Things That Entertain Proctor

Thoughts on 3D

2010-05-05T10:40:00.000-07:00

Last week Ebert Robert wrote an article on 3d movies for Newsweek. The article can be read here: Newsweek.

I always enjoy Robert's writing and opinion, and this time I actually kind of agree with him. Here is something I wrote about 3d while back that:

James Cameron’s Avatar is a great film, and it has made buckets and buckets of money to back that up. As Avatar grossed over $2 billion film executives watched and began to scheme, “Hmm, if Avatar can make $2 billion and it was in 3-D, then maybe we can just make our movies in 3-D and they’ll sell like hot cakes!”

I hate be the bearer of bad news, but I’m fairly certain that a little bit of 3-D isn’t going to save the ailing film industry. Within the next two years there are at least 36 films that will be released in 3-D. Among these are “Shrek 4,” “Tim Burton’s Alice and Wonderland,” “Hood Winked 2: Hood Vs. Evil,” “Step Up 3-D” and a sequel to the 2001 talking animal classic “Cats & Dogs.”

My question for film companies is do these movies really need to be in 3-D? And are people really interested in shelling out a couple extra dollars for some lackluster 3D dance sequences in an unnecessary sequel to a mediocre Channing Tatum movie? I’m not, and I imagine others might share my sentiment.

Nine times out of 10 3-D is just a gimmick. James Cameron just got lucky. He built new technology to make his vision possible, and it worked. It made the world he imagined come to life and people loved it. 3-D won’t save the movie industry; the only thing that can do that is talented filmmakers, writers, and actors creating worlds and stories the viewers can relate to and become immersed in.

The film industry is facing a lot of problems; problems with ticket sales, pirating are overspending just to name a few. Being stuck in two dimensions isn’t a problem. Filmmakers need to figure out a lot of other things before they venture off into the world of 3-D.

Review: The Brothers

2010-04-30T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Brothers Bloom is a movie that has been on my radar for around 2 years now. The plot, which involves Adrien Brody and Mark Ruffalo playing brothers/con artists was the first thing that struck my attention. Once I saw the trailer I knew I had to see the film.

For some reason though I waited a good year and a half before I finally watched the movie, but when I did finally watch it I fell in love.

First, and most importantly, it's a con artist movie. How can you go wrong with that? Like Catch Me if You Can and Matchstick Men before it The Brothers Bloom is full of twists, tricks and turn that constantly leave you guessing at what could possibly be happening. Ruffalo plays the brains behind the operation and keeps the audience guessing.

To top it off the film is full of style and great humor. The Brothers Bloom is now available on DVD.

Hidden Gem: Empire Strikes Back trailer

2010-04-30T09:48:00.000-07:00

Slashfilm.com posted this earlier today and I couldn't help but fall in love with it. It is the original 1980 theatrical trailer for Empire Strikes Back narrated by none of the Mr. Han Solo himself Harrison Ford. If you've got a couple minutes give it a watch; its pretty cheesey...but what can you expect?

2010-03-24T21:30:00.001-07:00

Waterworld: Day 7

2009-12-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I attempt to watch all of Waterworld in 5 minute chunks.

The jet-ski's are coming in fast. The jet-skis them selves? Not in brand new condition. They look a little worn in. There's also a boat with some rough lookin dudes on it. One of them has a shotgun. I'm sure he's not the only one packing heat though. Some one just yelled kill which suggests that my theory was correct, they are in fact bad news.

The city is going into defense mode! (Which really just means they're closing the windows and lining up around the top of the city/island/town. One of the elders said something along the lines of "We're safe behind this wall...aren't we?" to another of the elders and then his mouth just lingered there as if he was expecting a kiss.

The bad guys have surrounded the island, and started to just dilly dally around and make they're presence know. The camera keeps panning around their machine guns and weapsons to let us know that they are in fact dangerous. And now for the villain reveal! An evil looking bald man sitting on a throne that is mounted on one of the big bad guy boats. It's Dennis Hopper! Smoking a cigarette! The whole freaking world is water, where did he find cigarettes?!?! He said something about the key to city, but I was to distracted to actually comprehend it because my mind is still hung up on the cigarette thing. I can hear people loading their weapons, I guess they're about to attack. BULLETS EVERYWHERE.

The bullets just keep coming. For a long time. There are also flaming arrows, Molotov cocktails, hoses, and sling shots in the fight. It's pretty much chaos for awhile. There is even bad guys water skiing? This is just stupid. That would be the worst way to travel/attack. Ohhhh I see know they are on water skis so that they can ramp off the big ramps and get into the city. Well, I was wrong that's not stupid at all! Now the jet-skis are jumping too. This town is screwed! Haha another water skier tried to do the jump but just hit the wall. What a great gag.

More chaos...and then the best thing I've seen in this movie yet. We've got a third and final water skier getting ready to jump the ramp. He hits the ramp, everything is looking good. He does it, he makes the jump. He's in the town! but wait oh no, something is in the way of his landing. IT IS A CAGED UP KEVIN COSTNER!!! WHAT WILL HAPPEN?!?!

Hobby Time: Bikes

2009-12-15T09:38:00.000-08:00

Home cooking, puppy dog, family, and my parent's huge TV are some of my favorite things about coming home for the holidays. One of my other favorite things is riding my bike in the suburbs of Houston. I am by no means an avid bike rider. I know very little about how to properly bike and things like that, but I do love riding.

Unfortunately the hills of Austin, Tx are a huge pain in my legs. I live in S. Austin so I can ride in pretty much any direction and find nothing but huge hills. When I'm back home in Houston i can ride for hours without having to worry about riding up an incline.

The Art of Waterworld

2009-12-15T09:31:00.000-08:00

Every year before Christmas a group of my friends and I have a big Christmas party, among the festivites are feasting, unsecisarrily compilcated traditions, and, of course, presents. This year my friend Casey Polacheck gave me this awesome painting of me and Kevin Costner kicking in the magical world of Waterwold.

8-bit Xmas

2009-12-14T23:06:00.000-08:00

Video game Christmas tree as seen on 8BitFix

SemiReview: Men of a Certain Age

2009-12-14T22:58:00.001-08:00

Just now I turned on the TV and caught the last 5 minutes of the second episode of "Men of a Certain Age" and I think I'm in love. To be fair it was only 5 minutes, but it went straight for the heart. It was funny, sweet, sad and sincere. The three main actors (Ray Romano, Andre Braugher, and Scott Bakula) have great chemistry and act like friends actually act. 3 old guys living life, drinking beer, and cursing; based on my brief exposure to the show I want to see more.

Arrested Development Clip

2009-12-14T18:35:00.001-08:00

There's nothing like a little bit of Arrested Development to brighten your day.

Happy Holidays

2009-12-14T17:57:00.000-08:00

Happy
Holidays
From
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That
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Proctor

Demos of the Year

2009-12-14T17:08:00.001-08:00

Sometimes I'll download and play the demo of a game and then never get around to actually playing the game. Here is my list of the the best demos that I played of games that I didn't for 2009.

Game Self: Guitar Hero World Tour

2009-12-14T16:56:00.000-08:00

I have two virtual Proctors in the world of "Guitar Hero World Tour," one a bald headed glam rock guitarist (not pictured), the other a scruffy looking drummer with a slight resemblance to myself. At the end of the day the only resemblance the drummer and I have are blonde hair. Mine is short, his is long. I've got no scruff and he's got a plenty. I have no rhythm, he has some. But like my gang leader in Saint's Row 2 I thought I'd try and imagine what I'd look like as a drummer...and I guess this is it. Drummer on a big purple drum set. Wearing a t-shirt with a shark on it. And having two sleeves worth of obnoxious tattoos.

Shadow Complex only $10

2009-12-14T16:51:00.001-08:00

Last week Xbox's Major Nelson announced December's Xbox Live releases as well as what's going to be on sale in the coming month. Among the announcements he said that during the week of December 21st this year's side scrolling shooter "Shadow Complex" would be on sale for only 800 Microsoft point (That's $10 in real money).

Finally! I don't know why, but I never a end up buying downloadable games onto my Xbox. It probably has to do with the pain of converting money to Microsoft points and then not being able to just buy enough point for what I want to purchase. Regardless, I will be buying Shadow Complex because for $10 it is a steal.

Love/Hate: Watching No Reservations

2009-12-14T16:36:00.000-08:00

Love: Watching Anthony Bourdain, or anyone for that matter, eat delicious looking foods from other countries. I love food, a lot. Problem is that I'm not any good at making any, and I'm pretty cheap so I rarely want to go spend money on it. My solution is simple, watch other people eat food on TV. Bourdain goes around the globe and does exactly what I want to see, he goes to the places where great food comes from and eats it. Perfect.
Hate: Bourdain's narration telling me how each of his trips is like an out of body experience and how he constantly considers leaving his cool New York City lifestyle to relax in a small hut somewhere on an Asian island. It happens every freaking time! I get it, travel is cool. Seeing people live differently than you do is crazy, but I'm tired of hearing you yap about the same thing in every episode. Stop talking and EAT SOMETHING.

This Week in Food

2009-12-14T16:27:00.000-08:00

Waterworld: Day 6

2009-12-14T15:04:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I attempt to watch all of Waterworld in 5 minute chunks.

Costner's cage is slowly being lowered and some old man is chanting something. Costner is shaking the cage as it gets closer and closer to a vat of some sort of yellow substance, maybe a big bowl of mustard? The bartender is looking up at him with a worried expression. I sense there could be some kind of love connection here.

And all of a sudden we're looking at a man with a telescope and the music has started to hint at some kind of tension or problem. Oh yeah, definitely a problem. Something is heading toward the island. The telescope man notices and starts yelling something. Spartans? Spiders? Smokers?

Whew! The island goes into a state of emergency RIGHT BEFORE Costner is submerged in the mustard like substance. Bells are ringing, people are screaming, looks like there is about to be a riot. A whole fleet of jet-skis are approaching. This looks like big time trouble

Game Self: Dragon Age: Origins

2009-12-14T01:32:00.000-08:00

The next part of my continuing look at how I look in video games. This time we're looking at Dragon Age: Origins (I've now clocked 20+) and my main character. I took a different approach to this one and I decided to go with something completely different so I'm playing through the adventure as dwarven warrior who wields a sword in one hand and a dagger in the other. I went all out with the dwarven thing, didn't try to make him resemble myself at all (hence the giant beard and face tattoo). It's awkward for me to play a game as someone not resembling me and it's even more dwarf. EVERYONE is taller than you and a ton of in game characters tease me for my stature and race. Sucks, but it's definitely an interesting way to play a game.

Sam the cat

2009-12-13T14:46:00.000-08:00

Last week one of my girlfriend's cats named Sam had to be put to sleep. He was never her favorite cat, or anyone in the family's, but he was mine. By my nature I'm a dog guy. Love them to death and would choose dogs over cats any day. But Same was different. He was dumb! And I mean that in the nicest way, that's really why I liked him. He was easy to love, at least for me, because all he wanted was a friend. Just someone to pet him and sit with him while he screamed like a baby. Sam was my friend, and I was his. Rest in peace buddy.

