on to the next area of interest… movies… now, this may not be the order in which i address these in the future – there may not be an order at all, really – but this is the way i’m going today… i’ve got three movies to talk about and hopefully i’ll be more succinct… i mean, i DO have other things to write about… not to mention a site that needs building… off we go…

Oh, before we begin, i suppose i should mention that i viewed all three of these movies for free because they want me to write about them… “they” being publicists and such… two of them sent me promotional DVDs and one granted me access to an online viewing area… with that taken care of, we shall begin…

BEHIND THE MASK
- now playing: The Imposter – Kevin Max

The Imposter
first up is a movie that i believe has been in the works for at least three years… the film features Kevin Max, Jeff Deyo, and Kerry Livgren all of whom became pretty famous for their roles in widely popular bands with spiritual overtones (dcTalk, SonicFLOOD, and Kansas, respectively) before striking out with solo careers… and by “striking out” i don’t mean in the “Casey at the Bat” sense…

Anyway, the movie revolves around “Johnny C,” the frontman for the widely popular band with spiritual overtones, Grand_design… Johnny C is quite charismatic and, despite his position, marriage, and daughter, has a thing for the traditional spoils of rock and roll (think sex, drugs, rock and roll)… and the film chronicles his downward spiral and attempts at reconciliation…

There are some wonderful tongue-in-cheek moments to the film, such as the narration addressing the formulaic expectations for an emotional altar call scene and a loving father embracing his prodigal son… now, i don’t want to spoil anything, but i will say that i kind of liked the resolution as it transpired… Sure, the acting at times provided some moments of unintentional chuckling and the script has its share of stereotypes and flat characters, but all in all, The Imposter, proved to be a pretty enjoyable movie (if not uncomfortable due to potential parallels to the actors’ own career paths)… it’s the type of movie that might spark some honest dialogue about how we perceive celebrities and pseudo-celebrities… now, if i can only find that Jeff Deyo song from the movie called, “Push Me Over the Edge” or something to that effect…

THE LIFE YOU SAVE…
now playing: How to Save a Life – The Fray

To Save a Life
i feel like i’ve already written about this movie, but apparently not… actually, something pretty interesting happened after i watched it the first time… well, for me, anyway… the movie, as you can easily tell from the trailer deals with the effects of suicide on surviving classmates… now, in the days of my youth, i knew someone who took his own life… unfortunately, i’d guess that most of us know someone who’s done that… i remember going through some peer counseling classes to recognize the warning signs and learn the proper procedures for reporting and talking through issues in an effort to stifle the contagiousness of suicide… most of all, i remember feeling a sense of responsibility of prevention…

i don’t know if that’s a natural response, but as i watched Jake – the main character in the movie – struggle with a similar response, names came into my head… names of those i had “flagged” (for lack of a better word)… and, while that’s not particularly interesting in and of itself, shortly after watching the movie, out of the blue, i came into contact with one of those names and that’s the interesting part… that’s where i’ll leave it…

back on the movie… it’s kind of a teen movie with a conscience… there’s partying, carousing, and a lot of reminders of the high-school caste system we’re all glad to have grown out of (assuming we all did grow out of it, which isn’t necessarily the case)… and the main theme running through it all is Jake, the former best friend of a suicide victim, struggling with faith, responsibility, and life in general… and for the most part, that’s fine… it works well and you’re prett engaged in the story, rooting for who is clearly the hero and subconsciously forming the obvious moral of the tale…

and then, as if trying to hit seven targets with one arrow, it becomes exponentially more complex… Jake takes on a Job-like role and everything that was clear moments ago is buried knee deep in muddy waters… now, here’s the thing… complicated is good… life is complicated – i know this – but, you can almost hear the writers giggling to themselves and saying things like “you can’t make this stuff up” even though they did, indeed, just make it all up…

the bottom line, without spoiling anything, i really enjoyed watching To Save a Life and it was a meaningful experience… i just think that it could have been more impactful if it had stuck to one main important theme instead of stuffing in a bunch of additives that deserve equal time but are relegated to minor roles… still, plenty to talk about afterwards and probably beneficial to a youth group…

