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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