So I'm sorry about the delay in posts -- Midterms have been pretty awful. But they're pretty much over, so I can get back to doing the fun stuff. On with LOST.
Sorry I didn't get to give you my feedback on last week's Kate-centric episode Eggtown (best of the season so far?). I won't go in-depth because I have to break this week's episode down, but let's go over the major points.
I told you about Aaron! I forewarned you that Kate would be taking care of Claire's baby. This could mean that Claire is still on the island in the future with the other survivors, but more likely that she suffered the same fate as Charlie, Boone, Shannon, Libby, Eko and Ana Lucia. We should assume that Aaron does not count as one of the Oceanic Six, so there is still two more "survivors" we need to find.
Why didn't Jack want to see Aaron? It's his nephew, what's the catch? Kate obviously wanted him to come back to the house, but Jack is scared. Speaking of Jack, what a story of how they survived the crash. 8 survivors, and Kate helped a bunch of them live when they crashed. So Claire must be one of the two that survived the crash but didn't survive the island, my guess for the second is Sun (suffering the same fate -- having a baby but then "dying"). And Jack still loves Kate, of course.
Miles is trying to blackmail Ben for $3.2 million dollars -- why?? The ghostbuster apparently doesn't have allegiance to the economist and is willing to switch to Ben's side. Also, why $3.2 million? Why not $3 or $5 million? We'll figure that out eventually. I love what Locke did to Miles after he found him with Kate. Every action has its consequence, and Miles had to snack on a grenade.
Now for the new episode of LOST that aired last night, the Desmond-centric The Constant (best of the season so far? - see the running theme with my posts?)
Whoaaaaaaaaa! So we had flashbacks.....flashforwards....that was supposed to be it. But with Desmond we can have....mind-time travelling. Leave it to the creators to give us a third option to confuse us, but man do we love it. Let's break it down.
Desmond is easily one of my favorite characters on the show (I'm going to do a post on my favorite LOST characters another time), however, Daniel Faraday has quickly cemented himself up there. He is just awesome. He understands all that is the island. We'll get into him in a second.
Desmond's conscious can time travel. This episode he kept going back and forth between 1996 and 2004 and if he couldn't stop it he would meet the same fate as Eloise the lab rat and Minkowski -- his brain would overload, short circuit, and he would die. Faraday, who we find out knows all about mind time-traveling, tells Desmond that he must find a constant; something that he cares deeply about in both time periods that he can latch onto: Penny.
Faraday is amazing. Simply put. Easily my favorite of the new comers and quickly climbing the charts. He gets the island, he really, really gets it. However his mind is obviously not all there. But he knows what's going on with the island. I'm going to come back to him at the end.
Charles Widmore, Penny's dad, won an auction that featured the manifest of the first mate of The Black Rock, the ship marooned on the island with the castaways. The first mate also happened to be a member of the Hanso family. And as we know Alvar Hanso made the Hanso Foundation which was on the lost island, until Ben came along. This shows us that there are definite ties between Widmore Industries and the Hanso Foundation.
Desmond, after seeking out Mr. Widmore, get's Penny's address and goes to see her. This is after he broke up with her so she's not very happy to see him. Desmond explains to her that even though its crazy, in 8 years, he's going to call her and she must pick up. With time running out in the present, Desmond comes back with Penny's number in hand, just as Sayid repairs the phone in the radio room. Desmond calls Penny, and after a while (a long while), Penny picks up. They say they love each other and that no matter what they'll find each other. It really was a good LOST moment.
Ben's man on the boat probably sabotaged the radio room, and he definitely let the guys out of the locked hospital room. Who is this man? Well, it's Michael, let's be serious. Frank needed to go on heading 305 degrees, on Eko's stick it said North 305, and Ben told Michael to go on heading 305 in order to leave the island....that should solidify that Michael is the man on the boat. And what a man he is.
Back to Faraday, he is flipping through his journal at the end of the episode, and he comes to a page that says, "If anything goes wrong, Desmond Hume is my constant." So it's safe to assume that Faraday, like Desmond, can mind time travel. My guess is that he made himself a guinea pig back at Oxford after Eloise's experiment worked. This makes sense with regards to other items as well, such as:
When Faraday first dropped on the island what did he have on him? Oh yeah, a picture of Desmond and Penny. Funny, considering the freighter is NOT Penny's. How'd he come across this picture, and why does he have it? Because Desmond is his constant.
Also in the same episode, Faraday's flashback has him crying as they're discovering the Oceanic 815 flight wreckage. His caretaker asks him why he's crying, and he says he doesn't know. Now I originally said he had made some calculations as to how to find the island, and those were the co-oridnates he gave his people, and they found the flight wreck instead. But now I'm going to say this: his mind has been to the future and he knows that they survive. He meets Desmond in 2004. He knows that there should not be flight wreckage, yet he doesn't really know...if that makes sense. It's like a gut feeling when you know something isn't right even though all the evidence points against you're feeling.
That's it for this week's breakdown. Next week we have a Juliet-centric episode. Keep checking back everyday as I continue to catch up on my blog posting.
Friday, February 29, 2008
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Apologies
I recently received a comment from "the bod" (which is a pretty awful name Todd) which I'm choosing to address. I've been swamped with midterms this past weekend and week so I haven't been able to update as frequently as I would have liked. As soon as everything calms down I promise to break down last week's LOST episode as well as give you my thoughts on the Oscars which aired this past Sunday. Just stick with me and we'll all get through this unscathed. Until then...
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Lost Tonight! The Wonderful World of Kate Austen
LOST is on tonight at 9pm on ABC and it's a flashforward featuring the lovely Evangeline Lilly as Kate. Apparently we learn something about her or she does something tonight that will shock even her most devoted fans. Sounds good to me. Tune in and tomorrow I'll break the episode down for you.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Weekend Backtrack: All-Stars & Wires
Well the weekend is over, and I'm not sure what to think of it. Friday I stayed in and ended up doing work for my midterms coming up. Saturday I did the same thing, but that was more of a staying in because All-Star Saturday was that day, and man, was that something else. And Sunday was the All-Star game as well as the next installment of The Wire. Let's break it down.
