Spectacular Spider-Man

Spectacular Spider-Man

The fall television season is in full swing once again with a number of great shows such as House, The Office and even Smallville is back for an amazing 9th season. You have returning shows like Heroes (whose latest arc is appropriately titled "redemption"), Dollhouse or the show Fringe, which is rapidly becoming one of my favorite shows on television. You even have new shows like FlashForward (which is being hailed as the new 'Lost' by some') and the guilty pleasure Glee making its way to the small screen. Of course, in a few months, you have even more shows to look forward to like Chuck, 24 and of course, can't-miss-television with the final season of Lost. But, there is one glaring omission from the fall television schedule that has me seeing red. I am talking about nothing other than the one, the only, the Spectacular Spider-Man.

The Spectacular Spider-Man

There have been numerous attempts to bring an animated Spider-Man to the small screen, both live-action and animated, though most have wisely gone the animated route as the live-action version was an embarrassment, starring Nicholas Hammond. Then, you have numerous animated adaptations that have spanned from the 60's until our current series. You have the original Spider-Man series from 1967, which is probably most notable for its theme song. (You know the one - "Spiderman, Spiderman, does whatever a spider can..."). You have the show Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends, which was certainly less than amazing. Of course there was the titular 1994 adaptation, which is probably the most well-known and the longest lasting (65 episodes), but none of them quite are in the same league as this latest animated offering. The Spectacular Spider-Man is not simply the best Spider-Man animated version, but perhaps one of the best versions of Spider-Man on any medium. (Perhaps, in fact, the best animated superhero cartoon of all time - maybe even besting the acclaimed Batman the Animated Series, but that's a debate for another day)

Already it may have surpassed the original 1994 adaptation, since towards the end of its run, it veered off into such failed storylines such as Hydro Mary Jane or the introduction of Madame Web, who is to this day one of my least favorite comic book characters ever. In fact, she may even replace Jack Hanna as the celebrity I'd like to punch most in the face. Overall, it had a strong run, but the initial 26 episode run of Spectacular Spider-Man has been nothing short of amazing.

From the very first episode, you can tell it's gonna be great as they manage to introduce characters such as Doctor Connors, Flint Marko, Alex O'Hirn, Hammerhead, The Enforcers, Eddie Brock, Adrian Toomes, Doctor Octopus and Norman Osborn in the very first episode. In fact, you get to meet most of those characters before they become villains so that you get to see them transform into the villains that threaten Spider-Man and New York City. It continues with the fun nature that is the hallmark of Spider-Man, perfectly capturing the witty banter that has been so missing in the live-action version. Wisely avoiding the origin story which is already too well-known, it instead dives head first into the familiar Spider-Man mythos in an exiting and fresh manner. Perhaps most importantly, you get to see Gwen Stacy (a character that all too many people are not familiar with, but is an important character in Spider-Man's history and has never been seen before in an adaptation and no, Spider-Man 3 doesn't count). You get to see Spider-Man at his most relatable, dealing with the pressures and headaches you can expect from a 16 year old superhero. With a great supporting cast, plot, pacing, writing, animation - the creators of Spectacular Spider-Man excel in every category and exceed any expectations I had.

Words can't really do it justice, but trust me when I say this is one of the best shows I've ever seen. You can catch both seasons now out on DVD and you should as the producers really seem to understand the character so well. If you're fortunate enough to have cable, try to watch it on Disney XD as well. For reasons that are incomprehensible to me, there has yet to be a season 3 announced, although the recent merger of Disney and Marvel should hopefully only increase its chances. They seem to be waiting to see the ratings from Season 2 and DVD sales as this economy has made people more hesitant than ever to stick with a show. So watch it, support it, tell your friends, write about its complete and epic awesomeness, shout it from the rooftops, but whatever you do...

Don't miss this show.

The end of the very first show sums it up best as Peter Parker/Spider-Man declares "Tell me there's something better. Go ahead. Try." It's quite a challenge thrown out there but I'm confident that if you take that challenge and watch this show, you won't be able to find anything better.

Go ahead. Try.

