Best of the rest

Tomorrow's episode (as we have been talking about now forever) will rank our top ten films of the decade. We each spent a lot of time researching, arguing and making some tough choices to get the list down to ten.

Stephanie already posted her 20-11, now here is my list of the films that JUST missed making my top ten films of the 2000s.

In no particular order:

"The Wrestler" - Which Stephanie still hasn't seen...
"X2" - The Phoenix scene was out of the blue and the audience gasped, great moment.
"Garden State"
"I, Robot"
"Along Came a Spider"
"Batman Begins"
"The Prestige"
"The King of Kong"
"In Bruges"

A bit of a bragging note, four of these films are also in the IMDB.com top 250.

Not too shabby.

Ew, yuck, nasty etc.

During our best of the decade show we'll also mention the picks for two of the worst movies of the decade.

Much like Stephanie's list yesterday, here is a list of some other really horrible movies of the 2000s.

10. Time Machine - Remake starring Guy Pierce
9. The Ladies Man
8. Vicky Christina Barcelona
7. Lady in the Water
6. The Box - Hint, hint for 2009
5. The Goods - Hint, hint for 2009
4. Say It Isn’t So - Walked out of this one with no refund.
3. Sin City - Walked out of this one WITH a refund.

Check back Friday for the top picks!

The Best of the Decade: Movies 11-20

Later in the week we'll post our special best of the decade edition of "Inscaped." To get ready for that, I thought I'd let you in on the first part of my list for the best movies of the decade.

11. "Hot Fuzz"

12. "The Queen"

13. "Monster's Ball"

14. "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl"

15. "Finding Nemo"

16. "The Bourne Identity"

17. "The Incredibles"

18. "Catch Me If You Can"

19. "Kingdom of Heaven"

20. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"

I tried to show a broad range on this list, but you'll notice there are a few British films and two Pixar movies mixed in with a couple of huge blockbusters. However, you can't make everyone happy and I'm sure Tim will let me know what I've missed.

Get it together Time Warner, FOX

Time Warner and FOX are locked in the middle of a bloody battle over 50 cents and it needs to stop right now.

Apparently FOX wants subscribers to pay one dollar a month for their channel and Time Warner wants customers to pay 50 cents. If only there was some sort of middle ground, like say 75 cents.

Lately both sides have taken to the airwaves to argue their respective points, making me feel like a child trapped between two bickering parents.

The ridiculousness of this is that they're both trying to say that they're standing up for the little guy and are sticking to their principals. Well I've got news for you, it's the average TV watcher who's going to suffer when you take away their programming.

Look, at this point I don't care who's right I just want them to settle this before the new year, because if I can't watch "American Idol," "24," "Glee" or the series finale of "Dollhouse" there will be hell to pay.

I mean it, last time I got this mad...well let's just say there's a reason I'm not allowed at Knott's Scary Farm anymore.

Happy holidays everyone

Stephanie and I decided to close down the International Inscaped HQ for the next few days to give everyone a well deserved break. And a little Christmas cheer. The non-alcoholic kind of Christmas cheer.

Next week we will return with a look at the best and the worst of the decade.

New episode up...

Have yourself a very Boreanaz Christmas

Today Stephanie and I taped back-to-back Inscaped shows. Next week's episode is the special "End of the Decade" show that we keep blogging about.

But, before we started taping we exchanged gifts. And apparently we both had David Boreanaz on our minds (Not in that way, sicko).

I got Stephanie some "Angel" related items, while she got me "Bones" stuff.

Thankfully no one got a copy of that crappy "Crow" movie he did, gag.

And we also surprised our super producer and behind the scenes genius Emile his very own copy of "Iron Man." Yes, he never saw it. Slowly, but surely we are going to bring him over to the nerd side.

Look for the new show to be posted tomorrow sometime, then we are taking a few days off from blogging to enjoy some peace and quiet... or at least try.

Happy Holidays peeps.

Great, great Christmas movie

Christmas is almost here and the holiday themed movies have been attacking the airwaves. You can't turn to Lifetime or the Hallmark channel without seeing one.

I actually even watched "A Pacman Christmas" the other day.

But, there is one movie that tops them all. Not counting the all-time classics of course.


"Scrooged"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjhx9WfpofE

Watch it, love it.

Death and entertainment

I was at Disneyland Sunday when my sister called to say Brittney Murphy had died.

My first reaction was “Oh, that’s too bad.” Then the journalist in me kicked in and wanted to know more. But, in this TMZ world, true facts don’t always make themselves known right away.

Rampant speculation on the other hand, runs wild.

Stephanie and I are both big believers in journalistic integrity. We detest TMZ, Access Hollywood and the like. Sitting there in New Orleans Square I decided that I would wait and watch it on CNN before I came to any conclusions.

The Internet on the other hand, already knew that Murphy died because of an eating disorder or cocaine use. The fact is that no one knows what really happened and won’t for a few weeks.

We’ll talk more about this during the news segment of the next “Inscaped” which we are shooting Wednesday morning.

New episode up...

'Iron Man 2' already owns 2010

With 2009 coming to an end, its time to start talking about 2010 and what treasures it will bring us. Without a doubt the most anticipated film of the year has to be "Iron Man 2."

The trailer showed us our first glimpses of Don Cheadle as Rhodes, Mickey Rourke as Whiplash, the continuing relationship between Tony Stark and Nick Fury and of course, War Machine.

While there are plenty of other high profile releases coming up including "Prince of Persia," "Shrek 4," "The A-Team" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." "Iron Man 2" is definitely the film everyone is waiting for.

Since the first film Robert Downey Jr. has reclaimed his a-list status and once again cemented himself as one of the most talented actors working today. With both Gwenyth Paltrow and Jon Favreau returning it looks like the filmmakers are giving fans exactly what they want.

Let's hope they avoid all the ususal sequel traps and make a film that not only surpasses the first one, but also helps set up Marvel's entire franchise which includes "Thor," "Captain America" and "The Avengers."

The End of an Era: Roy E. Disney 1930-2009

Sad news broke today when it was announced that Roy E. Disney lost his battle with stomach cancer at the age of 79.

For those of us who are faithful fans of the Disney brand and tradition, this news signals the end of the Walt Disney era of the company.

Roy was perhaps the last connection to the original ideals that Walt started the company with.

In the eighties when Michael Eisner was running the company into the ground, Roy resigned from the company with his family's name on it and led a groundswell of support for Eisner's ousting.

Roy is known as the man who saved Disney.

When he rejoined the company as the head of animation he helped bring to life classics like "Aladdin," "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast" and "The Lion King."

Roy never stopped entertaining audiences, most recently producing the documentary "Morning Light."

An icon to Disney fans the world over, Roy is survived by his wife Leslie, his ex-wife Patty, daughters Abigail and Susan, sons Roy Patrick and Tim and his 16 grandchildren.

The Best of the Decade: 'American Idol'

Whether you love it or hate it no one can deny the cultural impact of "American Idol" on the last ten years.

This FOX singing competition debuted in June 2002 and as they say the rest was history. The show is the American version of the British program "Pop Idol." However, it is safe to say that it has far surpassed the original.

The instant buzz started when word got out about brutally honest judge Simon Cowell. Not one to mince words, Simon lets contestants know exactly what he thinks of them. If they're great he tells them, but if they're god awful he tells them that too. It is his razor sharp insults that originally propelled the show to icon status.

