This post first got published on my other blog, The Life & Times of The Renzie Man, which is hosted on Wordpress.

First of all, I'd like to fill you in on what has happened with my Globelines landline and internet connection.  As you all know, I've written up a post not too long ago on how long it took for Globe to restore my connections at home.  So here are some updates:    

• My landline and broadband internet connection had been restored seventeen (17) days after complaining.   
  
• Apparently some switch just outside my apartment door had been tampered with.  Can't tell for sure if some neighbor was toying around with it, or some previous tech team from Globe left it that way.   
  
• My connections have been running smoothly since then.   
  
• Lastly, Globe had adjusted my bill for this month; they didn't charge me for the days without internet or landline connection.

So, with all that has happened, some much-deserved thank-you's are in order.  My gratitude to all the good folks who have helped me out with my issue with Globelines:    

• My girlfriend Cristina, who has actually made it a habit of calling up Globe from her home and office, for keeping the pressure on even as she accompanied me to the service centers, and yes, for allowing me to mooch off some internet time from her place for a couple of days.   
  
• Janette, who has not only provided some very useful information on consumer protection guidelines, but has also helped forward my issues to the head of customer services.   
  
• Another friend of mine, Zandra, who had also pulled some strings to get my complaints heard by the right people.   
  
• Everyone who has read my story (on this blog and on other blogs), shared their own experiences and shared it with others.

Cheers, everyone.

Press This

This blog post originally appears as "Can't Get Enough of Dr. Horrible" on one of my personal blogs, "The Life & Times of The Renzie Man".  Enjoy.

I've been playing "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog" on my player for days.  I can't believe how much of an impact it's made that I have taken the effort to:   

• Get my own copy of all three Acts,   
• Extract my own songs from the iTunes Downloads (so now I have my own songs),   
• Transcribing my own lyrics to all the songs from all three acts, and finally-   
• Blogging all about it.

In case you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you check it out.  Joss Whedon, creator of TV series Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly has teamed up with brothers Zack and Jed, together with Jed's fiancee, Maurissa, to come up with an internet musical which they called "Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog".  Supposedly, the idea for the whole project came about at the peak of the Writer's Strike earlier this year- the whole fiasco was just dragging on, and everyone just wanted to get back to writing somehow.

Then they enlisted the support of people they've all worked with- including actors Neil Patrick Harris, Nathan Fillion, and Felicia Day.  The result: an internet musical masterpiece that broke down their servers, and quickly became the most downloaded TV show (it was classified under 'TV shows') on iTunes.

They came up with three acts of about 15 minutes apiece- which put together, is about as long as any regular TV episode.  You have to see it for yourself- after all, would you know of any musicals featuring super-villains? 

Neil Patrick Harris stars as Dr. Horrible, and you can see that he's put his theater training into good use here.  Nathan Fillion plays the role of the semi-cheesy and borderline juvenile beefcake Captain Hammer, nemesis of Dr. Horrible.  And of course you have Felicia Day as our ingenue, Penny.

Sing along to your other favorite Dr. Horrible songs by checking out parts 1, 2 and 3 of my Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog Songbook, right here on another blog of mine (which you can really, now sing along to as well...), My Thoughts In Stereo.

Check out Part 1 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs:  

• "My Freeze Ray",   
• "Bad Horse (The Application)",   
• "Penny's Song", and   
• "What a Man's Gotta Do"

Check out Part 2 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs:   

• "On The Rise",   
• "Bad Horse (The Phone Call)",   
• "Keep Your Head Up", and   
• "Brand New Day"

Check out Part 3 of the Dr. Horrible Sing-Along Blog Songbook here, featuring the songs:   

• "So They Say"   
• "Everyone's A Hero"   
• "Slipping" and   
• "Finale/ Brand New Day (reprise)"

Again: don't forget to check out the official Dr. Horrible website, and show your support by downloading your own copy from iTunes.

Cheers, everyone!

When you’re a company that spends millions of pesos on advertising money, positioning yourself as a warm and caring internet service provider, I say you’d better have a customer service culture that’s truly reflective of what you promote, as well as a team that can back up your claims.

As a paying customer, I fork out a regular monthly amount to get a service I should be getting with no worries and no fuss.

Unfortunately, it seems that even satisfactory customer service is too much to ask for these days.  So let me share to you my story on how terribly disappointed I am with Globe, and how my Globelines internet sucks right now.

