Tim's Black Friday memories/pickups

I hate Black Friday shopping with a passion. I used to work for Wal-Mart in the electronics section and always had to "open" on Black Friday, which meant I had to wake up extra early and deal with throngs of deal seeking "people." I use that term loosely because for some reason cheap TVs and other crap bring out the worst in people. I have seen it all from yelling, fighting, tugs of war over clothes to shopping carts being rammed into heels for people not moving fast enough.

During one year you could hear the rumbling of feet and carts coming from the front of the store. It sounded like a stampede, as if it were the Perris California running of the bulls or something. Another year all I did was fill the row in front of the department with 19 inch televisions, go to the back, load up more and repeat... for 3 hours. And, I apparently, wasn't going fast enough.

This, and an aversion to super large crowds, has helped me avoid going out for Black Friday door busters or sales only from 5 a.m. to noon. One exception is Target, who has done away with door busters in favor of two day sales. Meaning I can stroll in say around 10:30 a.m. get what I want and leave, without having to wait in line... like what happened this morning.

I picked up season 2 of "Psych" for $13.98, which I believe, is a great deal. The Target receipt says it normally costs $39.99. A good basis for comparison is the uber-cheap Web site Deep Discount DVD, which lists "Psych: Season 2" for $39.96. I'll take a $25 savings any day.

Another good deal, sort of, was the "I Am Legend" DVD for $3.98. I say sort of because it is the bare bones version with no real extra features other than some comics. Target lists it as originally costing $13 and Deep Discount DVD has it for $6.58. So I saved about $3.


Now you must excuse me so I can go watch Shawn and Gus perform "Shout."

Goodbye to the best show on television

So last night was the series finale of "The Shield" and wow it was a blockbuster of an episode to end the seven year run of the show.

For a show that started with one cop killing another in cold blood, "The Shield" is known for not pulling any punches and shocking viewers by going further than most shows would dare.

Last night was no different. If the shocks and plot twists throughout the span of the show were slaps across your face, then last night was a steel toe'd boot kick to the gut (including the wind being knocked out of you).

Characters died, some in shocking ways, and in the end everyone got what they deserved. For the real main characters (The Strike Team members) who were just bad people, well, they were basically really evil people, each in the end went out in ways they probably deserved.

I won't spoil it for those who watch it on DVD or have it saved on DVRs, but the last few minutes are both reflective and satisfying.

At a time where there isn't much on television that is worth watching (Yes, I am talking to you NBC) "The Shield" is a reminder that great television is possible and that there is Emmy worthy acting in strange places.

Best Bond girls

To many a Bond girl is just the woman James Bond sleeps with on his way to catching the bad guy, but the best Bond girls are the ones who can hold their own against Bond and don't always fall right into his arms.

Hands down the best Bond girl ever is Honor Blackman in "Goldfinger." She could win just for her name alone, Pussy Galore, however, she is also a pilot for Goldfinger who isn't charmed by Bond. She's not a blind follower of the villain, she just enjoys being paid well. You can't help but admire her independent spirit. She does eventually succumb to Bond's charms, because, well, he is James Bond.

Running a close second is Michelle Yeoh in "Tomorrow Never Dies." She plays Bond's Chinese counterpart Wai Lin. Yeoh is probably the only Bond girl to kick butt better than Bond. When she uses her extensive martial arts skills to take down several bad guys in a Chinese safe house, it is one of the best Bond fight scenes ever.

Finally there is Famke Janssen as Xenia Onatopp in "Goldeneye." As villainous Bond girls go, she is the best. She uses her sex appeal to lure unsuspecting victims and she takes a lot of pleasure in her job. When she and Bond face off, he gets the upper hand, but I always assumed it was because she wanted him to have it. She completely steals the spotlight from Izabella Scorupco.

I'm sure there will be plenty of arguing, but then again, it's not exactly a bad topic to argue about.

Bond, Bauer or Bourne

There was a time when James Bond was the only secret agent that mattered. However, now his crown is being challenged by new heroes Jack Bauer and Jason Bourne.

So the question is, who's the best secret agent? Let's start by examining their qualifications.

James Bond is a oo-agent with MI6, he has a license to kill, a gadget for every occasion and can make any woman change sides with just a wink or a smile.

Jack Bauer is a former Counter Terrorist Unit agent who has stopped assassinations and nuclear threats and has sacrificed himself and his family for his country.

