I Think Someone's Not Making A Big Mistake

   I'm late to a lot of things in life.  Not late to things in a traditional way, I can't stand people that are late.  Whenever possible I show up early to anything I'm doing.  When I say I'm late, I mean to a pop culture craze.  I've never really been up on current pop culture, despite having a firm grasp on pop culture.  I know, that sounds odd, but allow me to explain.

   For whatever reason, until very recently I have never warmed to new TV shows much, preferring to give my limited viewing time to things I know and like already.  That has caused me to miss some great shows (Firefly, Arrested Development, and well just about anything on Fox during the 1990's until 2007 or so as it was cancelled way to quickly) over the years.  In a DVD crazed world though, I've been catching up on things a lot. 

   Firefly quickly became one of my favorite TV shows once I picked up the DVD, and Arrested Development, once I started watching I couldn't stop.  Unfortunately I was forced to stop rather quickly as the show only lasted just two and a half seasons, a piddly 53 episodes, a mere 1,166 minutes.

   Of course there is the rumor out there, as there has been since the 2006 cancellation of the show that creator Mitchell Hurwitz was working on a screen pay, and that all the key cast wanted to come back.  To date those rumors have been just that. Over the weekend however, Hurwitz announced that not only is the movie definitely happening, but that a quick 10 episode 'catch up' season would also be included in any deal to make a movie so that the fans can find out what's been going on in the character's live over the past several years.

   So yes, most definitely someone is not making a big mistake here.

Got A Case Of The Hiccups And A (Corner) Gas Attack?

   Now for a little dose of Canada. flashback two years ago, I've never heard of "Corner Gas" when I happen upon it on a TV station. I don't remember now which episode it was, but the bit I saw was hilarious. It inspired me to put it on the DVR list and get cracking on watching. 

   I saw them all out of order, but in the end it's a sitcom so it's not important really. The show was comedy gold, I know this not because I liked it, but because even my mother liked it, and she rarely likes the shows I do when it comes to non-American stuff.

   Flash forward to last week, I was considering buying some of the "Corner Gas" DVD's as it is rarely shown in syndication in America anymore, while perusing the online DVD shop I use (nope no free plugs), I found a series that was also created by Brent Butt and that also starred him and another of his "Corner Gas" co-horts Nancy Robertson.

   Ironically in "Corner Gas" Butt owned a gas station and Robertson works for him, in "Hiccups" Robertson is a children's book author and Butt is her life coach, so he works for her. The role reversal here works. I bought the complete first season on DVD and watched it all in a 2 night span this week. The show feels more like a season two or three from the onset.  Mainly because Robertson and Butt had spent six years working together on "Corner Gas" but the rest of the new cast fits right in and you feel like you've been watching these characters for years. It probably doesn't hurt that Butt and Robertson have been married since 2005 either.

Go Go (away) Power Rangers.

   Let's face it, I grew up in one of the greatest era's for kid's TV. There were a lot of great shows, the two best of which were the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers. The turtles were my first love, and yes I still own several (a dozen or more) DVD's with episodes of the 80's series, all four feature films and the made for TV film and arcs from the revamped series from the 2000's, not to mention that I still read old issues of the comics it was all originally based on.

   A close second back in those days long ago though were the Power Rangers. I had to rush home from school everyday to catch the 3:30 airing everyday, even those most were re-runs. Back then I must have watched every episode 5-8 times. As the rangers evolved, and I grew older I still watched, but not nearly as adamentily. They evolved from the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers to the Zeo Rangers, from Zeo to Turbo and Turbo to another and another. (Yes they are still evolving slightly, though not linked as much as they were in the past I'll have more on that in the future.)

   I never saw the second film Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie, and the concept of the Turbo Rangers, including the new Zords and having a child magically grow into an adult sized person when morphed seemed off to me. Sure there is supposed to be some suspension of belief but by that age of my life I was already turning into the cynic I am today.

   I've sporadically seen a few episodes here and there since then, but never really been able to call myself a fan since around 1997 or so. I was roughly 12 years old.

