batteries for my friend Jen from this bootleg version of CVS in Broadway Mall. I had actually made it out the store and was 5 feet from exiting the mall when the store manager caught up to me and dragged me back. He threatened to call my parents but they weren't home (I had made it a rule not to steal things when my parents were home just in case of such an emergency). Instead, he took my picture with a Polaroid and banned me from the store. My friend Andrew never let me forget this anytime we went to the mall: "Hey, let's go in here and get some candy. Oh wait, nevermind. Sean's BANNED! HAHAHAH!" He made that jokes for years.

Movie of the Week: WALL*E

2008-07-09T10:45:00.005-04:00

Fucking awesome.

Upon first viewing, it is up with my top two Pixar flicks, The Incredibles and Finding Nemo. Who knows what happens when I own this gem.

WALL*E has replaced Dory from Finding Nemo as my favorite animated character ever created. The fact that WALL*E and EVE displayed more personality through expressions and limited vocabulary than most characters in live-action movies is amazing and kinda depressing.

I could probably go on all day about how great this movie is. I just want to know who are the souless human beings who gave this movie a bad review to only give it 97% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Lists: Favorite Album From Every Year You've Been Alive

2008-07-07T12:40:00.005-04:00

(I wish I originally thought of this but I didn't)

List your favorite record from every year you’ve been alive.

You can do it based purely on hindsight, or you can do it by listing the answer you would’ve given in that year (assuming you were aware of pop music at the time).

1977: Exodus - Bob Marley and the Wailers
1978: Here My Dear - Marvin Gaye
1979: Off the Wall - Michael Jackson
1980: Hotter than July - Stevie Wonder
1981: Controversy - Prince
1982: Thriller – Michael Jackson
1983: Madonna – Madonna
1984: Purple Rain - Prince and the Revolution
1985: Diamond Life - Sade
1986: Slippery When Wet - Bon Jovi
1987: Sign O' The Times - Prince
1988: The Great Adventures of Slick Rick - Slick Rick
1989: Disintegration - The Cure
1990: People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm - A Tribe Called Quest
1991: The Low End Theory - A Tribe Called Quest
1992: Love Deluxe - Sade
1993: Midnight Marauders - A Tribe Called Quest
1994: Illmatic - Nas
1995: Jagged Little Pill - Alanis Morissette
1996: Reasonable Doubt - Jay-Z
1997: OK Computer - Radiohead
1998: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - Lauryn Hill
1999: Bitter - Me'shell Ndegeocello
2000: Voodoo - D'Angelo
2001: The Blueprint - Jay-Z
2002: About a Boy soundtrack - Badly Drawn Boy
2003: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below - Outkast
2004: More Adventurous - Rilo Kiley
2005: Late Registration - Kanye West
2006: Rabbit Fur Coat - Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins
2007: In Rainbows - Radiohead
2008 (so far): Third - Portishead

Ok, this was really fucking hard. Especially 1991-1997. I had to settle on picking on what was my favorite album ignoring albums that were clearly superior.

I was going to do a movie list but I don't think I have it in me. This list took up most of my day and I'm really heartbroken about some of the cuts I had to make.

If you want to try it, my best advice is to use Wikipedia which lists every album released by year.

31 Today

2008-07-04T00:00:00.002-04:00

31 Today
by Aimee Mann

Thirty-one today
What a thing to say
Drinking Guinness in the afternoon
Taking shelter in the black cocoon

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn

Called some guy I knew
Had a drink or two
And we fumbled as the day grew dark
I pretended that I felt a spark

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn

Easter comes and goes
Maybe Jesus knows
So you roll on with the best you can
Getting loaded, watching CNN

I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
I thought my life would be different somehow
I thought my life would be better by now
But it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know where to turn
No, it's not, and I don't know

Don't let the cuteness fool you

2008-07-02T10:25:00.003-04:00

So I offered to watch my friends' kitten, Lennon*, while they went away on their honeymoon for two weeks.

Seemed simple enough.

Because she's still sort of a kitten, I was too paranoid to just leave it to its own devices at night so I decided to stay at my friends' apartment while I'm watching her.

The first night was fine aside from her desire to claw her way up my leg...while I'm wearing shorts.

The next morning though...

I fell asleep without closing the bedroom door and I was awoken at 4:30 AM to Lennon crawling all over my face and nibbling my fingers.

Tuesday morning, it was 3:50 AM.

If I close the door, she cries all morning and I'm not used to her enough to drown it out.

I should be careful what favors I promise to people.

* "Lennon" is named after my friend's favorite footballer, Aaron Lennon, of the Tottenham Hotspurs.

Yet Another 100 Facts* About Sean

2008-07-01T10:34:00.008-04:00

In honor of yet another birthday, I've decided to take a crack at revealing 100 more random items about yours truly. Hopefully, I won't repeat myself from my first two efforts (Parts 1 & 2). If I do, let me know and I'll come up with a new one (Update: the ones in red are replacement facts):

The last birthday party my parents threw was when I was 10 years old. My cousins all brought me fireworks for my birthday, which I wasn't allowed to light. Dicks
The first DVD I bought was Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery
I can't help but cry through Björk's screaming and crying towards the end of Dancer in the Dark
I've only had one non-funeral related trip to Jamaica
I didn't miss a day of school until 8th grade.
In nursery school, the teachers had made each of us little trucks made out of construction paper with our names written on it. Mine had "Shawn" instead of "Sean" written on it. I cried beyond the point of consolation
Whenever I knew I was going to get spanked after parent/teacher conferences, I had two strategies: a) stay in my mother's room watching soap hiding under her protection or b) getting under the covers and using my comforter as cover while pretending to get hit
My brother and I figured out every hiding spot for our Christmas presents. It got so bad that we were playing with our new toys during the day and would put them back before my parents got home from work. It kinda took the fun out of Christmas in hindsight
I was a latchkey kid from 4th grade on
My favorite baseball player growing up was Don Mattingly
Things I used to have posters of in my room: John Starks Dunk over Micheal Jordan (a.k.a. "The Dunk"), The Punisher, Wolverine, Spider-Man, Sade (taken from my brother), 1996 World Series Champion New York Yankees
I was in the National Honor Society in high school...barely
How I knew Girlfriend #1 and I were done. Before she went away for the summer, I went with her and her family while she bought shit and got her hair done. While she was in the chair, I gave her my Casio organizer because she wanted to write me a little note that I wasn't supposed to read until she left. Of course, I read it as soon as I got home and it was innocent enough. I later noticed she deleted all the anniversary reminders from the month she left until the end of the year (I was a weirdo and had all the monthly anniversaries up to a full year). Ruined my whole summer. We "broke up" after she got back
To this day, I've never asked her about it
The name "Melanism" came from a band I saw in NYU called "Melanin 2000"
I'm a Democrat
I still haven't had a check-up or physical
For almost six months, I would meet friends in front of the Wetlands on Tuesday night, drive to Philadelphia for Black Lily, leave around 1-1:30 AM, drop everyone off and then go to work the next day
In high school, I let three kids copy off me for the Chemistry Regents exam. I had a 95% going into the test. I was in the front and everyone behind me passed my answers back. I got a 70%. The kid directly behind me got a 66%. The rest failed and had to go to summer school. Oops
My first official date with Girlfriend #2 was a double date with her younger sister and her boyfriend to go see Kids.
I thought Mister Rogers was creepy
The reason I'm such an early bird: my father kept all his suits for work in my closet and he would come into my room at 5:45 AM to get dressed every morning. He wasn't exactly ninja-like plus the closet door got stuck alot so you had to pull really hard to open and made a loud noise when it did open. A few years of this and waking up at 6 AM was the norm
I have a name I want to name a girl if I ever have a daughter but at this rate, it might end up being the name of one of the future pets-as-a-supplement-for-human-relationships I get (regardless, I'm not telling)
I was kinda disappointed when I met someone with that name (middle name though)
The motivating factor behind any career achievement at my current place of employment is: "How far can I get in this place without having to take the writing test?"
The original point of this blog (actually my blog predates the term "blog") was to share my opinion about movies without having to repeat myself. Not much has changed
I slept with a night light a lot longer than I'm willing to admit on this list
I used to eat Luden's Wild Cherry Throat Drops like they were Skittles. I had a serious addiction to them in high school
I've been wearing glasses since Kindergarten
I'm still paying off my student loans
I think I've said 'I love you' first in all my relationships (GFs 1-3: please feel free to refute)
My middle name is "Andre" (Hey, some people don't know that)
I hate people who get on the subway before most of the people on the car get out
I've only had to go to the hospital twice: 1) Stomach pains from eating too many greasy foods in one day when I was in grade school and 2) Severe sprained ankle from kickball last year
I have a small birthmark on my right tricep. I think it looks like a dog or a rabbit
I prefer being cold over being hot because you can dress for being too cold
Every stage of my life, I have a new person I consider my "best friend" (the feeling isn't always mutual)
My father also ruined cereal for me. As mentioned in #22, my father used to get dressed at 5:45 AM and leave at 6:05 AM. He would fix me a bowl of Frosted Flakes cereal before he left and by the time I got downstairs, it was really soggy but my mother made me eat it. I didn't have cereal again until I was in college
Eric is my oldest friend as I've known him since first grade
No one ever thinks I am as old as I actually am
I have never been to a professional or college football game
I can't say that "I can't cook" because I haven't really tried
I kinda suck at Guitar Hero-related games despite the fact that I own a number of them
I don't like having company because then no one knows how messy my apartment really is
The only class I ever got an F in was Religion. My mother laughed when I showed her. Her response (paraphrased): "What's there to fail: God. Jesus. Holy Spirit?"
I can't sing but this does fact does not keep me away from karaoke mics
8 times out of 10, I will arrive early to any party or gathering unless I'm coming from another party (which I probably arrived early to)
I think the reason I eat and drink so fast was that was the only way to escape the dinner table and inquiries about homework (that I wasn't doing) when I was growing up
I can listen to sad music all day long
Despite being an A/B+ student for my entire grade school life, it took me four and a half years to get Student of the Month at St. Brigid's. When I asked why I hadn't gotten it, a teacher told me I questioned my teachers too much during class
My favorite video game of all time is Final Fantasy VII. I once spent 10-12 straight hours in college sitting in front of the TV playing that while my roommate/suitemates went out to class
I used to have a huge crush on this girl in high school but she liked one of my best friends. I wanted him to ask her to the prom which he wouldn't because I liked her. He wanted me to ask her which I didn't because I knew she liked him. She ended up going to the prom with this d-bag who shared the limo with us making us both wish we had asked her
I can't function during the work day if I don't have some sort of breakfast
I try to eat dinner before 8 PM. I don't know when that started
I have little-to-no willpower when it comes to rejecting food (or booze)
Open bars are my kryptonite
I want to own or run a bar, lounge or diner. Not because I have any interest in any of these types of establishments. I just want to work at a place that I can listen (and make other people listen to) music I want to hear
I think I spend at least $150 dollars on comic books a month
If I spent as much money on clothes as I did DVDs and comics, I would be quite stylish
I fooled around with Girlfriend #1 more after we broke up than when we were together
As a child, I used to fluctuate between sleeping with the door open or close. The argument I made to myself was "Would I rather see whatever was coming down the hallway to get me or would I rather hear them open door and pretend to be asleep?" I think I settled on the latter
When I went to see Monty Python's Spamalot with some friends, imagine my surprise when i saw the girl who I went to NYU senior formal with and who ditched me for her friends afterwards on stage
I drool in my sleep a little. A lot if I'm sick
I never had an answer to the question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?"
One day, two friends and I went on a shoplifting spree throughout Broadway Mall leaving with at least $200 worth of bounty
I used to try and write hip-hop verses in high school. They were all laughably bad
As much as I love them, no piece of art (TV, comics, movies, paintings, etc.) has ever changed my life
I'm always afraid of missing the last step when I go down a long flight of stairs
I get nervous when too many people pay attention to what I am doing
I learned wrestling was fake a little later than I am willing to admit on this list
90% of my Facebook status messages are from books, movies or songs I just listened to at the time of posting
I'm currently harboring 4-5 crushes. They range from "fleeting" to "mildly debilitating"
The first R-rated movie I snuck into was Alien 3
After I watched my brother's tape of Private School, I started calling his friends "douchebag" whenever they called. I was probably 8 or 9 years old
I've never come into a job drunk. Partially tipsy twice
When I buy TV shows on DVD, it's moreso to lend out to get additional people hooked on said TV show then for my own personal viewing pleasure
Unless you bludgeon me over the head with it, I'm generally oblivious to people showing romantic interest in me
I'm 5'9"
I didn't start drinking coffee until I started working here six years ago
In college, my roommate, Pierre, and I watched The Tick on FOX Saturday morning cartoons religiously. No matter what we were doing or where we were, we were in front of the TV at 11 AM
I've had a cell phone since I was 21
I don't use more than 25-35 talk minutes on my cell phone a month. When Lost or 24 is on, it goes up to an hour
I used to hide the lunches my father made me that I didn't want (he used to make me HAMBURGERS and put that in my lunch bag...WTF?) behind my bookcase. One day, I forgot and my mother found a rotten bag of food while she was cleaning my room
The first time I puked as a toddler was in kindergarten. After eating one of those soggy bowls of cereal (#38), I got on the bus and the driver strapped us all in. I started to feel sick but couldn't get free from seat beat. I puked all over myself. The bus driver was running late so let me ride the entire way covered in soggy Frosted Flakes vomit and cleaned me off when we got to school
The first movies we got when my parents bought a VCR were Raiders of the Lost Ark and Purple Rain
I learned how to dub movies when I was 12. I used to rent 3-4 movies a week from Blockbuster Video and make copies for my brother and his friends
The last movie I saw at the Westbury Drive-In before they shut it down was There's Something About Mary
I've never been on a pre-relationship "date" (and by "date", I mean asking a girl out to dinner or a movie with the intention of wooing her AND she knows it's a date)
My being single has more to do with my shyness than I lead people to believe
My father used to academically compare me unfavorably to my classmates which made me want to try less
I did better in the verbal section of my SAT and my GRE but both times my score was below 1,000. (I can't remember the exact score for either)
I have no problem having the same meal over and over again for lunch or dinner.
I was in the General Studies Program for my freshman and sophomore years of NYU (for those of us who weren't quite up the NYU standards)
For many years of my grade school and high school years, I would never look at myself directly in the mirror for self-conscious-about-my appearance reasons. I would take off my glasses first or always look at myself from some sort of angle
I prefer the right side of the bed
I used to drink Welch's grape soda all the time. Now I only drink Diet Coke or Coke Zero
Anytime I do laundry on the weekend, 9 1/2 times out of 10, I will end up taking a nap for at least an hour. I can't explain it
I hate calling people in my office. I'd rather talk to them face to face. If that's not possible, e-mail. The phone is a last resort
It is understood amongst my family that at any holiday dinner (Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc.), I have first dibs on chicken and/or turkey legs. It has been tradition since I was a little kid
I'm not that into big breasts

