A blog to show my caricatures, logos, cartoons and whatever else I might've scribbled down.
Friday, December 29, 2006
Wednesday, December 27, 2006
Got some nice stuff this year. My wife got me this book I wanted about one of my all-time favorite artists, James Bama. Oh man, I love this guy. As a kid I got into him because he did the Doc Savage covers. He tore them up. I loved his covers, they were just dynamic and the composition just blew me away. This book reprints ALL of his covers and prints the hundreds of other paintings he did. Incredible. If you want to see the work of a great artist, pick this up....
Here is some of his great Doc Savage covers...and not even his best ones:
http://home.earthlink.net/~docsavage/id2.html
...and here is the link for the book:
http://www.fleskpublications.com/publications/bama/
Do yourself a favor and pick it up. You will not be disappointed.
Wednesday, December 20, 2006
Forgot to put this up...I love The Office. I just fell for that show, it's hilarious. So I did a drawing of John Krasinski as Jim (Big Tuna) Halpert. I also sent it in to this cool site called Life in the Office
http://www.lifeintheoffice.com/index.php
and Brian, the cool guy who runs it, put the drawing up. I'm currently doing a piece of Brian and his wife for them. Brian must think I've forgotten him but between Christmas preparations and work and William there has been very little time to work on it..but I'm working on it, I really am! It's hard doing caricatures FOR people instead OF people. You have to please them and that can be tricky with caricatures. I'll post it when I am done...
The thing that struck me lately, though, that I had to write a bit about, is the situation my best friend, André LeRoy Davis is in. André is the artist of The Last Word in the Source magazine and has been for 16 years. Great art and, from André, great loyalty over the years even though I think they don't deserve it. Well, because of a bunch of issues that I will not go into André will no longer be doing The Last Word in The Source. And it is COMPLETELY their fault. Completely. First they tried to substantially cut Andre's page rate. I mean, big time. Who the hell would take that? Trying to slave a brotha out. Then they stab him in the back and kick him to the curb. And they owe him a large sum of money. Large. Cheap bastards. This is incredible to me...16 YEARS. I never want to hear ANYONE talk about employee loyalty anymore. Like I said, I barely touched on what's going on here but I had to mention it. My man Davis deserves much better. Time for XXL or Vibe to snatch him up and treat him right. The Source is garbage: it's just another hip-hop magazine (and a half-assed one, at that) without André. BOYCOTT THE SOURCE! I know I'm never buying another issue....
Friday, November 03, 2006
They killed off Eko on Lost. He was one of my favorite characters with a great backstory. Lost is starting to annoy me.
The Nets looked really good. They will be really fun to watch this year.
I was watching the Knicks and they were up by 13 and were whooping it up and celebrating like crazy. And I said to myself "Are they kidding me? They will blow this lead easy..." I went downstairs and made lunch for the next day and by the time I came back up they were tied at 89. I just had to laugh. Good game, though. That's the kind of game that the Knicks would've lost last season. Again I have NO idea what to expect from these guys this season, none whatsoever...
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
I'm not sure WHAT the Knicks will be like this season: they could win anywhere from 25-40 games. (40 might be a stretch but I don't know. If they put it all on the court they could be trouble. Maybe even make the playoffs... wow, did I just write that?) It will be a crazy ride though...Marbury and Francis are pals now but how long before they are fighting on the bench? And will Eddy Curry be consistent? Will Jerome James make it up the court on consecutive possessions? And is it me or do the Knicks have 27 players on the roster? Gonna be strange..
Now the Nets could be fun. A Jason Kidd-Marcus Williams backcourt is fun to watch. Kristic will be better and Vinsanity and RJ will be exciting to watch. This could be a really good year. And here in the New York-New Jersey area we have the pleasure of listening to Marv Albert eviscerate the Knicks (fairly of course) when the two teams play each other. He and Mark Jackson can't help but kick the Knicks in the nuts during the telecasts. It's kinda painful, like hearing a guy rag on an ex-girlfriend when she's jobless or hooked on heroin. And we get that 4 times a year (5 if you count pre-season). Good stuff.
Monday, October 30, 2006
Monday, October 23, 2006
What I liked about what they did with the Pegasus is that Ron Moore and David Eick stood Sci-Fi convention on it's head. Most any other show(including the original Galactica) would have introduced another starship and then destroyed her in the same episode or MAYBE given it a two-parter and done it then. The Pegasus lasted 15 episodes. They built whole storylines around the Pegasus. You might've even fooled yourself and thought that she might stick around. But they took full advantage of having her around and using the ship for great effect. The VASTLY UNDERRRATED "Farscape" did this TWICE, once with a ship and another with the old double-of-one-of-the-characters bit.(I say vastly underrated because I think people saw Jim Henson Puppets and crazy looking aliens and just overlooked the show when it was actually a GREAT show, an amazing character-driven piece. Anyone who rags on "Farscape", I can guarantee, NEVER watched the show for more than a few episodes. It was that good.)
The rest of "Exodus, Part II" was as great as you would expect it to be. The Galactica jumping into the upper atmosphere, dropping off the Vipers and jumping away as she falls burning towards the surface was one of the coolest things I've ever seen on a television show. Great tactic by Adama. And now that the show has come full circle and practically started up again we get into the characters trying to find themselves all over again. Starbuck recovering from one of the most brutal mindf*@%s ever on television, Tigh getting over the loss of an eye and his wife(whom he reluctantly poisoned) and Gaeta and Jammer trying to leave what they did behind on New Caprica (if anyone will let them). And that doesn't even include the four couples on the show, Tyrol/Cally, Starbuck/Anders, Lee( who I assume will try to lose some weight)/Dualla and Boomer/Helo. They will go through some SERIOUS up and downs, I am sure. What a great show. And no other Battlestar to help the old Galactica out.