   Recently I've been feeling nostalgic and revisiting my childhood; Or the very few vestiges that I had actually abandoned. So I got a smartphone, downloaded the first two seasons of MMPR, roughly 60 episodes and watched majority of them in about a 2 week span. It's not as bad as it sounds the edited version without commercials, credits and the opening theme make each episode between 13-18 minutes.

   What I discovered from this experience though, is that the show didn't get bad as I got older, it was always bad. I also discovered that I must like bad shows, as even though it was bad, nay terrible, I watched them all, and then added Power Rangers Zeo to my netflix que so that I could continue on watching more and more of it.

   I'm sure I'll get sick of it before I get through all 400,000 seasons, but maybe not. Maybe this time I watch it to fruition. There are always more episodes of TMNT to keep me busy though, so I'll probably give up and go back to my first love before to long.

   Stoke me a clipper, I'll be back by morning.

The One Year Movie Challenge!

Note: This is not my collection, not even a small fraction of my collection.

   I started this back in May in a note on Facebook, but I've decided to share it with the rest of the world too.

   I'm a very avid movie fan, always have been, always will be. I own nearly 3000 dvd's. I watch an inordinate amount of films, though ironically not nearly as many since I started this challenge. Basically what I am doing though is keeping track of all of the movies I watch, be it on DVD, at the theater, on a BluRay disc, Netflix or even on plain old TV.  I'm keeping a list and updating it regularly.  I'll give periodic updates here in case anyone is interested. Here is a copy of the original note and the list from May 1 until now. Note that TV series do not count on this, yet I do watch those in complete season sets as well.

Starting May 1, 2011 I'll be attempting to create a list of every single film I see this year.  I'll note whether it was on TV, DVD or in theater, but in essence Ill be keeping a daily track of which films I see from May 1, 2011 through April 30, 2012.

Feel free to add your own comments or observations on this note as it is updated and changed over the year, or to make your own list as well. Also feel free to let me know who else to tag, I've got too many moviephiles on my friends list to know who all would be interested in this.

And now, for the list...

1. Tek War -via Netflix. Been trying to catch this for a long time, based on a series of books written by William Shatner, and it caused a spin off TV series that lasted one season. Directed by William Shatner as well.

2. Easy A- via Netflix, starring Emma Stone.

3. Dogs Decoded- via Netflix, a documentary about dogs.

4. 9/11: The Myth & the Reality, via netflix.

5. The Green Hornet -Blu-Ray DVD.

6. The One Percent via Netflix.

7. Thor at the Theater.

8. Hot Tub Time Machine -DVD.

9. Turbo: A Power Rangers Movie -Netflix.

10. Up in the Air -DVD (loved the ending.)

11. Thor: Tales of Asgard -Blu-Ray

12. The Rookie - on TV.

13. Being Lincoln: Men in Hats - on TV, very strange documentary.

14. Power Rangers: Mystic Force - Dark Wish. - DVD

15. X-Men First Class - in theater.

16. The Untouchables - on TV.

17. The Four-Faced Liar - Netflix

18. Rookie of the Year. -Netflix.

19. X-Men First Class. - Theater.

20. Green Lantern -Emerald Knights -Blu-Ray.

21. Diner -Netflix.

22. Then & Now An Evening with Joe Quesad and Stan Lee -DVD.

23. The Green Lantern - in Theater.

24. Chasing Amy -Netflix

25. The American President -Netflix.

26. True Blue 10 years of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour -Cable

27. The Phantom -Cable.

28. Blue Collar Comedy Tour: The Movie -Cable. (yes cable is that sad in a hotel room on vacation...)

29. Hooper -Dvd

30. Stroker Ace -Dvd.

31. The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg - Netflix.

32. Varsity Blues -Cable.

33. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II. -Theater

34. Captain America: The First Avenger- Theater

35. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief.-DVD.

