Comic Con, Purple Rose, Gentle Giants, Lost, and Entertainment Weekly

Hello again everyone! It's me, your friendly neighborhood...wait, I'm not Spider-Man! Sorry for misleading you, I'm actually just a guy named Jeff (or the Jeffster to my imaginary friends). I hope all my readers have enjoyed my past couple of posts, I know the voices in my head did! I'm just joking of course, the voices in my head don't actually care much for my work. :-P

A couple of weeks ago I went to the Motor City Comic Con and had a very nice time. I got to meet Marina Sirtis who played Deanna Troi in "Star Trek: The Next Generation", "Star Trek: Generations", "Star Trek: First Contact", "Star Trek: Insurrection", and "Star Trek: Nemesis". She was very nice and extremely kind. I also got a chance to meet Byron Cherry who played the "replacement Duke" Coy Duke on "The Dukes of Hazzard". He was also very nice and seemed like a very down to Earth guy, which is always nice. Being the movie lover I am, I also picked up some free mini movie posters and other such things there at the con. I had a very nice time and I look forward to going there next year (short of something happening, which in my case, is always possible). lol The only disappointment I had was not being able to get an autograph from Adam West because he wanted $60 and I didn't have much money this year. I've met Burt Ward and Julie Newmar before. Burt Ward is a very caring and loving dog person. He runs a dog rescue, Gentle Giants Rescue and Adoption, which is aimed at helping and finding homes for giant breed dogs such as Great Danes, but it also handles some smaller breed dogs as well. If you love larger breed dogs, be sure to check out his website, which is http://gentlegiantsrescue.com/. If you ever have the pleasure of meeting him and you love dogs, be sure to let him know how much you appreciate what he and his wife do.

Also, like many of you out there in cyberspace, I got a chance to catch the final episode of the ABC hit show "Lost". Now, without going into spoilers, this is an episode that seems to have really divided people. People seem to love it or hate it. I personally liked the episode a great deal and I'm not ashamed to say that the ending had me in tears. I may be a man, but that was some mighty fine writing and acting! Yes, there were some questions that never got answered, and that did annoy me a bit, but "Lost" has always been more about the journey than the destination. I think, for better or worse, the writers may have wanted some questions left unanswered because that happens in life as well. It might have been nice if "Lost" had given us every single answer to every single question we had, but perhaps it is better this way. Some of the remaining mysteries are still left up to the fans and viewers to think about and interpret. Plus, in the case of "Lost", I watched the show more for the characters than for the mysteries anyway. The final episode was such a touching send off for the characters that I am not sure I would have wanted it any other way. So, while I admit the ending wasn't perfect, it's also hard to find an ending that is. That's all I have to say on that matter.

I would also like to take this time to address Michigan's Purple Rose Theater Company. If you live in or around Chelsea, Michigan (or if you go on a trip near there sometime soon), be sure to check out a show at the Purple Rose Theater. The Purple Rose Theater was founded in 1991 by Chelsea native Jeff Daniels and the Purple Rose Theater has become a second home to tons of local talent. Tickets range in price from $25-$38 a person. Also, if you can't afford the tickets (I know it's hard in this economy) or if you live too far away, you can rent or buy two films by Purple Rose Productions, "Escanaba in da Moonlight" and "Super Sucker" which are both available on DVD. Amazon has both films for $9.99 each.

