Kids say the darndest things...like I Do

My kids got married last night. By my kids, I mean Becky's daughter and her newly-minted husband, but I'm calling jurisdictional rights over them in this instance.

I've known Kelly and Josh since the day they helped Becky move her things into what has become our apartment. Things were odd at first, given that they were meeting Mom's new boyfriend for the first time, but all was well by the end of the day.

Since that day, I've grown rather fond of the pair of them. Kelly is absolutely fantastic in pretty much every way imaginable (she gets it from her Mom!) and Josh reminds me a lot of me: picky eater, smart assy at times, and hopelessly in love with his woman.

I arrived at the golf course where the ceremony and reception were both being held, found my seat, and waited for the festivies to begin. Nick, one of Josh's groomsmen, escorted Becky down the aisle...I can't imagine that anyone was able to pry their eyes off of her to pay attention to the rest of the wedding party. The bridesmaids came out, resplendent in champagne coloured dresses, and then it was time for the main event.

There are few words adequate enough to describe how great Kelly looked. Let's go with fantabulously stupendous, at least for now. She and Josh exchanged vows, put pen to paper and everything was official. In the receiving line, Kelly thanked me for coming. Child, please...like there was anywhere else I was going to be?

Dinner was amazing, the rest of the reception was amazing, and being there with Becky to share in her daughter's wedding was an amazing honour.

If there's any complaint, it's that K and J did too good a job planning this...now Becky and I have our work cut out for us when we eventually join them in wedded bliss.

Congratulations, you guys...I love you both.

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Protest this!

I've bitten my tongue long enough about the people protesting the G20 Summit in Toronto this weekend. While I appreciate that people are passionate about making their feelings known, they need to remember that it's a two-way street.

Here are my feelings:

1. Get jobs
2. Bathe and get a haircut
3. Accept that you're not going to make a damn bit of difference

Bitching about a fake lake is counter-productive. The leaders of the free world aren't going to turn around and go home because you clowns don't want them here. If every leader changed their mind about an issue or event simply because someone who doesn't like them or what they believe in shouted some bullshit rhetoric and said go away, nothing would ever get done.

EDIT: SUNDAY MORNING

I'm absolutely disgusted with what happened in Toronto yesterday. I refuse to give these clowns any more run, so I shall refer to them as the Masked Douchebags. The Masked Douchebags went on a spree of destruction in the downtown core, trashing Tim Horton's, Starbucks and Winners. They then turned their mask-covered eyes (more on that in a minute) to police cruisers and civilian vehicles.

One of the Masked Douchebags thought it would be a good idea to trash someone's BMW SUV. What the hell for? Because you guys are anti-capitalism? If that's the case, then give me all the money you have in your bank accounts, buy some rice and move to a commune. Just get the hell away from us hard-working people, the ones your actions are affecting the most.

And while we're at it, what's with the masks? If you're so determined to get change affected, why not at least own it? Oh right, since you're commiting crimes, you don't want to get charged, right? Sounds like you want your cake and eat it too...which sounds like capitalism to me.

Do the world a favour and slip back into the shadows where you belong...with the rest of the vermin.

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Mortal Kombat!!

Sweet. Muppety. Nom.

Becky knows that as code for me really really liking something...therefore, it's applicable here. And it has Jeri Ryan, so double nom.

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Really, Canada? Really?

From the Canadian Press:
Filmmaker Sarah Polley, sitcom star Eric McCormack and singer Nelly Furtado are among the latest inductees to Canada's Walk of Fame.

Olympian Clara Hughes, author Farley Mowat, musician David Clayton-Thomas and the late magician Doug Henning also made the list, announced this morning at a news conference.

Established in 1998, Canada's Walk of Fame recognizes achievements in music, sport, film and television as well as the literary, visual and performing arts, and science and innovation.

Honourees are given a star on a walkway in Toronto's entertainment district. This year's crop of inductees will be honoured at a Toronto gala to be held Oct. 16.


I can understand Polley, Hughes, Mowat, Clayton-Thomas and Henning, and to a lesser extent McCormack, but Furtado? Really? This is the best we can do?

The woman provided one of the biggest lowlights (and that's saying something) at the Opening Ceremonies at the Vancouver Olympics, and has added absolutely nothing to society at all. This all but ensures that little twerp Justin Bieber is going to get one of these stars down the road. *sighs*

Sometimes, it's damned embarrassing to hail from here. This is one of those times.