Friday, October 20, 2006
Wednesday, October 18, 2006
Friday, October 06, 2006
Thursday, September 28, 2006
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
Well, The Mets finally clinched the NL East last night. Glad about that. I haven't written about the Mets this summer really. Of all the New York teams I'd have to say that I the most superstitious about the Mets. I'm afraid I'm gonna jinx 'em. Last Friday I was in the kitchen at work and this guy Alex walks in and says "Are you ready for them to clinch tonight?" And I was like "Whoa, champ, take it easy. Slow down there." And he said "Dude, they're playing the Pirates." I was like "Aw man, you've gone and done it now." Of course The Pirates swept the Mets and the Mets looked BAD, they looked like they were lost out there. So I came in on Monday and I said to Alex ""Dude, they're playing the Pirates". Man, you had to go and open your f$%@in' mouth!"
Then, as I was leaving yesterday he says "Dude, they're playing the Marlins!" I said "Get the hell away from me!"
If they had lost last night I would've punched him in the face and wired his jaw shut. Luckily it didn't come to that. I'm happy they clinched but that's just a first step in a long fight for the title. I'll be nervously watching...
Thursday, September 14, 2006
I finally got around to starting a Superman Returns drawing...but the Illustrator file went crazy and I had to export the unfinished piece to Photoshop. I eventually was able to find a way to retrieve the Illustrator art so I'll finish it soon. There are some problems with it. The tops of the boots are curved upward but they should be down, according to the perspective. The left arm is cartoony, yes, but I did a line indicating that the forearm is in front of the bicep-tricep area and that's wrong too. You still gotta follow SOME anatomy rules. I don't know what I was thinking. And that right leg is bad. I just kinda slugged it in there in order to finish it later.So there are issues with it. I'll get it done.
As far as the movie goes, I finally saw it about a month ago, maybe a little more. I liked it. I didn't LOVE it but I liked it. It's a good stepping off point for a franchise. The movie is a little long and light on plot but it was really just getting that feeling of Superman being back and what that means to the world and, specifically, Lois. The big plot development didn't bother me. I know there are comic purists out there losing their damn minds over it but that didn't really bug me. Not sure where they are GOING with it but I kinda suspect that it could be towards a bad thing. I don't know if they have the stones to do it but I think it would be wild if the kid died. If Zod killed him. I heard some stuff about there possibly being Zod and Brainiac in the next movie, if they make one (and the WB would be crazy if they didn't). Imagin Zod finding out that Supes has a kid. Try hearing this in a Terrance Stamp voice in your head. "What better way to exact my revenge? To kill the son of Jor-El, AND the son of Kal-El!"
Corny, I know. But you get my point. Imagine Superman arriving too late to save his son. What an incredible battle he and Zod would have, possibly on New Krypton in Earth's orbit. And then a weakened Superman taking on Brainiac who was behind the scenes the whole time, manipulating everything. That would be cool! Because, honestly, where are they going with the whole Superboy thing? I'm sure there are things they could do but this would be seriously EMOTIONAL. It would be deep. I'm sure that there are people that would balk at the kid dying...but I think it would be slick. I'd love to see an enraged Superman.
I did have two complaints about the movie and they are pure geek level, I mean like, 9.7 on the Geek Richter Scale. One was about the title sequence. Oh, visually, I loved it. A complete throwback to the original movie with great effects mimicing what was done before. I was really looking forward to the title sequence. But why have an edited John Williams score? It sounded chopped up and badly edited. Superman is one of the few themes that a lot of people can hum along with and it is really jarring when it's out of sequence. Couldn't they just use it exactly as it was on the John Ottman Superman Returns soundtrack cd? Again, this is pure geek but that's one thing that bugged me. I guess 'cause I was looking forward to the title sequence. The effects were tight, though.
The second is a costume issue and no, it's not the size of the "S" shield or the fact that it was three-dimensional. I really liked the 3D look of it and the size was fine. Anything bigger would be a bit much, I think. I would be interested in seeing it larger though, just to check it out. I could be completely wrong. But it didn't bother me. No, what got me is that they got rid of my favorite aspect of Superman's costume. The low hanging cape and wide neck of the top. See how they have the neck tight and the cape coming right out of the neck? See, I don't like that. Superman's shirt should start right below the clavicle; A really wide neck. And the cape shouldn't be tucked in at the neck it should be attached mostly at the trapezius.I put two pieces by Ed McGuiness in to show what I mean. Why did they feel the need to go away from that?
I don't know, that just bugged me. I know, I know, big, CRAZY geek complaints...lol..
Tuesday, September 12, 2006
Now that leaves Tony Kornheiser. I like Tony Kornheiser. He's funny and gives you different insights than these jokers. I wish he worked with two other people. But he's stuck in the worst booth going. I think he and Joe Theismann won't be speaking by seasons end....
It's funny because the second game last night(a Monday Night Football doubleheader??? That's weird!!!) had Brad Nessler, who I never heard call a football game, Dick Vermeil, who I haven't seen in a booth in awhile and that was college and Ron Jaworski, who I don't recall in a booth at all. And I liked them! They stepped on each other a few times but that's to be expected. And Jaws and Dick Vermeil see EVERYTHING going on out there. You know they know their stuff. And Dick Vermeil is funny! If he cried during the game the broadcast would've been complete. Why can't we have these guys as the lead broadcasters? If they took a poll on ESPN I bet they would win. I know, I know, they would never do that... I can dream though, can't I?
Monday, September 11, 2006
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/simmons/index
If you even remotely care for sports, ya gotta read this guy. He always makes me laugh. Always. And he has a free and easy writing style that makes it sound like you're just sitting there talking to him. Very funny. He always makes movie references and Thursday he made a Silence of the Lambs one that was great. Not too obvious and not too vague. He was answering a question from a reader about football bye days and he said "This is the same league where a coach can't get a referee's attention to challenge a touchdown unless he sprints onto the field and whips the red flag at him like Miggs flinging his body fluids at Clarice Starling's face."