CHOOSE WISELY…
now playing: Choose – Christy Nockels

Sarah’s Choice
okay, this blog entry is getting rather long, and it’s probably best that this ends up being the shortest of the reviews… Sarah’s Choice is, unabashedly, a vehicle for the pro-life movement… now, keep in mind that i’m very much pro-life… i think abortion is a choice that’s made when the wrong question is asked… that said, unlike the Tim Tebow Superbowl ad, this movie DOES offend me… more on that in a second…

first, the good points… Brad Stine does a fine job in his role… it was a surprising performance that anchored the “guy-side” of the story… in fact, that aspect of the movie actually worked really well… also worth noting, there’s a scene or two involving balloons that play rather well (trying to remain spoiler-free)… there may be other good points, but they’re escaping me at the moment…

okay… no more delays… overall, the acting was definitely B-movie or worse grade… the last time i saw Rebecca St James in concert, i was amazed at how incredibly awkward she seemed on stage and her performance in the role of Sarah deepened that impression… perhaps the only thing worse was the ridiculous treatment she receives from her boss and coworkers (completely unrealistic)… and the storyline was downright irritating…

if you’re wondering how a pro-life movie could offend a pro-life viewer, here’s how it works (and this may spoil some plot points, but i’ll do my best)… borrowing from A Christmas Carol – haven’t seen that before – Sarah is visited by a ghost of the Christmas that could be… she’s presented with visions of two possible outcomes – one if she chooses abortion and one if she keeps the baby… and it’s basically a choice between a life of roses and champagne, where she gets married, has tons of free time to spend with her daughter, and seems to live the easy life of happiness… and the other life, is one of solitude, pain, and, apparently, terminal illness…

the issue of regret was introduced elsewhere in the movie and (i think) should’ve been the big argument made, but instead we got absolute extremes that make little logical sense and, yes, offend me… if we can’t deal in honesty, then we shouldn’t be dealing in issues… i mean, it’s easy to drop superlatives in order to make a point, but it’s not accurate and it rings so incredibly false that it encourages opposition… i could probably go on and on about this point, but hopefully i’ve made it and now, i’m just moving on…

i have to say that it’s perfectly fine to pass on Sarah’s Choice… it’s an incredibly stereotypical “Christian” movie… and i honestly wish it weren’t…

ROLL CREDITS…

that’s a wrap as far as movies go… stick around for mashed potatoes from books, music, and more… soon… and while you’re waiting, check out the first entry, monday morning mashed potatoes in television…

peace… love… bdg…

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well, i’ve got a bunch of things to write and i think that this could potentially be a very busy couple of days… anyway, for my own benefit, i’m going to list a few of the things that i’m planning on covering… there’s music: new albums from Brenton Brown, NewWorldSon, and Starfield… also, the Dove Award nominations are out, and i’ll have to discuss that at some point… there’s movies: Sarah’s Choice, To Save a Life, The Imposter, and The Princess and the Frog… books: I Am America, Live from Middle America, Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, and The Gospel According to Lost… and speaking of Lost, i’ve got some thoughts about that, i’ll a rundown of tonight’s episode, and i’ll breakdown the top 24 performances starting tonight on American Idol…

and i’m sure there’s more… oh, like talking about the redesign and stuff like that… not now though… now, i’m going to just dive into the first of many American Idol rundowns… off we go…

TWELVE DANCING PRINCESSES…

okay, top twelve girls… two go home ten will remain… first we start off with silliness… Simon has a thing for Ellen… ha ha… she really IS replacing Paula… they’ve been sent to separate ends of the table and Simon is stuck next to Kara… i’m sure he loves that… so, they’re saying that these contestants are probably known better than in any other year… i disagree, mostly because i have no idea who most of them are… this should be interesting…

now playing: Mercy – Duffy

Paige Miles (and Miles and Miles)… singing “All Right Now“… and she’s literally just all right so far… she’s gonna have to learn how to not scream if she’s gonna stick around and nix the drama… save it fo’ yo’ mama as they say, somewhere i’m sure… not a fan… Simon says he thinks that she has the best voice among the girls, but it was a cheap, wedding singer song… Kara disagrees and is cheered on… brilliant rock, soul song that she slayed… Randy kinda sorta agrees with both Simon and Kara somehow… dawg… great job says he… Ellen agrees and disagrees… four judges is a lot, really… oh, Paige has to pee, stay classy, Hollywood…