Proud Of Pluto (And Illinois)

-Proud Of Pluto (And Illinois)-

There are moments where I'm proud to live in Illinois and then there are moments that make me really proud to live here.

This is one of those moments where I'm really proud.

But, first, a little history.

Back in 2006, our world was forever changed and not for the better. Growing up, throughout elementary school, we memorized mnemonics that helped us to remember the names of our nine planets. For example, a popular one was "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas". (Hopefully with breadsticks!!) But, in something that could only was an absolute travesty and a sham and a mockery (indeed a traveshamockery). Yes, you'd have to make up words to describe how terrible this event really was. You'd have to make up words just to describe how scandalous this really was. I think we all know where this is heading.

In 2006, the IAU (International Astronomical Union) voted to remove Pluto from the list of planets, effectively demoting it to the status of dwarf planet.

Never mind that only 424 of its over 10,000 members voted to impose a foolish and indeed binding resolution that was held on the very last day of a two week convention with no absentee voting allowed. With something this big and this important, why do it that way? The whole thing was an injury to science and one that can only be healed through restoring Pluto to planetary status. Personally, I believe that not only is the decision controversial, but so vague and nonsensical as to be rendered meaningless.

Which is where Illinois comes in. In a big nod to the underdog, the Illinois State Senate adopted a resolution to restore Pluto to full planetary status, which you can read here. This also makes March 13 Pluto Day, in honor of the day its discovery was announced. This makes me almost as proud as the fact that most of the classic 80's movies from the one and only John Hughes (Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller's Day Off, Pretty In Pink etc.) were filmed here in the state. Not quite as proud, but still one of my prouder moments as an Illinois resident.

So, kudos to Illinois for not allowing them to change the mnemonic to something along the lines of "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nothing", which describes exactly what the IAU gave us. Congratulations to them for supporting Pluto, who although small, will always be a planet to me. Have all of the members of the IAU been too busy demoting planets to read classic books such as Charlotte's Web, which shows that the runt of the litter can often be the best. Or perhaps they haven't taken the time to watch Lord of the Rings (or read them) in which Tolkien shows that the smallest can often be the biggest among us. If they haven't, then they are more out of touch than this decision shows.

Numerous scientists are working to overturn this decision but this is a big step forward and hopefully more people will realize that Pluto is still a planet that deserves to be recognized as one yet again. Thank goodness for places like Illinois who can stand up for what's right and good once again. Pluto is a planet again - at least in Illinois - and in the hearts of amazing people everywhere. Pluto will be a planet once more.

I Got A Laptop

-I Got A Laptop-

Anybody who knows me knows that I've been frustrated with my desktop computer for some time now. Don't get me wrong - it's a great computer and it has served me very well. Lately, however, it's showing its age. ("It's true - she's aging more noticeably every day.") It's gotten to the point where it's only slightly more effective than two tin cans connected by a string and I only rank my computer above that because you can't watch The Colbert Report on the two can system. Personally though, I felt it was just a fantasy that I would be able to. However, Wal-Mart ("Save Money, Live Better".) certain lived up to its tagline this weekend as it had an exclusive laptop sale where they were selling a laptop for $298. For me, that is a great deal and right in my price range for a laptop.

My dad - a wonderful, benevolent father indeed - sent me an e-mail regarding this sale on Friday and I immediately called my Wal-Mart to verify that they were indeed regarding the sale. The knowledgeable guy in Electronics informed that they were and because they were a 24 hour Wal-Mart here, the sale would begin at midnight. Already, I had the weekend off and now it looks like it was going to shape up to be a pretty eventful weekend indeed. Due to the nature of the sale, he advised me to be there early. Possibly up to an hour early and on the advice of my awesome brother, I did him one better and went two hours early, just to ensure that I wouldn't miss it.

When I arrived though, I learned that the knowledgeable guy I spoke to in Electronics wasn't so knowledgeable after all. Wal-Mart was only selling the laptops at 8 the next morning, which was mentioned pretty clearly in their ad and so, I went home, momentarily defeated. But, I was determined to come home with a laptop this weekend and so I decided I would go back tomorrow morning. But, the idea of me getting there at 6 the next morning wasn't likely. Not a morning person, but I would get there an hour early to discover quite a line had already formed. Some people I talked to had been there since 4:30 in the morning. Now, that's dedication.