Game Self: Saint's Row 2

2009-12-13T14:37:00.001-08:00

A good portion of modern video games allow players to customize their virtual self's looks, clothes, and movement and I, as a gamer, have always been fascinated with what people make themselves look like in these games. I love to see what my friends make their characters look like in all the different games. I tend to make my characters look similar to my real life self but I'll usually make a few changes based on the setting of the game and action that I'm doing in the game. For example here is my character from last years Saint's Row 2. I tried to make my character look like what I would look like...if I was a gang leader.

Another Freestyle for the BET Awards

2009-12-12T15:44:00.000-08:00

Here's another freestyle video that aired during the BET Awards. The video features The Roots' Black Thought, Mos Def, and Eminem.

Impressions: Lego Rock Band

2009-12-12T15:28:00.000-08:00

Last night I got the chance to play a little bit of "Lego Rock Band" aka the worst idea for a game ever! The game plays just exactly like regular "Rock Band" except that everything is made of Legos. What?!?! The game isn't worthless though. It is the only rhythm/music game to feature Europe's 1986 classic The Final Countdown. And it is AWESOME.

Trailer: ODB Doc.

2009-12-12T15:18:00.000-08:00

It's been 5 years since Wu-Tang memeber Ol' Dirty Bastard died and now the first Wu endorsed documentary about the late great ODB is soon to be released. Here's the trailer. I'm pumped!

Ol Dirty Bastard Documentary Trailer Brooklyn Zu

Strange Games of 00's Vol. 4

2009-12-11T11:47:00.000-08:00

Part 4 of my "Games I shouldn't have liked...but did" list of the last ten years.

2006: Cabela's Alaskan Adventure (Xbox 360)
I've only been hunting once in my life, and to be frank I was terrible at it. I'm an impatient person with no real experience shooting fire arms. Thank God for video games. My friend Chris and I rented this game based only on the title, our thought was what could be better than an Alaskan adventure? The answer, a lot of things. This game was terrible. The graphics where terrible, the premise didn't actually interest us, and the game was, for the most part, broken. BUT! There was one thing about it we really liked. The game pretty much played itself. All we had to do was find an animal and point our gun in it's general direction and then the bullet would find its way to the animal regardless of the how well we aimed. The bullet would curve if it had to do. It would go through trees if it had to. No matter what though it would hit our prey. So we played it for like 3 days then got bored and took it back.

2007: PictoChat (DS)
PictoChat came out installed on all DS's when they came out in 2004 but I never found it's full potential until a car trip in early 2007. PictoChat is pretty much just a chat room for DS's within close range and users can type messages or draw little pictures. During a painful drive to Austin for some play festival my friend, and co-star, Zach and I sat in the back seat of the van and drew pictures back and forth for 2 1/2 hours. Sometimes the pictures where just random little doodles, but other times they where hilarious comments on what was happening in the car. The drive would have been brutal had we not had PictoChat. I've since only used it a few other times, but nothing will beat that time.

Freestyle Cypher from the BET Awards

2009-12-11T11:42:00.000-08:00

I wrote a little bit about my recent love for Nicki Minaj yesterday, this video is what originally turned me on to here. All 4 of the rappers that are free styling in the video do really well but Nicki and Joe Budden are my favorites.

Review: Small Worlds

2009-12-11T11:27:00.000-08:00

In 15 short minutes David Shute's Small Worlds gave me a sense of exploration that I haven't felt in over 10 years. Small Worlds is a simple flash game where players are tasked with nothing but exploring and discovering a beautiful world. There are no bad guys, no challenges, just exploration.

All of the worlds you travel to are beautiful pieces of art that are slowly uncovered as you hop around the world, the more you discover the more you want to play. The game also features a fantastic score, and even better than that is free. Small Worlds is more of an experience than a game, an experience that you shouldn't pass up.

Dragon Age: Orgins = Time Suck

2009-12-10T12:06:00.000-08:00

I'm 11 hours into Bioware's latest medieval rpg and I don't think I ever want to stop playing. One of the best games I've ever played. Currently I'm playing through the game as a dwarven warrior who was born in the slums, but I'm already planning my character for my next play-through, but it looks like it'll be awhile before I finish my character. The game is deep, has great characters, deep story, and some very dark stuff. The game looks like Fable II and plays like Baulder's Gate II. You couldn't ask for a better combination.

Strange Games of 00's Vol. 3

2009-12-10T11:52:00.000-08:00

Part 3 of my "Games I shouldn't have liked...but did" list of the last ten years .

2004: Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood (Xbox)
Never once in my life have I had any urge to watch the backyard wrestling movies that you sometimes see ads for late at night, but for some reason in 2004 I rented "Backyard Wrestling 2: There Goes the Neighborhood." I guess it was some kind of fluke but it was for the better. The game, which pits white trash warriors against each other in a homemade back yard wrestling ring, was actually one of the only enjoyable wrestling games I've ever played. I have no real interest in watching professional wrestling on TV, but for some reason I've always wanted to enjoy a wrestling game. Backyard Wrestling was the only time I've had fun and been good at a wrestling game. I guess it didn't hurt that you could break flourecent light bulbs on people's heads and play as Andrew W.K.

2005: Dynasty Warriors 5 (Ps2)
Feel free to disagree but I think that all six Rocky movies are pretty much the same. Sure some of the characters and settings change...but at the end of the day it's just Stallone getting all sweaty and fighting someone. That's not to say the movies are bad, in fact I like them. I have the same relationship with the Dynasty Warriors franchise. They're all pretty much the same game, but that hasn't stopped me from playing them. The basic gist is you are an old time Chinese army commander and you fight a ton of bad guys...over and over again. Dynasty Warriors 5 was no different, it was basically the same game I'd been playing for the but I still played the crap out of it.

SERSTAGP: "Bedrock" Young Money.

2009-12-10T11:22:00.000-08:00

SERSTAGP stand fro Embarrassing Rap Song That's A Guilty Pleasure

Songs featuring Lil Wayne and Drake are a dime a dozen, it seems like there are at least 3 new ones every day, and they vary greatly in quality. They range from average to great, but the one thats on the top of my list? Bedrock.

"Bedrock" is performed by the Young Money crew which includes Lil' Wayne, Gudda Gudda, Nicki Minaj, Drake, Tyga, and Jae Millz. The song also features R&B sing Lloyd. The song, which sees all the performers rapping a small verse in between Lloyd singing the cheesy, and oh so catchy chorus "Call Me Mr. Flintstone, I Can Make Your Bed Rock."

The main reason I love this song is Ms. Nicki Minaj's presence. Right now Minaj is one of the most entertaining mc's in the game. Her lyrics are never too serious, her voice sounds different than any rapper I've ever heard, she's got a great sense of humor, and her rhymes and solid. She brings it on "Bedrock" just like she does on every song.

It's a really playful track, and everyone sounds like they're having a good time. The video, which was released on the 7th, confirms that feeling. It's just a bunch of friends rapping and having a good time.

Flash Game: Canabalt

2009-12-07T11:51:00.000-08:00

Need a quick distraction from studying? Try Canabalt. It's a simple flash game where you run through a city as it invaded by robot-aliens. It sounds complicated, but isn't. It's a quick, easy, one button game that is fun for at least 3 minutes.

Top 5: Charlie Kelly

2009-12-06T13:33:00.000-08:00

Most of the characters on my top 5 T.V. characters list have been lacking in the intelligence department, but this one takes the cake. Charlie Kelly is dumb. He's dirty. He's addicted to inhalants. He lives in poverty. He can't read or write. But he's one of the most brilliant characters on television.

Charlie is one of the main character's on FX's "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia." He co-owns a pub and works as the pubs custodian. Charlie mind works in a way so different from most of the world that words can barely describe it. Here's a quote from the episode "Dennis Reynolds: An Erotic Life"

Dee: What were you even doing in that crawlspace, Charlie?
Charlie: Well, for starters, I was minding my own business. I was also trying to do a little light reading, and then I was putting some cheese in the rat traps.
Dee: You were putting the cheese in the rat traps?
Charlie: Yes!
Dee: Can I smell your mouth?
Charlie: Why?
Dee: You were eating the cheese, weren't you? Out of the rat traps.
Charlie: No—well, yes—I mean, I was eating the old cheese to test it to see why the rats weren't eating it.

Strange Games of 00's Vol. 2

2009-12-06T11:54:00.001-08:00

Part 2 of my "Games I shouldn't have liked...but did of the last ten years" list.

2002: Car Battler Joe (GBA)
Terrible graphics, stupid title, and a dumb story usually make for an awful game, but that isn't the case with "Car Battler Joe." You play Joe, a 16 year old boy looking for adventure, as he begins his career as a car battler. You save up money to buy new parts for your battle dune buggy. The game has you run errands and battle other car battlers to earn money. The thing that drew me to this game was the customization of the cars. You bought and equipped new weapons, engines, and armor and that's the kind of stuff I love. I really don't recall any story or any of the characters, just customized the crap out of my car and battling people.

2003: Downhill Domination (Ps2)
Before "Downhill Domination" I had no idea that the whole world of downhill mountain biking existed. "Downhill Domination" is an extreme sports racing game that sends you barreling down mountains atop a mountain bike. I don't know how I stumbled upon this game but when it wound up in my hands I couldn't put it down. How could a premise that I had no interest in be so freaking fun? The game shows speed better than almost any game I've ever played, half the time you are playing you almost feel like you can't even do anything but keep pedaling and hope for the best. If you play your cards right while your are riding you can find water bottles, rocks, and stick to hurl at your competitors. The only problem with the game? None of my friends ever wanted to play with me.

Will Arnett, Spike Jonze in David Cross's Pilot

2009-12-06T10:57:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the UK's Channel 4 the internet has been treated with a glimpse of the pilot for David Cross's "The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret." I think the show looks great, but I'll let you judge for yourself.

The clip contains A LOT of foul language. Just a heads up.

Strange Games of 00's Vol. 1

2009-12-06T10:28:00.000-08:00

As this strangely named decade (OO's?) comes to an end people are starting to look back at all the greatness that has happened within it. Me? I'd rather think about all the video games that I shouldn't have liked...but did. Here are the first two games that I had almost inexplicable love for.

2000: The Grinch (Dreamcast)
Around the age of 12 Christmas starts to loose some of it's magic as was the case during my 12th Christmas. You've either been told the truth about the holiday or you've used your pre-pubescent detective skills to figure it all out and it just isn't the same anymore. That is unless you pop in Konami's 2000 hit "The Grinch" into your Dreamcast. The game itself was pretty terrible. If I remember correctly you where collecting various Christmas items (candy canes, gifts, and ornaments to name a few) that where strewn throughout the magical land of Whoville. I think it was the setting that really made me love playing this game. If actually sort of felt like being in one of Dr. Seuss's worlds. The colors where bright, the graphics looked good for the time and the sound and music where incredible. The game stretched out some of the magic of Christmas just a little bit longer.

2001: The Bouncer (Ps2)
Maaan oh maaan is "The Bouncer" bad. Sometimes how much fun you have playing a video games is based more on who you are playing with rather than the actual quality of what you are playing. The best example of this is Square's "The Bouncer." Back in 01 my bestfriend Ross had a Playstation 2, which at the time was THE coolest thing you could have. So I was regularly over at his house playing the crap out of it with him and for some reason we always wanted to play "The Bouncer." The game puts in the shoes of, you guessed it, a bouncer who has to fight his way through hordes of generic bad dudes in an attempt to save the world from some kind of generic evil bad guy. It was nothing more the mediocre but we had such a good time playing it that we'll never really forget it.