Jason Bourne was an assassin for the CIA, since losing his memory he has used his skills to evade the government and get at the truth behind his past.

Best Kill: Bourne, he once killed a guy during a fight with a magazine. Honorable Mention: Bond has the most kills, so he does have the longest list to choose from.

Best Interrogator: Bauer, if you need information from the enemy, nobody tortures a guy like Jack. Honorable Mention: Bond's techniques are more fun if a woman is involved.

Best Undercover Agent: Bond, he will always find a way to infiltrate the villain's organization, whether it's by sleeping with the bad guy's girl or just knocking someone out and stealing their uniform.

Best One-Liners: Bond by a mile, Bauer takes himself very serious and Bourne doesn't even talk half the time.

Better Villains: Bauer, in this new world, his bad guys are more realistic.

The Winner: Bond, while Bourne and Bauer are a little single-minded during their missions, Bond always has time for some romance or maybe a little gambling.

His ability to multi-task while saving the world makes him the clear choice, plus he has the experience having been a spy a good 40 years longer than the other guys.

He should watch his back though, because Bauer and Bourne are closing in on him.

Best James Bond villains

As much as I enjoyed Goldfinger in "Goldfinger," my favorite old-school James Bond villain is Jaws from "The Spy Who Loved Me" and "Moonraker."

He was superior to Bond in both size and strength which made him a menacing opponent, much more than Mathieu Almalric's screaming like a girl Dominic Greene from "Quantum of Solace." Plus, as a child I was scared of Jaws' metal teeth. Those kinds of things stay with you. Yes he was a bumbling idiot, but he also was sort of Jason Vorhees like where no matter what happened to him like falling from great distances he would always just get up and keep going.


More recently, I would say that Sean Bean's Alec Trevelyan from "Goldeneye"
was my favorite. He was a former 00 agent like Bond and was a formitable foe by being Bond's equal in brains and athletic ability. I think that is what the Daniel Craig versions are missing, one main person to stand up to Bond and not get killed in a few seconds. And no Mr. White does not count.

Best James Bond movies

Without a doubt my favorite James Bond movie is "Goldfinger." Great action, plot, Bond girl, henchman Oddjob and evil villain Goldfinger. It was the most well-rounded of those pre-90s Bond films. It also has one the coolest deaths and iconic scenes in the Bond films where Shirley Eaton was covered in gold paint. So iconic in fact that the new Bond film "Quantum of Solace" does their own version of that scene.

Of the more recent films I like "Goldeneye." Seems as if I have a facination with gold in the titles. Note to producers, make the next Bond film have the word gold somewhere in the title.

Best James Bond Actors

For me you can't really beat Sean Connery at all. But, I believe that Pierce Brosnan gets really close. His performance in "Goldeneye" was great and he nailed it right out of the gate. He could pull off the action and make you smirk at the things that were kind of funny.

Sure "The World is Not Enough" is a stinker of a Bond film, but it was not due to Brosnan as Bond. He did the best with what he had to work with, kind of like George Clooney in "Batman and Robin." He also had great chemistry with the Bond girls and Judi Dench as M.

Let the hate mail begin!

'Heroes!'

This week on "Heroes" we saw...

Wait, really, I am just going to bash it again.

Is there a point of continuing to kick someone while they are down? Beating a dead horse?

'Happy' Halloween?

I don't know if it's just me, but wow has Halloween changed since I was a child.

Sure we still carve pumpkins and people still hand out candy, but everything else just seems to be wonky.

Some Halloween night observations from me sitting out in front of my house:

1. A lot of children/teenagers with no costumes trick or treating. I even saw two 10-12 year olds with no costumes, but chatting on their cell phones. Can have a cell phone, but no costumes?

2. Two older ladies trick or treating, no costumes.

3. A teenage girl wearing a skimpy maid outfit. She wasn't carrying a bag, so she lifted up her skirt up to carry the candy around. Very inappropriate. Sad thing? Her parents were with her...

4. A car pulls up, a kid in a "Scream" outfit jumps out and runs up to get some candy. He runs back to the car, the car pulls away and stops two houses down. Rinse and repeat a few more times. My jaw was on the floor. I have never witnessed lazy trick or treating before.

5. Wearing a mask over regular clothes is NOT a costume!

One thing that did impress me was the amounts of "Thank you's" that I got. That, for sure, made up for all of the above annoying things.