Ashley Rodriguez… Kris Allen Fusion commercial (go buy his mediocre album, now)… Glee is coming back… Ashley is from Boston and she’s singing Battlefield, no, “Happy” by Leona Lewis… is that smart knowing that Simon is smitten with Leona? (props to Ryan Tedder for writing this song, i think)… okay… i think that’s about all the good that i can say… wow, she has no idea where the key is… methinks she’s not going to be happy with the comments… Kara says good effort… Leona Lewis is the new Mariah Carey… (i wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy)… Randy says… well, let me summarize… the song is bigger than she is… Ellen says that the song didn’t let her be herself… Simon says it was clumsy and unoriginal and that she’s regressed since the audition…

Janell Wheeler has anyone else ever seen I-Spy on HBO Kids? “Oh, Wheeelerrrr!”… probably just me… anyway, Janell is singing a Heart song right out the gates… that’s some guts, right there… and she’s rushing… but she has a pretty nice tone to her voice…that is, when it’s on key… she’s a bit flat at the moment… and you know, when the song is supposed to explode into the chorus, it’s not exactly igniting… how on earth can you sing this song and not emit any energy… that’s odd… not gonna work out well overall… Randy says he’s glad that it’s over… bad song choice… Ellen liked the song choice and that she tried to get into it and she likes her… Simon said it was about 65%… and she had her moments, but it was not the best song choice… Kara agrees that the song was too big for her…

Lilly Scott… if she sticks around, i do believe i’ll have to go with some form of “Tinker Bell” as her nickname… she’s singing Fixing a Hole, by The Beatles… okay, i kind of remember her… she’s this year’s Adele/AmyWinehouse/Duffy wannabe… hopefully she doesn’t go insane and start “CAW-CAW”-ing like Megan did last year… well, anyway, i kind of liked it… she’s got some good potential and despite some minor slips, she was the best of the first four… Ellen says that’s what they were looking for… Simon says she’s the best of the night so far, but she needs to work on her star power… Kara breaks out the word “busk” and can totally feel Lilly… Randy says that he loves how she really doesn’t seem to care what anyone thinks and that she’s just plain honest…

now playing: No One – Alicia Keys

Katelyn Epperly… so Katelyn’s got a lot of hair… and she’s singing “Oh, Darling”… and she’s got a slight hint of that raspy quality to her vocal that Tink just got praise for… what the heck is in her hair?… you know what though, that was a really solid vocal… nicely done… bad stage presence though… Simon says that she needs a lot of work, but he likes her… Kara says that she knows her voice very well… Kara doesn’t like the thing in her hair… Randy says he liked that she paid attention to the tone of her voice and that she can really go places… Ellen says that she’s got… personality… and a great voice, but perhaps she’s a little pushy…

Haeley Vaughn… aw, she got her nose pierced to honor the fact that she made the top 24… i can already tell that she smiles too much… she’s singing “I Wanna Hold Your Hand”… in the vein of that Over the Rainbow remake… perhaps mixed with Marilyn Manson… why on earth IS SHE SHOUTING???? unfortunately, i think she might have some potential, but that was a complete and utter disaster… she’s got a serious case of the runs… she pretty much did everything that Randy praised Katelyn for NOT doing… Kara says that technically it wasn’t so good, but she looked like she had fun… Randy says that, yeah, dawg, get it together… there’s too much going on… Ellen says taht she was shining on stage… and they’re all pointing out her age… Simon says that she was like a wind-up doll that just wouldn’t ever stop… a complete mess…

Lacey Brown… oh, she was here last year, but now, with the hot redness in her hair, she has a newfound power… nothing can stop us now… oh, that would be great if she sang We Built This City… but no, she’s singing Landslide by Fleetwood Mac… and she is really rough around the edges… somewhat shrill even… she has someone singing BGVs? how’d she manage that?… i think she has some good qualities, but she is really trying way too hard… like she wants to be kind of sensual and mystic but she really lost control… Randy says bad song choice and it wasn’t good… Ellen says that she can do better if she gets a chance… Simon says he couldn’t wait for it to finish and it was indulgent… Kara says that it felt forced… shout out to Sixpence!…

