Quad Blogs

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

Hitting the Silver Screen

            Hey everybody! It’s that time of year once again! Final exams are winding down, and the summer movie season is about ready to get going. It’s a beautiful thing, it really is.

            First off, I would like to commend “Obsessed” for its one week run atop the box office charts, a run that seems very likely to continue as the biggest movie coming out this week is a low budget indie called “Wolverine.”

            Now, information on this film has been scarce, but from what I gather it is a documentary on the lives of wolverines narrated by Hugh Jackman. Think “March of the Penguins,” but with slightly less snow. And less gravitas due to the lack of Morgan Freeman.

            Also, due out this week is… hold on. I’m sorry I just googled “Wolverine.” Seems as though my above description is a bit off. Apparently, it stars Hugh Jackman AS a wolverine. Now look, I know that Hugh is a fantastic actor, but I really don’t think audiences are going to believe that he is a wolverine. Even with today’s CGI technology, that seems like poor casting to me. Couldn’t they have just gone out and hired a REAL wolverine to play that part? Ah Hollywood. The land of excess and anti-wolverine casting policies, when will you learn? I swear if I had a dime for every time a studio has passed up a real wolverine and cast Hugh Jackman in its place… well, I think this actually may be the first time. No… wait! This is the fourth time! What a terrible way to treat such a noble and furry species. For shame, Hollywood! For shame!!

  

            So anyway, back this week’s other sort of big release… oops! I think I messed up again. Upon further inspection, I’ve uncovered that Hugh Jackman is playing THE Wolverine, as in the X-Men character, in an origins story that also stars Liev Schriber and Ryan Reynolds.

            Wow.

            It seems that this is Jackman’s fourth go-around as the character. Ha-ha. Apologies all around for the mistake. If there’s one thing about me that you should know, it’s that I never pass up the opportunity to bash Hollywood for their anti-species casting polices. This time I seem to have jumped the gun.

 

            So anyway, joining “Wolverine” in theaters this weekend is “Ghost of Girlfriends Past,” yet another romantic comedy starring Matthew McConaughey.  

            McConaughey plays a committed bachelor who gets visited by the ghosts of his failed relationships on the eve of his brother’s wedding. Basically, it’s “A Christmas Carol,” without the Christmas or the Carol parts. Or the acting chops.

            This thing is McConaughey isn’t really a bad actor- 2001′s underrated horror flick “Frailty” proved that theory incorrect- he just doesn’t seem to care. He’s been playing the same sort of character for nearly a decade now, and he shows no signs of letting up. Come on! You were great in “Reign of Fire” as well! No more rom-coms! At least for a little while.

            What’s unclear is just how all of McConaughey’s ex-girlfriends have ended up as ghosts. Perhaps he’s a committed bachelor AND a serial killer? This movie just got more interesting.

            Last up this week is an animated flick called “Battle for Terra.” The cast list is impressive, but the animation looks like early concept art from “Horton Hears a Who!” If you go see it, be prepared for some tactless preaching. The film is about the beautiful, peaceful world called Terra and the aliens that inhabit it. Then humans show up and bring war and environmental devastation. That’s right everyone, first we screwed up our planet, now we’re off to screw up someone else’s. When will we learn? I’m guessing somewhere around the 65 minute mark. That will leave plenty of time to tie everything up in a nice little bow and get the kids outta there in 90 minutes flat.

            So that’s it. Sorry for all the “Wolverine” confusion. If you haven’t seen it online yet, then go check that out. Jackman was great at the Oscars, he deserves a hit. That’s all for now. Check back Sunday for an update. Vaya con dios.

 

 

 

Written by Chris Monigle

 

I’m going to begin with mathematics, ladies and gentlemen. When Faraday said that he always looked at the constant instead of the variable, I knew that would be the place to start off. Before I dive into mathematics, I’m going to outright declare this: nothing is going to change. Changing the past isn’t going to be the big deal as much as what the attempt to change the past will mean. I still buy the concept of ‘whatever happened, happened.’ If the plane never crashes, we don’t have a series. It’s that simple. You mine as well just bring Joop into the mix. Season Five had to reach this point though. The point when the characters would attempt to change what has happened but that’s the thing: whatever happened, happened. This recap might get a little confusing as I weave my way through what we saw in 2007 and 1977 and in this episode as a whole. 

To begin with: variables, constants, and mathematics. And I know I’m in over my head with this stuff. I mean, I’m an English major, folks. I’m going to look like a complete fool but I’ve come this far so here goes. In mathematics, a variable doesn’t necessarily mean change. It means dependence on the values of other variables in the expression in which the variable occurs or dependence of the value of the expression on that of the variable. And a constant is a fixed point. The definition is in the word. In algebra, one needs variables to determine the constant value of the expression (I hope to Pythagoras I am right). So with that said, I understand what Faraday means by our favorite castaways being the variable. In theory, our favorites castaways can determine the constant value of their future existence but there’s an inherent paradox in that theory precisely because their existence in 1977 depends on the already fixed constant. In other words, they, as variables, are dependent on the other variables (these other variables being all of the moments which led them to the Island. The Island is the constant.) I don’t think they can be change this fixed point because it’s a huge paradox. I think that made sense. I understand it. Moving on…

A very worthy 100th episode for the series. I like how they’re asking the fans to completely re-evaluate everything they’ve come to know in the 100th episode of the season, an episode which usually brings together the previous 99 episodes. Instead, we are faced with possibility that the previous 99 episodes will be irrelevant if they do indeed change the past which I do not think they will. As I wrote yesterday, I think the Oceanic 6 will be directly responsible for the Incident, for the need to push the button, and they will be why they end up on the Island in 2004. Yes, I know about electromagnetism and all of that but there’s no way it’s going to be that cut-and-dry.