ALL-STAR SATURDAY
We can skip the team shootout and skills competition (although it is worth nothing that Deron Williams now holds the record in a flawless final round against hometown hero Chris Paul) and jump straight into the Three-Point Competition and Dunk Contest. The only thing really worth noting for the 3-Point Competition is that Jason Kapono is the best pure shooter in the league. Last year I attended All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and during the competition the section I was in was assigned to Jason Kapono, meaning if he won the contest then we would win a "special prize." So I cheered for Kapono and he won and I won a free shirt, was pretty cool. Naturally this year I am going for Kapono again because he didn't let me down last year, and he didn't this year. He made the final round with a first round 20 and then in the finals tied the record of 25. He's tied with Larry Bird. Now that is pretty freakin' sweet. Then that was done, bring on the dunks.
Finally, creative thought is back. No more doing what the older dunkers did in "new ways." Creative, original thought, has returned in the form of Gerald Green and Dwight Howard. Moon and Gay are high flyers, but they're creative image was not as bold as Green's or Howards. Gerald Green and the Birthday Cake. He placed a cupcake at the top of the rim before the dunk and lit a candle. Then threw the ball up to himself, caught the ball, blew out the candle, and then dunked the ball. Showing this from the point of view from the backboard was actually pretty amazing. Check it out.
That should've had a higher score, but his dunk didn't top Howard's dunks.
With three dunks that I can say are three of the best dunks I've ever seen, Howard proved that big men can fly through the air. I can't even describe the dunks, just check out the video.
ALL-STAR GAME
The All-Star game was pretty sweet. I didn't watch the last quarter of it because I had prior obligations, but I watched the highlights and what a game it was. The West crawled back into it and almost took the cake led by Chris Paul's 16 points and 14 assists. But Ray Allen's 14 fourth quarter points, including three straight 3's, and LeBron's power dunk, were just too much to overcome. Sidenote: After the first quarter I said the score would be 131-129; the actual score ended up being 134-128, not too shabby. LeBron was named MVP for the second time in three years. Fun, fun game.
THE WIRE
Episode 7, titled "Took," aired last night. However I had already watched that last week so I was looking forward to episode 8 that would come on HBO On Demand Monday morning at 12am. "Clarifcations" was, to say the least, surprising. I really can't ruin anything for you, because well, something monumental happens that I did not see coming until literally the second before it happened. I am extremely distraught over this and I can't in my right mind post the spoiler here because it would be doing you fans an injustice. I'll talk about what transpired next week after it officially airs on HBO at 9.
ALL-STAR SATURDAY
We can skip the team shootout and skills competition (although it is worth nothing that Deron Williams now holds the record in a flawless final round against hometown hero Chris Paul) and jump straight into the Three-Point Competition and Dunk Contest. The only thing really worth noting for the 3-Point Competition is that Jason Kapono is the best pure shooter in the league. Last year I attended All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas and during the competition the section I was in was assigned to Jason Kapono, meaning if he won the contest then we would win a "special prize." So I cheered for Kapono and he won and I won a free shirt, was pretty cool. Naturally this year I am going for Kapono again because he didn't let me down last year, and he didn't this year. He made the final round with a first round 20 and then in the finals tied the record of 25. He's tied with Larry Bird. Now that is pretty freakin' sweet. Then that was done, bring on the dunks.
Finally, creative thought is back. No more doing what the older dunkers did in "new ways." Creative, original thought, has returned in the form of Gerald Green and Dwight Howard. Moon and Gay are high flyers, but they're creative image was not as bold as Green's or Howards. Gerald Green and the Birthday Cake. He placed a cupcake at the top of the rim before the dunk and lit a candle. Then threw the ball up to himself, caught the ball, blew out the candle, and then dunked the ball. Showing this from the point of view from the backboard was actually pretty amazing. Check it out.
That should've had a higher score, but his dunk didn't top Howard's dunks.
With three dunks that I can say are three of the best dunks I've ever seen, Howard proved that big men can fly through the air. I can't even describe the dunks, just check out the video.
ALL-STAR GAME
The All-Star game was pretty sweet. I didn't watch the last quarter of it because I had prior obligations, but I watched the highlights and what a game it was. The West crawled back into it and almost took the cake led by Chris Paul's 16 points and 14 assists. But Ray Allen's 14 fourth quarter points, including three straight 3's, and LeBron's power dunk, were just too much to overcome. Sidenote: After the first quarter I said the score would be 131-129; the actual score ended up being 134-128, not too shabby. LeBron was named MVP for the second time in three years. Fun, fun game.
THE WIRE
Episode 7, titled "Took," aired last night. However I had already watched that last week so I was looking forward to episode 8 that would come on HBO On Demand Monday morning at 12am. "Clarifcations" was, to say the least, surprising. I really can't ruin anything for you, because well, something monumental happens that I did not see coming until literally the second before it happened. I am extremely distraught over this and I can't in my right mind post the spoiler here because it would be doing you fans an injustice. I'll talk about what transpired next week after it officially airs on HBO at 9.
Friday, February 15, 2008
Pineapple Express Red Band Trailer
This looks to be all sorts of awesome. Starring Seth Rogen and James Franco about two stoners who are on the run from some hit men, this looks to have all the typical laughs of an Apatow produced movie. Check out the Redband trailer for it below (Redband means not allowed in theaters).
Sayid, You Mothaf*$%er
I have no idea what Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse have been drinking, but damn I want some of it. Their creative genius has been off the charts outstanding this year. Three stellar episodes this year so far. It's clear the genius that was behind the first season of this show has been back now for a number of episodes (dating back to last year), and this episode was no different. In fact I would go so far as to say last night's episode was one of the best of the series, and that's saying something, because I've said that about every episode this year so far. Let's break it down.
FLASHFORWARDS
Last night was Sayid's flashforward and it's revealed that he is also one of the Oceanic Six. We see him enjoying a nice morning round of golf when a stranger approaches to him and makes a friendly wager with him. Sayid agrees and continues to explain to the man very casually that he is a member of the Oceanic Six. The man is visibly startled about this and upset, takes his swing (wins) and then attempts to leave without taking the payment. Sayid doesn't let this happen, as it turns out the payment was to shoot the man dead. Bam! What a way to open it.
Next we see Sayid in a coffee shop in Berlin ask a woman for directions. The woman seems to remember Sayid from somewhere but can't place it. He tells her that he's a headhunter (corporate recruiter) and she tells him she is the assistant to an economist. They arrange to go on a date and take it from there. He leaves the coffee shop and calls his employer saying he made contact, then drops the phone in the garbage (Alias anyone??).