Read the rest of my story here, on The Life and Times of The Renzie Man.  Tell me what you think, or even better, share your Globe horror stories for the world to read.

Cheers, everyone!

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover The FOX Network.

Returning Favorites on FOX

Alright! More Summer Glau in "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles". The very first season of only nine episodes just wasn't enough.

You know "American Idol" is definitely coming back for another run, and so are "24", "Family Guy", "House", "Prison Break" and "The Simpsons".

Also renewed are "America's Most Wanted", "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?", "Bones", "COPS", "Don't Forget the Lyrics", "Hell's Kitchen", "King of the Hill", "Kitchen Nightmares", "MadTV", "The Moment of Truth", "So You Think You Can Dance", "TALKSHOW with Spike Feresten" and "'Til Death".

Cancelled Shows

Gone from the FOX lineup this fall are "Back To You", "Canterbury's Law", "Nashville", "New Amsterdam", "The Next Great American Band", "The Return of Jezebel James" and "Unhitched".

New Shows

This is where that new Joss Whedon project comes in: "Dollhouse" starring Elisha Dushku (from "Tru Calling").

Also we have a spinoff from "The Family Guy"- "The Cleveland Show", as well as another animated comedy, "Sit Down, Shut Up".

Also added to the lineup: comedies "Starting Under" and "Do Not Disturb", dramas "The Fringe" and "The Oaks" and the reality show "Secret Millionaire".

We've covered all the major networks so far on our 5-part coverage of the upcoming seasons on TV: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- feel free to check out the earlier networks in our earlier posts.

Cheers, everyone!

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover CBS.


Returning Favorites on CBS

The only show on the lineup that really matters to me is "How I Met Your Mother", which is already on its fourth season. Maybe we'll actually get to meet her this time.

Also, all 3 CSI shows have been renewed, as well as "Cold Case", "Criminal Minds", "NCIS", "Numb3rs", "The Unit" and "Without a Trace". That's a whole lot of crime drama, wouldn't you agree? But it seems to work alright with CBS.

We'll also be seing new seasons of "The Amazing Race", "Ghost Whisperer", "The New Adventures of Old Christine" "Survivor", "Two and a Half Men", "The Big Bang Theory", "48 Hours" and "60 Minutes".

Cancelled Shows

It put up a good fight, thanks to fans- but "Jericho" wouldn't be coming back this time.

Also gone: "Kid Nation", "Cane" Power of 10", "Secret Talents of the Stars", "Shark", "Viva Laughlin", "welcome to the Captain", and the vampire drama "Moonlight".


New Shows

Only a few new shows have been added to the CBS lineup, and other than the new Jerry Bruckheimer sci-fi thriller "The Eleventh Hour", it seems that I haven't heard of the rest of CBS' new shows- at least for now.

Remember Ava- Alex Karev's new psycho girlfriend from the latest "Grey's Anatomy"? Well she's got her own comedy now on "The Ex List". CBS also has a new crime drama with "The Mentalist", the Jay Mohr sitcom "Project Gary" and "Worst Week", an American take on the British series "The Worst Week of My Life".

Keep track of your favorite shows for the coming fall season on my continuing coverage: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- our next posts will be covering FOX. We've already covered NBC, ABC and The CW earlier on.

Cheers, everyone!

You can always count on the Japanese to come up with some incredibly crazy- and funny stuff. You probably remember seeing this clip from last year: a rather innovative game show called "The Human Tetris"- at least that's what the clip says on YouTube.

If you haven't seen it yet, check this one out- it's extremely funny!

You gotta hand it to these guys: a great concept truly needs no translation. Anyway, word is that FOX has picked up this show and already ordered 13 episodes- only this time, they're calling it "Hole In The Wall".

I wonder how it will match up to the original? I suppose we'll find out soon enough.

Cheers, everyone!

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover The CW.


Returning Favorites on The CW

This season on The CW, you can expect more drama goin' down on new episodes of "Gossip Girl" and "One Tree Hill", and fresh sets of "Reaper", "Smallville" and "Supernatural".

I can't believe we have yet another cycle of "America's Next Top Model". Then again, I got friends who watch that show religiously.

Also renewed: the Chris Rock comedy "Everybody Hates Chris"- which I totally have to catch up on, and "The Game".