As for the episode itself, and the central story, let’s turn the focus to everybody’s favorite scientist Daniel Faraday. As a boy, Daniel told his mother that he would ‘make time’ for his piano playing. Faraday is trying to make time. The death of Charlotte is the reason why. LOST is always going to return to its characters and their story. He wants to change Charlotte’s fate. We learned of the fragile relationship between he and his mother. From an early age, she was determined for Daniel to become the person that he has become, and at the cost of their relationship. The most interesting aspect of the Faraday flashback was his reaction to the wreckage of Oceanic Flight 815 which we first saw in season four’s ‘Confirmed Dead.’ He’s upset and he doesn’t know why. We do not learn why he was so upset. But we can take everything we know so far and make an informed guess. But I’m not going to make an informed guess at this present moment. It may mean nothing but I doubt it. I’m going to hold off on this for the time being. Anywho, Faraday stepped all over the concept of destiny from the get-go, calling his mother a liar, and claiming that the Oceanic 6 (well the four lucky enough to experience the fun of Dharma) are not supposed to be in 1977. STEVE brought up the fact that Jack essentially believes everything now that people tell him. But it really seems that our favorite castaways are merely pawns of some game between former Others. Ms. Hawking apologized to Penny for Desmond being a casualty of this very game. Destiny, though, was present throughout this episode. Bear with me now, folks:

–I dare say Ms. Hawking raised Daniel the way she did so that he’d eventually end up pointing a gun at Richard in 1977 and be shot by his own mother. Why? Because Daniel can not change what has already happened. Hawking seems to know everything of what’s to happen. We saw an example of this when Desmond was with Ms. Hawking in 1996 despite being unconcious on the Island in 2004 after the Hatch explosion. Ms. Hawking always knew she’d have to shoot her son because she knew he’d end up on the Island and back in time wanting to change the course of the future definitively and that can’t happen. He’ll be healed I think but he won’t be able to detonate Jughead and the Hatch will need to be built. Overall, changing the future is too much course-correcting for the universe.

–We saw the scene between little Charlotte and Daniel in which he tells her to not come back. That happened. Charlotte’s death is absolute.

I’ll need to re-watch to go further into this. There’s some other things like Daniel, Widmore, and The Island but I don’t want to write a novel. Back to the story of this episode:

We saw Daniel as a broken man pretty much and he reminded me of Locke. His mind was handicapped due to all of the radiation used when he experimented with time-travel, he ended up hurting the woman he loved because of his obsession with science and experimentation. Locke was a broken man who destroyed his relationship with Helen because he could not get over the anger he felt towards his father. His father pushed him out of a buidling. Locke fell 8 storeys and was paralyzed until he was healed. Daniel’s mind was broken, like Locke’s back, until the Island healed it. The Island is a place of miracles. On the Island, Locke has realized his destiny just as Daniel has realized his. The episode brought up the themes of LOST: free will vs. destiny, science vs. faith. Faraday has abandoned sciene in a way because he is just hoping he can change the future to undo the death of Charlotte. 

Overall, a very good episode. It further developed Daniel’s character and the intensity is beginning to build towards the finale. There’s a lot of things to chew on from this episode. Eddie Kitsis and Adam Horowitz delivered in this 100th hour of LOST. Here’s some other thoughts:

–We saw the guitar with Hurley once again. Charlie connection, right? I think one of my favorite scenes in LOST is in the season four opener when Hurley talks to Charlie. Hurley’s just a big teddy bear. He’s great. Another scene I love is when Hurley’s talking to Jack. Jorge Garcia delivers this line brilliantly: “And then I saw Charlie…” 

–Jack was great tonight especially when he knew Kate was not where or when she needed to be for being back on the Island. She’s gotta find my girl, guys and gals. She’s gotta find Claire.

–I hope we see more of the 2007 stuff. It’s extremely interesting. I know we will. There’s only three episodes left.

–I didn’t like Miles stepping on Daniel’s feet tonight. But I loved the exchange between Sawyer and Miles about Daniel still being crazy. FANTASTIC!

–I hope Sayid’s hanging out in the caves. I was hoping that Sawyer would suggest that everyone just hide in the caves. I really

miss the caves. They were so cool. They created a great atmosphere in that first season. I’m looking forward to seeing Sayid

again.

–I usually don’t write about the previews but I’ve got to say: wandering around in the Temple is going to be awesome.

–Richard Alpert is so cool. He’s by far the sanest Other ever. RICHARD! RICHARD! RICHARD!

–I suppose I should write about the revelation of Daniel’s parents but it was pretty much figured out by everyone weeks ago. But it’s cool you know.

–Things are about to get ugly for Sawyer and Juliet. It’s going to be intense. The end of this season is going to be intense, you know?

Anywho, that’s about it for ‘The Variable.’ ONTO THE LOST RANKINGS!

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS!

I was too harsh on Kate last week. I made some changes with my rankings. Daniel falls to 12. It’s not for any particular reason. It’s just the harsh nature of the rankings. Jack falls to a shocking 11 for STEVE. Richard nears the top five for me. But yeah, check it out:

AFTER EPISODE 14

RANKED: 4/29/09

CHRIS

1. Locke

2. Desmond

3. Sayid

4. Jack

5. Sawyer

6. Richard

7. Ben

8. Jin

9. Hurley

10. Juliet

11. Kate

12. Daniel

13. Sun

14. Miles

15. Frank

16. Widmore

STEVE

1. Desmond

2. Sawyer

3. Kate

4. Sayid

5. Locke

6. Ben

7. Miles

8. Jin

9. Richard

10. Frank

11. Jack

12. Sun

13. Juliet

14. Widmore

15. Hurley

16. Daniel

    Written by Chris Monigle

 

So, it’s the middle of Final Week so of course I have to write about LOST as the 100th episode nears. I mean, come on, it’s the 100th episode! This is a big deal. This won’t be an exhaustive entry (I’m saving that for after the 100th episode) but I do have some thoughts to share about the season so far and where I think it is going as we head into the final three weeks of season five. Boy is that a depressing reality. But I cannot think about that. This is the time of year, with LOST, when I begin dreaming about, re-watching old episodes like it is literally my job. And I HAVE BEEN watching old episodes sporadically thanks to the SCI-FI airing the second season at 1AM. It’s fantastic. But anywho, here’s some thoughts as we head into the 100th episode of LOST!