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Local TV hijinks

This is from WDEF 12, the CBS affiliate in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Pay careful attention to the scroll on the bottom...it's much more interesting than anything Tommy Freeman has to say!

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Nom nom nom nom!

What? Nothing! Move along...nothing to see here!

Okay, there IS something to see here, and it's Tim Horton's new gastronomic delight. Dubbed the Candy Bar Supreme, the donut wizards at our national donut chain came up with a long, rectangular donut that is lightly covered in chocolate and then saturated with crushed M&M pieces.

Yes, it was as good as it looked...but it's not something I can see myself eating on a frequent basis.

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A long time ago in a car wash far far away...

Last weekend, the killer G4 program Attack of the Show helped promote a car wash in Los Angeles with proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

What made this car wash special was the theme...it was a Star Wars car wash! And not just Star Wars, but the washers were wearing Slave Leia costumes. Organizers even landed 2007 Playmate of the Year Sara Jean Underwood to don Padme's armour from Attack of the Clones.

I'm not sure how much money was raised in the endeavour, but I'll happily raise my lightsaber and let out a hearty huzzah for doing this.

Becky is going to kill me when she reads this one.

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Draft post-mortem

So I didn't do all that great with my NFL Draft predictions, but I did manage to nail five of the top six...small victories.

I like what my beloved Vikings did, shoring up the secondary with CB Chris Cook (I had them taking a CB in my predictions) and I love the selection of Toby Gerhart from Stanford. As much as I love Adrian Peterson, I'm not in love with his Fumblitis, so it's good they drafted a running back with such sure hands.

Getting Everson Griffin in round four, a player I had off the board at 16 to Tennessee, was a huge (but pleasant) surprise. Chris DeGeare was a nice depth add at Offensive Tackle, and I dig the pick of Minnesota's Nathan Triplett in round five.

Joe Webb, Mickey Shuler and Ryan D'Imperio (who sounds like he should have been on The Sopranos instead of Rutgers' football team) rounded out the picks.

We'll see how the picks pan out, but for now, I give Minnesota's draft a solid B.

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It's Draft Day!

The first round of the 2010 National Football League Draft will be held this evening, and like every year, it's one of my most anticipated days of the calendar year.

I love drafts. I watch the NFL, NHL and NBA drafts every year, and would likely watch the baseball one as well if I could. There's a sports talk station in Buffalo I listen to that shares my love of the drafting process, and has aired such events as an Actor Draft, Country Draft and Channel Draft. More compelling radio has never been aired.

I thought long and hard about whether or not to be Mock Draft Guy and post my own Mock Draft, and after much debate, opted to. Without further ado, here goes nothing!

1. St. Louis Rams select Oklahoma QB Sam Bradford
2. Detroit Lions pick Nebraska DT Ndamukong Suh
3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers will choose Oklahoma DT Gerald McCoy
4. Washington Redskins take Oklahoma OT Trent Williams
5. Kansas City Chiefs pick Alabama ILB Rolando McClain
6. Seattle Seahawks will select Oklahoma State OT Russell Okung
7. Cleveland Browns choose Tennessee S Eric Berry
8. Oakland Raiders select some guy whose career will suck, I mean Maryland OT Bruce Campbell
9. Buffalo Bills will pick Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen
10. Jacksonville Jaguars take Georgia Tech DE Derrick Morgan
11. Denver Broncos will take Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant
12. Miami Dolphins select Tennessee DT Dan Williams
13. San Francisco 49ers pick Iowa OT Bryan Baluga
14. Seattle Seahawks choose Clemson RB C.J. Spiller
15. New York Giants will pick South Florida DE Jason Pierre-Paul
16. Tennessee Titans select USC DE Everson Griffin
17. San Francisco 49ers take Florida CB Joe Haden
18. Pittsburgh Steelers choose Idaho G Mike Iupati
19. Atlanta Falcons will take Michigan DE Brandon Graham
20. Houston Texas take Fresno State RB Ryan Matthews
21. Cincinnati Bengals take Texas FS Earl Thomas
22. New England Patriots pick Oklahoma TE Jermaine Gresham
23. Green Bay Packers take Boise State CB Kyle Wilson
24. Philadelphia Eagles select USC FS Taylor Mays
25. Baltimore Ravens will pick Penn State DE/DT Jared Odrick
26. Arizona Cardinals select Texas DE Sergio Kindle
27. Dallas Cowboys take Rutgers Florida G/C Mauricke Pouncey
28. San Diego Chargers will nab Rutgers CB Devin McCourty
29. New York Jets select UCLA D Brian Price
30. My beloved Minnesota Vikings take Alabama CB Kareem Jackson
31. Indianapolis Colts will pick Alabama DT Terrence Cody
32. New Orleans Saints pick Missouri OLB Sean Weatherspoon

So there we go, my best guess at what will happen tonight. I doubt anything that happens in New York will look anything like this list, especially with the inevitable trades expected, but what the hell. It's all for fun, which means no wagering!