Cancelled Shows

Not coming back at all are "Aliens in America", "Beauty and the Geek" and "Pussycat Dolls Presents". The axe also dropped on "Online Nation", "Life is Wild", "Girlfriends", "CW Now" and "Crowned".
New Shows

Already getting some early hype is the new "90210"- along with a completely new cast, you might also expect to see familiar faces of the old "Beverly Hills: 90210" to make cameo appearances and guest roles.

Also new: "Stylista" and "Surviving the Filthy Rich".

Keep track of your favorite shows for the coming fall season on my continuing coverage: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- our next posts will be covering FOX and CBS. We've already covered NBC and ABC earlier on.

Cheers, everyone!

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover ABC.


Returning Favorites on ABC

Definitely top-draws "Grey's Anatomy", "Lost", "Ugly Betty", "Dancing With The Stars", "Pushing Daisies" and "Desperate Housewives" are coming back with brand new seasons.

"Scrubs", now on its eighth season, moves to its new home from NBC. Surprisingly for me, "Private Practice" has been given another shot. Let's hope Addison pulls through this time.

Also coming back are "According To Jim", "America's Funniest Home Videos", "The Bachelor", "Boston Legal", "Brothers and Sisters", "Dirty Sexy Money", Eli Stone", "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition", "Primetime: What Would You Do?", "Samantha Who?" "Saturday Night College Football", "Supernanny" and "Wife Swap"

Wow, looks like they kept a lot this season.

Cancelled Shows

One of the biggest disappointments was the cancellation of "Cavemen". I haven't even had a chance to see it, but a lot of people say it's good. Have to check out the DVD when it comes out then.

Also gone are "Women's Murder Club", "Oprah's Big Give", "October Road", "Notes from the Underbelly", "Miss/Guided", "Men in Trees", "Just for Laughs", "Cashmere Mafia", "Carpoolers" and "Big Shots".

New Shows

Not much in the way of new shows. There's this animated comedy from Mike Judge (dude who gave us "Beavis and Butthead" and "King of the Hill") called "The Goode Family".

Also new are "Life on Mars"- a remake of the BBC drama, and two Ashton Kutcher projects: "Opportunity Knocks" and a still-untitled collaboration with Tyra Banks.


Keep track of your favorite shows for the coming fall season on my continuing coverage: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- our next posts will be covering FOX, CBS and The CW. We've already covered NBC earlier on.

Cheers, everyone!

I have to admit- I wasn't that huge a fan of the old "Beverly Hills: 90210", even if I had a huge crush on Jenny Garth back then.

You've probably heard by now that The CW is coming up with a brand new 90210- with an entirely different cast of characters, cameos of old familiar faces, and well, lots of Beverly Hills drama.

Check out this new 90210 sneak peak from a vid posted by ecclectic2007 on YouTube:



The only person I seem to recognize from the whole bunch was Jessica Walters, who played the quirky Lucille Bluth in "Arrested Development".

So what do you think of the new 90210 so far?

Summer is right on top of us- with the last season's shows already wrapping up, and networks announcing their primetime lineups for the coming fall. Welcome to Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- in this post we cover NBC.


Returning Favorites on NBC

We'll be seeing new seasons of our favorites "30 Rock", "Chuck", "Heroes", "Life", "My Name Is Earl" and "The Office".

Also coming back are "Medium", "Lipstick Jungle", "Law & Order: SVU", "Law & Order", "Friday Night Lights", "ER", "Deal or No Deal", "Dateline NBC", "The Biggest Loser" and "The Apprentice".

Cancelled Shows

I was hoping they might be able to breathe new life into "Bionic Woman". Oh well- so much for that.

Axed this season were mostly game shows and competitions: "1 vs 100", "Amne$ia", "Clash of the Choirs", "My Dad is Better than Your Dad", "Phenomenon", and "The Singing Bee".

Also cancelled were "Las Vegas" and "Journeyman".

"Quarterlife" heads on over to NBC's sister cable channel Bravo.

New Shows on NBC

For new shows, there's a still-untitled spin-off of "The Office" in the pipeline, the new Christian Slater spy-drama "My Own Worst Enemy", a new Molly Shannon comedy "Kath & Kim", and the new Howie Mandell show, "Howie Do It".