They're next preparing to go to the opera and she tells him she's not going to take her beeper which is the way her employer reaches her. He's in town about twice a year and she's supposed to be at his side immediately if he beeps her (they're either not very technological or they don't want to be contacted/found). Sayid says that he'll take the beeper, and justifies it by saying she shouldn't be fired because of him. So we know now for a fact that Sayid is just with her to get after her boss.
The next flashforward we see them in bed, presumably after sex, and she's complaining that she doesn't know anything about him. She wants to know what he's up to now and doesn't care about the plane crash and whatnot. She tells him she loves him, and he reciprocates the feeling. Then her beeper goes off. She gets up in a hurry and says she has to go. Sayid gets up and tells her that she has to leave Berlin, saying that he doesn't want her in danger after what he does to her boss. He says her boss is on a list (another list, more on that on the bottom) and that he's going to kill him. She gets visibly upset, saying is that all you do, kill people without see who they are and how good they can be. Sayid says her employer is not a good person. She comes back from the bathroom and shoots Sayid in the shoulder. BAM! She asks who he works for and he says nothing. She calls her employer saying that he won't talk and that she didn't kill him and that she's going to bring Sayid to him. Sayid sees his gun in his jacket and distracts her, then gets her gun and pops two in her chest, shes dead. DAMN! Plus, she has the same bracelet on that Naomi had on. Say whaaaa? Check on that below.
In the last flashforward we see Sayid getting his bullet pulled out by his employer. He asks if the other employer, the economist, found out who he was working for and Sayid said definitely not. We then see his employer is none other than the great Benjamin Linus. He tells Sayid he has another name on the list for him to go after. Sayid says now they know they're going after them, and Ben says, "GOOD!" Wowowowowoowowowoow!!! Let's put all this on hold for a second and check what's going back on the island.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Another list. There's the Oceanic 815 Flight Manifest List. Jacob's List (which we don't understand yet). The list of people Michael needs to bring back to get Walt back. Interesting.
Disappearing cabin. Locke can't find it. Hurley ran into it twice in two different places. What is up?
Ben's secret closet. Had a bunch of clothes and tons of foreign currency and tons of passports. So all of this, plus the photo that the boat people had on them tells me two things: 1. Ben is a liar (which we knew), and 2. Ben has been going off the island secretly without anyone knowing. How?? Another piece of Ben Linus falls into place.
Faraday's experiment with the payload. Awesome. Something tells me Faraday understands a lot about the island. He just gets it. Doesn't have a specific connection with the island, but he understands it scientifically. With the experiment though, time on the island runs slower than in real life. 31 minutes slower to be precise. That's freaky. So the gang has been on the island for 100 days but in real time it's much more than that (I'm not good at math).
Bracelets. Naomi had one, and now Elsa had one. Both people were hired to find Benjamin Linus. Coincidence??? Not on this show.
R.G. The inscription on the bracelet had those initials. Who could that be? We've been hearing the name Regina a lot. She's the voice on the other end of the phone. The actress that plays her is Zoe Bell, a former stunt double. I doubt they would have her on the show just so she could provide a voice. We'll be seeing more of her later on, and maybe those are her initials.
Staying the course. Faraday told Frank to not go off the route that they came in. Stay the same bearing back to the boat. Faraday knows shiz about this island. And could this be the same bearing 325 Ben told Michael at the end of season 2?? We'll have to wait and find out.
Oceanic Six. Who are the other two members? So far we have Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid. I've heard a lot of rumors online. I'm staking my claim. I did not come up with this so I can't take credit. I'm saying the other two are Jin and Sun. And Ben is definitely not a member.
Sawyer playing house. Pretty much sort of proposed to Kate right there. He's staying on the island and wants to play house with Kate. That's love baby.
Ben. Such an evil piece of work. But I love it. He survives the island and the boat people, and is going after the bossman. Love him.
NEXT WEEK
Kate flashforward. We'll find out who the "he" is she referred to in the season 3 finale. I think I know the answer, but I won't post it. I'll post an asterisk quiz. ******'s ***** *****.
Love this freaking show.
FLASHFORWARDS
Last night was Sayid's flashforward and it's revealed that he is also one of the Oceanic Six. We see him enjoying a nice morning round of golf when a stranger approaches to him and makes a friendly wager with him. Sayid agrees and continues to explain to the man very casually that he is a member of the Oceanic Six. The man is visibly startled about this and upset, takes his swing (wins) and then attempts to leave without taking the payment. Sayid doesn't let this happen, as it turns out the payment was to shoot the man dead. Bam! What a way to open it.
Next we see Sayid in a coffee shop in Berlin ask a woman for directions. The woman seems to remember Sayid from somewhere but can't place it. He tells her that he's a headhunter (corporate recruiter) and she tells him she is the assistant to an economist. They arrange to go on a date and take it from there. He leaves the coffee shop and calls his employer saying he made contact, then drops the phone in the garbage (Alias anyone??).
They're next preparing to go to the opera and she tells him she's not going to take her beeper which is the way her employer reaches her. He's in town about twice a year and she's supposed to be at his side immediately if he beeps her (they're either not very technological or they don't want to be contacted/found). Sayid says that he'll take the beeper, and justifies it by saying she shouldn't be fired because of him. So we know now for a fact that Sayid is just with her to get after her boss.
The next flashforward we see them in bed, presumably after sex, and she's complaining that she doesn't know anything about him. She wants to know what he's up to now and doesn't care about the plane crash and whatnot. She tells him she loves him, and he reciprocates the feeling. Then her beeper goes off. She gets up in a hurry and says she has to go. Sayid gets up and tells her that she has to leave Berlin, saying that he doesn't want her in danger after what he does to her boss. He says her boss is on a list (another list, more on that on the bottom) and that he's going to kill him. She gets visibly upset, saying is that all you do, kill people without see who they are and how good they can be. Sayid says her employer is not a good person. She comes back from the bathroom and shoots Sayid in the shoulder. BAM! She asks who he works for and he says nothing. She calls her employer saying that he won't talk and that she didn't kill him and that she's going to bring Sayid to him. Sayid sees his gun in his jacket and distracts her, then gets her gun and pops two in her chest, shes dead. DAMN! Plus, she has the same bracelet on that Naomi had on. Say whaaaa? Check on that below.