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I just threw up in my mouth

From the Sydney Daily Herald in Australia:

Hollywood heart-throb Sam Worthington has been tipped to become the second Australian to play super spy James Bond.

British bookmakers William Hill made the prediction after news that Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, which controls the film franchise, was in dire financial trouble, the BBC reported.

William Hill made Worthington the 5/2 favourite to step into Daniel Craig's shoes should the English actor not reprise the Bond role for the third time.

Welshman Christian Bale, the star of the new Batman franchise, and Hollywood giant Will Smith were both 7/1 favourites.

Clive Owen was 8/1, Australian Alex O'Loughlin 10/1, Orlando Bloom 12/1, James Purefoy 16/1, and another Australian, Julian McMahon, was tipped at 20/1.

Australian George Lazenby portrayed James Bond in the 1969 film On Her Majesty's Secret Service.

Work on "Bond 23" had already been suspended indefinitely because of the uncertainty surrounding the future of MGM as it struggles to repay more than $US3.7 billion ($4 billion) in debt.

Craig, who has played the debonair spook for two films, has expressed confidence in the film's producers to get the spy series up and running again.

But previous breaks in production have led to changes in the lead role, such as between 1989 and 1995, when Timothy Dalton made way for Pierce Brosnan, the BBC said.

Worthington auditioned for the Bond role in Casino Royale, but was rejected in favour of Craig.

"You come back, exhausted, laughing that you went and did Bond," he said in 2006.

"It's like any big movie; you go and meet big directors. It's not a disappointment because it puts heat on you. You become well known for going in and doing your job."

If Worthington does one day snare the coveted action role, he would be the seventh Bond in the film franchise based on the Ian Fleming books, after Craig, Brosnan, Dalton, Roger Moore, Lazenby and Sean Connery.

He has recently hit the big time in Hollywood with leading parts in blockbuster films Avatar, Terminator 4 and Clash of the Titans.

Now, my take...are they insane?! Sam Worthington? The man is so wooden he craps splinters! He was awful in Avatar and worse in Clash of the Titans. Casting him as Bond would be a colossal slap in the face to 007 fans, especially those of us who were on board before Daniel Craig's blue eyes appeared on the scene.

I pray for this news to be false. Please, for the love of all things good and pure, reconsider this mistake before the franchise is killed.

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New Dictionary entry

Douchenozzle

A male who acts and looks like an utter jackass. Someone who transcends common insults to the point that simply calling him a "jackass" or "douchebag" will no longer do. Much more offensive than simply calling someone a douchebag.

See: Ben Roethlisberger.

I cannot believe the unabashed gall of this man. Just because you have two Super Bowl rings doesn't mean you can rape a woman in a bar washroom and think it's okay...allegedly.

Six games doesn't seem like enough of a suspension. I'm glad my Vikings don't need a quarterback...really glad.

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Moonlight Mile

I had a veritable nerdgasm yesterday while poking around Facebook.

As someone who has recently discover the utter awesome that is Dennis Lehane, I typed his name into the Facebook search bar and ended up clicking on a link to a Wall Street Journal article from February.

In that piece, Lehane reveals that he was finishing off his sixth Patrick Kenzie/Angela Gennaro book, the reveal of which made me a happy laddie!

Set to come out in late November, the book, from the description at least, sounds like a sequel to Gone, Baby Gone. Saweeeeeet!!

November cannot get here fast enough.

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The 2010 Stanley Cup champions will be...

...one of the 16 teams who qualified for the playoffs. No, really...I'm supremely confident about this prediction.

Okay, seriously...on to my real predictions.