Funny. I laughed and then starting thinking about how they re-edited that scene on TV so you can hardly tell what's going on. My co-worker Joey and I always complain about that. Then I forgot about it.
So Friday night I am kinda watching Stargate SG-1 which I really don't like that much but Ben Browder and Claudia Black from the great and cancelled Farscape are on there now. Which is kinda frustrating but I watch it anyway. Plus it's always interesting to see what Claudia is wearing. ANYWAY, she gets kidnapped and she's being brain probed by these bad guys (that didn't sound right at all) and the SG teams have a lead on a warehouse she may be in but there 5 warehouses. Ok. So the main SG team is outside one and they blow the door and one of the bad guys goes "What was that? Turn that down!" Apparently he can't hear well over the roaring din of the brain probe. And it also has a volume control knob, which comes in handy. And I'm sitting there saying "I know what they are gonna do. They're ripping off Silence of the Lambs where Jonathan Demme makes you think that Scott Glenn and the feds are about to bust in on the skin dude and Clarice is at the wrong house. But it turns out poor Clarice stumbles right into the nut and Scott Glenn is at a empty house" And sure enough the SG-1 team breaks in and it's an empty warehouse. And Claudia Black is being rescued by a different team...that botches the whole thing anyway. Oh! You got me! So I'm like, oh brother and I start thumbing around the channels and Silence of the Lambs is on Lifetime. And it's the exact scene that Bill Simmons refered to! I mean, two seconds after I turn there Miggs gets Clarice in the face. And that just bugged me the hell out. I was like "Ok...that was strange." But that happens all the time. To everyone...So. Are we in the Matrix? I hope not cause I know I look stupid bald.
Speaking of football, as I was doing earlier, I had the misfortune of watching some of the different pregame and halftime shows and I think I'm done. I can't watch these things anymore. Fox used to make me laugh but then James Brown left, which I knew, and went to CBS, which I didn't know until I saw the halftime show. So Fox was a mess. Curt Menafee was trying to host and it was like watching an unmarried woman with no kids taking care of 3 unruly 10-year olds. What a mess. Later on Joe Buck, who I like, was hosting, and he was funny but Terry Bradshaw stumbled thru the highlights like he just took some Ambien or something. It was just terrible. And CBS..oh boy. They have the worst show anyway amd JB couldn't save it. They should just have 4 corpses on the set and show highlights. It would be just as informative. But the icing of it all, the grand masterwork of the evening was NBC. Oh. My. God. Wow. That was like watching yourself have surgery. With no anesthesia. That was excruciating. If you weren't looking at the screen the John Williams theme would make you think that Indiana Jones was hanging from the front of a truck or something. The graphics were all over the map and incorrect and Sterling Sharpe speaks as if he woke up one morning and said " You know what? I'm gonna create a game called....football!". Man, it was terrible. Bob Costas looked like he'd rather be calling a St. Loius Cardinals game. Chris Collinsworth was just ok,I guess and I'll cut The Bus some slack but overall it was pretty bad. NBC ruined my Sunday night. I used to watch ESPN and have Boomer and TJ wrap up my day but no more...ESPN moved the show...bastards. I think I'll have to treat Pre-game and Post-game like I treat the two weeks before the Super Bowl. I don't pay attention to ANYTHING about it, no hype, no nothing, until I turn on the TV at about 6:18, right before kickoff. There's just too many people yelling at me, too many guys trying to be funny, too many fake arguments, too many "experts", too many knuckleheads and their knuckleheaded opinions. I used to like Sunday...
And it was really nice to see Chad Pennigton back. I like him a lot and I think he's a good team leader. The team respects him and likes him and that's a hard thing to have sometimes. And he looked good too. I know it's gonna be a long, hard season and I know the Jets face a serious uphill climb to be in the league's elite but it was nice to survive this first taste of insanity.
Thursday, August 31, 2006
I was told that on August 29th (this past Tuesday) that the great "Lupin the II: The Castle of Cagliostro" came out in a great new Special Edition release! This film is a wonder. Directed by the great Hayao Miyazaki of Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle fame ( I REALLY dig his Porco Rosso. That's a great movie...that I don't own. D'oh! My Neighbor Totoro is really cute, too!). If you are even remotely familiar with the "Lupin the III" series, I strongly advise you to pick this up. My wife and I get up very early during the week (5 A.M.) and because of my young son, who gets up earlier than that sometimes (GRUMBLE GRUMBLE ) we would catch Lupin on Cartoon Networks Adult Swim. My wife really starting digging it a lot. The show is funny and filled with twists and turns and the movie is all that squared. Here is the press release:
"...One of the Greatest Adventure Movies of All Time..."
-- Steven Spielberg
FROM THE OSCAR™-WINNING DIRECTOR OF “SPIRITED AWAY” --
IDT ENTERTAINMENT’S MANGA ENTERTAINMENT OPENS THE
“CASTLE OF CAGLIOSTRO” SPECIAL EDITION DVD
Chicago, IL -- Before he enthralled audiences all over the world with such magical animated features as Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke and the 2001 Academy-Award™ winning Spirited Away, renowned Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki held audiences spellbound in 1979 with his first feature-length animated film, The Castle of Cagliostro. Now, Manga Entertainment, an IDT Entertainment company, proudly presents The Castle of Cagliostro Special Edition DVD, digitally remastered with Dolby Digital 5.1 sound, available August 29th at the enchanting SRP of $24.98. Pre-book is July 19th.
The Castle of Cagliostro (also known as Lupin III: Cagliostro No Shiro) spins the fantastic tale of master thief Lupin III, traveling to the European province of Cagliostro (pronounced “Cal-ee-os-tro”) to pull off a huge job. When a chance encounter with the Princess Clarice, engaged to the evil Count Cagliostro, distracts him from his original plans, he also stumbles upon a secret kept for over 500 years and now struggles to keep one step ahead of Cagliostro. Torn between his professional objectives and his increasing affections for Princess Clarice, Lupin is locked in a race to solve the mystery of a fabulous hidden treasure, dating back to the Renaissance...