I settled back in the line, which stretched all the way back to the HD-TV's in between an elderly couple who were pretty excited about a laptop and who hadn't apparently been in line for a new technological gadget since the Wii came out. They certainly loved their Wii and told me quite a bit about it. Wii Fit was their favorite. How awesome is that? On the other side of me was a family of five who were bitterly disappointed to learn that the laptops had a one-per-family limit. They'd brought their whole family with them, apparently eager to have a laptop for everybody. In their need for a laptop, they went ahead to start calling people to see whether they could recruit them over to purchase a laptop for them and mysteriously they were all called Tammy. (Biker Tammy, Tammy By Riverside, Farmer Tammy, Barbie Tammy etc). However, an hour and many Demi Lovato interviews later, the line started to move.

Cruelly and ironically enough, the Carly Simon classic "Anticipation" blared over the loudspeakers as we waited. The line seemed to move at a glacial pace, taking forever it seemed to get my laptop but once it got going, the glacier thawed out and really moved fast. Eventually, after about a half hour in line, I was able to receive my laptop. Walking out the door with a laptop and a celebratory box of Hot Tamales, I was now the proud owner of a Compaq Presario laptop.

Gone were the days of having to make an Itunes night to add music to my computer, since it locked up my whole computer and hours to add a few cds. Gone were the days of not been able to run more than one or two programs at once. Gone were the days of picking up a book to read a chapter or two to wait for a program or a page to load. Gone were the days of popping in a movie to wait for the computer to restart. (That's a bit of an exaggeration - the last one - but only barely). But now, my computer runs smoothly no matter what and it is Hakuna Matata all the way.

Now, I got a laptop, I got a laptop, I got a laptop - hey, hey, hey!

Ten Against Torture Tuesday

-Ten Against Torture Tuesday-

I'll admit that I love alliteration. I can't help myself. This will not be a regular feature by any means, but it's Tuesday and so I had to use the name. I love alliteration, but on the other hand, there are certainly things that I hate.

One of those things that I hate is torture.

I hate torture in all its forms, wherever and however it is practiced. Specifically, this post is to address the fact that torture has been approved and in fact, committed by the United States Of America. I certainly don't understand that and reading some of the stories from people who were prisoners at Guantanamo Bay, Abu Ghraib and other such facilities makes me very sad. It makes me sick, but perhaps more than anything it makes me upset, because we're America and we're supposed to be better than that. We are better than that.

Torture is defined by the United Nations Convention Against Torture as:

"...any act by which severe pain or suffering, whether physical or mental, is intentionally inflicted on a person for such purposes as obtaining from him, or a third person, information or a confession, punishing him for an act he or a third person has committed or is suspected of having committed, or intimidating or coercing him or a third person, or for any reason based on discrimination of any kind, when such pain or suffering is inflicted by or at the instigation of or with the consent or acquiescence of a public official or other person acting in an official capacity."

The Geneva Convention, which the United States has ratified, explicitly condemns torture in no uncertain terms. In fact, it doesn't permit "violence", "cruel treatment", "humiliating and degrading treatment" against a detainee "at any time and in any place whatsoever." In fact, the War Crimes Act of 1996 made any "serious breach of the Geneva Convention" a felony and punishable under U.S. law with serious consequences. There are supposed to be serious consequences anyway, but so far, there have been little to none.

Only those who are either criminally naive or seriously interested in deluding themselves would pretend that the United States didn't torture people in Iraq and throughout the world. There have been enough witness, enough testimonies, enough pictures, enough documentation and hopefully just enough so that this never occurs again.

President Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney and others have admitted that torture was used, although it is claimed that “The techniques…were necessary and are necessary to be used on a rare occasion to get information to protect the American people,”as Bush said during an interview with Fox News on January 11 of this year. Techniques such as water-boarding and others were defended here, using this and the ever-popular "ticking time bomb" scenario.