Western Conference

1. San Jose vs 8. Colorado
San Jose, for all their playoff woes the past few years, get the nod over the inexperienced Avs.
Prediction: San Jose in five

2. Chicago vs 7. Nashville
The Hawks are absolutely loaded, but I have concerns about their goaltending. I think they have enough to get past the Preds, but beyond that, we'll have to see.
Prediction: Chicago in five

3. Vancouver vs 6. Los Angeles
My upset special. I love how the Kings play, and the Canucks aren't healthy enough on D to stop Kopitar, Brown and the rest of the LA snipers. This is going to be a great series.
Prediction: Los Angeles in seven

4. Phoenix vs 5. Detroit
The dream season of the desert dogs comes to an end. The Wings are too strong and too experienced to lose this one.
Prediction: Detroit in six

Eastern Conference

1. Washington vs 8. Montreal
The Habs are awful, and don't deserve this spot. Washington, on the other hand, is spectacular, and will barely break a sweat against the bleu, blanc et rouge.
Prediction: Washington in four

2. New Jersey vs 7. Philadelphia
The other first round upset will see the Devils sent to the golf course early. I can't put my finger on why I think the Flyers will win, but I have a feeling. I've been wrong before, but for some reason, I think I'll be right this time.
Prediction: Philadelphia in seven

3. Buffalo vs 6. Boston
Buffalo has the best goaltender on the planet, and Boston can't score. Seems like a no-brainer to me.
Prediction: Buffalo in five

4. Pittsburgh vs 5. Ottawa
As well as Ottawa played this season, they're not in the same class as the defending champs. Sid the Kid and the Pens will advance with relative ease.
Prediction: Pittsburgh in five

West Semifinals
San Jose over Los Angeles in six
Detroit over Chicago in seven

West Finals
Detroit over San Jose in six

East Semifinals
Washington over Philadelphia in six
Pittsburgh over Buffalo in seven

East Finals
Pittsburgh over Washington in seven

Stanley Cup Finals
Detroit over Pittsburgh in seven

So there we have it. For the third year in a row, the Red Wings will battle the Penguins in the Stanley Cup finals. I know people are probably getting sick of this matchup, but not me. How could I be sick of my beloved Wings taking on the Pens?

Besides, we need a third series between these two teams to determine bragging rights between them. I just hope that when the Wings win, they do it on home ice...I really want to see Nicklas Lidstrom hoist the Cup in Hockeytown.

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Take my love, take my land...

One of my favourite TV shows in the history of all-time is Firefly. The show is now working its way up my girlfriend's list as well.

I've been talking till I'm two by two, hands of blue in the face about the utter awesomeness that is Joss Whedon's space western, and with some free time on the weekend, I convinced Becky to let me pop in the first disc and let her see what all the hype was about.

Not surprisingly, she loved it. We polished off the first DVD, and now we just have to find time to further indoctrinate her into the way of the Browncoats. I'm guessing this weekend will do.

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For the love of all things good and pure, no!

I saw this on iGeektrooper and had to repost it. Megan Fox, the young thespian whose looks far outdistance her acting skills, is rumoured to be donning the chainmail bikini of the classic comic book character Red Sonja.

To quote Darth Vader in Revenge of the Sith:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

While I admit that there would be some visual appeal to the move, this is an idea on par with New Coke. Rose McGowan, no master of the acting arts herself, was originally cast in the title role. I admit that while she's not exactly going to threaten Kate Winslet in any Oscar races, she's all kinds of better than Fox.

We'll see what happens.

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Noony Noony Noo

I just wanted an excuse to post a pic of this little dude from when I was a lad. Move along now. Nothing more to see.

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Welcome back, Eldrick

In the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess that golf doesn't rank particularly high on my sports viewing list.

I admit to watching the major championships, and I absolutely love both the Ryder and President's Cup tournaments.

I also admit to being a big fan of Tiger Woods. The action figure of him on my desk should back up that claim. If he's playing in a tournament, chances are I'll switch it on over the course of the weekend and check on his progress. Otherwise, I'll give the event a pass and find out the results later.

But back to the focus of this piece...Tiger's back, and I couldn't be happier.
For my money, Tiger means more to his sport than any other athlete on this earth.
Take Sid the Kid out of hockey, you still have Ovechkin; remove Lebron from the NBA, we still have Kobe.

Yes, there are a lot of fantastic golfers on the PGA Tour these days, but none can match the charisma and marketability of Tiger.Can anyone say they'd buy Steve Stricker 2010 at their local video game store?

Tiger equals ratings, and that's been true since he made his debut in the late 1990s.

This weekend's Masters will be the most watched golf tournament in history, and I know that a good number of people will be watching for the train wreck factor. How will Tiger handle the crowd? Will he be heckled? Will not having his wife around be a good thing or a bad thing for him? How will he handle the pressure of playing his first competitive round for the first time since November?