Filled with Miyazaki's trademark rich animation and imaginative storytelling, The Castle of Cagliostro Special Edition DVD takes the experience even further with a treasure chest of bonus features including:
Interview with Animation Director Yasuo Ohtsuka.
Complete Animatic – Storyboards with Feature Soundtrack;
Imagery from Original Storyboard
Original Character and Set Drawings;
Fans Gallery;
Trailers
Now, I'm gonna run out and get mine. I only have this on VHS and that just ain't cool. So do yourself a favor and pick this up. It's a treat for all animation fans of all sizes.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Friday, April 28, 2006
Dragging behind in my posting..Not good! But that was an interesting and tense episode..Still not sure I buy James Heller willingly driving off of a cliff when he could've tried to drive into the woods and ditch the car... That would've made more sense to me. I guess they needed a way to have the character somewhat pay for jerking Jack and also definitely die so as to propel the story. But still...I ain't driving off of a cliff, I'm sorry. If I get shot trying to get away, that's different. So another character with more than a seasons worth of episodes has bought it. And we still don't know exactly what happpened to Aaron Pierce. But forget all that. I have three words that make me laugh about the next episode: Jack Bauer, Hijacker..lol..that will be hilarious....
EPISODE 1 A.M. TO 2 A.M. (Episode 19)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 3 SEASON TOTAL: 78
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 22
DEATH BY VEHICULAR MISHAP: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 2
Oh, and as we talked about when it happened..Walt Cummings DIDN'T commit suicide...not without a little help, anyway...
Wednesday, April 19, 2006
So I guess the President DID have the same agenda as Walt Cummings...He just orchestrated the whole thing from the shadows all super-villian like. But now he's jammed up. This season has been incredible, in terms of how many recurring characters have died. I say this because I thought for sure that Audrey Raines was gonna get smoked in this episode( It seemed like Peter Weller shot her in the back. Her scream was so authentic, it was really well acted) and next week it looks like her knuckleheaded dad might catch a round. I made a list of all of the recurring characters( ones that have appeared in more than a season's worth of episodes) that have died:
David Palmer
Sherry Palmer
Michelle Dessler
Tony Almieda
Walt Cummings
Edgar Stiles
Nina Meyers
George Mason
Ryan Chappelle
Man, that's some list. Actually, Jack should kill Audrey's dad for punching him in the throat. No one punches Jack Bauer in the throat and lives to talk about it. But before the season is over you may have James Heller, Audrey Raines, Bill Buchanon, Curtis Manning( hey, where's Curtis? Haven't seen him in, like three episodes), President Logan and Aaron Pierce knocked off...That's ridiculous..what happened to Agent Pierce, anyway? I hope they don't kill him, he's a cool character. Oh, I forgot Mike Novick...he may in in for it too. Look out, Mike!
EPISODE 12 P.M. TO 1 A.M. (Episode 18)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 5 SEASON TOTAL: 75
BY JACK: 3 SEASON TOTAL: 22
DEATH BY EXPLOSION:2 SEASON TOTAL: 8
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 3
Monday, April 17, 2006
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
Still not sure exactly what the Presidents ultimate goal is...It couldn't be what Walt Cummings thought it would be: using a failed terrorist attack outside of the US to further our grip on the control of foriegn oil. President Logan knew the nerve gas would be running around this country. He played Walt Cummings so obviously he has a different agenda. It still has to piece together ( and make sense) but at least this episode was fun. All kinds of espionage and mayhem. Now...am I to assume that Peter Weller killed that woman and her daughter after she gave up Jack? Rugged...and that poor banker dude getting shot...you knew he was a dead man anyway but when he heard the tape that really sealed the deal. Poor bastard. I was joking with my friend that at the end of the season finale after Jack has shot the President or the White House explodes they should have a scene where that guy's poor wife is still sitting there all tied up. You hear somebody mowing a lawn and see a paperboy delivering papers and she's like "Hello? Anybody?". That would be funny...
EPISODE 12 P.M. TO 1 A.M. (Episode 17)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 12( 2 assumed) SEASON TOTAL: 70
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 19
Oh, Keifer Sutherland is on the cover of the newest Rolling Stone. Interesting guy, Keifer. He seems like he would be a cool guy to hang with...and then there is an article about "24" and how it plays in a Post-9/11 America. Very interesting and both a good read.
Thursday, April 06, 2006
Wha? Wait a minute, wait a f*&%in' minute...The President?!? They are going to have to work REALLY, REALLY hard to make this plot twist make sense...because on the surface it doesn't track. I mean, it's kinda cool that the President has been playing a buffoon all this time but I'm not sure it makes any sense. It was cool seeing Jack bein' a stone-cold killer again...and Wayne Palmer even getting in on the act. But this President thing...I don't know...
EPISODE 11 P.M. TO 12 P.M. (Episode 16)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 6 SEASON TOTAL: 58
BY JACK: 4 SEASON TOTAL: 17
DEATH BY STABBING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 5
BY JACK: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 3
DEATH BY VEHICULAR MISHAP(assumed): 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
Oh, and they explained away the whole Wayne Palmer rifle thing...still kinda lame, though....