Now everyone knows 300 more things about me than I do about them...

Happy Birthday to me (on July 4th)!

* These aren't really "facts" as much as tidbits or stories you didn't know about me

Movie Characters I Want To Date: Boof

2008-07-01T08:52:00.006-04:00

Since I’m not dating real people, I came up with this idea a couple of days ago. I think I’ll make this an ongoing thing that I’ll fall back on when I have nothing to blog about. This has nothing to do with the attractiveness of the actress playing the role (although it’s a movie so, odds are, they’re attractive). Certain elements of the character appeals to me romantically and sets unrealistic standards for real people who don’t have the benefit of rewrites.

Character: Lisa 'Boof' Marconi

Film: Teen Wolf

Actress: Susan Ursitti

Attractive Qualities: Boof is the perfect embodiment of that girl was like your best friend but was not-so-secretly in love with you (I say "not-so-secretly" because everyone knows it but you...at least consciously). Does she make you feel guilty about liking other people? Nope. Does she even talk to you about and actively help you try to get with people that you want to get with? She knows you'll come around someday. That what you two could have would rival anything you had with middling little crushes...Until you actually get together and it's a mess and you realize that you should have stayed friends after all but now it's too late. But hey, why focus on the negative?

Jay-Z's verse over American Boy from the Glastonbury Festival

2008-06-30T11:04:00.000-04:00

Movie of the Week: Wanted

2008-06-27T21:43:00.002-04:00

This movie was made for 13 year old boys.

The script was kinda shitty (even for a movie very loosely based on a graphic novel) but I can't deny that the action scenes were cool as shit.

The only thing that sucked is if you saw the most recent red-band trailer, you've seen most of the cool scenes but the big shootout at the end was awesome as was a moment of profanity from Morgan Freeman who's played the holy black guy so long, you couldn't help but laugh.

Movie of the Week: The Incredible Hulk

2008-06-22T22:13:00.000-04:00

I loved this movie but that's the comic book geek in me. That's who this movie was made more: any comic book fan who hated Ang Lee's Hulk (I didn't hate it...I liked it until the metaphysical cloud fight in the end). With the exception of Edward Norton, I think the casting was better in Ang Lee's movie but Norton and Liv Tyler had better chemistry than Eric Bana and Jennifer Connley.

CGI-wise, this Hulk looked much better than the doughy King Kong Hulk in Ang Lee's interpretation. Also, I liked that they established a relationship between Betty and Hulk which was sorely lacking in the first movie and is a big part of the comic.

If you were just going into this not having read a Hulk comic book or ever watching episodes of the Bill Bixby show, you might just see this as mindless entertainment. But for someone who has, there were little nods to both worlds, which were great.

And of course, we are still building towards the Avengers movie which I am excited about but I think will be a lesser product due to casting (the problems with Norton have been detailed and they are already having problems retaining Jon Favreau for the Iron Man sequel)

Confessions of a Bridesman

2008-06-17T11:43:00.005-04:00

So one Friday night in February, I was hanging out with my engaged friends, Hannah and Tyson, in Brooklyn. They were getting married in June and we got to talking about their wedding. I made a drunken joke asking Hannah how come I wasn't in her wedding party. She said if someone in her bridal party drops out, I'm the backup. Haha. We laughed and continued to drink.

The following Monday, I get an IM from Hannah saying that her maid of honor can't come to the wedding because she's pregnant and can't fly over (she's from England). I tell her that sucks and I'm sorry to hear that.

Hannah: "Yeah, so you're in."

Me: "What?"

I swear for about three weeks, I refused to believe her. I really thought she was just fucking with me and, because of that, I really couldn't get excited about it. At any moment, I was waiting for her to say, "Oh, honey. I was just kidding." But then she started sending information for where to go for my tux fitting. Then I got honored and excited.

Fast forward to last week, the wedding day arrived and instead of running around with the groomsmen and the groom, I was hanging out with the bride. Now, maybe it's because Hannah was probably the most chilled, relaxed bride ever (Her repeated line: "I just want to drink and eat") but this was a shitload of fun. I didn't have a bouquet but I put a flower behind my ear to match with my fellow bridespeople.

As we waited to walk down the aisle, Eric, the groomsman I was paired up with, and I couldn't decide how to walk down the aisle (arms in front, hands in our pockets) so we agreed to walk down the aisle arm-in-arm. Everyone got a great laugh out of it, especially the groom.

Ladies, you are probably thinking that you shouldn't have a guy in your bridal party but let me tell you the advantages:

Speed: I swear it took my fellow bridespeople 3 plus hours to get ready with makeup and hair and all. When it was time to go, I just popped on my suit and I was ready. One less person to worry about.
Shoes: Say someone forgets something at the last second and someone has to run and get it. It's better to have someone not wearing heels to do it.
Pockets: Bridesmaids tend to get choked up during a wedding but they have nowhere to put tissues. I kept tissues in my inside jacket pocket and passed them out as needed.

Gentlemen, if you are ever asked to be a groomsman, you might want to bring a date because you will be fighting off questions about your heterosexuality.

Movie of the Week: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

2008-06-17T11:28:00.004-04:00

Forced.

That's how this movie felt.

Not like a natural progression in the adventures of Indiana Jones but like a forced effort to make more money or out of boredom or out of George Lucas' desire to wipe his ass with my favorite movies from my childhood that he had a hand in.

Now I've seen some things throughout the trilogy that have caused me to be like "Oh, come on" (grabbing hearts out of people's chest and the train car chase spring to mind immediately) but there were things in this movie that were just stupid.

Maybe it's because I saw the first Indiana Jones movies when i was a kid and now as an adult, I have standards now but I don't think that's it.

The movie was enjoyable when Marion first showed up and the chase that followed in the jungle but then that was ruined by one of the worst things I have ever seen (I won't spoil it but it involves Shia Labeouf and CGI monkeys). After that, the movie was irredeemable.

I don't even want to talk about it anymore.

Movie of the Week: You Don't Mess With The Zohan

2008-06-10T13:36:00.002-04:00

Here's what I wrote when I reviewed Click two years ago;

I actually liked it. I don't know why I'm surprised.
No matter how bad they seem on paper, there's always something amusing - even on the crudest of levels - about Adam Sandler flicks. There is not one Adam Sandler movie I have ever seen that I really hated and wouldn't watch again if it wasn't on cable (I still haven't seen 50 First Dates or Mr. Deeds or that animated Hanukkah flick)

The only thing that's changed is I saw 50 First Dates (loved it).

So basically if you like all of Adam Sandler's silly movies (I'm talking Happy Gilmore/Billy Madison silly), you'll find something to laugh at in this movie.