However, it was the talent and ability of the competitors that kept viewers entertained. The first winner Kelly Clarkson went on to chart-topping success. Her most recent hit "My Life Would Suck Without You" is one of Billboard's biggest songs of the year.

In the seasons that followed, the show's ratings hit astronomical proportions causing the competition to schedule around its premieres and finales.

The show has become such an industry juggernaut finalists like Chris Daughtry, Clay Aiken and Jennifer Hudson have been just as (and sometimes more) successful as winners like Fantasia, Ruben Studdard and Taylor Hicks.

The show has also become a great breeding ground for Broadway with several of the finalists starring in shows like "Rent," "Hairspray" and "The Color Purple." Season four finalist Constantine Maroulis was even nominated for a Tony Award earlier this year.

Undoubtedly the contest for most successful "Idol" alumni is between Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood.

While Underwood has sold about 300,000 more albums than Clarkson. Kelly is the original American Idol and she set a very high standard for all those who followed her.

No discussion of the best of the 2000s would be complete without "American Idol" because let's face it, at some point we have all belted out a song in the car or the shower and wondered what Simon's reaction would be.

Box Office Monday

So Tim and I drastically overestimated the weekend box office. While we were both correct in calling "The Princess and the Frog" the No. 1 movie of the week, it made $25 million, which was a lot less than we had predicted.

Though it is a strong opening by normal standards, animated Disney films traditionally have much better openings. This film ranks right up there with all the Disney classics, so this lackluster opening can only be blamed on the massive storm that hit large parts of the country.

"The Blind Side" continued its impressive run with a $15 million second place and only a 22 percent drop off in its fourth week. As we get further into award season it will be interesting to see if the buzz translates into nominations for Sandra Bullock.

"Invictus" was third with $9 million and "New Moon" and "A Christmas Carol" rounded out the top five.

In the next few weeks a lot of big name movies are opening so it will be interesting to see how the box office shapes up as it competes with the distraction of the holidays.

New episode up and some TV thoughts

Quick thoughts on the "Monk" finale. Overall I liked the episode, it wrapped everything up in a nice little bow (maybe too nice of an ending). Every character got a little moment, which was nice. That Randy Newman song at the end though, man, it was a downer. Hours after the show I was still bummed out.

Funny thing was that Monk had the answer all along, but never wanted to open the present to find out. Kind of silly, but given the show's premise it fits.

The Best of the Decade: JJ Abrams

JJ Abrams has been driving me crazy for nine years. Since he got me hooked on "Alias" and the many mysteries it created, he has been driving me crazy with questions.

From "Alias" to "Lost" to "Fringe," in the 2000s Abrams established himself as the go to guy for mysteries and secrets.

"Alias" was one of my favorite shows of the last ten years and has continued to thrive on DVD. "Lost" is about to end its six year run and will hopefully answer all of the questions it has inspired. And though, it's not one of my favorite shows the creativity and addictively shocking nature of "Fringe" can't be denied.

The genius of Abrams is that with all of his shows once you watch one episode, you're hooked.

The success of his TV shows helped boost his film career, leading to "Mission Impossible III," "Cloverfield" and of course, "Star Trek."

Looking ahead to next decade, Abrams is already working on the "Star Trek" sequel, "Mission Impossible IV" and "Morning Glory" with Harrison Ford and Rachel McAdams.

Being the geeks that we are, we couldn't have a best of the decade list without the man who gave us Oceanic flight 815, the Rambaldi Prophecy and the pattern.

The Best of the Decade: Joss Whedon

There is no doubt that the 2000s became the decade of the geek, and leading that revolution was Joss Whedon. For the uninitiated, Whedon is the creator and producer of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," "Angel," "Firefly" and "Dollhouse."

All of these shows are among the best of the decade and considered cult classics. Whedon has a very loyal fanbase called Whedonites that makes anything he touches successful. While their support couldn't save "Firefly" from cancellation it did lead to monstrous DVD sales and a feature film.

His current series "Dollhouse" is on the verge of cancellation but that hasn't stopped Whedon from producing quality TV every week. He also decided to tackle the Internet with his hugely successful musical "Dr. Horrible's Sing-a-long Blog." It was of course an instant web sensation that won Whedon an Emmy.

One of the great things about Whedon's projects is that he likes to work with the same group of actors in a lot of his projects. People like Nathan Fillion, Adam Baldwin, Gina Torres and Eliza Dushku have appeared in several Whedon shows. Their success in his projects has led to more high profile jobs where the Whedonites have continued to follow them.

We have been extremely vocal about our love for all things Whedon, so it seemed only natural that he would appear on our list of the best of the decade. We can only hope that in the next decade he continues to give us the same thrills, adventure and comedy that we have come to love.

Best of the 90s: Stephanie's edition

Since Tim gave everyone his top ten of the 90s, I thought I'd play along and offer my favorites.

1. "The Shawshank Redemption"
2. "Dances with Wolves"
3. "LA Confidential"
4. "Titanic"
5. "Forrest Gump"
6. "Silence of the Lambs"
7. "Good Will Hunting"
8. "Apollo 13"
9. "The Usual Suspects"
10. "The Matrix"

Honorable Mentions: "American History X," "Galaxy Quest," "The Lion King," "Philadelphia" and "Clerks."

Best of the Decade - '90s

In a few weeks Stephanie and I will be presenting our Best Films of the Decade, but as a tease to that here are my picks of the Best and Worst films of the '90s.


Best

10. “Galaxy Quest”
9. “American History X”
8. “Ed Wood”
7. “Toy Story”
6. “LA Confidential”
5. “Pulp Fiction”
4. “Good Will Hunting”
3. “The Truman Show”
2. “A Time to Kill”
1. “Jurassic Park”


Worst:

1. “Nothing But Trouble”

New episode up... and an editor's note

This is blog entry No. 300!

Wow, 300 is a lot.

National Board of Review's Best of 2009

Now here's an award to be excited about!

The National Board of Review, a respected movie group, just announced it's Best Picture pic and the other top 10 films of the year.

Normally known for being first out of the gate during awards season, NBR also loves to throw curveballs. And in the movie awards world, curveballs usually mean popular movies that everyone love.

And this list is no different. My comments next to the films in italics. The films after No. 1 are unranked:

Best Film: Up In The Air - Want to see.

Ten Best Films:
AN EDUCATION - Eh.
(500) DAYS OF SUMMER - On my Netflix queue.
THE HURT LOCKER - On my Netflix queue.
INGLOURIOUS BASTERDS - Didn't love, a little long.
INVICTUS - Want to see.
THE MESSENGER - No interest.
A SERIOUS MAN - No interest.
STAR TREK - YAY! WOOT! My favorite film so far this year.
UP - Always a great thing when an animated film gets chosen.
WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE - Great, great choice. Wonderful film.

I am in a good mood right now.

The Grammys! OR... yawn

So the Grammy awards were announced and wow, same old same old.

Beyonce, again.

U2, again.

Do these people even get surprised anymore? Or do they come to expect it?

And if the same old, same old people don't get nominated, then it's the flashy new thing of the year. Lady GaGa, Kings of Leon?

People say the Oscars are lame because the same types of movies get nominated over and over, well, what about the Grammys?

They are the worst offenders. The only real surprise was "I'm On a Boat" got nominated for Best Rap Collaboration. Of course, it will lose because "Run This Town" is nominated too.

You couldn't turn your head without hearing that song in the last few months.

Stephanie might be the better person to gush about this, but I am a cynical music person.

