RPS

I like both Family Guy and South Park, but trying to compare the Tiger Woods episode to any sort of Family Guy humor just doesn't work. I think a lot of people, Parker & Stone included, dislike Family Guy because their randomness often times doesn't operate within the confines of what we think of as a linear narrative. Family Guy will literally cut away from the plot to make a joke that has no relation to what's going on. I think people just see that as lazy writing because it comes across as though they can't make a cohesive television show, but rather a bunch of seemingly unrelated jokes that don't further any sort of plot or narrative ahead. While "wizard alien" is absurd and random, it still related to the plot. I don't necessarily agree with these people, but that's the main complaints I hear against Family Guy. That and people simply say it's not funny. On the subject of the episode, I found it to be hilarious. But I'm sort of captivated by this whole Tiger Woods scandal, so I was probably going to like it regardless.

Which albums did you think were going to be completely and utterly awful but yet somehow managed to be amazing? I'm gonna go with Miike Snow, which I'm currently obsessed with. I never even listened to a song they put out, because all the early press made it seem like they were a complete novelty band. Dumb band name, weird origins, and a poor marketing strategy (really, focused way too much on them being Kylie & Britney producers). When I finally got around to listening to the band, it's fucking breath-taking. Some of these songs are SO fucking good. It's addicting.

Yeah, I was being a bit over the top with me saying "JT is the worst ever" (you are right, it was Erik), however, I think it's being edited to indicate JT is being set up for a MAJOR fail. Way too many big moves with no follow through. Amazing, vote out Cirie, but don't turn around and vote out Tom. It makes no sense. You piss off your alliance by flip flopping and than piss off the other alliance flip flopping again. No one trusts him and come merge, he's gone.

Good, if not frustrating, episode of Survivor this week. Let's start with the Villians. Going into this season, who would have thought a tribe with Parvati, Randy, Sandra, Courtney and fat ass Russell would be dominating in challenges? Well, here we are. And it's all because of Boston Rob, Puzzle Saviour. Because they haven't had to vote anyone out, we haven't seen the exact alliance, but as it seems it's Boston Rob, Sandra, Coach, Tyson and Jerri. Why the fuck can't we get shown that levelheaded, logical alliance rather than the epic and utter bullshit being played out at the Heroes camp. Anyways, so pretty much it's been spelled out for weeks what's going down - Boston Rob vs. Russell. The cracked out oompa lompa vs. the puzzlemaster. I think we all know how this is going down and I'm obviously not going to be happy. Russell the "greatest player to play Survivor" is going to vote out Boston Rob. I've come to terms with this already. But as I've stated, you can never judge returning players. Some players reputations precede them and other player's past seasons allow them to be highly successful (see: Amber, Rob in the first All Stars, and Parvati). As well, let's also keep in mind players who return without other Survivor's seeing their past seasons (Rupert All Stars, James & Amanda Micronesia) are clearly at an advantage over their tribe mates. Heroes, Heroes, Heroes. I think I'm done commenting on the idiocy unfolding before our eyes. Can we think of better targets than Tom? Not just because I like him, but logically speaking. Rupert - immobile. James - immobile. Candice & JT have shown time and time again they are untrustworthy and are bouncing from alliance to alliance. The only person who comes across looking good after all of this is Colby. However, let's also remember a fun Survivor fact - when one person is facing a huge numbers advantage, they do have the ability to be a free vote. And it's good for Colby that up until this point, no one has put his name up for elimination. Oh, and I think quote of the evening goes to Tom (I'm paraphrasing) "If James is every quiet at challenges, it's because he has no idea what's going on". ZING. Oh, and just for fun, here is my opinion on the Survivors. Jerri - from neutral in her first 2 seasons to loving her. Parvati - pretty much still just like her. Russell - pretty much feel that he is a player with zero sense at how to actually play the game. Boston Rob - from liking him to realizing what a great character he is. Tyson - where the hell are you? Courtney - ditto! Danielle - same again. Sandra - "what a stupid ass"... amazing. Coach - I didn't like him ever... but now I see what a flawed, interesting, bizarre man he is. JT - he will go down as the dumbest Survivor ever. Running around like a chicken without a head is not a strategy. James - get this disgusting person off my television. Amanda - most annoying person on the island. Rupert - ditto. Candice - I feel like she is being held down by the stupidity around. Colby - I never really liked him before, but he is shining as a voice of reason in a completely dumb tribe. Tom - even though he was voted off early - Tom solidified himself not only as a great Survivor, but as a great character, constantly speaking out against James and his stupid comments. Some of his one-liners have been epic.

