So This Is Saturday....

Gary Coleman is dead and I don’t feel so fine myself. I was a huge fan of ‘Diff’rent Strokes’ as a kid in the 70’s. From the media coverage over the years, it seems Mr. Coleman was very eager to leave “Arnold Drummond” behind. I just hope his last hours of being awake before Wednesday evening’s unconsciousness somehow brought him as much comfort as possible.

Watched Kevin Eubanks’ final “Tonight Show” gig last night. It was the usual fare. He calls successor Ricky Minor "the perfect choice. Among many jobs, Minor was the main musical force and director at “American Idol”. Eubanks is going to pursue recording endeavors and helping inter city music programs in Philadelphia.

Man, has Craig Ferguson really stepped it up on CBS’ “The Late Late Show”. Consistently for the past few months his show has been better then Letterman’s.

A new report exposes the United States’ military option in Pakistan in regards to the war on terror.
Click here for more. http://arabnews.com/world/article58897.ece

Ford Motor Company has announced it’s dropping the Mercury brand of vehicles.

Did anyone see the 2nd Lost Boys movie a couple of years ago? Well, there is now a 3rd “Lost Boys” movie being released-- Clikc HERE

Film director Oliver Stone said on Friday Venezuela's Hugo Chavez was misunderstood by the Western media, but said the socialist president should consider cutting back on his hours-long television appearances. Clickity Click HERE for the story.

Mark your calendars- NEXT Friday, June 4th is National Doughnut Day! Dunkin Donuts giving doughnuts away. Check around for other’s following suit.

The next Robert Downey Jr Sherlock Holmes movie will come to the big screen on Dec. 16 ... 2011.

The upcoming "Batman: Under the Red Hood" direct to DVD movie will have a 15 minute animated Jonah Hex story on it.

According to CBR new (cbr.com/news), actor James McAvoy has been cast as Charles Xavier in what is now being referred to as "X-Men: First Class." It does call into question just when in the timeline of Fox's "X-Men" series the film will take place. Granted, they all take place in some nebulous "near future." Even "Wolverine," which should clearly take place in the past tended to avoid anything that might date it besides the younger Stryker and Xavier

The Hollywood Reporter is reporting that Warner Chairman and CEO Barry Meyer says that DC Comic’s "The Flash is nearing a green light.”Wonder Woman" and "Aquaman" were also mentioned by Meyer as being in development. Green Lantern is set to star in his own animated series. The series is set to air a year after the film is released to theaters.

Well, get out there and have fun this weekend.
More later possibly.

See ya!
J

Happy Tuesday!

The above picture is of Serena Williams during this week's French Tennis Tourney!

Today is National Geek Pride Day!!

Paul Gray, the bassist for Slipknot, has died. He was 38.

The Island Packet newspaper of Hilton Head Island SC reported yesterday that a large curved object washed up on the beach at Palmetto Dunes over the weekend. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the object as part of a satellite launched from an Ariane 5 rocket. Ralph Wagner of Shore Beach Services says labels on the object read "Made in France." Sheriff's deputies remain posted around the debris Tuesday afternoon until it can be removed.

After five years on cable outlets like CMT and TLC, the Miss America pageant has signed a three-year deal to return to ABC, starting with next year's pageant.

North Korea declared Tuesday that it would sever all communication and relations with Seoul as punishment for blaming the North for the sinking of a South Korean warship two months ago.

Senator Benigno Aquino, set to become the Philippines' next president, said Monday he is not ready to quit smoking yet because it could affect his decision making

The White House has agreed to support lifting the military’s ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy.

Jake Gyllenhaal says that during his 'Prince of Persia' press junket, he was told not to smile or laugh while in Russia.

Mark Twain's dying wish has finally been granted: His lengthy autobiography is set to be published on the 100th anniversary of his death. The first volume of Twain's 5,000-page manuscript, which has been sitting inside a vault at the University of California, Berkeley, will hit the press in November 2010. (Thanks Myra!) You can read more about it

Christina Aguilera and U2 have cancelled the remaining dates on their respective tours. Aguilera has cancelled due to prior movie commitments, U2 because of Bono’s recovery from weekend back surgery. Make up dates have not been announced.

David Byrne is suing the governor of Florida, alleging that he used the Talking Heads' 1985 single "Road to Nowhere" without permission or proper licenses. Byrne is seeking $1 million in damages.

The Hobbit is SO close to pre-production. The scripts are reportedly in and the film is set to begin casting in November.


And finally, The Nikki Haley camp is still vehemently denying Will Folk’s claim of an inappropriate physical relationship. On Folk’s web site/ blog, it seems they’re teasing Mrs. Haley to sue them to prove their accusations false. Whether you believe her or him or neither one of them, you have to admit Nikki Haley’s acting very classy in regards to this. Many national outlets and national media are picking up on this. Even Sarah Palin has chimed in support of Nikki. I used to know Will Folks back when he Mark Sanford’s spokesman and before his fall when he and his then fiancé were shoving each other around during a fight and Will got arrested for it. I would REALLY like to talk to him though the website/blog site says neither he nor they will respond any further regarding the matter. It’s not the Will Folks I knew or had lunch with down in Columbia a couple of 3 or 4 times. Both of our world’s have dramatically changed since then.

