For Vin Diesel Fans

The Media Goon has arrived on The Daily Shark (click me)

Im going to be helping out here on The Daily Shark. Click the link above to go to my site.


heres just a random pic thats on my page.

Springsteen Rehearsal Show #1 Review

Got to see Bruce at Asbury last night.  Really cool night.  Here's a poorly written brain-dump from this sleepy fan.

It felt like we were really Bruce's friends.   He was very casual saying things like "this is the part of the show where we soak in applause, then hide on the stairs and then come back out" but didn't feel like hiding.

Max played two thirds. Jay the rest. Jay plays a hevaier drum so it sounds different - he pounds. Jay was back there for best version of Candys Room I've heard. I have a pic of the back of max's head - max watching born to run right in front of me. Max prob has never seen the E street band, at least not in 30+ years.

Bruce Springsteen performs Outlaw Pete in Asbury Park

Bruce Springsteen performs Lucky Day in Asbury Park

2:40 for a rehearsal show!

No surprises, no Thundercracks.

The big man is now an old man, it's kind of sad.   He can barely walk and does an old man shuffle now. Bruce clearly keeping him on the payroll for old times sake.  Enjoy Clarence while he stil tours.    

Best show? Not by a mile. Cool night? Very.

Outlaw Pete - really comes alive in the live form.  This was the song I wanted to hear when i got in the car last night and again this morning

My Lucky Day - just like the record.  A tad to much "wall of sound" in the bad way.

Night - great.

Out in the Street - great but could use a break, this one has been around a lot the last ten years

Working on a Dream - exactly what you'd expect.  Bruce tried to teach us a singalong and we all realized together that the fans don't know the words.

Johnny 99 - electric version

I Ain't Got No Home - I don't get it.  Only purpose is to give the new background singers something to do.  Ditch them and this.

(Jay subs for Max)

Good Eye - i thought this would come alive in concert.  It doesn't.  Should go.

Radio Nowhere - fine, but noe one of the first 50 songs I'd ask bruce to play if he asked me to give him a list.

Candy's Room  - maybe the best version of this song I've ever heard.

Because the Night - the idea was better than the execution.

Mary's Place  - no Bruce no.  10 minutes of Mary's Place again?  With the mid-song rap about "Are you ready?"  Bad call by the Boss.  This is when you get your bathroom run in.

(Max)

The Wrestler - fantastic.  The highlight of the night.

This Life - Bruce teaches us another singalong.  Don't listen to Backstreets, this singalong will be cool once the fanbase knows what to do.

Long Walk Home - solid, great song.

Surprise, Surprise - the band needs to practice.    Half of them changed keys at the end, half didn't.

Badlands - it's Badlands.

No Surrender - great.

Hard Times - I don't get it (see comments about I Ain't Got No Home)

Mustang Sally (w/ John Eddie) - I think this was an audible to include Eddie and pick a song everyone knew how to play.  Interesting once.  If Mustang Sally gets played every night I don't know.

Thunder Road - awesome.  A proper "like the record" version.

(back to Jay)

Born to Run - very cool to watch Max stand in the crowd and watch the E Street Band.

American Land - really?  I just don't care.

Seven Nights to Rock - better ender, but if this winds up being the show closer I will skip it to beat traffic.

R.I.P. Spacebat

Great Ron Moore BSG Article!

This is a great article that will answer all of the not-so-clear stuff (that will get clearer when we get the DVD)

Why did Cavil shoot himself?
Did the Cylons survive?
Does Adama just build a cabin?

I thought it was all obvious in the show, but RDM tells you the official answers here including the below snippet.

(On whether Head Six and Head Baltar are angels or demons)

Moore: I think they're both. We never tried to name exactly what the head characters were, we never looked at them as angels or demons. They seemed to periodically say good things or evil things, to save people or to damn people. There was a sense that they worked in the service of something else... that was guiding and helping, sometimes obstructing, sometimes tempting. The idea at the end was that whatever they're in service of is eternal and continues, and whatever they are, they too are still around, with all of us who are the children of Hera. They continue to walk among us and watch. 

Galactica Finale: So Good So Good So Good

That's how you wrap a series.  

The Galactica Finale was so satisfying.  At one point I was completely ready to let the series go, and noticed there were still 40 minutes left.