My Weekend In Photos

2008-06-10T11:05:00.004-04:00

Saturday
BBQ Block Party:

DJ Spinna @ Brooklyn Museum

Hanging Out After The Party Was Cancelled

Sunday
Heavy

J*DaVeY

Happy Birthday, Tara!

Movie of the Week: Sex and The City

2008-06-06T14:44:00.004-04:00

This was how the show should have ended (I won't get into my feelings about the series finale again).

If you watched the show, I don't know how you could have hated the movie. I wasn't enamored with the show but liked it for the most part (except for the end). But the movie was enjoyable, albeit predictable (everything ended the way I thought it would based on the trailer). It was a little too long as they tried to cram a season's worth of storylines into a little over 2 hours.

The first hour of the movie was like Fashion Porn to all the women in the crowd (I don't think I've ever been to a movie that was sold out and had so few men* attending and I'm no stranger to chick flicks).

They better not make a sequel. There is no way they can extend their stories any further.

* My "Man Card" has finally been revoked because I saw Sex and The City before I saw Indiana Jones and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This was a long time coming.

Now The Real Fight Begins...

2008-06-04T08:54:00.002-04:00

Lost Season Finale: Two Alternate Endings

2008-05-30T11:23:00.003-04:00

Neither would have worked with everything we had been told prior so who did they think they were fooling.

Lost Season Four: "No Place Like Home" (Part II & III)

2008-05-29T23:16:00.007-04:00

What I Liked:

Sayid vs. Keamy! Sayid finally met his match
The three year time leap allows them to use Walt again. Brilliant!
Ben throwing all the metal in the chamber as Locke is told via that orientation video that no metal objects so be in the chamber
Ken Leung did so much with his brief lines in the episode. I hope we get a lot more Miles
With Charlotte, Miles and Daniel staying behind, we might actually get some backstory from them that we lost due to the writer's strike
Yunjin Kim's Emmy clip
I'll admit, I welled up a little bit when the shipmate said "Ms. Widmore." No matter what happens in the future as long as Desmond and Penny got together once makes me happy.
This is probably the most information-heavy episode ever. A lot of the questions raised this season were addressed while leaving the big overall questions intact.
Funny Line of the Night: "Dude, I've been having regular conversation with dead people. The last thing I need is paranoia."- Hurley
Creepy Line of the Night: "Checkmate, Mr Eko." - Hurley
Character Damning Line of the Night: "Lie to them Jack. If you do it half as well as you lie to yourself,they'll believe you." - Locke to Jack, regarding lying about the island
Word of the Night: "So?" - Ben, regarding Locke telling him he's killed everyone on the freighter

What I Didn't Like:

It wasn't as mind-blowing as other finales but I still loved it.
Now that Penny and Desmond have been reunited, I'm worried about the fate of both characters
I think the reason for the "lie" while solid wasn't sold very well. Also, I can't accept that everyone would have signed off on Jack's lie, especially Sun who looked like she would have stabbed him with a knife every time he looked in her direction.

What We Learned:

Flashforward (Oceanic Six)

Cover story addendum: Boone, Libby, Charlie are the people they say died the initial crash but died afterwards*.
It's been three years between rescued Jack and Wolfman Jack
"Jeremy Bentham" was the guy in the coffin
"Jeremy" came to Kate and told Kate the same thing about going back to the island
Michael's mother and Walt come to see Hurley in the asylum.
No one came to see Walt when they came back except "Jeremy."
Sun goes to London and confronts Charles Widmore
Sun offers to help Charles Widmore
In a nightmare, Kate receives a weird backwards phone call saying "The island needs you. You have to go back before it's too late.". She goes to check on Aaron and Claire is in the room with him! Claire tells Kate not to bring Aaron back
Jack goes back to the funeral home where he viewed Bentham's coffin and breaks in
He sees Ben there
"Jeremy" told Jack that he was off the island
"Jeremy" told Jack that after he left the island, some very bad things happened and it was his fault for leaving and that he had to come back.
Ben tells him that the island won't let him get back to the island alone. They all have to go back including Jeremy's body.
Sun blames Jack for Jin
Locke is Jeremy Bentham

Island:

Locke would make a horrible florist
Kate helps Richard Alpert & The Others set a trap for Team Keamy
Hurley loves 15 year old crackers
Locke tries to convince Jack to stay on the island.
Locke tells him that if they leave, he will have to lie about the island to protect it
Jack shares Robin Scherbatsky's belief that there are no such thing as miracles while Locke is more of a Marshall Eriksen.**
Miles doesn't want to leave the island
Charlotte has been to the island BEFORE according to Miles
The Orchid Station comes with a new Orientation video. This time the doctor's name is Edward Halliwax.
"Halliwax" explains that there is a Casimir Effect on the island allows them to move things through space/time
Keamy cheats death a second time to pursue Ben in the Orchid and taunts him about killing Alex
If Keamy dies, the detonator sets off the C4 and the freighter blows up
Ben doesn't care and proves that while Keamy can survive a smoke monster and bullets, a knife works just fine
Charlotte decides to stay after all because she "is looking for where she was born"
The fuel tank of the chopper was hit with a bullet and they don't have enough fuel to make it to the freighter
Sawyer whispers something in Kate's ear, kisses her then jumps out of the chopper ("Top that, Jack")
Sayid kills a guy outside Hurley's asylum and sneaks in.
Sayid tells Hurley that Bentham is dead.
Sayid wants to take Hurley "somewhere safe"
Hurley was playing chess with Mr. Eko.
Jack makes Frank them leave without Jin (Jack, Sun, Aaron, Sayid, Hurley and Desmond are on before they take off)
Christian tells Michael "He can go now" and the freighter blows up with Jin on it
Sawyer makes it back to the island and sees Juliet on the beach getting drunk because she saw the freighter blow up
Ben is going to move the island knowing he'll never come back and leaves leadership of the Others to Locke
Ben goes through a whole behind the chamber opened up by the explosion he caused
Ben hurts his arm falling off the ladder
Ben spins the wheel and a noise similar to the hatch exploding starts to hit the sky
A bright light hits the island and it disappears
The chopper runs out of fuel and crashes in the water
They all make it to the raft okay.
They see a boat and before it comes to them, Jack tells everyone that they have to lie to protect everyone still on the island from whoever sent Keamy and put that fake plane in the water
It's Penny's Boat!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Penny tracked Desmond's phone call.
Penny helps Jack cover up their story
A week after Penny finds them, they sail to Membata to make the cover story work.
Penny, Desmond and Frank presumably go into hiding

Questions:

What does Miles mean when he says that Charlotte has been to the island before?
Why did the orientation video start rewinding?
Did Jin make it off the freighter or is he dead?
What is Christian's true nature?
Why won't they just say Bentham's real name?
Why does Walt dress the same and have the same hairstyle three years after the plane crash?
Wouldn't "Jeremy" have told Walt why they had to lie since it was his idea?
Why does Charlotte pronounce Daniel "Danielle"?
What did Sawyer whisper in Kate's ear?
What kind of conditioner does Sayid use?
Where did Sayid take Hurley?
Who was Sun referring to when she told Widmore that more than the Oceanic Six got off the island?
Why does Sun want to help Charles Widmore?
How many nameless Oceanic 815 survivors are left?
When was the last time the island was moved?
Why isn't Richard Alpert the leader of the Others?
Why is the room Ben goes to frozen?
Does that explain how the polar bear got in Tunisia?
What happened to Daniel and the red shirts on the raft?
Where and when did the island move to?
How did Sun's pregnancy survive all the shit we've been through?
How did Aaron survive all that shit?
How did Locke get off the island? Did he move it as well?
Did Locke travel to the future like Ben did when he got off the island?
Who killed Locke?
Who is the teenage son mentioned in the obituary Jack reading last season's finale?
What happened after Jack left the island that made Locke (of all people) leave?
How the hell is Jack going to convince all those people to go BACK to the island?
Does everyone going back include Desmond and Walt?
What is Season Six going to look like? Are we going to spend more time in the present? Are we going to find out what happened on the island in the three years since the island was moved?
When all is said and done, how many indie bands will be named after characters, places and hatches from the show (I think Richard Alpert & The Others would make a great band name)?

*From the enhanced replay of Part 1
** How I Met Your Mother reference

The Venture Bros. Season Three trailer

2008-05-29T13:32:00.001-04:00

Sunday at 11:30 PM. I'm so excited.

Choke trailer

2008-05-28T09:58:00.002-04:00

100 Random Movies I Love (That I Not-So-Secretly Hope You Love Too)

2008-05-27T12:22:00.005-04:00

I haven't done an "100 Things" list in awhile so I decided to be lazy and picked an easy one for me to do.

I tried to stay away from movies that would have been considered box office hits when they were in theaters and also movies that I'm pretty sure a lot of people have seen but as I started randomly picking movies from my DVD collection and Netflix rentals past the rules became fuzzy.

I'm not saying these are all good or great movies. Some of them are. Some of them are pretty bad but I find them incredibly watchable. I'm not saying that I'll hold it against you if you don't like, hate or haven't even seen any of these movies. But if you love them too...cool.

In alphabetical order (links to IMDB)

So let me have it. Which of these movies do you absolutely hate?

* The Noah Baumbach one, not the Will Ferrell one

R.I.P. Sydney Pollack

2008-05-27T09:18:00.001-04:00

I liked him as an supporting actor as much as I did as a director

Movie of the Week: My Baby Mama

2008-05-25T21:22:00.000-04:00

It was funnier than I was expecting it to be. Tina Fey is really growing as an actress.

It was pretty dumb but I laughed so mission accomplished.

Movie of the Week: Harold & Kumar - Escape from Guantanamo Bay

2008-05-21T22:23:00.001-04:00

Not as funny as the first one but funny in its own right.

Quotes for days.

If you didn't like the first one, don't bother.

Don't Call Me During...: Summer 2008 Edition

2008-05-21T14:56:00.004-04:00

I bet you thought that now that Fall Tv is slowly wrapping up, my days would be spent reading Victorian novels and taking my bicycle out for a spin. Don't you know boys & girls, TV never ends for a person like me. There's always something on...

Actually, you can call me during most these shows because odds are I'll be out when they are on

(Sorted by premiere date)
May:
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX/May 22)
The Andromeda Strain (A&E/May 26)

June:
In Plain Sight (USA/June 1)
The Venture Bros (CARTOON/June 1)
30 Days (SPIKE/June 3)
Swingtown (CBS/June 5)
My Boys (TBS/June 12)
Weeds (SHO/June 16)
Secret Diary of a Call Girl (SHO/June 16)

July:
Burn Notice (USA/July 10)
Generation Kill (HBO/July 13)
Psych (USA/July 18)
Eureka (SCIFI/July 29)
Mad Men (AMC/July TBD)

Swell Season & Interference @ Radio City Music Hall

2008-05-19T23:24:00.001-04:00

The first time I saw Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová perform was a year ago at NYU Cantor Center after a sneak preview of Once. To say I loved it would be an understatement. Anyway, afterwards we stuck around for a Q&A with writer/director John Carney and the two stars (who were unknown to me at the time). They were really humble. Irglová seemed nervous and barely spoke even when asked questions. Then they performed a couple of songs from the movie with Hansard's (now-famous I'd reckon) broken guitar. It was really cool. They invited everyone to go to a bar afterwards but it was a Lost night and you know me.