I know a lot of media outlets will be focusing their coverage on his off-the-course transgressions, but not me. He's apologized to Elin and that's good enough for me.

I'm still undecided as to how I think he'll fare this weekend.
Part of me thinks he'll struggle...after all, Augusta National isn't your average golf course...but part of me thinks he'll excel and be in contention for his fifth green jacket come Sunday.

I hope it's the latter, because the sport needs him back on top.

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The Grandma Issue

Last weekend, Becky and I attended the inaugural Wizard World Toronto comic convention. It was her first con, my umpteenth, and it was something we were looking forward to attending.

There were a number of celebrities there I was hoping to meet, for work, of course. David Richmond-Peck from V and Jessie Sulidis from The Bachelor were there, and I managed to get some photos and some face time with the pair of them.

For non-work fun, I sought out Jewel Staite from Firefly and Becky was good enough to point out Cosplayers for me to snap photos of. See what I mean here.

I had one item I wanted to get my hands on at the show, and that was a copy of Invaders #31. For years, that book has been known, to me at least, as the Grandma Issue.

When I was seven, I spent a week with my grandparents up north. They owned a variety store, and I went into work with Grandma one day to help out. My definition of helping consisted of sitting on a green plastic milk crate, eating salt and vinegar chips and drinking Dr. Pepper while reading every comic on the spinner rack.

There was one book that I kept going back to read, the aforementioned Invaders #31. I was hooked by the cover...how could I not be blown away by Cap, Namor and the Human Torch fighting Frankenstein in a Nazi uniform? I read the issue so many times that the book became unsellable. She ended up giving me the book.

Grandma passed away in July 2008, two days after her 83rd birthday. I made it my goal to get my hands on this book, and I was thrilled to finally do so. Becky insisted on buying it for me, knowing how much the issue meant to me. No wonder I love her so damn much.

This one's for you, Gram :-)

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Chris Evans as Captain America

Anyone who knows me well knows where Captain America ranks on my list of favourite superheroes. There's Hal Jordan, then Barry Allen (Green Lantern and Flash, respectively) and then we have Cap.

I've read Cap for over 30 years. I loved reading his World War II stories as a member of The Invaders (more on a particular issue of that book in the next blog), the story arc where he was encouraged to run for President, and myriad more. The issue where he died upset me, mainly because it meant my three favourite heroes from my childhood had all been killed off at one point or another.

When I heard that Marvel was going to make a Cap movie, I immediately had images of Mark Valley donning the red, white and blue. Valley has the jaw, the acting chops and most importantly, he's imposing enough to play Cap.

However, news broke last week that Chris Evans is going to bring Cap to life on the big screen. Yes, Chris Evans, the smart-ass Human Torch from the Fantastic Four movies. To say I'm underwhelmed is an understatement. Le sigh.

I can only hope that he plays Cap serious...if he brings the occasionally douchy aspect of the Torch to the role, I'm going to walk out of the theatre. Okay, so I won't walk out...but I won't be happy.

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My cat won the office pool

No, really.

I run our office NCAA pool every year, and I've lost just twice since 1998. I like to think I know a bit about college hoops...which makes sense, since there's no sport I'm more passionate about save for St. Louis Cardinals baseball and Detroit Red Wings hockey.

My wonderful girlfriend filled out her own bracket this year and she did rather well. I entered a second bracket for myself and signed the cat's name to it. Damned if she didn't win.

In the first round, I picked every team that had a feline nickname...panther, cougar, bobcat, wildcat and tiger. By doing it that way, I called the Ohio over Georgetown upset. I had a final four for her of Kentucky, Villanova, Kansas State and Ohio State.

Even with no teams remaining, she banked enough wins to clinch the title. I guess when she rubs up against my goatee, she gleaned some hoops knowledge from me.

(In the interest of full disclosure, she beat me by four...I sucked hard this year).

Even though I'm well out of the money, I'm thrilled beyond words that my beloved Spartans are still in contention for the title. Go Green! Go White!

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Mr. Men...slighty reimagined

I found this by clicking around the internet while taking a break from re-typing a press release (people still fax these days for some unholy reason!) and I felt compelled to share it.

The classic characters in the Mr. Men family have been altered to resemble superheroes and villains from both DC and Marvel. I think most of them are rather funny, but Mr. Eo is my favourite, mainly because of his name. (It'll make more sense when a) you click the link and b) if you know who the hell I'm talking about). Enjoy!!

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Muse...Magnificent, Unbelievable, Spectacular, Encroyable!