Zombies vs. Plants Angry Birds

Voting post up and responding to post.

The White Ribbon 10/10 I know, people are gonna say people just like it because it's some foreign filmmaker shot in black and white. Ooh artsy. But all of that side, this movie is incredibly good. It's very long (shy of two and a half hours) and somehow it wasn't long enough. Gripping, visually stunning, for sure an instant classic. If you want to walk away from a theatre and have something to think about, watch this movie. It's malicious, gritty and depressing and yet so wonderful and gripping.

Thoughts on last night: I think what I thought all along was right. Russell is seriously the dumbest Survivor. I know: looking for the Hidden Immunity Idol is a good idea. But not in front of everyone. Not so brazenly. I read Jeff Probst blog and he nearly ejaculates for him. But my feeling on the contestants is that everyone knows what a shmuck he is and what a easy victory he'd be to bring to the finals, so everyone keeps him around. The guy has zero social skills and pulls big dumb stupid moves. Speaking of big dumb stupid moves; JT. What the fuck? I like the guy know more than ever, but he's playing the dumb SO badly. Like awfully. His vote last night will cost him the game. He went against the majority. Why?! To keep Tom and Colby around? I know keeping Tom around might help them win a challenge or two, BUT, if he loses, his neck is probably now on the chopping block. But what great television that was. Seeing Cirie, the master strategist, fall at the hands of JT was great. As I've said before, this will not take away what Cirie did in her two previous seasons. She is a great Survivor. But in All Stars, it doesn't matter. Some people's reputations precede them. Richard Hatch in All Stars 1 is a great example. He was never going to win; not in a million years. I love Boston Rob; the only guy after him is Russell so far. Do I expect him to win? Hell no! But he's making things entertaining (especially him calling out Russell.) Lastly; I actually really like Coach this season. I liked him in his season, but this season he's just proven to be a great character. Sure, his crying seemed forced but he's just this fascinating person. Does he actually believe half of the shit he says?! So far... best season ever. The only seasons that could end up shaping better are China, Amazon, Borneo, All Stars & Micronesia, because 4 episodes in and it's been epic.

Wow. I know I'm a shameless Damon Albarn mark, but it's really an amazing album. There aren't any huge standouts like Feel Good Inc or Clint Eastwood, but I won't be damned if this isn't amazing. Damon Albarn knows how to walk the line between pop and experimental, and Plastic Beach is just that. The guest appearances are amazing (who knew Lou Reed could sound so relevant?!) and the concept of the album is just amazing. I love Pirate Jet; just the way it ends with this snarky, sarcastic "fuck you" type statement. The lyrics "it's all good news, we left the taps running for 100 years" is epic... he somehow manages to sound bitterly optimistic and optimistically bitter. First truly excellent album of the decade.

I think that's Damon Albarn in general. I think his music lacks a sort of immediacy... you have to let it sink it, digest it and than it just becomes so catchy. I'm the same way with Stylo - was meh at first, liked it, now I love it. Superfast Jellyfish manages to straddle a line between being novel and captivating. It's like an upbeat and happy Clint Eastwood. This definitely has a different tone from Demon Day's. With it very clearly having a huge environmental theme, I'm assuming it's not going to be as heavy as the completely depressing Demon Days. Even the album name, it sounds a bit more upbeat.