To see them performing at Radio City Music Hall a year later is kind of surreal. Clearly they thought it was surreal as well, especially Hansard who opened the show singing "Say It To Me Now" acoustic and away from the microphone. Throughout the night they did songs from the movie, The Swell Season album and a couple of Frames songs. They did two Van Morrison covers ("Astral Weeks" and "Into The Mystic", both which were amazing and garned standing ovations). Irglová got her sister on stage and they sang "Gently Johnny" from the original The Wicker Man soundtrack (when she was on stage and said they were going to sing a song from The Wicker Man, I turned to my friend and said "Oh no, not the creepy song!).

My favorite moment of the night was when they were singing Star, Star (a Frames tune) and turned it into "Pure Imagination" from Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory.

They played until midnight almost. They just didn't want to get off stage. I don't blame them.

It was an amazing show. If they are coming to your city, buy tickets! They are playing at at Rumsey Playfield in Central Park on September 17, 2008. Tickets are on sale now.

*Photo from Brooklyn Vegan

Lost Season Four: "No Place Like Home" (Part I)

2008-05-16T06:00:00.005-04:00

What I Liked:

I love Michelle Forbes. I hope this is a sign that she'll be making more appearances
We finally got the Oceanic Six cover story
"Genghis"(Miles), "Shaggy"(Frank). It's been awhile since we heard some Sawyer nicknames
BatManuel and The Others returned!
Line of the night: "You don't get to die alone." - Sawyer, a ply off of Jack's oft-used "live together, die alone" line.

What I Didn't Like:

Knowing that she dies in the future kinda took away the emotion out of Sayid's reunion with Nadia.
It's hard to judge this episode because it felt like the first hour of a three-hour episode
That my DVR scared the shit out of me by appearing to not record Lost.

What We Learned:
Flashforward (Oceanic Six)

Ms. Decker Oceanic Representative
They were flown back and landed in Honolulu, Hawaii
Press came up with "Oceanic Six"
They all agreed to a cover story
When they land, Hurley is greeted by parents, Sun by her parents, Jack by his mom, Kate, Aaron and Sayid are greeted by no one
The cover story:
Eight people survived the initial crash
Used flotation devices to wash up on an island, Membata
On Day 103, a typhoon washed fishing supply ship with food and a raft
On Day 108, the six survivors took the raft and washed up on the shore of Sumba
Kate was six months pregnant on the plane, she gave birth on Membata
Jin was not one of the eight surivors who survived the crash
Hurley's still rich, doesn't want the money
Sayid says they are absolutely no other survivors
Nadia comes to the press conference and reunites with Sayid
Sun goes to visit her father and tell him off
Sun bought a controlling interest in, Paik Heavy Industries, her father's company
Hurley's parents throw him a birthday party, Kate, Nadia, Sayid and Aaron show up.
Hurley's dad gives him the car his father was working on as a kid (Trisha Tanaka Is Dead) (same one he crashed in "The Beginning of the End")
The speedometer shows The Numbers, Hurley freaks out and "runs" down the street
Jack speaks at his father's funeral
Claire's mom (she was in a coma last time we saw her) shows up at the funeral and tells Jack about Claire
Jack knows that Claire is his half-sister and that Aaron is his nephew!

Island:

Daniel turns the sat phone to monitor and they Overhear Keamy talk about going to the Orchid
The Orchid is the secondary protocol, Daniel says they have to get off the island
Jack and Kate run into Sawyer, Aaron and Miles, he informs them that Claire is gone
Jack goes off to find the copter, Sawyer goes with him
Sayid gets to the island,taking people back 6 at a time
Kate tells Sayid about Jack and Sawyer and they run off to find them
Ben, Locke and Hurley are headed to the Orchid to move the island
Moving the island is "dangerous and unpredictable", a measure of last resort
Ben opens a hidden box with a mirror, 15 year old crackers (that Hurley eats) and binoculars
Uses the mirror to communicate with someone
Daniel is going to start taking people to the boat, Sun, Jin and Aaron go on the first raft
Ben, Locke and Hurley reach the Orchid but Keamy's team has beaten them there
Michael fixes the freighter engine but something on the boat is broadcasting and isn't letting them find their way to the island
Jack and Sawyer catch up with the copter and Lapidus was handcuffed to it
The interference is being causedby the remote for a shitload of C4 on the freighter. Desmond, Michael and Jin are alone in the room with the C4
Kate and Sayid run into Alpert and an armed group of Others
Ben gives Locke instructions about how to reach the Orchid station then surrenders to give Locke a chance to get inside
Keamy knocks Ben out

Questions:

Who made up the cover story?
Why did they feel the need to lie about the island?
If everyone on the boat was kept in the dark about Keamy's intentions, how come Daniel has so much information in his little notebook?
What is the secondary protocol?
Is Daniel ever going to take off that tie?
What did Ben say with the mirror and who did he say it to?
How much money did Oceanic give the survivors?
Who is the other person Sun feels is responsible for Jin's death?
Did Kate overhear Claire's mom?
Have they moved the island before (like 15 years ago when those crackers first made it into the box)?

There really is no sense in asking any big questions until we see Part II so I'll save them.

Movie Characters I Want To Date: Celine

2008-05-15T14:14:00.003-04:00

Since I’m not dating real people, I came up with this idea a couple of days ago. I think I’ll make this an ongoing thing that I’ll fall back on when I have nothing to blog about. This has nothing to do with the attractiveness of the actress playing the role (although it’s a movie so, odds are, they’re attractive). Certain elements of the character appeals to me romantically and sets unrealistic standards for real people who don’t have the benefit of rewrites.

For the inaugural post, I’ll pick my favorite.

Character: Celine (no last name ever given)

Film: Before Sunrise; Before Sunset; Waking Life (sorta)

Actress: Julie Delpy

Attractive Qualities: She’s a romantic which, despite my many negative views on love and relationship (many of which I’ve post), I love. She is also a cynic which feeds into those aforementioned negative views. Celine is full of theories on life and love and when I was more of a talker, so was I. Nothing makes me happier than theorizing (ask anyone foolish enough to ask me for relationship advice) and sharing opinion on the nature of people. The accent is a plus too. :)

Favorite quote: “I believe if there's any kind of God it wouldn't be in any of us, not you or me but just this little space in between. If there's any kind of magic in this world it must be in the attempt of understanding someone sharing something. I know, it's almost impossible to succeed but who cares really? The answer must be in the attempt.”

Mommy, I Want One!

2008-05-15T13:40:00.002-04:00

Wall-E Spotted in LA! from Blink on Vimeo.

Tegan & Sara @ Terminal 5

2008-05-13T12:05:00.007-04:00

First of all, I had been trying to get tickets for this show off Craigslist for months but I finally scored some (at face value no less) a week before the show and I'm glad I did.

Jenny and I ended up standing on the third floor of Terminal 5 because, frankly, the rabid Tegan & Sara fans were packed tight up on the standing floor and looked at you like you lost your mind if you tried to push past them.

It was a great show and I hope I get a chance to see them again (with a better view). They did all my favorite songs so I couldn't complain plus I didn't have to deal with being suffocated on the floor with the crowd

Here are the rest of the pictures I took.

I also took some video with my new camera: Nineteen, Hop A Plane, Back In Your Head, Living Room

Movie of the Week: Speed Racer: The IMAX Experience

2008-05-12T10:26:00.002-04:00

To quote Andrea upon leaving the theater, "Well, that was fun to look at."

I think the biggest problem with the movie is it couldn't decide if it wanted to be a kids only flick or a flick that could have some adult appeal. If it was only for kids, then you could forgive the awful plot and the stale acting. If it was supposed to appeal to adults, then it was pretty bad.

Then again, you have to take into account that the cartoon made absolutely no sense. Speed Racer could never really be taken seriously. If you weren't a fan of the cartoon, this might seem like the dumbest movie you've ever seen.

The races looked amazing, especially in IMAX (think the pod races in Star Wars: Episode I: The Phantom Menace while tripping balls on acid). Although there were a couple of times where I had no idea which car was which.

If you are planning to see this movie, please get there early do you can get a good seat. You don't want to be stuck in the front rows. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be with all the speed and colors but my eyes were definitely sore when I left the theater.

Lost Season Four: "Cabin Fever"

2008-05-08T23:57:00.002-04:00

What I Liked:

The Dali Lama-esque backstory of John Locke. Locke is probably the only character who's backstory still provides information about his character
Line of the night: "Because destiny, John, is a fickle bitch!"
Moment of the night: Hurley sharing his Apollo bar with Ben outside Jacob's cabin

What I Didn't Like:

I know it's TV but I just wish that once someone would hear some crazy stuff and be like, "Get the fuck outta here"
The whole thing with the doctor finally being kileld and thrown overboard and how that works with the crazy space-time continuum issues on the island made my head hurt.

What We Learned:
Flashback (Locke):

Locke's mom = Emily Locke
Cooper was twice the age of Emily when he was conceived
Locke was born six months early and had a variety of infections but always survived
He was put up for adoption
Richard Alpert was present while Baby John was in the hospital
John Alpert visited John as a toddler
John was into backgammon even back then
Alpert invited John to a school for special children
Alpert gave John a test: He put a number of items on the table including a knife, a compass, a vial of sand, The Book of Laws, a comic book who's cover text basically described the island and asked John to pick the item that belonged to him. John picked the knife. Alpert said that it didn't belong to him and left saying he wasn't ready.
John drew a picture of himself being attached by Smokey as a adult when he was a little kid
Locke was a nerd who got beat up in high school
Mittelos Labratory sent Locke an invite to their summer camp but he declined
Michael Abbadon was Locke's orderly while he was paralyzed!
Abbadon suggested the walkabout to Locke that lead to him being on Oceanic 815

Island:

The Doctor is still alive on the freighter when the helicopter comes back
Apparently the island won't let Michael die on the freighter either
John has a dream where he is Dharma member, Horace, building a cabin despite being dead.
Horace tells John to find him in order to find Jacob
John goes to the Dharma mass grave and finds a map to the cabin in Horace's pocket
Keamy unlocks the secondary protocol for the island infiltration
Captain Gault thought he was only there for an extraction mission
Gault arranges for Sayid and Desmond to get a raft to start getting people off the island
Desmond won't go back to the island as he's had enough of being on that island
Keamy killed the doctor when Frank wouldn't fly him and his solders back to the island
Keamy kills Gault too.
Frank is a pussy.
Locke enters the cabin alone and meets Christian Shepard,speaking on Jacob's behalf
Claire's is in the cabin too!
Christian tells Locke to MOVE THE ISLAND!