Last weekend, Becky and I traveled to Michigan to see Muse and the Silversun Pickups in concert at The Palace of Auburn Hills. To say it was worth the drive would be a gross understatement.

Since we met in mid-2008, I've repeatedly extolled to virtues of the English trio to Becky, and we were thrilled that the opportunity to see them live finally presented itself to us. We opted to go to Michigan to see the gig, as opposed to their show in Toronto five days earlier, mainly because we like buying stuff at Meijer. Seems the two of us double as Michigan's economic stimulus package, and we accept that.

The Pickups were great, but Matt, Dom and Chris were un-expletive deleted-believable!

First off, the stage show was spectacular. Three large columns that resembled office buildings adorned the stage, and as the show started, we were treated to shadowy images of people walking up a nigh-endless flight of stairs. As the music built to its crescendo, the people started to fall, which was both creepy and hilarious at the same time.

Then, it was go time. Curtains dropped on all three columns, and there were Matt, Dom and Chris, breaking into the band's breakout single, Uprising. The crowd was hooked from the opening note. From there, we were treated to Resistance, then New Born, Supermassive Black Hole, MK Ultra before a brief Interlude lead into Hysteria.

Nishe followed Hysteria, and then the boys broke into United States of Eurasia, Feeling Good and Helsinki Jam before giving into Undisclosed Desires. Time Is Running Out and Plug In Baby rounded out the main set. For the encore, we were treated to Exogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture, Stockholm Syndrome and the show's final song, Knights of Cydonia.

An amazing show put on by an amazing band on an amazing evening in Michigan. I cannot wait for us to see them again!!

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From the brain of Chuck Lorre

Chuck Lorre is the genius behind The Big Bang Theory, as well as Dharma and Greg, Two and a Half Men, Grace Under Fire and Cybil. At the end of each show, a vanity card appears, featuring (usually) funny anecdotes or jokes.

At the end of the March 8 episode of Big Bang, there was a list which began You know you're getting old when...

You throw your back out on the toilet.

You shave your ears.

Your second wife calls your first wife “ma’am.”

You're genuinely excited when your prescriptions arrive in the mail.

You read the obits in the newspaper to check the ages of the dead people.

You read a newspaper.

You're bummed out that the smokin’ hot chick from Body Heat now looks like William Shatner in drag.

You say “bummed out.”

Women your age have real breasts and artificial hips.

Masturbation leaves you winded.

You try to amuse the kid hooking up your Blu-ray player by telling him about Betamax.

You pee in morse code -- dots and dashes -- and have to look down to see when you’re done.

Your doctor says things like, “that’s normal for a man your age” and “consider yourself lucky.”

Beneath your chin is what appears to be a neck skin hammock.

Beneath your penis is what appears to be two ping pong balls hanging from a flesh-colored bolo tie.

You choose your new car because it offers great lumbar support and convenient cup holders.

Watching “The Who” perform at the Superbowl made you inconsolably sad.

You wonder if the orgasm you're about to have will actually end your life.

Your doctor tells you a new medication will reduce the amount of semen in your body and your only response is, “so what.”

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Story time with James Galea

I encourage you not to blink while watching this video...it's spectacular!

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After day one of March Madness...

...my cat is leading my office pool. No, really.

I have two separate entries in the pool, one with the picks I posted yesterday and the other under my kitty's name.

I was very particular with the picks I made for her, choosing all teams with feline names, where possible, in round one. It worked really well with Ohio over Georgetown...and she went 14-2 on day one.

I'm never going to hear the end of this if she continues her dominance.

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Judging a book by its cover

I haven't read Batman since well before the Bruce Wayne RIP moneygrab, er, storyline. I read Detective and Streets of Gotham, but for Dick Grayson and Batwoman and the Manhunter back-up stories, respectively.

This cover, however, might make me change my mind about picking up the main title. David Finch has drawn the best looking Batman I've seen in years...GORGEOUS!!

I'm going to check out the solicits and see what the details for this issue are, but if I know me, I'll be adding another book to my pull list. I have no interest in the whole Return of Bruce Wayne arc that we'll be subjected to, so if it's tied to that, I might just buy it for the cover.

Oh, the travails of the comic fan!

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It's madness I tell you...madness!

I'm an NCAA sports junkie. During the fall, my Saturdays are spent watching college football from noon till night. When the season changes, my attention is turned fully to college hoops. I simply cannot get enough, and I like it.

