Mr. Barron, I'm ready for my Directors Cut

Today I was reading the esteemed blog of one Stephen "Murph" Murphy that Steve Barron, director of the first (and best) Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie, is not only cognizant of the possibility of a directors cut of said movie, but is also on board for the project. The only problem? Warner Bros. isn't so excited.

As a life-long TMNT fan, I salivate at the possibility of a new version of the film. Whether it be the most basic remastering of the original cut, an updated version with additional scenes and/or dialogue or a completely new cut that alters the pace, direction and tone of the movie, I will buy it and watch it over and over again.

Barron was quoted by Murph as saying "I have lots of original artwork and even a rough cut with a few extra scenes on tape. I think it would be nice to do a definitive release as the extras have always been very limited." Truer words were never spoken. When I bought the original TMNT collection I was sad that the only extras were a couple of, albeit well-researched, biography pages.

I am sure I am not alone.

Even if the extras don't get included on a disc, I am always up for a directors cut. Currently in my collection I own two directors cuts--Hellboy and Daredevil. Each gives a new light to an already brilliant movie.

The best part about these two directors cuts specifically, and most DCs in general, is that they allow for more characterization and great scenes that don't necessarily move the plot forward. Unfortunately, in today's world (I'm not too sure about the 90's when the first TMNT was released) the motion picture industry does not want to allow for such long, moseying plots. Everything that is character driven and not story based usually gets cut for time or for more action. Just ask Hulk star/writer Ed Norton.

So, if you are a TMNT freak like me, find some way to let Warner Bros. know that there is a market for this particular DVD, that it would sell and it would be a mistake not to produce it. Blog, comment, write letters, e-mail whatever it is you want to do, do it.

The Freshman pt. 2

As Kyle sauntered out of the bathroom and towards the table Conner notices that he seemed a bit less chipper than he usually does.
“Something wrong buddy?” Conner asked.
Kyle took some time, arranged his shirt, for comfort not for fashion and thought about the best way to say whatever he had to say. “I don’t like seeing you like this. Conner, I swear its like every time you get built up something knocks you down. It’s unfortunate because I know that you’re one of the greatest guys out there and don’t deserve anything you’ve been handed.”
“Kyle are you being sarcastic again? I mean isn’t that a little grand? It’s not like I’ve been falsely imprisoned, or brutally beaten or stricken by a deadly virus or anything like that. I’ve just got girl troubles up to here.”
“Yeah, but still you treat them like those other things, and I’m not saying its bad, though you can make it that way. But it’s who you are, Conner. It’s difficult to watch a friend who’s like you.”
“So what am I to do then?” Conner knew Kyle probably wouldn’t have an answer for him, and if he did it would be something that Conner didn’t want to hear. It was always like that, it was the nature of their relationship, Conner would ask Kyle for help and Kyle would offer any if he could but it was always the truth and never placated to Conner. That reason alone was the reason that Conner asked him.
Kyle thought for a bit, reached in his coat and pulled out his box of cigarettes. As he pulled one from the box he said “You see this cig right here?”
“Yeah.”
“This is you.”
“I’m a carcinogen?”
“Only to yourself,” Kyle lit the cigarette, “This is you because you burn, you are a passionate person, Conner. When you love or even feel attraction it’s never small,”
“I’ve never been ashamed of that nor have I ever felt it was a bad thing, Kyle.”
“It’s not,” quickly Kyle smashed the cigarette into the ash tray, “but this is also you, when the passion is gone, you’re crushed.” Conner, looked at him with intensity for a moment, bowed his head and slowly started to crack a smile. “What you need to do, my good friend, is to watch how often you burn.”
“So, oh wise one, how does one fire proof the flammable.”
Kyle bit his lower lip, he wanted to give Conner an answer, he wanted to tell him something that will make him feel better. “That I can’t tell you.”
“I didn’t think you could. Passion isn’t a crime, Kyle. Wanting to love and be loved is a basic human thing, man.”
“I didn’t say it was. The crime is a suicide of sorts, not arson.”
Conner smiled. “I love your metaphors dude.”
Kyle was quiet for a moment. “So, let’s hear it…” he said getting comfy in the booth.
“Hear what?”
“What ever story it is to tell.”
Conner breathed in deep and took a swig of his water. “You know about the whole thing with Vanessa in junior year? Right? I don’t have to tell you about that?”
“I recall most of it.”
“Well it was kind of like that. Only completely different.”
Kyle snickered and cracked a smile. “Go on Yogi.”
“Anyway, the first time I saw her she was as disheveled as anyone could be. Her hair was pulling away from her pony tail and some strands broke free of the small red rubber band to roam carelessly along her shoulders. Her face was red as the brisk weather created adverse conditions for walking from tennis practice to a warm meeting and still looking good. Then again, I was still attracted to her right away and I knew she would have some sort of power over me.”
“You wrote a poem about this, at some point, didn’t you, Jenkins?”
Conner said nothing but smiled and winked at his friend.
“Who was she? Did she have a name?”
“I was getting there, man. She was my newspaper editor. Dana Jessen originally from Detroit, moved to Cali in high school and for no good reason ended up in the middle of PA for college.”
“Nordic?” Kyle was always big on origins. Being somewhat of a bastard himself he had a certain predilection with people’s beginnings. Although the parents that he knew died when he was very young, Kyle never felt alone in life. From foster family to foster family Kyle never acted out as a troubled youth and would always volunteer to be removed to make room for a child who needed more than he did. He was the kind of person that could talk to anyone at any place at any time and he did pretty much just that A very approachable demeanor and a combination of earthy tones and a well managed goatee made Kyle stick out in the minds of anyone who had ever met him. The fact that he stood at over 6’3” didn’t hurt either. A gentle giant to say the least, but Kyle hated to be called that.
“I don’t know. She was big on Greenland though, said it was lovely.”
“So she was out of your league?”
“Now, from what I’ve just said you’ve already concluded that I wasn’t good enough for her?”
“Conner, you know it’s not that. I’m just saying she’s seen the world, probably very well versed on America as well. You’ve never been out of the country or very far from Lancaster.”
“Hey! I’ve been to Canada… yeah; she was out of my league. But she never acted like it. She was so sweet and helpful. She talked to me before class about anything. She liked hockey and I came to find out later that she actually PLAYED hockey too.”
Kyle smiled knowing how much little things like that excite Conner, especially when about hockey or music. Conner was one of those people that believed ‘what you like’ is almost as important as ‘what you are like.’

The Freshman pt. 1

He walked into the smoky café, passed the bar and gave a nod to the man behind the counter. He was happy to be home. Kyle was sitting at their normal booth and was wearing his usual brown sweater/green scarf combination with his hair disheveled as always and his sleeves rolled up with the button up shirt sticking out under the cuffs. Kyle didn’t change at all and for that Conner was thankful. However, not everything steadfast in his life made Conner happy.

“Hey, Kiddo!” This was Kyle’s favorite way to greet Conner; he knew it made Conner feel oddly special. Although Kyle was in fact almost a full year younger than Conner, he had a lifetime of experiences that made him older in every other way. Conner looked up to his younger but taller confidante.

“So I thought that college was supposed to be this whole other thing, so much better than high school where people are smarter, girls are more intelligent and I might actually find some semblance of order to society.” Conner said as he sat down he took his cap off, ran his hand through his hair, which is unusually long for Conner, put the cap back on his head backwards and pulled the brim down to touch the back of his neck.