Questions:

Why was it important to Emily that the baby was named John?
Why does the cabin keep moving?
How is the doctor still alive on the frieghter?
How did Michael get all that information about Keamy and everyone else?
Why is Locke seeing Horace who he's never met?
Why doesn't Ben "have dreams" any more?
Was the island keeping Baby John alive as a preemie?
Why was Richard watching Baby John?
What was special about John?
What was the purpose of the test?
Was there really a school?
Is Richard really immortal or is he time-traveling?
What was the significance of John taking the knife?
Who were the leaders (plural) of ther Others before Ben?
How are they going to "torch" the island?
Where does Widmore think Ben is going to head to?
What is Keamy strapping to his body?
What miracle happened to Matthew Abbadon?
How did Daniel send a message to one of the guys on the helicopter about the fate of the doctor when it appears the helicopter crew was still on the island last episode?
How many people are left on the freighter aside from Desmond and Michael?
Why did Frank drop of the satellite phone to the beachheads?
Why has the island rejected Ben?
How is Christian alive?
Is he really speaking for Jacob or is he Jacob assuming Christian's form?
Why is Claire in the cabin, happy as a pothead?
Is Claire dead?
Why doesn't Christian want anyone to know Claire's with him?
Why is Aaron supposed to be with Sawyer?
When Christian/Jacob says move the island, does he mean physically or temporally?

Movie of the Week: Iron Man

2008-05-08T10:43:00.004-04:00

How good was Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark? So good in fact that you don't realize that it takes an hour for him to suit up and actually blow something up as Iron Man.

What was so great about this movie was that Jon Favreau had the confidence to spend a majority of the movie on the character of Tony Stark which is crazy considering Tony Stark/Iron Man isn't exactly Superman, Spider-Man and Batman in the collective consciousness. Because of that, this movie could have easily fallen apart in the hands of the wrong star but RDJ was more than up to the task.

This was really Robert Downey Jr's show. I was excited he was cast as Tony Stark and couldn't think of a better person to play him. Hopefully, this will mean bigger things for him (but I hope Marvel Studios has him locked up contractually for their future movie endeavors)

The casting was great all around especially Jeff Bridges as Obidiah Stane and Gwenyth Paltrow as Pepper Potts. Hopefully Terrance Howard gets a bigger role in the sequel (as was alluded to)

There were a lot of great Marvel comics winks (I loved the recurring S.H.E.I.L.D. joke) and at this point you should know to stick around until the end of the credits.

If You Cheat And You Win, You're Saaaavvy

2008-05-08T07:12:00.003-04:00

A former New England Patriots employee has sent the N.F.L. eight videotapes showing the team recorded play-calling signals by coaches of five opponents in six games between the 2000 and 2002 seasons, in violation of league rules.

Walsh’s tapes show that the Patriots recorded the signals of offensive and defensive coaches in regular-season games against the Miami Dolphins, the Buffalo Bills, the Cleveland Browns and the San Diego Chargers and against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 2002 American Football Conference championship game. In that game, the tape has been edited to show Steelers coaches signaling plays, followed by two different camera angles of the actual plays that were called.

From The New York Times

iDontThinkSo

2008-05-07T15:18:00.005-04:00

So a little while back, my mother asked my brother and I to buy her a camera for Mother's Day. Not a digital camera, mind you, but an old school 35mm point and shoot. Do you know that they don't even really sell those anymore?

Anyway, my father, unbeknownst to me, bought her a camera already. So I called her on Monday and asked what she wanted instead. She said, "I want a new phone". I'm like okay. What kind of phone do you want. "That iPhone," she said.

I told her, "No."

No way am I spending $400 dollars (or $200) on a phone I am 99.8% my mother will never fully understand how to use. Nope. Not gonna happen.

Any time my mother gets anything that has the slightest bit of technology, I get non-stop calls about how to use and 8 times out of 10, it's something she would have figured out if she read the instructions. I had to come down to Long Island to sort out her DVR. Do you know what would happen if I got her an iPhone? I would have to change my number. I would not wish that on my worst enemy (and I love myself).

She accused me of saying she was dumb and I'm not but I know what she is capable of handling. Shit, she *just* started using e-mail on a semi-regular basis.

No.

She doesn't even know why she should want an iPhone. She just wants to bring it to church and show off to her church buddies, "Look what my two sons bought me." (Isn't that a sin or something?)

The problem is now I can't buy her anything for Mother's Day because once my mother has decided she wants something, you can't buy her anything else. My brother and father have foolishly tried and had their good intentions destroyed by eye rolls and and half-hearted thank yous. I love my mother but she is one of the most unappreciative people I have ever met (and I've known her my entire life so I think I've had plenty of time to think this through).

I just ordered a bouquet of flowers to get delivered. Yes, I will get one of those eye rolls but I don't care.

I'm not buying her an iPhone. I don't care if that make me a bad son.

Wolverine and The X-Men preview

2008-05-07T11:27:00.002-04:00

I was skeptical at fist because a) it's on NickToons and b) it's called Wolverine and The X-Men but after seeing this, I'm kinda excited.

I'm No Photographer...

2008-05-06T06:49:00.004-04:00

...but this shot came out really well. Taken on my friend Havilah's roof in Spanish Harlem

Feist on The Colbert Report

2008-05-05T15:04:00.000-04:00

Have I mentioned that I love her?

New The Dark Knight Trailer

2008-05-04T11:14:00.003-04:00

Lost Season Four: "Something Nice Back Home"

2008-05-01T23:07:00.003-04:00

What I Liked:

I know Jeremy Davies has a pretty small role but I love every twitchy move he makes.
Sawyer's alive (or at least they think he is)!

What I Didn't Like:

The beach has become increasingly annoying and boring
Jack made too quick a turn from being okay to becoming a drunken pill popper
I thought we didn't have time for these kind of filler episodes

What We Learned:

Flashforward (Pre-crazy beard Jack/Post-Kate trial):

Jack and Kate were living together
Jack apprently got over his issues with Aaron
Hurley is still committed, not taking his meds, thinks the Oceanic Six are dead
Hurley is still seeing Charlie, told Hurley Jack was coming and Charlie gave Jack a message,"You're not supposed to raise him."
Jack proposes to Kate and Kate says "Yes"
Jack starts seeing his father Christian, starts taking pills
Kate is doing something for Sawyer off the island
Sawyer's alive!
Sawyer chose to stay on the island
Jack knows he's related to Aaron

Island:

Jack has appendicitis
Danielle and Karl are officially dead
Jin thinks Daniel was a crush on Charlotte despite her "attitude" problem
Charlotte understands Korean
Charlotte promises to get Sun off the island
Juliet removes Jack's appendix without incident (Yawn!)
Claire has a vision of Christian holding Aaron
Claire walked off into the forest in the middle of the night
Aaron ends up alone in the forest

Questions:

What does Miles sense about Claire and/or Aaron?
Rose is kinda right. Why did Jack get sick?
What is the nature of Charlie's "visit" to Hurley and Christian's "visit" to Jack?
What happened to Smokey after his run-in with Keamy and friends?
Who is Kate talking to on the phone?
Who does Jack think Kate it talking to on the phone?
What was Kate doing for Sawyer? (Theory: Probably helping out Cassidy and Sawyer's love child, Clementine)
Was Jack implying that he knows he's related to Aaron?
Where's Claire?

Read High Yella Magic

2008-05-01T09:20:00.003-04:00

My friend Jasika has a really good comic she's been posting on line and I've been really selfish by not telling anyone about it.

Check it out!

Problem Solved

2008-04-27T21:00:00.003-04:00

Before

After

24 Season Seven Cast Photo

2008-04-25T10:58:00.003-04:00

Or "The People Who's Lives Will Be In Danger Because They Are Working With Jack Bauer"

Click the photo for the full-size

Lost Season Four: "The Shape of Things To Come"

2008-04-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

What I Liked:

Wow, what an episode! That was possibly the most action-packed episode that wasn't a season premiere or finale.
So many great Michael Emerson moments: Ben pulling the shotgun out of the piano bench, disarming and killing those two guys on horseback, the look on Ben's face after Alex was shot, his chilly meeting with Widmore
We are finally getting rid of those useless extras
We are spared future poor acting performances from Tania Raymonde (Alex)
“Australia’s the key to the whole game!”
“When? ‘When’ is kind of a relative term.”

What I Didn't Like:

No way Sawyer escaped several shooters with automatic weapons in a generally open area without getting shot once
It was kind of silly watching all those redshirts get killed off
Did the producers and writers just give up on the story Alex and Danielle Rousseau? They got their reunion and were killed 7 episodes later

What We Learned:

Flashforward (Ben)

Ben was in the Sahara Desert being a badass
He was using the alias of Dean Moriarty in Tunisa and is a preferred guest
Sayid was married to Nadia and she was killed by one of Widmore's men (or so Ben says)
Ben got off the island with Desmond's boat (or so Ben says)
Sayid killed the man who killed Nadia
Now we know how Ben and Sayid teamed up
Now in England, Ben goes to see Charles Widmore
Ben intends to kill Penelope as revenge for Alex

Island

The body of the Doc Ray washed up on the shore with his throat slit
Code 14J means someone has turned off the fence
Sawyer is such a good con man, he conned all those bullets to hit other people
Miles didn't know about the assault team on the boat
Ben confessed that he stole Alex from Rousseau when she was a baby (but we all knew that)
Keamy shot Alex!
DO NOT FUCK WITH BENJAMIN LINUS!
Jack is not a complete idiot because he had Bernard listen in on the Morse Code message to Daniel
The Freighties had no intention of taking the 815ers off the island?
Jack is finally getting the stomach pains he deserves.
Sawyer, Claire and Miles head back to the beach while Locke,Ben and Hurley (under duress) go to find Jacob

Questions:

How many pills can they have possibly obtained from one flight?
Wasn't Hurley taking care of Vincent?
Who killed Doc Ray?
Did Sawyer care about the fact that three people got killed around him?
How did Ben end up in the middle of the Sahara Desert (wearing a parka no less)?
Why does Ben think it is important that Locke above all others survives?
What did the hotel registry say about Mr. Moriarty that had the check-in girl shook?
Why did Ben ask what year it was at the hotel?
What point in time did Ben leave to go Tunisa?
Is Ben telling the truth about Widmore having Nadia killed?
If so, why did Widmore's man murder Nadia?
If not, did ben have Nadia killed?
What are "the rules"?
What is Smokey?
How does Ben control Smokey?
Why did the freighter tell them that the doctor was fine?
How does Bernard know morse code?
Are all the redshirts in Locke's camp dead?
How come Hurley can find the cabin but Locke and Ben can't?
When did Ben (in terms of time) go see Widmore?
Why can't Ben kill Charles Widmore?
Where is Penelope hiding?
Is Sayid going to be the one sent to kill Penny?