Both tribes seem to want to delay the cut throat eliminations. Both Randy & Sugar were obvious votes (neither are good strategists, strong, or offer anything worthwhile to their respected tribes). The next elimination for the Villians, which I assume will be a big player with Boston Rob or Coach or Parvati (though the way it's being edited, it'll probably be Rob). Episode 3 thoughts: Parvati is why I love this show. People dismiss her strategy, but it work's and it'll take her far. The entire episode was about getting her out and not a single person wrote her name down at tribal council. Russell is setting himself up for failure again. People despise him. He needs to learn how to work people and to get on their good side. Take hints from Parvati, who you are aligned with. She knows how to smile, be nice and than cut your throat out of no where. People don't have a reason to vote for Russell. And the guy is at an advantage. If people saw his season, he'd be the first voted out. This guy is getting way too much credit from people... this season has proved it, he is running with the exact same strategy he had last season because no one saw what he did last season. Newsflash Russell, it didn't work before. I think Boston Rob, Coach, Tyson and Jerri dropped the ball. They seemed to all be leaning towards taking out Parvati and they didn't. I think one by one, these will be the people who get eliminated next. It's seems as though Courtney, Parvati, Danielle and Russell seem to be tight and Sandra votes with the majority, so she would have voted for Parvati. Instead, I think they all solidified their fate with that vote. Fans... once again, I despise the majority of these people. JT is getting edited to look like a fool; his bit about lying and Candace finding out just proves that JT is NOT as wise as he thinks he is. James is a loser and doesn't know how to play the game of Survivor. Why he was invited back is beyond me, but with his piss poor attitude and bullying, I believe his status as a hero will be revoked. Rupert is disgusting to look at and has never done anything worthwhile strategy wise (last All Stars, he laid down and let Rob steamroll over him). Amanda keeps posing for the cameras. I like Candace, Tom and Colby; everyone else on the tribe could be taken out for all I care. Predictions: Heroes are losing next week and the HII will be found and it's gonna play a role in the elimination. No way would everyone be frantically searching for the Idol if they didn't lose. Amanda's comment about it being a team effort just proves what a dysfunctional bunch the Heroes tribe is. How anyone could allow Amanda, James and Cirie to stick around together is beyond me; people are aware Amanda, Cirie and Parvati all went to the final 3 before and probably would have no problem doing it again.

Here are my thoughts on the first two episodes (I'll watch the third this weekend and give my thoughts) Heroes Tribe Ugh. I hate everyone on this tribe. Sugar is wretched and thank God she went quickly. Amanda has lost twice in a row... why the fuck is she back? James?! Why not bring back someone else who actually has a chance at winning? Rupert is nauseating. JT has proven to be a complete idiot and I feel that he (along with other Heroes) are being set up to look like a complete tool. I hated Tom during his season, but he is slowly turning into my favorite of this season. Colby too. And Stephanie. I was never big fans of any of these guys, but man. They got stuck with a tribe full of idiots. I also like Candice... she isn't playing up to the cameras and seems to be genuine. Unlike Amanda, who seems to be borderline acting half of the time. That tribal council was awful to watch - James is a fucking tool and the quicker he goes, the better. He has proven to be inept before - heck during China, Todd completely schooled the guy (speaking of Todd, what the hell? He has been screwed on TWO All Stars now. The guy owned his entire season and they bring back two lame ducks in James and Amanda) My predictions: ugh... this is a shit show tribe. Half of these people don't belong there. It's clear there are cracks left and right. I'm thinking that Tom and Colby aren't going anywhere quickly. Colby especially, he is smart and has played the game before. When the HII rears it's head, I think we'll get a better sense of who is gonna be left standing. Villians Tribe On the flip side, I love this tribe. And in my mind, only two people don't belong... Danielle and Randy. Seriously - Randy? Awful choices with those two. On the other hand - Tyson, Courtney, Jerri, Russell, Coach, Parvarti, Sandra & Boston Rob all have reasons to be back. Tyson and Courtney are hilarious, Jerri is the first villian of the show, Russell has the unwarranted God complex, Coach is just a mystery, Parvarti owned the game last time, Sandra is a memorable winner and Boston Rob. What can one say about Boston Rob? The only reason the dude will end up out of the game is because his reputation precedes him. Just like Richard Hatch before him, he has no chance of going to the end. No one is going to let him get anywhere near the merge. That's why All Stars isn't necessarily an indicator of who is the best overall. Boston Rob was Survivor All Stars and no one is going to let him repeat the feat. I really hope that with the exception of Randy and Danielle, all of them make the merge. But that's not happening. My predictions: I think whoever said Randy is going next is right. He will. It's the Sugar vote - it's a no brainer, as he doesn't seem to have any alliances and he's not an asset to the tribe. After that, it's hard to tell. Russell is probably in the best position - no one saw him last season. It doesn't matter, as they'd see what a bad game he played and how he mastered backstabbing but forgot that you have to get people to vote for you in the end (like Parvarti, Todd and Richard Hatch successfully did before him). I think Russell goes far, but he ain't winning. He doesn't know how to socialize in the game. I think Boston Rob will go sooner rather than later. If Jerri clashes with Parvati, I think she'll end up going as well. Once a vote happens, it'll be easier to see what's going on here. Great opener... definitely an improvement from Samoa, which for my opinion was the worst season since Fiji. If HvV can be as entertaining as Micronesia and China (the last two great seasons, IMO) than I'll be a happy camper. And it's already started out good, although... I hope the Heroes tribe crashes and burns.