Full list here: http://www.grammy.com/grammy_Awards/52nd_show/list.aspx

Putting the show in showboat

Going to Disneyland is like entering the magical world of Disney films.

And with the upcoming release of the new Disney animated film “The Princess and the Frog,” being a part of the magic is even easier.

Now through Jan. 3 at Disneyland a daily float/parade-show hybrid, “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” brings some southern fun to the Mark Twain Riverboat and New Orleans Square.

And Disneyland is looking for some park guests to be an active participant in the show. And here’s the scoop to get you on the boat and show. Before the first show starts at 11:15 a.m. each day, some performers in Mardi Gras, colorful outfits will walk around the area from the Haunted Mansion to the Mark Twain Riverboat dock. Look for them to be carrying small clipboards.

On a recent trip I encountered the performers at 11 a.m., but they have come out earlier. They’ll be wearing colorful and flashy outfits, you can’t miss them. All you have to do is stop them, ask to be in the show and get a special ticket. That’s it, easy as that. There does seem to be a height requirement, as guests must be able to see and reach over the railings on the Mark Twain.

The ticket directs guests to the dock. It’s there that instructions are given on what will happen and what each guest will do. The show starts with a parade procession of a full band, dancers and characters from the film including Princess Tiana and Prince Naveen, making their way from New Orleans Square to the dock.

The song from the film, “Down in New Orleans” is performed as beads as tossed to guests along the route. When the procession gets on the boat the song “Gonna Take You There” is performed. The guests on the boat wave around multicolored handkerchiefs to the music while the boat makes its way to the front of where “Fantasmic!” is performed.

Tiana performs the song “Almost There,” while the guests on the boat receive instructions and get ready for the next number “When I’m Human.” That song is performed by Louis, the jazz playing alligator.

What’s a Disney film without a talking animal?

During that number, the guests are given big musical notes to wave around. This adds to the fun and gets you into the song. The villain of the film, Dr. Facilier, then makes an appearance and performs the song “Friends on the Other Side.” The dancers and professional performers on the boat wave around scary ghost-like flags and banners to show that yes, the song is being done by a villain.

After the heroes get rid of Dr. Facilier, it’s time for the big finale “Dig a Little Deeper.” The guests are given tambourines and costumes to wear, a sequined yellow and purple robe that made me feel like a Lakers fan as an extra of the film “Sister Act.”

As the last number ends, the Mark Twain starts to make its way along the Rivers of America while the song “Gonna Take You There” plays again. Performers and guests continue to shake the tambourines and dance along for the people by Splash Mountain and Critter Country.

After the show guests are able to meet with Louis, Tiana and Naveen. Tiana and Naveen are great with each guest; they both spent a few minutes talking with my niece, which made her day.

She also said she loved Louis, because “he was so soft.” Special “Tiana’s Showboat Jubilee!” beads are given out for guests to take home. Overall it is a unique experience for Disney fans and children alike. My niece really enjoyed being a part of it.

The songs are infectious and you’ll find yourself humming along to them throughout the day. One complaint was that her arms were getting tired of waving around the big music note and tambourine. The show runs about 20 minutes, longer if you are a participant.

SO close, yet so far

So, after all the hoopla and frenetic wishing by me and Stephanie, "New Moon" held onto the No. 1 spot at the box office.

If you could see my face right now, it's one of sadness and soul crushing apathy for "Twilight" fans.

According to Box Office Mojo, it made about $42 million, which is a hefty 70 percent loss from last week. But, then again when you make $142 million it's always going to be a big drop off.

Enough of "Twilight."

"The Blind Side" had an amazing weekend, actually increasing it's take over last week with $40 million. It's not every weekend that a movie makes more in its second weekend. With the $40 million and the holiday numbers, the film has now crossed the magical $100 million mark.

Word of mouth in action right here, that is all I can say.

"A Christmas Carol" also was up over last week with $15 million. It also crossed the $100 million mark.

The other new releases "Old Dogs," "Ninja Assassin" and "The Road" were kind of left in the dust with $24, $21 and $1.9 million each.

The best per screen average of the week went to "The Princess and the Frog" which is playing on two screens and made $393,095 on both. As a point of reference, the best per screen average ever was "The Lion King" with $793, 377. "Pocahontas" is No. 2 with $448, 285. That makes "The Princess and the Frog" No. 3.

Not a bad weekend overall. Expect "New Moon" and "The Blind Side" to battle for No. 1 again since the only releases for this week "Armored," "Brothers" and "Everybody's Fine" don't appear to be ready to set the box office ablaze.

'Twilight' didn't protect its 'Blind Side'

And the award for cheesiest headline ever goes to...

*Rips open the envelope*

ME!

Anywho, big news in the world of box office numbers. For Thanksgiving Thursday, "New Moon" was not the No. 1 movie in America.

"The Blind Side" was!

Yeah, amazing right?

But, it was razor thin close.

According to Box Office Mojo, "The Blind Side" made $9.4 million, while "New Moon" took in $9.2 million. Yes, in the world of box office receipts $200,000 is very close.

Another way to look at it is that "The Blind Side" is playing in almost 1,000 fewer theaters than "New Moon" and still made about $1,000 more per screen.

In a preview of the weekend totals, the other new releases "Old Dogs" and "Ninja Assassin" are doing much less with both hovering around $7 million for Wednesday and Thursday.

Black Friday deal

Two posts for today to make up for laziness yesterday.

Got an amazing deal at Target this morning.

"Psych: Season 3" for $12.99! Original price is $39.99!!

Of course they were sold out of that big screen TV I wanted though.

New episode up...

Giving thanks for TV

For me the long Thanksgiving weekend is as much about TV as it is about turkey, stuffing and sweet potatoes. Here is a quick list of the best stuff on this weekend.

Thurs Nov. 26:

• "Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade" 9 a.m. NBC
• "The Closer" marathon 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. TNT
• "House" marathon 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. USA
• "Twilight Zone" marathon 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. KTLA
• All day James Bond movie marathon beginning at 8 a.m. SyFy
• "Moonlight" marathon 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chiller
• "Charlie Brown Thanksgiving" 8 p.m. ABC

Fri. Nov. 27

• "Law and Order" marathon 11 a.m to 7 p.m. TNT
• All day James Bond marathon beginning at 8 a.m.
• "Beverly Hills 90210" marathon 1-9 p.m. SOAPNet
• "NCIS" marathon 6:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. USA
• "White Collar" marathon 1:30-7 p.m. USA
• "Moonlight" marathon 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Chiller

The best Thanksgiving episodes ever

One of the best things about long running TV shows is that you get fantastic holiday episodes every year. This is my list of the best Thanksgiving episodes.

"WKRP in Cincinnati"-"Turkeys Away"-"As God is my witness I didn't know turkeys couldn't fly." That closes the funniest Thanksgiving episode ever.

"Friends"-"The One with the Rumor"-This is the Brad Pitt episode where he plays an old friend of Ross's who got ridiculously good looking post high school.

Most of the comedy comes from Pitt's character's extreme hatred of Jennifer Aniston's Rachel. At the time this episode first aired they were married, so it made a lot of the jokes funnier. This was the first time audiences really got to see Pitt's comedic side.

"Friends"-"The One with Rachel's Other Sister"-Christina Applegate in a hilarious turn as Rachel's self-absorbed sister Amy, makes this one of my favorites. However, the ongoing comedy about Monica obsessing over her good china is laugh out loud funny.