Happy Monday!

HAPPY MONDAY! What a busy day for me here at work. I'd better get started....

The Plane! The Plane!!! Jack's dead! Everybody's dead! Move on, now! It's estimated that over fifty people or MORE watched the end of ABC's "Lost" last night. YAWN!! Tonight, another Jack, Jack Bauer and Fox's '24'does the same. Probably over 100 people may check THAT out.

Frequent near death guy/ rock legend Bret Michaels was named the winner of NBC's 'Celebrity Apprentice' season 3, ousting finalist Holly Robinson Peete.

Paula Abdul is taking part in a special send-off for Simon Cowell that will be shown during the finale of American Idol this week.

Shrek 32 made a paltry $71 million dollars according to weekend estimates. Can you imagine the totals if they WEREN'T charging $10 or $15 a ticket for 3D? The below are tentative until Tuesday AM.
1. Shrek Forever After 3D (DWA/Par) NEW [4,359 Theaters]
Friday $20M, Saturday $29M, Weekend $72M
2. Iron Man 2 (Marvel/Paramount) Week 3 [4,177 Theaters]
Friday $7.8M, Saturday $11.4M, Weekend $26M, Cume $256M
3. Robin Hood (Universal) Week 2 [3,505 Theaters]
Friday $5.5M, Saturday $7.9M, Weekend $18.5M (-49%), Cume $66M
4. Letters To Juliet (Summit) Week 2 [2,975 Theaters]
Friday $3M, Saturday $3.7M, Weekend $9M (-34%), Cume $27.2M
5. Just Wright (Fox Searchlight/Fox) Week 2 [1,831 Theaters]
Friday $1.3M, Saturday $1.9M, Weekend $4.3M (-48%), Cume $14.7M
6. MacGruber (Rogue/Universal) NEW [2,551 Theaters]
Friday $1.6M, Saturday $1.5M, Weekend $4.1M
7. Date Night (Fox) Week 7 [1,869 Theaters]
Friday $1M, Estimated Weekend $3M, Estimated Cume $90M

Google has reinstated its Pac-Man game after removing it from the main page of google.com earlier Sunday. The game, which saw the “Google” logo embedded into a playable Pac-Man game board, had been put in place in honor of the legendary arcade game’s 30th anniversary. Although temporarily not available at all upon its removal from the Google homepage, Pac-Man can now be found – and played for free – at google.com/pacman.

37 year old Jose Lima, former MLB pitcher has died of an apparent heart attack at his home in Pasadena, Calif Sunday.

Three vehicles in a motorcade taking former President Bill Clinton to Yale University to give a speech on Sunday afternoon were involved in a minor accident, the Connecticut State Police said. One person was taken to a hospital with a minor injury. Later on Clinton told Yale seniors on Sunday to listen to people with whom they disagree in order to work together to resolve differences.

The space shuttle Atlantis undocked from the International Space Station at 11:22 am New York time Sunday on its last scheduled mission in orbit after almost 25 years of service, NASA said. Weather permitting, it should return Wednesday.

It’s official: Britney Spears has just become the top Twitter account, surpassing longtime Twitter king Ashton Kutcher by a margin of a handful followers. Each account’s actual number of followers continues to fluctuate by the second, but Spears seems to be maintaining a tenuous lead.

Whitney Matheson at USA Today's Pop Candy blog is reporting that on On July 8 select theaters will start screening Grease, the 1978 musical starring John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John. This time around, the release will show subtitles during the musical numbers, so audiences are encouraged to sing loudly and proudly.

FOX TV phenom "Glee" has been picked up for a 3rd season. I don't get it, but millions of other viewers/fans do.

Speaking of which, Google Inc. is attempting to answer the increasingly difficult question posed by television viewers faced with hundreds of programming choices: What should I watch? At the company's developer conference last week in San Francisco, Google predicted it would "change the future of television" with an effort to bring order to programming chaos in the same way that it organized the fire hose of information on the Web. Known as Google TV, the new television platform would allow viewers to access Internet content on their televisions in addition to traditional broadcast and cable programming. Despite bringing even more choice to the mix, Google is pitching the initiative as an easier way for audiences to find television shows and Internet content through a single search box instead of fumbling with remotes and on-screen programming guides.

Scream 4 has begun pre-production. It's rumored to star Ashley Greene and Hayden Panettiere along with the old standbys including Courteney Cox, Neve Campbell, Lake Bell, and David Arquette. Actress Lake bell and Rory Culkin are also rumored to be in this one.

Actor James Franco has been attached to the soon to begin production of the prequel "Planet of the Apes" re-launch. The story will take place in today's modern timeline.

Prince Edward, who at age 46 is seventh in line to the British throne behind his brothers Charles and Andrew and their children, flies to GreenVegas on Thursday and will stay here until the following Sunday, with several events on the agenda, including something he's never done before; roasting marshmallows and making s'mores. I hope they take him to "The Beacon" in Spartanburg.

