So AJ Lee has officially quit ("retired from") the WWE!!
She did seem a bit "out of character" with her post-match celebration following her tag-team victory with Paige at Wrestlemania last Sunday ... Thought little of it at the time, but now? ...
Some speculate that she's finally just following suit along with husband CM Punk who infamously walked out on the company last year ... There are even rumors that she's hanging it up cuz she's preggers, and is now focussing on starting a family ...
Multiple time WWE Divas Champion, and record holder for longest Divas Championship reign, the WWE Divas division is far weaker without AJ, and she'll surely be missed #ThankYouAJ #EWLYD
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2015 is shaping up to be the biggest year, possibly EVER,
for theatrical releases, chock full of big budget sequels and remakes. When it
comes to the Hollywood film industry, little is sacred, so it should surprise
no one whenever the latest victim of the “modern day reboot” is announced. Next
up? – Poltergeist.
Originally released in 1982, written and produced by Steven
Spielberg, directed by Tobe Hooper, and starring Craig T. Nelson, JoBeth
Williams, and Heather O’Rourke, Poltergeist is the story of a family that
inadvertently moves into a haunted house and has to find a way to rescue their
youngest daughter who is kidnapped by the wicked spirits dwelling within. It’s
an amazing and truly frightening movie which, interestingly enough, probably deserved to be “R-rated” at the time due to its content and subject matter. However, since “PG-13” wasn’t even invented till 2 years later, Poltergeist got the “PG”.
Fast-forward to 2015, and we’ve got an updated version, set
to appeal to a new generation. *inserteye roll*
… Who needs it?! The original was a masterpiece, even going so far as
to rank among the highly acclaimedEWLYD’s Top 10 Horror Movies of All-time! What
could this rehash POSSIBLY offer that’s worth the $15 price of admittance??
Although, to be fair, not ALL remakes are shit. 2004’s Dawn
of the Dead remake by Zack Snyder was actually very good. Poltergeist 2015
comes with some strong names attached: Sam Raimi as Producer, and starring Sam
Rockwell … Plus, from the trailer, 2015 appears to follow (shot for shot in
some cases) very close to 1982 in most regards … Although Zelda Rubinstein’s iconic character Tangina seems to have been replaced with some psychic Irish dude (not cool, yo)
… They should have at least gone with safe money and cast Morgan Freeman for
the role ... Just saying! ...
As Poltergeist 1982 is one of my fave films ever, I’m
automatically biased against it, but, nonetheless, I’m willing to give the remake a chance.
What do you think? Worth checking out?
That’s 2 Cents there. Save it for the movie ticket or the
overpriced concession stand.
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Head coach John Fox and the DenverBroncos have parted ways.
This follows the 24-13 loss by the Broncos to the Indianapolis Colts yesterday in the AFC Divisional Playoffs. They had a very good season, finishing 12-4, but Denver is done now. They ain't going to the Super Bowl so Peyton can go home and rest his knees while Fox dusts of his résumé and hits Indeed.
Yay? ...
Go Packers!!
2 Cents. On the floor. There it is.
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Ehhhhh … … Well, it’s like this – ABC’s new “mini-series”
Agent Carter, starring Hayley Atwell, tells the story of Peggy Carter, aka
Captain America’s girlfriend from the movies, and her adventures as a
government secret agent. Think of it as a prequel to Marvel’s Agents of
S.H.I.E.L.D. which leans (heavily) on its connection to the previous Marvel
films in order to remind viewers of its relevance. The premiere featured clips
all throughout of the Captain America film; Peggy, Cap, Howard Stark(Tony
Stark aka Iron Man’s father), etc. This … is not a good thing …
A new show shouldn’t need to resort to such tactics in order
to keep us interested. Tie-ins and connectivity has been page 1 of Marvel’s
‘playbook’ since the reboot of the film and television franchise. For Agent
Carter, though, it seems to not only be the show’s backbone, but the 2 legs
it’s trying to stand on as well.
Prequels carry a heavy burden in that we already know
the ultimate outcome of whatever story they are aiming to tell, thus it’s
the characters and storytelling itself that are of paramount importance.
Unfortunately, Carter’s story and characters are as dry and boring as those in
Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.and as a
period piece that takes place in 1946 NYC, it neglects to make the most of even
THAT playground. It references the misogyny and inequality
women were subjected to in that era, pretty much every chance it gets, which is
important, but … What else? Boring shadowy villainous organization?
One-dimensional chauvinistic co-workers and coffee shop patrons? Derivative fight
scenes and action sequences? … There’s just nothing here.