In the last flashforward we see Sayid getting his bullet pulled out by his employer. He asks if the other employer, the economist, found out who he was working for and Sayid said definitely not. We then see his employer is none other than the great Benjamin Linus. He tells Sayid he has another name on the list for him to go after. Sayid says now they know they're going after them, and Ben says, "GOOD!" Wowowowowoowowowoow!!! Let's put all this on hold for a second and check what's going back on the island.
RANDOM THOUGHTS
Another list. There's the Oceanic 815 Flight Manifest List. Jacob's List (which we don't understand yet). The list of people Michael needs to bring back to get Walt back. Interesting.
Disappearing cabin. Locke can't find it. Hurley ran into it twice in two different places. What is up?
Ben's secret closet. Had a bunch of clothes and tons of foreign currency and tons of passports. So all of this, plus the photo that the boat people had on them tells me two things: 1. Ben is a liar (which we knew), and 2. Ben has been going off the island secretly without anyone knowing. How?? Another piece of Ben Linus falls into place.
Faraday's experiment with the payload. Awesome. Something tells me Faraday understands a lot about the island. He just gets it. Doesn't have a specific connection with the island, but he understands it scientifically. With the experiment though, time on the island runs slower than in real life. 31 minutes slower to be precise. That's freaky. So the gang has been on the island for 100 days but in real time it's much more than that (I'm not good at math).
Bracelets. Naomi had one, and now Elsa had one. Both people were hired to find Benjamin Linus. Coincidence??? Not on this show.
R.G. The inscription on the bracelet had those initials. Who could that be? We've been hearing the name Regina a lot. She's the voice on the other end of the phone. The actress that plays her is Zoe Bell, a former stunt double. I doubt they would have her on the show just so she could provide a voice. We'll be seeing more of her later on, and maybe those are her initials.
Staying the course. Faraday told Frank to not go off the route that they came in. Stay the same bearing back to the boat. Faraday knows shiz about this island. And could this be the same bearing 325 Ben told Michael at the end of season 2?? We'll have to wait and find out.
Oceanic Six. Who are the other two members? So far we have Jack, Kate, Hurley and Sayid. I've heard a lot of rumors online. I'm staking my claim. I did not come up with this so I can't take credit. I'm saying the other two are Jin and Sun. And Ben is definitely not a member.
Sawyer playing house. Pretty much sort of proposed to Kate right there. He's staying on the island and wants to play house with Kate. That's love baby.
Ben. Such an evil piece of work. But I love it. He survives the island and the boat people, and is going after the bossman. Love him.
NEXT WEEK
Kate flashforward. We'll find out who the "he" is she referred to in the season 3 finale. I think I know the answer, but I won't post it. I'll post an asterisk quiz. ******'s ***** *****.
Love this freaking show.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Officially, Strike Over! TV Updates
The WGA voted yesterday and with 92.5% of the vote they decided to get back to work! Here's what you can expect for some TV shows:
LOST Will shoot 5 more episodes and call it quits for season 4. They will cram the original 8 down to 5, and the in the next two years will tack on the 3 hours they erased from this season. The 9th episode will air 4 weeks after the 8th episode.
Friday Night Lights No more episodes to air. In fact, this show might get canned (unfortunately). Ratings are down so we'll just have to wait and see. DVD of season two comes out in April.
Smallville Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts bringing the season total to 18-20, by far the most of scripted TV shows.
One Tree Hill Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts bringing the season total to 12-14.
The Office Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts, which they can start filming right away, because they had a couple of scripts already written before the strike.
Heroes No new scripts until the Fall. Season 3 will be titled "Villains."
24 No new scripts until January 2009. Tony will still be playing the bad guy.
LOST Will shoot 5 more episodes and call it quits for season 4. They will cram the original 8 down to 5, and the in the next two years will tack on the 3 hours they erased from this season. The 9th episode will air 4 weeks after the 8th episode.
Friday Night Lights No more episodes to air. In fact, this show might get canned (unfortunately). Ratings are down so we'll just have to wait and see. DVD of season two comes out in April.
Smallville Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts bringing the season total to 18-20, by far the most of scripted TV shows.
One Tree Hill Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts bringing the season total to 12-14.
The Office Expected to shoot 4-6 additional scripts, which they can start filming right away, because they had a couple of scripts already written before the strike.
Heroes No new scripts until the Fall. Season 3 will be titled "Villains."
24 No new scripts until January 2009. Tony will still be playing the bad guy.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Jericho Back
Tonight features the return of Jericho. Left for dead at the end of last year, the fans sent tons and tons of nuts, literally nuts, to the head of CBS in protest for them not picking up Jericho for a second season. The response? Jericho was picked up for seven episodes to end the series on a good note. If they didn't end up picking the show up, the series would have ended just as the war between New Bern and Jericho was starting. Now at least we can get some resolution.
This episode takes place 4 weeks after the war between the two towns and is now over because it was broken up by the Cheyenne government. We'll get some hints regarding more of Jake and his backstory, and we'll see that him and Emily are living very happily together right now. Major Beck will be a new key character in the series. Jenning's & Rall becomes a very important company in the town of Jericho, helping out many of the residents, however they might not be all they're cracked up to be. Robert Hawkins is back and he figures out who is trailing him (from the end of season one). The United States is still divided into at least three factions. All of the states West of the Mississippi are together except for Texas and the capital is located in Cheyenne, all the states East of the Mississippi are together and the capital is located in Rome, NY, and Texas is doing it's own thing because well, everything is bigger in Texas.
Welcome back Jericho. We missed you. Finish out your series the right way.
This episode takes place 4 weeks after the war between the two towns and is now over because it was broken up by the Cheyenne government. We'll get some hints regarding more of Jake and his backstory, and we'll see that him and Emily are living very happily together right now. Major Beck will be a new key character in the series. Jenning's & Rall becomes a very important company in the town of Jericho, helping out many of the residents, however they might not be all they're cracked up to be. Robert Hawkins is back and he figures out who is trailing him (from the end of season one). The United States is still divided into at least three factions. All of the states West of the Mississippi are together except for Texas and the capital is located in Cheyenne, all the states East of the Mississippi are together and the capital is located in Rome, NY, and Texas is doing it's own thing because well, everything is bigger in Texas.