 

–Episode 100 is entitled ‘The Variable,’ which means ‘changeable’ or ‘apt to vary.’ In LOST terms, it’s gotta mean: ‘we’re going to see just how solid whatever happened, happened’ actually is. I pretty much believe anything that comes out of Daniel Faraday’s mouth when it comes to time travel so when I see him in the preview saying ‘any one of us can die,’ I’m prepared for anything to happen. There’s only one other character who I trust with explanations: Joop the Monkey (and 1,000,000,000 you are a super duper points to whoever knows what I’m talking about and who Joop actually is). Actually, I’ll just tell you who Joop is. Joop is the monkey who would’ve opened up the finale if the show had ever been abruptly cancelled, to explain everything about LOST. He would also have a pipe in his mouth. Lindelof and Cuse are kings, folks. Anywho, I’ll be honest with you, readers: I have had this in the back of my mind since ‘This Place Is Death’ I mean. I didn’t write out what I was thinking. I wrote about it in a vague fashion because that’s how I roll I suppose (FYI: You can access older reviews of LOST episodes with a search of my name on wcuquad.com. I’ll get this blog up to date once school is over). Originally, I thought (and this will NOT happen) that the Oceanic 6 might change the history of The Purge but that won’t happen because it simply can’t happen because of when they are. I have to see ‘The Variable’ before I go further into my thoughts about changing time/integrity of the show/whatever happened, happened/promises by Lindelof and Cuse, etc. But I do have an idea in my head about where this season is going to and how it relates to the tagline of season five: Destiny Calls.

–In ‘Some Like It Hoth,’ we see the beginning stages of The Swan station. Hurley’s face drops once he hears the numbers as a worker stamps them on the outside of the Hatch door. Miles wonders what’s going on because Hurley knows the number 42 before the construction worker yells to the other guy. Hurley tells Miles that they’re building a hatch. Miles asks, ‘What Hatch?’ and Hurley tells him, “The one that crashed our plane.” So now here comes my idea which has been floating around in my head. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be vague about it or tell it outright but I suppose I’ve come this far. In the previews we see Jack and Kate on the run. Things are falling apart for our castaways in the future New Otherton. And then there’s The Incident. The Incident was introduced in season two, episode three. We don’t know what happened. All we know is something happened that forced a person to type in 4, 8, 15, 16, 23, 42 every 108 minutes or something bad will happen. Any number of things can be the cause of it: electromagnetism as seen with the death of Alvarez and, of course, Jughead. Whatever happens with The Incident will directly involve our favorite castaways. They will be the reason why their plane crashes in September 2004. 

–Enough about ‘The Variable’ for now. As always, I don’t really care if what I think doesn’t happen. I’m all about the story, and I know whatever Lindelof and Cuse have planned will be awesome. As for the season so far, it has been very enjoyable. ‘Jughead’ is one of the best episodes of the series and my favorite so far of season five. I’ve enjoyed the character development with Jack. I absolutely love how some are in 1977 and others are in 2007. It’s fantastic. And this season has been packed with answers and information about the mythology of the show. We got Rousseau’s backstory, introduced to The Temple…and all that jazz. But I’ll stop writing about the season so far here. I prefer writing about each season as a completed whole. Yes.

That’s about all I have. I’m really excited for the 100th hour of LOST. It has been a wonderful journey so far. A big congrats to the cast and crew of LOST from all five seasons! ‘The Variable’ TOMORROW NIGHT! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk 

Weekend Box Office Round-Up         

           

            Yeehaw, everybody! Hmm… well that didn’t sound great. Some people were born to say “Yeehaw” and others weren’t. I think I fall into that second category. Oh well, a boy can dream.

            Bad news to report from this weekend. No, I’m not talking about “Obsessed” finishing atop the box office charts. Not yet anyway. I’m talking, of course, about the Flyers early exit from this year’s post season. The team blew a 3-goal second period lead en route to a 5-3 loss on Saturday afternoon. Bad times.

            After giving credit where credit is due, I must say, this series was in no way a blow out. The Flyers fought tooth and nail throughout most of it, but they were sunk by a few bad breaks and one game they didn’t bother showing up for (Game 1).

            Before we get to the meat and potatoes of this blog, I’d like to address this nonsense going around that somehow Dan Carcillo cost the Flyers the game because he beat the living tar out of Max Talbot in a fight. A fight that just happened to take place right before the Penguins went off and started trying. In no way did Carcillo cost the Flyers the game. Flat out. The Flyers traded for Carcillo to fight, that’s what he did. He won the fight, He did his job. The rest of the team didn’t. It’s easy to name scapegoats, but when you play a team sport, you win as a team and lose as a team. The Flyers lost that game because they, once again, forgot that hockey games last for 60 minutes. That has to change for next year.

            Alright, well that nonsense aside; let’s take ourselves a peak at the box office totals from last weekend, shall we?           