Okay, I would also like to address something that has bothered me quite a bit over the last couple of days, the latest issue of Entertainment Weekly. Entertainment Weekly had a special double issue this week dedicated to the 100 greatest characters of the last 20 years. I could understand a lot of their choices. Dexter Morgan, Homer Simpson, Captain Jack Sparrow, John Locke, The Joker, Tony Stark/Iron Man, Gollum, Stewie Griffin, Borat, and Kara "Starbuck" Thrace are all great characters featured in movies, television, or books over the last 20 years, I have no bone to pick with them on those choices. What I am upset over is the characters they overlooked. Why no love for Indiana Jones? He was in "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull". Even the people who hated that movie still enjoyed seeing Harrison Ford again grace the screen as Indy. Why no Clark Kent/Superman? Superman has his own comic series for starters. Superman was also been the main character of the blockbuster film "Superman Returns" and the CW series "Smallville", not to mention the popular "Superman: The Animated Series". Do I even need to go into the hugely popular "Death of Superman" comic arc in 1992? Also, why can only one character from a series be one of the greatest characters ever? Why can't Bruce Wayne/Batman make the list just because The Joker made the list? Batman, like Superman, has his own comic book series. Also, like Superman, he has been featured in blockbuster films such as "Batman Returns", "Batman Forever", "Batman & Robin", "Batman Begins", and "The Dark Knight" in addition to "Batman: The Animated Series" television show. In addition to leaving characters such as Clark Kent/Superman, Bruce Wayne/Batman, and Indiana Jones off their list, the list also left out characters such as James T. Kirk, Peter Parker/Spider-Man, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Bruce Banner/The Hulk, Rocky Balboa, William Adama, Neo, Michael Scott, Yoda, Spock, Freddy Krueger, Jack Shepherd, Jean-Luc Picard, Optimus Prime, Rambo, Brisco County, Jr., Frodo Baggins, James "Sawyer" Ford, Aragorn, Data, Anakin Skywalker/Darth Vader, Tommy Gavin, Al Bundy, Logan/Wolverine, President Josiah Bartlet, Crow T. Robot, Robin Hood, Speed Racer, James Bond, Tom Servo, Daisy Duke, Seven of Nine, Adrian Monk and many, many more. Only half of the characters deserved to be on that list.

I am also sad to see that both Gary Coleman and Dennis Hopper have passed away. I hope they find peace in the afterlife. At least their legacy will continue to live on and be enjoyed by future generations as well.

Well, I better call it a night soon. I have a big day of nothing tomorrow! :-P Take care everyone and have a great day! :)

April Fools' Day and 3D

Hello again world! I know you must have missed me. Anyway, I am back and better than ever. Sort of a Jeffrey version 2.0 if you will.

Today is April 1st 2010, or April's Fools' Day. Let me start by saying that I HATE this holiday. I don't see the purpose of a day dedicated solely to lying and it's getting to the point that even news sites want to have fake "April Fools' Day" stories. I like to read news online because it is easier and cheaper, but I always avoid news websites on April 1st each year because I don't want to read fake news articles. If I wanted to be fed news that was completely made up, I'd just flip on Fox News. Seriously folks, what is the point is this holiday? Don't people lie and joke around enough without an entire day dedicated to it! The worst part is that most of the "April Fools' Day" articles/jokes aren't even funny! Most of them are just horrible, and I know about bad jokes, that's right, I actually saw "Delta Farce" in theaters. What holiday is going to be next? National Pick Your Nose Day? (Note: I may be on to something there). I was taught as a child NOT to fib or bend the truth. Thank the Lord we have a holiday that teaches kids that it's cool if you lie to everyone, just as long as it's once a year on April 1st.

Moving along, "Clash of the Titans" opens this week in theaters and I really want to see it. Sam Worthington, Ralph Fiennes, and Liam Neeson all look great in this movie and the original had a decent story but left something to be desired due to special effects and the film's pacing. This remake doesn't seem to have that problem thankfully. The film is going to be released in 2D and 3D and I am not sure which format I will be seeing it in (although I am very much leaning towards watching the 2D version for cost reasons). I also don't love the idea that almost every movie coming out in the next few years is going to be in 3D. Sure, I enjoyed "Avatar" and I do think the fact that it was in 3D helped make the film slightly more enjoyable, but it was a good movie regardless if it was 2D or 3D and not every movie will benefit from 3D technology. I hardly see why "Yogi Bear" or "The Smurfs" need to be in 3D. Do I need to sense that Yogi is stealing MY picnic basket? I don't know about you, but that would annoy me. I don't need some computer animated, sarcastic bear stealing MY food. My ancestors didn't fight in the American Revolution for that! Also, "The Smurfs" in 3D would just seem like a kids friendly sequel to "Avatar". It's bad enough that because of digital technology, such as Blu-ray players, I can now see people's warts and moles in digital clarity, I don't need these same warts and moles attacking because of 3D technology! Plus, thanks to 3D technology, there is a good chance we may get to see Larry the Cable Guy's butt coming at us! That's a scary thought ladies and gentlemen.