As far as I'm aware of, the "ticking time bomb scenario" has never happenned and if so, why haven't they told us when it has?. On the popular show "24", which I love, which also appears on Fox, it frequently happens. For the sake of plot points, keeping up the shows breathtaking pace and indeed to save the world, Jack Bauer frequently employs some methods which are certainly torture. At the beginning of Season 7 (which started off so strongly), Jack Bauer was being tried for his actions and he responded to those who accused him that things aren't always so black and white out in the field where the action happens and that it's a lot easier to judge when you're not part of that situation.

Jack was right. I have never been part of the military and in fact, am unlikely to. I've never been there in a situation where the pressure to save lives is a reality and where you feel that there is legitimately no other recourse than torture. I sympathize with those charged with gathering information, for those tasked with protecting the American people and to those serving in our military both at home and abroad. I can hardly imagine the situations that they were placed in. However, both Jack Bauer and President Bush, are also wrong.

Some things are black and white. I believe torture is one of those things. Torture is never necessary. It's not just a law, but if you're a Christian, it's a Biblical command as well. The Bible says very clearly "to love your enemies." Notice what it says there - to love your enemies. Notice what it doesn't say. It doesn't say "except if your enemies are Islamic terrorists, then it's okay not to love them". It's pretty clear to love them.

Torture is both illegal and immoral. It violates numerous laws and values of American society that we hold dear. Torture is something that the American people can't tolerate or approve of. So far, President Obama has discussed with various news outlets that he has a desire to "look forward" and not focus on the "mistakes of the past." While I think it's very admirable and commendable to look forward to the future, but we can't compromise ourselves by ignoring the past, which is exactly what we would do there. In doing so, we're implicitly approving of what they did and setting a dangerous precedent for the future.

In the film Batman Begins, Bruce Wayne is put into a similar situation where he is told to perform an act that he finds contrary to his own values. Bruce Wayne is told that by a man named Henri Ducard that "Your compassion is a weakness your enemies will not share."

In response, Bruce Wayne, the man who would later become Batman, states: "That's why it's so important. It separates us from them."

Don't mistake the compassion of the United States for any sort of weakness, but we can't condone torture, especially not on the level that the United States has engaged in the past and can't afford to do so in the future. It has cost us dearly in American lives, our standing in the world and have sacrified many American ideals in the process. Torture is contrary to what America stands for and should not stand for ever again.

America has tortured. In fact, we have stood by and allowed it to happen as OUR government (after all, we are a democracy) has performed in secret detention facilities throughout the world. President Obama has said on one hand very clearly that America does not torture people, while on other hand doesn't want to be caught up in policy differences between the incoming and outgoing adminstrations.

People being murdered, beaten to death, sexually abused, raped, physically humiliated, waterboarded, undergoing sleep deprivation, stripped of their dignity, burned with cigarettes, attacked by dogs and other such indignities is not simply a policy difference. People leaving with scars, both psychologically and physically, that they may never fully heal from is not a policy difference. Torture is not a policy difference.

It is the difference between right and wrong.

Those who committed torture, those who condoned torture, those who approved and indeed ordered torture, should be held accountable. I realize that we're in a war, but we need to keep those standards no matter what, because 'it separates us from them. ' Amnesty International recently began a campaign that is the inspiration for those post which is called Ten Against Torture, which features ten letters, which are thought provoking, moving and in many instances, heart-breaking, that you can send to President Obama to make him think about how important an issue this is. Even if you don't participate in the campaign or whatever your opinion is concerning torture, I would urge you to take some time to read some of these letters. They are powerful words and hopefully they inspire you to participate in the campaign to make the issue of torture one that President Obama can't ignore and to hold those who engaged in torture accountable.

In my opinion, this isn't about revenge, justice or a trial for those responsible for these crimes. It's about sending a very clear signal, setting a precedent for our current and future Presidential adminstrations that torture will not be permitted. If we don't, in the future, we may encounter another situation, another ethical collapse, and they will see an opportunity to do this again. I strongly feel that this is important to regaining the credibility of our country and helping to restore our integrity as a nation. I love America, no question about that, but this is not our proudest moment here and we should deal with it, not simply ignore it and hope it goes away.