 

Rank	Title	Studio	Total- Weekend	Total- Overall	Weeks in Release
1	Obsessed	SGem.	$28,612,730	$28,612,730	1
2	17 Again	WB	$11,518,495	$39,823,333	2
3	Fighting	Rog.	$11,024,370	$11,024,370	1
4	The Soloist	P/DW	$9,716,458	$9,716,458	1
5	Earth (2009)	BV	$8,825,760	$14,472,792	1
6	Monsters vs. Aliens	P/DW	$8,850,826	$174,813,830	5
7	State of Play	Uni.	$6,848,885	$25,081,890	2
8	Hannah Montana: The Movie	BV	$6,437,141	$65,655,057	3
9	Fast and Furious	Uni.	$6,204,940	$145,367,040	4
10	Crank: High Voltage	LGF	$2,618,379	$11,735,952	2

                                                                    Courtesy of boxofficemojo.com

           

            There are some positives and negatives here people. “Crank 2″ sank like a stone, which is great, but how in the world did “Obsessed” finish at numero uno? Is watching a gigantic cat fight between Beyonce and Ali Larter that interesting? Oh, it is? I see. Never mind then.

            Also, how the heck did “Fighting” make any money? Seriously, who went to see this thing? What’s that? “Obsessed” was sold out? I see. Never mind then.

            Good for “MvA,” by the way. Still haven’t seen it, but it’s on the list. In any case, at least one of Seth Rogen’s films has had legs this year. Sorry “Observe and Report.”

            This weekend, while scanning through my beloved “Guide” screen that the good folks at Comcast have provided, I noticed a film from way back in the year 2000, which starred Tia and Tamara Mowry. That film was called… wait for it… “Seventeen Again.” Is this a strange sort of foreshadowing for the career of Zack Efron? Possibly. Does this mean that he has an identical twin? Almost certainly.

           

Topping the Charts in ’08

          

            Finishing a top the charts this time last year was the Tina Fey/ Amy Poehler maternal comedy “Baby Mama” with a total of $17,407,110. So to recap: Beyonce + Ali Larter > Tina Fey + Amy Poehler. Step aside Salma Hayek; I smell some new “30 Rock” guest stars next season!!

            That’s all for now, everybody. Thanks for reading and check back later this week for some updates. Vaya con dios.

Here’s the deal. It took me almost a month to decide what I was going to make my Quad Blog about, mostly because I’m incredibly indecisive. Then, I realized that there is one thing that I can always commit to, when there’s nothing else I want to do, and that’s the INTERNET. Well, it’s technology in general, but it’s largely the web. I’m one of those who has blogs and feeds and all kinds of daily update sites that gets checked regularly. One that says things like ftw. And most importantly, one that knows the beauty that is Stumbleupon.

So, this is what’s going to happen. This is now going to be the official home of Jenn’s Internet Blog, where I’ll share with you all of the fun things I’ve found, been shown and stumbled-upon. Because it’s from me, I can’t say it will be updated weekly. There will be weeks with 3-5 posts, and I might skip a week here or there, but I assure you it will always be fun. I’ll try to keep the offensive posting to a minimum, and always with fair warning. Oh, and just as a disclaimer, I don’t claim to own or operate any of these sites. They purely exist because for my amusement because someone else thought they should.

What’s up this week?

1. VIDEO: Passed to me by a friend: The Bible in a Minute. Here you can see two guys reminiscent of Joe Young in Orgazmo retelling the Bible in 60 seconds. Somewhat accurate, definitely a good laugh.

2. PICTURES: via Stumbleupon: Transparent Computer Screens. An interesting camera trick, illusion of the computer screen being see-through. Some are kind of mindblowing and probably required intense setup and very quick photography.

3. USEFUL: via Stumbleupon: Table of Condiments. Hey, we’re college kids. Keep this handy, it’s the Table of Condiments and When They Go Bad. Did you know the shelf life of a pickle is 6 months? You do now.

4. FUNNY: via my favorites menu: Greg Rutter’s Definitive List of The 99 Things You Should Have Already Experienced On The Internet Unless You’re a Loser or Old or Something. Bookmark this one for those weeks I don’t have anything new to share. A huge collection of all those viral videos, ridiculous links and funny pictures that you probably have definitely heard about, if you haven’t already seen. No promises that I won’t post something from this list at some point, it’s an extensive list that I won’t be cross checking with, but definitely worth saving for future reference. I mean, come on. Finals Week. You’ll need distraction some how.

5. TIME WASTER: via the favorites menu: Guess The Google. A FANTASTIC time waster, again, just in time for Finals Week. Guess The Google displays 20 thumbnail images and then gives you twenty seconds to guess the Google search that generated the images. Some are easy, some are kind of surprising, but it’s a fun way to waste away an evening in twenty second increments.

That’s it for now. Oh, and please, if you find something before me, feel free to share

-jenn

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk 

Hitting the Silver Screen…

           Ah what a good night. Solid effort from Marty Biron in net and the Flyers let the Pens know that they weren’t going to just roll over and let them walk to the second round. I liked the heart we showed and Marty and the oft-maligned defense were terrific. Thanks for a great game guys.

            Now I could sit here and talk hockey all night long, but I actually did that the other night. You don’t need anymore of that nonsense do you, dear reader? I think not, so on to the business at hand!

 

           

           So this weekend brings us another entry in the “what the f month is it anyway” file. That file is getting quite large I must say.

            In any case this weekend sees the release of Robert Downey Jr.’s latest film called “The Soloist.” I swear I thought that movie wasn’t coming out for another 8 ½ months but here we are. Looks good, Downey Jr. is always great and Jamie Foxx looks like he’s going to try acting in this one, as opposed to his usual routine of simply playing Jamie Foxx. Sure he’s playing a musician again but this time he has weird hair. That’s different. Downey Jr. + Weird hair on Jamie Foxx = shouldn’t this movie be coming out in November? Looks like Oscar bait to me so it doesn’t make any sense to put this thing out in the summer because Oscar voters have notoriously short memories. Remember when “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind” was almost completely snubbed a few years ago because it came out in either January or February? Oh well, I’m not the studio. See this thing “solely” for Downey. Ho Ho, I made a funny.