Welcome back Jericho. We missed you. Finish out your series the right way.
Monday, February 11, 2008
5 Weeks
I know I know, I've already posted something this morning. But I just realized something so monumental, so huge, that it couldn't wait. 5 weeks ladies and gents, 5 weeks.
Selection Sunday is just under 5 weeks away. And I cannot wait. MARCH MADNESS!!!! This year the Final Four is in San Antonio, and I'll be going again. This will be my 7th year there (all in a row). Every year I make the trek to wherever the Final Four is with my dad, my two cousins and my uncle. I am eagerly awaiting Selection Sunday.
Selection Sunday is just under 5 weeks away. And I cannot wait. MARCH MADNESS!!!! This year the Final Four is in San Antonio, and I'll be going again. This will be my 7th year there (all in a row). Every year I make the trek to wherever the Final Four is with my dad, my two cousins and my uncle. I am eagerly awaiting Selection Sunday.
Stop Getting Pushed Back
I'd like to rant for a second about how annoying "Super Smash Bros. Brawl" is. This is a game for the Nintendo Wii that was supposed to come out November 2007. The second sequel to the Nintendo 64 "Super Smash Bros.," sequel to the Nintendo Gamecube "Super Smash Bros. Melee," this game I've been looking forward to for the Wii for quite a while now. About a year and a half. So when November rolled around I was ecstatic the week of the release for this game because I love it oh so much. Then I check online and it says that the game has been delayed until February 12, 2008. I obviously wasn't happy, but nevertheless I could wait, it wasn't the end of the world. So today is February 11, and I check online to see if the game is still coming out tomorrow, and it's not. March 2008 is now the new release. And it's just starting to get really annoying. If it gets delayed again I might just end up boycotting the game. Thanks for listening to my rant.
Saturday, February 9, 2008
Strike Over?!?!
UPDATED 2/10/08 11:41AM It's almost a done deal. Strike Assistants are looking for new jobs and writer's are preparing to get back to work FULL SCALE tomorrow. Welcome back The Office, 30 Rock, Friday Night Lights (HOPEFULLY!!), LOST!! And movies can finally start getting back in production as well. But the best part about this is -- ALL THE REALITY SHOWS THAT WERE MADE CAN BE BOOTED OFF BECAUSE SCRIPTED TV IS MUCH MUCH BETTER!!
That's what I've been reading this morning. According to Variety, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative deal that "protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery." The WGA East and West presidents sent out e-mails this morning at 3am alerting writers that a deal has been made.
This is the best news I've heard in a while. Now LOST (check out my LOST breakdown below) and The Office can get back into production and movies can start rewriting and filming again. Hallelujah!
You can read all the finer points of the deal viewing this pdf.
That's what I've been reading this morning. According to Variety, the Writers Guild of America (WGA) and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) have reached a tentative deal that "protects a future in which the Internet becomes the primary means of both content creation and delivery." The WGA East and West presidents sent out e-mails this morning at 3am alerting writers that a deal has been made.
This is the best news I've heard in a while. Now LOST (check out my LOST breakdown below) and The Office can get back into production and movies can start rewriting and filming again. Hallelujah!
You can read all the finer points of the deal viewing this pdf.
Lost Breakdown
So I got around to watching Lost this morning, and then again this past evening, and I've gotta say, it was better than the premiere. The writers have really stepped up their game for the fourth season, learning from the mistakes of season 2 and the beginning of season 3. So lets break it down.
We got the rough back stories from the 5 people coming to the island to "rescue the survivors" which I think helped us to understand who they are and what the survivors are dealing with. We first see an ROV (remote operated vehicle) that's underwater and we hear voiceovers of the two people who are controlling the vehicles. They end up stumbling upon the supposed plane crash of Oceanic Flight 815, the one that actually crash landed on the island that we all know and love. We cut to one of the "rescuers" Daniel Farraday (last name is the same as the famous 19th century chemist and physicist) who's crying but he doesn't know why. But I think he knows why. My guess is that he believe the plane to have landed on the island but then this showed that it didn't, so his calculations that he made for whoever was wrong, but it turns out they weren't wrong obviously.
The next backstory is that of Miles, who happens to be a ghostbuster of sort. He apparently hast he ability to communicate with the deceased as we see him help out a grandmother who's grandson has been sticking around the house. Miles comes into the room and tells the kid (who I have a feeling we'll be seeing again) to tell him where "it" is. We hear a strange noise and then Miles finds a load of cash, which he keeps, and tells the kid that he "can go now." This ability is useful on the island when he demands to see Naomi so he can verify Jack and Kate's story as to why she died, which he ends up doing.
After that we get Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis....) and her trip to Tunisia. We see her pay her way to get closer to a dig that some natives were doing, and the payoff is bones of a bear in the dirt. A polar bear in Africa. Sounds like something Dharma cooked up. Well it was, as Charlotte found a collar with a Dharma octopus logo on it, telling us that the island isn't the only place Dharma reached.
Next we get Frank Lapidus, located in the Bahamas, watching footage of the 815 wreck as they are showing the pilot dead in his seat underwater. He called the hotline posted on the TV (which I also called, and was pretty freaky) and demanded to talk to the supervisor because he knows the person they're showing on TV is NOT the pilot of the flight that crashed because he saw that the pilot had no ring on his ring finger (he married his high school sweetheart at 19 and never took it off). After being asked how he knows so much about the pilot, he responds that he was the one that was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 that day.
Lastly we see Naomi, most likely for the last time, as she is talking with Matt Abbaddon about the team she's supposed to lead the island safely (the team composed of the above 4 individuals, who have no military training). She doesn't like the plan at all but agrees to do it because that's her job.
At the end of the episode we seem to find out why they have come to the island -- Ben. They want Benjamin Linus. Ben knew this all along, as he reveals to Locke and his crew. Ben knew this because he has a mole on the boat that the "rescuers" came from, proving once more that, Ben is the man and is always one step ahead of everyone else.
Random thoughts:
Ben shot Locke purposefully through the side of his body without the kidney because he knew it wouldn't kill him. I feel that Ben unlocked everything he could from the island and he needed Locke to unlock the rest, but the only way he could do that would be to make it seem like Locke was doing it on his own.