New "The Dark Knight" Poster

2008-04-25T08:37:00.001-04:00

She & Him at Webster Hall

2008-04-23T11:14:00.004-04:00

This show was supposed to be at Hiro Ballroom but the show was moved to Webster Hall at the last minute. I generally hate this venue because the drinks are so expensive and on the wrong night, you'll hear club music below the floor. I hate the venue so much that I have passed up on seeing some of my favorite bands if they were playing there. Anyway, last night wasn't so bad (except for the expensive beers).

Zooey was sick and could't talk (her singing was fine for the most part) so she held up signs throughout the night. This was my favorite.

It was a good show even though the opening act. Ola Podrida, was pretty bad (they were out of tune and I could barely understand what the lead singer was saying).

Afterwards, Jenny convinced me to go to her favorite dive bar again and drink cheap beers and shots.

I don't know why I listen to her.

Here are the rest of my photos from the show.

Highlights From NY Comic Con 2008

2008-04-20T10:23:00.006-04:00

Michael Trucco (Anders), Rekha Sharma (Tory) & Michael Hogan (Col. Tigh) at the Battlestar Galactica event, originally uploaded by Melanism.com.

This year at New York Comic Con, I had a clear plan. Get all my shopping out of the way early so I could go to as many panels as possible.

Here were the highlights:

The Battlestar Galactica panel was cool but I knew I was in trouble because I hadn't watched Friday nights episode and had the ending ruined for me.
I saw two clips from Wall-E. This movie is going to be so good.
I saw one action sequence from The Incredible Hulk which, while I still don't think it will be great, it will at least be entertaining
They also showed a clip of Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) in The Incredible Hulk confirming that all the Marvel movies will take place in the same "universe"
Warner Brothers was a late addition to the event but they brought the new The Dark Knight trailer that is going to debut in front of Iron Man. Awesome. Really awesome.
Since I couldn't see Neil Gaiman, my favorite writer, on Friday, seeing my second favorite writer, Grant Morisson, was just as good.
At The Spirit panel, Eva Mendes was gorgeous and really funny.
This is where I go every year to remind myself that I'm not as big a geek as I think I am.

The rest of my photos from Saturday are here.

Movie of the Week: Forgetting Sarah Marshall

2008-04-18T21:49:00.001-04:00

Hopefully, this movie makes Jason Segal a star...and not just because he showed his kibbles and bits for laughs. I've been a fan of his since Freaks & Geeks. The script he wrote was really good and gave everybody a moment to be funny and gave a lot of characters a little more depth than expected.

I'll be honest. When I saw the trailer, I was a little worried about the Aldous Snow (Russell Brand) character (the British rocker who dates Sarah Marshall after Peter. I was wrong. He was hilarious.

As is usually the case in Apatow productions, there are tons of funny minor characters and they all work here, particularly Jack McBrayer (as a newlywed who is scared of sex), Paul Rudd (as a stoner surf instructor) and Jonah Hill (as a waiter who is a little too obsessed with Aldus).

My Longest Relationship

2008-04-18T16:22:00.006-04:00

So this weekend is the 3rd Annual New York Comic Con. I’ll be attending on Saturday to spend money on discounted book, take pictures of people dressed like comic book characters in ill-fitting suits and listen to crazy comic book writers and artists talk about what will draining my bank account in the upcoming months. Anyway, on the subway this morning, I started to reflect on how this all began.

I’ve been reading comic books for as long as I could read. My brother was a reader of comic books and would leave them all over the house. They had words and pictures so that was good enough for me. I wasn’t reading them in order or following any storylines, I was just reading.

When I got a little older, my father would take me to the A&P supermarket with him every Saturday morning. I would go to the cigar shop and read comics and wrestling magazines. When I started getting an allowance, the first comic book I remember buying with my own money was G.I. Joe vs. Transformers #1. It was a no-brainer. I watched G.I. Joe everyday. I watched Transformers everyday. Now there was a comic…with both of them. It was more than my little brain could handle.

There was this friend of my father who lived 15 minutes away and my father would always stop over there for a beer anytime he had to pick me up for Little League or something. The guy had a son who had this huge dresser drawer full of comics. He was away at college so every time I was forced to go over to this guy’s house, I would make a beeline for his room and read the comics in his room. One particular day, I went into his room and he was home. He let me sit in there and read his comics until he finally just said, “Hey, do you want these?” I ran downstairs and grabbed a trash bag (couldn’t find a box) and carted home at least 200 comics.* I read every single one of those comics at least 20 times each.

In grade school, it seemed like everyone read comics but the only place to get them was 7-Eleven. Then, I think in 7th grade they opened a comic shop 15 minutes away from school. An actual comic shop. At this point in my life I had never seen a store that only sold comic book stuff. It was at this point that I started to ask for a raise in my allowance.

That store eventually closed down** but Andrew found a new store in Hicksville. It was quite a trek. We would walk at least 40 minutes to get to the store and walk all the way home. The guy who ran the shop was named Steve and, I shit you not, he was the spitting image of the Comic Book Guy from The Simpsons. To this day, I am convinced Matt Groening met Steve and was impressed/terrified by Steve’s geekiness.

I read comic books all throughout high school but when I got to NYU, I had a dliemna. I was dating a girl who lived in Queens and you had to take the LIRR out there which was expensive. Plus, I started to feel embarrassed to be reading comic books in college. So I stopped buying them altogether. There was no way I could afford to see her on the weekends and continue my little habit. We broke up in my sophomore year and I didn’t even think about comics again. Then someone (either Derreck or Andrew) sent me an e-mail that Wolverine got his adamantium pulled out of body by Magneto. I was like “What?!” I had to go to three comic shops to find the issue in question (X-Men #25). I forgot how much I loved reading comics. But I didn’t necessarily start back up again. I periodically bought X-Men comics when I thought about it but not to the level I did when I was a kid.

Then in Junior year, I moved in with Kerwin who was a friend of my sophomore year roommate, Pierre. I don’t think I knew this right away but Kerwin was into comics too. He was still regularly buying them. He got me into reading JLA (the Grant Morrison run) and Batman (again). Once we knew we both loved comics, I was back on the horse again. Now that I had a job and no girlfriend to buy presents, go out to dinner with and visit, I bought comics like a madman. I would buy every #1 issue just to try it out. Kerwin and I would read each other’s purchases and there would just be piles of comics on the floor. Kerwin essentially ruined my life.

These days, I spend an obscene amount of money on comics weekly. I think Keriwn is the only friend I have who still reads comics regularly. My brother, in an interesting role reversal, now reads the comic books that I’m done with (much like I did when I was a little kid). Last year, I convinced Derreck and Eric (who used to read comics but abandoned them for better things like life) to go with me to Comic Con. My comic book reading expanded from just superhero books to indie and alternative books.*** I am a contributor to the PrepTimePosse blog****.

I love comic books and until I have a child who makes it financially impossible to maintain my love affair, I'll never stop.

The end*****.

* Man, some of the stuff in there would have been worth thousands if he took care of his books.
** I had been banned from the store anyway because I owed the owner $9 for a Punisher poster he gave me on credit. Sucker!
*** This started when I went to Barnes & Noble during my lunch break and discovered Neil Gaiman's Sandman which is probably my favorite comic of all-time now
**** A bunch of comic book fans from Okayplayer got together and started a blog
***** This is probably the longest non-list post I've ever written and it's about comic books. Line forms to the left, ladies.

Kung Fu Monkey

2008-04-17T17:47:00.001-04:00

Good News & Bad News

2008-04-16T09:09:00.004-04:00

The good news is I have uploaded all my digital photos onto Flickr (over 1700 photos). Feel free to laugh at pictures of me as old as 1999.

The bad news is if I ever took a digital photo of you, there is an 85% chance it's up there too.

Sorry...

Things That Might Make My Life Better (or More Interesting)

2008-04-15T15:00:00.001-04:00

Some goddamn point a man's due to stop arguing with his-self and feeling twice the goddamn fool he knows he is 'cause he can't be something he tries to be every goddamn day without once getting to dinnertime and fucking it up. I don't want to fight it anymore, understand me Charlie? And I don't want you pissing in my ear about it. Can you let me go to hell the way I want to?
- Wild Bill Hickok from Deadwood

These things are always on my mind but maybe if I write them down and publicly admit them, I'll be more likely to do them...

Learning how to cook from a recipe (as opposed to the microwave option I naturally gravitate towards)
Learning another language
Saving money like I'm going to have a long life
Stop spending money like I'm going to have a short one
Go to the doctor for a check-up for the first time a decade (to see if I can ignore #3 or #4)
Go to the dentist (so it doesn't hurt when I eat candy)
Don't watch so much TV (not that I have to stop watching my shows but during that time when I'm just flipping channels)
Read more books
Watch more documentaries
Stop buying DVDs that I'm never going to watch more than once
Stop buying video games that I'm not going to make time to play
Make time to play the video games I have
Stop spending so much money on comic books (if you only knew how much I spend in a month)
Learn to do my job better (or get a new job)
Pay off my credit cards before making any other major purchases
Travel somewhere outside the U.S. that's not England (although I do want to go back)
Call my parents more
Call other people more
Answer my phone when people call and I'm watching TV (not like I couldn't pause it)
Spend less time aimlessly surfing the internet
Spend less money on buying alcohol
Don't use going to the gym as an excuse to eat poorly
Stop buying amusing t-shirts and buy regular clothes
Stop buying clothes you never get around to wearing
Dust your room more regularly
Go out more often
Be more social when I do go out
Don't use payday as an excuse to go shopping
Ride that bike you bitched about getting from UPS
Blog more about myself instead what I'm watching or reading (mostly watching)

Who are we kidding though. It's not like I'm going to do 98% of the things on this list but at least if you see me not doing any of these things, you have permission to openly judge me.

What's on your mental "to-do" list?

*This was going to be another 100 Things list but even I'm not that screwed up that there are 100 things that could improve my life.

The Chess & Checkers Theory

2008-04-11T09:36:00.003-04:00

I wanna say something. I'm gonna put it out there; if you like it, you can take it, if you don't, send it right back.
- Ron Burgandy

So I have this theory about relationships I constantly refer to call "The Chess/Checkers Theory." Here's the gist of it:

Women are playing chess
Men are playing checkers
Women think men are playing chess
Men think women are playing checkers

Now, of course, this does not apply to all men and women but it does apply to a lot of them.

Questions?

The Best New Show Last Year Has The Best DVD Packaging

2008-04-10T16:11:00.002-04:00

How dope is this?