Michelle Delamor… i have really no recollection of her, but i LOVE this song… singing “Falling” by Alicia Keys… not the best arrangement here at the jump off, but she’s got a really smooth voice and she’s holding it together… well, that was a scream, but overall it’s sounding pretty good… well, a few more off notes… she’s definitely got some solid potential… i’ll say now that she’s very likely a lock for the top six… Ellen says that it was fantasatic… Simon says that it sounded very professional, but not original… Kara says that she looks very commercial, but had a few bad moments… Randy says that she did a pretty good job, but she needs to really take some risks…

now playing: Break the Silence – Thousand Foot Krutch

Didi Benami oh, Didi has got some dry humor going on here… “terrified to sing “Terrified“… nice… now she’s singing something else that i wasn’t paying enough attention to… it’s probably by Adele… she’s dressed like she’s about to sing some Janis Joplin or something else from the Woodstock hall of fame… okay, it’s called “The Way I Am” by Ingrid Michaelson… i should’ve known that… she’s really playing up that Duffy sound though and even though she’s pretty on point tone wise, there’s no real stage presence or reason to get excited… do something different… Simon says that he would confuse her with 3 other voices from tonight and that it was a little dull… Kara says that she made a few changes that were cool… Randy says, yeah dawg, but where’s the star power?… Ellen says that it was pretty low-key for a first impression…

Siobhan Magnus… i wonder if any of her uncles compete in the World’s Strongest Man competitions… well, that was based on the name, but woah, she’s not so bright, eh? Singing Chris Isaak’s “Wicked Games”… the video for this was like an extended ad for Calvin Klein… i don’t understand why anyone would pick this song… she did alright, but it felt really roped in – that she was really holding back and trying to lay up for a chip shot… Kara says that it was a weird choice, but it was good… Randy says that she has a big voice and should really let them loose… Ellen says that it was great and she liked it a lot… Simon says that she’s a funny little thing… he liked it, but didn’t love it…

Crystal Bowersox… as a Yankees fan, i’m predisposed to disliking her because her name is just too, too close to BoSox, which of course is short for the Boston Red Sawks… anyway, singing “Hand in My Pocket” by Alanis Morrissette… haven’t heard this in a long time, and i’m not sure that i missed it… oh YES! harmonica!… sorry, that’s sarcasm… i’m glad she can play the harmonica and all, but please not here… she’s shouting a lot, too… she doesn’t sound bad, but it’s just very karaoke… i think she’s better than that… and technically, neither of her hands are in her pocket, they’re both playing the guitar… Randy says that he likes her and her honesty… Ellen is a fan of hers, too… Simon says that she sounds like she belongs outside of a subway station… Kara says that she sounds like a coffee shop performer…

Katie Stevens who reminds me of a girl from a show that i can’t remember the name to, but probably wouldn’t admit to watching anyway so it doesn’t really matter… moving on… she’s singing a Buble song… “Feeling Good”… awesome tune… wow, didn’t expect that vocal quality… she’s got a much bigger voice than you would expect… let’s see how it holds up… she bottomed out on the lower register there and she’s slightly off… kind of sharp and sloppy… and now that she’s in the big section of the song, it’s clear that she’s forcing that sound… it’s alright and all, but not what it could be… Ellen says that it was good, but conservative and old… Simon is holding his mouth… but he agrees with Ellen… “it felt like your mom and dad dressed you and chose the song for you”… pagenty… Kara says that they wouldn’t say that if she had killed the song… she was pitchy, but she’s got ridiculous chops… Randy says that she’s only going to be seventeen once and that she needs to enjoy it…

AND NOW IT’S TIME TO SAY GOODBYE…

now playing: Should I Stay Or Should I Go – The Clash

okay, two gals need to pack their bags… and who should it be…? Paige, Ashley, Haeley, Lacey, Siobhan, and Crystal are all in danger, as i see it… let’s see… narrowing it down to four, i’d say that Paige and Siobhan are safe… then, Crystal, then Lacey… that means that Haeley and Ashley are headed home… to the place where they belong…

peace… love… bdg…

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So, the Saints won the Super Bowl and i should never have doubted my initial prediction… i just didn’t realize that Pierre Garcon was going to play for the Saints instead of the Colts… i mean, dude dropped two, what, three? third down receptions off of his hands?… anyway, if i have to be the only one who says it, i’ll say it now… the Colts lost because they laid down against the Jets and the Bills to end the season… the stakes weren’t high enough… they’ve already won a Super Bowl, but perhaps a perfect season would’ve been incentive enough… i know that sounds obnoxiously silly, but i’ll stand by it because you can’t really ever prove it wrong…

anyway, for most people, the real story surrounding the Super Bowl is often the commercials… and this year, the buzz was about one commercial in particular…

CHOICES, CHOICES

– Choose Life – Shachah
Tim Tebow quarterbacked the Florida Gators to two national championships, won the Heisman Trophy as a sophomore, and earned numerous accolades as a college football star… he was also the fifth child of a mother who was advised that abortion was the way to go…