“Well, my friend, you were grossly misinformed. I’m sorry.” Kyle took a drag from his cigarette and quickly put it out because he knew how much Conner can’t stand smoke. “C’mon, Conner, you didn’t really think things would be that different only one year removed, did you?”

“No, not me anyway but maybe other people.” Conner said with a look in his eyes as if to say, “I know your right but I’m going to try to get out of this.”

“Yeah, I guess they could be different. But people are people and life is always going to throw you curve balls.” They got up to go order even though everyone in the place knows what they wanted by now. The two have been coming to this particular café for about five years though Conner never drinks anything but his own bottle of water and Kyle always gets a small regular coffee. The manager says that they add to the ambiance and attract a younger crowd and has never had a problem with them. Every once in a while they will order lunch or dinner but today their meeting is strictly business.

Conner and Kyle have known each other since the second grade. Kyle was a compulsive liar with a great imagination, and Conner, who feels diminutive when around normal sized people, was less shy and a lot less reserved. Not much has changed for Kyle, though now his lies become wonderful stories and his height, along with his stereotypical poet goatee, only hide his placidness and gentle nature.

“Any more clichés you want to throw at me there, buddy?” After they ordered, as if they had to, they found their way back to their booth and some time passed without conversation, its normal, being friends for so long Kyle and Conner had reached the point of knowing what the other was going to say without them saying. “But you know what really pisses me off about college dude?”

“Everything?” Kyle asked with a sarcastic and cynical grin on his face.

“No, it’s the fact that I haven’t really even learned anything. I mean they say you can find yourself; well apparently I found myself and guess what, I already knew me. I mean the same crap is happening to me in college as it did back in McCaskey, and I deal with it the same way. Nothing has changed.”

“You need a tissue?”

“Yeah I know. I’m whining. I get it.” Conner looked down at his bottle of water and fell into a retrospective state. Seeing the break in conversation Kyle stood up and made his way to the bathroom. While Kyle was otherwise occupied Conner scanned around the café. There were a handful of couples there, the youngest of which were probably in their late twenties. He started to wonder how they got together, what they may have gone through to get to this point. None of them seemed as though they are in love, or at least not the love that he knew, which probably wasn’t really any love at all. No one conveyed “I need you,” with their body language or had that “I’d die for you,” look in their eyes. They seemed mostly like opposite sex acquaintances not couples.

Stuck in a rut...

So I've been pretty lax on the blogosphere lately. Can't really come up with a good topic right now. Hopefully something more interesting will come along soon but for now, you're going to have to make do with me posting my works of short fiction. Enjoy, any and all comments are welcome and encouraged. Thanks!

The last test I took and will ever have to...

Although it took me about two hours and thirty minutes to complete, I had a great time taking the last test of my college career. The class was Film Criticism and the reason why it was fun is that the last question was something I've something I've thought about and been asked before. Though I don't remember it word for word, the gist was this:

Imagine that over the summer you are at a family reunion. Your uncle Joe Bob starts to talk to you about what you did at college and you tell him you took a Film Criticism class. "You took a class about movies!?! In my day we had to walk up hill both ways 20 miles in the snow to earn college credit. How do you take a class about movies?! What's next? A class on Pokemon?"

We had to respond to Joe-Bob in either an essay or a script. I, of course, chose the script and my answer was very pertinent to this blog so I figured I would post it. Enjoy:

Shaun:

First off, Joe Bob, I'm pretty sure some college out there does offer a course on the cultural relevance of Pokemon. But let me address your question at hand. It is not a class on movies. It is a class on film. We didn't sit around and discuss what the director really meant by Dude, Where's My Car? We talked about films.

Joe Bob:

What's the difference?

Shaun:

The difference, Joe Bob, is all the difference. I agree with you that certain movies do not offer much to say and would be better dealt with in dorm rooms and/or coffee shops. The aforementioned Aston Kutcher debacle being one of them. However, there are films out there that have things to say that are relevant to culture and education. After all, we go to college to expand our horizons, to understand the world around us and to general become better educated people. Mostly we do so by reading books or analyzing poetry but some colleges are progressive and intelligent enough to do so through film as well. That is what this course did for me.

Joe Bob:

So you're telling me that watching Fast Times at Ridgemont High really expanded your horizons?

Shaun:

While I'm sure that Spicolli has much to say about American youth, we did not watch Fast Times. (Voice Over: But thanks for showing your age) The horizons I'm talking about are ones dealing with other film genres and movements. For example, we watched a film called Breathless. It is a part of what is called French New Wave. Now, before I took this class, I would have scoffed at the sound of it.

Joe Bob:

Sounds like a bunch of poets in berets eating scones, sipping wine and talking about painting or surrendering.

Shaun:

Well, that's kind of what I would have thought to. (Voice Over: If I was a xenophobic bigot.) But, through this class, I learned that I really enjoy the basic tenants of the French New Wave. Also, Breathless has become one of my favorite films. I mean if someone would have said to me that French New Wave was just thinly veiled plot with boringly cinematic two shots of dialogue-heavy scenes riddled with pop-culture references I would have said, "Sounds like a Kevin Smith movie! Where do I sign?"

Joe Bob:

Ok, Ok, but these 'films' don't make you any smarter or a better thinker.

Shaun:

Wrong again, Joe Bob. Certain films can help you understand larger topics that permeate all life, not just film or pop culture. Take, for instance, The Crying Game.

Joe Bob:

Nuh-uh. No Way! I ain't touchin' that penis. ... Uh- I mean picture.

Shaun:

Right. Well Freudian slips aside, Neil Jordan's film deals with topics like gender, sexuality and even race. These discussions can go way beyond films and pop culture. I mean whether you're learning about sexuality of transvestites (through Dill and Jimmy's relationship), or homo social bonding (through Fergus and Jody's ambiguous sexual tension), there are tons of discussions that start with film and end in our own lives. Films are just one way to relate theory or philosophy to our own feeble little existences.

Joe Bob:

Ok. So you learn about gay stuff in crappy British movies and not about movies themselves. I guess I can see that.

Shaun:

Well, unfortunately that's strike three. We did, in order to find the big topics and the director's voice, have to learn about aspects of mis-en-scene, cinematography, editing and other film making techniques. For instance, because of this class I can tell you how the cinematography in Run, Lola, Run was used to heighten tension, avoid budget and logistical issues, as well as create a visual style that supports the arguments of the film. Or, I can tell you how brilliant the editing was in Hitchcock's Psycho and how it was used to disorient and panic the audience during Janet Lee's infamous shower scene.

Joe Bob:

Janet Lee? Isn't she that karate star?

Shaun:

That's Bruce Lee.

Joe Bob:

Oh, the huge guy from Hairspray?

Shaun:

That's Bruce Valance

Joe Bob:

Oh, the musician that died with Buddy Holly and the Big Bopper?

Shaun:

That's Ritchie Valins! Am I getting through to you at all?

Joe Bob:

I guess a little. But that last point made you sound like kind of a snob.

Shaun:

I must admit that that is one of the perks of the class. It's fun to wow people with your knowledge of film and get a couple more Jeopardy questions right. We are all entitled to our own fits of snobbishness every once in a while. After all, isn't that how this whole conversation got started?