Don't forget the re-imagined "Knight Rider"- though we heard it hardly has anything to do with the pilot that aired earlier this year.

Other new shows include dramas "Crusoe", "Kings", "The Listener", "Merlin", "The Philanthropist", and documentary/reality shows "America's Toughest Jobs", "The Chopping Block", "Shark Taggers", and "Who Do You Think You Are?"


Keep track of your favorite shows for the coming fall season on my continuing coverage: Renzie Reviews the 2008 Fall Lineup- our next posts will be covering ABC, FOX, CBS and The CW.

Cheers, everyone!

I've always had a fond appreciation for Mazinger Z. I think it was 1978 or 1979 when we actually got to see this anime in the Philippines. It was phenomenal- kids would run straight home right after school to catch these huge-ass robots slug it out with other evil huge-ass robots; there was nothing on TV like it.

Aside from the other Mecha shows, of course. At the time, other than Mazinger Z, there were Voltes V, Daimos, Mekanda Robot, UFO Grendaizer on one TV station (GMA 7), and then you had Balatak, Jeeg, Danguard Ace, Striker Force and Star Zinger on another (RPN 9). Of course there were others later on (Getta Robot, Gaiking, etc.), so maybe I'll blog all about these other mecha shows in another post.

Anyway, Mazinger Z was the very first mecha anime that came out- Wednesdays, I remember. For a cartoon, the theme was rather different from other usual animated fare at the time, like say, SuperFriends, or Disney movies or stuff from Hanna Barbera.

Mazinger Z ushered in a host of new mecha shows that were a lot more violent, darker, and perhaps a little more mature. Looking back, maybe it was a little too violent for kids (I was 5 or 6 at the time). But as far as mecha anime shows go, Mazinger Z set the conventions which would later be used by similar programs, and set the standard for a great super-robot series.

Check out this great Mazinger Z pic by Jose Liepana. Totally awesome.

The Mazinger Z Story

An archeological research team digs up an ancient civilization (said to be the Myceneans) on an island (which may have been the island of Rhodes?). The team discovers that this civilization made use of an army of giant steel titans (not unlike the legendary bronze giant, Talos), as a protection against invaders. The expedition team unearth prototypes of these titans, and start restoring them.

Realizing these giants can be remote-controlled, Dr. Hell soon sees the massive potential of these prototypes as instruments of world domination, and decides to kill off all the other members of the research team, so he can have the steel titans for his own designs. Professor Juzo Kabuto, another member of the research team, was the sole survivor of this treachery, and managed to escape to warn the world of Dr. Hell's plans.

Dr. Hell then starts building his mobile base of operations and his army of robot "beast fighters". In the meantime, Professor Kabuto builds Mazinger Z- a super-robot created out of a fictitious super-alloy (Chogokin-Z) that could only be found at the base of Mt. Fuji, and armed with an array of weaponry to stand up against Dr. Hell's mecha army.

Just as Professor Kabuto finishes Mazinger Z, he is assassinated by Dr. Hell's right-hand man, Baron Ashura. The dying professor passes on the secret of Mazinger Z to his grandson, Kouji, who then does battle with the beast fighters sent by Dr. Hell in every episode.

Mazinger Z Weapon Systems

To activate Mazinger Z, Kouji flies a specially-made hovervehicle (called the Pilder) into the super-robot's cranial cavity. This effectively allows him to interface with Mazinger Z and control the mecha's movement and access the weapon systems.

• Rocket Punch. Mazinger Z can launch his fist and forearm as a projectile that can punch through steel. These forearms then fly back to reattach themselves back to Mazinger Z's arms.
• Koshiryoku Beams. Laser beams that shoot from Mazinger Z's eyes.
• Rust Hurricane. Mazinger Z can blow out gale-force winds which can disintegrate steel
• Breast Fire. High-intensity beams powerful enough to melt metal that radiate from the red fixtures on Mazinger Z's chest.

Mazinger Z also had a female counterpart, Aphrodite A- which is piloted by the hot-blooded and tomboyish Sayaka Yumi, who also serves as Kouji's romantic interest. While Aphrodite A is also made of the same Chogokin-Z superalloy, she doesn't have much in the way of offensive weaponry. In fact, her only weapon system are missiles launched from her breasts- the Oppai Missile System.