Professor Layton a legend?

2009-12-05T09:55:00.000-08:00

I was just on Amazon's Nintendo DS page looking around to see if there was any new games and part of there advertising was an option to pick your favorite legendary Nintendo character and it would show you all of their games. I just can't help but feel like one of these characters doesn't belong, and you probably know which one as he's only been in TWO games. Not only that but lets be honest NO ONE knows who is. (The answer is Professor Layton)

Top 5: Steven Karp

2009-12-03T22:52:00.000-08:00

Last time I posted about my top 5 T.V. characters I mentioned how watching Futurama made me feel better about being away from home my freshmen year, that Christmas Undeclared sort of did the opposite. It made me miss the experience of feeling alone and completely starting over at the beginning of freshmen year.

Undeclared, created by Judd Apatow, is the story of a dorky high school student, Steven Karp played by Jay Baruchel, and his glorious transformation as he starts his freshmen year at the University of North Eastern California. The show didn't truly represent college life but it did an incredible job of capturing the strange, uncomfortable feelings that accompany starting life in at a new school.

I, like Steven Karp, was pretty nerdy in High School. It was never an issue. I was never teased for it. In fact I had a lot of friends and people, for the most part, liked me. The same couldn't be said for Karp. The show never went into too much detail but it is maid evident that High School wasn't a good experience for the guy and college is his chance to become a new man.

He's awkward. He's lame. He tries to hard. He is just like we all where when we were freshman and for that I love him.

Undeclared was canceled after one season. Maybe it was for the better. Freshman year only lasts a year.

Love/Hate: Playing Modern Warfare 2 Online

2009-12-02T22:34:00.001-08:00

Love: Playing Modern Warfare 2 multiplayer. I sunk more time into Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare's multiplayer mode than I'd like to really think about. The game was balanced, fun, and rewarding. So rewarding in fact that it'd be easy to play for hours without even realizing it. Modern Warfare 2 has all of that and more, much much more. The new game has more weapon options, better levels, more modes of play, and tons of stuff to unlock and customize. I've already sunk around 15 hours into the online play and I have no urge to stop.

Hate: Playing with people on Xbox Live. I've been playing Modern Warfare 2 on Xbox 360, which means my only option online is Xbox Live. Unfortunately the Live community isn't the most pleasant to play with. Every time I enter a game I feel like at least a third of my fellow players are going to be jerks, and usually I'm correct. Never before in my life have I seen a group of people so full of themselves and over involved with their own personal success. People are constantly complaining, cursing, and yelling at and about other players. And there is usually no shortage of racial slurs being thrown around. It's a shame such a fun experience can be ruined by a few bad people

Waterworld: Day 5

2009-12-01T19:21:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I attempt to watch all of Waterworld in 5 minute chunks.

Now we see the village during the evening. Someone is in a cage...i think it is cost...yep it's Costner. The wrestler is scooting by on a boat. Maaaan he is UGLY. Poor Costner looks really sad.

The Camera cuts to the little girl with cornrows. She is drawing Costner's cage with charcoal. CREEPY OLD DUDE RUBBING HER BACK. I am not comfortable right now. The mom walked up and seems OK with the weird man touching her child. The mom/bartender/shop keep kinda looks like Kathrine Heigel.

Now someone is pointing a flash light at Mr. Costner's webbed feet. The creepy old man is the one with the flashlight. He is still very very creepy. And he is very excited about Costner's gills. He wants to learn about Costner. The old man has got a propeller on his hat. Costner keeps rocking the cage. He's not in the best of moods. The two are making some kind of deal.

Not gonna lie, the movie is getting pretty boring. It had kinda been picking up some steam but now it's pretty much lost me. Costner keeps shaking the cage. Now we see the sun start to rise. Some guys are riding Jet-Skis away from the beautiful sun rise. It now looks like everyone is going to some kind of court case. Yeah, it is a court case. Costner was just sentenced to be "recycled."

Me and Orson Welles Premiere

2009-11-30T18:52:00.000-08:00

Tonight Zac Efron, Richard Linklater, and Christian McKay thrilled Austinites of all ages at the historical Paramount Theatre. The trio was walking the red carpet at the premiere of Linklater's new film "Me and Orson Welles."

Fans lined up in front of the theatre waiting to catch a glimpse of heart throb Efron as he posed for pictures and signed autographs. Linklater and McKay spent their time on the carpet answering questions and talking to friends.

"People say welcome back to Austin, and I say I never left" said Linklater. " I shot this U.K. but I'm back the day after wrap."

The film itself follows 17-year-old Richard Samuels, Efron, as meets Orson Welles, McKay, as he is cast in Welles' 1937 production of Julius Cesar. "Me and Orson Welles" also stars Claire Danes and will be released nation wide on December 11th.

Late Night with Jimmy Fallon Love

2009-11-30T11:06:00.000-08:00

Almost everyone I've talked to loves to hate on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon but I'm not sure why. My girlfriend and I have been watching the show regularly since it it debuted in March and we've loved it. Almost everything about it in fact. One of our favorite things to watch over the summer was 7th Floor West. Fallon's take on The Hills. It is magical. It follows Fallon as he starts his new job as host of Late Night. If you haven't given Fallon a change I highly recommend you do.

Keanu Watch: The Matrix Revolutions

2009-11-30T10:50:00.000-08:00

This weekend I continued my search for Keanu Reeve's acting abilities whilst with some old friends from high school. The movie? The Matrix Revolutions. The verdict? Still not a good actor. Keanu Watch continues.

The Matrix was my first real exposure to Keanu Reeve's and back in 6th grade when I saw it I thought it was the best, and I may have even thought Keanu was the best but as time has passed the film has become less and less memorable. The sequels however where never memorable. In fact I don't think I ever even saw the third installment untill this Saturday.

I don't even think I can get into the story line as it's long, confusing, poorly developed, and to be frank I don't really fully understand what all went down in this final chapter. The directors did however figure something out with this film. Less Keanu=more good. For most of the second half of this movie Keanu said nothing. And another chunk of the movie Keanu was stuck in some innerstellar computerized train station or something. Meanwhile the better actors pushed the story, or whatever you want to call the events that happen in the movie, forward.

As usual his faced stayed in the same position. His lines rarely strayed from his "I'm reading this as I say it out loud" style. Basically the movie was pretty bad, and Keanu was even worse.

Waterworld: Day 4

2009-11-30T10:29:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I attempt to watch all of Waterworld in 5 minute chunks.

Alright Costner is still at the bar and he was just served a tiny cup of water. The ugly wrestler looking dude walks up and mubles a little bit. Costner looks around and sees he is surrounded. The wrestler compliments his boots...which is a little strange if you ask me. Then a little girl with cornrows walks up. She's got a sick tatt on her back, I bet that has some kind of crazy significance to rest of the story! The creepy wrestler is now asking Cosnter about taking baths, this interaction is getting pretty uncomfortable. Costner asks about a tomato plant at the bar and the tender tries to steal all his money. Then she says it'll cost half his chips. He buys it and is now walking to his boat. With the bartender/shop keeper.

Ohhhhhh now a group of old people led by a Morgan Freeman looking man is approaching Costner. I keep accidental typing Swayze instead of Costner, which I assume is my subconscious telling me this would be WAY better with the late great Mr. Patrick Swayze as the lead. Now the group of village elders is asking for Costners seed. They want him to knock up a young girl that lives in the village in exchange for supplies. One of the elders whistled when Costner declined the offer. Somebody attacks him and OH DEAR GOD COSTNER'S GOT GILLS! AND I think he's about to drown a dude. Or stab him under water. There is a lot of stabbing going on right now. A riot has started and Costner is stuck in a net.

The sheriff is back! And he saved Costner. Finally a voice of reason. As the sheriff forces the villagers to release our hero we see a man turn a knob and lights turn on in the island village as it becomes night.

Love/Hate: Watching Modern Family on Hulu

2009-11-29T23:55:00.000-08:00

Love: Modern Family.
In 3 short episodes Ed O'Neil has won me over. I never liked O'Neil as Al Bundy in Married with Children, but his portrayal of Jay Pritchett on ABC's Modern Family is incredible. The show itself if incredible. It feels like the creators took a little bit of Arrested Deveopment and gave it a whole lot of heart. The show follows three seperate couples that are all related and tells their stories. It may sound pretty standard but the show really excells at what it is trying to do. It is an funny, emotional story about a family living in today's society.Hate: Watching shows on Hulu
Yes, it is free. Yes, it is easy. But man sometimes I just hate watching stuff on Hulu. It seems like every other time I try and watch something on the popular streaming tv website I find that I spend about as much time watching my video buffer as I do watching my shows. It's not that I have a bad internet connection, I can stream, download, play, and dilly dally online at great speeds but when I get onto Hulu sometimes it just disappears. It's a shame too because Hulu provides a great service the way it is right now.

The Adult Swim Takeover

2009-11-23T18:01:00.000-08:00

Co-Written by Carly Hallman

In eight short years, Cartoon Network's Adult Swim has evolved from a twice-weekly late-night break from children's programming and into a powerful media empire in its own right. Adult Swim, which now airs every night between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Central Time, has spawned a host of offshoots, live events, and imitators.

Merchandise
If a talking rabbit and a pants-wearing sea sponge can have their own derivative t-shirts and toys, why can’t a street-wise, trash-talkin’ wad of meat? Like any good media empire, Adult Swim has begun the process of turning everything magical into something purchasable. Adultswim.com offers fans a large variety of “to-be-expected” merchandise and apparel, as well as a few cleverer items-- the website is currently offering fans a chance to fill their own DVD with 110 minutes of their favorite Adult Swim show episodes. The party, and the buck, doesn’t stop online, though. Josh Feldman, VP of ad sales and marketing for Adult Swim, said “[We have an] obligation to stay true to the network's brand when creating marketing partnerships.” So, what corporations has Feldman deemed worthy? Mall-staple Hot Topic hawks t-shirts, plush toys, and other assorted knick-knacks, and Adult Swim partnered with Midway Games to release 2007’s Aqua Teen Hunger Force Zombie Ninja Pro-Am for PlayStation 2.

Ratings
Since its first night on air, Adult Swim has rated well according to Nielson Media Group. But in 2007, when Nielson began to include college-aged viewers in their surveys, Adult Swim’s ratings skyrocketed. Currently, Adult Swim is one of the most popular late-night destinations for channel-surfing adults aged 18-34. The station continues to break ratings records for both men and women in said age group.

Live Shows/Appearances
Rock stars do tours. Best-selling authors do tours. Politicians do tours. Now, thanks to Adult Swim, weirdos, misfits, and fictional characters do tours, too. In 2008, resident Adult Swim oddballs Tim and Eric performed in festivals and clubs across the country on a sold-out 14-city American tour, and in 2009, embarked on a second tour. T&E describe their live act as a “fast-paced, live variety show complete with short films, parodies, pranks and musical numbers.” Others on Adult Swim’s payroll are hopping on the bandwagon. Aqua Teen Hunger Force creators and voice actors, Dana Snyder and Dave Willis, recently appeared at Austin’s Alamo Drafthouse for two nights of short films, stand-up comedy and audience-participation activities involving kazoos and “Squidbillies” DVD giveaways.

