WTF TFAW?

Saturday night Joe and I ventured over the hill to Universal City Walk to experience the true awesomeness of 300 on an IMAX. While I thoroughly loved the movie, marvelling at the seamless CGI and bluescreen work, and gazing in awe at the wonderfully chiseled warriors, it never really felt like there were 300 Spartans (but rather maybe 30 at best), while the accompanying score (and editing) just couldn't match the dramatic intensity of the original stunning trailer. 300 however truly is a movie that should be seen on the big BIG screen.


City Walk itself was an entirely different matter. My first and only other excursion to the Walk was back in 2004 during an exploratory trip to LA! At that time I hadn't noticed the gaudiness of the place, purchasing my board shorts, souvenirs and paying way too much for way average food like a good little consumer.

One of the fond memories I had from that visit was of Things From Another World (the TFAW in the title). This time around, though still impressed by the wide range of geeky collectibles, I was horrified at the extortionate prices being charged, particularly for Star Wars figures, Wal-Mart exclusive figures to be precise. You know some jackass is plundering the Wal-Mart shelves on shipment day, buying them cheap ($5.99), then jacking up the price ($24.99). This figure scalping is just plain criminal!

So other than the overpriced stores and restaurants, Saturday evening at Citywalk was overrun with tourists from the park; littered with parents who had entirely too many kids; and we were bombarded on all sides by people who had little sense of direction and no spacial awareness.

I don't think we'll be heading back on a Saturday night anytime soon, even for the IMAX (I should note however that exiting the parking structure was a much quicker and easier experience than I've ever had leaving The Grove or the hell that is Arclight).

Buffy: Season 8

After the catastrophy of last week (missing out on Captain America #25), there I was at 10:00am this morning, waiting outside Golden Apple for the store to open, ready to snatch up the Joss Wheadon-written premier issue of Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, the official continuation of the iconic (and my all-time favorite) TV series.

Being one of the first sad buggers at the store, not only did I pick up the regular edition, with cover art by Ju Chen, but I also managed to grab the Georges Jeunty and Dave Stewart drawn variant cover edition (both for me and for Joe).

Since we last saw Buffy in May of 2003, about a year and a half has passed, 500 or so slayers now roam the earth, Xander is in Scotland, Dawn is suffering from growing pains and as such "The Long Way Home" has begun!

UPDATE: A day after it's release, publisher Dark Horse has already announced a second printing for this inaugral edition since retailer interest has significantly surpassed the original 100,000 copy print run.

Bye Bye Ramber!

A collective "Aaawwwwwwwhhhhh!" rang out on Laurel earlier this evening when Phil announced to former Survivor All-Stars champs Rob and Amber Mariano, "You have been eliminated from the Race!"

The Amazing Race: All-Stars that is!

After 3 weeks in poll position, Ramber fell from grace, slipping behind Charla and Mirna as karma bit them in the ass (they lied to the little person and her whinny cousin attempting to lure them away from the cluebox) when they failed to find their self addressed letter at the post office at "The End of the World" on Isla Redonda, the southern most tip of South America.

Mikey and I were both hoping this would be a one of those non-elimination legs. But sadly no. No matter how many reality shows they've already been on, and how much dosh they've already won, say what you will about super-cocky Boston Rob and his Mrs., they were good TV and will be missed!

O Captain! My Captain!

*Squish! Squish!*

No these are not the tears of a man saddened by the death of an American icon, the death of a hero who symbolized the spirit of America, the death of Steve Rogers. These are not tears for the death of Captain America.

Having surrendered to the Pro-Registration forces, Steve Rogers is assassinated, shot once in the shoulder by a sniper, then three times in the stomach by his lover, S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Sharon Carter, as he enters a Federal Courthouse.

No these are the tears of a man who missed out on one of the most important issues of Marvel's whole Civil War crossover event. The tears of a man who forget to ask his Joe to pop into Golden Apple (since he didn't have to go into work until late). These are the tears of a man who missed out on Captain America 25, the issue that told the above story.

*Sob!*

These are real tears!!!

Goodbye Starbuck, Hello Flash!

So having just watched Maelstrom, the latest Battlestar Galactica episode and the one that leads, according to showrunner Ron Moore in his Chicago Tribune interview, to

"a fundamental and permanent change in the makeup of the show’s cast and of the show itself and how the show operates and what the show is about. It’s a very dramatic change of direction.”

And truthfully I was a little disappointed. The episode was Lost-like and flashback-filled, highlighting the psycological tourments suffered by Starbuck during her youth. The "Let me go/See you on the other side" death was a poor payoff for a character we've invested in, a character with an apparant destiny. I was somewhat expecting (hoping) the closing scene would be Starbuck downloading into her new body in one of those Cylon rebirthing tanks. But no!