Other Mazinger Z Facts

• Go Nagai, the legendary Japanese animator, was the creative genius behind Mazinger Z. Mecha/super-robot fans would usually credit him as the father of the super-robot anime genre, and Mazinger Z as "the mecha show that started it all". In response, Go Nagai would humbly pass the honor to two other animators and their projects: Osamu Tezuka's Tetsuwan Atom (aka "Astro Boy") and Mitsuteru Yokoyama's Tetsujin 28-go (aka "Gigantor").
  
• Mazinger Z was re-dubbed in English and re-named Tranzor Z for the US release in 1985. Many scenes considered too violent or too sexually suggestive were edited from the series, cutting down the number of episodes from 92 to 65.
• As you can see on YouTube, Mazinger Z seems to also have been popular in Italy, Puerto Rico, Mexico, Spain and the Middle East.

There were actually two Mazinger Z openings. This one I remember the most watching it as a kid (thanks to javeln, who shared this clip on YouTube):



This other opening replaces the first midway into the season (thanks to JihadAlexander, who also shared this clip on YouTube):



If you wanna check out more of Mazinger Z, you can read more about him here on his Wikipedia entry, here on the AnimeNewsNetwork, or here on TV.com. Interestingly enough, you may also want to check out Wikipedia entry on Mazinger Z's enemies-of-the-week, the "mechanical beasts".

"Crap From My Childhood" is a special feature on old cartoons and kiddie shows from the 1970s and 1980s. Read all about it on Renzie's personal blog on all things television: "Too Much TV!"

Cheers, everyone.

One of the things that keeps "Grey's Anatomy" interesting for me this season is the addition of the character of Lexie Grey- Meredith's younger half-sister, played by the cute-as-a-button Chyler Leigh.

What I didn't know was that at age 23 (she was born 10 April 1982, btw), she's already been a part of at least 9 different TV series:

• "Reunion" (2005)
• "North Shore" (2004)
• "The Practice" (2003)
• "Girls Club" (2002). She played lawyer Sarah Mickle.
  
• "That '80s Show" (2002). Her character was a punk rocker, June Tuesday.
  
• "7th Heaven" (2000)
• "M.Y.O.B." (2000)
• "Wilder Days" (2000)
• "Safe Harbor" (1999)
• "Saving Graces" (1999)
• "Kinetic City Super Crew" (1997)
• "Hall Pass" (1996), a syndicated news show
  

Of course, none are as memorable (or as big of a hit) as "Grey's Anatomy". In the latest season (Season 4) of the ABC medical drama, Lexie joins the staff of Seattle Grace as part of this year's batch of interns. Naturally, there's drama going on between her and Meredith, and later on with other characters- that's about as far as I go to keep things spoiler-free.

No surprise: Chyler did some modeling before her acting career took off. In fact, she's been in front of a camera since age 12, doing the round of magazines and catalogs. Even landing gigs on national ads for Coca-Cola and Wendy's, among other projects.

Chyler Leigh also had film roles. In 1997, she made her film debut in Kickboxing Academy. No I haven't seen it, but according to her Wikipedia entry, her love interest in this particular movie was her real-life brother (Christopher Khayman Leigh- who, incidentally, played a Power Ranger in 3 Power Ranger series). Which was weird, because there are several scenes in the movie where the two actually kiss.

Anyway, in 2001 she snagged the lead role in the Columbia/Tri-Star comedy Not Another Teen Movie- which, I have to admit, I have to check out again- just to catch a little more of Chyler. In the meantime, feel free to drool over her on this hot photo right here:

Other bits about Chyler Leigh: If you're a Marilyn Manson fan, you may recall seeing Chyler in the "Tainted Love" music video as well. She was ranked #65 on the Maxim Hot 100 Women of 2002. The following picture was taken for Stuff Magazine, the issue that came out in January 2002, to promote Not Another Teen Movie. That's Chyler with co-star Mia Kirshner.

You can continue seeing more of Chyler as Dr. Lexie Grey on ABC's "Grey's Anatomy"- check out your local listings on when you can catch it. Great show.

Also, check out Chyler's rather comprehensive profile on IMDb.com- where you can also find more photos, bios and other trivia about Miss Leigh.

As long as TV keeps coming up with delicious eye-candy, this blog's feature on "Favorite TV Chicks" will be on hand to get to know more about our fine female performers who make our TV shows a little bit more interesting. Only on "Too Much TV: Renzie on TV!"