More importantly than getting people involved is just making people aware of this issue and I hope that regardless of how you feel, you're now at least a little more aware of the issue. If this is an issue that resonates with you, feel free to let me know and I'd be more than happy to help you get involved or help you to become more informed. Even if you disagree, I'd be more than happy to discuss it with you. I think this is an issue that should be discussed often as possible, as over the 200 plus years since we established our independence (to escape tyranny), people around the world have looked to us for guidance and indeed, looked up to us.

It's up to us - you and I - to help remind them why.

Say No to the ShamWow

-Say No To the Shamwow-

This post is dedicated to Billy Mays. If you've ever been an insomniac or had trouble sleeping, found yourself in front of the television, flipping through the channels, chances are you've come across the enthusiastic face and voice of Billy Mays as he promoted one product or another. Now, when I have cable once again, I'll flip through various "as soon on tv" commercials and there will no doubt be a void left in the commercial advertising industry, if not my heart. It's a sad day. Billy Mays - 1958 to 2009 - you will not be forgotten.

Now that Billy Mays is gone, who will the commercial advertising industry look to as they've lost one of their proudest and most vocal pitchmen? Certainly not Vince Offer, better known as the "Shamwow Guy." I'm sure by now most people have heard of the "Shamwow", a cleaning product which bills itself as a towel, chamois and sponge all-in-one. As a product I've heard, they work very well and in fact, the company that produces them has a 10 year gurantee on them. You can find them in most stores, but right now, that should not be the case. Not when the man promoting their product is somebody who is a violent deviant.

You may look at this picture and you may see what I do. Vince Offer is a little smug and a little calculating - like a shark. Now, what would it eally mean to be a smug, psychotic Shamwow salesman? It could mean a lot of things, but surely it doesn't mean that he would violently beat up a prostitute?

Wrong.

Now, I'll admit this story is an old one, but it's not my fault I haven't heard about it until recently. It's one that was virtually ignored in the media, reduced to being reported on a few websites and lampooned on "Jimmy Kimmel Live". Certainly not the media coverage it deserved. Now, granted, there are certainly far more important issues that should be covered in the news (the Iraq War, the cap-and-trade bill being voted on in the Senate, the state of the American economy, preventive detention, the elections in Iran), but all I'm saying is that I wish I'd heard about this earlier. Perhaps it actually did get all the media coverage it deserved, which is virtually none, but I would've liked to be in the loop on this one.

On February 27, 2009, Vince Offer was arrested in Miami Beach, Florida under his real name, Vince Schlomi. The charge was felony battery, after an altercation with a prostitute. According to the police report and several websites, Vince paid $1000 for the services of a "lady of the evening" - for the evening. Sometime during the festivities of the evening, the two of them kissed and the 26-year old woman bit his tongue. Not only did she bite, but she refused to let go. In a moment of no doubt pure pain, panic and rage, he punched the prostitute repeatedly. I would advise you not to go look at the pictures of the incident. They are pretty brutal. I can understand his reaction to having his tongue bitten, which I can only imagine is a very painful thing to endure. However, I can't condone his actions. Neither should you.

That is why I would advice you not to purchase a Shamwow. If you haven't yet, don't. Every time you purchase a Shamwow, it's like you're implicitly endorsing abuse. Now, somebody (without any heart) may say that it's just a prostitute, but a person's a person, no matter their profession. In fact, in the defense of these women, prostitution is the oldest profession in the world. Now what that says about the world and the human condition, I don't care to speculate right now or go into, but it does say something. What I want to say though is that beating up on a woman is not something to be approved of, no matter who they are, what they do and what they've done. Nor can one approve using the proceeds from your advertising to purchase the services of a prostitute. Personally, I can't even understand it, as you would think the allure of having sex with strangers of a hotel would wear off pretty quickly. But, it's stood the test of time unfortunately.

Now, the ShamWow website sells you eight ShamWows (4 large and four mini) for the price of just $19.95, plus 7.95 S & H. At these prices, for $1000 (one thousand) dollars, that is approximately 288 ShamWows. (Yeah. I did the math.) With the purchase of those Shamwows, Vince is not only purchasing the services of 'hookers', but physically beating and abusing them as well. How can one even stand to look at the ShamWow now, much less purchase one? No amount of Shamwows can clean up all that shame....