Movies
In 2007, Adult Swim released their first movie “Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters” which was based on the animated comedy “Aqua Teen Hunger Force.” And while the film, which told a twisted version of the Aqua Teens origins, was critically unsuccessful, it still managed to gross around $5.5 million (not bad for a $750,000 budget). Adult Swim currently has plans for a sequel, tentatively titled “Death Fighter,” that is set to release in 2011.

Imitators
Other networks, after seeing how successful Adult Swim has been with their programming, have tried to achieve similar success with shows that bear striking resemblance, in style and sense-of-humor, to those on Adult Swim. Both “Tripping the Rift” and “Drawn Together” are adult-themed animated shows that arrived on the scene just after Adult Swim started seeing big rating numbers. Neither “Tripping” nor “Drawn Together” has performed quite as well as their Adult Swim counterparts, but thanks in large part to Adult Swim paving the cartoon “road less traveled,” both have found decent-sized audiences.

Zac Efron's Twilight Induced Break

2009-11-22T21:37:00.000-08:00

Just read a funny little article about Zac Efron and his gratitude to teen-heart-throb-of-the-moment Robert Pattinson for taking the spotlight momentarily.

Teens, moms, and tweens are currently all feasting on pictures, interviews, movies, and magazines that have Pattinson's face plastered on them right now because of this weekends release of The Twilight Sage: New Moon. This gives Efron a chance to take a breath. Here is a link to the full article.

I typically try not to think too much about the life of a teen heart throb as my oppurunity to be one has long since passed me by. But on the off chance I do think about it things like this rarely cross my mind. If I was in Efron's shoes would I be thankful or jealous? Can't really say. More power to him though for embracing the break.

Efron's newest flick Me And Orson Welles comes out this Wednesday.

Waterworld: Day 3

2009-11-20T12:00:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I attempt to watch all of Waterworld in 5 minute chunks.

The boat continues to sail and eventually makes its way to a giant floating fortress. Costner has to show his wares in order to get in. They still won't let him so he shows off his big jar of dirt. Astonishment! The gates open to reveal an awe inspiring city atop the water. Maybe it isn't awe inspiring...but whoever was in charge of composing music for this movie thought it was. Costner looks around and sees some people scavenging the dead corpse of a hammer head shark. Then a giant tree that is some how alive on a man made island? I'm glad that I know very little about science of this would be a tough one to believe.

Someone is chanting. And I think there is a funeral. Now Costner is docking is boat. He wows the local hoodlums with a beat up rear view mirror. Some Mickey Rourke lookin dude seems to be the sheriff of this here town. Tell Costner he's got one hour. It is so difficult to watch this and not think about how directly it rips off the world of Mad Max.

Now we're at the local merchant's shop and Costner is trying to trade his dirt for money. Hmmmm kinda like trying to make people pay to watch this movie. The guy tastes the dirt, you know to make sure it's dirt. 3.2 Kilos! That is a lot of dirt! 62 chits for all that dirt. Costner asks for twice that AND GETS IT! Now a evil looking guy is bribing some homeless guy for information with water. The guy looks like a 90's era pro wrestler. Costner walks up and asks some lady where the store is and she tells his he's looking at it. The camera comically pans down all the empty shelves.

Old News: Predators Cast

2009-11-20T02:33:00.000-08:00

I don't how this slipped past my radar but according to /film Adrian Brody has been cast as the lead in the Robert Rodriguez produced Predator reboot Predators. The article also reports that Topher Grace might also be involved. Last I remember the only confirmed cast member was Danny Trejo. Still no announcment on whether Carl Weathers will be reprising his role.

80's Rocker Time Machine

2009-11-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

Here is a quick glimpse of my past life as a burnt out 80's rocker.

Movie Review: King Corn

2009-11-14T00:06:00.001-08:00

Documentaries are tricky business. On one hand they can be an entertaining exploration of something that most viewers won't really have knowledge on (think "King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters" the Donkey Kong documentary that came out a couple years ago) but on the other hand they can be a boring waste of an hour and half where a monotone narrator tries to make you feel bad about something that is happening in the world. King Corn falls somewhere in the middle of those two extremes.

The film follows two college friends as they move to Iowa to grow an acres worth of corn. Along the way they learn all about how dependent this country, and the world, is on the production of corn. The filmmakers never directly condemn the mass production of corn but we are shown enough footage to get the point. King Corn shows us what it thinks without pounding into our head over and over again.

To top it all off the movie has got a pretty good sense of humor too. Unless it is about something that I personally have a huge interest in I try and avoid documentaries, in fact I wasn't all too excited when my girlfriend suggested this one but King Corn was as entertaining as it was educational.

Whedon's Dollhouse Canceled

2009-11-11T21:44:00.000-08:00

Why is it that every time one of my favorite shows gets canceled that Fox is at the helm? They aren't terrible shows. First it was Futurama, which is o.k. I guess, at least they managed to go 5 seasons without getting the cord pulled. Next was Firefly. Then they hit me with a big one. Arrested Development, which is as far as I'm concerned the funniest program that has ever and will ever be on T.V. I thought it was over, but news broke today the Fox has canceled Joss Whedon's science fiction show Dollhouse.

Dollhouse took awhile for me to really get into, but once it started to pick up I was in it. The acting was great, the story incredible, and the pace perfect but still Fox couldn't find the right viewers. Seems like that is always the problem. Maybe Fox just doesn't put enough effort into properly marketing their programing.

Unfortunately that is something I can't change and with that I leave you a short video of David Cross' opinion on the matter. (Video includes some profanity)

Waterworld: Day 2

2009-11-11T10:08:00.000-08:00

This post is part of an ongoing project where I watch 5 minutes of Waterworld a day until I finish it.

Day 2: We are starting with some action today. Costner jumps up and is arming his mounted harpoon gun. He looks mad. There is a man in another boat...wearing nearly nothing. They start communicatiing in a language that I'm not familar with. I think they're bartering. This naked dude is bad news. Costner and I can both tell. Costner is trying to make a deal, but he looks weary. Apparently there is a supply station eight days east of where they are. Costner says "Nothings free in Waterworld." That quote should probably be on the movie poster, or in the trailer or something.

Camera cuts to some gross lookin gentlemen that are sitting on some Mad Max style jet skis. They look like trouble. Haven't shaved or bathed in a long while. The naked guy calls them smokers and then starts trying to escape. He admits he stole the limes as he sails away. Costner swings over to his tree to double check he then sets his sails up. Now the boat looks cool! The Mad Max lookin guys are astonished and they have guns! They are heading twords Costners shipping in a race for some supplies that are floating in the ocean. Costner grabs the supplies and turns the boat around to try and get his limes back. The naked guys sees him coming and thinks "Uh Oh!" Costner's boat comes up fast and takes out the naked man's sail. Then the jet ski guys MURDER tha naked guy with they're future guns. We see a lot of dramatic shots of Costner's boat sailing through the night and then he arrives in front of a floating fortress.

Waterworld: Day 1

2009-11-09T17:40:00.001-08:00

Today while looking through the movies I could watch on Netflix's streaming service I saw a little jewel. And by jewel I mean of course mean the 175 million dollar turd know only as Waterworld. I myself have never made it all the way through the 136 minute stinker but I've always wanted to try. No I'm a busy guy, and I don't have 2 hours and 15 minutes just laying around in my week to give up to watching a terrible movie...but a do have 5 minutes a day. So for the next few week I'll be give Kevin Costner 5 minutes a day and reporting on it here along side my regular posts. Here is the first 5 minutes of Waterworld and my thoughts as I watch it.

Day 1: The classic Universal logo appears on screen...but ohhh no! All the land is getting covered by water. Hmmmm I guess that's what they mean by "Waterworld." An announcer says something apocalyptic and we see the ocean. Camera comes in a boat lookin thing and then it gets right to the good stuff. This movie is not wasting any time, Costner is peeing into a bucket, filtering it, and then drinking it! He also gives some of it to his tiny little lime tree. Uh oh, something is happening. No we see the interior of the boat. Costner just put some pebbles into a gadget and dove into the water. We're seeing a lot of different gadgets now. Useless stuff like a wind powered harmonica and a bike chair. The pebbles that Costner dropped are now causing some kinda Rube Goldberg like reaction and someone is stealing his ripe limes! Costner has arisen from the water with lots of new junk including some stylish new ski boots and then notices a boat floating next to his. Times up, more tomorrow.

The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus Poster

2009-11-09T11:46:00.000-08:00

Just saw this poster for Terry Gilliam's The Imaginarium of Dr. Parnassus at /film and all I can say is finally a new Verne Troyer flick....I guess there's that whol Heath Ledger thing too.

Game Review: Brütal Legend

2009-11-09T11:10:00.000-08:00

When I think of Heavy Metal I don't think of any specific song or band, but instead my mind is taken to a mystical and magical land filled with demons, dragons, warriors and vikings. Tim Schafer's Brütal Legend creates that world and lets gamers explore it with a little help from Jack Black.

The game has you controlling legendary heavy metal roadie Eddie Riggs, voiced by Black, as he travels a fantasy world of heavy metal and teams up with a small group of rebels in an attempt to end the tyrannical rule of a demon warlord. In doing so the game has you chopping up enemies with your enchanted battle axe, whaling on the guitar to summon lightning and fire, commanding armies of headbangers and speeding through the terrain in your custom hot rod.

Brütal Legend is a blast to play, mostly because of the hilarious story and the brilliantly casted characters. Most of the main characters you encounter are voiced by metal legends like Ozzy Osborne and Lemmy Killmister or talented Hollywood actors like Black and Tim Curry. The characters and event that unfold are so perfect that you'll have trouble putting down your controller after playing though a couple of missions.

The game starts out as a gore filled hack and slash but eventually transforms into a real time strategy where you are controlling a big army while fighting along side it. The transformation feels strange at first, but over the course of the game it clicks and starts to be really fun. The transformation makes it so that the game never gets to repetitive.

If you have ever loved heavy metal than you must play Brütal Legend. It's as simple as that. Double Fine studio has created a love letter to heavy metal fans in the form of Brütal Legend. If metal isn't your thing then I'd have a hard time telling you to buy the game, but for those of us who've shouted at the devil Brütal Legend needs to be played.

Keanu Watch: Sweet November

2009-11-06T09:04:00.000-08:00

Keanu Watch is back and better then ever...and by better I mean terrible. This morning I turned on my TV and guess what was waiting for me on HBO. Sweet November, the 2001 Keanu Reeves/Charlize Theron tear fest.

This time Keanu plays a spacey business man dedicated to his job whose life changes after a chance encounter with a quirky Theron. Theron asks Keanu to be her "November" and he goes with it. What being some one's "November" means? We don't know and neither does Keanu, but of course we'll find out. Things happen. Blah Blah Blah. They fall in love. Blah Blah Blah. Keanu realizes the Theron has been with a different man each month for a long while. Blah Blah Blah. Turns out she cancer. Blah Blah Blah. He proposes. She says no. Blah Blah Blah. He's the only person she ever wanted to say yes to when they proposed but she wants him to have a good memory of her. She leaves and goes to her family to die. He sits in a park. Predictable? Yes. Done before? Pretty much. Boring? Yes.