Cheers, everyone!

Remember that old eighties cartoon Spiral Zone?

Well, I can barely remember the series myself. All I have are memories of '87 or '88, catching it on some afternoons right after I get home from school.

I thought it was kick-ass though. It made a great alternative to other cartoons like G.I. Joe and the Transformers, and I liked the whole concept around the "let's-put-together-a-crack-team-of-commandos-from-around-the world" idea. Check out the intro from a clip we found on YouTube right here:


What's Spiral Zone All About

Supposedly a renegade military scientist who calls himself "The Overlord" managed to envelop a significant portion of future Earth in a strange dark mist using some new form of biological warfare.

Our main villain managed to put up "Zone Generators" which spewed forth clouds that covered vast population centers. End result: millions of people stuck in this spiral-shaped territory (thus, the title) become zombie-like thralls- or Zoners- from which The Overlord now builds his army.

Naturally, he's got himself some henchmen as well- The Black Widows- which act as his lieutenants and special agents, riding around Zoned areas in Sledge Hammers: one-man vehicles with tracked wheels, overhead guns and flails on the side. The Overlord has a special command ATV with a cannon for himself.

Anyway, the world finally unites against this global menace, and puts together a crack team of commandos to go in the Zones and blow up the Zone Generators to liberate the planet one city at a time. We got:

• Colonel Dirk Courage. American field commander. Rides around in this monocycle with this massive cannon mounted on top.
• Lieutenant Hiro Taka. The team's recon, infiltration and melee combat expert from Japan.
• 2nd Lieutenant Max Jones. The team's African-American special missions expert.
• Master Sergeant 'Tank' Schmidt. The team's heavy weapons specialist from Germany.
• Corporal Katerina Anastacia. The team's medic from the Soviet Union.

So these guys don a special body armor that renders them immune to the effects of the Zone. From a mountain base, they're flown to the mission-of-the-week via a jet transport, then ride into enemy territory in fast-attack monocycles.

Spiral Zone Now

It's hard to get a hold of clips or pictures of this old cartoon. Personally, I only have a VHS tape of a few shows myself, and I'd really like to get me a DVD copy (if I could find one). Found a website which supposedly distributed copies of the series, but it's all sold out for now.

Bandai actually had a toy line going on in Japan, years before the franchise (and the accompanying TV series) was developed for the American market. So if you're into collecting the action figures, it means that there should be a number of collectors out there with a few pieces you might be interested in.

Check out Spiral Zone on TV.com and on IMDb.com. You can also catch bits and pieces of Spiral Zone on RetroJunk, and its entry on Wikipedia.

"Crap From My Childhood" is a special feature on old cartoons and kiddie shows from the 1970s and 1980s. Read all about it on Renzie's personal blog on all things television: "Too Much TV!"

Cheers, everyone.

I know the American Idol juggernaut just about got everybody hooked this season- now that it's down to David Archuleta versus David Cook for the finale.

My money's on Cook, but Archuleta does have a whole shitload of fans.

Alright, so I know enough about what's generally going down, but the truth is, I can't help but notice that, for the past several episodes, my enthusiasm for the show has noticeably waned.

I was trying to figure it out: was it possibly the lack of eye-candy for me? Hardly any chicks this season- at least not as compelling as when Katherine McPhee was around (sorry, just needed a reason to put her pic up on this blog :p). In fairness, Carly Smithson was the most fun to watch for this batch, so I know I really stopped watching the actual broadcasts after Broadway night and just relied on the internet for updates.

Was it because the weekly themes were sorta skewed towards a more mature audience? Alright, I dig Lennon/McCartney. Even the Andrew Lloyd Webber night was rather entertaining. But Dolly Parton night? Neil Diamond? I can only take so much Dolly or Diamond in one hour of TV viewing. Oh I didn't even bother watching Neil Diamond night. Where's the element of 'staying contemporary' Simon Cowell has been constantly crowing about?

While the show has inadvertently managed to keep itself interesting somehow- what with the Paula Abdul blunder a couple of weeks back (you can even catch a clip on YouTube if you missed it), or that debacle with Archuleta's dad on being such a stage parent (which you can read about here, here and here)- it doesn't seem to completely accomplish what the show set out to do: get my eyeballs locked on FOX two nights a week.