"The West Wing"-"Shibboleth"-This episode is filled with fantastic story, including the plot about the Chinese refugees who are seeking asylum and CJ having to pick a turkey to pardon, but for me, the crux of this episode is the relationship between President Bartlett and his aide Charlie.

The president wants Charlie to find him a new carving knife, a task that proves impossible, but it isn't until the end of the episode that we find out that the president needs a new knife because he is passing his on to Charlie. It is a family heirloom passed on from Paul Revere, it is in this moment that we understand the depths of the relationship between Bartlett and Charlie.

"The Cosby Show"-"Cliff's Wet Adventure"-A huge Huxtable Thanksgiving means Cliff must make multiple trips to the only open store, that just happens to be off in the middle of nowhere and there's a crazy storm.

This all adds up to Bill Cosby proving why he's a comedy legend and the show proving why all these years later it's still a classic.

"The Fresh Prince of Bel Air"-"Talking Turkey"-Aunt Vivian makes the kids cook Thanksgiving dinner by themselves and hilarity ensues. It is one of the funniest episodes of the series.

'American Music Awards:' The recap

First up, what in the blue hell was Adam Lambert doing? His performance on last night's American Music Awards was over-the-top and ridiculous in all the worst ways. He kissed a male band member, simulated oral sex and treated back-up dancers like pets, none of which I have a problem with.

What I didn't enjoy was his off key screeching of a truly awful song. I also felt that his performance was just a reason to grab headlines. He tried to say that some of the controversial moments were spur of the moment, but they were so clearly orchestrated ahead of time.

There is also the idea that you have to earn the right to do a crazy performance. Lambert has just released his first album and has barely released his first single.

Adam Lambert you are not Madonna or Lady Gaga, try more singing and less theatrics.

Other notes from the show: Kelly Clarkson had the best performance of the night with her subdued version of "Already Gone," Jay Z and Alicia Keys brought the house down with "Empire State of Mind" and Janet Jackson is still awesome whether or not she lip syncs.

I always loved the AMAs because it was the cool awards show, but, the last few years it's felt irrelevant. It may be time for ABC to retire the AMAs or completely revamp the show.

New episode up...

Scary Weezer song

With the recent release of Weezer's new CD "Raditude," I've been talking with people about my favorite and least favorite Weezer songs. I already did a post about my favorites, but one song does stick out in my mind.

Now, musically, it's not a bad song. I actually like the music in the song.

It's the lyrics that make me question what the song is about, and when you really think of it, how utterly creepy it is.

That song is "Butterfly" from the second CD "Pinkerton."

Here are the lyrics and pay close attention to them:

Yesterday I went outside
With my momma's mason jar
Caught a lovely butterfly
When I woke up today
Looked in on my fairy pet
She had withered all away
No more sighing in her breast
I'm sorry for what I did
I did what my body told me to
I didn't mean to do you harm
Everytime I pin down what I think I want
It slips away
The ghost slips away
Smell you on my hand for days
I can't wash away your scent
I'm a dog then you're a b***h
I guess you're as real as me
Maybe I can live with that
Maybe I need fantasy
Life of chasing butterfly
I'm sorry for what I did
I did what my body told me to
I didn't mean to do you harm
Everytime I pin down what I think I want
It slips away
The ghost slips away
I told you I would return
When the robin makes his nest
But I ain't never coming back
I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry

See, creepy.

Box office Monday

So apparently America loves watching the world end. The No. 1 movie this weekend was "2012" by a mile. It brought in $65 million, well above "A Christmas Carol" in second place. It only brought in $22 million.


Then there was a huge drop to "The Men Who Stare At Goats," which only brought in $6 million.


The huge story of the weekend has to be "Precious" which brought in $6 million on 174 screens.

Hey kids, Tim here. Stephanie agreed to an experiment where she had to give up the Internet for a week. Guess what she was doing when the project started?

OK, so I'll finish up here.

Two other big stories of the weekend were "Couples Retreat" and "Paranormal Activity" both crossed the $100 million mark. Making them the twenty second and twenty third films to do so this year.

This year still needs a few more hits as 2008 had 29 films that crossed $100 million.

"Pirate Radio" did well in it's per screen average, $3,293, but with a reported budget of $50 million they sure didn't try hard enough with it. Especially only releasing it on 882 screens.

This week is "Planet 51" and "The Blind Side." Both of which should find a good audience with children and people looking for a heartwarming story.

No other movies opening, despite what you might see on the news or on the cover of EVERY freaking magazine.

Nope, no other movie...

New episode up...

And here are the links to the new trailers we talked about during the show:

"Clash of the Titans:" Trailer

"Salt:" Trailer

"Date Night:" Trailer

Check out James Franco on 'General Hospital'

The brand new promo for James Franco's two month appearance on "General Hospital" has been released. His character begins airing on Nov. 20 and has a weird obsession with Jason Morgan (Steve Burton).

This story is a big deal for daytime, which has been hurting lately. It will be interesting to see if this inspires other big stars to make guest appearances.

Click on the link for the amazing video of Franco joining the best show on daytime.

FOX screws Joss Whedon again

Though it's not surprising or unexpected, news broke today that FOX would not be ordering additional episodes of "Dollhouse."

I suppose the headline is misleading because the network did give the show a surprise second season pick up. However, that does not make the news any less upsetting.

"Dollhouse" is one of the most innovative and fresh series on television and FOX never really gave it a fair shot. Once they moved it to Fridays, what did they expect the outcome to be?

Joss Whedon keeps giving FOX a chance to stab him in the back. Maybe it's time to end their dysfunctional relationship and move on to a new network.

I just hope that another network considers giving the show another life. Are you listening Syfy and USA?

Great moment in recent comics

One of the biggest, and best, events in comics today is DC's "Blackest Night."

The event, which is running in its own series and through several books, is not only selling like crazy, but is really, jaw-droppingly awesome.

Remember back to Comic-Con when DC Comics went out of its way to showcase "Blackest Night" and "Green Lantern?" So worth the effort.

For those "Blackest Night" virgins, the event follows the Green Lanterns (along with the other colored lantern groups) fighting zombie-like entities called the Black Lanterns. The Black Lanterns are all deceased former heroes and villains brought back to kill... well, kill everything. They do so by taunting a victim or causing an extreme emotional reaction then ripping their heart out.

Think of them like vampires who feed off of emotion instead of blood. Those killed that way are then turned into Black Lanterns themselves.

There have been plenty of great moments from writer Geoff Jones so far, including Barry Allen, The Flash, telling The Atom and Mera (Aquaman's wife) that for all intensive purposes in this fight they are Superman and Wonder Woman. Mera then asks who Allen is supposed to be and Atom responds with "He's the Flash."

Another great moment is when four lanterns from different groups, Hal Jordan from Green (willpower), Carol Ferris from Violet (love), Sinestro from Yellow (fear) and Indigo-1 from Indigo (compassion) team up and take down the previously indestructible Black Lanterns.

Recently, in the first few pages of "Green Lantern" No. 47 came a really, freaking sweet moment.

That's Atrocitus, leader of the Red Lanterns of Rage, who just got his heart ripped out by a Black Lantern. The black ring tries to convert him, but his red ring just bypasses the need for a heart and keeps him going.

His next move is obvious in the picture above, he goes nutso with rage.

A shocking moment in an event that has had its fair share of great moments. And it won't be the last, for sure.