Focus on the Family apparently felt this made for a story worth spending $3 million to share during the Super Bowl… and i don’t disagree, but apparently, many others did… and by others, of course, i mean people who don’t believe that NOT having an abortion should be a choice…

i know, i know, they call themselves “pro-choice,” but the more they open their mouths, the more it seems that the only choice they care about is which month of pregnancy to terminate the life of a baby on the way… anyway, these are the folks who were up in arms angered that CBS would even DARE to air a “pro-life” commercial during the Super Bowl… i heard terms like “controversial” and “offensive” tossed around in regards to the commercial – the details of which hadn’t even been fully disclosed…

and as for the commercial… well:

controverial? no… offensive? no, not exactly… to be honest, it’s more like a Hallmark card than a strong statement about anything… cute, kind of funny, and (were it not for the uproar) forgettable… this entire episode is what i would call a complete fail for all parties…

the “pro-choice” reps look like idiots for getting all bent out of shape about such a non-issue… and Focus on the Family has some degree of egg on their face for missing an opportunity to make a bold and compelling statement… (not to mention the fact that they look a bit like uncreative copycats since CBS decided to air a Snickers commercial with the same basic punchline right before it)… to be fair, Focus on the Family has plenty of follow-up materials available on their website to provide a clearer and more complete picture of their position, but we all know the great disconnect between watching something on television and typing in the link, going to a website and engaging in the rest of the content…

PENCILS DOWN!

okay, time to check out for a bit… in the coming days, you can expect a review of a pro-life movie that i actually did find offensive – a review that certainly won’t win me too many friends… i’ve also got a couple of book reviews to put out, television to talk about, music to talk about, general site stuff to talk about, and more, more, more!… first though, i’ll be back to talk about last week’s episode of LOST as we anticipate tonight’s episode together…

peace… love… bdg…

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i’m interrupting this regularly unscheduled laziness to bring you this update… finally… it’s been quite a while since i last wrote something for the old blog… i can’t explain it entirely, but i’ve just been pulled in a number of directions and unfortunately can’t seem to motivate myself to the point of updating… anyway, i’m here to put an end to that… today, i’m going to have some fun, chatting up the latest installment from Veggietales available everywhere…

IT’S RAINING…

now playing: Flood – Jars of Clay

Well, it’s been a long time coming and it’s finally here… the sequel to Minnesota Cuke’s search for Samson’s hairbrush… and perhaps a tip of the fedora to a new branch of the Veggietales franchise?… (I’m thinking that a 2D series of Minnesota Cuke episodes wouldn’t be a bad idea)… this episode also marks the official debut of the new Veggietales logo… both are hits…

Minnesota learns about persistence, patience and most of all, the importance of following directions in this zany tale of Larry’s alter-ego and his quest to find the powerful umbrella used by none other than Noah… of course, there’s plenty of mischief, mayhem, and missteps (not to mention the numerous nods to Indy) that make the show fun for kids and parents alike…

…RUN FOR COVER

And with that, i’ll grab my sippy cup and head on out… i’ve got another new Veggietale movie queued up in the near future… but it’s about Christmas and i’m not sure when i’ll get to that… also, watch for a “political” blog entry, a “Triple-DeKker” entry, and more… many more books and many more other stuff… also, i’m completely redesigning the site… and much, much more is spinning around in my head…

peace… love… bdg…

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i don’t rant much, but i kind of feel like there’s some ranting in me that’s determined to come out… and believe me, i could tear apart all the snakes and crooks inside the insurance industry and COBRA… and regale the conversations that i’ve had with them over the past few months… no stinking wonder that the health care system is broken in America… but i won’t… i’ll simply inhale, exhale and simmer down… and start things off today with a review of a movie that i was really looking forward to, Transformers 2: The Rise of the Fallen…

TRANSFORM…

now playing: Piece of Junk Car – KJ-52

i’m really hard-pressed to think of a time when i walked away from the theater as disappointed as i was leaving the theater the other day… i’m not sure if it was my own expectations, my ideological notion that action movies can be visually and intellectually stimulating, the sheer excitement of seeing the transformers on the big screen or simply that i bought into the hype, but all the wind that filled my sails heading into the theater had long disappeared as i walked out… i had waited for the first installment the hit DVD and clearly i was wrong not to wait for the sequel as well…

i expected that Transformers 2 would build off of the first movie, which, as i remember it, was pretty amazing… i expected a lot of action sequences, a lot of sweet cars, and stunning special effects… and, to that end, the movie delivers, but because those elements were at least equally balanced out by juvenile humor, a script that felt like it was written by fifth graders, a poached plotline and way more suggestion than necessary, i left feeling very short-changed…