(As is usual with my blogs, I usually release an accompanying video and here is one that I discovered posted on YouTube that is a Tribute To Billy Mays. Truly, heaven may have just received one of its best promoters ever. God bless Billy Mays.)

Nine Days

-Nine Days-

You may be thinking this is a blog about that one hit wonder band who wrote the song Absolutely (Story Of A Girl) back in 2000, but you're probably not. If you were though, you'd be wrong but possess some great musical memory. You may also be thinking that with school being out, the weather getting warmer, the blockbusters coming out in theaters and everything feeling more free, that it was summertime. Unfortunately, you'd be wrong. ...again...technically.

If you want to get technical (and I don't want to but I will anyway), summer doesn't officially start until June 21st, which is nine days away. With spring ending though and summer on the verge of starting, I've been surprisingly busy. That has led to less blogs and me trying to catch up. So, I've decided to post three-blogs-in one today. That's right - three blogs in one, for the low price of like five to ten minutes of your precious time. It's a pretty good offer and to kick us off, I'll discuss -

Karma Chameleon

If you like music from the 1980s, then you should instantly recognize the name of that song, which was the number one song of 1983, from the band Culture Club. Karma Chameleon was a wordwide success despite the nonsensical nature of the music video and the overall androgynous creepiness of Boy George. No matter what you might say about it though, it's a catchy song and I'd listen to the song only if you're willing to get it stuck in your head. Because it will. But, we're not here to go over the inherent power of 80's music, but instead to think about Karma Chameleon itself.

I was listening to the song a few days ago and simultaneously discussing with a friend the most recent Indiana Jones installment. Needless to say not a good combination. Now, perhaps it was the heat, boredom, tiredness, temporary insanity, or rage over Indiana Jones IV or needless sequels in general. Regardless, I began to think about Karma Chameleon as an actual creature (No - keep reading!) as like some kind of vengeful creature who attacks people after they have accumulated too much bad karma. A chameleon can blend into pretty much anywhere, although for maximum striking power, I'd make him larger than his usual size and more something resembling a komodo dragon. Ideally, he'd look very friendly and charming, like the Geico Gecko but make no mistake, he would attack once you've exhausted all your good Karma.

For example, you could look at George Lucas, who was involved with Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull. That would certainly contribute a lot to his bad karma. Typically, George Lucas has a great deal of good karma due to his involvement in great movies like Willow, Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope, Labyrinth, the early Indiana Jones installments and even underrated films like Radioland Murders. I even liked Hook and the Land Before Time before they made approximately a million sequels. (only slightly exaggerating). But, travesties like the Star Wars prequels, Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull, anything to do with the Ewoks, Jar Jar Binks, the Star Wars Holiday Special and Howard the Duck would certainly contribute to some bad karma and test the Karma Chameleon's patience.

So, in an effort to help my own good karma and to keep the attention of Karma Chameleon on more deserving individuals, I'll do my part to help others. Ocassionally in my blog, I'll try to do some kind things like spotlight good causes, point out ways to help others and reviewing terrible movies to spare others from having to watch them. Now, to kick off getting good karma, I'd like to present

Red Door Furniture

In an era where we have an African-American President, it'd be easy to declare that racism is over. But, sadly, it's still around and it's still an injustice that needs to be eradicated. Thankfully, there are people out there dedicated to helping fight injustice and to that end, we have Red Door furniture, which is unfortunately located in North Carolina, which is unfortunately a little bit too far to go browsing in, although you can check out the website but even better, check out this video, where you can see them trying to unite the country - and provide good furniture. What more can you ask for? Seriously, it should warm your heart as they get to the end of the video, where they declare: "Red House, where black people and white people buy furniture.", followed up with "And Hispanic people too..." and then stirringly, "All people". Can't we all just get along? Watch the video - Red House Commercial. It's classic.