The acting, if you can believe it, is worse then the plot. Keanu acts with his usual flair. His delivery is terrible. His character simple, and very boring. Anytime he isn't speaking his face reverts back to it's natural semi-constipated expression. Theron played her character too closely resembled her Mr. F character from Arrested Development which made me constantly question whether or not she was just trying to quirky or if she wasn't all there.

The movie sucked. Plain and simple. Thanks for another stinker Keanu.

Babies are scary

2009-11-01T21:22:00.000-08:00

This Halloween was the first since I came to Austin that I've not spent my night watching the crazies out of 6th, but instead spent the night in Georgetown at a frat party. This is really uncharacteristic of me as I'm not really much of a frat party kind of guy but my girlfriend's room mate invited us to her boyfriend's frat party so we decided to check it out.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have a blast. The party was fun, the people where great, and there where plenty of awesome costumes. Of course with the good comes the bad and there where plenty of bad costumes to speak of, and with the good and bad also come the scary. Something very interesting happened last night, I saw a costume that I was legitimately afraid of.

There was a guy at the party dressed as a baby. The guy looked older than me and had some dirty looking facial hair. He was wearing a blue long sleeved onesie and a baby hat. Something deep down inside of me churned as I looked at him. Something about the image deeply disturbed me. The more I thought about it them more creepy it got until finally I had to look away. It was a really strange moment. Never before had I felt the way that I did but for those few minutes I was creeped out, afraid, and unbelievably uncomfortable.

So if anyone wants to really get under my skin just throw on a baby costume and show up at my door.

Top 5: Phillip J. Fry

2009-10-28T21:22:00.000-07:00

When Futurama first premiered on Fox back in 1999 I couldn't be happier. At the time didn't fully understand what series creators Matt Groening and David X. Cohen where trying to create with the show but as far as I was concerned it was going to be The Simpsons in the future...it wasn't, and I was very disappointed.

Cut to my freshman year in college when I saw the series DVDs on sale. This time around I watched a hilarious, deep and sometimes very sad story about a guy whose is, for the most part, completely and utterly alone in a world that is not his own. The guy was Phillip J. Fry who after being cryogenically frozen for a thousand years had to go from being a loser pizza delivery boy that lives at home with his parents to a futuristic space delivery man working for his great(x30) nephew.

The show is a comedy, there is no doubt about that but it is a lot different than shows like the Simpson and Family Guy. The characters, as crazy as they where, where much more realistic. They had feelings, goals and dreams that they wanted to achieve. You could sympathize with them. And for me being someone who was living away from home for the first time in a completely new place I related a lot to Fry. Sure he's dumb, but he's also dedicated. The guy spends the better part of fours seasons and four straight to DVD movies fighting for the love of his one eyed purple haired co-worker Turanga Leela. Our situations weren't identical but watching Futurama was something that always made me feel like everything would end up ok, and it did.

Notorious+Cyrus=Good?

2009-10-27T19:12:00.000-07:00

In my experience mixing a good thing with a bad thing usually ends with something absolutely terrible, which is why I was surprised when I heard this mash up of the Notorious B.I.G.'s 1993 hit "Party and Bullshi" and Miley Cyrus' most recent (and unbelievably terrible) pop song "Party in the USA." The chorus is a little weak but it is still one of the most enjoyable ways to listen to Cyrus. Enjoy the song if that kind of thing is your cup of tea.

This Week in Food

2009-10-22T21:54:00.001-07:00

Some of the food that I've enjoyed over the last week...well couple of weeks. In case you are curious, starting from left to right starting on top, Torchy's Taco's September special taco the "Mr. Pink," Hyde Park Bar & Grill's famous french fries (Meh), some delicious special from Magnolia Cafe that I could resist eating before I snapped a pic, and last but not least a $3 pizza from Pizza Patron.

Top 5: Tobias Funke

2009-10-21T21:33:00.000-07:00

Last night my friend Dane Hurt posted a list of his top ten favorite TV characters on his personal website. The list got me thinking about who'd be in my top ten. Here is the first character to join my top 5.

"Oh here, here. In the dark, it all looks the same."

Words like these have made Tobias Funke one of television's strange characters. Played by David Cross, Funke was the first licensed analyst/therapist, or analrapist, turned wanna be actor on Mitchell Hurwitz's Arrested Development.

The thing that makes Tobias so funny is the way he interacts socially. He is completly oblivious to so much of what is going on around him and the things he says. Funke will spout out sentances like "Michael, you really are quite the cupid. You can zink your arrow into my buttocks any time" without realizing that his statment might be interpreted in more than one way.

He is incredibly outgoing, but lacks real social skills. It's like watching someone new to a country try and figure out a new culture, new sayings, and new social behaviors but instead of being a forigner he is just an idiot. It's good fun.

My Take: Hottest MCs in the Game

2009-10-20T21:17:00.000-07:00

Earlier this month MTV released it's list of the "Hottest MCs in the Game" and as per usual I'm a little bit disappointed. The list of course isn't made with my personal tastes in mind, because let me assure it would look quite a bit different, but I can usually understand why they put the rappers where they do. It is all about mainstream rappers and what they put out and do each year. Without further ado, the list:

1. Jay-Z
2. Lil Wayne
3. Drake
4. Kanye West
5. Rick Ross
6. Gucci Mane
7. Young Jeezy
8. Fabolous
9. 50 Cent
10. Raekwon

So what don't I like? Gucci Mane and Fabolous don't deserve a spots on this list.

Gucci Mane got lucky this year, he was featured on a couple songs that recieved a lot of radio play(Mariah Carey's "Obsessed" and Trey Songz's "LOL :-)") and he put out one single that just recently started getting play ("Wasted"). But I've yet to hear him spit a single verse that impressed me. As far as I'm concered he is just a less talented Soulja Boy, and lets be honest Soulja Boy doesnt have much when it comes to musical talent.

Fabolous isn't the worst, in fact I really enjoy his latest single "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere" but there is something about him that just annoys the crap out of me. All he did this year was annoy radio listeners with "Throw it in the Bag" and release a concept album based on the 1993 crime drama Carlito's Way. I don't think a average rapper having a decent year merits the honor of being called 2009's 8th hottest MC.

Who should be on instead? Well first and foremost Emienem. Seem incredibly obvious to me. Within the last year the man has returned from hiatus, released the highly succesful Relapse, was called out on Mariah Carey's Obsessed and precided to destroy her on a single called "The Warning, KILLED on Drake's "Forever" and had a cameo in Judd Apatow's Funny People. If that's not enough to to get you on to the top ten list than I don't think anyone should on the list.

I'd also put Kid Cudi on the list. I don't really care too much for his music but he's had a good year. New album came out. His first single "Day 'N' Nite" has been constantly playing on radio stations for the better part of the year and his brilliant "Make Her Say" feat. Common and Kanye West has just started making its rounds. All that plus two magazine covers, his own custom Bape T-Shirt and solid rhyming skills.

Other than I'm pretty happy. I would probably move a couple around but for the most part the list is fairly accurate.

Any opinions?

Source: MTV

Swedish Rapper Pato Pooh goes 8-bit

2009-10-19T12:31:00.000-07:00

Here in America our rappers love to make music about throwing money at women, popping expensive champagne, and showing every one the spinning rims that they put on they're SUV, but apparently in Sweden things are a lot different. I found this video on gaming blog Kotaku and had to share it. There is some profanity in the song, but nothing too terrible.

Game Review: Uncharted Drake's Fortune

2009-10-18T20:14:00.000-07:00

Uncharted: Drake's Fortune is everything that I wanted Romancing the Stone to be and more.

I originally intended to just play the first hour of the game and write a review about that hour; I figure the first hour is the most important part of a game as its what makes you either want to keep playing or turn it off. Needless to say the first hour had me hooked and I spend a good chunk of the last three days finishing this game.

The game puts you in the shoes of Nathan Drake, a sarcastic and surprisingly intelligent adventurer, and has you traversing islands, tombs and ancient towns in search of the city of El Dorado. Think Indiana Jones and and Brendan Fraiser in The Mummy with a little bit of Nicolas Cage's character from National Treasure. Drake is full of witty one liners and he's prone to action.

The game blends exploration, action, and story almost perfectly. Everything in the game seems necessarily to the story. The gun fights, the mountain climbing, and even the occasional jet ski driving all have a reason to be in the game.

The most brilliant part of Uncharted is the game's story telling. The story itself is sub par, most of the game is extremely predictable and the bits that aren't are way far out there. The game doesn't tell the story in long cut scenes but instead just gives you little bits and pieces as you play. This keeps you submerged in the world. The pacing is spot on giving you the right amount of information about the story at the right times to keep you wanting to know more.

The game is two years old by the graphics still look incredibly realistic. The greens of the forest all look great on a nice HDTV. The character animation is stunning and the controls and sound are spot on. Things like the occasional chirping bird puts you right into the tropical environment of the game.

No game is perfect. The melee attacks in the game are uncomfortable and at a later point in the game the plot takes a very science fiction twist that comes as quite a surprise, but as an experience there is nothing available that is better than what Uncharted brings to the table.

Time management with Dexter

2009-10-17T13:13:00.000-07:00

Anyone out there watch Dexter? I recently streamed the first episode through Netflix because I had heard a lot of good things. I watched the episode and really liked it. It was very unique. I liked the story, the action, pretty much everything about it...except for one little thing. The show is an hour long.

I don't mean to make it sound like my time is super valuable, because lets face it I waste a lot of it, but an hour is a big chunk of time. Especially in the world of streaming Netflix. I could spend that time watching 2/3 of a movie, but Dexter wants me to use that hour to watch 1/12 of it's first season story? That's a big commitment.

I realize this seems silly but it's just the way my mind manages time. I really would like to watch the next episode, and ten following that one. But I haven't. It's been about two weeks since I first sat down and watched the first episode. And the more I think about it the more I realize that time is the only thing holding me back.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day that I watch episode 2.

The Expendables Trailer

2009-10-14T00:02:00.000-07:00

It has finally arrived! The trailer to Stallone's upcoming, and undeniably awesome, action film. I don't know if the trailer is suppose to be out...but this is it. So why not watch and get pumped!

Bored to Death only a little boring

2009-10-11T15:11:00.000-07:00

An HBO tv series starring Ted Danson, Zach Galifianakis, and Jason Schwartzman sounds awesome doesn't it? After watching the first 3 episodes I can safely say that it's pretty alright.

The show follows Schwartzman's character as he struggles to write write the follow up to his first novel. In an attempt to find inspiration after being dumped by his girlfriend he advertises himself as an unlicensed private detective. Galifianakis plays a comic book artist who is Schwartzman's best friend and Danson plays his boss and mentor.

All the characters are interesting, you want to keep watching them just to find out more about their lives, but Schwartzman doesn't ever stand out as a lead on the show. His character isn't as likable as most television leas and he can't play the asshole lead like other HBO stars, Eastbound and Down's Danny McBride or Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David.