This is the only show I neglected to leave off my The 200 Greatest Television Shows I Ever Watched list

What I Want To See This Summer

2008-04-09T14:14:00.003-04:00

It seems like every year, the summer movie season starts earlier and earlier. It's only a matter or time before the big Summer movies start mid-April.

Anyway, here's my comprehensive list for the summer movie season in which I'll have to take a second job to pay for them:

May 2:
Iron Man
Son of Rambow

May 9:
Speed Racer

May 23:
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

May 30:
Sex and the City: The Movie *

June 13:
The Incredible Hulk
The Happening

June 20:
Get Smart

June 27:
WALL·E
Wanted

July 4:
Hancock

July 11:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army

July 18:
The Dark Knight

July 25:
Step Brothers
X-Files 2

August 8:
Pineapple Express

August 15:
Tropic Thunder*

* Morbid curiosity

My new watch courtesy of Watchismo

2008-04-08T17:16:00.002-04:00

Don't be jealous.

Get your own watch at Watchismo

Kristen Wiig: SNL's New Will Ferrell

2008-04-07T16:43:00.001-04:00

Whatever sketch she's in, good or bad, she is the funniest person on the screen.

Movie of the Week: Horton Hears A Who

2008-04-07T13:35:00.003-04:00

You know, I didn't think it was possible to overact in an animated feature.

Thank you, Jim Carrey for proving me wrong.

It was good. The story was spread a little thin as was to be expected.

I think the biggest problem with all the current Dr. Seuss films is that they are made for kids who never saw the cartoon versions from the 70's (yes, I am carbon dating myself).

So when I hear Jim Carrey as Horton is sounds wrong to me. I know that's my problem and not the filmmakers.

It was good enough, guess.

Movie of (Last) Week: Stop-Loss

2008-04-01T19:42:00.004-04:00

Good movie that's hurt by bad acting.

I should say my friend and I had gone to the movies with the intention of seeing Horton Hears A Who so to go from being in the mindset for a Dr. Seuss movie to seeing a(nother) depressing flick of Iraq was a little jarring. But I won't hold it against the movie.

Ryan Phillippe was good but why does he always sound like he's clenching his jaw. Abbie Cornish was okay but her Texas accent was pretty bad. The best was (no surprise) Joseph Gordon-Levitt. I wish they had spent more time with his character arc (which towards the end happens behind the scene of the main storyline). Actually, it might have been a better movie with him as the lead but that's just my opinion.

It was good to see Victor Rasuk again who was good comic relief despite his character's personal tragedy.

Lost Season Four: "Meet Kevin Johnson"

2008-03-20T22:25:00.002-04:00

What I Liked

This episode was just a long series of answers. Have we ever had an episodes that was predominantly a flashback?
It was good to see Harold Perrineau showing how good an actor he is (and not yelling "Waaaaaallt!" or "They took my son!"
That this isn't the last episode of the season, Lindelof and Cuse were right, this would have been a horrible way to end the show if the strike wasn't resolved in time
Line of the night: "He wants to survive. And seeing as how a week ago you had a gun to his head and tonight he's eating pound cake, I'd say he's a guy who gets what he wants." - Miles, in regard to why he thinks Ben will be able to get him his $3.2 million

What I Didn't Like:

If Danielle is dead (her gunshot was in the lung so she might be alive), I'll be extremely disappointed that we never got a flashback for her
Fisher Stevens showed up again but no Zoe Bell.

What We Learned:
Flashback:

Michael made it back the U.S. and is living in New York?
Walt is staying with Michael's mother and won't see Michael because he told him about how he killed Ana Lucia and Libby
Michael tried to kill himself by crashing his car but miraculously survived
Michael pawned Jin's watch to get a gun to shoot himself
He is interrupted by Tom Friendly!
The "island" won't let you kill yourself because you've got work to do
Michael tries to kill himself again but the gun jams.
The fake plane was discovered after Michael got home
Tom was gay
Some of the Others can come and go from the island to the real world
Tom tells Michael that Charles Widmore staged the whole wreck so no one but him would discover the island and has proof (photos of a emetary in Thailand, receipt for a Boeing 777, freighters)
Michael job on the boat: kill everyone on board
Frank joined the mission because Widmore believed him when he said 815 was a fake
They gave him a fake bomb straight out of the Joker's playbook
Michael's real job was to provide a list of the frieghties and disable the communication and engines so they'd never make it to the island

Island:

The Temple is where the rest of The Others are holed up
Karl and Danielle might be dead.

Questions:

How did Michael and Walt get from the coast of Fiji to New York City?
When did Tom have time to see Michael in the real world?
Is Libby a hallucination or a manifestation of the island (like Charlie was to Hurley)?
Which Others have the ability to leave the island (Ben, Tom, Richard Alpert, Ethan have been seen off the island)?
The island won't let you die? What the fuck?
How does the island determine what work you have to do?
Did the island cause the crash that stopped future Jack from killing himself?
Who's behind the fake Oceanic 815: Charles Widmore or Ben Linus?
Why couldn't they find a reason to bring Marsha Thomson every week?
Who else was lying about their identity on the freighter?
How much of Michael's story did he tell Sayid before he stupidly turned him in (total Jack move)?
Did Ben set up Karl and Danielle's ambush or were they shot by the freighter folks courtesy of Frank's "errand"?
Was Malcolm David Kelly on his knees when he looked out the window or was that a digital Walt?

Dear Friend Who I'd E-mail

2008-03-18T12:34:00.006-04:00

What's up? Sorry I haven't called you (back) but I'm pretty crappy when it comes to talking on the phone.

How's the (job/apartment/significant other) working out since we last spoke or have you (quit/moved/broken up)?

Me? My job is alright. I transferred to a different department (yes, again) but I'm still stuck doing parts of my old job. I'd complain more but that's not going to change anything is it. It's funny. It was funny. I watching The Wire and thinking about how in the end (spoiler) nothing changes institutionally and I got sad about my job because it's the same way. Anywho, shit or get off the pot, right?

Yes, I'm still single. It will be four years in June. I don't know it that's impressive, scary or sad. I think I've gotten incredibly comfortable not having to consider another person in my decisions. I'm not saying I'm a commitment-phobe or anything. Actually, maybe I am. Not because I don't want to be tied down or anything but I don't miss having to do things because the other person is bored. Not saying I want to spend my life sitting on my couch watching TV every free moment I have...but it is my preferred position. I've come to realize that I like having someone to be with as long as I'm no required to keep her entertained. Know anyone? Nevermind. even if you did, I wouldn't want to bother.

Have you seen any good movies? I really haven't been dying to see anything since Oscar season ended. I'll get around to seeing Semi-Pro (even though I heard it sucks). There are definitely some movies coming up I'm looking forward to: Funny Games, 21, Run, Fatboy, Run, My Blueberry Nights.

Have you been watching In Treatment? It's a great show but if I didn't have DVR I'd never be able to keep up. It's like a soap opera (new episodes aired every night M-F). It's almost over but it should be OnDemand until next month. Anyway, I'm obsessed with it and scared by it. The therapist, Paul, reminds me why I never wanted to pursue Psychology any further than a B.A. During my senior year, there was something that always rubbed me the wrong way about my professors who were also therapists: this kind of detached state...always analyzing. Even when we were having non-class related conversations, they always came off as not being able to let their guard down. And I wondered how that kind of person dealt with friends or family. How does one turn it off. Anyway, when I started watching this show, he's like a TV version of my worst fears about becoming a therapist.

I hope all is well and you write back soon.

Love,
S

I felt like blogging about a bunch of different things and it just came out like this

Obama on Hip-Hop

2008-03-15T09:43:00.000-04:00

Lost Season Four: "Ji Yeon"

2008-03-13T22:08:00.004-04:00

What I Liked:

The Oceanic Six are complete (I think)
Juliet is COLDBLOODED
Bernard!
That I was so focused on being underwhelmed by the return of Michael, I was completely taken off guard by the Jin reveal

What I Didn't Like

That we all knew Michael was going to be Ben's man on the boat because that would have been one hell of an "Oh Shit" moment
That I fell for Jin's flashback even though all the signs were there: Him looking younger, Year of the Dragon (2000), his bulky cell phones (Cell phones are a big tell on this show)

What We Learned
Flashforward

Sun makes it off the island
Sun gave birth to a girl, Ji Yeon, the name Jin wanted.
Hurley and Sun visit Jin's grave (Tombstone marked September 22, 2004 - the date of the crash)

Island

In a last ditch effort to keep Sun on the beach, Juliet tells Jin about Sun's affair with Jae
Juliet has balls (ovaries?) of steel
The captain of the freighter: Captain Gault
The freighters have been going a little crazy due to their proximity
A saboteur has damaged the engine room amongst other things
Charles Widmore got the black box of the fake Oceanic 815
Michael is the spy under the guise of Kevin Johnson,mild mannered mopboy

Questions:

Is Exposé (The show Nikki was on) really that popular that Sun would be watching it in the future?
Where's Rose?
What happened to everyone who isn't Jack, Kate, Hurley, Sayid, Sun and Aaron in the future?
Why did Regina jump into the water wrapped in chains?
Please tell me they didn't hire Zoe Bell for that ONE scene?
What errand did Frank have to run on the island?
What is driving the freighter folk crazy on the boat?
Is Gault telling the truth?
Who staged the fake Oceanic 815?
Where DOES one find 324 bodies and a plane?
How did Michael get on the boat?
How much time has passed since Michael left the island and ended up on the freighter?
Did Jin really die?
If so, how and when did Jin die?
Why didn't Jack come to visit Sun and Ji Yeon (Kate can't leave the state and Sayid is a hitman)?
Where does Ji Yeon's birth fit with Hurley's psychotic break on the flashforward timeline?
Why do I feel like a small piece of my soul died?

What Kind of "Stuff" Do You Like/Hate?

2008-03-10T19:41:00.002-04:00

Pick your poison...

I'm sure there will be many more

R.I.P. The Wire (June 2, 2002 - March 9, 2008)

2008-03-10T08:46:00.004-04:00

To quote Jay Landsman from the finale, "“Brother, when you was good, you were the best we had.”

Amen.

(Watch Seasons 1-4 on DVD and then slap your head on the forehead for missing it.)

Lost Season Four: "The Other Woman"

2008-03-06T22:03:00.004-05:00

What I Liked:

Claire (of all people) finally asked the question Locke should have asked
Ben finally gives Locke (and us) some information
I never get tired of Juliet
“Rabbit again? This didn’t have a number on it, did it?” - Ben referring to his rabbit dinner.

What I Didn't Like:

Jack doesn't only not ask enough questions, he accepts too many non-answers
Now that we have flashforwards, flashbacks kinda pale in comparison
I felt like we could have done without the entire Juliet/Jack portion of the episode
Seeing Locke get played by Ben every episode, while fun, is starting to get wearisome.