Why has everyone forgotten Charlie? Claire wasn't upset at all about what had transpired, about what she found out at the END of last episode. That was a big turnaround for someone who seemed to have loved Charlie. Ditto for Hurley.
Hurley knowing where the cabin was really freaked out Locke and Ben, and for good reason. I think Ben only thought Locke had a connection with the island and didn't foresee Hurley having a connection as well. Locke probably thinks the same thing.
Jack and Kate forgetting all about Daniel Farraday saying to them that rescuing them wasn't their "primary objective." I mean I realize it was for the big reveal at the end, that they wanted Ben, but they shouldn't have to make Jack and Kate, two of the show's smarter characters, sacrifice their smarts.
Locke asking Ben what the smoke monster was! Finally! Someone asks the question we've been dying to know since THE FIRST EPISODE!!! This question is definitely older than the "where are we?" question.
And finally, the man on the boat, working for Ben. Michael. You read it here first. Michael will be back on the show, and I think he's been helping Ben out. I don't know why, but I think it's Michael.
Season 4 = siiiiiiiiiiick, so far. 6 more episodes to go. However, I'm hearing that since the strike could be over within a couple weeks, that they could get right back into production and shoot another 6 episodes to air in Late April/May/June. I read that at Buddytv.com. But I think that's great news, not just for Lost but for all TV (and mankind).
We got the rough back stories from the 5 people coming to the island to "rescue the survivors" which I think helped us to understand who they are and what the survivors are dealing with. We first see an ROV (remote operated vehicle) that's underwater and we hear voiceovers of the two people who are controlling the vehicles. They end up stumbling upon the supposed plane crash of Oceanic Flight 815, the one that actually crash landed on the island that we all know and love. We cut to one of the "rescuers" Daniel Farraday (last name is the same as the famous 19th century chemist and physicist) who's crying but he doesn't know why. But I think he knows why. My guess is that he believe the plane to have landed on the island but then this showed that it didn't, so his calculations that he made for whoever was wrong, but it turns out they weren't wrong obviously.
The next backstory is that of Miles, who happens to be a ghostbuster of sort. He apparently hast he ability to communicate with the deceased as we see him help out a grandmother who's grandson has been sticking around the house. Miles comes into the room and tells the kid (who I have a feeling we'll be seeing again) to tell him where "it" is. We hear a strange noise and then Miles finds a load of cash, which he keeps, and tells the kid that he "can go now." This ability is useful on the island when he demands to see Naomi so he can verify Jack and Kate's story as to why she died, which he ends up doing.
After that we get Charlotte Staples Lewis (C.S. Lewis....) and her trip to Tunisia. We see her pay her way to get closer to a dig that some natives were doing, and the payoff is bones of a bear in the dirt. A polar bear in Africa. Sounds like something Dharma cooked up. Well it was, as Charlotte found a collar with a Dharma octopus logo on it, telling us that the island isn't the only place Dharma reached.
Next we get Frank Lapidus, located in the Bahamas, watching footage of the 815 wreck as they are showing the pilot dead in his seat underwater. He called the hotline posted on the TV (which I also called, and was pretty freaky) and demanded to talk to the supervisor because he knows the person they're showing on TV is NOT the pilot of the flight that crashed because he saw that the pilot had no ring on his ring finger (he married his high school sweetheart at 19 and never took it off). After being asked how he knows so much about the pilot, he responds that he was the one that was supposed to be flying Oceanic 815 that day.
Lastly we see Naomi, most likely for the last time, as she is talking with Matt Abbaddon about the team she's supposed to lead the island safely (the team composed of the above 4 individuals, who have no military training). She doesn't like the plan at all but agrees to do it because that's her job.
At the end of the episode we seem to find out why they have come to the island -- Ben. They want Benjamin Linus. Ben knew this all along, as he reveals to Locke and his crew. Ben knew this because he has a mole on the boat that the "rescuers" came from, proving once more that, Ben is the man and is always one step ahead of everyone else.
Random thoughts:
Ben shot Locke purposefully through the side of his body without the kidney because he knew it wouldn't kill him. I feel that Ben unlocked everything he could from the island and he needed Locke to unlock the rest, but the only way he could do that would be to make it seem like Locke was doing it on his own.
Why has everyone forgotten Charlie? Claire wasn't upset at all about what had transpired, about what she found out at the END of last episode. That was a big turnaround for someone who seemed to have loved Charlie. Ditto for Hurley.
Hurley knowing where the cabin was really freaked out Locke and Ben, and for good reason. I think Ben only thought Locke had a connection with the island and didn't foresee Hurley having a connection as well. Locke probably thinks the same thing.
Jack and Kate forgetting all about Daniel Farraday saying to them that rescuing them wasn't their "primary objective." I mean I realize it was for the big reveal at the end, that they wanted Ben, but they shouldn't have to make Jack and Kate, two of the show's smarter characters, sacrifice their smarts.
Locke asking Ben what the smoke monster was! Finally! Someone asks the question we've been dying to know since THE FIRST EPISODE!!! This question is definitely older than the "where are we?" question.
And finally, the man on the boat, working for Ben. Michael. You read it here first. Michael will be back on the show, and I think he's been helping Ben out. I don't know why, but I think it's Michael.
Season 4 = siiiiiiiiiiick, so far. 6 more episodes to go. However, I'm hearing that since the strike could be over within a couple weeks, that they could get right back into production and shoot another 6 episodes to air in Late April/May/June. I read that at Buddytv.com. But I think that's great news, not just for Lost but for all TV (and mankind).
Thursday, February 7, 2008
Lost and Others
Second Lost is on tonight, titled "Confirmed Dead." Tonight features the flashbacks of the 5 boat people who are supposed to be there to rescue the Losties, but I'm pretty sure that won't be happening anytime soon. As good as the premiere was I'm hearing that this episode is much better, which is exciting. "The Other 48 Days" is a similar episode to this one, as we get a back-story from people we haven't yet seen on screen. Should be lots of fun.
Unfortunately I'm missing tonight's episode, but I will be watching it tomorrow afternoon (or later tonight if I'm up for it), and will be posting my reactions after that.