That's all for now, see ya"ll later God willin'.

John

Neat Li'l Discovery

Well, I don't like popular music, but I discovered this li'l mashup of an old Kraftwerk song (I like Kraftwerk) and a Timbaland song. VERY good mix of both songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEBDkJib7sY

What do you think?

Good Thursday Afternoon!

Lawmakers have agreed on legislation to extend expanded unemployment benefits for the long-term unemployed through the end of the year. Laid off workers would also continue to get subsidies to buy health insurance through the COBRA program
go HERE

Meanwhile, El Weasel, Mexican President Felipe Calderon, is coming to OUR soil and admonishing The United States of America for Arizona's new legislation towards criminals who may be also be illegal immigrants, to reduces America's demand for illegal drugs, and to stop the flow of assault weapons and other arms into Mexico. Sure, no problem Pepe!!!! To read this nonsense, elclicko HERE-O


HAHAHAHA! The White House party crashers, Michaele and Tareq Salahi, were stopped in a limo near the White House Wednesday evening as President Barack Obama was holding his second official state dinner. The limo driver ran through a red light around 8 p.m., just blocks from the White House and was stopped by a uniformed Secret Service officer, according to Secret Service spokesman Edwin Donovan. The driver had signaled to turn into a restricted area near the Ellipse. The attention-hungry couple was among those in the limo. They were released and went to dinner a few blocks from the White House after the incident. The limo driver was issued an infraction for running the red light.

The world's largest chocolate maker says it may have come up with a chocolate bar that could fight wrinkles and slow the aging process, making it the latest food group to tap the appetite for healthier living. Click HERE for more info


No "Broke Back" goins on in Malawi anymore. A judge sentenced a couple to the maximum 14 years in prison with hard labor under Malawi's anti-gay legislation, and crowds jeered the two men as they were driven from the court house to jail Thursday.
Click here

No good liar and back stabber Floyd Landis is cryig and trying to deflect critisism on him and direct it towards Lance Armstrong accusing the former Mr Sheryl Crow of involvement in doping. Go HERE for the rest of the sad story


An Englewood Florida woman was shocked when her new driver's license sent in the mail listed her address as "Eat ASS." Initially, Ashlee Lineberger assumed it was a joke, but upon further investigation, she found that it was indeed a legitimate license - See the card and video HERE

Comedian and talk show host Craig Kilborn is to return to TV screens with a new daily talk show this summer. 'The Kilborn File' will debut June 28th for a six-week run on Fox television stations in in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Austin and Detroit. As has been widely reported, Kilborn will produce and host the half-hour show, which will feature his take on current affairs and pop culture. Guests will join him for recurring segments such as his signature 'Five Questions', and take part in a 'Power Panel', which will discuss the day's big issues. Announcing the show, Greg Meidel, President, Twentieth Television, said that the new show will see Kilborn placing "his unique comedy stamp on the talk show format."

and finally, An investigation by The Colorado Division of Gaming determined that the correct prize for a woman's $42.9 million slot machine jackpot is actually $20.18. In late March, a Colorado woman at Fortune Valley Casino in Central City received a false jackpot message when her penny slot machine announced a winnings of $42.9 million -- far more than the posted sum of $251, 000. The woman, Louise Chavez, says she's owed the full jackpot. A spokesman for the Colorado Gaming Division, however, said the top prize was clearly posted in the casino and as such Chavez's winnings are attributable only to a software glitch. Fortune Valley Casino had previously paid Chavez $23.43 for her prize, including $10 in unused credit still in the slot machine. Her $7 of unpaid winnings will be paid by the slot machine manufacturer, WMS Gaming.

HAPPY THURSDAY! (AM Edition!)

To me, this is SO funny- thanks to my boss Jo for telling me about it yesterday afternoon!! Earlier in the week, Los Angeles announced it may boycott Arizona and suspend business becaue of the Arizona law requiring authorities to check the immigration status of criminals and alleged criminals it arrests.On Wednesday, an Arizona official struck back, threatening to match Los Angeles' boycott with one of his own - turning off the power it supplies Los Angeles with. Here's the link to the story - http://www.dailyfinance.com/story/immigration-arizona-los-angeles/19483904/

My Fellow nerds at the nerdery have published an interesting story that makes anti-matter less frightening. At least to me...Click HERE to read more


My fellow nerds have also determined that the Earth has 0.3 billion cubic miles (1.332 billion cubic kilometers) of oceans and 12,080.7 feet (3,682.2 meters) for the average ocean depth. Ye land dwellers can read more HERE

I read on Whitney Matheson's Pop Candy blog at USA Today that Megan Fox will not be appearing in Transformers 3. She says it was her decision to leave; other sources say it wasn't.

Also at Pop Candy, MTV is launching a TV series based on Michael J Fox's Teen Wolf movie form the 80's.