Every year, when the NCAA announces the tournament field live on CBS, I sit enraptured by the reveal of all 65 team names. It's a testament to my devotion...and maybe a little sad as well.

Anyhow, without any further ado, I present my bracket (in text form) for the 2010 tournament. Remember, this is for informational purposes only...no wagering!

Midwest Region
Round One
Kansas manhandles Lehigh
UNLV over Northern Iowa
Michigan State (My team) downs New Mexico State
Maryland over Houston
San Diego State upsets Tennessee
Georgetown routs Ohio
Georgia Tech upsets Oklahoma State
Ohio State trounces UC Santa Barbara

Round Two
Kansas over UNLV
Michigan State downs Maryland
Georgetown tops San Diego State
Ohio State over Georgia Tech

Sweet Sixteen
Kansas over Michigan State
Georgetown over Ohio State

Elite Eight
Kansas over Georgetown

Midwest Champion
Kansas Jayhawks

West Region
Round One
Syracuse over Vermont (revenge for the Catamounts knocking the Orange out in 2004)
Gonzaga over Florida State
Butler over UTEP
Vanderbilt over Murray State (could be one of the best opening round games this year)
Minnesota over Xavier
Pitt over Oakland
BYU over Florida
Kansas State over North Texas

Round Two
Syracuse over Gonzaga
Butler tops Vanderbilt
Pitt over Minnesota
Kansas State over BYU

Sweet Sixteen
Syracuse over Butler
Pitt over Kansas State

Elite Eight
Syracuse over Pitt

West Champion
Syracuse Orange

East Region
Round One
Kentucky over East Tennessee State
Wake Forest over Texas
Temple over Cornell
Wisconsin over Wofford
Washington over Marquette
New Mexico over Montana
Clemson over Missouri
West Virginia over Morgan State

Round Two
Kentucky over Wake Forest
Wisconsin over Temple
New Mexico over Washington
West Virginia over Clemson

Sweet Sixteen
Kentucky over Wisconsin
West Virginia over New Mexico (there is no other potential matchup in the entire field I want to see more than this one)

Elite Eight
West Virginia over Kentucky

East Champion
West Virginia Mountaineers

South Region
Round One
Duke over Arkansas-Pine Bluff
California over Louisville
Texas A&M over Utah State
Siena in an upset over Purdue
Notre Dame over Old Dominion
Baylor over Sam Houston
St. Mary's over Richmond
Villanova over Robert Morris

Round Two
Duke over California
Siena over Texas A&M
Baylor over Notre Dame
Villanova over St. Mary's

Sweet Sixteen
Duke over Siena
Villanova over Baylor

Elite Eight
Villanova over Duke

South Champion
Villanova Wildcats

Final Four
Kansas over Syracuse
West Virginia over Villanova

National Championship
Kansas over West Virginia

2010 National Champions
Kansas Jayhawks

So there we have it...not an out on a limb pick by any stretch of the imagination, but for my money, there's no better team in the tournament than Kansas.

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Things to do when you're home sick

Being home sick for the past two days (thank you bronchial infection!) has afforded me the chance to get caught up in my reading and DVD watching. On the recommendation of my friend and co-worker Jim, I went out and bought the first two Madame Xanadu TPBs.

Jim had raved about the beautiful Michael Kaluta art in the second volume, and as great as Kaluta's pencils were, I was even more impressed with the art in the first volume. Relative unknown Amy Reeder Hadley's pencils leapt off the page...simply gorgeous stuff!

I knew as soon as Jim told me Matt Wagner was the author, I would be hooked. Having recently completed the first seven volumes of Wagner's Sandman Mystery Theatre, I knew that Madame Xanadu would be brilliant. And it was. The fact that Wesley Dodds and Dian Belmont made a guest appearance in the second volume, and that Death and Etrigan showed up in volume one didn't hurt either.

I also finally got around to watching Crisis on Two Earths, the latest offering from DC in their direct-to-dvd collection, and it was terrific. The voice talent involved in the project: Mark Harmon, Chris Noth, James Woods, Gina Torres and others, were also great in their respective roles.

The Crime Syndicate were portrayed in a new, fresh way, and I think it worked great. No spoilers here...go see it yourself! I was worried seeing Dwayne McDuffie's name attached, thinking that we'd be forced to endure John Stewart instead of Hal Jordan as the JLA's Green Lantern. Happily, for me at least, we got Hal in the movie.

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Pure. Comedy. Genius.

From the warped minds over at G4...any introduction I try to give it wouldn't do it justice.