"Blackest Night" No. 5 is scheduled to come out Nov. 25 and the solicitations from DC Comics calls it "a game-changing issue."

New episode up...

And here is the "Paranormal Goat" YouTube video we talked about during the show.

Adventures in Austin part two

One of the main reasons for my travel to Austin was to check out The Alamo Drafthouse.

The Drafthouse is a chain of theaters in Texas that are known for being unconventional. For starters they are a full service restaurant and they show movies... at the same time.

That alone is worth the price of going to Texas. But, they also show films that you might not be able to find anywhere else.

For instance, the night I arrived they were showing "Ghostbusters" in something they call a "Quote-a-long" where they encourage the audience to speak the lines along with the characters. Sort of like a "Rocky Horror Picture Show" late night showing, just for normal people.

But, the main attraction that was showing when I was available was "A Nightmare on Elm Street." Not just the movie though. There was live comedy with the movie. Think back to "Mystery Science Theater 3000," just without the robots and instead of outer space it's in Austin.

The live comedy track was done by the comedy troupe Master Pancake. And they do all sorts of shows every week.

I was very excited when I got to the theater and stood in line to get inside. Once they started letting people in we were led up a staircase into the theater. The theater looked almost like a normal theater, but with bar counters in front of each row of seats.

As I sat down I was treated to 45 minutes of trailers playing on the screen. And not just any trailers, but old school, foreign horror movies. Really creepy ones from Japan and Italy. Stuff that nightmares are made of. Near the start of the show the trailers took an odd turn with an old Halloween safety instruction video made by the Norfolk (I think) school district. It was super cheesy and went through all the Halloween problems like sticking together, not talking to strangers etc. So cheesy that it was extremely funny.

The screen went black then a warning came on screen. If you talked once, they would ask you to be quiet. Talk again and you get thrown out, no refund. That alone made my night. The warning ended with a creepy whisper of "Shut the F**** up!"

Master Pancake took the stage and talked a little about the film and talked about a drinking game for the film. At the same time the food that I had ordered had arrived, chicken tenders and fries. In a movie theater. Awesome.

The film experience was beyond great. The live comedy was hilarious and I was laughing almost non-stop throughout. I was even one of the only people in the audience to get a Tasha Yar joke.

Nerd pride right there.

I wanted to get a total experience out of the theater, so I ordered some popcorn and a orange cream shake halfway through the film. The popcorn came in a big metal bowl, which freaked me out a little bit. I am so used to either a paper bag or a paper bucket. Saves the environment at least.

Here are some more pictures of the night. And yes they didn't come out too well.

http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=38594757175

http://www.drafthouse.com

Adventures in Austin part one

I had the unique opportunity to spend a few days in Austin, Texas last week. Ever since I got back I have been trying to put into words how to explain Austin.

"Interesting" comes to mind. I saw a lot of logos and slogans for the city that said "Keep Austin Weird" and nothing makes that clear more than Sixth Street.

My hotel was two blocks away from Sixth Street, which is said to be the music capital of the nation. I made sure to take several trips to the street to check it out and see what I could find.

Music, of course, is a big part of the area. But, not just one type. It was a mash up of all sorts of different music clubs in one (relatively) small area. Think of it like The Grammys being held in a clown car.

As I walked down Sixth Street I passed a club playing rock music, right next door was a place with country music. Directly across the street was a hip hop club and next to that a jazz club. One would think that would create this giant mess of combined musical sounds, but it works.

In between the clubs are hole-in-the-wall pizza places (I counted five) including a "Death Metal" pizza place blaring death metal music and looking very dark and scary. Even my super brave journalistic curiosity couldn't get me to go inside... or take a picture of it in business.

If you love live music, drinking a lot or maybe a nice mixture of both then Austin seems to be the best town to do it in.

It's like a dinner buffet of musical choices.

Box Office Monday

Halloween weekend is usually a time for horror films to rule the box office, however, with very few big releases opening, "Michael Jackson's This Is It" was able to grab the No. 1 spot with $21 million. Its current total stands at $33 million with $101 million worldwide,

This news has made Sony make the unsurprising announcement that the film will stay in theaters until the Thanksgiving weekend.

"Paranormal Activity" continued its Cinderella story with a strong $16.5 million second place showing. "Law Abiding Citizen," "Couples Retreat" and "Saw VI" rounded out the top five.

"Saw VI" has had the poorest showing of all the "Saw" movies, could it be that we've reached our torture porn limit.

The only other new release of the weekend was "The Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day" which only brought in $462,000 on 68 screens. Its per screen average was just under $6,800 which tells me that the cult following of the first film is not rubbing off on the second.

New episode up

Coming up next week is Tim's look at the entertainment of Austin, TX. Including Sixth Street, "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and Halloween in Austin.

Scream awards tonight

Here are some clips of the Scream awards, airing tonight at 10 p.m. on Spike TV. Video clips courtesy of Spike TV.

New day, new show

"Viewpoints On..." is no more.

Long live "Inscaped!"

Seriously though, for the past month we have been working on an update of "Viewpoints On..." to bring better quality and make it a part of the Inscaped brand. Now the show and the site are one big happy family.

We did this for two really good reasons.

First, about a month ago, we were approached with an idea to bring the show to television. Granted it is public access, but it is television none the less. Stephanie and I were beyond excited with this offer and after an informative meeting we accepted the deal. With the new show we not only get on TV, but upgrades in equipment and quality. Normally the show is done with just Stephanie, myself and a camera on a tripod.

With the new setup we are shooting in a professional studio with really nice cameras, a green screen and an executive producer (Emile Bradshaw) who handles all of the technical aspects of the show. These upgrades are a great thing for us and the show. Stephanie and I can now concentrate 100 percent on the creative aspects of the show and not have to worry too much about the tech side.

The new partnership has already brought forth some great ideas that either have been or will be made to the show very soon. Also a big thanks to Tony Rizo for the awesome Inscaped logo he designed for us.

And speaking of thanks, we would be horrible human beings if we didn't thank all the people who got "Viewpoints On..." to this point in history: Dan Segraves for being crazy enough to like my idea and help create it, Chris Wolf for co-hosting the first episode, Sandra Diaz for co-hosting the second episode and helping out with questions and segments, Corinne Love for "Corinn'ing out of control, Adrian Pascua for helping out behind the scenes and Chris Dietrich for filming a few episodes.

Inscaped Episode 01 from Viewpoints Online on Vimeo.

Worshipping at the church of U2

Going to a U2 concert is a spiritual experience.

Bono is your preacher, with his deacons The Edge, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullins. Together they take you on a roller coaster ride through anticipation, excitement and absolute bliss.

On Oct. 23 at Las Vegas's Sam Boyd Stadium I attended the church of U2 and all I can say is : Best. Concert. Ever.

The show was opened by The Black Eyed Peas who literally started the party with "Let's Get it Started" and had 50,000 people jumping up and down during "Pump It" and their show closer and latest chart-topper "I Gotta A Feeling."

Fergie took a couple minutes and had the crowd help her sing her hit "Big Girls Don't Cry" I have to say not only are The Black Eyed Peas an awesome live band but Fergie can really sing and now I have a bit of a girl crush.

After the Peas got the crowd ready and primed it was time for the main event and it was totally worth the wait.

Only U2 could put on a show that featured appearances by Archbishop Desmond Tutu and a Russian astronaut on the international space station.