Disgraced Tour de France winner and NOW liar Floyd Landis has sent a series of e-mails to cycling officials and sponsors admitting to the use of performance enhancing drugs, the Wall Street Journal reported today. Click HERE to read more

The Koreas are at it again. Apparently the North ahs torpedoed one of the South's ships killing 46 sailors. Click HERE to read more about continued northern agression!!


A Dutch sex shop will be giving away 2,000 "Pope condoms" this weekend in a dig at the Roman Catholic Church. Click HERE to learn where to get 'em!

Earlier this week I actually got a few emails seeking my "artistic" participation in this on Facebook. Pakistan's government ordered Internet service providers to block Facebook and YouTube amid anger over a page and videos that encourages users to post images of Islam's Prophet Muhammad. Click HERE if you're an infidel


that's all for nwo, better get back to work!

John
0837hrs

YES, FINALLY!!

from Variety.com

"Smallville" to end its run after next season
By: Michael Schneider
Published: Wed, May 19, 2010, 3:25 PM


The CW has confirmed that "Smallville's" upcoming tenth season will be its last.

"Smallville" star Tom Welling revealed the news this morning.


News isn't a huge surprise, as the show is aging, and an end date appeared to be in the works for some time. "Smallville" appeared ready fly from the airwaves after this season -- but the show performed well enough to earn a 10th season renewal back in March. Show had been tops in its timeslot with hard-to-reach men 18-34 and men 18-49.

For Welling, the word that "Smallville" will officially wrap next year comes as he's also celebrating a new project at the CW: The drama "Hellcats," which his shingle produces.

"Smallville" first aired in October 2001 on the WB, and made the transition to the CW in 2006 when that new netlet launched.

"Smallville" was developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar. Kelly Souders and Brian Peterson are executive producers, along with James Marshall, Mike Tollin, Brian Robbins and Joe Davola. Warner Bros. Television is the studio.

After nine seasons, "Smallville" has produced 195 episodes.
Announcement will allow the CW to prep a final marketing push to send the show out. Once "Smallville" departs, "Supernatural" and "One Tree Hill" will rep the final two shows on the CW left over from the WB days.

Besides "Smallville," See-Dub has already picked up "The Vampire Diaries," "Gossip Girl," "90210," "Supernatural," "One Tree Hil," Life Unexpected" and "America's Next Top Model" for another season. New shows include "Nikita" and "Hellcats."


The CW will announce its schedule Thursday at Madison Square Garden

FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION DUE OUT JULY 13TH

from REMHQ.com

FABLES OF THE RECONSTRUCTION 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION DUE OUT JULY 13TH

The band has teamed with Capitol/I.R.S. for the July 13 release of an expanded 25th Anniversary 2CD and digital edition of the band’s 1985 album, Fables Of The Reconstruction. The new edition features the digitally remastered original album, plus 14 previously unreleased demo recordings, cut prior to the album’s studio sessions, including one long-sought track that has never been released. The commemorative release also adds insightful new liner notes by Peter with the 2CD package presented in a lift-top box with a poster and four postcards. On the same date, the remastered original album will be released on 180-gram vinyl.

Fables Of The Reconstruction, recorded during the winter of 1985 in London, England, distant in geography, weather and culture from R.E.M.’s Athens, Georgia home, represented a musical step forward for the band.

Produced by Joe Boyd (also known for his work with British folk and folk-rock musicians, including Nick Drake, Richard Thompson, and Fairport Convention), Fables marked the beginning of a more narrative, storytelling lyrical style in R.E.M.’s songwriting, with its songs spinning vivid tales of everyday life in the American South.

Before going to London to record, R.E.M. huddled in Jim Hawkins’ Athens, Georgia studio for a few weeks of building new songs from fragments, including many which had emerged during soundchecks along the band’s 1984 tour.

In his liner notes, Peter Buck recalls, “The last day of rehearsal, I think with Joe Boyd in attendance, Jim Hawkins recorded what we had come up with. We spent about four hours recording all the new songs live, with minimal overdubs. I hadn't listened to this stuff since we recorded it, and I'm kind of stunned at how good it is. My memory of the rehearsals is us scrambling to finish songs. The songs on both Murmur and Reckoning had been performed for months if not years by the time they were committed to tape. I remember feeling dangerously unprepared when we flew to London, but on the evidence of this recording we must have known what we were doing.”

“The Athens Demos,” as R.E.M. has dubbed them, comprise the new edition’s second disc of 14 previously unreleased recordings, including drafts of Fables’ 11 songs and three additional tracks that didn’t make the album. The three non-album demos include two early versions of songs that were later revisited by the band and recorded for other releases and one song, “Throw Those Trolls Away,” making its release debut on this new edition.

In the U.S., Fables Of The Reconstruction peaked at #28 on The Billboard 200, and its singles, “Can’t Get There From Here” and “Driver 8,” reached #14 and #22 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock chart, respectively. In the U.K., Fables reached #35, the band’s highest U.K. chart position to that point in their career.