Twilight: Modern Warfare 2 Trailer in High Definition – G4tv.com

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Oscar Predictions

I'm a huge movie fan, and I'm amped up to watch The Academy Awards tonight. Having seen all 10 nominated films, I can safely say that most of them are worthy of taking home the big prize. Except for Avatar.

Visually, it was beautiful. Storywise, however? It was Dances with Fern Gully. And don't get me started on Unobtainium. Was Hardtofindium taken? For the love of all things good and pure, Cameron!

My favourite film of 2009 was Quentin Tarantino's magnum opus, Inglourious Basterds. In any other year, the World War II epic would be a virtual lock to win Best Picture.
This year, however, it's a distant third to Avatar and The Hurt Locker.

If Tarantino's best picture actually wins Best Picture, there will be nobody, save maybe the director himself, happier about it than I. Last year, I was five for six in my picks, missing only Sean Penn over Mickey Rourke in the Best Actor category.

On to my fearless predictions!

Best Picture
What Will Win: The Hurt Locker
What Should Win: Not Avatar

Yes, James Cameron seemingly reinvented the wheel with his visual masterpiece about the Na'vi and their homeworld, Pandora.

However, Cameron failed to budget enough to pay for a good script, and that's what will lead to the film's downfall on Sunday night.

The Hurt Locker and Inglourious Basterds are both much stronger stories, as are most of the other nominees, but it's THL that will emerge victorious.

The film about an elite army bomb squad based in Iraq had viewers riveted to the edge of their seats...me included.

Best Director
Who Will Win: James Cameron
Who Should Win: Kathryn Bigelow

I for one will be rooting against Cameron to take the title of Best Director, in part so I don't have to hear him scream how he's the king of the world or the emperor of the universe or some other made-up title during his acceptance speech.
His ex-wife, Bigelow, should get the distinction of being Oscar's first female winner of Best Director, mainly because she made a better movie (Hurt Locker) than Cameron did.

Best Actor
Who Will Win: Jeff Bridges
Who Should Win: Jeff Bridges

I haven’t seen Crazy Heart yet, but from all accounts, Bridges is playing the same role Rourke played in The Wrestler, a performance Rourke should have been recognized for: a broken-down former superstar looking for one more chance at glory.
Were it not for Bridges, I'd put George Clooney (Up In The Air) and Jeremy Renner (The Hurt Locker) in a virtual tie for the award.

Best Actress
Who Will Win: Sandra Bullock
Who Should Win: Carey Mulligan

From the moment I saw An Education, I declared that its young star, Carey Mulligan, gave the best performance by a lead actress in any movie this year.
I maintain that her turn as a brainy schoolgirl in 1960's London is still the role of the year, but she'll be overshadowed by Sandra Bullock's turn as Leigh-Anne Tuohy in The Blind Side.
Bullock will benefit from people having actually seen her movie, which enjoyed much greater box office success than Mulligan's film.I think Bullock was great, but I won't shed a tear if Mulligan upsets her on Sunday.

Best Supporting Actor
Who Will Win: Christoph Waltz
Who Should Win: Christoph Waltz
This is the easiest of the awards for me to declare a winner for. When I saw Inglourious Basterds the weekend it was released in August, I immediately put Waltz at the top of the Best Supporting Actor list.
His portrayal of Hans Landa, a nefarious German officer, was the stuff of legend. It's his award to lose, and has been for months.

Best Supporting Actress
Who Will Win: Mo'Nique
Who Should Win: Mo'Nique
With apologies to the dynamic Up In The Air duo of Anna Kendrick and Vera Farmiga, this award is going to Mo'Nique.
Her performance in Precious as the worst on-screen mother since Faye Dunaway brought Joan Crawford to life in Mommie Dearest was a star-making one. You hate her character, but admire the performer for taking such a role.

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Have free time? Join the club!

Welcome to Free Time Galore, ladies and gents! My name is Scott, and I'll be your humble guide through the world of all things Pop Culture...well, all things that interest me, that is.

So what exactly interests me? Sports, comic books, video games, movies, music and far too many tv shows.

What else can I say about me? I call the burbs of Toronto home, where I share a kickass apartment with my girlfriend and our cat. She's (the cat, not my girlfriend) nothing like Dex-Starr from the Red Lantern Corps...but not for lack of trying. My girlfriend, on the other hand, proudly rocks her Red Lantern shirt, so all hope isn't lost.

More about me and my likes to follow...it's almost Oscar time!

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