The only "new" thing that Agent Carter is offering is the Jarvis character, played by James D’Arcy. He’s Howard Stark’s butler (?)
on loan to Peggy Carter as a sidekick, and precursor to Tony Stark’s ‘digital
Jarvis’ from the Iron Man films. He’s boring too, but I guess we’re supposed to
be excited or care about him or something.
If you like S.H.I.E.L.D. (which I do not), then you will
probably like Agent Carter. The mini-series IS only 8 episodes long, so its not
a HUGE investment or time-suck if you DO want to stay with it. Personally, I’ll
give it another episode or 2 on the slight chance that it will improve, although
I’m not holding my breath. The episode DID feature Roxxon Oil Corporation, and
it being the 1940’s, it would be the perfect opportunity to turn things up and
introduce Prince Namor, the Sub-Mariner, but for multiple reasons, in my gut, I
know that’s far too much to hope for.
2 Cents. Boom. You owe me change.
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It's a little late jumping on the 'Cronut Craze', but I found myself with an accidental Cronut knockoff yesterday. The dude at Dunkin Donuts last night was trying to clear out remaining inventory so he could close up early, and he threw one of these "croissant donuts" in the bag for me ...
Mind you, if it wasn't stale last night when he was literally just GIVING them away, its gotta be by today, no?
A friend of mine & I have been passively looking forward to actually sitting down and experiencing the REAL Cronut one day, and I think settling on this ... "whatever" ... would only cheapen the future experience ...
With 2014 at a close I figured it would be nice to
have a quick little year in review – The 10 best things to happen on TV in
2014. There was definitely a lot to choose from, but I’ve put together
a nice little list of my personal faves … Check it out!
#10 – The Flash
The newest hit show on the CW featuring the iconic crimson
clad speedster. It’s a comic book show done right. Fun, action packed, dramatic
and surprisingly well acted, DC has been firing on all cylinders lately in the
television dept. Marvel could take some notes. If you haven’t watched it, I
highly recommend it. Its every bit as enjoyable as everyone has been saying it
is and one of the best new shows of the Fall.
#9 – The Simpsons on FXX
Back in August the FXX network did something unprecedented
by airing a Simpsons marathon to end
all marathons – Back to back episodes of
the Simpsons – every episode ever. That was 552 episodes that spanned over 12
days to watch. God bless anyone that was able to sit through the whole thing,
but even if you dipped in and out and caught just a few episodes here and
there, it was a huge hit for FXX and a huge treat for Simpsons fans everywhere.
#8 – Z Nation
Best zombie show on TV. Yes, better than The Walking Dead.
When SyFy premiered Z Nation I thought – Ok. A little hokey. But then that was
part of its charm. It was the tv show version of the B horror movie. And let’s
face it - “surviving zombies in a post apocalyptic world”? That’s pretty much
the definition of a “B-movie”. But as opposed to taking itself too seriously as
the Walking Dead does, Z
Nation embraces the wild west chaos of an undead
outbreak and gives us fresh, endearing characters with multiple layers and
varying tones for the show, all wrapped inside very original storytelling. If
you thought Z Nation was just a ‘Walking Dead ripoff”, you are VERY much
mistaken. It actually exceeds Walking Dead in every way.
#7 – Brock Lesnar’s 15 German Suplexes
Ok, you probably have to be a little bit of a WWE fan to
TRULY appreciate this, but ... John Cena... He’s the ‘Hulk Hogan” of today – The face,
and the unbeatable hero of WWE professional wrestling. However, when the 2014
SummerSlam pay-per-view came around and he had to defend his World Championship
against the ferocious arch-villain known as Brock Lesnar, we got something
completely unexpected … Something that has never happened before – a totally
one-sided fist fight, where the bad-guy WIPED THE FLOOR with the hero. Eat,
Sleep, Suplex, Repeat. Suplex, Repeat. Suplex, Repeat. Suplex, Repeat. 15 of
them. New WWE World Champ Brock Lesnar. And it was awesome.
#6 – Selfie
Oh, so short-lived. The poorly titled and tragically
mis-marketed ABC comedy starring Karen Gillan and John Cho. It was a modern
telling of the classic play Pygmalion where stuffy & tightly wound boss
(Cho) tries to help remake the image of his social media obsessedsubordinate (Gillan). It was either to
be a brainless comedy trying too hard to reel in hip young viewers by attempting
to speak their language, or it was to be another weekly half hour long social
commentary decrying the increased over-dependence of our smart devices and
growing detachment from genuine human interaction. … Fortunately, Selfie was
neither of those terrible things. It was a sharp and witty comedy with zany and
lovable characters. Unfortunately, not enough people gave it a chance to find
that out, so ABC gave up on what was easily the best new sitcom of the year.