Joe Bob:

Uh...

Shaun:

Exactly. Look my point is this, Joe Bob. Films are important to our culture. We are a pop culture driven society and we learn more news from the Daily Show and the Colbert Report than we do from CNN. This class showed us said importance by expanding our horizons, forcing us to think critically and by increasing our knowledge of films in general. Films are no different than literature as far as educational value goes. It's just a different type of text.

Joe Bob:

Ok, I guess you're right. I mean maybe films can be useful in a classroom setting.

Shaun:

Yup. Films and other pop culture are definitely worth exploring in college. Heck, I even wrote a handful of papers on comic books.

Joe Bob:

COMIC BOOKS!?!?!

Shaun:

(Voice Over: Here we go again...)

I've made a huge mistake...

Yeah, I did. When I did my list of favorite characters in video games, one name was regretfully and atrociously left off the list.
That's right its the big green guy himself, no not Slimer or the TMNT (because they don't come from video games). It's YOSHI!



Whether its in his debut game, Super Mario World for SNES, the many incarnates of Mario Kart or the newest Mario & Sonic at the Olympic games, I love playing as this little dino. If a level meant that I had to leave my ride behind in SMW, I would hate to play it. He's so cute when he runs away after you get hit, and his little legs go back and forth so quickly. Yoshi is the man and I cannot believe that left him off that list. I am sorrowfully remiss in my bloggographic duties. Good day. (and if you got that last line, you are awesome!)

A matter of character...

It's been such a long time. (Pardon me a minute while I launch into "Long Time" by Boston in my head...Rock Band is the bane of my existence)

Anyway, I kind of need to easy back into this whole blog thinger. I'm thinking the best way to do so would be to start with a list. But a list of what?

O.K. so here is the part where I would come up with a funny list of about 3-4 topics that I came up with but ultimately rejected. But, because it's been such a grand hiatus from blogging, I'm going to cut to the quick and tell you I decided on...The Best (which we all know translates to : My Favorite) Video game characters!

Let's kick it off old school shall we? *Note: I'm gonna keep this list Kid Oriented. Why? Just feel like it is all*

Luigi--This taller, more in-shape Italian always intrigued me more than his more rotund, less vertically endowed brother. He can jump higher, he can run a bit faster and he's got a better color choice. Green means go and I always went with this classic, but underrated character.

Kranky Kong-- Ancillary characters unite! Yeah, I only know him from Donkey Kong Country where you never actually get to play as him, or see him all that much. However, this cantankerous curmudgeon always made me laugh. I love the animated rocking chair and that beard can give Rip Van Winkle a run for his money.

Croc--A forgotten gem of the PS1, this little amphibian (reptile?) was the star of a very fun platformer. With some of the best sound effects and exclamations this little guy was fun not just for the hand and eye, but also for the ears. If you can find a copy of this oldie but goodie, snag it up and enjoy.

Slippy Frog--He's always been my wingman and no, I don't mean he's helped me pick up chicks. While I was tooling through the galaxy trying to defeat whatever bad guy or evil that was descending on the world as Fox McCloud (btw, one of the best names in videogames) this guy was always by my side along with his friends, saving my tail when it got too close to the proverbial flames. Rrrubbnt rrbbb rrbbberrrrr. *If you have to ask, you won't get it.

Iggy Koopa-- By far the coolest of the Koopa kids, this mohawked, four-eyed little dude was always a pleasure to destroy and a favorite of mine. One of only two bad guys on the list, Iggy is a descendant of the baddest mo-fo to ever hit the Nintendo system (I don't care which one, he's been on them all), Bowser. This kid was hyper, crazy and very punk rock, I was always sad when I defeated him.

I-Ninja--Another lesser-known character this big-headed martial artist is the protagonist of the game with the same name. Fun as hell and a rush to play, the game was quite unique. Often finding himself in the middle of giant plastic balls or rolling on top of powder kegs, I-Ninja is an aggressive dude who loves to cause destruction and mayhem. His power is matched only by his anger. Mr. Miagi would have a lot to say about this character. Soooo young, soooo angry.

Tails--We'll finish the list off with the character I have had the least experience with. Besides the new Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games, I never owned a SEGA and thus never owned a game with Tails in it. I'm a fan of sidekicks and this one is a great example. Loyal, a bit inept and very eager, Tails was always portrayed as the red-headed step-child of Sonic. I think that's a bit of a bad rap. The little dude always looked so sad when he lost all his rings. He's just endearing and, yeah, let's face it, cute.

So there you have it my top (how many did i have...1,2,3,4,5,6..7? That's an odd number. Not 5. Not 10. 7? I guess I'll run with it) seven video game characters of all time in the kiddy category. Of course the list would be quite different if I was including characters like Solid Snake, Sub Zero and Zangief. Well actually it would probably be this list plus Solid Snake, Sub Zero and Zangief...so there's your top 10 for ya.

Don't call it a comeback

Just call it a return from laziness. I apologize for my absence. I had to do that school thing and then finish it off with that whole graduating thing that "adults" do. It's still ridiculous to think about but none the less I promise now that I am free of accademic pressure I will return to my .76 blogs/per day pace that I set for myself over winter break. And no, I did not do that math. English major. remember?

More Witches, same bikinis...

Written by myself and my freind the honorable Reverand Patrick Salomon (Pictured Below)

One year ago, you would have been hard pressed to find one person in the south central Pennsylvania musical know that knew of a little band called Witches in Bikinis. However, this year at the Millennium, the ratio of in-the-loop to out-of-the-loop had almost flipped. With a handful of people forgoing Sofari So Good’s set to camp out at the front of the stages that Witches in Bikinis would soon perform on, the returning rockers had carved a niche out in Harrisburg.
The group’s chromatic count was reduced by one as the orange bikini clad Joanna Walchuck a.k.a. JoJo—the first witch in the band—could not attend the show because of prior commitments. However, their energy and entertainment level did not falter.
Delighting fans, new and old, with their particular brand of theatrical based, b-movie themed catchy, lively, and bouncy rock, WIB got the crowd moving like no other band on Friday or Saturday night.
It goes without saying that the Witches themselves are a tour de force on the stage. Singers Karen Weatherwax and Carolyn Demisch, aqua and pink respectively, grace the audience at MMC12 with their sexy vocal talents while dancing along with Julie Betts, Emily Reiter, and Elizabeth Ellis—purple, green, and blue respectively. The choreography is stellar, and the band behind the ladies is comprised of nothing but talented musicians.Dance routines for the older songs from their first, self titled, album were created by two official choreographers. For the newer tunes, the ladies themselves design the routines. WIB is in the process of recording a new album, title TBA. At the Raddison they showcased several new tunes, including Freak Show and Jen of the Jungle.
But how did this phenomenon get started? Who’s idea was it to have a bunch of good looking girls, with great pipes and theatrical talent to boot, on stage backed by a handful of proficient musicians that play campy, horror style, non-offensive fun schlock rock? And, more importantly, why didn’t anyone have it sooner?
WIB is the brainchild of lead guitarist, Bill Rozar. With a degree in piano composition from Rutgers, and an appreciation for 70's rock and horror movies, Rozar created the concept of WIB."I wrote some songs, recorded some songs with friends," says Rozar after performing at the Raddison on February 16. "Eventually we had a whole album's worth of songs."On Halloween of 2005, Rozar held a CD release party at The Slipper Room in the Lower East Side of Manhattan. For the first year, gigs consisted of two "Witches" dancing to prerecorded background tracks. In September of 2006, a live band was added to the mix consisting of Rozar on guitar and keyboard, drums, and bass. More dancers were added to the mix as well as a rhythm guitar to make up the theatrical rock show that we see today.Rozar draws influence from growing up with old 60's rock, 70's surf rock, and B horror flicks. He watched The Ed Sullivan Show as the British Invasion hit our side of the pond and grew up listening Led Zepplin, Black Sabbath, and Alice Cooper. His love of rock and roll permeates throughout the entire WIB experience, giving the edge to what some would consider a campy gimmick show.Rozar explains that WIB was originally more of a theatrical production, but he wanted to add more music."A lot of people on Broadway tried bringing the rock stage to the theater," explains Rozar. I'll be honest, I don't like Broadway tunes that much... I wanted to bring the theater to the rock stage."WIB certainly brings theater to the rock stage, with an undeniably original edge, while still staying true to the creator's rock roots.