            Ready for another entry in to the “what the f month is it” file? “The Informers,” which stars Mickey Rourke, Billy Bob Thornton and half of Hollywood, also comes out on Friday. Yet another movie that I thought was months away from coming out. The film is based on a novel by literary bad-boy Brett Easton Ellis, the guy who gave us “American Psycho.” I’ve never read the novel, but anything by Ellis is worth checking out and the cast is very impressive. Personally, I’m waiting for the “Lunar Park” adaptation. That book was incredibly scary and truly mind-bending. Chop chop people! Let’s make that happen! Either way, check out “The Informers” because Ellis is a heck of a writer.

            The rest of this weekend’s movies won’t light the world on fire. “Obsessed” tells a very familiar story of a woman that gets “obsessed” with a married man who isn’t, in any way, “obsessed” with her. She becomes more “obsessed” and then Beyonce shows up and kicks the crap out of her for the last act of the film. Awesome. Wasn’t this movie made already? I think it was called “Swimfan.” And before that “Fatal Attraction.” Ect. Ect. Ect. Yawn.

            Hey, do you like fighting? Well there’s a movie about just that coming out this weekend called… you guessed it! “Fighting.” I think it’s about a bunch of people who also like “fighting.” So, looks like some studios got a little bit lazy with the titles. Wasn’t this movie made already too? I think it was called “Fight Club.” Hmm…

            So that’s it. Have a fun weekend at the Cinema, folks. Steer clear of these last two films though. We don’t need to encourage anyone. Thanks for reading and make sure you check back next week for updates! On Sunday I’ll post a box office recap so keep your eyes peeled for that. Vaya con dios.

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

And Now for Something Completely Different…

            So this is supposed to be an entertainment blog. I know that and yet armed with that knowledge, I must apologize to all of you for what I’m about to do.

            Its playoff hockey time folks. This has been my entertainment, for better or worse, since the whole mess started about a week ago. As we speak I’m watching game four of the Blackhawks vs. Flames series. The Flames are ahead 2-1 in the second period by the way.

            I’m watching this game even though I have no real vested interest in either of these teams. I can’t do that with any other sport. It would take a set up right out of “A Clockwork Orange” to get me to watch an entire non-Phillies baseball game. I can’t even watch the Mets simply to root against them. I’m just not wired that way.

            But as far as hockey is concerned, it could be a match up of the least interesting two teams in the league and I would be there with bells on. I’m not kidding about that either as I watched every game of the Canucks/ Blues series. I’m serious. EVERY game. I’m not even sure that there are a ton people in Vancouver who can claim that.

            Now, I’m no hero. I’m just a guy with basic cable and WAY too much time on my hands.

            My team is the Flyers. Has been for as long as I can remember. I grew up during the Eric Lindros/ Legion of Doom era. I wish I could say I was around for the Broad Street Bully days but alas, I’m a child of the late 80′s and that era was long past by the time I got here.

            Incidentally, it is 3-1 Flames.

            Even though I grew up with that team, my favorite Flyers team of all time may surprise you. (4-1 Flames. Yikes Chicago, where have you gone?) My all-time favorite Flyers team is the lovable, rag tag team that battled their way to the seventh game of the 2004 Eastern Conference Finals.

            Sure they lost game seven to the Lightning, who went on to beat the Flames for the Cup that year, but that doesn’t change things for me.

            That Flyers team was mostly passed-their-prime veterans with a sprinkling of youth. They beat the arch rival Devils in the first round and then fought their way through the Maple Leafs- yeah, they used to be relevant- in the second, only to eventually lose to the Lightning.

            Why this team, you ask? I’ll tell you. That Flyers team had no business going as far as they did. They certainly should not have taken the Lightning to game seven. Tampa was younger, faster and way more talented. And they had the hottest goalie in the league in Nikolai Khabibulin. (Who now plays for the Blackhawks. The same Blackhawks that just cut the score to 4-2.)

            The Flyers had nearly everything going against them in that series, but the one thing that they had in ample amounts was heart. That team had more heart then any team I’ve ever seen. They never stopped battling, losing the final game by a nail biting score of 2-1.

             That series also provided the greatest sports memory that I have. Amazingly, it’s not the Phillies World Series win, nope that’s number two. My greatest sports moment actually comes in two acts. The first is this.

            Followed by this.

  

            I’ll never forget how excited I was when Primeau scored that goal. I jumped up and down so many times that I nearly broke one or both of my feet. To this day, I’ll still dust off my old Jeremy Roenick jersey and wear it with pride, in the same way that some wear their Bobby Clarke jerseys, or their Tim Kerr sweaters. (Chicago cuts it to 4-3, uh-oh, where have you gone Flames?)

             All of that being said, I can’t wait for tonight’s game. Even if the Flyers come out the hard luck losers in this series, they never gave up. They never quit. Few gave them any chance, and even fewer did after game one. Sometimes luck is on your side and sometimes its not. So far, Lady Luck has been staying in a motel in Pittsburgh. Maybe she’ll remain there, but maybe, just maybe, she’ll take a trip down to Philly to see the Liberty Bell and hang out in LOVE Park for a bit. If she does, we’ll be happy to have her.

            In the end, that’s what all sports come down to really, a little bit of luck and a lot of heart. You won’t win without them both. Talent will only take you so far. Ask the Patriots from two years ago about that.

            So that’s it. I won’t subject you to anymore of my walk down memory lane, but I thank you for walking with me this far. I can handle it from here.