I always found the solution to awful musical tastes of roommates is to buy a bigger and louder sound system than they did. Ke$ha won't be a problem than.

Hahahahah seriously? From Blink 182 and Gorillaz you get shit like The Village People, Taylor Swift, Cyndi Lauper, Aqua and George fucking Michael? If these were actually similar bands I'd leave it, but it is very unfair to force your sexuality on another man. Just because he told you he likes a few things that maybe you like doesn't mean that you get to have your way with him on the first date. You have to ease him into your world first. Wait wait, hold on one second. The Village People are gay? This is a complete shock to me. I thought they were straight? But on a serious note, I'd like to think that everytime I listen to the Gorillaz I think about it being a lovechild of George Michael, Aqua and Rufus Wainwright. Seriously. Thanks for taking my drunk suggestions seriously!

The Haunting In Connecticut is an unrated horror masterpiece. Watch out Hitchcock.

Adam Lambert, Antony & The Johnsons, Aqua, Cyndi Lauper, Culture Club, David Bowie, Dead or Alive, Elton John, Final Fantasy, Fischerspooner, George Michael, Hercules & Love Affair, Junior Senior, Madonna, Of Montreal, Patrick Wolf, Pet Shop Boys, Rufus Wainwright, Sam Sparro, Scissor Sisters, Soft Cell, Taylor Swift, The Village People...

Best Director Kathryn Bigelow - The Hurt Locker James Cameron - Avatar Lee Daniels - Precious.... Jason Reitman - Up in the Air Quentin Tarrantio - Inglorious Basterds Michael Haneke - The White Ribbon Tom Ford - A Single Man Pedro Almodóvar - Broken Embraces Wes Anderson - The Fantastic Mr. Fox Lone Scherfig - An Education The White Ribbon is breathtaking. For anyone who likes art house cinema or just anyone who really has an open mind to film. Highest recommendations from me. A Single Man is Tom Ford (saviour of fashion label Gucci) debut as a film director and it's just what you'd think from a fashion designer. Overpowering visual effects and such an attention to detail. Pedro Almodóvar doesn't get the love he should from the Academy because they are biased towards English films and he is Spanish. This is just as good, if not better, than his earlier work. The Fantastic Mr. Fox was an amazing animated film, even better than Up! and was Wes Anderson's return to form. Wes was getting a bit too isolated from his audience and Mr. Fox is definitely his most "mainstream" film. And Lone Scherfig did a great job directing An Education. It was a film that didn't reveal too quickly and for that I commend Lone. Far too often, filmmakers jump the gun and throw everything out there. An Education manages to be subtle, and exploit every single frame of the movie. Great.