Wednesday, March 29, 2006
Tuesday, March 28, 2006
I really can't say it any more simpler than this: This show is crazy. Completely crazy. It is completely off the rails with insanity. Last night's episode had torture, kissing, shootings, stranglings, explosions,HUGE explosions, more insane CTU workers, Jack punching three more CTU security guards, Jack getting tasered AGAIN...wow, just all out nuttiness. When I saw the trailer for the episode I said to myself " There's no way they can squeeze all that in an hour..." But damned if they didn't. Of course, I still have some questions...like where did Wayne Palmer get that rifle? I asked three people and they also don't remember him getting his hands on one. Also, the last episode ended with that woman telling Jack that she got the plans from Audrey Raines. Then this episode opens pretty much with Jack and the woman arriving at CTU...what, did they beam there? I know they take liberties with L.A. traffic but this is ridiculous. Also, Peter Weller's character setting up Audrey Raines makes no sense whatsoever. They try to explain it away but it doesn't track. But even with all of that, this episode was hilarious. Hats off the Keifer Sutherland for doing his own "Running from the explosions" stunts, unless it was a guy with a Sutherland mask on a la Arnold on the motorcycle in T2. Looked like him...and it looked cool. Jack blows up a Natural Gas site..lol..what next for the Über Bauer?
EPISODE 10 P.M. TO 11 P.M. (Episode 15)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 10 SEASON TOTAL: 52
BY JACK: 4 SEASON TOTAL: 13
DEATH BY STRANGLING: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 3
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 1
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
Well. as far as I can remember, this is the first episode of 24 to not have ANY fatalities in it. I need someone to verify that for me. That would be incredible if true. But it was still a very entertaining episode. Jack playing that German agent was actually pretty cool. Jack coming up with some ol' Mission Impossible sh*t...I have one question though... exactly how long is that road from the checkpoint to the President's compound? President Palmer's brother was on that thing for half the show! Damn... So I guess a van full of assassins inside of the compound confirms that there are still some higher ups involved in this plot, most likely that sneaky ass Vice-President... We'll see...And I am not buying this Audrey Raines stuff...seems like a plot device to drive a wedge(another one) between them...at least I hope so...other wise it doesn't make sense.
EPISODE 9 P.M. TO 10 P.M. (Episode 14)
NO FATALITIES (still can't believe it...)
Monday, March 20, 2006
Wednesday, March 15, 2006
That was a particularly rough epsiode of 24...If this show keeps going at this rate, it'll be a one-man CTU division. They knock off folks on this show like it's nothing. I can't think of another TV show that has killed more recurring characters than this one. Lynn McGill's death was actually very powerful. Watching him twitch on the floor and foam at the mouth was pretty rugged. And musically, the scene was very well done too. I like the music for the show. It's all over the map but it works. A couple of episodes ago they had this cool harder edged gutar going on in a scene that sounded really cool. I'm not sure how the music would stand up by itself on a soundtrack cd but I might have to pick it up.
And is Tony officially dead? Wow...he didn't want to live anymore. But he let Peter Weller go onto Robocop sleep mode and then bumrush him. Not cool...Jack is gonna shoot, stab and bludgeon him when he catches up to that bastard. Maybe Jack can take him to the hospital and make him watch as he shoots the rest of his wife's limbs. That might have to be his punishment. Well, part of it anyway....
My friend and I were joking about Jack. My man goes out into a nerve gas filled area by holding his breath and putting his hood up...lol...that's a bad man. Jack Bauer can walk on the sun. I might have to send that to the Jack Bauer Facts site...
EPISODE 8 P.M. TO 9 P.M. (Episode 13)
DEATH BY POISONING (NERVE GAS): 50 SEASON TOTAL: 68
DEATH BY INJECTION: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
My nerve gas numbers come from Bill Buchanon saying that he needed 55 people to come in to replace his lost staff. I subtracted the seven that I put last week and added two more, Lynn McGill and the security officer ("I'm ok!! I'm ok!! Oh, wait..."). So that's about as accurate as I can be with that...
Monday, March 13, 2006
I also liked how they didn't create a new utopia, a beautiful new home. The place looked like Farmers Market in a Seattle park. It really reflected how human these characters are. They escape from genocide and manage to hide from the Cylons and the same old human trivialites come forth. They forgot what bound them together and fell back on what they know. Sorta like this country with 9/11. Everyone was united and then the same ol' bickering started. So it was really interesting to see that the same has happened here. And then the Cylons, after a year of silence, come back. They let them get fat and careless and distracted and came right back to take advantage of it. As 6 says when the Cylons were flying overhead, "Judgement Day". This continues the theme that started in the mini-series with Commander Adama's speech at the Galactica decomissioning. Do we deserve to go on? Are we all on the wrong path and subject to be harshly judged? The Cylons sought out genocide the first time for the wayward Children of God, to pay for our sins. And once again they are back. (And it's Baltar's fault AGAIN...He's gonna two more 6's in his head to deal with this...) Only, what do they want now? They have a new agenda and it's frightening to imagine what they want this time. And a skeleton crew aboard the Galactica and Pegasus will be hard pressed to deal with this. President Baltar has really done it now...I can't wait to see how they get out of this. Half of next season will have to be devoted to it...Excellent.
Wednesday, March 08, 2006
Tuesday, March 07, 2006
Wow...two hours of "24" last night...and they had everything you could ask for from 24...When Jack shot Peter Weller's wife in the leg I almost fell out of my chair laughing. Jack is a bad man...and I love how insane Keifer Sutherland looked...he truly looked crazed in that scene. That is in my top three of great Jack Bauer moments. My man Jack...
Curtis running through the hospital with the nerve gas cannister was cool...but if I directed that episode...I would have so many poeple upset. I would've had Curtis barreling through the hospital and an old man with a walker crossing his path. Curtis would just yell "Make a hole!" and completely run the guy over...the guy would've just been crushed and Curtis would keep running. That would've been hilarious, funnier than Jack shooting that chick in the leg. I really wish they had done that..lol..
And the whole CTU nerve gas thing..wow... Every season they have a mole infiltrate that place...or blow it up..but they make it exciting every year. This was wild. People running around dying from the nerve gas...and Edgar. Edgar Stiles is dead. (That would make a nice name for a band). See now, if he were 70 or 80 pounds lighter he would've made it back in time. lol...What a moment, when Chloe sees Edgar out there. She looked heartbroken...and they dropped out that clock sound too. They do that only when something powerful happens...