But what about the nay-sayers? Surely, there are people who say that the band is just a gimmick, and a bad one at that. However, the WIB haven’t encountered any of those haters.
“[if they think that] they haven’t said it to my face,” said Reiter. “Generally we get very positive feedback. I think they know that it’s a fun show, that we’re not taking ourselves too seriously. I mean we are, but in a very light-hearted way.”
Their work has paid off in the sense that WIB is slowly but surely building a grassroots fan base that is as committed as they are loyal.
One of the chimpanzees that were called up on stage during “Party like a Chimpanzee” was Tamara Heagy, a devoted fan to the WIB cause. Heagy, a 28-year old District Attorney Association employee from Lemoyne, first heard of the band through an ad for Millennium last year. She had one thought after seeing the ad…this is odd.
It was the band’s theatrical style attracted her to WIB at first.
“We sat down and watched them, and it’s like watching a show. There’s singing and dancing, they’re very engaging. Since I do theatre as well, it’s like they speak to me completely.”
Heagy performed in shows such as Guys and Dolls and Pippin’ while attending Lebanon Valley College, studying music recording technology.
Since last year’s performance at the Radisson, Heagy, whose musical tastes range from 1930’s swing bands to Hoobastank, has traveled to every show in PA, sans one, to watch her favorite band. Because of her hardcore commitment to the group, she’s become a friend of manager Julie Rozar, and has even been invited to stay at their house up in New York.
However, it was WIB that has actually come to Heagy’s residence.
Before a show at Gulifty’s in Harrisburg, the band was invited to come and change into their costumes at Heagy’s house, located only a couple blocks away.
“Usually they just change backstage at the show…and you don’t want to do that,” explained the superfan, clad in her own dark purple wig, “so we said, ‘hey guys, why don’t you just come on over, relax a little bit, and get your costumes on.’ So we just basically hosted them for the evening.”One thing is for sure, WIB is quickly finding a home in south central Pennsylvania.

Buhwawwk!

Saturday night at the Radisson kicked off with two bands that will make any Dutchman proud. Lebanon Valley College’s own Folk Chicken and the Shakedown each played an energetic set to the small amount of people that attended the all night concert series.
First up was Folk Chicken, a fourteen piece genre defying collaboration of music lovers and eccentric minds.
Even the 105.7 the X’s Nixon was taken aback by the band. “Let’s see how this works out.”
Backhanded introductions aside, the ginormous band was as gifted as they were unconventional. One of the more subtle aspects of the band was the extra percussion. During one of the songs, Joe Stolarick played the beer bottle. And I’m not talking about playing it like a flute or a jug, he played it with thimbles on his fingers, lightly tapping the glass.
The thing about this slight touch is that it went unnoticed until I saw it. I could hear a clicking that went along with the song but I couldn’t tell it was being made by the beer bottle. However, as soon as I saw the “folk instrument” I realized its brilliance and that the song really wouldn’t be complete without it.
Folk Chicken played a brilliant mix of indefinable music that included great vocal work by both Dan Anderson and Justin Lutz. Other stand outs in the group included the horn work of Adam Brashear, the mandolin management of Josh Batista, the jaunty banjo of Mike Greinke, the saucy strings of Mary Auker and the colorful clarinet of Kristi Jacobsen.
When the quirky hijinks of LVC’s indie best were over, it was time for something a little more mainstream.
The Shakedown took the stage with considerably less members but with the same amount of energy and excitement.
Led by Ryan Cagno, an LVC freshman, the quintet played a powerful mix of pop sensible vocals with rocking guitars and pounding drums. Dave Daniel, master of the skins, also chimed in quite often with his own brand of screams. The dichotomy worked for the band, adding aggressive chaos to well crafted calmness.
Two songs stood out above the rest, however, to the band’s dismay, they were covers.
“We keep playing these shows,” Cagno explained, “and saying we’re not going to play covers, but they end up loving it.”
None-the-less, the band’s rendition of American Idol winner Kelly Clarkson’s “Since You’ve Been Gone” was enough to make the crowd go wild. Even Folk Chicken, fresh off the stage from their own set, could be seen dancing and singing around. Any band that can get 14 indie kids to sing a long with Kelly Clarkson is worth their weight in cover gold. They proved that point later in the set as they played a song by Justin Timberlake.
Though there’s room for improvement, the Shakedown is a fun band to watch and a good show to catch.

Witches in Bikinis...

Yeah. It's pretty awesome. I feel as though for this post, pictures speak louder than words. So here's what you all want to see.

It's all about the Rock pt. 5

And now for something completely different.
While I had never seen the Underwater in concert before, or ever really heard more than two of their songs for that matter, I had known their bassist for a while.
Derek Euston, an alumnus of our fair LVC, is remembered by the few people on my campus that were here four years ago, as the guitarist for the Dutchmen based band Locrian.
Gone are the days of Locrian however. Euston has now taken the plunge with an established area rock band.
Though not taking the stage until after midnight, the Underwater played to the biggest crowd of the evening—or morning at that point. Bringing with them a crowd of slightly rowdy, but loyal followers, the band had come straight from a gig at the World Café on the University of Pennsylvania campus.
Their travels were finished but their work had just begun as the members of the Underwater took the stage, sans their lead singer. An instrumental introduction proved their proficiency and enticed listeners, new and old, with a taste of what was to come.
Playing to a crowd half the size of the room but proving they could have rocked a room that was twice as big, the band played with energy passion and a lot of fun. Headlining the later part of that was their lead singer, Dan Thomas, who handled the in-between-song-awkwardness with aplomb.
“You gotta help me out guys,” he said to the audience, “you guys are just standing there crossing your arms.” Thomas went on to make a general announcement to the entire audience. “Don’t cross your arms. As a matter of fact, if the person next to you is crossing their arms, punch them in the face. If they give you any crap about it, tell them I said to do it. It will be ok.”
Inciting violence aside, Thomas was almost stoic while performing, a huge shift from many vocalists of his kind. While cliché rock moves and cool microphone poses usually tend to litter the floor of such rock shows, the Underwater’s set was devoid of classic rock stances. His stillness does not come from concentration, as his vocal duties are performed effortlessly, its more of a sense that he knows he does not have to go crazy to captivate.
There’s really no questions as to why the Underwater has such a big following. Every piece of their band is as tight as possible and can rock other bands below sea level.