            4-4, by the way. It’s a whole new ball game in Calgary. Vaya con dios.

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

            Well everybody, welcome to the new format. Gone are my 1000+ word diatribes about baseball and “The Dark Knight.” They have been replaced with a more manageable, shorter format. That’s not to say that I won’t have a good rant or two for you from time to time, just not every week. I’m only one man after all. All of that being said, let’s take us a gander at this week’s top ten box office list shall we?  

Rank	Title	Studio	Weekend Total	Overall Total	Weeks out
1	17 Again	WB	$24,065,000	$24,065,000	1
2	State of Play	Uni.	$14,099,000	$14,099,000	1
3	Monsters Vs. Aliens	P/DW	$12,900,000	$162,723,000	4
4	Hannah Montana The Movie	BV	$12,666,000	$56,133,000	2
5	Fast and Furious	Uni.	$12,290,000	$136,721,000	3
6	Crank: High Voltage	LGF	$6,510,000	$6,510,000	1
7	Observe and Report	WB	$4,055,000	$18,692,000	2
8	Knowing	Sum.	$3,478,000	$73,699,000	5
9	I Love You, Man	P/DW	$3,370,000	$64,657,000	5
10	The Haunting in Connecticut	LGF	$3,150,000	$51,918,000	4

                                                                                                 

                                                    List Courtesy of Boxofficemojo.com

           

            Mickey Mouse was rolling in the dough this past week as Hannah Montana and Zach Efron claimed two of the top four spots. I can’t say that those results make me proud to be an American, but I’ll be darned if I didn’t hum the National Anthem a little when I saw “Crank 2″ floundering away down there in 6^th place. It’s about time people! No more senseless sequels! Six million is still a lot, but it’s actually less then the ten million that the first “Crank” opened with way back in 2006. Fingers crossed that we won’t be saddled with a “Crank III” anytime soon. Let’s get Jason Statham back to doing good movies. Remember the good old days of “The Italian Job?”        

            Also, props go out to “Monsters vs. Aliens,” which is currently the highest grossing movie of the year so far. Sure, we haven’t hit the summer movie season yet so that number doesn’t mean much— well… anything really— but what the heck? Nicely done “MvA!” Sorry “Paul Blart,” the honeymoon is over.

           

            Topping the charts this time last year…

            “The Forbidden Kingdom,” which starred Jet Li and Jackie Chan. Don’t remember it? Not surprising, though it somehow managed to beat out the excellent “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” for the coveted number one spot. What were we thinking? Oh 2008, when gas only cost $4.30 a gallon and Flyers vs. Penguins was a THIRD round playoff matchup in the NHL, not a FIRST. It was a simpler time.

            That’s it for now. See isn’t this better? Now you still have plenty of time to do whatever it is that you do while surfing the internet, dear reader. Check back later this week for Hitting the Silver Screen and possibly more. Thanks for reading and until next time: vaya con dios!

 

  FARADAY HAS RETURNED! Ah! That is awesome! Faraday has been gone for far too long. But I will discuss Faraday in a little bit of time. There’s no better place to start than with Miles Straum himself since he was at the center of episode thirteen of season five: ‘Some Like It Hoth.’

Daddy issues are no new thing with LOST. It is a theme of the show. The first father/son relationship was introduced in season 1′s ‘White Rabbit.’ The fifth episode of season one revolved around Jack following his father in the jungle. His father led him to water but that’s besides the point. In fact, the second Jack episode of season one is entitled ‘All The Best Cowboys Have Daddy Issues.’ In season one we saw these father/son difficulties: Locke, his father, and the con of the kidney transplant; Jin and his own shame of his father’s life as a fisherman; Michael and Walt. In season two, the show revisited Locke and his father as well as Jack and his father. In season three we saw Hurley and his dad, their issues as well as Ben’s daddy issues with Roger. We even saw Locke purged of his anger at his father in ‘The Brig.’ In season five, we saw Sayid and his father as well as the focus of tonight’s episode: Miles and his father.

The long-awaited backstory finally happened tonight. Miles was introduced in the show as such a brash person. Maelstrom and his name Miles Straum is intentional. But anywho, we never knew how Miles got involved with Naomi and Widmore, and it all began when he was a young boy and he heard voices from a dead man. Once again, death is involved in a season five episode. And death has been a theme in this season. The very fact that Dharma will eventually be killed is always in the back of minds. Miles doesn’t know how to deal with his ability to communicate with the dead. He makes a profit from it, of course, but he doesn’t understand himself and why he is the way he is as we learn in the scene with his dying mother (and there’s also a theme of mothers and death in the show which may be written about). I think that’s something the story will be returning to.

It wasn’t a shock at all to learn Miles is Dr. Chang’s son. Every fan figured it out in the season premiere. I can’t help but think of Locke, in The Orchid, when he tells Jack that the Island is a place of miracles. It relates to what Hurley said to Miles about Miles having the chance to be with his Dad in the present. The Island can be a place of miracles. Throughout the episode, Miles dealt with, essentially, abandonment issues. He’s been angry at his father for years. In 1977, he doesn’t want to see him or talk to him. Luckily, Hurley’s there. Hurley brings out the best in every character on the show. He and Miles have the communication with dead people in common as well as the daddy issues. As Hurley told Miles: if you have the second chance, you have to take it. And Miles does. In a classic LOST scene (and really this episode is what is special about LOST: their character-driven episodes), Miles watches his father read a story to 3-month-old Miles, and in that moment he saw that his father truly loved him. I think Pierre had a very good reason for sending his wife and son away. Now, it looks like Miles will get to spend, at least, a little time with his father. Overall, a good episode with nice character development and also some set-up for the remainder of the season. LOST is king.