Luck of the draw, I suppose. Here's to hoping they get a more interesting set of contestants next year.

Cheers, everyone.

You remember The Animatrix from 2003? When Warner Brothers and the same team that gave us The Matrix came up with a collection of nine animated short films set in The Matrix universe, and set in between the first 2 Matrix movies? That was totally kick-ass.

Now, what if you had the Animatrix all over again, but this time, it's all about Batman? Should be pretty awesome, I say.

Batman: Gotham Knight is due out on July 8 this year, just before The Dark Knight hits cinemas. It features six animated short stories set in between 2005's Batman Begins and this summer's highly-anticipated Batman movie.

Just like The Animatrix, the powers-that-be behind Batman Begins and The Dark Knight have collaborated once again with top anime directors and animators to come up with yet more Gotham City action and kickassery.

Kevin Conroy, the voice of Batman for "Batman: The Animated Series", "Justice League" and "Justice League Unlimited" comes back to reprise his role as the Dark Knight.

Check out this video posted by WarnerBrothersOnline on YouTube:

Now check out the trailer posted by Georgem2789, and a preview/sneak peek shared by Lowekinder, both also shared over YouTube.


Batman: Gotham Knight is the third animated direct-to-DVD project of Warner Premiere and Warner Brothers Animation, the first two releases being Superman: Doomsday and Justice League: The New Frontier. A fourth project, this one on Wonder Woman, is due out either later this year or early next- another DVD worth watching out for.

Picture of The Dark Knight courtesy of Wikipedia.

Cheers, everyone!

Recently-widowed Karen Tunny and her two daughters, Sarah and Emma, start a new life in a small Pennsylvania town up in the mountains, moving into an old house- which had been in the possession of her late husband's family for quite some time now.

What the Tunnys don't know is their new home is not so far away from the site of a horrible mining accident many years ago, where dozens of children were buried alive.

It doesn't take long for the family to realize that there's something strange going on- with their house, the surrounding forest, the townsfolk, and the town itself. Bit by bit, they discover the town's terrible secret- and the 'things' that wander the woods at night.

Wicked Little Things, in my opinion is definitely one of the better films in the After Dark HorrorFest lineup of movies. The rational part of me always tries to figure out the back stories and the motivation of what plagues the main characters- and this movie adequately satisfies my need for an explanation on what's going on.

It has a few 'I'm-at-the-edge-of-my-seat-holding-my-breath' moments, and has just enough gore to make certain scenes stand out, definitely not over-the-top. Well-executed, even more so knowing it was running on an indie film budget.

Final Word: You probably would have liked Wicked Little Things if you caught it at the After Dark Horrorfest from a year and a half ago. If you haven't, it might be worth your while to grab a copy of the DVD, and watch it on a dark night with some easy-to-scare friends for added fun.

Wicked Little Things theatrical poster from Wikipedia.

Cheers, everyone!

I've read The Chronicles of Narnia when I was 11 or 12, I think, and J.R.R. Tolkien's The Hobbit and The Lord of The Rings trilogy soon after that. I enjoyed those books immensely- they gave me that appreciation for other medieval fantasy books, and Dungeons and Dragons and all that crap. Great geeky stuff I was soaking up on in high school and early college.

I gotta admit, I've been disappointed with Walden Media's 2005 big-screen adaptation of C.S. Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Terribly disappointed. Pretty much for watering down everything to get that G-rating. The battles were neither epic nor gritty enough. And for the most part, I didn't care much for our four main characters- The Pevensies- when I totally loved them reading the book as a kid.

I get it that they cast relative unknowns for our main characters. Sure, Skandar Keynes (Edmund) and Georgie Henley (Lucy) were alright, but I found the performances of William Moseley (who played Peter) and Anna Popplewell (who played Susan) totally uninspired and completely forgettable.

So here they are again this summer with the second installment of The Chronicle of Narnia series: Prince Caspian. Again, great story. I've just re-read it several months back, and if you haven't had a chance to grab your own copy, perhaps it's about time you get your own.

Plot: It's been a year since the Pevensies came back from their first adventure. But they find themselves sucked back in to Narnia, and discover to their dismay that 1) over 1,000 years have passed since their last visit, and 2) Narnia is in ruins- the old ways have all been forgotten, and the Telmarines threaten everything that remains of the old, glorious kingdom the children left behind.