“It's a personal favorite,” writes Buck, “and I'm really proud of how strange it is. Nobody but R.E.M. could have made that record. It took our four twisted personalities and the legendary Joe Boyd to make an album that character-filled and vibey.”

Place a PRE-ORDER at amazon.com

Fables Of The Reconstruction(25th Anniversary Edition) (2CD, digital)
Disc One: digitally remastered original album
1. Feeling Gravity’s Pull
2. Maps and Legends
3. Driver 8
4. Life and How To Live It
5. Old Man Kensey
6. Can’t Get There From Here
7. Green Grow The Rushes
8. Kohoutek
9. Auctioneer (Another Engine)
10. Good Advices
11. Wendell Gee
Disc Two: “The Athens Demos”
1. Auctioneer (Another Engine) [demo version]
2. Bandwagon [demo version] [final version was B-side to “Can't Get There From Here”]
3. Can’t Get There From Here [demo version]
4. Driver 8 [demo version]
5. Feeling Gravity’s Pull [demo version]
6. Good Advices [demo version]
7. Green Grow The Rushes [demo version]
8. Hyena [demo version] [album version appeared on Life’s Rich Pageant]
9. Kohoutek [demo version]
10. Life and How To Live It [demo version]
11. Maps and Legends [demo version]
12. Old Man Kensey [demo version]
13. Throw Those Trolls Away [demo version] [previously unreleased]
14. Wendell Gee [demo version]

R.E.M. credits from original album
M.E. Mills - Consulate Mediator
W.T. Berry - Best Boy
P.L. Buck - Ministry of Music
J.M. Stipe - Gaffer Interpreter

All songs by Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe
except "Old Man Kensey" By Berry/Buck/Mills/Stipe/Ayers
and “Bandwagon” By Berry/Buck/Mills/M.Stipe/L.Stipe

I just read where U2 is STILL touring out on the “left coast” in support of the 360 movie. This kinda saddens me in a way. I was hoping for a GOOD album soon, not the mediocrity of the past 2 releases. A great band burning so bright. I gotta wonder how long it’s gonna last. The Rolling Stones just released an updated version of the 1973 album “Exile on Main Street” featuring 10 new tracks that were “thrown away” during the original recordings. Included are new versions of 'Soul Survivor' and 'Loving Cup'.


Thought this “Periodic Table of Super Powers” was kinda net… http://www.blogcdn.com/www.comicsalliance.com/media/2010/05/periodictable-2.jpg

It appears ABC and NBC are jumping on the superhero bandwagon with each introducing superhero themed shows for this fall. NBC’s “The Cape” features “a good cop framed for a crime he didn’t commit” scenario. The pilot actually looks decent; not good, to me anyway. I KNOW the luster will soon fade and this show will end as quickly as it’s appearing. Here’s a link ot the trailer - http://www.nbc.com/the-cape/video/the-cape-full-length-trailer/1228325/?dst=nbc%7Cwidget%7CNBC+Video&__source=nbc%7Cwidget%7CNBC+Video

ABC has “No Ordinary Family”. It has Michael Chiklis in a familiar “Fantastic Four” role. While vacationing near the Amazon River, the family’s plane crashes into a section of the river that has a strange phosphorous glow! They all live and come back home to discover each family member has “super human” abilities. I expected something different form the company that owns Disney/Marvel. Like NBC’s “The Cape’, this show will probably lose favor and interest and be cancelled. But not until the 2nd or 3rd season. Here is the Link: http://www.latimes.com/videobeta/dde7045d-9221-4c80-b922-943f71a6172f/Entertainment/-No-Ordinary-Family-on-ABC

What say you?!?!?!



More later!!!



John

Happy Tuesday!

Hope you're having a great day. Let's get to some of the stuff I saw on the interweb today...

TBS has given the hit CBS series " Big Bang Theory" one of most lucrative TV syndication deals ever. Although terms were not discussed, Variety has stated that it “set a record price for a cable off-network sitcom purchase.” Big Bang is now in it's third season and currently is the highest-rated sitcom on television among adults aged 18 to 49.

In SHOCKING news, eating bacon, sausage, hot dogs and other processed meats can raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes, U.S. researchers said on Monday in a study. Some OTHER SHOCKING new research suggests that exposure to high levels of organophosphate pesticides, commonly found on berries, celery and other produce, could raise the odds for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children.

In REALLY?!?! news, China has criticized the United States for violating human rights regarding Arizona's tough new law cracking down on illegal immigration. REALLY?!?!?!

A waitress at a Charlotte, NC Brixx Oven eatery is out of a job after griping on her Facebook page about the $5 tip she got from a couple who sat at their table for three hours

2010 Miss USA, Rima Fakih has been hit with a scandal. A video and pictures show the 24-year-old girl taking the stage of the Coliseum Gentleman's Club and performing a stripper dance in front of the crowd. However, she did not take off her clothes during the competition. One image, meanwhile, captures her with dollar bills slipped in her bra as she came out as the winner at the event. 2009 Miss USA, Carrie Prejean, lost her first runner-up title after her semi topless photos were found.