36. Undiscovered: Disney Parks. - Netflix.

37. Between the Folds. -Netflix.

38. The Almighty Thor -Netflix   (Total trash)

39. Skyline - Netflix

40. The Missing -TV

41. Young Guns -TV

42. Black Swan -BluRay

43. Predators -DVD.

44. Hobo with a Shotgun -Netflix

45. Paper Man -Netflix

46. The Expendables -Netflix

47. Tangled - Netflix.

48. The Fighter -Netflix.

49. Indiana Jones & The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -TV

50. Zombieland -TV

51. The Bounty Hunter -TV

52. X-Men: First Class -Blu Ray

53. Thor -Blu Ray

54. Weird Science -Netflix

55. I Love You Phillip Morris -Netflix.

56. Star Trek (2009) -DVD

57. Inspector Gadget's Last Case -Netflix.

58. The Bob & Tom Comedy Tour -Netflix

59.

If I give you a dollar, you can keep most of the change, all I want is a quarter back.

   Fantasy Football is a fickle beast that's for sure.  Until a few years ago I never played in a league with more than 1 other person I knew.  That is due mostly to me being a big nerd, and most big nerds not being sports fans. So yes, that makes me an outcast even in the nerd community.
   About three years ago I joined a league with anywhere from 8-10 people from the Monroe area.  I know most of them, even if I don't know them really well. That makes the league a little more fun, when you can beat, or get beat by someone you know.
   My first year in the league I was a late add, and didn't get to live draft, so I suffered through a season of mediocrity, and finished the year by losing the third place game, fourth out of ten wasn't terrible, but I knew I could do better.  Sure some of the guys in the league are smarter than me, and most if not all are wealthier than me, but I was a former sports writer and at the time a recent college graduate with a lot o free time on my hands.
   When the next season rolled around we lost three players, and added one "rookie." The rookie being a fantasy football veteran with a knowledge all of the game greater than my own.  We separated into divisions for the first time, which at 4 teams each made being able to beat your own division important.  In the league we play the division teams twice each, and the non-division teams once each.
   The best three teams in the league were unfortunately all in my division, but I hung in and only had 3 losses in the regular season, two of them to the Rook.  We were fast on a collision course in the championship game, when the unthinkable happened.  Both of our teams suffered some pretty heavy under performances in the semi-finals and neither of us made the title game.
   Again I lost the third place game, making me finish 4th in the 8 team league that year. I had the second best record, and had scored the most points of any team in the league.
   This year I was more prepared than ever before for the draft. Seven of us returned with one newbie this season as well, a man I know nothing about. I really wanted to draft 4th or 5th ideally to get the best chance at a good top to bottom roster. I drew the 8th spot for the draft, which I found out 9 minutes before the draft. *gulp* That changed my draft strategy completely.  Instead of going conventional I drafted Wide receivers with my first two picks, Andre and Calvin Johnson.
   That move worked perfectly, not only did I get the top two receivers, but it spooked a few other managers into going early and drafting WR's with their next picks leaving me a pair of really solid running backs with my next two picks.
   I ended up with most of what I wanted, though I got there unconventionally, I drafted Peyton Manning in the mid rounds, thinking he'd be out a month at most, so a QB wasn't a big priority, I also snagged Tony Romo, whom I have no confidence in, but though could manage until Manning was back.
   Just days later we found out that Manning will most likely miss the entire season, so I chose to spot start his replacement week one, whom I had to pick up off the waiver wire.  It was a mistake. I thought the team would be down a lot and he'd get a ton of yards in the second half, they were, and he did, but he also tossed 3 interceptions making his score low.  Luckily I finally beat my buddy and won week 1.
   Week 2 I started Romo, and he missed half the game with an injury, but came back in to throw for a TD and well over an extra 100 yards in the fourth quarter and overtime.  That injury turns out to be cracked ribs and a punctured lung. He may play Monday night, but I can't start him.
   So again I was scouring the waiver wire.  I picked up Joe Flacco, who would be fine in a pinch, but I don't have confidence in him either.  Finally I decided to spot start Ryan Fitzpatrick, playing against the Patriots.  My thinking the same as week one again, that he's throw for a ton of yards while trying to make up a huge deficit.  It worked once again, the stats aren't in for the week completely, but I have a big lead heading into the afternoon games and Fitzpatrick scored 21 fantasy points for me, and lodged a comeback to beat the Patriots from down 21-0.
   Still in the fickle world of Fantasy Football, I have no idea what I'll do for a quarterback next week.  I guess life ain't easy for "A Boy Named Suh"