Some other thoughts:

–Did we see the first electromagnetic-related death? I’m surprised Hurley didn’t put things together with what he knows. Speaking of electromagnetism, I really dug the scene with The Hatch Hole. Jorge Garcia did a great job with the scene and, especially, the line to Miles about this Hatch being the reason why the plane crashes in 2004. 

–’Who is the Shadow underneath the statue?’ has got to be Smokey. I really thought we were going to see good ol’ Tom in that scene. But I still think Ilana, and the thugs with Miles are with Ben. And, also, big guy is ON the Island. Thanks to TwoP for that since I didn’t connect the dots.

–As the great Jim Ross says, business is about to pick up. Sawyer’s holding Phil captive. Roger is suspicious of Kate. Meanwhile, in 2008, Ilana is ready to start taking names. I’m excited to see what happens.

–Very interesting that Dharma does some work in Hostile territory. Horace Goodspeed is still awesome, by the way. 

–I really enjoyed the scene between Jack and Sawyer. Sawyer looked genuinly grateful for the information Jack told him. And I always like the presence of Juliet.

–You know…Kate told Claire’s mom that she was going back to the Island to find her daughter. Maybe Kate should get on that. But, of course, I doubt Claire is in 1977. I’m going to move on from this…

–I got a kick out Sawyer’s line about lying and being the head of security. I felt like that was a shot at our government. Very enjoyable.

–The cover-up of Alvarez’s death lends to that Utopian society of the Dharma Intiative. I wonder if that will be re-visited.

–No Jin again which is a bummer. 

–Loved the line Miles had about standing in front of his mother in the lunch line.

–I was glad to have more Hurley around. I got a kick out him writing The Empire Strikes Back. Hurley’s just awesome in general.

–Faraday has returned. I thought we’d see him at the Orchid but I should’ve known Faraday went on some crazy adventure. He returned with scientists from Ann Arbor. I am extremely excited for the Faraday episode. I’m thinking it gets the 2 hour season finale. But I was very, very glad to see Daniel Faraday again. You can bet your cadberry egg that he’s moving up in the rankings. Faraday looked like a new man too. No longer broken. Very excited in case I didn’t express that yet.

That’s all for ‘Some Like It Hoth.’ No new episode next week so I’ll be back in two weeks to discuss THE 100TH EPISODE! WOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

And here’s a transcript of a scene between Sayid and Hurley from season two’s episode ‘The Long Con.’ It’s always been one of my favorite scenes. 

[We see Hurley sitting by a fire reading a manuscript entitled "Bad Twin" by Gary Troup. Sayid enters carrying a pole and the radio.]

HURLEY: Hey, check this out. I found a manuscript in one of the suitcases. It’s like a mystery book.

SAYID: I want to show you something.

HURLEY: Cool, you fixed it.

SAYID: We’ll see. [handing Hurley the radio] Hold on to this. Don’t expect anything. The chances of getting a signal are slim at best.

[Sayid plants the pole in the sand and turns on the radio. We hear static.]

HURLEY: Static’s good, right?

SAYID: No, reception is good.

[Sayid changes the dial and we hear Danielle's transmission.]

HURLEY: Wait, what’s that?!

SAYID: It’s Rousseau’s signal.

HURLEY: Oh, crap.

SAYID: [changing the dial] But this radio has a wider bandwidth.

HURLEY: Hold it, stop! Do you hear that!

RADIO ANNOUNCER: [spotty reception] That was the old classic “Just A-Sittin’ and A-Rockin’” by Duke Ellington and his Orchestra, featuring Cootie Williams on the trumpet. Up next on WXR, the Glenn Miller Orchestra with Moonlight Serenade.

[The song begins to play with good reception.]

HURLEY: Whoa, you hear how clear that is? It’s got to be close, right?

SAYID: Radio waves at this frequency bounce off the ionosphere. They can travel thousands of miles. It could be coming from anywhere.

HURLEY: Or, any time. — Just kidding, dude.

THE OFFICIAL LOST RANKINGS!

Another exciting weeks for the rankings. Kate dropped 9 spots in my rankings. Jack moved back into the top five. For STEVE, Kate moves up even further and Miles cracks the top 10. AFTER EPISODE 13 RANKED: 4/16/09 CHRIS 1. Locke 2. Desmond 3. Sayid 4. Jack 5. Sawyer 6. Ben 7. Daniel 8. Jin 9. Hurley 10. Juliet 11. Richard 12. Sun 13. Miles 14. Kate 15. Frank 16. Widmore STEVE 1. Desmond 2. Sayid 3. Kate 4. Sawyer  5. Locke 6. Ben 7. Jack 8. Jin 9. Miles 10. Frank 11. Richard 12. Sun 13. Juliet 14. Widmore 15. Hurley 16. Daniel

Random Musings from the Entertainment Desk

Lights, Camera, Action…

           In a lot of ways, a championship season in sports is exactly like a perfect movie. You care about the characters, you’re invested in the storyline and sometimes you even get a twist thrown in near the end, just to keep you on your toes.

            The 2008 Philadelphia Phillies are a shinning example of this.

            Last season they ended the city of Philadelphia’s 25 year title drought in grand style by beating the Tampa Bay “Don’t Call Us Devil or We’ll Sue You” Rays, by a count of 4-1 to win the World Series.

            It was a day that fans of Philadelphia’s sports teams have always dreamed of, but never thought they would actually see. This is especially true of those like me who were born way after the Sixers won the NBA Championship in 1983.

            We were raised on a steady diet of Phantoms (the Flyers’ AHL affiliate) and Wings (the city’s indoor lacrosse team) championships, great feats, but certainly not parade worthy, even to the most avid indoor lacrosse enthusiast.