According to CBR News (CBR.COM), There’s a chance "Heroes" could return just long enough to wave goodbye to fans according to reports that NBC may talk to creator Tim Kring about producing a movie or some other event to wrap up remaining storylines

Charlie Sheen has agreed to a new contract that will keep him on 'Two and a Half Men" for two more seasons.

Consumers are more satisfied than ever with their cell phone service, according to survey being published Tuesday. The American Customer Satisfaction Index for cell phone service was 72 on a 100-point scale in the first quarter this year. That rose three points from last year and is the highest grade since the survey started looking at wireless in 2004.

"Iron Man 2" held off another summer blockbuster, "Robin Hood," to remain at the top of the box office for a second-straight week. The sequel, starring Robert Downey Jr. as the Marvel Comics superhero, made just over $52 million for a total of $211.2 million since its May 7 debut.

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday!

I am sick with a nasty cold and am looking forward to a weekend of 12 hour days at "the happiest place in the world" playing with helicopters and fire trucks- YIPPEE!

Thankful I have a job --thankful I have a job!

The reviews for Russell Crowe's "Robin Hood" are expressing the way I feel watching the trailers for it: WAY too serious. Don't get me wrong, I'm not expecting Mel Brooks' "Men in Tights" or even a comedy. Then again, I don't go to see a Robin Hood film as dramatic as 'Gladiator'. Think I'll wait on this one.

I've heard good things about the chick flick "Letters to Juliet". Of course with it's predictable ending, it's really not that bad according to what I've been told. My wife will drag me to Sex and the City 2: Whores in The Desert" in a couple of weeks.

All week I've been battling this horrible chest/head cold from hell. I've been watching some movies too.

I saw "Kick Ass"- the juvenile superhero movie. I was so surprised how well I liked it. Which is probably NOT a surprise for me wife. I really enjoyed it. Though it got some harsh reviews (one person told me they saw it reviewed as 'SUCK Ass').

Also checked out "Daybreakers" with Ethan Hawke, Wilam Dafoe, and Sam Neil. The premise is that a "bat virus" has pretty much turned the world into vampires and the remaining humans are hunted down and "farmed". The problem is, the world's blood supply is running out and the results "aren't too good!". To make things worse, the This movie had GREAT promise but really went down hill to me; despite some good, unique twists that weren't put in "just for the sake of being quirky or a twist". Not so much as to say you shouldn't see it. To me, it's definitely worth a DVD rental. AND it's out this week.

Alvin and the Chipmunks 2: The Squeakeul (sp?)- I saw it in 2 parts. Feh.....

Looking forward to George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead on May 28th....

I did like being at home 2 days with my dogs. Grilled out some tasty bacon cheese burgers yesterday.

I read where Chris Hemsworth has finished his part in filming the big screen adaptation of the comic book story and Avengers lead in "THOR". He says while the suit looks REALLY cool, it's uncomfortable as hell and he's glad to be out of it for a while.


There's an interesting story about the porno parody of the 60's Batman TV show at Comic book resources- http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=26220. There's a trailer for it at youtube.com .

HAPPY 50th BIRTHDAY TO PAUL DAVID HEWSON!!

actually, it was Monday, May 10-th.

My brother, an internationally famous radio guy, sent me this LINK to IGN's ranking of the 100 Comic Book Villains- what say you?

A 40-foot sculpture in rural Maryland of three New York City firefighters raising the U.S. flag at ground zero is being offered on eBay, but there's a catch: You can't take it home. Click HERE for the story..

Thanks to the GINORMOUS media coverage and success of Betty White's appearance on SNL this past weekend, MORE SNL campaigns have already started popping up on Facebook.

Wanna know what the most USELESS college degrees are? Well, least paying anyway. Yahoo! has compiled the list HERE.

Happy Tuesday!!

Monday Monday Afternoon

Here's some stuff on the world wide net early this afternoon!

Illustrator Frank Frazetta passed away today at the age of 82. He has drawn several iconic comic book and fantasy characters such as Conan the Barbarian. He has worked for DC Comics but recently created and drew original characters for Image Comics.


TMZ is reporting that callers have been flooding phone lines at the Miss USA pageant complaining about the racy photos degrading the “wholesome” pageant that stresses its college scholarships. See for yourself - http://missuniverse.com/missusa/members/contestants .To me, this is just a way to drawn interest into the pageant.

Twitter has confirmed the existence of a bug that can force one user to follow another. The bug appears to have originally been noticed by a Turkish blog, followed by the blog Webrazzi, which successfully tested it out and forced the Twitter accounts of industry luminaries like Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Twitter CEO Evan Williams to follow a dummy profile. The flaw allowed members to add followers to their own accounts, basically, by tweeting "accept" followed by "@" and any given Twitter user name. Twitter spokesman Sean Garrett told CNET that the bug is "unfortunately" real, and that "we're focused on fixing it now (and) hope to know a lot more about the specifics once that's done."