It's all about the Rock pt. 4

After a quick jaunt over to the Bridges lounge it was back to the rock. For the second time in two years it was time to see the Drama Club at the MMC.
Their set was the same kind of energetic emo-infused, classic rock influenced heavy hitting sound that I, and other fans, have come to crave. Nick Coyle took to the mic with confidence after last year’s performance. The crowd had doubled since the first band of the evening and was more than ready to rock.
The room tingled with excitement and energy and the Drama Club wrapped up their set with the ‘out there’ track “Man From Outer Space.” After tearing down their equipment, I was able to catch a quick word with frontman Coyle.
I asked him about the dichotomy of their music. While the guitars pound and the bass booms, the vocals and lyrics dance around gracefully with almost happy tones. To some this seems a bit odd, to Coyle it’s nothing special.
“Country music can be about death metal stuff if they wanted to. It’s not that heavy. We could make it heavier. It’s no Slayer song.”
Coyle also spoke about his vocal influences and the progression of his voice from screamer heavy Lifer to the more melodic tones of the Drama Club.
“In Lifer, the screaming thing, was something I did that wasn’t my norm. Every band I had been in before Lifer was more along the lines of sining that was heavily influenced by big rock songs—Journey, you know stuff like that where it’s just big hang out and rock it kind of things.”
He went on to say that Lifer was something that was attempting to be trendy. I got the sense that Coyle feels way more at home with the Drama Club and it shows on stage.
However, while Coyle feels more at home, their guitarist, a founding member, has flown the coup. The line-up that played the MMC had only practiced together twice but was still as tight as any other band that played.
“Last week we just decided to ****ing rock it,” explained Coyle. “We weren’t going to cancel any shows.”
I, for one, am glad they didn’t.

A break from the rock

A brilliant change of pace, located only a brisk (and I do mean brisk as I left the comfort of the Radisson in only a t-shirt and jeans) walk away, the Bridges lounge at the hotel provided a more subdued tone for the nigh hard of hearing rockers next door.
Kicking off the entertainment at the lounge was youngster singer/songwriter Chelsea Lee. She proved that big things can come in small packages as her frame betrayed her pipes. A voice like that of a 10-year veteran of the pop game came bounding out of a body that has yet to see college. Even the cantankerous bartender and middle-aged scotch drinker that conversed between songs mentioned how surprised they were with her vocal abilities.
Looking slightly sheepish this songstress sang of the sensitive struggles of smitten singles. (I guess the coffee shop atmosphere really brought the literary language out of me. Even in asides I can’t stop alliterating.) While her sound was that of a straight down the middle chick with guitar, her voice perfected the genre.
However, the act to follow was not so special. Ryan Swink, though talented and proficient, had the typical coffee shop strummer style and sound. I was pleasantly surprised that the young man did not play “Hey Delilah,” even when his voice would have been perfect for it.
Though once when I got distracted I was treated to the sight of Celine Dion singing on some prime-time special. It’s always good when Celine is seen and not heard. Even better when her mouth sinks up to the words and vocals of a 20-something man.

Its all about the rock pt. 3

Eye C Snakes (I don’t know why they choose to spell their name thusly, trust me though, they are cooler than it makes them sound) was the one band I hadn’t heard of before that I wanted to see during Friday night’s festivities at the Radisson. Today, while I should have been working on essays and/or answering phones at work, I chose instead to sneak a peek at various MySpace pages of bands that were playing tonight.
This band caught my ear automatically. A heavy sound, ripe with distortion and disturbing sound waves, toped with a light and airy vocal of an aesthetically pleasing woman. I won’t pass that up any day of the week.
The siren took to the mic surrounded by her Y-chromosomed accomplices in rock. While there were many elements of metal, the band blended a solid old-school rock sound to create a low end driven riff-tastic noise that was delightfully distorted. All of this laid underneath vocals that could not have been more organic, presenting the yin to the music’s proverbial yang.
Visually Eye C Snakes was a treat. Showing that maybe their name is choice of on ocular theme over an individual theme, the band moved rhythmically around their highly-animated drummer. The vocalist danced and seduced through every motion, propelled by her bandmates beats and riffs. One thing is for sure, all eyes were glued to the lady in black.
It is only so often that a band can pull of such a heavy sound with a woman’s touch for vocals. Specifically, Eye C Snakes does it very well. The dichotomy of their music is complex but not fabricated. Definitely a band worth checking out.

It's all about the rock pt. 2

You may be able to find this in the GO! section of pennlive.com

Lately I’ve come to know many, many bands that have taken a page from the script of the Badlees or Sister Hazel. That kind of down-home, grassroots rock n’ roll runs rampant, I’ve found, through south central Pennsylvania.
Ledbetter Heights is one of the better bands that bring this particular genre of rock to light. The band opened up the scheduled events for the night, playing to a far-less-than packed house. Their tone was subtle and their presence a bit subdued.
However, with very strong vocal quality and a very tight sound, Ledbetter Heights presented a chilled-out atmosphere that still managed to raise spirits invigorate the small crowd.
Watching these guys play I realized how much I missed the small-venue rock show, or the large-venue small-time band rock show. All too many times in the recent months I have found myself at large venues watching very trendy bands. When I shell out $30-40 on a band, I want to enjoy myself. However, at these shows, it seems I am more pissed off about the people that seem to think an aisle forms off my right shoulder and the trendy kids that sing along at the top of their lungs because maybe, just maybe, the lead singer can hear them and think they are good.
Millennium provides a large enough venue to have space to your self yet feel intimate with the band. It really just doesn’t get better than standing in a crowd of less than 200 people watching a band that rocks and loves to do so. It’s what rock is all about, what music should be about.

Its all about the Rock pt. 1

You might be able to find the following in the GO! Section of pennlive.com

Here I am again, one year later, back at the Radisson in Camp Hill. It’s Millenium time again and I can almost smell the rock in the air. Well maybe that’s not rock but that sure as shootin’ smell like something. While me and my partner in crime, Patrick, arrived an hour early to the festivities, we were treated to an set by a band that was left off the online schedule.
The CCL, which we would come to learn stood for Codorus Cruise Line, opened the night up to a pretty empty ballroom. After the run-of-the-mill sound check shenanigans, the trio was ready to rock. The lead singer told us so by taking off his shirt, international symbol for “get the heck up and bang your head.”
Though their look and feel was just a tad cliché, it all seemed to work and energize the handful of people that showed up to watch them. CCL played a set full of open road songs that are played best while blairing out of the stereo of a Trans Am while blazing a path on the highway during a mid-summer cross country extravaganza.
Just goes to show that not everything that has been done before has been done well. Sounding a bit like the flash-in-the-pan that was Buckcherry, CCL was high-energy and definitely enjoyed what they did. And that was enough to start the night off on the right foot.

Brand Spankin'...

NEW!
Isn't it weird how newness and fresh goodies can get us so excited? Well, not really, once you think about it I guess. Nevermind then.

Just kidding. But (honest to blog) I do get really excited when I find something hear or see something new. There are different kinds of new though--let me show you what I mean through three examples I've recently found.