We got to see where every character was heading - no loose threads to follow, no more stories to tell.   Sure we can always write some fan-fiction about the Adventures of Tyrol, or overanalyze what Six means by "he doesn't like that name" (is "God" the good guy or perhaps the devil?  They were wearing red...).  We can debate whether or not Ron Moore is such a bad actor that he can't pull off reading a magazine convincingly.

Nope - this one was satisfying.   An hour of wrapping up the story, and then an hour of character exploration.  We found out who or what Starbuck is and it made enough sense.  The Galactica herself is gone now, and the story-arc written in such a way that there's no way to squeeze out a sequel if everyone gets money hungry.  Plus, for once a series came to a proper end.

This final half season had some of the best episodes of the entire series.  I will miss BSG, and still have my doubts about Caprica - but I'm feeling really good about the Ron Mooreiverse this morning.

Google Mars

Google Mars is pretty cool.  Not just maps and cartoons but actual pictures from the Mars Rover.

U2 Wants To Re-Record Boy, October & War

U2 want to rework early music

Thu Mar 12, 2009 9:09am EDT

By Jason Szep

SOMERVILLE, Massachusetts (Reuters) - Irish band U2 gave a prelude to its upcoming world tour with a brief private show on Wednesday for just 950 fans who got a chance to make news by asking the band some tough questions.

Among the revelations from the banter with the crowd: U2 is considering reworking and re-releasing some early work including its debut album "Boy" released in 1980 that included U2's first big hit "I Will Follow."

"I would love to sing that album again and finish that," said lead singer Bono. He said they were rushed from the studio producing "Boy" because they "couldn't afford another hour."

"The early records, there's some beautiful songs that feel a little bit unfinished to us," he said.

Pressed on what he'd like to change, the Irish rocker singled out his "phony English accent" on "Boy."

The back-and-forth with the crowd in Boston's neighboring city of Somerville followed an energetic set of five songs from U2's new album "No Line On The Horizon" which debuted at No. 1 in 30 countries, including the United States and Britain.

I kind of which they'd re-record the horrible new one.

Bruce 3-D

Bruce 3-D?   I'll go.

One of the problems with the Springsteen DVD's of the 21se century is too many edits and forced band antics.  For a better version of live Bruce check out the Hammersmith show on the DVD included in Born To Run Deluxe.

From MTV:

“I saw Springsteen at the Super Bowl,” Hendricks revealed to MTV when we caught up with the filmmaker recently. “I’d love to do him.”

Bruce Springsteen’s energy, stage antics and die-hard fanbase would seem to make him an ideal target for the next big 3D concert flick. It would be quite a departure, however, for the genre that has until now focused mainly on youth-oriented artists.

Last seen sliding crotch-first into a camera , The Boss would undoubtedly have some fun with Hendricks’ 3D cameras. And when you factor in such camera-friendly E Street Band members as Conan O’Brien bandleader Max Weinberg, the idea sounds intriguing.

“[I’d love to do it] in 3D,” Hendricks explained. “He’d be great.”

But even if the legendary rocker was willing to make a concert film, would his audience turn out to see it? Springsteen’s new record “Working on a Dream”dethroned Taylor Swift from the top spot on the album chart, marking his ninth number one album. But as Hollywood execs are often quick to point out, older audiences are less likely to pour into theaters on opening weekend.

2007’s “U2 3D” focused on one of the few bands out there who come close to Springsteen’s longevity and success; it grossed just under $10 million domestically.

But before Hendricks can make his dream movie, he needs to get The Boss on board. “No, no,” he grinned when asked if he’d contacted Springsteen yet. “But I think concert films in 3D are going to catch on, so we are going to see a lot of artists do them.” 

Border Collies Are Idiots

Here is an incorrect list of the World's 10 Smartest Dogs .  I know Border Collies.  They are idiots who chase cars.  Clearly golden's are #1.

#4 Golden Retriever
A very affectionate and popular breed, the Golden Retriever is highly regarded for its intelligence. They can learn well over 200 commands, making them indispensable companions, both in the home and in the workplace. Loyal, loving, and patient, with a willingness to please and a love of learning, this is a fabulous companion pet to bring into your family.


#1 Border Collie
The Border Collie comes in at number one. Because of their extraordinary intelligence and high energy, it is essential to give Border Collies an occupation or purpose, or you may well find your home wrecked upon your return from a long day at work. They have an intense connection with humans, making them ideal work and home companions. However, keep this in mind: Border Collies invariably will not do well unless they are with people who are as high energy as they are; they do best with humans who can participate in dog sports with them. Also, because of their background as herding dogs, they may be frustrated by small children, as their inability to herd the children as they deem fit is confounded. For the right human, the Border Collie is well behaved, exceptionally good at learning, and a true-blue companion.