CASH FOR CAULKERS – is a new proposal modeled after last year’s “cash for clunkers” program rewarding home owners for making their homes for energy efficient. It’ll cost the US taxpayers over $6.6 billion dollars. Evil, right wing FOX news website has a calculator for you to see how much of this proposal, if passed, you would be on the hook for…. http://www.foxnews.com/topics/cash-for-caulkers.htm


British Prime Minister Gordon Brown has resigned and announced he is stepping down in September... Yippee!!


Presidential frontrunner Senator Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino has won a decisive victory in today's elections in the Philippines.


Lena Horne remains dead..


Former New Edition member/ ex Mr. Whitney Houston Bobby Brown is engaged. Over the weekend he proposed to his girlfriend Alicia Etheridge. No relation to Melissa Etheridge (HA!)


From Billboard.com -- Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, Toby Keith, Taylor Swift and Carrie Underwood are among the artists who will perform at a benefit to assist victims of the middle Tennessee flooding. The concert was organized by McGraw, Hill, and Red Light Management. Nashville Rising: a Benefit Concert for Flood Recovery will take place June 22 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Also on the bill are Brooks & Dunn, Luke Bryan, Miley Cyrus, Amy Grant, Miranda Lambert, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Martina McBride, LeAnn Rimes and Michael W. Smith.


Attorney General Eric Holder said changes may be needed to allow law ... about their Miranda rights to a lawyer and to remain silent under interrogation. He states said changes may be needed to allow law enforcement more time to question suspected terrorists before they are told about their Miranda rights to a lawyer and to remain silent under interrogation.


And finally, poor old $100 million –aire Albert Haynesworth of the Washington Redskins. He was a no-show for the team's second voluntary minicamp this weekend and some of his lesser paid millionaire teammates aren't happy about continued absence. D- coordinator Jim Haslett is changing the ‘skins defense from a 4-3 to a 3-4- which Albert may not be too happy about.


Of course, while these early minicamps are “voluntary”, the Redskins finished last season with only 4 wins. It’s kind of like one of those voluntary- Involuntary things. PLUS he has the stigma of being paid so much and not quite performing up to high standards and expectations last year. It seems that every story I’ve read since Mike Shanahan replaced Jim Zorn as the coach of the Redskins earlier this year concerning Albert has been negative. It’s almost predictable to me. And that’s a shame. AND a fact of life in the NFL unfortunately.

Happy Chock-Full-O-Stuff Monday Morning!!

Happy Monday!

Well, as happy as it can be, I suppose. I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day. My wife really enjoyed the card and stuff from “the dogs”.

What beautiful weather we’ve had here in SC this weekend! Saturday, I walked around downtown Greenville and experienced some of the downtown festival/sales event that WAS “Artisphere”.

Later that night, I saw one of the best Saturday Night Live episodes ever. I expected Betty White to be funny in a couple of skits. Especially the predictable ones with sexual content and extreme age variances. Her appearance brought out seemingly every female SNL alum from the 90’s- Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Ana Gasteyer, Molly Shannon & Rachel Dratch. I’d have to say, every skit on the show was funny. Even the news segment. Jay Z was Jay Z.

On Friday I saw Iron Man 2 with a couple of GREAT friends (you KNOW who you are). I totally disagree with the few reviews I read concerning too many characters and a plodding story line (a couple compared Iron Man 2 to what doomed Spiderman 3). Though I wouldn’t suppose anyone would seek a complicated, cerebral challenging storyline in a movie such as Iron Man 2. One reviewer stated she thought the movie was too “cartoonish” at times. Really?!?!?! A comic book movie too cartoonish? In my opinion, there’s no reason not to go see Iron Man 2, if you’re into that kind of movie. I’m now of the opinion that sequels and subsequent movies mad in a series never have the charm or appeal of the original and never will (with the exception of the 1st Star Trek movie). Much like the many book-to-TV/Theatrical lost in translation scenarios, this is just something I guess we’ll have to live with. That being said, Iron Man 2 is a good movie, with a good pace. You can argue that Scarlett Johansson was wasted in this movie, but to me it’s a GOOD kind of waste, LOL! There’s a reference and a little poke at another MAJOR Marvel Character who is getting his own movie. Wait until after ALL of the credits have rolled by for an extra special tease about a certain Thunder God’s upcoming flick. It’s estimated that Iron Man 2 made around $133.6 million this weekend.

ON another note- I just learned about “smart dust” over the weekend. Conspiracy theorists unite!!!
Check this story out and let me know what you think….

http://www.cnn.com/2010/TECH/05/03/smart.dust.sensors/index.html

According to Wikipedia, Smartdust is a (not so anymore) hypothetical wireless network of tiny microelectromechanical sensors (MEMS), robots, or devices that can detect (for example) light, temperature, or vibration. I’ve read where certain cities are using smart dust to detect open or available parking spaces. A couple of cities are utilizing smart dust to reconfigure efforts to control traffic patterns. Of course, there are the moral implications that are too Orwellian.

other stuff I saw on the ol interweb this morning…

Lena Horne has died at the age of 92.