What We Learned
Flashback:

The Others have a therapist, Harper
Goodwin is married to Harper
Ben's in love with Juliet, Juliet doesn't really share the sentiment
Harper knew Goodwin and Juliet were sleeping together and warned Juliet that Ben would angry
That's why Ben sent Goodwin with the Tallies
Ben "owns" Juliet

Island:

Being away from the Others has done wonders for Juliet's bad hair
The Tempest: electrical station that powers the island
Charlotte and Daniel are horrible liars
Charles Widmore is the man who sent the freighter to find the island!
Goodwin was making a case for Ana Lucia to join the Others*

Questions:

How do the Others do that whisper-in-the-jungle and disappearing shit?
Did they teach Juliet?
How is Ben contacting The Others when he's locked in the basement prison?
Why is Ben "exactly where he wants to be?"
How do Daniel and Charlotte have a map of the island and stations?
Who is the "her" Harper says Juliet looks like?
We know why Ben sent Goodwin away, what did Ethan do wrong?
How many people does Ben have off the island?
Who was filming Widmore?
If they were trying to make the gas inert, why didn't they tell Jack and crew instead of sneaking off and knocking Kate out?
Would Ben really gas everyone on the island?
Will Jack ever get laid on this island?
Who is Ben's man on the boat? (If it isn't Michael, I'll be surprised)
Have Locke and Ben officially teamed up?

* Could be a lie by Ben to get into Juliet's pants

You Jabronis

2008-03-06T10:50:00.004-05:00

Damn, That's Just Cold

2008-03-02T13:33:00.001-05:00

If my parents had done that to me, they might not breathing on December 26th.

Lost Season Four: "The Constant"

2008-02-28T22:06:00.008-05:00

Set your device to 2.342, set the oscillator to 11 Hz

What I Liked

It's a Desmond/Penny (it never is just Desmond) flashsomething! His episodes are always the best. It could be a cheesy love story with him and Penny but it never is.

What I Didn't Like

Fisher Stevens is dead already? What a waste.
If Desmond and Penny don't find each other, I'll be extremely disappointed.
I wish Sayid had suggested to Desmond, "Before the battery dies, give Penny our coordinates!"

What We Learned
1996:

Desmond was in the Royal Scot Regimen
Daniel was a professor at Oxford and was working on sending consciousness through times
A journal from the Black Rock-the slave ship on the island-survived and sold by Tobard Hanso and Charles Widmore bought it

2004:

Keamy, Omar, Ray are three of the Freighties
The freighter is in last port in Fiji, in the Pacific Ocean
The Satellite phones can only call each other
When exposed to high levels of radiation/electromagnetic energy, going to and from the island causes one's consciousness to shift through time
George Minkowski in charge of communications on the freighter
George Minkowski answered Penelope's call when he wasn't supposed to
Someone destroyed all the communications equipment
If your consciousness jumps one time too many, it will be too difficult to get your present and you might get a brain aneurysm

Questions:

Why didn't they want Frank to bring Sayid and Desmond back to the freighters?
How many people are on the freighter?
Is Sayid going to regret trading his gun for that phone?
Where's Regina (the voice on the phone)?
Who's the captain?
Why didn't the freighties on the island want to talk to George Minkowski before?
What time period is George going back to?
If Penny moved, how did Desmond have her number on the army base? (if it's 1996, she probably doesn't have a cell phone)
What are the odds that Daniel and Desmond would be in the United Kingdom at the same time?
Was Daniel a habitual weed smoker in 1996?
Was Daniel exposed to radiation because he didn't protect his head during his experiments?
If so, how did he get to teach at Oxford?
Did Daniel reach the conclusion about the setting for his machine on his own in the future and sent Desmond back to tell him(which should cause a paradox) or was Desmond always the one who told him in 1996 and he just forgot?
If the latter, how did Daniel forget meeting a guy who said he was from the future?
Is Desmond going to die?
What happens if Desmond dies in 1996?
Who sabotaged all the equipment?
Who opened the door?
What are in the contents of the journal from The Black Rock?
Why did Charles Widmore want the journal?
If Mr. Widmore doesn't "hate" Desmond, who does?
Why didn't they need an area code?
Has Daniel been transferring his consciousness between multiple points in time?
If so, does that explain his memory loss?
If so, what point in time is he transferring from?
If so,is that why he cried at the discovery of Oceanic 815 but didn't know why?
If so, did Daniel know about the island before anyone else because of Desmond?
Where was Ms. Hawking? Does she only appear for temporal course correction*?
If Minkowski and the other guy who died where affected by just rowing to the island, would Locke experience similar effects if he were to leave the island?
What happens is Desmond tries to return to the island?
What happens if Desmond flashes to a time before he met Penny?
Since they aren't really flashbacks or flashforwards, what should we call Desmond episodes?

* I'm a geek so sue me.

Blog of the Day: Garfield Minus Garfield

2008-02-28T11:46:00.003-05:00

Apparently, without Garfield and Odie around, Jon Arbuckle is a little bit nuts.

Who's surprised?

100 Things That Annoy Me

2008-02-27T16:22:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I've done one of these things.

Thanks to Cindylu for the inspiration.

Let's get it on

Akon's voice
People who claim to be die hard fans but can't name more than five people on the team (you can just be a fan of a player)
That face Eli Manning makes when he botches a play
Any article by Bill Simmons about Boston teams (except this one)
The current exchange rate with US Dollar and any country across North Atlantic Ocean
Being stuck at work late because I'm waiting for someone to send me something or respond to something
Southern hip-pop especially when the song is just an excuse to do a variation of a "kick, twist, finger snap" dance
Meetings/Conference calls at work scheduled between 12:00-1:00 PM
E-mails or phone calls requesting work that requires more than 30 minutes of your time 15 minutes before you're going to leave
People who talk on Bluetooth headsets but don't think they look strange
Isiah Thomas' continued existence on the Knicks sideline
A-Rod interviews
People who talk throughout the movie
People who look at their cell phones/Blackberrys during the movies (Thanks, Andrea. I was letting that one go until I met you)
People who talk about a movie or television assuming you've seen it and spoil something
Paying extra money for a comic book and just getting 4 extra pages and 8 more pages of ads
That point in a book where you know you don't like it but you've come this far so you have to finish it
Spam comments on my blog
Invites to add more applications to my Facebook page
Myspace pages that are so busy they crash my browser
E-mail spam that starts out like "hi" in the subject line but then in the message in says "Do you want a bigger penis?"
When something I want goes on sale the second I decide that I'm not going to spend anymore money
Skunky beer
Celebrity tabloid culture
When people act like my racial identity is tied to my interests or my social activities
Couples who act like "schmoopies" in public
Fox News Channel
Waking up 30 minutes before your alarm goes off
When a McDonald's has a different Dollar Menu than the one I'm used to in Harlem
The sound of cat murders/orgies that goes on every other night behind my apartment
When they have block parties on my block and play offensive music despite being across the street from a church
When you order a DVD online and it arrives but the DVD got lose in the packing and it is all scratched up
When my DVR/cable gets messed up due to inclement weather
When someone gets to the register at a fast food place and acts like they've never been to a fast food place before
Chappelle Show: The Lost Episodes
When a presidential address disrupts my favorite television show
When I get lost or stuck in a video game
Friend requests on Facebook or MySpace from people I am 100% sure I don't know
When people complain about how much the Yankees spend on their roster, especially when those people are fans of other big city/big spender teams like the Mets or the Red Sox
The "Why are you single" question
Jessica Alba's acting
When an album has more shitty songs than good ones and no great ones
My own debilitating laziness
When a new female character appears on The L Word and she just happens to be gay
When people are cast in movies because they are famous, not because they can act
When I'm downloading something off a torrent and it stops at 99.7%
When people try to manipulate you into doing something, not by asking directly, but by trying to make it seem like it's something you wanted to do anyway and you notice and you would have done whatever they had wanted if they just asked but now you almost want to say "no" just because of the shitty attempt
Run-on sentences
Close talkers
Stuart Scott (just talk like a normal human being)
When good shows not only get cancelled but don't get a chance to wrap up the show semi-cleanly
When shitty shows never end (especially if you find yourself hooked on it for some reason)
When Yankees fans boo Yankees (except for Kyle Farnsworth)
Bandwagon jumpers
People who don't believe that you aren't a bandwagon jumper
When comics come out a day late because of a holiday
When the office is closed on a Tuesday or Thursday but you don't get Monday or Friday off respectively
When a comic book I love is turned into a really shitty movie (i.e. The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen)
An itch in my lower back that is out of my reach
Being put in the friend zone before you get a chance to make your move
When girls make sure to tell a story that includes the phrase "So my boyfriend..." and you weren't even interested in her like that
When girls make sure to tell a story that includes the phrase "So my boyfriend..." and you thought you had a chance
When a concert I want to go gets sold out in less than 15 minutes
Standing behind a tall person at a concert
Expensive umbrellas that fall apart after the first strong gust of wind
Losing a good umbrella at a bar
When multiple projects come in around the same time with the same deadline (give or take a day)
When something you want is on sale but not in your size
When you buy something and then it goes on sale but too much time has passed to get a price match
Rude people at the register (especially at fast food joints)
Beers that cost more than $7
Having to go to Brooklyn for a party that starts at 10 PM
Any "no panties" pictures of Lindsay Lohan/Britney Spears/Paris Hilton/etc.
Poorly choreographed wrestling matches
When people can't take a joke
Junk mail
People who don't know how to walk on the sidewalk
Tourists in Times Square
People who don't flush the toilet after use
When people complain about not getting answers in Lost
Women who don't like to be on top
People who treat their opinions like facts
When I buy a DVD and five months later a 2-disc special edition comes out
When people show up 10 minutes before a movie starts on opening weekend and complain that there is nowhere to sit
People who call you 5 minutes after they sent you an e-mail and say, 'Did you get my e-mail?"
Seeing a bad movie in the theater
When you order food to go with special requests ("medium well", "no tomatoes", etc.) and you get home and they didn't do it
That look the Chinese food delivery guy gives you when he feels you haven't tipped him enough
That tone friends at work (or co-workers pretending you are friends for the time being) get when they are going to ask you a favor they think is unreasonable
My paycheck
Calls from headhunters
Calls from vendors looking for business
When people treat politics like they are voting for High School Prom Queen or King
When people who try to walk into the subway car before everyone gets off
When people jaywalk with baby strollers
When the bartender can't mix drinks properly and there is either too much alcohol or too much chaser
U P S
When an article of clothing you love gets ruined in the wash or gets a mysterious hole
The quality of toilet paper at the office (it's apparently 0.5 ply sheets)
In the summer, when you are about to get on a subway car and it's pretty empty but before it's too late, you realize you are in either the no A/C car or the "homeless guy who has shit himself" car (or both!)

So what annoys you...besides me?