One thing the show has a lot of is style, it manages to combine a lot of comedy with a little bit of film noir and mystery. And the style and comedy is what will bring me back for the next couple weeks to keep watching.

A gift from Japan: Boss Coffee

2009-10-10T22:27:00.000-07:00

This June my girlfriend Emmy went on a two week trip to Japan and when she returned home she gave me a tiny little can of Boss Rainbow Mountain Blend coffee. Today I finally popped it open and tried the Japanese beverage.

Apparently Boss coffee is huge in Japan. You can buy it in vending machines all over the place, and there are billboards every where promoting it. The best thing about the ads? The company's spokesman is Tommy Lee Jones. That's right the academy award winning American actor is the face of a Japanese coffee company. (Check out the commercial below)

Enough distraction though, back to today's tasting. I poured the drink into a coffee cup to make sure it hadn't gone bad in the months that it spent aging in my parent's refrigerator. The liquid looked...well like coffee. Smelled like coffee too. Tasted a lot like you're usual iced coffee. The coffee itself was a little bit stronger than most coffee drinks but packed a pretty standard punch as far as flavor was concerned. Would I drink it again? Yes, but just because I do what Tommy Lee Jones tells me too.

Old News: Yakuza 3 coming to U.S.

2009-10-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

You ever get behind something, like a book or a movie, without having seen or read it? Defending it and wanting what's best for it? I'm like that with Sega's Yakuza series.

The 3, soon to be 4, games put the player in control of former Yakuza member Kazuma Kiryu as her returns from 10 years in jail. The games have been acclaimed for their realistic depiction of the Japanese crime world as well as for their pacing, story, and fighting system.

But alas this means nothing to me because I havent played any of them. I keep intending too, and I even bought the first one a few months ago but I still haven't popped it into my Playstation. Why? Well, I've been busy and the idea of starting a big series like this is kind of daunting. I'm going to have to put in a lot of man hours to finish the first two.

The other problem is, or rather was, that this summer Sega announced that the third installment of the series wasn't going to be released here in America. Why waste my time on the first two if I'm never even going to get to play the rest?

Today as I was cruising the Internet I discovered that on Sept. 19 Sega announced that Yakuza 3 is currently being localized and is going to release both in Europe and here in the United States. I couldn't be happier. I am however disapointed that it took me 2 weeks to find out about this, apparently concentrating on school has its drawbacks.

Source: 1up

Comic Update: Blackest Night

2009-10-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Continuity issues have always cause me to stray away from reading the stories about DC characters like The Flash and Green Lantern, but thanks to Geoff Johns' Blackest Night story line I'm finally experiencing the Green Lantern.

Blackest Night is DC Comic's newest event story line that DC and Marvel love to do so much these days. The story, much like Marvel's Civil War and DC's recent Batman R.I.P., tells a big story through several main issues and then subsequent and minor side stories through other comic series. Black Night for example is being told through an eight issue miniseries as through several special issues of Green Lantern, Batman, Superman, Titans, and Green Lantern Corps.

Having only read issues 0 and 1 I can't comment too much on the overall story line, but from what I've read I'm hooked. Geoff Johns writes the Green Lantern very well. The plot is hard to explain, even with the comic book knowledge that I have, but basically tells the story of the Black Lantern Corps rising to power at the command of Black Hand. The Black Lantern Corps uses black power rings to raise an army of recently deceased super heroes.

This has Green Lantern having to both deal with the attacks on the Earth and innocent lives and the emotional effects of seeing his former friends and allies come back as evil. Complicated? Yes. Nerdy? Sorta. But maaan it is good. I'll be heading over to my local comic shop on Wednesday to grab the next couple issues.

Review: The Guild

2009-10-03T19:01:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the internet nerds have a place to go where they can be cool, and I mean this in the most endearing way possible. It brings us together, notice I say we...not gonna try and hide anything, and gives us an opportunity to unite and celebrate what we love.

In 2007 Felica Day, Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog, starting writing, creating, and starring in a web series that did just that. The Guild celebrates the world of online massively multilayer games. Day's character plays an unnamed online multiplayer game that bears a striking resemblence to World of Warcraft and the show chonicles their escapades as a guild.

Let's be straightforward, this show isn't for everyone. You've got to be pretty well versed in video game sub-culture to understand a lot of the jokes the show makes. The show's actors aren't always the best, and the writing could use a little bit of work but regardless of that they are still incredibly charming. The episdoes, which average out at about five minutes, start out with Day talking to her web-cam about her addiction to the game and her lack of real social interaction. It's sad, but very true for a lot of people and that makes her so much more loveable.

For being a free web show you really can't complain. A lot of the humor may go over the head of those who lack general World of Warcraft knowledge but I imagine it could still be enjoyable. The characters are quirky and loveable and the premise is a lot of fun. If you've got some time to kill check out their site and watch a couple episodes.

Red Lobster & gluttony

2009-09-30T21:36:00.000-07:00

Endless Shrimp at Red Lobster may seem like a good idea when you see the commercials on TV, but when all is said and done it is ultimately a grave mistake. Restaurants like Chili's and Red Lobster are one of my guilty pleasures, I hate that they are big corporately run chains and that they hurt local economies but boy do I love their cheese biscuits.

Today was a pretty successful day for me so when I got text message from a friend seeing if I wanted to eat at Red Lobster tonight I decided it would be a nice way to celebrate. The day finished and by eight I found myself seated at the location of S. Lamar. Myself, and three other friends, decided to order the limited time only endless shrimp. After enjoying a salad and some biscuits the waitress arrived. We each had our own little army of dead shrimp looking up at us.

Three hours and around 100 shrimp later I found myself here on my bed clutching my stomach hoping the pain will end soon. In all seriousness though the shrimp tasted fantastic. Each time we ordered more we got to choose from teriyaki, cajun, coconut, garlic, and hand battered. I tried all but hand battered and was, at the time, happy with my decision to spend the $15 on the special.

Do I regret my decison? Yes. Would I do it again? In a heart beat. What can i say, I'm a glutton for...well...gluttony.

Another sweaty house show

2009-09-28T20:23:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago my girlfriend and I went and saw one of our favorite bands play at a dirty sweaty house show, this weekend we went and saw one of our favorite friends play with his new band at a dirty sweaty house show.

My friend Justin was the first friend I made here in Austin and the dude is awesome. He’s a really great friend so when he invited us to come see his new band at a house show we where onboard. Cut to Saturday night as we walk up to a house a few blocks south of campus and are greeted by some acquaintances that I knew from school.

One of them, who I had had a couple of classes with last year, was really excited to see us and told us that it was some guy’s birthday and the party was western themed. I thought that was strange seeing as he was wearing nothing but a few plastic grocery bags and some duct tape…but I went a long with it.

We hung around in the house for a while and chatted with some friends until it was time for the band to play. The music was pretty good; in fact I was surprised by how well they played for it being their first performance. I would go into more detail but this isn’t about the music, it is about something I never thought I would see.

Towards the end of the performance things started getting weird. There was a few guys collecting money for another keg and they where barely clothed. There was the very drunk birthday boy dancing around with nothing but a “Come and Take It” flag wrapped around his waste. And there was someone flinging glow sticks around on strings.

In a matter of seconds all of these things combined into one of the most insane moments of my life. The band started jamming louder and the glow sticks where flying when all of sudden the birthday boy fell on to the ground and exposed himself to us. The band kept playing and the glowsticks kept spinning…but the genitals didn’t move. They just stayed there on display in front of everyone to see for what seemed like minutes. The flashing probably only happened for 3-4 seconds but for those of us in the front row it is an image we will never forget.

Review: Halo ODST's Fire Fight mode

2009-09-28T11:10:00.001-07:00

Last week the newest game in the Halo franchise was released for the Xbox 360 and so far gamers are having mixed feelings about the game. Halo: ODST, which was originally just going to be a small downloadble side story, takes players and puts them in the shoes of regular solider instead of the franchise’s main hero Master Chief. The game also includes a new mode called Firefight. I haven’t had to opportunity to play through the main story but I did spend a lot of time playing Firefight.

It is fairly obvious after playing Firefight that the developers of ODST looked to last year’s Gears of War 2 when designing Firefight mode, as it is almost identical to the Horde mode that was included in Gears. Players team up in a certain area and fight off wave after wave of computer-controlled enemies. To succeed the players must work as a team and find the best places to defend and what weapons to use.

Firefight is simple enough to be able to jump right into, but with every wave ads more and more complexity. It is the perfect way to kill half an hour with your roommate/brother/a perfect stranger on the Internet.

More Highland Mall love

2009-09-27T18:51:00.001-07:00

I actually wound up at Highland again this afternoon and saw these posters that pretty much summed up why I love the place. It feels like the past.

The Death of a Robot

2009-09-26T22:41:00.000-07:00

This semester I'm taking a class on sequential art (comic books) and I had to make a flip book for a project. I opted for the digital option and made this little jewel.

My unnatural love for Highland Mall

2009-09-26T15:37:00.000-07:00

Life's rough for Highland Mall. In the last couple years things have been pretty bad, JCPenny is gone...Dillard's is gone...and there really isn't much of a reason to go there.

Even without reason though I love going there, in fact I went this morning. For some reason I love this mall. I think a lot of it has to do with it's age. Walking down past the different store fronts and kiosks you can see that the mall has been there for a while. It has been through a lot. The mall opened in 1971 and was Austin's first suburban shopping mall.

It smells like a mall is suppose to smell. It has elaborate stair cases and escalators that come down on cheesy fountains and shrubberies. The food court isn't cluttered with fast food chains like every other mall but it's instead full of goofy little food places that you've never even heard of. There's even an ice cream shop with a giant fake ice cream sundae on top. Highland is a sad empty piece of history that for some strange reason makes me very happy.

And I don't dislike Barton Creek Square, I just feel like it doesn't have the soul that Highland has. Highland feels like a mall that Zach Morris and the gang would come to, and I love just being there. A lot of analysts are predicting the mall will be demolished sometime in 2010. That's too bad.

Movie Review: Away We Go

2009-09-26T15:32:00.001-07:00

I’ve always loved Maya Rudolph but have never really had a reason for doing so. She was alright when she was on Saturday Night Live, and until very recently I never saw her in any films that I liked but thanks to a free screening at the University of Texas I can now say that I have seen her in a great film.

The film is Away We Go and Rudolph stars along side The Office’s John Krasinski. The two play an unmarried and rather quirky couple that is about to have their first child. Early on in the movie they decide to move to a new place and the film follows as they travel the United States and spend time with old friends and relatives as they try and find the perfect place to raise their child. The story is nice, and something different that we don’t often see in movies.

All the acting in the film is lovely, and there is a lot of it. Each person that Krasinski and Rudolph meets or revisits stand out, and some almost seem like too much, but they also all retain something real. They all seem like people that I’ve met or seen in real life. Krasinki rock a beard and some black plastic rim glasses as if to add a little more distance from his usually smirky Jim Halpert like characters, but even with out the visual help he does a great job creating and being this new character. Rudolph blew me away. The rest of the cast could have been played by anyone and Rudolph could still carry this movie. She is sweet, sincere, and beautiful.

Away We Go is something a little bit different, and something very very good.