Looks like Barrack Obama is going to nominate the sexually ambiguous Elena Kagan to the Supreme Court. If confirmed, she will be the youngest person on the bench; replacing the oldest serving person.

A couple of sources are saying that gas prices may actually go DOWN in the coming weeks.

And finally, in Australia, An under-16 Australian Rules football team has come under fire for entering a sponsorship deal with a local Hooters franchise, with critics saying the move could give adolescent boys the wrong message. The Broadbeach Cats team in Australia's Gold Coast were cheered on by two skimpily-dressed staff from the Mermaid Beach franchise of the American restaurant chain during their home game against local side Labrador on the weekend.

"The message these boys are getting -- and bear in mind we're talking 15 and 16-year-old boys -- is that ... as a young footballer you have an entitlement to large-breasted women in skimpy outfits bouncing around at your games," women's advocate Melinda Tankard Reist said on an Australian morning television show.

Officially Announced Villain for CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER

He's been in The Lord of the Rings movies, Matrix movies, V for Vendetta, a voice in Happy Feet and Transformers, the upcoming Hobbit movies, The Wolfman, and now he's going to be Steve Roger's greatest adversary. Marvel Studios announced yesterday that Hugo Weaving has been cast to star as Johann Schmidt aka the Red Skull in the studio’s CAPTAIN AMERICA: THE FIRST AVENGER movie. According to the studio, the character will be updated for the feature adaptation.

Happy Wednesday Pt 2

According to muck-raker Terrence Trent Crawford Quinn-Quinn Crawford, Ric Flair is divorcing his wife. Or She's divorcing him....

Terrence Trent Crawford Quinn-Quinn Crawford, otherwise known as Cap'n Flaps Jackson states Flair is feeling "WHOOOnderful!" and the divorce is regarding Ric "WHOOO-ing" an onld woman on TV.....

Happy Wednesday!

what an AWESOME day !

here's some interweb quickies I saw this morning!

It looks like Corey Haim died of pneumonia, and "neither illegal nor prescription drugs were a factor in the actor's death."

According to an article at Heatvision.com, Fox has closed a deal with "Kick Ass" director Matthew Vaughn to direct “X-Men: First Class” and has set a date of June 3, 2011, for the film. According to Fox, “First Class” will “chart the epic beginning of the X-Men saga. Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their powers for the first time. Before they were archenemies, they were the closest of friends, working together, with other Mutants (some familiar, some new), to stop the greatest threat the world has ever known. In the process, a rift between them opened, which began the eternal war between Magneto's Brotherhood and Professor X's X-Men.”

Bruce Willis is getting into the cologne business. His new perfume or cologne product should hit shelves in a couple of months.

Yahoo! Movies has a story about Lindsay Lohan playing adult actress Linda Lovelace in an upcoming film. Bill Pulman is said to play a younger Hugh Hefner in the movie.

Here's Hank Azaria as Gargamel in The Smurfs - ComingSoon.net

Here's Hank Azaria as Gargamel in The Smurfs - ComingSoon.net

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First Look at NEW Thor!!

The long blond hair. The dark tunic with silver discs. The blood-red cape. Yep, that's Thor, all right.

With excitement at a fever pitch for next weekend's release of "Iron Man 2," buzz is already building for Marvel Studio's next adaptation of one of their classic comic books. To fuel the fire, we have the exclusive look at the first photo anywhere of star Chris Hemsworth in costume as the God of Thunder in next summer's "Thor."

26-year-old Australian actor Hemsworth first gained attention from movie audiences in his brief but memorable role as George Kirk -- Captain James T. Kirk's father -- in the opening scene of last year's "Star Trek." Many well-known actors were considered for the part; Daniel Craig said he was approached to play Thor but turned it down. After an exhaustive search, Hemsworth won the role over many other young hopefuls. He even beat out his younger brother, Liam, who was most recently seen opposite his real-life girlfriend Miley Cyrus in "The Last Song."

From what we can see of the costume designed by Oscar winner Alexandra Byrne, it looks to be inspired by the latest version of the character from the comic books drawn by French artist Olivier Coipel. While Thor's basic look hasn't changed much since he was originally created by Jack Kirby in 1962, the suit in the movie adopts the more modern look with an armored chest piece and textured sleeves. Slightly different is Hemsworth's beard, which has been used for Thor in the comics but only occasionally. The two most prominent elements of Thor's look that we don't see, however, are his signature winged helmet and his weapon, the mighty hammer Mjolnir.

"Thor" doesn't open for another year, but there are some hints about the movie within next weekend's "Iron Man 2." Like the first movie, where Samuel L. Jackson's cameo was hidden after the credits, there is a bonus scene in the sequel for those who stick around to the very end. Of course, Hemsworth will team up with Robert Downey Jr. and Chris Evans -- who was recently cast as Captain America in his own movie -- for "The Avengers," which is scheduled for release in 2012.

Directed by Kenneth Branagh, "Thor," which also stars Anthony Hopkins and Natalie Portman, will thunder into theaters on May 6, 2011.

-- from Yahoo! Movies.com