New Twists- Flogging Molly

I've been a fan of this particular celtic punk band since their use on the Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 4 sound track circa 2002. I've seen them in shows, picked up all of their live albums and claimed death to anyone who says that the Dropkick Murphys are better. (One of those isn't true, you guess which) Recently I flipped to their MySpace page and lo and behold, a new song!

"Requiem for a Dying Song" is by far the most accessable that FM has ever sounded. However, their new, polished and dance-able-not-jig-able style is refreshing and vibrant. It's got everything that old FM fans rejoice over and yet is an easy jumping-on point for any new fans of the band or genre in general. Even my girlfriend, who was less than enthused about their previous work, said that the song was pretty sweet.

New Style- The Hush Sound

One of my favorite bands over the past two years or so, The Hush Sound has been my little-band-that-could since I first heard "Wine Red" in the summer of '06. Again, perusing the MySpace I came accross two of their new offerings from the eagerly anticipated, at least by me, Goodbye Blues. The first song released, "Medicine Man" blew me away. First of all, Gretta, who on their previous two albums has been a shy-sounding songstress has blossomed into a full-grown syren with a set of pipes that could sink even the most seasoned sailor. The new sound echoes on blusey (hence the title) rock that displays Gretta's full power, instead of masking her uncultivated potential. Despite that last sentance, the band's first two albums are possible the best freshman and sophomore efforts in recent history and it's truly amazing to see the young band reach their potential. If these two songs are any indication of how good this next album will be, the Hush Sound will take off this winter, exploding onto the mainstream.

New Edition- Wolverine and the X-Men

Nothing in this world--nothing--gets me excited like new geek news and this takes the cake! It's new, it's animated and it's the X-Men! One of my favorite websites http://www.comicbookmovie.com/ (yes, I plug this website because it's my #1 source for geek news regarding screens big and small) has posted a trailer for a brand new cartoon staring everyone's favorite mutants.(or second favorite depending how you rank the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) I was so stoked to see new images of my favorite characters, Beast and Angel (though not my two most favorite, they are some of my top five and were pictured). Though it looks a lot like X-Men Evolution, which I never got into because my VCR was broken and I don't like waking up early on Saturdays, the cartoon looks to be a strong combination of the usual animated style with the core characters and characteristics of the X-Men from the comics. I cannot wait til this airs...if it ever does. We all know too many ill-fated cartoons that were leaked before there time. Let us hope that this one does not join their ranks.

Bat-blues continue...

I was asked by a fellow writer at my college paper to write a couple things on how' Heath Ledger's death will impact the Batman film and how it's viewed. Here's what I came up with:

Heath Ledger's untimely death will with out a doubt impact the Batman franchise. There was a lot of commotion in the geek community about whether the young actor could handle such an iconic role as the joker. In my opinion the Joker is one of the deepest and greatest characters in comics, probably one of the most intriguing characters in all of pop culture--not to mention easily recognizable.
Jack Nicholson played the role with gusto back in the 90s, under the direction of Tim Burton. His portrayal set the bar for the character. However, all of the press material and previews/sneek peeks that have been released pertaining to the Dark Knight have surpassed expectations vis a vi Ledger's portrayal.
Even before this tragic event, The Dark Knight was going to attract a lot of attention towards Ledger and, what has already been refered to as, his breakthrough performance. There's no doubt that if the title of the film (The Dark Knight--referencing Frank Miller's ((Sin City, 300)) sucessfull re-vamping of the caped crusaider) has any effect on the story of the film that Ledger's role, as well as his performance, will be the most pivitol part of the movie.
Though the previous Batman movies have swapped out villains with each new film, there was a chance that Ledger's performance could earn him a role througout the rest of the franchise. There have been so many amazing Joker/Batman storylines througout the enormous comic book history of the Dark Knight that fans would have enjoyed seeing said stories--i.e. The Killing Joke, Laughing Fish--on the big screen.
It's very likely that if there is another Batman film made by this current core of bat-players, the Joker will not be involved.

Tell Me its a 'Joke'...

So I am sitting in my office, doing some work for my internship, and my friend Steve shoots me an IM.
"Dude, Heath Ledger is dead"
I really can't describe my feelings or thoughts without profanity. I was utterly stunned. In the last couple of months or so I have read, heard, seen and talked about Ledger so much in the context of the new Dark Knight movie. All of it positive, all of it pleasantly surprised.
However, as surprised as I was at how well he seems to handle the Joker character--in my opinion the top character in comic book history in terms of depth, vitality, and intrigue--is how mortified I was to learn of his death.
I, like any other 20-something, first was introduced to the young actor when he played against Julia Stiles in Ten Things I Hate About You. The man was funny, charming, charismatic and had a decent set of pipes. Though I was not a fan of the idea of Knight's Tale, I heard nothing but how good he was in a pretty lame movie. Then, in a breakout role, Ledger played Billy Bob Thorton's son in Monster's Ball, an amazing film and a seriously deep role for the actor.
The hopeless romantic and 8-year-old-can't-grasp-death kid in me wants to believe that its some kind of viral ad campaign for The Dark Knight movie. We've seen so many guerrilla type publicity stunts from the Warner Bros. and DC Comics camps that we can't really think about his death without a small, somewhat muted, alarm going off in the back of our heads. Were that it were only a stunt, that this actor--who was supposed to blow up in Hollywood on the heels of his performance in The Dark Knight--was still with us. If only it was a joke.

The Star Wars wars...

George Lucas, I should have known it would be you at the end of Vader's leash.
OK, I actually have nothing against the man, I just thought it was a cool way to start out this blog. But I digress.
As a geek (shocking to some of you, I know but take a moment and compose yourself) I cannot go one single day without seeing something that is related to Star Wars--and I'm not using hyperbole here I seriously am not allowed to go one day without looking at something Star Wars related, they'll take my card away. The proliferation of Star Wars memorabilia is something start out of Space Balls, though I haven't seen Star Wars the flamethrower yet. It seems that everyone and their mother is trying to make money off of Lucas' masterpieces (OK, I'm going to say that 4 out of 6 were genius. This obviously is referring to Episodes II, III, IV, and V, Phantom Menace was god-awful and Jedi, as was brilliantly stated by Kevin Smith, only had a bunch of Muppets)
Now, of course, as a member of the large group of geeks that have been inspired and enthralled by Star Wars from birth, I am in hog heaven with most of this stuff. However, I, a poor college kid, cannot afford to be caught up in all of the geekdom that comes along with a life-long affinity for the Wars. However, recently there have been three particular facets of the Star Wars wars (as I called it in the title) that have caught my eye.

LEGO STAR WARS

Luke, I am your builder.

So I'm a bit slow on the up-take on this front. The first of three LEGO related SW games came out quite a while ago and I was lucky enough to play a demo way before it came out. From the minute I started the game I was hooked. It was fun, easy, smart and down right cute from the first nano-second.

For Christmas I received LEGO STAR WARS: THE COMPLETE SAGA for Wii and it is one of the better action/adventure games I've played since Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater, for obviously very different reasons. You can breeze through the story mode of each movie very quickly and if that was it for the game then it would be horribly unfulfilling. However, the people at Traveler's Tales have thought of that and the replay ability of the game surpasses all expectations. The unlockables are plentiful and the characters number over 100 (I think, didn't do the math...English major)

MIGHTY MUGGS

That's no moon, that's how big their heads are.