#5 – Sharknado 2
Following the surprise hit – the entertainingly abysmal
Sharknado on the SyFy channel – came probably the laziest named sequel of all
time – Sharknado 2: The Second One, and it was every bit as amazing as its
predecessor. Ok. I know what you are thinking right now – Isn’t it a “bad”
movie? Yes. Oh, GOD, yes. But it’s so epic and unapologetic in its “badness”
that it became an outstanding piece of television to behold. From its
gratuitous guest stars (Kurt Angle, Andy Dick, Kelly Osbourne, Biz Markie, Matt
Laurer, Downtown Julie Brown, and Billy Ray Cyrus, just to name a few … seriously,
I could go on and on) the cringe-worthy dialogue, the eye-rollingly ridiculous
action scenes, and plot-holes in a plot that made no sense to begin with,
Sharknado 2 was simply a work of art.
#4 – The Purple Wedding
Truly, Game of Thrones could have encompassed this whole
list by itself. This episode reiterated what(such a huge turn in just the 2nd episode of the season!), which had EVERYONE talking for weeks on end.
is turning into an unfortunate
rule of thumb – Do NOT attend a wedding in Westeros. Unless you’ve been reading
the novels, who could have foreseen the death of awesomely disgusting tyrant
boy-king Joffrey Baratheon? I mean, I guess we knew he was gonna get his
comeuppance at one point or another, but so suddenly poisoned at his own
wedding … It was such a fantastic way to get the new season rolling this past
Spring
#3 – Gotham
DC Comics is 2 for 2 this season with its new TV series and
even better than the Flash is FOX’s Gotham. It’s a Batman prequel focusing on
Detective James Gordon, (played by Ben McKenzie) and quest to clean up
crime-ridden Gotham, its corrupt police force, and solve the murder of Bruce
Wayne’s parents. Preteen-ish Bruce along with Selena Kyle who will eventually
become Catwoman are so much more likable than you would expect them to be, even
as side characters, but the real joy is seeing the “before they were baddies”.
Penguin is fantastic as a petty mobster lackey, clawing and scratching his way
through Gotham’s underbelly. Riddler is my favorite and is actually working on
the side of the police. We’ve seen Harvey Dent (the future Two Face), the
little girl who will eventually grow up to become Poison Ivy, and Jada Pinkett
Smith is unbelievable as mob underboss Fish Mooney. The look and feel of the
show and the world they built is outstanding. Maybe the best new show overall
of the 2014.
#2 – Felicity Smoak
I’ve been
patting DC comic shows on the back a lot with this list, cuz these shows are just that damn good! And, truly, I couldn't have had a list for what stood out in 2014 without Felicity Smoak. CW's Arrow, now in its 3rd season, features Emily Bett
Rickards as the computer tech sidekick of the emerald archer. What started out
as only a minor role on the show gradually evolved into one the show could no
longer live without. Felicity’s beautiful, witty, sarcastic, funny, brilliant, and
the heart and soul of the series. She’s my favorite character on broadcast TV.
#1 – The Viper vs. The Mountain
Yes. The best show on television had the best thing happen
on television in 2014. Game of fuckin Thrones. The battle between Prince Oberyn
and Gregor Clegane was one of the most dynamic, thrilling, and unbelievable
things I have ever watched. Again, unless you’ve read the books, its one of
those scenes that you have NO IDEA how it is going to turn out! Battling to the
death, with Tyrion Lannister’s fate hanging in the balance, the growing tension
as the fight neared its climax is beyond description. A scene filmed so
expertly, it had viewers at the very edge of their seats … And then the outcome
was truly mind-blowing.
Merry Christmas ya filthy animals! … And Happy New Year!
See you in 2015!!
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It too me a week to fully digest and compose some thoughts
on the finale of the highly praised animated series, The Legend of Korra, and I have to say … is
just WAY overrated. It’s not that the 4 Books of Korra didn’t have their fun
characters, well-crafted elements, story arcs, and pivotal moments, but Korra
sadly falls into that realm of “filling a void” … “Something we want so
desperately to be EXCELLENT … when it’s
not.”
Now I liked The Legend of Korra. It was good, but it was
just a “B” … a “B+” at its very best. Book 3 – Change was the strongest and
most interesting. Varrick was by far my favorite character throughout the run.