3 Days without my computer

2009-09-25T22:01:00.001-07:00

For the last 3 days my girlfriend has had my computer and it has made me realize how much computers have become a huge part of our, or more specifically my, day to day life. Not being able to do small things like quick google searches completely changing how I function. I'm sure analysts and doctors would comment on how bad this is for our future...but I really don't have a problem with it. Computers are a very important tool and it is up to us as individuals to decide how reliant we will be on that tool.

Tomorrow is going to be a big day for posting. All the stuff I wanted to post yesterday and the days prior.

The Negative Effects of Netflix

2009-09-22T21:29:00.000-07:00

For the last year or so Netflix has been allowing users to stream thousands of movies live on to their computers, TVs, and through their Xbox consoles. I recently resubscribed to Netflix and have been loving the service. It gives the ability to watch tons of incredible films with great ease.

Unfortunalty nine times out of ten I find myself wasting away my time with stupid slapstick movies (Little Nicky) and tween comedies (iCarly). Today I found my self watching an hour and half worth of Inspector Gadget. Time well spent? I liked it so I guess was worth it.

Sea Dog Raspberry Ale: Raspberry or Mustard?

2009-09-20T21:07:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I turned 21 and since then I’ve been slowly dipping my feet into the pool of alcoholic beverages. So far I’ve been pretty unimpressed. Beer tastes pretty gross. Didn’t really like white wine. But I’m still trying things.

Today I was at Central Market and I saw a bottle of Sea Dog’s Raspberry Wheat Ale. I figured regular beer tastes kinda gross…but throw some raspberries into the mix and maybe it’ll taste better? So I bought it.

After a few hours I popped open the bottle and poured it into a glass. I did a surprisingly good job of pouring into the glass, there was a good amount of head and the beer was a nice shade of amber that looked like John Hammond’s fly cane in Jurassic Park.

I couldn’t smell any particular flavors at first so I took a sip and definitely didn’t taste raspberry. The first flavor to hit my tongue was spicy deli mustard and then a pretty standard beer taste. I was surprised. I thought it would be a lot sweeter. It wasn’t the worst beer I’ve ever tasted, in fact it wasn’t bad at all but the raspberries on the bottle had me hoping for something else. The mustard taste eventually went away towards the end I started to taste the raspberry.

Maybe it was my imagination, in fact it probably was, but by the last couple sips of the glass the raspberry almost overshadowed the gross beery taste that still grosses me out.

I still don’t like beer but this bottle was halfway decent.

Master Pancake presents Total Recall

2009-09-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

I’ve lived in Austin for around two and half years now and there is still a lot that I need to experience, last night I checked one item off of my list. Master Pancake.

For those that don’t know Master Pancake is comedians John Erler and Joe Parsons performing a live, and hilarious, commentary track over popular films of that past at the Alamo Drafthouse.

This weekend the two performed their comedy over the 1990 hit Total Recall. There is no doubt in my mind that you’ve all seen at least a little bit of Total Recall on TNT at some point of another but it is a terribly dated sci fi film about Arnold Schwarzenegger going to Mars and becoming a spy. My mom raised my brother and I on sci fi and since she was in town this weekend I thought it would be the perfect place to take her.

I don’t have the words to describe how funny the show was. It was a crude, vulgar, and almost serious critique of the film. The joked about everything from the cinematography, to the cheesy special effects and off course Arnold. I was there with my little brother, my girlfriend, and my mother and the comedy was broad enough to make us all laugh continuously.

If you’ve never seen a Master Pancake performance I highly recommend you buckle down and spend $12.50 next weekend, and if you grew up loving terrible science fiction movies then you’ve got no excuse. The duo will be performing Total Recall every weekend until October 10th and after that they will be doing A Nightmare on Elm Street. For more information visit their website.

Keanu Watch 2009: Point Break

2009-09-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Gun play, surfing, Gary Busey, skydiving, and a killer chase scene. Sounds like the formula for a perfect Keanu Reeves 90’s action movie, unfortunately it also sounds like the perfect formula for a mediocre 90’s Keanu action movie. The question really lies in weather or not the movie’s got soul.

The movie starts with Keanu playing a former college football star that has just started working for a bank robbery unit in the FBI. He is partnered up with the department’s oldest, and arguably craziest, officer played by Gary Busey. The two are tracking down a group of bank robbers known as the “Ex-Presidents.”

Busey suspects that the bank robbers where actually a group of surfers and so Keanu goes undercover as surfer to try and find the criminals. Long story short: Keanu befriends the leader of the surf crew, Patrick Swayze, then Swayze and Keanu grow close and Swayze teaches him his Zen surfer ways.

90’s action flicks typically hold up the way we’d like them to, but Point Break manages to do it pretty well. All of the action scenes are still pretty solid. The acting, with the exception of Keanu, is all pretty good. This is the second time I’ve seen a movie with pre-accident Gary Busey and I have to admit I was incredibly impressed. Swayze was incredible…and Keanu may seem like he’s doing a good job but his character is just a cop going under cover as Ted from Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure and that isn’t much of a stretch for Mr. Reeves.

The plot might be a little bit ridiculous but Point Break remains an incredible action movie. It’s fun, energetic and has some soul. If you’ve never seen it and want to see Keanu and Swayze shooting guns and jumping out of planes then this is a must see.

This Week in Food

2009-09-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

If you follow me on twitter (twitter.com/proctoranderson) you know that I love to upload pictures of food that I make...and pretty much food I eat. Here are four things I've eaten this week.

Rapper of the week: Method Man

2009-09-17T21:44:00.000-07:00

I want to share my love for hip-hop with the world and to do so I will shine light on a different rapper every week. Here is the first installment.

Two years ago I was lucky enough to go to a Method Man concert at the University of Texas. Before that night I had always laughed about Method Man because of his stoner comedies and undying love for marijuana but his performance opened my eyes to the talent and humor that is Method Man.

Method Man, or Meth, was one of the founding members of the Wu-Tang Clan and after the success of their debut Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) Meth launched his own solo career. He has since released four solo albums and two albums with friend and frequent collaborator Redman.

What separates Method Man from the rest of the rap industry is his ability to very successfully mix humor into his rhymes. They're usually rude, crude, and fairly profane but he plays with the words in ways most other rappers spend their entire careers trying to master. His voice manages to be smooth and raspy at the same time.

Suggested Tracks:
M.E.T.H.O.D. Man by the Wu Tang Clan
I'll Be There For You by Method Man feat. Mary J. Blige
City Light by Redman & Method Man feat. U.G.K.

Keanu Watch 2009

2009-09-16T16:26:00.000-07:00

I've decided to take on an a new challenge, it is something that I'm calling Keanu Watch 2009. I've spent my whole life watching Keanu Reeves movies and wondering why people cast him in movies. In all the Keanu Reeves movies that I've watched I haven't seen a shred of evidence that he in fact has any acting talent. He's charismatic...sometimes...but I want to see his acting chops. If you have any leads as to what movie the talent may be hiding in let me know. The hunt begins!

This has never happened before!

2009-09-14T10:08:00.000-07:00

Guess who this Craigslist missed connections ad is aimed at? I'll give you a clue, pay close attention to the 39 second mark in this video.

George Bush doesn't care about black people.

2009-09-13T20:43:00.000-07:00

Kanye West is a terrible person. It can't be put in a simpler way.

Tonight at the MTV Video Music Awards the unpredictable West grabbed the mike away from Taylor Swift, who was giving her acceptance speech for Best Female Video, and told the audience that "I'm sorry, but Beyoncé had one of the best videos of all time."

Sure, he prefaced his message by telling Swift that he was happy for her and that he would let her finish, but that doesn't make it ok. It was rude. It was in poor tasted. And it was disrespectful.

Shame on West. Shame on MTV for doing nothing to stop it. And props to Taylor Swift for handling it like class act.

Source: MTV

Trashy

2009-09-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Today I had the best taco of my life.

Around four my girlfriend Emmy and I decided to stop at Torchy's and grab a quick bite to eat. Torchy's is my favorite place for quick food that's under $5. Emmy ordered the baja shrimp taco on corn and I got a trailer park on flour.We where really hungry and it took longer than usual for our food to come so by the time it came out we where more than ready for the sweet taste of tacos.

As soon as the tacos hit the table my hands went to work. I grabbed the back half of the taco with my right hand and craddled it so I could catch anything that fell out the back of the taco and used my right hand to guide it to my mouth. Usually the trailer park is just a good taco. Fried chicken, queso, and green chilis all melted to together. Today's was phenominal.

After finishing up Emmy and I went back to the front desk and we each ordered another to go, drove home, and enjoyed.

Friends, Sweat, and the greatest band in Texas

2009-09-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

The greatest band in Austin playing an incredible show last night, and it wasn't at some fancy club downtown. Nobody had to pay for parking, with the exception of the one guy whose car got towed. And everyone looked and smelled terrible by the time the show was over. The band was The Eastern Sea and the venue was some beat up house on Cole Street that may forever be cursed with the sweet aroma of Lonestar beer.

If you've never been to house show then you are missing out on something incredible. Sure it is crowded and sweaty and the sound is sort of terrible, but the concert becomes something completely different. It becomes something much more intimate and personal. It becomes a story that you can tell you're friends. I've been following The Eastern Sea since their creation five years ago and I've seen them more times than I can count (Not in a bragging kind of way, but an embarrassing obsession way) and last night was easily one of the most memorable shows that I've seen them play.

To listen to The Eastern Sea check out their Myspace.

Sega does what Nintendon't

2009-09-10T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday marked the ten year anniversary of the release of Sega's Dreamcast system. I bought and loved a Dreamcast a few years after it was released and even though I don't have it anymore I will never forget the system.

My parents bought me a Sega Genesis when I was a did and it changed my life. It was my first experience with video games and from that point I was in love, and because my parents bought me a Sega I would become a Sega fan for life.

When I got my Dreamcast I really wanted it to be the best console I ever played. It had some of my all time favorite videogames. Sonic Adventure, Shenmue, and Powerstone are games that I would still play today if I had them.

Unfortunately the console wasn't as succesful as Sega, and myself, had hoped. The system died and Sega announced that they would no longer be making consoles and only create software. The announcment was sad. And I was sad.

My week in movies

2009-09-09T18:19:00.000-07:00

This last week I have watched a lot of movies. A lot more than usual.

Speed: Awesome! Awesome! Awesome! (See review type of thing a few posts down)

Pan's Labyrinth: I think I really liked this movie. I say think because I fell asleep in beginning and wasn't really in the mood for trippy Spanish civil war fantasy but by the end of the movie I was glued to the screen. The visual effects where stunning and the film's story was fantastic.

Enemy of the State: Wow! I'd been meaning to watch this movie for years but just never got around to it. I'm sure part of the reason I enjoyed it some much was my never ending love for Will Smith, but it was a really solid movie. The only complaints I had involved how realistic technology in the movie was, and that it also wasn't as cool as I imagine it would have been had i seen it in 1998.

City of God: I had heard a lot of good things about City of God and for the most part it didn't let down. Great story, interesting setting, and great style. There was clearly a lot of thought put into the way that the movie was filmed. The one thing that could have used work was the 130 minute length...little lengthy.