Prince Caspian is the last remaining descendant of the Narnian line, but is held in check by his ruthless despot of an uncle, Miraz. Only with the help of the Pevensies can he even hope to restore Narnia to its former glory.

You can check out this trailer we found on YouTube, posted by Luisfalvez:


Trailer looks alright, but given how the previous Chronicles of Narnia movie failed to engage me, I'm just lukewarm about the whole Prince Caspian affair. I'm sure it couldn't be as bad as Speed Racer (can it?), and I still hope this one turns out to be much better than its predecessor, but I ain't holdin' my breath.

Cheers, everyone.

Prepare for awesomeness! Jack Black is back, and this time he's kicking animated ass- in Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda.

We just caught the trailer a couple weeks back when we saw Iron Man. Yeah, we've been seeing the theatrical poster around, and being the Jack Black/Tenacious D fan that I am, I've heard about this project for a while. But after seeing the Kung Fu Panda trailer- my girlfriend and I decided that this was one movie we should not miss at all.

It's got Jack Black in it. What more do you need? Alright, here are a couple of trailers we found on YouTube. One was posted by Irmik44, and the other by Pinkdeathrose- both very funny. Check it:

Here's the plot as we know it: A great Shifu (Dustin Hoffman's character) has trained the five greatest warriors the world has ever known- the Furious Five.

Each one a martial arts master of a distinct style of kung-fu. We have the charming but deadly Master Viper (voiced by Lucy Liu), the level-headed Master Crane (voiced by David Cross of "Arrested Development"), the easygoing Master Monkey (voiced by Jacky Chan), the bold and strong Master Tiger (Angelina Jolie, in her second movie for the summer) and the quick yet hot-tempered Master Mantis (played by Seth Rogen, of Knocked Up and Superbad).

An evil warlord- Tai Lung (played by Ian McShane, from "Deadwood" and The Seeker: The Dark Is Rising), a vengeful snow leopard who has escaped from his imprisonment. An old prophecy has revealed the Chosen One: Po (voiced by Jack Black), a lazy apprentice noodle-maker who's a huge fan of kung-fu, but has absolutely nothing to offer in terms of actual hand-to-hand combat.

Can Shifu and the Furious Five whip up Po into top fighting form in time to save ancient China from Tai Lung? I'm sure they can, but HOW they get there is a story definitely worth watching. That's the reason you'd want to hustle to cinemas on 06 June this year when it opens.

Dreamworks' Kung Fu Panda is distributed by Paramount Pictures. It is directed by Mark Osborne (who's done a lot of work with Spongebob Squarepants and Weird Al) and John Stevenson (who's done storyboard work on Shrek 2 and Madagascar).

Pictures from AllMoviePhoto.com- they got great stuff: pics, stills and even wallpapers for your desktop. Also check out the official Kung Fu Panda website here for more fun stuff.

Cheers, everyone!

Here's the thing: I sorta take great pride in the fact that my friends don't spam me at all- no chain letters, or cheesy-cutesy nonsense, or crap forwarded dozens of times. For the simple reason that we ALL hate spam, and we all respect each other not to send junk to everybody else.

So when the occasional email on some random topic comes in, it's usually worth checking out. This afternoon, I got one such email from a good friend of mine (hello, Sasa!) which had the heading:

This read is worth the 5 minutes of stopping your work :)

OK, if she says so. I read on, half-expecting something hilarious. We all love well-crafted bits of wit and humor. As it turns out, it's an inspiring speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.

Little background: Anna Quindlen started out as a journalist in the 70's, started out with the New York Post, and eventually worked her way to several positions with The New York Times. By mid-90's, she became a full-time novelist, churning out five best-selling novels (in addition to children's books, and other works of fiction and non-), one of which was the basis for the 1998 Meryl Streep movie One True Thing.

I've always admired novelists and authors- here I am just struggling to carve out a niche for myself, so people who have managed to find their own place as writers and storytellers rank high in my book.

Anyway, instead of sending it to everyone in my inbox, I'd like to share this same speech with everybody else reading this blog. Check it out:

"I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.

Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre, at my job if those other things were not true.

You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?

Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger.

Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.

It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.

I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived."

Soak it up and think about it for a minute.

Cheers, everyone!