I'll be on the edge of my seat waiting for the review. But in all seriousness, as I said, I enjoyed the show. El was off at the start of the show, and didn't seem to really click, but after the third song she came around and really got into it. After that it was an enjoyable (albeit, as discussed at length here, short) show. I'd pay to see them again after they put some more songs and when I was sure they'd be able to play a longer set.

It holds around 500 people.

I'll be honest and say I've never seen a concert from a headlining act that didn't go over an hour. Heck, an hour and a half really. Maybe it's just cultural differences, or something, but unless you are some small local/regional band here, you play more than an hour.

I understand that I don't want La Roux to play for 2 hours and play songs I've never heard. But we are talking songs off her album she didn't play - not obscure b-sides or covers. I knew 6 people who went to the show and all the same thing "I waited to get in and for coat check longer than she performed" followed up by "and she didn't even play all of her songs!" I think people wouldn't have been as miffed had there been an opener, it was just a tad ridiculous to pay regular concert fare for 40 minutes of a concert, especially when it was clear she didn't bring her a-game, as the first half she seemed bored. And YI, we all know you have a boner for La Roux, stop covering it up . EDIT Also, not to beat a dead horse, but Wikipedia says that her album runs 46 minutes, while she played about 40 minutes. Her album is longer than the live performance. Lame.

I forgot to write this because it was really what pissed me off... but they didn't even play all of the songs off the album. They missed 3 songs. That's really the part that pissed me off. Sure, they've got one album, but she missed 3 songs off her album. That's 1/4th of the album NOT played live. Very weak showing. I'll give them another chance when they put out another album, but as someone who's been to his fair share of shows, I was not impressed. I've been to a number of big name acts before - Britney, Madonna, Justin Timberlake, Pussycat Dolls, Christina Aguilera, etc. Putting Lady Gaga into this category is misguided. Music was integral to the entire experience at her concert. I get you when you say Britney - she lip synced the entire time I saw her and it was really about the theatrics. Lady Gaga sung every song live, she interpreted it in a different way than on the album and the theatrics added to the musical experience. I've seen a shit load of bad, pop stadium shows and Lady Gaga certainly wasn't one of them. A bit over the top? Absolutely. But having seen her live, I will say that it was similar to when I saw Justin Timberlake and (lesser so) Madonna. They understood how to fine this balance between theatrics and music that worked well. Britney Spears and the Pussycat Dolls did not.

I went to see La Roux last night; she played no more than 40 minutes, there was no opener, her sound was WAY too quiet and I could hear people talking behind me during her performance, and Miss Jackson definitely lacked any stage presence at all. Seriously... I don't know if she was bored, or what. The first half of the concert she seemed bored, but she came around the second half, but given that it was a 40 minute concert, it really didn't matter. I only paid 25$ for two tickets, but seriously. I was so overly disappointed with the entire concert experience. Lost some MAJOR points in my book. People say how La Roux is way better than Lady Gaga... well, I saw Lady Gaga in concert 2 months ago and needless to say in every way comparable Lady Gaga blew her out of the water, easily.

I think that's there angle too, but I think it's kind of a irrelevant angle. People tune into the Oscars because it's the Oscars - if my favorite movie is nominated or not (it's not), I'm gonna tune in anyway and I assume that's the position of the vast majority. What's will lose ratings in the long run is damaging the prestige and specialness of your awards, which is what happens when you have too many movies being nominated. Just my opinion.

Have you ever seen the Oscars before? On the nominations... you know, there is a lot of division about 5 vs. 10 in best picture... I think it should be 5. The Oscars is about prestige and acclaim, and having 10 movies just seems to dilute significance of being nominated for best picture. And if its to make room for more mainstream friendly movies, I'm against it. The Oscars have a good track record of trying to maintain a balance between critical acclaim and broadened appeal. This isn't the People's Choice Awards (ahem, The Blind Side...), and nor is it some film publication's top movies of the year. It's the Oscars - it's a fine balance between them both.