20 minutes of Hancock: What a terrible terrible disappointment. I love super heroes and as I mentioned before I love Will Smith but good God this movie was bad. And of course by this movie I mean the first 20 minutes, but if a movie can't hook me by then then whats the point in wasting my time with it? The visual effects looks horrendous. The romantic subplot was predictable. Just a bad movie overall.

It was my birthday

2009-09-08T18:15:00.000-07:00

I was worried that after I blogged about getting a bunch of Facebook birthday wishes that I wouldn't actually get any comments...but the comments poured in. Here are a few of the meaningful ones.

Justin W: happy birthday same age brother

Caleb S: happy birthday dude... sorry for breaking the 8 girl streak you can delete this if you want

Dana M: 21? Really? Holy crap! Happy birthday, I guess. Jeez.

Brenda B: Happy 21st birthday Proctor! And, congratulations on the guest blog spot. You rock! I hope you enjoyed lots of your mom's home cooking and all of the parental love while you were home for the weekend.

And the last one is from my brother, an avid reader of my blog.
Walter A: Happy Birthday _! I can't believe you are finally 21. Have a good B-Day ___.

It was a good birthday.

Going into labor day

2009-09-06T21:33:00.000-07:00

In 17 minutes I will be turning 21 years old. I'm excited. It is a big day apparently. But I'm also unexcited. Unexcited about the avalanche of comments I'm about to receive on Facebook. September 7th is the day that a ton of my closest facebook "friends" read that it is my birthday and then leave a stock standard birthday greeting for me. Is that suppose to make me happy? Or gracious. Usually there are about 7 people that are actually wishing me a happy birthday and putting some effort into a unique and meaningful birthday wish. As for the rest of them? Nothing. The clock hasn't even struck 12 and the comments have already started to roll in.

"Happy Birthday _____!"
"______ I can't believe you are finally 21"
"Have a good B-Day _____"

I like my birthday to be low key. Spend time with those closest to me. And eat cake. Tomorrow I'm going to spend time with my family, drive back to Austin with my brother, and go see Inglorious Basterds at the Alamo Drafthouse with my girlfriend. I think it is going to be a pretty good day.

Fast bus

2009-09-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

Action movies get a bad wrap, and for good reason. A lot of them are very very bad. And even some of the best action movies still have a little bit of bad in them. Speed is no different. It has all the early 90's action cheese that you would expect from a 1994 Keaneu Reeves movie, but it also has something awesome.

Last night I couldn't sleep and wound up channel surfing on the couch. That's when I decided that I was going to watch Speed. All I really knew about it was the premise...which sounds pretty bad after 15 years. There are people on a bus. There is a bomb on the bus. The bus can't go slower than 50 mph or the the bomb explodes and kills the people.

The cast list is also pretty laughable. Keanu: Guy's just not a very good actor. Sandra Bullock: Meh, just don't like her. Dennis Hopper: Past his prime. The only two actors whose performances I actually enjoyed where Jeff Daniels and Matthew Broderick's best friend from Ferris Bueler.

But despite all this I LOVED this movie. Movie starts with action. Then 15 mintutes of story and the rest is action. Really intense action. I've never seen a movie that filled me with this much suspsense. By the end of the movie my veins where full of adrenline. Thank you HBO on demand.

Home yet

2009-09-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

This weekend I'm back in Houston at my parent's house. Monday is my 21st birthday and we're getting together with my aunt, uncle, and grand parents to celebrate. What does being home mean to me? A lot of things.

1. Homemade meals from my mom. Today my little brother and I came home to incredible pot roars, biscuits, and cooked vegetables. No matter how hard I try when I make dinner at my apartment it never tastes like this.

2. PUPPY! My Dad got a little tiny yellow lab puppy on July 2nd and I love her to death. Over the summer the two of us spent a lot of late nights snoozing on the couch. Now she's big but still the best pup ever.

3. DVR. Life with basic cable is rough...well not really but we've got a backlog of Arrested Development episodes on our DVR. Sure, I've got them on DVD at my apartment but watching them on my parents big TV with the whole family around is just so much better.

4. And of course family. Mine specifically. What would I be without my parents. They give me drive, humor, support, love, and many other things. I can't thank them enough for all that they've given me, with out them I would be nothing.

Funny stuff

2009-09-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

Tuesday marked the beginning of the "Out of Bounds Comedy Festival" here in Austin. Out of Bounds is a 7 day comedy festival that features some of the countries best improv, sketch comedy, and stand up performers. One of the groups being spotlighted is Scatter, a long form improv group from Houston.

Tonight I was lucky enough to catch Scatter's performance at the Savage Vanguard theater. Scatter wasn't however a group that I just randomly stumbled upon, when I was in high school I did improv with Scatter's Matt Lusk. Lusk is two years older than me and was the guy that influenced me to try out for the group...so I may be a little bit biased in my evaluation of the performance.

After high school I decided to stop doing improv for awhile, and instead worked more on school and getting used to living in Austin. So now, 3 years later, I have trouble remembering the good parts about it. Instead my mind is cluttered with the obnoxious people we used to perform with and the outrageous skits we would end up doing. Improv can very easily slip and become a very silly, and very stupid thing. The guys in Scatter realize this. You can tell when they perform that they are aware of the inherent goofiness of improv and they make light of that. For example half way through their performance one of the 8 members called for a break and all 8 members walked over to the side of the stage and grabbed their water bottles, rested, and discussed their work so far. One member said they needed to work on their environment in scenes and when they started back up two of them intentionally performed a terribly hilarious improv scene where they broke almost every basic rule for making a good scene. In the hour that they performed they covered all sorts of topics and as morally wrong as it sounds made even the most terrible of topics, abusive step fathers, and hilarious subject.

The troupe was incredibly funny, making sure that everyone in the audience had a good time. After talking to the guys after their performance it was obvious that they where good friends, and that contributed a lot to their on stage chemistry. The best part of the performance was that it reminded me of the good times that I had doing improv.

Dolphin free

2009-09-02T21:18:00.000-07:00

In talking with people I have realized that most, if not all, of us have unexplainable memories from our childhoods. Strange things. Hazy scenes from movies and TV shows that don't quite make sense after all these years. One memory that never escapes me is playing Ecco the Dolphin for my Sega Genesis.

Yes, some Sega executive thought it would be a good idea to make a game about a Dolphin swimming through the ocean.

Yes, my parents saw the box for the dolphin game...and bought it for their 5 year old son.

What terrible ideas! (Sorry mom, I know you read this)

To top off the weird/uninteresting concept of the game the developers made it brutally difficult. I never got past the second level. But I've been told that the game starts to get really weird strange! The dolphin starts flying into space to fight space jelly fish. Weird stuff. There was even two sequels.

Someday I'd like to give Ecco another shot...not today though.

Saves you money

2009-09-01T18:44:00.000-07:00

Things are expensive. I know, pretty obvious statement but it's very true. I do my best not to buy expensive things. Most of the time that means I just don't buy anything but other times it means I find ways to spend less on expensive things. Today I have two examples of things that I bought this weekend for less than the sticker price.

First: Planet Earth on Blu-Ray. On BestBuy.com the collection costs $79.99 but thanks to a special one day deal on WalMart's website I was able to get it for $37.99. Walmart.com had run out of copies by the time I found out but my girlfriend and I printed the screen and took it to Best Buy. At try to avoid going to Best Buy at all costs as I can't stand the way they run their business...but I make exceptions when it comes to price matching. I see it as my opportunity to take a little bit of their money. After searching the store for around 45 minutes we finally found one of two remaining copies. Took it to the customer service and after a little convincing we got it for aroudn 40 dollars. Very happy with our purchase. Looks incredible on my roomate's TV.

Second: Guitar Hero World Tour Bundle for Playstation 3. For the last 3 years I have avoided buying plastic video game instruments. Rock Band and Guitar Hero games have always seemed fun but I could never get over the price. The Guitar Hero World Tour bundle costs around a hundred dollars no matter where you look. On Sunday I was at Target buying some deoderant and I checked out the electronics section out of habit. There wheren't any good markdowns in the game section and nothing good in Dvds so I started to walk to the register. Then tucked away in an end cap where two copies of the game and one guitar for only twenty two dollars. So I snatched one up and took it to the register. On my way home I stopped by a Hollywood video and lucky me they had Guitar Hero drums on sale for only ten dollars. So I got the whole bundle for a third of the price. I'm pretty excited about it.

Feels good buying $180 worth of stuff for only $70.

Thank you Sony

2009-08-30T22:28:00.000-07:00

I play a lot of video games. Call it silly. Call it childish. I love it. Always have. Hopefully always will. I don't even want to begin to think about how much money I've handed to the video game industry in exchange for their goods. It's a lot. Usually I'm pretty good about being patient and waiting for the right time to buy though. I check clearance, search craigslist, compare prices, and if there is a video game within 30 miles it is safe to say that I know about it.

This summer however I jumped the gun. I wanted a Playstation 3. I had already started my summer job and I had the money so I started doing research. I found a bunch of different bundles and discounts and picked out the one I wanted. Amidst all this searching I also stumbled upon some rumors. Rumors of price drops, and one of a complete redesign of the system. I went back and forth in my mind. Should I just splurge and buy now...or be patient and then get the better end of the deal. Well of course I just went for it.

Now cut to today. I'm standing in a Best Buy kicking myself as I stare at the newer, smaller, and much much sleeker Playstation 3 consoles. Oh and it's also 100 dollars cheaper. Am I bummed? Yes...very.

I do it for hip-hop

2009-08-29T20:32:00.000-07:00

I love hip-hop. I think that the poetry that raps write and perform is incredible. I love all kinds of hip-hop too. I like politically minded alternative rap like Mos Def and MF Doom, and I like radio rappers like Soulja Boy and Lil John. There is something I can really respect though about rappers who use their unique skillsets to change people lives and influce people in positive ways. Music has the ability to really affect people and I feel like a lot of musicians don't take advantage of that ability. Especially in hip hop. There are some though. The Roots for example take full advantage of the gift they have in making music. They rap about the struggles that people face and the terrible situations that people have to face everyday. Like the song "Return to Innocanse Lost."

"She'd already lost...three. Uterus-bruised, shredded, and weak from being daily beat. And Friday nights were the worse and...daddy never came with flowers, instead he spent hours at some corner spot with some bar pop named Cookie"

Songs like this are so different than what we are bombarded with on the radio. The radio is plagued with artists like Lil Wayne and Ludacris. Whose music sounds good...but lyrically is garbage. It's a shame too. The content in these songs gives hip-hop such a terrible name. It demeans women, and promotes violence and greed. Writing about it makes me feel like Bill O'Reilly...which is something I never want to feel like. But it's real. And it sucks. I like Ludacris. A lot. But man...he is the worse! He came out with an album called "Chicken and Beer." Look at that album cover. Here's some lyrics from the album's single "Stand Up."

"Watch out for the medallion my diamonds are wreckless, feels like a midget is hanging from my neckless. I pulled up wit a million trucks looking, smelling, feeling like a million bucks-ahh! Pass the bottles, the heat is on, we in the huddle all smoking that Cheech and Chong! What's wrong?! The club and moon is full and I'm lookin for a THICK young lady to pull one sure shot way to get em outta them pants."

It sucks. But I still enjoy it. Which sucks even more.