Atari 2600 Ms. Pac-Man

So not too long after the debacle that was Atari Pac-Man, they released Ms. Pac-Man.

This was redemption.  This was everything Pac-Man wasn't.

Look at the picture.  See the maze.  It's nice.  No exactly the arcade maze but so what.  And the ghosts had colors.  And they followed you around and tried to kill you!   And the fruit changed and wasn't just a square.  And it didn't blink.  And it had different mazes!

if you could squeeze all this out of a 2600, why couldn't Pac-Man have beeb better.

Great game. 

Fast & Furious Rocks

If you liked The Fast & The Furious (5th best movie of all time) you will like "Fast & Furious."

 

I saw it last night. 

 

Vin Diesel + cars + music + girls making out for no reason + cars + girls + music + cars.

 

The crowd was thoroughly entertained.

 

Do you really need a plot summary?  Vin is back, Paul Walker chases him - they need to race against each other for some reason.

 

Good mindless flick.

Atari 2600 Pac-Man

Oh the humanity!

Why Atari Why?

You had the world by the paddles.  Why on earth did you rush this game?

Anybody who has read this far knows what Pac-Man is so I won't bore you with the history but why Atari why?

Never mind the clunky sounds.

Never mind the flickering ghosts - I'll cut you slack for making a 2k system run 32k.

Never mind that the ghosts were brainless.

Why did you make the maze suck so bad???!!

I could have dealt with everything else but the maze sucks so bad.

I remember getting this the day it came out.   $50 is a lot for a game NOW never mind 1982.

I knew within 5 minutes that I was horribly disappointed but I couldn't admit it to myself.

By dinner time I had.

There's no excuse for this thing - clearly the Atari could do better, as we'll discuss in tomorrow's Ms. Pac Man post.

Atari 2600 Adventure

Another of the great cartidges: Adventure.


You kids would think we were insane if you played it now, but trust me, this game was awesome.  Look how great the animation was.  Look at the detail on the red dragon (not to be confused with the yellow dragon).   And that square?  That's your "guy."

So in Adventure you did the same thing over and over.  Get the yellow key to open the yellow castle.  Get the sword (which looked like this    ->  ).  Kill the dragon.  Go "up" and get the other key, open the other castle and then return the goblet to the yellow castle.

Over and over and over.  Anyone of a certain age played this 5 billion times and loved it.

After a while you started to explore - hey what happens if I let the bat capture me - you could fly around with the bat.  Oh cool I can capture the bat! 

Then someone discovered the dot.   This was the first easter egg.  If you put the dot next to the out of bounds line you could get to a secret room with the creators name.  How cool.

Like I said, anyone under the age of 35 will think this game is insanely simple.   Great game.  Adventure II, Haunted House and that whole Earthquest series never lived up to it.

Got any other games you'd like to discuss?

Atari 2600 Missle Command

There used to be a video game store called M & K Video that was next to the RKO Keith theater in Flushing.   They were innivators in that they were the first place I can remember that would let you play the games before you bought them.

You'd walk in and they'd have 10 TV's with Ataris and the latest games.

They also got the games in before everyone else and had good prices.  A great great place.

So one day I walk in and they have Missle Command!  Who even knew that Missle Command was coming out for the VCS (you kids know it as the 2600).  Awesome!

Atari Missle Command had only one place to shoot from, rather than three, which I preferred.  It omitted the "UFOs" that would drop missles on you.  Other than that, it was Missle Command as you knew it.  

One of the best arcade translations for the Atari, and one of the best cartrdiges period.

Atari 2600 Asteroids

Asteroids was another great game for the 2600.   To my memory it came out the last year Atari was "cool."   We were all about to move on to Coleco, and the 2600 would hang around for many years - lots of us still play it, it is after all the greatest system of all time.

Anyway, Asteroids was one of the all-time hot arcade games, and Atari had some great translations such as Space Invaders (which we talked about yesterday) and Missle Command.  Asteroids was right there with them.

It had a ship, asteroids and UFO's.  No way to mess that up right?   They didn't.

Atari 2600 Space Invaders

The greatest game of them all. 

Space Invaders was a breakthrough.  When you first saw it in the arcade it was like WOW.  There had been a few "video games" such as Space War and Breakout, but Space Invaders took it to a whole new level.   Pinball never recovered.