One of the nicest moments of the show came when the band dedicated their song "Walk On" to wrongly arrested Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi. As Bono sang Amnesty International volunteers appeared on stage holding masks of Kyi's face. As they surrounded the outside of the elaborate stage Bono said, "Let her face be our face."

My favorite moment of the night came when the band played my two favorite songs back to back. After they played "One," Bono sang "Amazing Grace" and segued into "Where the Streets Have No Name," a moment that can only be described as breathtaking.

U2 have been together for more than 30 years so at this point their sound is close to perfect. This was never more prevalent than when the band played "Until the End of the World." The tightness of their sound and their talent as musicians was on full display during the last few minutes of this classic.

I really can't say enough about how talented and somehow underrated The Edge is. Not only is he an awesome guitarist, but, his unique guitar playing has become the sound people associate with U2.

From the spectacular stage design to the awesome Black Eyed Peas to the awe-inspiring U2 this was without a doubt the best show I've ever been to and something I will remember and talk about for years.

Geek out!

Sometimes a picture shows how much I am geeking out at this second:

Yes, that's the A-team!

Five word review: "Where the Wild Things Are"

*Check out my full review on the new episode being posted tomorrow evening.*

"Where the Wild Things Are" -

1. Beautiful

2. Amazing

3. Stunning

4. Funny

5. Heartwarming

Domo arigato 7-Eleven

With the weather warmed up, I thought to myself "A Slurpee sounds good right now."

Well, that and swimming in a nice, cool pool.

But, for those of us pool-challenged folk (or those with pools who are thirsty) there is a new promotion at 7-Eleven for Halloween surrounding the Japanese character of Domo.

For those not aware of Domo, he is a little brown monster with a wide open mouth with pointy teeth. Some might remember him as the mascot of Target's Halloween promotion last year.

Domo, who is the official mascot of the NHK television station in Japan, is pretty popular. In my trip to Tokyo in 2008 I saw plenty of examples of how much people love him. When walking into a few Riverside 7-Eleven stores, I noticed that Domo isn't hard to spot. He's on posters advertising everything from coffee to brownies to hot dogs.

But, it's the Domo Slurpees that are the main selling point. The flavor of the Domo Slurpee is "Fuji Frost," which is kind of funny considering the character of Domo has a strong dislike of apples.

The taste of the Domo Slurpee is good. It tastes like apples. It is sweet, but not overpowering. Think of it like the Baby Bear from "Goldilocks" of Slurpees... just right. There is a hint of an aftertaste that does stick with you a bit. Not necessarily a bad thing, but enough to think "Hmmm, interesting."

As part of the promotion the stores are also selling special Domo slurpee cups. The cups are $1.99 and come in three different designs. This might seem to be a little pricey, but the cups are made out of a durable plastic. I have a few from the "Terminator Salvation" promotion in May that are still good and have held up after dozens of dishwasher attacks. Plus, at 22 ounces, they are the perfect size for a regular drinking glass. If you don't mind serving killer machine or Japanese monster cups to guests.

For children (or curious anime loving adults) there are also special Domo straws for sale that come with four different Domo figurines; Hip-Hop Domo, Lucha Domo, candy obsessed Domo and headphones wearing Domo. Each straw is also $1.99. A unique feature of these straws is a plastic scoop at the bottom to help shovel that pesky last bit up Slurpee up.

And for the non-Slurpee loving crowd, 7-Eleven is also selling a small Domo coffee cup for 99 cents.

According to the 7-Eleven Web site, Domo is sticking around until Nov. 15 or while supplies last.

For more on Domo, check out http://www.domonation.com/.

Check out the Domo getting a brainfreeze from drinking Slurpees video, funny stuff.

Saying goodbye to a relationship

Breaking up is hard to do.

Breaking up with a television show seems to be a lot harder.

And sometimes more drama filled than a marathon of "Grey's Anatomy."

First a little background. It was around March of 2005, I was young and hopeful for the future. I met this wonderful television show named "The Office" and it was love at first sight.

I watched all the episodes, bought all the DVDs, played the horrible computer game and ransacked Target's dollar section of all its "Office" pens, papers and magnets.

It was a great relationship. I loved the show's sense of humor and even its kinder side like when Michael showed up to Pam's art show when no one else cared enough to.

And the show loved me watching. It got money out of me and got great word of mouth from me telling everyone how much I loved the show.

Fast forward to a few weeks ago. I was all ready for our big date for the season premiere of the show. I was a little disappointed. It didn't really seem like the show cared anymore. It was reusing old plot points that I have seen before. And the sense of humor that I had grown to love was missing.

As the weeks passed and more episodes were watched I came to a horrific realization.

We were growing apart.

I stuck with it enough to get to Jim and Pam's wedding. That's when I realized I needed to make a change. Jim and Pam have always been the good people on the show. Against everyone else who are basically horrible human beings. But now Jim and Pam were just as bad... and it broke my heart.

At the 35 minute point of the one hour episode I turned the episode off. I then told my friends that I was no longer going to watch "The Office." And they reacted like normal people would, questioning my reasons.

Somehow it even got back to my mother. She kept asking me "Are you sure you're going to stop watching?" and "But you've been watching for so long!" She even cut out an article in the Press-Enterprise with Jim and Pam on it.

As if to point out what I'd be missing. I fear that there is an intervention in my near future.

But there are other fish in the sea of Thursday nights at 9 p.m. I've known "CSI" for a number of years. And that "Fringe" show has been sending me messages on Facebook.

New episode up...

'Buffy:' The Best Episodes

Since I wrote about "Angel" yesterday and I'm all about equality, today I will list my top five favorite episodes of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

1. "Graduation Day: Part 2"-The third season finale gave fans everything they could want in an episode. A huge battle, classic Joss Whedon humor and a heart-wrenching goodbye. I still love watching it.
2. "Chosen"-Buffy leads her gang into one last battle, Willow becomes the witch she was meant to be and Spike saves the world. The ending a show of this caliber deserves.
3. "The Prom"-I know it may sound cheesy, but I get choked up when her classmates recognize Buffy for all she's done to keep them safe. It gives meaning to all she's sacrificed.
4. "Grave"-The season six finale was all about Allyson Hannigan as she effortlessly turned sweet Willow into Buffy's most dangerous foe. And there was the second plotline of Spike going through several trials to seemingly get the chip out of his head, but surprise it wasn't the chip he wanted out, it was his soul he wanted back. Just a fantastic hour of television.
5. "Innocence"-The audience's first meeting with Angelus was everlasting and made viewers sort of hope Buffy wouldn't succeed in turning him back, because everyone loves a bad boy.

Honorable Mentions: "Band Candy," "Becoming: Part 2" and "The Wish."

'Angel:' The Best Episodes

Every morning Tim and I have one conversation about the same topic. What episode of "Angel" almost made us late that day? Since the show is such a part of our daily lives, I've decided to compile a list of my top five favorite episodes.

1. "Smile Time"-Angel gets turned into a puppet, fights demonic puppets from hell and Wes and Fred finally get together. Comedy, romance, puppet fights; it's Joss Whedon at his best.
2. "Hero"-The stunning conclusion of this episode is what proves that Whedon is not like other writers. He is willing to break viewer's hearts to give them what they didn't know they wanted.
3. "Not Fade Away"-It is a rare series ending that can leave you satisfied and wanting more at the same time. This is accomplished by having all the major characters take part in huge battles while setting the scene for an even bigger fight.
4. "I Will Remember You"-This episode gives long time "Buffy" fans what they've always wanted, a Buffy/Angel reunion, but then cruelly snatches it away from them when the greater good must be served.
5. "Orpheus"-Anytime we get to see Angelus, it's a good episode. But here we not only get an inside view of Angel's constant inner struggle, but we also get some great Eliza Dushku fight scenes, so it's win-win.