And the great President Logan...this guy is hilarious. The Vice-President comes in and already has half of his plan in motion before even talking to Logan. Logan has no balls whatsoever. Any jackass can walk in with a plan and he'll listen to it. My friend Tony and I were joking that a guy could come in and say "Mr. President, I've started to initiate a plan for us to get out of this situation. We would build rocket ships and the entire administration would evacuate to Jupiter." And Mike Novick would be like " Mr. President, I don't think that's a feasible plan.." And Logan would interrupt and say " Hold on, Mike, hold on a second...now...how long would you need to build these rocket ships?" What a knucklehead...
EPISODE 6 P.M. TO 7 P.M. and 7 P.M. TO 8 P.M. (Episode 11 and 12)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 5 SEASON TOTAL: 42
BY JACK: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 9
DEATH BY STABBING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 4
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 2
DEATH BY POISONING (NERVE GAS): 7 (ON SCREEN) SEASON TOTAL: 18
I know a lot more people died from the nerve gas...on the trailer for next week it said CTU lost 40% of their people, however many those were. But I just counted what I saw. I hope to have some definite numbers on that next week...
Monday, March 06, 2006
Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Once again, "24" proves that no other show mixes brutal violence with laugh-out-loud hilarity like this one does....often in the same scene. When the Secret Service guy shot the gas tank on flamethrower guy's back and it exploded I burst out laughing. Especially when the guy knows what's coming...very funny. The entire attack on the motorcade was really well done. It was handled very well, the tenseness leading up to it. I thought for sure there would be more fatalities but people lucked out big time. President Logan is, without a doubt, the funniest character on television and the worst President imaginable(considering our present condition as a country that may be debatable). His wormy, ineffectual and whiny act is hilarious week in and week out, and Mike Novick looks like he will eventually strangle him. I don't know how much more respect he could possibly lose for the man.... I love how Jack escaped the bomb that he got set up for. Peter Weller screwed up, though. He should've MADE SURE that Jack was dead. Now my man has a definite problem. I do have one question, though...does Peter Weller's character always stand behind the door and wait to Taser some poor sap that comes into the room? The cleaning crew must refuse to get his trash...lol...
EPISODE 4 P.M. TO 5 P.M. (Episode 10)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 6 SEASON TOTAL: 37
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 8
DEATH BY EXPLOSION:2 SEASON TOTAL: 6
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 1
Well, they stated that 11 people definitely died from the nerve gas released in the mall, so that's solidified. And Jack is down to 22% of the total shooting fatalities...no good. Gotta get that percentage up, Jack!
Wednesday, February 22, 2006
Now, THAT was a hilarious "24". I love when they flip the script on you. Every season they establish a bad guy and then about 8 or 9 episodes in, they bump him off and bring in the true bad guy. They must've killed three folks in the first 5 minutes of the show. One of those guys didn't even have a speaking line. I can just hear the direction.." Ok, just act like you're on the cell phone and some guy will walk up and shoot you. Action! Cut! Ok, thanks. See ya.." Did that guy go back to lugging electrical cables or getting Keifer Sutherland more ice or something like that? He doesn't even get a SAG card...
But it was a good episode. Any episode that has Jack go rogue, beat up a co-worker( I gotta find out how many times he's done that) and shoot down a chopper( I wish it had blown up, THAT would've killed me) is a good episode. And next week looks crazy as Sean Astin is starting to bug. Funny stuff...
EPISODE 3 P.M. TO 4 P.M. (Episode 9)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 6 SEASON TOTAL: 31
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 8
DEATH BY STABBING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 3
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 2
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
Plus it was nice to see some new shots of the Pegasus. She really had her hands full. Three Basestars? Good going Garner...kill us all...
I only have one minor quibble about the episode. Usually when Zoic does these big battles they give a very long shot so that you get a sense of where each ship is. I don't recall seeing one. The shots seemed a bit claustrophobic except for when the Pegasus jumps away. I just wanted to get some more scale on the battle. But besides that, as usual, Zoic tore it up again. I love their work on this show. Only three more episodes left...oh no...
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Well, it was definitely a better episode than last weeks...Thank God. This one was kinda tense. How was Jack going to refuse the President's order and still mantain tabs on the terrorists? Well...he didn't...lol...but it was still tense. The Death Chart is a little inaccurate this week because the Nerve gas totals were estimated. Maybe next week there will be solid numbers on that.
EPISODE 2 P.M. TO 3 P.M. (Episode 8)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 25
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 6
DEATH BY STRANGLING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
BY JACK: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
DEATH BY POISONING (NERVE GAS): 10-20
SUICIDES: 1 (SHOOTINGS) SEASON TOTAL: 4
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Oh well...on the last episode of Battlestar Galactica, poor Billy, President Laura Roslin's aide, got killed...He had a rough episode. First, he proposed to Dualla (with a school ring) and was turned down, then stumbled across Dualla and Captain Apollo on an obvious romantic date (oops!) and then got shot to death trying to protect Dualla...bummer. I liked Billy, I'm sorry to see him go. Roslin's reaction was powerful. You felt for her. Her support system has taken a beating this season. But poor Billy is the one on the slab so you really felt bad for him. It was a good episode too. I liked how Starbuck got all John Woo and then shot Apollo accidentally. I like how faulted the characters are on this show. They hurt each other physically and emotionally and most of the time it's completely by accident or by carelessness. Much like we all do. So another good BSG and a money saver( I think there were maybe two new effects shots in this one and two in "Black Market" three episodes ago. They have to pay for episodes like "Scar" somehow). They do something on this show that was always a hit or miss proposition on Trek: Make a cheap episode that is as involving and good as an effects heavy one.