Then Atari bought the home rights.  Oh man, can I play Space Invaders at home?!  It was the must have toy to get that Christmas.   I got my Atari early (thanks mom!) the year before "everyone" got it - and it was to this day the best Christmas gift ever.

Space Invaders for the 2600 was a great game - it was actually Space Invaders, not some watered down version like later arcade translations.  Sure the aliens looked different but that was ok.  And remember the catalog that came with the cartridges in the early days?  They kept showing Galaxian which "never" came out.  (It actually did, but years later after everyone had moved on to Colecovision.)

To me, hands down the best of the Atari VCS (as it was called at first) games.   What's your favorite?

Better Idea for Daylight Savings

Move the clocks BACK on a weekend.

Move the clocks FORWARD on a Monday at noon ET, 11am central and 9am west. All at once.

Why should my weekend be short? Let the boss lose an hour.

Star Trek Trailer With Original Cast!

Awesome

Terminator Terminates My Fridays

What happened to Sarah Connor Chronicles?

Every week is just posturing moody scenes with the super hot Sarah Connor.   She's nice to look at and all, but DO something/   Fight some bad guys or give me more glimpses into the future.

This was the second Friday in a row I fell asleep during the show (DVR and started at 9:30) so I missed the live feed of Galactica.  

This show's gonna die, and it will be the writers fault.

New Trek Trailer #3 Doesn't Excite Me

Here's trailer #3 in Apple's horrible computer-slowing quicktime format

 

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/startrek/startrek_trailer3_large.html

 

I was psyched when I hit play - but at the end I'm no more or less excited for the film.  It looks perfectly competent but that's about it.

 

 

At least one other human (dog) hasn't been co-opted by the U2 Mafia

Whew....I thought I was losing my mind.   The U2 Mafia has gotten five star reviews for No Line from publications like Rolling Stone.

 

5 stars.  You know, as good as Joshua and Achtung.

 

Anyway, I'm glad I'm not alone in hating this album.

 

http://thundermatt.com/2009/03/rip-u2-1978-2009.html

 

 

Trek Movie Novel Synopsis

The movie polt as novelized:

 

One grew up in the cornfields of Iowa, fighting for his independence, for a way out of a life that promised only indifference, aimlessness, and obscurity

The other grew up on the jagged cliffs of the harsh Vulcan desert, fighting for acceptance, for a way to reconcile the logic he was taught with the emotions he felt.

In the far reaches of the galaxy, a machine of war bursts into existence in a place and time it was never meant to be. On a mission of retribution of the destruction of his planet, its half-mad captain seeks the death of every intelligent being, and the annihilation of every civilized world.

Kirk and Spock, two completely different and unyielding personalities, must find a way to lead the only crew, aboard the only ship, that can stop him.

Trek Perfumes!

http://trekmovie.com/2009/03/04/trek-spring-collection-preview-first-look-at-genki-star-trek-fragrances/

 

Tiberius
The Tiberius cologne, named in honor of the Mirror Universe James T. Kirk's challenges users to "Boldly Go" with a perfume described as being spiked with "notes of freshness and sensuality." According to Genki Wear, the perfume has sweet citron zest, black pepper, and cedar as its top notes (top notes refers to those scents that are noticeable first) and warm vanilla, white musk, and sandalwood as its base notes (scents perceived last, usually about a half hour after application). Genki Wear promises that "Tiberius Cologne for men is difficult to define and impossible to refuse" which is also a pretty good description of the Mirror Kirk himself.

 

 

The Real Reason They Oush Blu-Ray

A friend in the movie business has educated me about the push to Blu-Ray.  It;s about piracy.

Apparently it's a real pain in the neck to rip Blu-Ray discs.

They are gigantic files.

I agree with the article that says digital copies need to become standard everywhere.  It's not so much that we want to steal movies, we just want to be able to use them without lugging a laptop computer with us everywhere.

It's called an iphone everyone, and all media companies that ignore it are going to be left in the dust.

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

I didn't watch yet because I do this "sleep" thing but this guy is killing it.
Sounds like it was worse than the new U2 album, but don't forget how bad Conan was.

Check Out The Star Trek Toys

http://www.bigbadtoystore.com/bbts/menu.aspx?menu=1843


I'm not loving them.  Not awful but not an improvement over 1966.

Disney Zombies!

What else do you need to know?!


Disney Zombies

Wish there were more pics and less text.