Also on this weekend:
The season finale of Friday Night Lights which could end up being the series finale, as awful as that sounds. I'm hearing rumors of a pregnancy scare that no one sees coming. Hopefully the NBC execs don't terminate this beauty. Friday at 9pm on NBC.
Episode 6 of The Wire, which I've already seen. Another brilliant episode, but that mean's we're one closer to the series finale, which just sucks. Omar begins to strike back at Marlo's people, and we see Marlo taking the reigns after Prop Joe died. Freamon cracks the code by which Marlo and his people are communicating, but it will be much harder to actually get a tap on that. Carcetti starts to show the media and Baltimore what he's planning to do about the serial killer who's preying on the homeless....which McNulty and Freamon made up, with some help by Scott Templeton, the reporter who makes up his stories. And now Gus is onto his scent. Sunday at 9pm on HBO.
Unfortunately I'm missing tonight's episode, but I will be watching it tomorrow afternoon (or later tonight if I'm up for it), and will be posting my reactions after that.
Also on this weekend:
The season finale of Friday Night Lights which could end up being the series finale, as awful as that sounds. I'm hearing rumors of a pregnancy scare that no one sees coming. Hopefully the NBC execs don't terminate this beauty. Friday at 9pm on NBC.
Episode 6 of The Wire, which I've already seen. Another brilliant episode, but that mean's we're one closer to the series finale, which just sucks. Omar begins to strike back at Marlo's people, and we see Marlo taking the reigns after Prop Joe died. Freamon cracks the code by which Marlo and his people are communicating, but it will be much harder to actually get a tap on that. Carcetti starts to show the media and Baltimore what he's planning to do about the serial killer who's preying on the homeless....which McNulty and Freamon made up, with some help by Scott Templeton, the reporter who makes up his stories. And now Gus is onto his scent. Sunday at 9pm on HBO.
Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Suns Becoming a Dead Star?
Did not see this one coming. Apparently, Shaq is coming back to the West. The Phoenix Suns and Miami Heat have agreed to terms on a trade that sends Shaq from the Heat to the Suns and Shawn Marion and Marcus Banks from the Suns to the Heat. This trade, could be the WORST decision the Suns have made in a long, long time.
Right now, the Suns have the best record in the West and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They're on pace to win 58 games this year and take the top spot in the Western Conference for the first time in 15 years (Barkley, KJ, Majerle anyone??) Why, oh why, would they trade an integral part of their system (Marion) for, as much as I love him, a near-dead big man that cannot run their style of play? I really cannot fathom any good reason as to why they would do this trade. The only thing I can think of as to why the Suns would do this is because the Stoudemire-Marion feud has reached its breaking point. Everyone knew that the love between the two was few and far between, and now the heat became too much, as it looks like a Heat player will now replace one of them.
On the other hand, the Heat look to have fresh life. Marion is a unique type of player who will fit the Heat's system very nicely and give Dwyane Wade help on the scoring load so he doesn't have to kill himself before year's end trying to do too much. Shaw's time as a dominating big man has, sadly, come to an end. The day's of him destroying people down in the post are long gone. He can't hang with the younger, more athletic forwards/centers such as Dwight Howard. Marion will be able to help in new ways and Marcus Banks give them another option at point guard so its not only Jason Williams. This could rejuvenate the Heat to at least be a respectable opponent in the East.
I really don't understand this trade from the Suns perspective. For the Heat it's great, but for the Suns, I just don't know. I feel like the Western conference has been hit with an idiot bug in the last couple of months. Kevin Garnett shipped off to the Celtics for....nothing. Recently, Pau Gasol shipped to the Lakers for none of their top 10 players (24 points and 12 boards in his first game). And now this: Shaq coming to the best team in the West to inevitably knock off a couple wins for them. I just don't know anymore.
Right now, the Suns have the best record in the West and are 8-2 in their last 10 games. They're on pace to win 58 games this year and take the top spot in the Western Conference for the first time in 15 years (Barkley, KJ, Majerle anyone??) Why, oh why, would they trade an integral part of their system (Marion) for, as much as I love him, a near-dead big man that cannot run their style of play? I really cannot fathom any good reason as to why they would do this trade. The only thing I can think of as to why the Suns would do this is because the Stoudemire-Marion feud has reached its breaking point. Everyone knew that the love between the two was few and far between, and now the heat became too much, as it looks like a Heat player will now replace one of them.
On the other hand, the Heat look to have fresh life. Marion is a unique type of player who will fit the Heat's system very nicely and give Dwyane Wade help on the scoring load so he doesn't have to kill himself before year's end trying to do too much. Shaw's time as a dominating big man has, sadly, come to an end. The day's of him destroying people down in the post are long gone. He can't hang with the younger, more athletic forwards/centers such as Dwight Howard. Marion will be able to help in new ways and Marcus Banks give them another option at point guard so its not only Jason Williams. This could rejuvenate the Heat to at least be a respectable opponent in the East.
I really don't understand this trade from the Suns perspective. For the Heat it's great, but for the Suns, I just don't know. I feel like the Western conference has been hit with an idiot bug in the last couple of months. Kevin Garnett shipped off to the Celtics for....nothing. Recently, Pau Gasol shipped to the Lakers for none of their top 10 players (24 points and 12 boards in his first game). And now this: Shaq coming to the best team in the West to inevitably knock off a couple wins for them. I just don't know anymore.
Monday, February 4, 2008
Super Weekend
Wow what a weekend. I haven't been able to post individual articles just because I've been very busy, so I've decided to mush it all into one post dealing with different topics. First off, Lost.
How good was the premiere episode? Easily worthy of following the stellar season 3 finale, this episode really got us thinking again in new ways. The past and the present aren't everything anymore. Now the future has to be reckoned with as well. This week we got a Hurley-centric episode with him in the future and it was pretty revealing. When I say revealing I use that word lightly because on Lost with everything that's answered we get 10 more questions to think about, which is exactly what happened. What we saw: Hurley reveal he's one of the "Oceanic Six," another Hurley and Charlie scene (maybe the last), Jack's father in Jacob's chair, creepy guy stare at Hurley through Jacob's window, Hurley make Jacob's cabin disappear, Deputy Commissioner Daniels from The Wire talk to Hurley about the other survivors, Locke and Jack state their positions very clearly about the rescue boat, Hurley and Jack disagreeing in a mental institution, Hurley not siding with Jack on the island, the survivors split into two camps led by Jack and Locke, Charlie telling Hurley he needs to help the other survivors. I thought the episode belongs in the same group as the season 3 finale as one of the best episodes of the series, and this just makes me even more excited that Lost is back (albeit for only 7 more episodes...)