But back to poor Billy...He was a good character and I'll miss him...as my friend Tony said after it ended " Billy got a raw deal."
Wednesday, February 08, 2006
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
Well, it was bound to happen...this first dopey episode of 24 this season...and dopey it was. Any casual fan of the show could've told you exactly what was going to happen. "Gee, you think that girl is gonna kill the one man Jack needs to find the terrorists? Ya think?!?" And then they bring in Sean Astin's sister, who's f*cked up, obviously. My friend Tony said it best. No family member ever shows up to CTU and says " Hey, I was in the neighborhood and I'd thought I'd bring by these cookies that I baked...Oh. You're in the middle of a crisis..terrorists are threatening all of L.A...ok...I'll just get out of your hair then..." Nope, it's always a family member that is a drug addict or drops off a baby and jets or shoots an important suspect or has a fit and kills themselves. At least Edgar's mother had the common courtesy to stick her head in an oven at home. (Only because she was stuck in the house...lol..) That did surprise me, though, when his sisters boyfriend jumped him and broke him up...I got a kick out of that. But other than that it was just a dumb episode. 24, at it's worst, is one plot device after another and this episode was definitely that. Plus Walt Cummings hanging himself was really dumb. (if he really hung himself...hmmmmm...). Um, this guy is basically a traitor to his own country or at the very least broke God knows how many laws. Shouldn't he still be cuffed? Or have someone watching him? Nah..that's crazy talk...lol..
EPISODE 1 P.M. TO 2 P.M. (Episode 7)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 4 SEASON TOTAL: 23
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 6
SUICIDES: 1 (HANGING) SEASON TOTAL: 3
Yeah, that was a dumb one..hope next week is better...
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
"24 DEATH CHART"
Haven't blogged in a week..busy...but here in time to update the ol' Death Chart. Well...there was only one death last night. Some poor schlub took three in the chest offscreen...but the funniet thing was when Jack caught up to Walt Cummings, the man who arranged the death of President Palmer and Michelle Dessler and helped terrorists steal nerve gas. You knew as soon as Jack saw him that there would be a beatdown like no other. It started with Jack giving him 5 or 6 RUGGED-assed blows to the chest ( The Jack Bauer Severely Incapacitaing Heart Punch was in full effect) and culminated in the threatening of both eyeballs with a particularly nasty looking serrated knife. I was rolling. My wife is so used to me laughing at 24 that she doesn't even ask anymore..lol... I was afraid I was gonna wake my son. Very funny. Jack chumped his ass and got the info he needed. That eye-threatening jazz is no joke. I told my friend Tony that if Jack were fighting a thousand eyed creature he would cut out each eye until the monster talked..lol...
EPISODE 12 P.M. TO 1 P.M. (Episode 6)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 19
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 4
Next week looks like the body count will pick up...Jack an his trusty nine will get those numbers up!
Tuesday, January 24, 2006
"24 DEATH CHART"
There were only two deaths last night( and one was offscreen) but the one we saw was hilarious. Jack was fighting this guy who was masquerading as a doctor to kill him...the guy had Jack down but Jack stabbed him the jugular with a pair of surgical scissors.....and then once he gets the guy on the floor he shoves them all the way into his neck! lol...I laughed my ass off...my man Jack....
EPISODE 11 A.M. TO 12 P.M. (Episode 5)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 1(assumed) SEASON TOTAL: 18
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 4
DEATH BY STABBING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 2
BY JACK: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 2
They got you to think that a suicide had taken place, too....they did a nice bit of misdirection, however....next week might be a little slow as well....Exposition doesn't usually have a lot of killing...lol
Monday, January 23, 2006
#3)-MICROSOFT
Just because I can't take them off the list just yet...lol...
#2)-WALMART
Yeah, they save us lots of money. I admit, we buy a lot of my son's stuff here. $6.82 for a sleep set? That's crazy...but these guys are evil. Their workers have the highest medical insurance payments of any company in the U.S. A California jury awarded $172 million to thousands of employees at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. who claimed they were illegally denied lunch breaks.There was a sex discrimination lawsuit filed alleging denial of advancement and training, lower wages, sexually hostile work environment and retaliation. They bully manufacturers and a price that will practically negate any profit they may make because they are the kings of retail. You must dance to their tune. And honestly, the stores are ugly. Target is about a thousand times better looking. But, damn, they have cheap prices...I've been seduced by the dark side...lol... But even Walmart can't TOUCH the evil incarnate that is number one....
#1) Ford Motor Company
No one can come even remotely CLOSE to Ford. These guys have killed COPS, for God's sake. The Crown Victoria model has some kind of problem that, if hit correctly, will rupture the gas tank and explode. They KNEW about this problem but denied it....In the city of Dallas, 14 officers died in seperate incidents where their Crown Vics were struck and exploded into flames. The city decided to not use them anymore. A WHOLE CITY said nope, we're not putting our cops in these. Ford tried to keep that on the DL...a couple of weeks ago here in New York a Crown Vic cab was struck by a van and burst into flames...the driver was killed...
Then they had an issue that affects possibly EVERY Ford vehicle...A cable that runs past the fuel line and the coolant can overheat and cause the car to burst into flames, even if the car isn't running! Ford said that those were just separate, unconnected instances...even though cars and homes have been lost due to it. And don't even get me started on that whole bad tire rollover issue from a few years back. They tried to blame the tire maufacturer but they are just a culpable...and then this goody from the other day:
Ringwood residents suing Ford over toxic dumping
January 19, 2006
RINGWOOD, N.J. -- People in this rural northern New Jersey community have been living on one of the state's worst toxic waste dumps for years, and one of America's biggest car manufacturers is to blame, according to a lawsuit filed on behalf of more than 700 current and former residents.