            That’s what makes the Phillies run to the title last year so memorable.

            For those you who are still reading and wondering just what the heck any of this has to do with Hollywood, be patient, I’m getting there. Though I warn you that the connection may be tenuous at best.

            The players from last year’s Phillies will live on forever in the hearts and minds of the city of Philadelphia, long after they leave, whether it be through free agency or trades or even retirement.

            Somehow, the team just worked. They weren’t the best team in the league, or the most talented. The games they won were rarely pretty, but they got the job done. The stars of last year’s team– Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley and Ryan Howard– all played well below their career averages, and it was the team’s role players who carried them. Without the contributions of Shane Victorino, Jayson Werth and the rag tag collection of arms that made up the team’s bull pen; last year’s parade wouldn’t have happened.

             Over the course of any good movie, you get to know the characters— what makes them tick, what their back story is, ect. The same is true of last year’s Phillies team. Fans knew when Pat Burrell was ready to hit a homer, and when he was ready to hit the showers. You could just tell when players were entering a cold streak, or when they were about to get hot.

            Following a team, especially over the course of a 162 game season, isn’t easy. There is no such thing as a perfect season, even if it has the perfect ending. There were times last year when I doubted that the Phillies would even make the playoffs, let alone win a series.

            I remember a conversation that I had with a professor of mine right after a tough loss to the Marlins. I remember saying that I just didn’t know if we had it this year; that the hole was just too deep. Then came a four game sweep of the Brewers that changed everything. It was the first big plot twist as the season hurtled towards its improbable climax.

            Often times you’ll hear a film criticized for being “too unbelievable.” In truth though, what could be more unbelievable then Brett Myers working a walk off of one of the game’s hottest pitchers in CC Sabathia? Or later smacking a single off of him? Could you think of a more unlikely hero then Matt Stairs in game four against the Dodgers? His go-ahead, two-run home run will go down as one of best and most surprising moments in Phillies history. How about Joe Blanton hitting his first major league home run, and doing so in game four of the World Series? Could any movie plot, no matter how outlandish (or Michael Bay-esque as I like to say), top any of these things?

            But the season wasn’t over yet. The Tampa Bay “Just” Rays were in the middle of their own story book run. They were a team that had been left for dead years ago, playing in a division with super heavy weights like the Yankees and Red Sox. Some how though, the little engine that could from Florida toppled both of those teams, despite having a fraction of the payroll.

            It seems that all those years of losing had left Tampa with an incredible collection of young, and cheap, talent. The cast was set, and the baseball gods had selected two of the least likely teams to play the leads.

            Unfortunately for the Rays —but fortunately for the Phillies— Cinderella’s carriage has to turn into a pumpkin eventually, and midnight was fast approaching for the upstart Rays.

            But not before one last curveball was thrown. It was a twist so over-the-top that it would make M. Night Shyamalan blush.

            Game Five was scheduled for October 27 in Philadelphia. The weather forecast called— as it had for weeks leading up to the game— for rain. Inexplicably baseball’s savvy commissioner Bud Selig decided to play chicken with Mother Nature. As is usually the case in such situations, he lost. Badly. The field was under water early in the game, with the Phillies up 2-0. Despite the swap-like conditions, the game continued until the middle of the sixth inning, after the Rays had tied it at two, of course. It was only then that Selig decided he’d seen enough. The game was postponed until the 29, when the weather finally broke. It was the first time in World Series history that a game had been suspended mid-way through due to weather.

            Sure, you could make the case that Selig could have postponed the game prior to the Rays tying the score, or at least made them take the field for the bottom of the 6^th and play under the same conditions that the Phillies were forced to field in. Heck, everyone and their mother knew it was going to rain that night, the game could have been just as easily started another day to avoid the elements. All of that would be way too logical. This is Major League Baseball we’re talking about.       

            Either way, the Phillies won. Maybe all of the controversy made the game and the win that much more magical. Had the Phillies lost though, the incident may have been interpreted as a sign from God that the Phillies just weren’t meant to win. It could have changed everything. It didn’t.

            And now here we are, with the 2009 season just getting under way. Anyone who knows anything about movies knows that sequels rarely top the original. When they do, however, the results can be spectacular. Take “The Dark Knight,” for example. Or “The Godfather pt. II.”

            Whether or not the 2009 Phillies turn out to be a home run like “The Dark Knight” or a strike out like “The Exorcist 2;” remains to be seen. Some things are certain, however. The season will be full of ups and downs. There will be hot streaks and cold. Players will come and go. And, as always, the biggest twists will be saved for October.    

            Action…

 Hitting the Silver Screen

          ”State of Play,” “17 Again” and “Crank 2.”

           Unfortunately there is a sad post script that needs to be added to this blog. On April 13, Harry Kalas, the Phillies legendary play-by-play announcer passed away at the age of 73. It’s hard to put into words just how much he will be missed, or how much he meant to the city. Philadelphia fans often get a bad rap, but all that they ask is to be included. They want you to embrace them as much as they embrace you. That’s it. There’s no magic to it. Harry connected with the fans like few others have managed over the course of his forty years as the voice of the Phillies. He was one of us. He was a fan first and foremost. He wasn’t afraid to let his emotions show when the game turned against the Fightins, and when things were going our way, well he let you know that too. It’s hard to imagine that we will never get to hear him again, but then again, that’s not really true is it? His voice will live on in the hearts and minds of fans, not just in Philadelphia, but throughout the baseball universe. I couldn’t think of a more perfect end to Harry’s phenomenal career then last season’s World Series title. Hearing him call the final out and proclaim the Phillies as the “2008 World Champions of baseball” was a truly magical conclusion to a story book year. Thank you Harry, you will never, ever be forgotten.