I love Michael but...

Today the nominees were announced for the American Music Awards and predictably Taylor Swift leads the nominations with six. However, right behind her with five is Michael Jackson.

Among the categories he's nominated in are Artist of the year, favorite male artist pop/rock and soul/r&b.

It's no secret that I'm a huge fan of Michael's and I absolutely think he should be honored for his work, but let's be honest they're basically honoring him for dying.

If they just decided to give him Artist of the year without having any other nominees or named the award after him, that would be appropriate. However, it feels a little wrong to place an artist in a category with current chart-toppers when he hasn't released new music in years.

It's also extremely unfair to the other nominees because while I love Jamie Foxx's "Blame It," it's no "Billie Jean" and Foxx would be the first to admit that.

The American Music Awards producers' hearts were in the right place but the execution should have gone a little differently.

Where's the 'Stargate' in 'Stargate: Universe'

Right up front I want to let everyone know that I'm a huge "Stargate" fan. I've seen every episode of both shows and know a ridiculous amount of useless facts about the characters and stories.

So, when news came of a new "Stargate" TV show, I was excited. However, the show's producers said that it would be darker and more character driven than the previous two shows. This worried me since the chemistry among the crews and the distinctive sense of humor are two of the reasons for the franchise's success.

Though I feel unsure of this new direction, I still decided to give it a chance, because hey, it's still "Stargate."

However, after watching the first three hours of "Stargate: Universe," I'm beginning to think the show is just an average sci-fi show with only a passing connection to the franchise.

Don't get me wrong there are fun characters and an interesting premise but the execution is underwhelming so far. The latest episode left me bored and flipping channels 15 minutes in.

So, "Stargate: Universe" I'm putting you on notice, if you don't get it together I may have to continue to get my "Stargate" fix from "SG:1" and "Atlantis."

You don't have to reinvent the wheel just do what has already been successful for 15 seasons.

New episode NOT up

Today at the international Inscaped plaza we suffered what could only be called "technical issues" that prevented us from filming a new episode.

Our crack team of 50 tech professionals will spend all weekend working out the kinks and assure us that we'll be ready to shoot Monday.

In the meantime here is a glimpse of what will be discussed on the show:

"Wanna See It?" - Reviews of "Surrogates" and "Capitalism: A Love Story." And a look at the week's new releases including "Couple's Retreat," "Good Hair" and the expansion of "Paranormal Activity."

Our lists of the fall television's best and worst have changed a bit. Some shows got bumped up to "Eh" and "Good" while one or two will be getting Dear John letters. A hint? I use Dunder Mifflin paper to write my break up letters.

In news it has been a strange week of odd announcements including casting for "Predators" and a report of a "Hawaii 5-0" remake for CBS.

Check back Monday for a new episode of "Viewpoints On..."

Dear "Smallville" and "Heroes"

Today Entertainment Weekly had a photo gallery up about which shows people are breaking up with this season. I have decided to share my break-up letters with two longtime loves.

Dear "Heroes,"

We need to talk. You are not the show I started watching four years ago. You clearly no longer care for my feelings, evidenced by the firing of Bryan Fuller and the continuing amounts of airtime given to Claire and Peter. Plus, your continuing bouts of plot amnesia make it increasingly hard for me to keep up with your shenanigans. For these reasons and many more, I must tell you it's over.

No, don't try to talk me out of it, it's too late, we can't be saved. I'm moving on and I'm taking custody of Zachary Quinto.

Dear "Smallville,"

I already told you two years ago that it was over, but you can't seem to accept the truth. You continue to beat the dead horse that is our relationship. Listen we had five or six good years but our time is over, you can't continue to live in denial. Maybe we can be friends if you suddenly decide to start flying, but until then, we're through.

The strange world of sequels

In the movie world it is commonly known that a sequel can suck. There are so many examples that my hands would bleed from typing them all out. I will quickly mention "Scream 2" though. Or "Transformers 2."

Sorry, the door was open, I had to!

But, in the world of video games sequels are supposed to rock. "Halo 2," "Street Fighter 2," "Resident Evil 2," "Super Mario Bros. 2" and "WWF: No Mercy" (Holy crap, did that game rock back in the day.)

Then what in the blue hell happened with "Marvel Ultimate Alliance 2"?

I loved the first one. Like addicted-ly loved it. I must have played that straight through a couple of times. Everything was good; the graphics, the characters, the cut scenes, the voice acting.

Man, what a game.

Then a new company took over.

And all hell broke loose.

I ran out to Best Buy and put down $29.99 for the PS2 version when it came out a few weeks ago. And, within minutes, wanted to either cry or break the friggin' game.

Let's break it down:

The graphics - If the graphics in the first game were good, then why are they bad in this one? Shouldn't they have the same program from the first one? All you need to do is IMPROVE it then, not take several steps back. But, that seems to be a lingering thread here.

The characters - Out of all the "new" characters in the game, you really only get 5-6 new ones. The rest are leftovers from the old game or its predecessor "X-men Legends." And for those who don't believe me then really just compare Jean Grey and Invisible Woman. All of the other characters are from the old games! And with the same powers. Plus, I found some sort of weird bug with Green Goblin which caused him to not have any power to use any of his powers.

The cut scenes - Where the first "Ultimate Alliance" had great cut scenes, I could watch that opening cut scene over and over, this one? Not so much. Most of them are like crude drawings that show us what is going on. Like they ran out of money and memory to do good ones.

The voice acting - Is beyond bad, when it's there. There are a lot of points when one side would talk and another character would just be text.

It is a horrible excuse of a game with a ton of glitches and bugs. Save the three citizens and still can't continue on? Well, just reload the level a couple of times. And don't get me started on the Auto Save "feature" or as I like to call it "The Let's-Make-Tim-Pissed" feature.

Save your money and then be mad at NSpace. Of course... they also made the "Hannah Montana" video game.

Like picking your favorite child

Sometimes at the global headquarters of Inscaped, when Stephanie and I are diligently working hard we need to listen to a little music to lighten the mood.

The other day was a Weezer day, just a day when I would play the next song on YouTube depending on what was in the Related Videos tab.

A few started popping up with "The Top 10 Weezer songs." That made me think, out loud, why I have never made a list. Especially considering they are my favorite band.

So, I did. And I'll spoil the top spot right here. One thing that annoyed me with a lot of lists I saw was the exclusion of "Say It Aint So," which is arguably the best Weezer song ever. Any list not including it was automatically dq'd.

Don't agree? Let's take this outside. I'll meet you there at 12:30, right behind the library.

Now that No. 1 is spoiled, sorry for the lack of spoiler alerts, here are the top three songs from each Weezer CD plus my favorite unlreased track.

The "Blue" album - "Surf Wax," "Only in Dreams," "Say It Aint So."

"Pinkerton" - "Why Bother," "Across the Sea," "The Good Life."

The "Green" album - "Hash Pipe," "Photograph," "Island in the Sun."

"Maladriot" - "Keep Fishin’," "Take Control," "Possibilities."

"Make Believe" - "Peace," "This is Such a Pity," "Haunt You Every Day."

The "Red" album - "Pork and Beans," "Thought I Knew," "The Angel and the One."