The lawsuit filed Wednesday against Ford Motor Co. alleges Ford transported toxic waste, including paint sludge and heavy metals, from a car manufacturing plant in Mahwah to Ringwood and dumped it in landfills, open pits and abandoned mine shafts during the 1960s and '70s.
Lawyers for the residents said Ford intentionally concealed the extent of the dumping and its possible effects on area residents, and later told them it was cleaned, all the while knowing the area was a health hazard.
"Our clients have breathed it. They've touched it. They've ingested it," Vicki Gillam of The Cochran Law Firm said Thursday at a news conference near one of the contaminated sites. "They're innocent. They didn't know. But Ford did."
Wow. Ford, you are, and will be for the forseeable future, the most evil company in America. Congratulations.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
But I would be remiss if I did not mention the battle. On a purely sci-fi space battle geek level, this was top tier. Again Zoic goes off, rendering just a beautiful series of shots. The shots of the Galactica and the Pegasus laying waste to the Basestars while the Vipers are just annihilating the resurrection ship were some of the greatest space battle effects ever done. They were just unloading on the Cylons and there was a visceral thrill in watching the Colonial fleet get some payback. Zoic is THE BEST and they proved it once again. To do this on a weekly basis is just ridiculous....
Well, I can't wait to see what happens tomorrow. I have no idea how they will save Laura Roslin (this show makes you think that they just may not) but maybe her salvation lays in Sharon's hybrid baby. We'' see...I'll be watching, that's for sure.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
"24 DEATH CHART"
Whew, airport violence! Last nights 24 was a really tense two hour affair. Man, it was tight. And it culminated in a big breach and shootout. Let's update the dead, shall we?
EPISODES 9 A.M. TO 10.A.M. AND 10.A.M. TO 11 A.M. (Episode 3-4)
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 12(approxiamate) SEASON TOTAL: 17
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 4
DEATH BY STABBING: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 1
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 1
DEATH BY EXLOSION:3 SEASON TOTAL: 4
CAUSED BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 2
SUICIDES: 1 (EXPLOSION) SEASON TOTAL: 2
Jack is responsible for 24% of the shooting deaths...Jack's career shooting percentage (lol) is probably higher than that, maybe in the mid to high thirties...c'mon Jack, let's get that percentage up, we're counting on you!
Monday, January 16, 2006
Well....we are off to an interesting start on 24. Not as much dying as in the case in season premieres of the past (airplanes blowing up and train wrecks and what have you) but some major, MAJOR deaths instead. President David Palmer and ex-CTU op Michelle Dessler, fan favorites, both went down in the first 10 minutes. They promised it and it happened. When they put "Special Guest Appearance by Dennis Haysbert" in the credits you know that character is short-lived. Not surprised but saddened. Two really great characters are gone.
Well, let's organize the chart. Before the show started I came up a bunch of categories, means of death parameters. By the time the two hour premiere ended I had to add two more to the list...lol....ok, now the tabulating:
EPISODES 7 A.M. TO 8.A.M. AND 8.A.M. TO 9 A.M.
DEATH BY SHOOTING: 5 SEASON TOTAL: 5
BY JACK: 2 SEASON TOTAL: 2
DEATH BY STABBING: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
BY JACK: 1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
DEATH BY EXLOSION:1 SEASON TOTAL: 1
BY JACK: 0 SEASON TOTAL: 1
SUICIDES: 1 (cyanide) SEASON TOTAL: 1
And on a sidenote, Jack punched 4 dudes...
Oh, the other categories I have are car crashes/hit by cars, falling, bludgeoning, stranglings, being crushed, and the ever-popular great administering of pain, because people DO get tortured.
Well, that's the beginning...let's see what tonights two hours will bring....
Friday, January 13, 2006
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Well, my man Jack Bauer is back on Sunday night....the most dangerous man on television returns to bust caps in bad guys. Ah, television violence at it's finest. I knew from the very first episode of 24 that Jack Bauer is going to be a different type of television hero. He shot some jackass who tried to kill him, but being far away from his CTU office he didn't know how to get info on the dead dude. So what does he do? He cuts the guys thumb off and when gets back to CTU he tosses it to some poor guy and tells him to fingerprint it. I sat back and said "O.K. That was unusual for T.V." Over the course of the last four seasons Jack Bauer has killed his boss on the orders of that seasons main bad guy ( he had no choice), shot an unarmed, injured women who was laid out flat on her back ( granted, she killed his wife), chopped off his partners hand because a soon-to-explode toxic bomb in a suitcase was handcuffed to it, instructed his daughter over the phone to shoot an unconscious man who posed a threat to her(twice!), shot a pedophile and chopped his head off to get in good with a militia-
style terrorist and prevented doctors at gunpoint from working on the injured, estranged husband of his girlfriend to save another man who had info he needed (the husband died on the operating table...a tad awkward). There's never been a character on television that has that kind of mayhem on their resumé. So this season I'm going to attempt something that I've wanted to do since the start. I will try to keep a running tab on the deaths on 24. The methods, the amount, all of that. And figure out just what Jack did, because you can always count on him to slay in a great variety of ways(although he usually counts on his trusty nine for the bulk of the dispatching). I'll call it the "24 Death Chart". It oughta be interesting...lol...
Dennis Haysbert, who plays ex-President David Palmer is gonna be in a new show on CBS and they've already promised major deaths in the first ten minutes of the season premiere so I'm guessin' he may go. Which is sad, because he's a great character and I'd hate to see him die....damn. But really, his role has kinda run it's course in a way.
Anyway, Monday morning I'll have the stats of the two hour premiere( two hours? That's twice the killling!). My man Jack is back on the case.
Friday, January 06, 2006
A little excited that Galactica is back.....couldn't tell, right? Gotta be in front of the set at 10:00 P.M., gotta see what transpires. Battlestar Galactica is truly one of the best shows on TV, I never thought it would be THIS good. I suspect there will be ten episodes of really off the wall events. Can't wait....