Friday Night Lights had another great episode on Friday. This show is up there with Lost and The Wire as shows you should be watching right now. Superbly written and acted, this show was never about the football but rather the relationships between the community and how football relates to all of them. Next week is the "season finale" due to the writer's strike so that gives you plenty of time to catch up on season 2 if you haven't been watching (or season 1 for that fact, go out and rent it).
The Writer's Strike had an interesting rumor floating around Sunday, saying that a deal was imminent and that both sides only had small issues to resolve on Monday. Good news for all Movie and TV fans obviously. Then this morning came a letter from the president of the WGA saying that they are still in talks to resolve the issue but that everyone should be back to picketing on Monday. Not good news for all Movie and TV fans. I feel like they're closer to a deal but still a couple weeks off (either in time to write the Oscars or they'll make an exception to write the Oscars and then during it will announce the deal).
The Super Bowl was outstanding. The game through the first three quarters was pretty good, a defensive stalemate at best. Then came the fourth quarter and the 3 lead changes. The Giants finally scored a TD with 11:05 left to take the lead 10-7. The Patriots, doing what they do best, marched down the field and scored with a little over 3 minutes left, taking the lead 14-10. That was the game, right there. No way Eli Manning was going to have a winning drive against the 18-0 Patriots, soon to be 19-0 (Peyton could do it, but not Eli). And then something amazing happened: he did. Eli led the Giants down the field against the 4th best scoring defense in the league and scored when no one thought they could. Appropriate because no one thought they could win the game at all. Highlighted on that drive was when Eli spun, ducked, sidestepped and ran away from 2, maybe 3 sure sacks, and threw and 30 yard pass to David Tyree with just under a minute left, who caught the ball and the bobbled it but pinned it against his helmet and then caught it, falling down with 2 guys on him, I mean, you can't make this stuff up. That was such an unbelievable play. But still I didn't believe they could do the impossible. Then they did. And I was the happiest I've ever been on Superbowl Sunday. I'm a Jets fan. The Giants I hate. The Patriots I hate. But, the Patriots had the chance to go perfect. And I did not want that. Oh yeah, and what about Bill Belichick? Running off the field with a second left, Tom Brady following. What gracious losers. Are you f*cking serious?!!? I sort of felt bad for them, coming all this way and then losing at the last minute, and then that happened, and I didn't care for them at all anymore. Sore f*cking losers.
So that was my weekend. And on top of that I got my car washed. So all in all, good freakin weekend.
How good was the premiere episode? Easily worthy of following the stellar season 3 finale, this episode really got us thinking again in new ways. The past and the present aren't everything anymore. Now the future has to be reckoned with as well. This week we got a Hurley-centric episode with him in the future and it was pretty revealing. When I say revealing I use that word lightly because on Lost with everything that's answered we get 10 more questions to think about, which is exactly what happened. What we saw: Hurley reveal he's one of the "Oceanic Six," another Hurley and Charlie scene (maybe the last), Jack's father in Jacob's chair, creepy guy stare at Hurley through Jacob's window, Hurley make Jacob's cabin disappear, Deputy Commissioner Daniels from The Wire talk to Hurley about the other survivors, Locke and Jack state their positions very clearly about the rescue boat, Hurley and Jack disagreeing in a mental institution, Hurley not siding with Jack on the island, the survivors split into two camps led by Jack and Locke, Charlie telling Hurley he needs to help the other survivors. I thought the episode belongs in the same group as the season 3 finale as one of the best episodes of the series, and this just makes me even more excited that Lost is back (albeit for only 7 more episodes...)
Friday Night Lights had another great episode on Friday. This show is up there with Lost and The Wire as shows you should be watching right now. Superbly written and acted, this show was never about the football but rather the relationships between the community and how football relates to all of them. Next week is the "season finale" due to the writer's strike so that gives you plenty of time to catch up on season 2 if you haven't been watching (or season 1 for that fact, go out and rent it).
The Writer's Strike had an interesting rumor floating around Sunday, saying that a deal was imminent and that both sides only had small issues to resolve on Monday. Good news for all Movie and TV fans obviously. Then this morning came a letter from the president of the WGA saying that they are still in talks to resolve the issue but that everyone should be back to picketing on Monday. Not good news for all Movie and TV fans. I feel like they're closer to a deal but still a couple weeks off (either in time to write the Oscars or they'll make an exception to write the Oscars and then during it will announce the deal).
The Super Bowl was outstanding. The game through the first three quarters was pretty good, a defensive stalemate at best. Then came the fourth quarter and the 3 lead changes. The Giants finally scored a TD with 11:05 left to take the lead 10-7. The Patriots, doing what they do best, marched down the field and scored with a little over 3 minutes left, taking the lead 14-10. That was the game, right there. No way Eli Manning was going to have a winning drive against the 18-0 Patriots, soon to be 19-0 (Peyton could do it, but not Eli). And then something amazing happened: he did. Eli led the Giants down the field against the 4th best scoring defense in the league and scored when no one thought they could. Appropriate because no one thought they could win the game at all. Highlighted on that drive was when Eli spun, ducked, sidestepped and ran away from 2, maybe 3 sure sacks, and threw and 30 yard pass to David Tyree with just under a minute left, who caught the ball and the bobbled it but pinned it against his helmet and then caught it, falling down with 2 guys on him, I mean, you can't make this stuff up. That was such an unbelievable play. But still I didn't believe they could do the impossible. Then they did. And I was the happiest I've ever been on Superbowl Sunday. I'm a Jets fan. The Giants I hate. The Patriots I hate. But, the Patriots had the chance to go perfect. And I did not want that. Oh yeah, and what about Bill Belichick? Running off the field with a second left, Tom Brady following. What gracious losers. Are you f*cking serious?!!? I sort of felt bad for them, coming all this way and then losing at the last minute, and then that happened, and I didn't care for them at all anymore. Sore f*cking losers.
So that was my weekend. And on top of that I got my car washed. So all in all, good freakin weekend.
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