Surely “the twins” have been a target for controversy as there have been allegations of racism as there was towards Jar Jar Binks, but to that end, i’ll simply say that those claims are ridiculous – i felt more like they were a couple of hyper-stereotypical rednecks than anything else – but they were indicative of the foolish direction that the movie took overall…

Clearly, the crew wanted to movie to have a humorous bent, but unfortunately they resorted to the basest level of humor available… the air-headed mother getting accidentally high, the number of anatomy jokes, crass language from the transformers, and on and on… and sexual content ranging from dogs being frisky, a little robot taking liberties with Megan Fox’s leg, the “Baywatch” running scenes, and a transformer disguised as a college student that makes several advances on the lead character… (by the way, this character makes absolutely zero sense in the context of the movie since none of the other robots look remotely like humans nor is there any reference to such characters that i remember from Transformers lore)…

The plot also seemed like a big rip-off as it closely resembled that of Johnny Mnemonic and, more recently, Chuck… but even that could’ve been overlooked had the script been written with even the slightest hint of intelligence… and to top it all off, the movie dragged on and on for two and a half hours – also known as about an hour too long…

As i’ve stated before, when the movie played to its strengths – action and special effects – it was nothing short of spectacular… unfortunately it didn’t stay there… it’s also worth noting that John Turturro did a fine job as Agent Simmons… and there were actually some really good moments between Sam and Bumblebee, but other than those highlights, the movie really blew a great opportunity to further establish a franchise that could be great…

The bottom line for me is this… it felt like the producers and directors wanted to make Transformers into something other than an action movie… perhaps they wanted to be taken more seriously than your typical action movie fare… but they forgot that there’s nothing wrong with an action movie simply being an action movie… and if you want to add humor into the mix, that’s fine, but let it happen naturally – don’t force-fit it… as it was, i wanted to see Transformers 2 and i feel like i watched Harold and Kumar: Defeating the Decepticons…

… AND ROLL OUT

and that’s my take… have you seen it? what did you think? am i crazy? let me know and i’ll be back with more things to talk about soon…

peace… love… bdg…

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well, it’s about time that i get American Idol off of the top of my list here, am i right?… we all know who’s won and we all probably agree that the most shocking thing about it is that i picked it right… anyway, congrats to Kris and all his fans, hopefully his album won’t include any songs as bad as No Boundaries…

Moving on, there are a number of things that i want to talk about, but we’ll have to take them all one at a time and see what happens… first, some basketball, spies and a lesson in persistence…

N.B.AMAZING
- now playing: Amazing – Kanye West

if you haven’t been watching the NBA playoffs, you’ve been missing some of the best sporting events of the year… i’m sure that the hockey playoffs are just dandy and that the baseball season has its share of excitement, but right now, you just cannot beat the drama taking place every night in both of the conference finals series…

you’ve got the clear favorites in both conferences (Lakers and Cavs) squaring off each night against veritable underdogs (Nuggets and Magic) proving to be formidable rivals… and almost every game has come down to the last thirty seconds or less… i’m not generally the guy who’s yelling at the television or reacting emotionally to games, but the other night when LeBron hit that last second three-pointer to even the series at a game a piece, i jumped up in excitement… amazing… now that’s how to finish a game… i’m a few games behind the action right now, but i’m enjoying every game as i watch them… add in the completely ridiculous outfits that Craig Sager always wears as if he’s lost a bet and i can’t wait ’til the finals regardless of who’ll be matched up…

REDEEMING THE FIFTH
- now playing: Redemption – Switchfoot

Also on my TV screen is the “new classic” spy series, Alias… I’m one of the suckers who picked up the full series on DVD packaged as a special Rambaldi artifact and i’ve been reliving the magic of the show over the last few months… i know that the series has taken a beating because it completely lost the plot during the fourth season, but even as annoying as that season was, transforming the show from a serialized suspense/drama into an episodic series, the season 4 finale was spectacular and season five has, thus far brought the show back around…