And the unreleased track "Hey Domingo," which I love beyond words and can't fathom why it was never released. Check it out here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6WD0ht2g2s0

Now this list is not in any sort of order besides "Say It Aint So" at No. 1. And that's not to say there are a ton more Weezer songs I love. Songs like "Undone the Sweater Song," "Buddy Holly," "Perfect Situation," "O, Girlfriend," "Slob" and many more.

There are also many reasons why I love each song. An example would be "Pork and Beans" because it came out right before I went to Japan and I must have played that song dozens of times over there because it was uplifting and now I'll always connect it with going to Tokyo.

Explaining the rest? Maybe another day and another blog.

A funny thing happened today

In the latest episode of "Viewpoints On..." (which you can clicky-click below) Stephanie and I talked about all of the new fall television shows we watched.

Both of us, strangely enough, watched 18 shows each. We pretty much agreed on everything, which told both of us that we spend way too much time around each other.

Oh, and we are probably right.

On a whim toward the end of the segment about television I said that our lists might change as the fall season progresses.

Little did I know it would take a matter of days.

I just got done watching the third episode of "Community" and I laughed my butt off. Not literally of course.

I don't mean to veer off course, but where did that phrase ever come from? A gold star to whoever can tell me.

Anywho, back to the point.

I was not impressed at all with the first two episodes, but something about this one really clicked with me.

They even had a Weezer joke! Of course you know I went crazy for that.

Maybe I was right to give the show ONE more chance. Maybe this is a lesson to learn for all new shows... you have to give them at least 3-4 episodes to really see if they are worth watching.

Well, except "Mercy." You couldn't pay me to keep watching that.

New episode up...

Why Shawn and Gus are the new Martin and Lewis

If you're not watching "Psych" you're missing the funniest show on television. The program features James Roday and Dule Hill as fake psychic detective Shawn Spencer and his sidekick/best friend Burton "Gus" Guster.

Shawn's father spent his entire life training him to be a cop, so he's overly observant. However, he parlayed this skill into a job with the Santa Barbara Police Department as a psychic detective, dragging Gus along for the ride.

While the whole show is smartly written and hilariously acted, it is the perfect comedic timing between Roday and Hill that really makes the show brilliant.

The way they play off of each other makes the audience think that they are really lifelong friends who often find themselves mixed up in wacky shenanigans.

Shawn is the wild, over-the-top one, so Roday is the one who gets to do all the crazy psychic revelation scenes. Gus is the straight man, leaving Hill to set up Roday's wackiness and either explain it or go along. It's usually the latter.

The way these two experienced actors make their special brand of magic work often causes laugh out loud hilarity that can only take place in the ridiculous world they've created.

Their chemistry brings to mind classic teams like Abbott and Costello, Martin and Lewis or The Rat Pack.

Because it airs on the USA Network "Psych" is one of those shows you have to wait a long time for and then once it's on you can't imagine how you lived without it on your schedule.

With last week's episode "High Top Fade Out" already an instant classic and taking its place among favorites like "American Duos" and "Lights, Camera...Homicidio" you can tell the show is starting to hit its stride and will only get stronger.

New Fall Season: Part 2

Since Tim gave his take on the new fall season I thought I should offer my two cents worth.

The Good:

"Castle"-This is one of the most enjoyable shows on TV. The characters are smart and funny with great chemistry. Nathan Fillion is ridiculously charming and has finally found a role tailor made for him. One of my favorite things about the show is the supporting characters of Castle's mother and daughter and also the other detective team at the police station. This is high quality entertainment.

"The Good Wife"-Julianna Margulies makes this show work in a way that it never could without her. As the scandalized Alicia Florrick, Margulies gives the audience vulnerability, insecurity and strength all in the course of one scene. A cast of TV veterans including Chris Noth and Josh Charles gives the material a weight that will draw viewers in.

"psych"- While technically not a fall show, no examination of good TV would be complete without mentioning the funniest show on television. James Roday and Dule Hill have the timing of a classic comedy team. It's a show that must be watched multiple times because chances are you laughed through some of the jokes.

"Glee"-Hands down the most creative show to hit the airwaves since "24." Everything from the acting to the inspired choice of music makes this show a winner. It's the definition of appointment television and Matthew Morrison is a star in the making.

The Eh:

"Flash Forward"-The most buzzed about and hyped up show of the new season is only ok. Unlike "Lost" which drew viewers in instantly, this feels more like diet "Lost," close but not quite the real thing.

"Community"-Unlike Tim I'm not ready to give up on Joel McHale just yet, but the show isn't quite living up to expectations. While there are definitely some funny moments, the show still needs more fine tuning.

The Bad:

"Smallville"-Put this show out of its misery already.
"The Vampire Diaries"-Stumbled across it by accident and my brain still hurts.
"Eastwick"-There is absolutely nothing enchanting about this show, all involved should get out now.

Check back for more updates and analysis on the new fall TV season.

New fall season: The good, eh and ugly

Last week was the first full week of the new television season.

And as a dedicated journalist, I sat through hours and hours of television to sort of the best from the rest.

And, boy, the rest was really unimpressed.

The Good:

Monday - "Castle" returned for a second season and hit another one out of the park. Not only did it continue the story from last season, but resolved it by the end of the episode. It also gave one of the best mysteries of the week which had me guessing until the end. More people should be watching, and loving, this show. 9 p.m. ABC.

Thursday - "Fringe" actually aired its second episode this week and it was just as good as the season opener. This one dealt with a scorpion-mole-man creature that pulled people underground to kill and eat them. There was even a point at the end that made me almost jump off the couch screaming like a little girl. For that, they win.

Friday - "Dollhouse" came back with a vengeance (in the Friday night death slot) with a great new episode. Like with "Castle" we got more from the stories left over from last season. Amy Acker got a wonderful chance to shine and was amazing. She deserves an Emmy for this episode. We were also introduced to what could be the "big bad" this season in Alexis Denisof playing a United States Senator looking to take down the Dollhouse(s).

The "EH" (Not bad, but not great either) -

"Law and Order: SVU" - Started out great with guest star Wentworth Miller, but lost steam when characters started acting stupid. The cop is crazy the whole episode, beating people up, acting weird, but you let him take a little girl alone, then escort the serial killer alone to the bathroom? Come on.

"The Office" - Last week I told Stephanie that the show seemed repetitive to me. Like they recycled old plots. Last week Jim had to be the good guy and save Michael from looking stupid all while revealing something personal. Been there, done that. Now this week Michael acts all crazy because he thinks something is happening, says a lot of horrible things, then realizes he made a mistake and tries to fix it. And yes, Jim should have just quit on the spot.

"Mercy" - The new medical show from NBC. I was intrigued by the premise of a Iraq returning nurse who is dealing with her life after war. Apparently the show is really about nurses with too much time on their hands. There was more hand holding and comforting that actual nursing being done. Plus, two of the main characters had significant others, but in the span of an hour were hooking up with people that weren't their boyfriends/husbands, THEN trying to get with a bartender at the very end of the episode.

The Ugly -

I won't even waste time or typing power on these:

"Smallville" - Stupid, annoying and major out of character actions.
"Brothers" - Just because one actor is in a wheelchair and one has a gap in his teeth doesn't mean 90 percent of the jokes have to be about those two things.
"Heroes" - Yeah, still bad.
"Community" - Watched the pilot, didn't laugh. Watched the second episode, didn't laugh. That's it.