League standings going into week 3:
Division A

1.	A Boy Named Suh	2-0-0
5.	Strange Daze	1-1-0
6.	Team T-M-T	1-1-0
7.	MotorCity Gearheads	0-2-0

Division B

2.	D Fence	2-0-0
3.	Dickens Cider	1-1-0
4.	4th & Chuck Long	1-1-0 0-2-0
8.	Billys Bombers

Ndamukong Suh, the inspiration for my team name.

The Keys to a Shiny New Australia

And Penny will see the evil me
Not a joke not a dork not a failure
And she may cry but her tears will dry
When I hand her the keys to a shiny new Australia.

   Okay, so initially I was gonna write on Dr. Horrible's Sing-A-Long Blog, which is wicked cool, but I've decided not to. Instead I've decided to write a love note to the land down under, a land I hope to someday visit and possibly never return from.

   I'll admit that America is the land of plenty, but Australia seems to have it all too.  They have some of my favorite comedians, fantastic movies and TV shows that never get imported and two of my best friends in all of the world. What more could a boy ask for?  Not much that's for sure.

   I mean sure, it's really hot there, goods and services are more expensive and the culture seems a bit backwards at times.  All of that is ok though, I mean on hot days stay inside, the pay helps even out the price difference and I've always wanted to learn about new cultures.

   My only concern with going there is this: What would I do if I were attacked by a Kangaroo? Guess I'll just be staying home for now then.

Stoke me a Clipper, I'll be back by breakfast.

Fryday Anyone?

   I fully expect most of you to not get the title unless you are fully entrenched in pop culture, and also listen to the Hollywood Babble-On Podcast, hosted by Ralph Garman and Kevin Smith. Be that as it may, it makes me laugh, so deal with it.
   Yes you guessed it, I am blogging about the Rebecca Black song "Friday" and not ironically but purposely posting this on a Friday, as you see, I'm not really very witty, I should have done the ironic thing and posted this next Tuesday.
   First a brief history, Rebecca Black is a 14-year old girl with slightly wealthy parents. Yes I'm assuming there, but hey they put out $4,000 but their supremely untalented daughter to record a song. What it boils down to is that the girl has no talent, and the song was written by this company for her in about 10 minutes, but like most popular songs it has a somewhat catchy hook.
   Social media went nuts a few months after this song, and its accompanying music video were uploaded by Shoutfactory to its Youtube stream.  Even with all of the autotuning going on, the girl still sounded dreadful, but she managed to get about 100,000 views, which is quite impressive for a then 13-year old girl who is not famous and has no talent.
   Then in March of this year, Daniel Tosh discovered the dreadful song.  He posted about it on his blog. Tosh has a lot of followers, they clicked through and the song blew up. She started getting hits in the millions on the youtube video that had since been moved to her own personal account. At least her parents were smart enough to buy the rights to the music and the video included in that $4,000 price.  The song also became available on ITunes and sold about 40,000 downloads within a week.
   I just don't see why everyone picks on her so much.  She's managed to become famous, made some money and even got to be part of a Katy Perry music video.  If you don't like her music, simply don't listen. For me, I'll be listening each Friday, and attempting to hear the song in Ralph's "FRYDAY" girl voice.
   What do you think, should people let it go and let her move on? I mean come on she's only 14. If you want to blame someone, blame Daniel Tosh, he's the one that made the world aware of her existence.

   Please feel free to follow me on twitter @NHDaveH or check out my Facebook page. 

Stoke Me a Clipper, I'll be back by Monday!