Speaking of cute. What's cuter than a wookie with a giant head? That's right, nothing. There is a movement in the action figure community that is known as the Art Toy or Urban Vinyl movement. Basically it means that action figures and toys in general are becoming pieces of art and not necessarily play things or just cool little statues.

These Mighty Muggs are the second in a line from Hasbro (started with Marvel Comics) of over sized cranium-ed figures that are as cool to look at as they are adorable. I, and the toy/action figure world expect these to be a very hot ticket as soon as they hit the shelves (which could be as soon as next week). The only downfall to these awesome little collectibles statues is that their price is reasonable per piece but for an entire collection its going to be quite a blast to your wallet. But this is the price we pay to have trendy toys.

FAMILY GUY: BLUE HARVEST

The force is freakin' sweet with this one.

A time not far from now on a DVD player very close to my television...

That's right. The full-hour Family Guy episode that is almost a shot for shot remake of Ep IV is coming out to DVD on Tuesday. I remember staying up to watch the tape I made of this episode late the night it aired. If I hadn't had a test the next day, I would have watched it twice. Exactly the kind of uproariously funny homage that you would expect from the Family Guy camp, "Blue Harvest" mixed their brand of irreverent humor with the everything that Fanboys wanted to see and hear. That included Stewie as Vader and Lois with braided hair ear muffs!

But what is really cool is the special edition that is coming out, this set includes a lot of extra features that aren't on the regular DVD and will be worth the extra $10 or so. It'll be part of my collection as soon as I get my next paycheck.

Now usually, the cynical side of me would go on a rant about how awful it is that it seems that everyone is just trying to make a bunch of bucks off of the best sci-fi ever created. But the truth of it is, all these new Star Wars related entities are simply paying homage to brilliance in their own ways. The best part is that Lucas and LTD and Lucas Films and everyone on the Star Wars end, for the most part, is totally cool with it. Family Guy in particular has gone on record to say how supportive and cooperative Lucas has been with their spoofs and goofs, wanting to make sure that their characters and even music look, act and sound the same as the ones in the movie. Finally, a legend that can take a joke.

That's it for now, may the force be with you.

Photo Credits:

Lucas - www.vegasartscorner.com

LEGO STAR WARS - www.smh.com

Mighty Muggs - www.blogdebrinquedo.com

Family Guy Blue Harvest www.tv.ign.com

Practical uses for video games besides Army recruitment...

The future looks bright for gamers. Thanks to the great, inventive and brilliant people at NINTENDO, it looks like even as early as 5 years into the future, the stereotype of a gamer could change from an overweight, friendless loser to an in-shape, party animal with great social skills.

Today I was reading my monthly issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) and came accross the preview of Wii Fit, due out in the Spring, a personal trainer in your home at your disposal 24/7. The game comes with a balance board controller (right) that will use sensors to read the mass that is distributed throughout your body. When you start the 'game' it will take your weight and then ask you to input your height. Then it will calculate your body mass index (BMI) to track your fitness level. It will do so weekly and, if I understand the concept correctly, it will, through the various gameplay modes (which haven't been clearly discussed anywhere I can find yet) help you lose weight or at least tell you how over or under-weight you are. Aparently the Mii that you've created for the Wii will also fluxuate it's body type based on how thin or full bodied you may be.

Wii games in general can make you work up a sweat, just ask my roomates. Heated and intense games of Wii Sports tennis or Mario and Sonic at the Olympic Games can escalate heart rates and result in a fair share of sore muscles.

The folks at Wii, and Nintendo in general, have already given the gaming community the ability to shape and sharpen their minds through video games with titles like Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Left) and Flash Focus for the Nintendo DS. This trend of self help through video games is actually very refreshing and offers some hope for our increasingly overweight and obese society.

We've all seen those (annoying) commercials where the mom tells her kids "Make sure you're playing your video games!" Pretty soon, if the general trends continue for younger gamers and for family ethics, this will become an increasing part of our reality. It's crazy to think that what we used to do instead of real things are actually quickly growing into...real things.

They're not dolls....

He's Wrong. We're not wearing costumes. For those of you who are not lucky enough to have read TMNT #1, these words are spoken by Leonardo in their first appearance.
What many people don't know, and unfortunately don't care about, is that way before the Saturday morning cartoon show, and the millions of licensed products later, the Turtles made their debut on the page.
Well the folks at NECA have not forgotten that and I, as a huge fan, applaud their efforts and their most recent toy line. For the first time ever, the Turtles are getting the comic treatment in plastic. Sure there have been many, many variations on the turtles in action figure form throughout the years, but never has any company paid tribute to Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird's original design of the heroes in a half-shell.
All of the photos that I've seen so far make this new line of figures look amazing. The detail of sculpture and painting is phenomenal. Just like on the covers of the books, each turtle is clad in a red bandanna and not clad in their color coded clothing that was introduced in the TV show. Each turtle will come with a base and their weapon and there is talk of a collector's edition that will also come with "more bells and whistles," according to Lee's Toy Review (the magazine that first brought all four turtles to light).
You can bet they'll be on my shelf as soon as they come out!

To find out more about the figures check in periodically at http://www.necaonline.com/ , http://www.ninjaturtles.com/ , or Steven Murphy's blog http://www.the-5th-turtle.blogspot.com/ all are great sites and the latter two are treasure troves of turtle tidbits.


Both photos taken from The 5th Turtle.

Some of the best issues are 'CompleX' issues...

Recently, Marvel comics has been attempting to keep up with DC's amazing over-arching, interwoven tales that encompass their biggest and best heroes. With comic events like Civil War, Marvel has come close to the same brilliance as something like DC's Identity Crisis. (I know that Infinite Crisis, 52, and Countdown are all more recent references than the one I give, but let's face it, IdC was groundbreaking and refreshing.)
Where Marvel shines, however, where they've always had success, is in the smaller over-arching story arches within specialized titles (i.e. Fantastic Four, Avengers, The X-Men). Today, X-Factor #46 hit shelves in comic stores, it marks issue 11 of 13 in the Messiah CompleX story.
Ever since House Of M (another great comic book multi-title-tie-in event) the number of Mutants has been dwindling, dropping below a couple hundred. However, there is a new mutant birth. Now the X-Men find themselves on a search for this 'Messiah' (that's where the name comes from) but they aren't the only ones looking for the kid. The Purifiers (a cookoo religious group that thinks mutants are the devils work) and the Marauders (led by Mr. Sinister and former X-Man Gambit) are also looking to destroy and abduct the baby, respectively. That's not to mention that Cable also has plans for the nubile mutie.
Now that all the exposition is out of the way (they call that 'laying the pipe' in the biz), I can tell you why you should care.
This crossover event is one of the best in recent Marvel, and comic book, history. Not since the Age of Apocalypse epic has there been an X-Men multi-title arch written so well. House of M and the subsequent DeciMation titles were decent and very solid, however they lacked the cohesion and consistency of MC.
Each individual writer/artist team is responsible for the part of the arch that reaches through their title and each one has managed to not only keep the story moving and make it look good but also lead seamlessly into the next title. Of course there's a shift in the artistic style but all of them are above par and each highlights a unique aspect of the action that seems to perfectly coincide with that part of the story.
Marvel is handling this crossover brilliantly. Its unfortunate that this kind of quality and this kind of excitement is only seen during these mini-series that involve a pool of writers and artists. The X-titles are a very unique entity in comics, there are literally hundreds of characters that can be used in each book. But the problem is that all of these characters are split between Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Factor, New X-Men, Cable & Deadpool (soon to be Cable, Deadpool), The EX-iles, and New Excalibur...I think that's all of them...no, wait, forgot the new X-Force and Young X-Men that will start after the MC is over. With all the characters, save Wolverine who seems to be in 8 out of 10 Marvel comics published every week, being delegated to certain teams, it means that artists or writers that have a talent for writing or drawing that character cannot always wield that artistic weapon. It's hard enough to understand what has happened in the X-Men series in general let alone all of the off-shoots.
Of course there is always the option of the continuity-less Astonishing X-Men, the old school glory of X-Men: First Class, or the alternate continuity of Ultimate X-Men, but each of those lacks a certain je ne sais quoi. Don't even get me started on trying to figure out who's dead, or depowered, or married, or gay, or a skrull.
The bottom line is that the Messiah CompleX storyline is fantastic and worth every penny, but unfortunately after the CompleX...X-Men will simply suck.