"I am dead as far as I know,” claimed Katee Sackoff in her first post-Maelstrom interview (even with 3 years remaining on her contract). But with Starbuck's death Ron Moore may have made "a world class frak up," or at least a jump the shark moment. We'll wait and see!

In other Sci-Fi Channel news, it looks like Christopher Showerman will save every one of us when the cable network's new original series Flash Gordon premieres this July. Showerman is previously best known for his portrayl of George, in George of the Jungle 2, and as the Impossibly Hot Fireman on the now defunct O.C. (a clip of which follows):



And lastly, on NBC's Heroes, we've finally met the mysterious, pot pie eating Linderman, aka Malcolm McDowell, aka the man who killed Captain Kirk.

We know he's been collecting Isaac's paintings, got Niki/Jessica released from jail, and now he's guaranteed Nathan Petrelli an election win, followed by a chance at The White House.

But exactly what this all means... Well unfortunately we won't find out more until Heroes returns April 23rd for the final five episodes of this fantastic season.

Victor(y) at The Arnold

The Arnold Classic is arguably the first real big show of the bodybuilding season (i.e. the show where the big boys finally come out of hibernation and compete). Held this past weekend in Columbus, OH, even Governor Arnold graced the stage at the Veterans Memorial Auditorium (well he should, the show is after all named for him... Hell the whole weekend is held in his honor), presenting overall champion Victor Martinez with a check for $130,000.00, as well as the coveted Most Muscular trophy.

Highly placed competitors from the recent Ironman and Sacramento shows didn't fare so well up against these real big boys. Mark Dugdale, 2nd at the Ironman, placed 11th here. Hidetada Yamagishi, 3rd in Sacramento, only 13th (though his previous placing qualifies him as the first ever Japanese bodybuilder to compete at the Olympia). While Marcus Haley, 5th in both those shows, fell to 12th at the Arnold (though he was awarded Best Poser). Toney Freeman however, first place winner at both previous pro shows, continued to prove himself a force to be reckoned with coming in an impressive 3rd, besting Puerto Riccan Gustavo Badell and previous uber-newcomer Phil Gift" Heath.

That said my two "boys," Branch 'Quadrasaurus' Warren and Ronny 'the Rock' Rockel, didn't fair quite so well either, placing 7th and 8th respectively.

In 2005 Branch took first at the both the Europa Super Show and the Charlotte Pro. Last year he came second at the Arnold and took home the Most Muscular prize. Towards the end of 2006 however, he wasn't able to wow them at the Olympia (12th), although he seemed to have gained a whole lot of additional mass, but was unable to dial it in as well as he had earlier that year. This weekend he continues with the freaky mass monster look, but that doesn't equate with higher placings.

For some time fans considered Ronny an unfairly overlooked bodybuilder. He then won the 2006 Australian Grand Prix, but again fell from favour at that year's Olympia (he didn't even place), only to rebound again during a couple of the later international Grand Prix. This weekend he came in with the complete balanced package, but not as sharp (and as big) as he could have been to place higher.

Up next the New York Pro in May (Victor is sure to be the hometown fav if he competes here), then Shawn Ray's Colorado Pro in June. The Olympia Weekend this year starts on September 29th, once again in Las Vegas, NV.

Bye Bye Oscar!

Now that the Oscars are over the residents of WeHo, BH and Hollywood can get back to normal. Gone are the traffic restrictions and road closures. No longer do choppers buzz constantly overhead (poised to catch all those extra special red carpet moments and after-party shenanigans). And it's possible for regular folks to get dinner reservations again (other than places like Denny's).

The 79th Annual Academy Awards ran long (quelle surprise, producer Laura Ziskin holds the record for longest Oscars ever with the 2002 broadcast which ran 4 hours and 28 minutes. Oh, you poor East Coast viewers!), drew bigger ratings than last year's Jon Stewart affair (but fewer than 2005's Chris Rock emceed event), and even offered a few surprises (Alan Arkin, Melissa Ethridge and Happy Feet anyone). But this annual event, which back in '96 I even stayed up through the night to watch (the first time it was broadcast in it's entirety in Britain), nowadays just plain bores me.

No, not because of Ellen's "comfy but often dull" hosting style, but simply because I now live in LA! and I've sadly become too accustomed to the "proximity of celebrity," as I previously mentioned in Repeat City. It's just a nuisance that Hollywood Boulevard (the true cross city shortcut) gets shut down for a week to lay the red carpet; that you can't find parking at the gym because of the Jimmy Kimmel shuttle buses; and that limos and Lincoln Town Cars pollute the already overcrowded vehicular landscape. Then, when you hear about all those behind-the-scenes atrocities and craziness, well, then you're really like "do these people have nothing better to do or spend their money on?"

No, they probably don't!