Top Five Friday
-Number Two-
-Top Five Shows That Should Not Have Been Canceled-

Well, it's time for summer and not time for watching television, but as summer begins and the previous television season ends, it's time to take a moment to mourn a few shows that won't be back with us next year. This list will discuss a few of the best shows that we believe should still be around and so it won't cover shows that ended their run as planned such as ER, Battlestar Galactica, the Shield or Prison Break. Nor will it discussed shows that should've ended their run long ago or never been created such as According to Jim, Knight Rider, Kyle XY or Osbournes: Reloaded. Instead, we'll discuss such great televison, such as:

1. Pushing Daisies - Touted as a "forensic fairy tale", it was created by Bryan Fuller with Lee Pace starring as Ned, a pie-maker who can bring people back to life, but with some strong conditions and Anna Friel as the adorable Chuck, who Ned resurrects in the pilot. Kristen Chenoweth and Chi McBride were part of the great supporting cast, with the talented Alan Dale narrating this clever show. Quirky, fun, daring and ultimately ahead of its time, it lasted only two amazing seasons. This is one show that Ned can't resurrect, sadly.

2. Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles - I'm still wondering why this show was canceled and the disappointing Dollhouse was renewed. This was a great show where you could see some fantastic acting and action each week from people like Lena Headey, Thomas Dekker and the awesome Summer Glau, who many fans will recognize from Firefly (another show that Fox canceled way too early). I'm so mad at Fox for canceling this show, but perhaps with the upcoming movie, there was just too much Terminator and unfortunately, unlike the real Terminator, this one won't be back.

3. Life On Mars - I'm sad to say that this won't be nearly as successful as the British series it was based on, although I can't tell you why. Featuring a fantastic cast that included Jason O'Mara, Harvey Keitel, Gretchen Mol and Micheal Imperioli, this show was a great blending of multiple genres such as the police procedural, action show, science fiction and deserved to be given more of a chance than it did. At least the cancellation decision gave the producers enough time to wrap up the storyline decently, but I wish there could've been more. If only I could go back in time to convince them of that.

4. Reaper - While this show isn't officially canceled, it doesn't look promising and any future iteration of the show would be appearing on Sunday nights on select CW affiliates. It's on life support and the reaper is here to claim this one. I think we'll have to part with this one, although it had an interesting premise of a young slacker whose parents sold his soul to the devil and is now forced to work for the devil to retrieve lost souls who have escaped. With a great cast of Bret Harrison, Missy Peregrym, Tyler Labine and Ray Wise, this show should have lasted a lot longer than it did. I can only hope this show ends up in tv heaven.

5. Kings - This one is one that never caught on, although it was an ambitous and exceedingly intriguing show. Set in the nation of Gilboa, which is very similar to the United States and is a modern day retelling of the story of King David, as the series begins with the well-known story of Goliath with a present day twist and continues with all of the twists and turns you could expect. A fantastic premise, excellently acted, well told story and the cast was great with Christopher Egan, the immensely talented Ian McShane, Brian Cox, Leslie Bibb, Allison Miller, Macalculay Culkin, Wes Studi and yet, despite it all, it will have only lasted one season. I'll lay the blame on NBC for not promoting the show properly, but regardless, it's gone the way of Goliath.

But, no worries. There will still be great television to watch when summer is over, but until then, just have fun and stay classy.

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Up

(Movie Review)

I took the time tonight to go watch Pixar's newest animated film and was immediately inspired afterwards to write about it. Each year, Pixar continues to take risks and be impressively innovative in the animated market, when many companies attempt and fail. Take, for example, last year's Wall-E (an amazing film in its right) which had a robot protagonist who really couldn't speak and most of the communication is through squeaks, whistles, looks and such. For much of the film, it was a silent fmovie and yet still, one of the best releases of last year. I can't say enough good things about Pixar, who I've been huge fans of since Toy Story, their very first film. Each year, I question whether this latest Pixar movie will be able to meet the high expectations that come from being a Pixar movie and I've never been disappointed (maybe a little bit with Cars, but even that's still better than many animated films that are put out nowadays). Now, I'm happy to report that Pixar does it again. Not only does it meet the lofty expectactions I set for it, but it soars right over them. (Sorry - couldn't help myself!)