I’m currently seven episodes into the fifth season and it’s as compelling as it was the first time around… it’s probably not as good as Lost has been, but it’s certainly one of the best shows in television’s recent history… the weirdest thing for me right now is that i keep expecting Weiss to start reading everyone’s mind…

BREAKING THE TAPE
- now playing: The Distance – Cake

somewhat unrelated and somewhat entirely related (i’ll let you be the judge) i’ve been doing a lot of file organization, cleaning up the music folders on my hard drive and cleaning out my email archives so that my server host doesn’t stop liking me because i use too much space…

anyway, in the process of cleaning out my old emails – and i do mean old – i stumbled across a series of emails from a rather difficult time in my life… a time when ties were cut and feelings were hurt and endings were realized… i probably dug up things that should remain buried, but i did notice a number of similarities between then and now… and, looking back, i’m starting to understand more the importance of finishing well…

the words of Paul haunt me as i think of how i’ve failed to finish well in the past… how i’ve chosen to fade out rather than burn out… (even though i’ve often felt burnt out)… how i haven’t necessarily run in such a way as to receive the prize… or always lived a life that’s worthy of Christ… and i think ahead… of how i can change… i think of how God intends these circumstances for good… and how a diligent worker will stand before kings… and how i can change and get there… just a lot of thoughts in my head…

IT’S OVER

kind of heavy there for a blog entry, but these things happen… coming soon, i’ve got a handful of EPs to talk about, i’ve got a stack of books to talk about… i’ve got some other stuff to write and i’ve got some things to do… lots to look forward to…

peace… love… bdg…

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i’m getting a little tired… okay, i’m extremely tired of all the games in play when it comes to finding a job… anyway… first up today are a couple of marketing items that i’ve discovered recently that have what i consider to be fundamental flaws… and i’m going to share those with you now…

CHERRY, 7, CHERRY, JACKPOT

now playing: The Glory of It All – David Crowder Band

the first example comes from the world of soda pop… (or whatever YOU call it)… you may not know this about me, but there’s something about me that compells me to try a new flavor or brand of soda so long as it sounds reasonably yummy… i get frustrated if they’re hard to track down, but i’ve been known to visit a number of different stores trying to lay hold of a coveted bottle or can of this new flavor…

with that in mind, Dr Pepper – one of my absolute favorite sodas – has been poking fun at me for years now, releasing flavors to only the diet version… by the way, that’s another rule… no diet soda… anyway, they scored fairly well a while back with their “Red Fusion” version, but since then, the Cherry Vanilla, Cherry Chocolate, and Berries & Cream versions were all available in diet, but never in the real, classic, full-sugared drink that i would actually try… at least not near me…

Enter Dr Pepper Cherry… the latest concoction from the brand i love, and it’s actually available in regular strength… i’ve happily been able to enjoy this beverage and it’s wonderful… it’s advertised as “amazingly smooth” and it is indeed smooth… however, there is a fundamental flaw with Dr Pepper Cherry…

Here’s the thing… Dr Pepper is already a cherry soda… why oh why then are you spending all this marketing into promoting a cherry version of a cherry soda?… how does that make any sense whatsoever?… and why is this the only variation that i’m able to get my hands on? still haven’t tasted Dr Pepper Cherry Vanilla or Berries & Cream, but have heard rumors that they are out there… anyway, to say that Dr Pepper Cherry is the new Dr Pepper is like saying Red is the new Red… it is inherently redundant

EATIN’ GOOD?

now playing: The Realness – Cookbook and UNO Mas

Applebee’s, the restaraunt of choice for the small town of Dillon, Texas, has made an error in judgement by branding their new line of hamburgers “RealBurgers”… the reason for this is, i think, pretty obvious… if these new hamburgers are “real,” then what on earth were they serving us before?… i mean, it BEGS the question, right?… if these are real than what was unreal about the others?… enough said…

THE COLONEL’S SECRET

now playing: What Would You Do If I’m Not Supposed to Be – Listener

last but not least, is something that may just have Col. Harlan Sanders rolling in his grave… KFC, a.k.a. Kentucky FRIED Chicken, has introduced GRILLED chicken onto its menu… now, i’m not going to say that it’s a bad thing to broaden your menu and try to perhaps offer a “healthier” option, but, yes… there is a fundamental flaw to the Kentucky Grilled Chicken option…

if i’m going to plunk down my money and eat at KFC – because it’s not exactly the cheapest option for fast food still – i’m not going to order anything other than FRIED CHICKEN… when i want fried chicken, i go to Kentucky Fried Chicken… if i want grilled chicken, well, i get a rotisserie chicken or something to that effect…

having said that… i tried the grilled chicken for free (apparently thanks to Oprah and this coupon on UnthinkKFC.com… it’s good… i’m sure it’s not much healthier than the fried stuff and i’m not sure that i’d choose it over the fried chicken if i were to splurge and buy something there, but it’s good stuff… check it out while it’s free…