He & Zhu Li stole every scene they were in. Tenzin and his family as Aang’s
legacy, were also phenomenal.
The series as whole, however, doesn’t match up to
The Last Airbender, and Korra, the titular character, was a whole bunch of
blah. On the surface she was self-centered and self-righteous. And underneath
that, she was a bore. What was there to actually LIKE about Korra? She was “tough”?
She was “strong”? So was basically everybody. Although the Korra saga had its
glimmers of brilliance with the small stuff – (i.e. – Two Toed Ping revealing
the source of his nickname – ha!), it pales in comparison to the Aang saga as
far as depth and actual character development.
I could point-counterpoint all day with where Korra is
lacking as compared to the previous Avatar series and it’s multiple missed
opportunities to really prove itself, but the main issue I have contention with
is the big “reveal” at the very end (here comes the spoiler if you haven’t seen
it yet …)Korra and Asami embrace
a same sex relationship with one another. While many have commended this on
behalf of the LGBT community (of which I’m a full supporter, so please don’t
misconstrue my criticism of this show in any way that suggests otherwise), I refer to my initial
point of people "wanting so badly for this kind of meaningful statement to be present" that
they end up giving undue praise to a show like Legend of Korra that soft-balled
it, played it safe, and didn’t break ANY real ground … Yet is currently reaping
accolades for being “progressive”. Well, I say – Bull. And my reasoning is as follows:
1) It set a poor precedent– There’s an obnoxious kinda double-edged sword where if women ‘embrace the generalized
contemporary standard of femininity or sexuality’ then in many cases they aren’t
taken as seriously, deemed 'capable', or afforded the same amount of respect as
a man, particularly in an authoritarian capacity. They are too easily portrayed
as 'weak'. However, if they are “TOO authoritative”, or “bossy”, or
“strong” in attitude, behavior, or appearance, they are billed as “masculine”
or “un-feminine”. Many “jokes” and stereotypes in regard to female athletes,
“strong women”, reside around their sexuality. As if a woman is powerful, then
it automatically denotes that there is no place for a man in her life.
Korra,
for all her faults, is theembodiment of a positive female role model. Strong and capable.
Asami was as well ... And both of them had boyfriends without it defining them. (sure it
was the same guy, but that's beside the point) Both women had been portrayed as
heterosexual from the start of the series. (It wasn’t till the 4th book that
they really started dropping heavy hints at the 2 of them coupling) So what
does that say when the creators decide to flip the script at the
very end and put them together? A woman CAN’T be strong and tough WITHOUT her
sexuality being debatable or a focal point? ... Two women CAN’T have a close,
deeply bonded friendship WITHOUT it being romantic? ... I don't agree to that! ... And that may not be what
Legend of Korra is saying outright … But its not NOT saying that either …
2) Simpsons did it!– Some people have actually praised
Korra for being “the first animated TV series to feature a prominent lesbian
character” … False on that as well. Does the name Patty Bouvier ring a bell?
Well it should. Marge Simpson’s sister, a staple character since the very first
full-length Simpsons episode, has had multiple stories that involved her being
a lesbian. Legend of Korra ISN’T breaking any ground cuz its not the first
animated show to go there. … Unless they want to talk about how they dared to do so on “Nicktoons” – a network aimed primarily at children? … Well that brings me to my
3rd and final point …
3) Korra just spiked the ball and ran – If The Legend of
Korra really wanted to be progressive and do something meaningful, it would
have actually TOLD the story of Korra and Asami’s relationship. It would have/ could have/ should have explored the two characters actually BEING together, alongside their friends, family, and the other characters in their world. (particularly Mako
who dated both of them on and off throughout the show)But it didn’t do that.
The show only acknowledged them as “together” in the final closing moments of
the series ... A hollow gesture. There’s nothing “brave” about being controversial when you don’t
have to pay for it ... When you don’t have to deal with any fallout or weather any
ensuing storms because of it. Korra waited till the game was already over
before pulling a slick little a “Hey! Watch what we can do!” …
Leaving the creators to just relax, enjoy their kudos, their pats on the back, and be self-satisfied ... As if
they’re so prolific … As if they actually DID something … As IF!
Yeah, no.Korra
will be missed as it was an entertaining show, continuing a story that we enjoyed to the fullest and still
want more of, but the finale? It was nothing to be admired.
That my 2 cents. Keep the change!
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Some speculate that she's finally just following suit along with husband CM Punk who infamously walked out on the company last year ... There are even rumors that she's hanging it up cuz she's preggers, and is now focussing on starting a family ... 