Goes down smooth...

Hey everyone, in lieu of writing something fantastically witty and entertaining, I figured I would post the new Coffeehouse Series poster that I designed. Everyone in the Annville/Lebanon area should definitely go check out these awesome acoustic sets! If it weren't for prior commitments, I would be at every single one of them!

Do you still like Gladiator shows, Timmy?...

Howl and Grrroooowll -- Two of the newest American Gladiators on NBC's revival. Wolf (left) and Crush (right) Photos from www.nbc.com

Tonight marked a very special occasion for people, such as myself, who are still feeling nostalgic for decades old television shows. That's right, it was episode one (and two) of the all new American Gladiators series!
Though it had a complete lack of Larry Zonka, it boasted a bevy of new muscle-bound, spandex-clad, bulging and bronzed freaks of nature...and besides Laila Ali and Hulk Hogan there was also some pretty muscular Gladiators too. ((Oh, I don't feel good about that one...Ok, maybe I do.))
So, anyway, as an avid fan, and imaginary contestant, of the old-school show. Let me break down the new series for those of you who may have missed it:

Announcers/Personalities: B+
Hulk Hogan still has everything that made him so huge in the WWF, WCW and again in the WWE. He's charismatic, charming, energetic and bigger than life itself. However, he is foiled by the dreadful Laila Ali, who trips over her words more often than Brittney hits rock bottom. The stammering pugilist is enough to tune-out (if not mentally than literally changing the channel) between the events, maybe squeezing the show into a picture in picture box to catch up on some Desperate Housewives. (NOTE: The show won't be on again on Sundays but I really am not certain what the big Monday night show is besides football...sorry? No.)
Though he isn't featured, Al Kaplon (the tournament Referee from DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story) is the referee. One of the highlights of the evening was him telling off one of the contestants, telling the overconfident and over-the-hill d-bag to stop "giving him the business!"

Gladiators: A-
The men are huge, muscle-bound, crazy and unintelligent while the women are...well...the women are huge, muscle-bound, crazy and unintelligent. This is not to mention that they were kind of a let down in each of the first two shows. I remember watching Nitro, Turbo and Gemini blank competitors in every competition, putting up goose eggs like they were Martin Brodeur. One could make the argument that the contestants are better, and maybe this is true, but still, I want more bang for my Gladiator buck.
There are some Diamonds in the rough (pardon the pun, but for those of you who got that it was a pun, KUDOS!) Wolf, Mayhem and Toa seem to have taken the lead for the men, the first is a dude who's name deserved, while the other two are just mean mama-jammers with urban and native American flavors.
On the women's side there is the appealing Crush (another great name) and the opposing Siren. However, the women have one horribly named and overly gimmicked Gladiator. That is Helga. A larger than life, Sweedish featured blond girl with braided pig tails. Stereotypical? Yes. Original? No. Hilarious? .....yeah!

Contestants: C+
Wow...my sympathy bone hurts because NBC and their cast of wannabes have picked at it all night long. "Oh this is for my babies," "I've been waiting so long to get on this show," "My husband and I got a divorce," WAH WAH WAH! I don't want to hear their life stories! (And I'm not saying that just to be cute and turn a phrase...I really don't care about their lives) The original show would interview one of the contestants after each event, a quick, short, sweet and to the point question, followed by an out-of-breath response. It was simple and was not annoying.
Now, their personalities aside, some of these newbies are tough S.O.B.s. Though it seems like NBC sought out every fire fighter, health nut and ex-marine to bolster their ratings, these new glory seekers are fast, strong and agile. This should be a good season of highly competitive games.

Old Games: A-
Tonight we got to see the Wall, Assault, The Pyramid, Joust, Hang Tough, the Gauntlet and Power Ball, and they haven't aged a bit. There are a couple new twists on the games, like in the assault contestants have to dive into a sandbox to dig out an arrow (a la Double Dare) to fire in the cross bow at the next station. It's interesting but its not the classic games. It'll take some getting used to but these old gems will sparkle brighter than their new bastard siblings.
Not all that glitters is gold however, as Power Ball needs some major re-tooling. The contestants were able to throw the balls into the cylinders from very far away, negating any of the physical ability to the game. The openings to the scoring zones are way too big and the balls (all the contestants, including the women, were able to palm the ball with ease) were way too small. There is no way that the first four contestants should have combined for 18 points in that event.

New Games: D
There's only two new games in the series and they are both lackluster. First off is the devastatingly boring Earthquake. Think the later half of Breakthrough and Conquer with the added 'twist' of a platform that tips to no more than a 12 degree incline making it slightly harder for the puny contestants to stay on.
Then there is the glorified MXC event, Hit And Run. Contestants do their best B-Movie action star impressions as they run across a plastic bridge while attempting to not get hit by giant silver tear drops of pain. Until we see someone wailed in the face with 20 pounds of padding, it won't be fun to watch.

The Eliminator: C+
They should have called it the Exhauster. This thing is horribly long and tediously boring. First the contestants must scale a wall, then dive into a pool and swim under some fire (this is one of the most exciting parts as one contestant already split open her face, hitting one of the bars that suspends the fire head first...and I'm sure some contestant will pull up to fast to a face full of flame). Then they must climb up a dreaded cargo net, hold on to a giant spool while it rolls down a ramp (again, borrowed from MXC and injected with steroids), traverse the hand bike then run up the pyramid, down the zip line (still fun to watch after all these years), and then up the treadmill and bust through a wall to the finish line, and yes, its as long and drawn out as I made it sound.
Though it is a better equalizer than the last couple of incarnations, it is lacking in one thing...GLADIATORS!!! Where are the walls that the contestants have to break through only to find a face-full of the AG logo on a tackling pad? There are no 10 second penalties or any penalties at all. It's contestant vs. contestant with no interference from their fiendish foes...and who wants to see that?

Overall: B-
It's watchable. It's entertaining. It's not the original...and that's O.K.
If you like trainwreck TV, and are bummed about no new episodes of anything because of the writers strike, its worth watching. At least you'll get to see some people hit in the face.