MORE DEFERRED

and that’s it for this entry… hope you got a kick out of it… i still have lots of TV to talk about and lots of music… and a number of books… i even got six new books today in the mail, so there’s plenty of fuel on that front…

peace… love… bdg…

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Well, this is weird… i’m back on my new laptop, which is like lightning compared to an old camera’s flashbulb.. but now i’m spread over between the two again and my cable company has chosen today to really act up… can’t something be done about cable companies? where’s that old lady with the hammer now?…

not going to get in to the events of this week, but they’ve taken something of a toll on me… most people say that being on a job search is like a roller coaster… i’d say it’s more like a yo-yo… and right now, i’m walking the dog, waiting for that upward thrust that will summon me back up to a new high…

now playing: Ten Years and Running – MxPx.

Anyway, today is a great day… ten years ago today, i woke up in a pretty run down apartment building, after not much more than two hours of sleep – stayed up the whole night watching The Waterboy, Money Talks, and Rush Hour among other things – was tired, a bit sick to my stomach, and nervous, but ready… ten years ago today, my life changed…

today i woke up next to the love of my life, in a nice house, ready to face the day and ready for any changes life has to offer for as long as i’m here… ten years and it’s just the tip of the iceberg…

Well, i’m off to enjoy the rest of the day… i’ll write more another time…

peace… love… bdg…

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So the “madness” is underway and, while i did fill out a bracket, i can’t say how well i’m doing with it since i haven’t really paid attention to any of the games or the results… i guess i’m just distracted… or perhaps i’m just not into the early rounds because it’s all so predictable… upsets are are quite rare anymore which makes the tourney just a bit less compelling…

now playing: Let’s Get Upset – DeGarmo & Key

speaking of upsets, i was told that Alexis being sent home this week on American Idol was the single biggest upset in Idol history… i don’t know about that, but then again, i didn’t realize it was an upset at all…

see, i don’t really pay attention to any “sources” or chatter about American Idol… i pretty much watch the performances (while blogging my thoughts in real time), make my predictions, and watch the results (with my remote close by to skip through the group lip-syncs and silly Ford commercials (though, i do like the new Fusion)… i figure that’s enough of a time investment to the show as it is and to scour the internet for more would be going too far… also, i want my picks to be my picks, as pure as possible, uninfluenced by things like dialidol and whatnot… (i’m not saying that it’s wrong for others to partake in these channels of information, just that i find it hard enough to manage my time and i need to draw lines somewhere)…

all that to say that i had no idea that Alexis was predicted to make it deep into the contest… all i saw was a gal who has a slightly better than average voice, who was clearly willing to sacrifice all her dignity (“I’ll dirty it up”) to advance and who turned in two weeks of entirely unimpressive performances… that’s why i picked her and that’s why she’s at home now…

now playing: Mad Season – Matchbox 20

now, speaking of madness, it’s been a pretty maddening week for me as i’ve watched four solid opportunities become naught… and i sat through a three-hour class that was all but worthless… so, if i’m riding a pendulum between optimism and pessimism, i’m swinging a little on the dark side this week… i know there’s more out there and that there’s a door that’s been prepared for me, but i’m starting to get antsy…

anyway, coming up, i’ll be finishing up the Dove features on the front page and trying to get some reviews and other items written up – just gettting back to that whole time management thing – and i have plenty to write about here, including: the last episodes of Lost, The Office, and Heroes, a look at some of these mid-season additions to the tv grid, another book review (Deliver Us From Evelyn by Chris Well), as well as thoughts about dirt, Star Wars, and more… hopefully, it won’t be too long coming…

peace… love… bdg…

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It’s not a hill, it’s a mountain
As you start out the climb
Do you believe me or are you doubting
We’re gonna make it all the way to the light
But I know I’ll go crazy if I don’t go crazy tonight
– u2

yeah, that’s about the story of the week so far… last week, good, this week, not so much… more as it develops…

peace… love… bdg…

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