Seriously, a few films in 3D are okay. I can see "Green Lantern", "Star Trek 2.0", and "Superman Returns Yet Again" all being fun films to see in 3D. I'm sure there are guys that would love to see "Baywatch" in 3D as well. (Note: Seeing at how pointless that show was, 3D might be the best route for the big screen adaption). I don't think "Being Marlon Brando's Stomach" or "Poop Goes the Weasel" (a big hit with 3 year olds) needs the 3D treatment. (Note: I made up those last two movies but I would be more than willing to write a script for either movie if any studio is interested). In all seriousness, I really hope Hollywood stops with the 3D movie trend. Not every movie is "Avatar" or "Alice in Wonderland" and I really don't want to have to start paying more to see a movie especially if I'm not even sure it's going to be good!

Well, enough of me for today. I hope you enjoyed and hopefully laughed a little bit at this blog. Take care everyone and be safe! :)

Jar Jar Binks Should Be Pushing Daisies

Hello again everyone! Welcome back to my blog. Once again, I am sitting here bored out of my mind and wondering what to do next and what to write about on my blog. I hope my latest post entertains you, even for a little bit, because I am making this up as I go along!

Earlier this week, I went by my local library and rented a few DVDs. I love our library, it was books, CDs, DVDs, and now even has Blu-rays to rent. Anyway, I rented the last disc of "Pushing Daisies" season 2 and the complete first season of "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" (the new CGI version still running on Cartoon Network). I really enjoyed the show "Pushing Daisies", it's a shame it was canceled before it was finished. Luckily, Bryan Fuller is hard at working on a graphic novel to wrap up the shows loose ends. Chi McBride, who played the role of Emerson Cod on "Pushing Daisies" and is currently co-starring in the delightful new show "Human Target", has seen a few pages of the "Pushing Daisies" graphic novel already and states that it is "off the hook". Chi McBride is a great actor and he picks great material to work on, so if he's sold on it, I am as well. Hopefully it will be released soon.

Now, let me move onto "Star Wars: The Clone Wars". I had seen the CGI movie in theaters in 2008 and left the theater with mixed feelings about it. I am a huge science fiction fan and I love the classic "Star Wars" films and I even found the prequel trilogy enjoyable to a point. Now, I do admit that I am a bigger "Star Trek" fan than I am a "Star Wars" fan, but "Star Wars" will always have a soft spot in my heart as well. The movie "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" was released in 2008 during one of the biggest years for films in history. It was an enjoyable enough movie, especially considering it was a actually a kids movie. The main problem I had with it was it's time setting. It seemed to take place somewhere in between the previous "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" series (the hand drawn version which came out before "Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith". Also, it would be hard to follow this new Clone Wars series without having seen the previous Clone Wars series.

Anyway, onto the actual "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" TV show. The show takes place after the Clone Wars movie and has a very similar style. I actually think it works better since it's more of an anthology series and it also seems to work better for the period the Clone Wars takes place in. My main problem with the series was one of the biggest problems with the prequel movies, Jar Jar Binks. Now to be fair, Jar Jar Binks isn't in most of the episodes. I think he was in four of the twenty-two episodes. The problem is, four was enough. The first Jar Jar Binks episode featured Ahmed Best reprising his voice role of Jar Jar Binks. The episode got annoying quickly. Things got worse however, Jar Jar Binks was annoying enough when Ahmed Best voiced the role in the prequel movies and on the first Clone Wars episode, but Jar Jar Binks was even more annoying (if that's possible) when B.J. Hughes took over the role and it sounded like Jar Jar Binks was doing a bad Jar Jar Binks impersonation (if that makes any sense). All in all though, "Star Wars: The Clone Wars" was fairly entertaining, there just isn't much to it besides mindless fun.

Well, that's it for me for the moment. I'm sure I will have more to rant soon. Take care everyone and be safe! :)