Up

Released: May 29, 2009.
Starring: Ed Asner, Jordan Nagai, Christopher Plummer, Bob Peterson, John Ratzenberger.
Running Time: 1 Hour and 36 Minutes (96 Minutes)
Director: Pete Docter.

Carl Fredrickson (Ed Asner) and his wife Ellie always wanted to go adventuring down to South America, as they both dream of becoming explorers. The opening montage opens up with their meeting during childhood, their romance and ideal romance. Even after marriage, they still dream of going out on adventures and yet, as life tends to do, it gets in the way. By the time the montage is over, their dreams of travel have been postponed and Carl ends up leading a much different life, one completely devoid of adventure as he seldom travels anywhere beyond his front porch.

However, as you might guess from the trailers, this lifestyle isn't meant to last and through the efforts of a greedy land developer, Carl is being forced to be evicted from his home and heading towards a retirement home. But, rather than being carted off to a retirement community, Carl decides to use his lifelong career as a balloon salesman as he uses thousands of helium balloons to lift himself up into the air to fullfill their dreams of traveling down to South America once and for all. Of course, things don't go quite as planned as a young Wilderness Explorer, Russell (Jordan Nagai) comes along for the ride while trying to ern his merit badge for assisting the elderly. Adding to the magical adventure are a pack of talking dogs (with the standout being Dug, who is a classic character and adds a ton of charm to the film), a dangerous elderly explorer (fantastically voiced by Christopher Plummer in a menacing turn), a wounded jungle bird, a flying dirigible and some gorgeous imagery which only highlights a beautiful film. Put them all together and you have one of Pixar's best films yet. Considering Pixar's predecessors, that's saying a lot.

Whereas Wall-E was a homage to sci-fi films, Up reminds me a lot of the early Indiana Jones films (not the new Indiana Jones film) with its imagination, thrills and adventure. However, it's one of those rare films which manages to succeed in many different ways as it can alternately make you laugh, cheer, smile and even cry. At its heart, it is truly a touching film. I watched the film in Disney 3-D, which is probably the first 3D film I've ever seen and I'll confess that I was thankful for those big 3-D glasses from time to time while I was choking back a few tears. Overall though, I didn't feel like the 3-D element was used too often but with a film like this, it hardly needs any added spectacle when it's already quite amazing on its own. Perhaps amazing isn't a strong enough word for a film like this, as it's really a beautiful film to watch, with some great scenes as they fly through the air in the flying house and even more colorful scenery follows once they arrive in Brazil, all the way to the exciting finale. It's a film anchored by some strong characterization as its easy to forget you're watching an animated film sometimes, considering how deeply you get involved with the characters. While I'm not easily moved by films, this one certainly did.

Of course, the film wouldn't be complete without an incredible score, which in this instance is done by Micheal Giacchino, who I was fortunate enough to discover through the television show Alias and has been one of my favorite composers ever since. I'm genuinely glad to see him really achieving some mainstream success. This summer he has composed the scores for this must-see movie and Star Trek, another of the best films to be released so far in 2009. Micheal Giacchino has been doing scores for several of the past Pixar films and contributes yet again with another soundtrack which perfectly matches the material. The music accompanies the film brilliantly and really adds to the experience.

I find it difficult to believe that this movie succeeds on so many levels and yet, somehow, it does. It's a sweet film that is another great achievement in a long list for Pixar. The movie grips you early and once they take off into the clouds, you're along for the ride and trust me, you won't regret it for a moment. Long after the ride is over, this film will stick with you. What you will regret is if you don't see this movie. So, even if you do have to use 10,000 helium balloons to reach your nearest theatre displaying this movie, make the trip. Up, up and away!

Rating: Five Stars (High Five!)

(Now, in a movie which received lots of cheers and clapping, including a standing ovation from many audience members (including myself), the loudest cheers of all might have been for this particular teaser trailer which presents what may very well be the highlight of next summer. It's certainly one of the films I'm looking forward to next year and even the brief charm in this teaser certainly is better than anything we'll see in entire other animated films released this year - the only bad thing about this trailer is that we have to wait a whole year for Toy Story 3!)