GhostMachine

Well, I read up on Iron Chef UK, and they have a team of 2 challengers competing against the Iron Chef instead of one person? Lame. Is the Chairman on IC UK supposed to be one of Kaga's nephews, too, or did they go with non-Asian for the show?

The only way I see Jesse James standing a chance is if they give him dynamite as his special weapon or they pull some bs and give him a gatling gun. Regarding Alexander vs. Attila:

I've always thought it would make sense for there to either be a salary cap for rookies or instead of huge contracts with signing bonuses for someone unproven, a base salary with the majority of the money in the contract being tied to incentives like performance bonuses, making the Pro Bowl, etc. That way teams don't end up paying tons of money to someone who is practically committing grand theft larceny by being paid millions of dollars to suck, and someone signed in the late rounds of the draft or even signed as an undrafted free agent doesn't end up being underpaid if they turn out to be a Hall of Famer in the making from the get-go.

In case you missed me mentioning it, over at another board I go to, a poster who is over in that part of the world (Norway, I think) and whose ancestors were Vikings was surprised the Samurai didn't win by a bigger margin. When someone agrees with his ancestors getting their asses kicked, that's good enough for me. And Samurai were not reckless; they just didn't fear death, so a Viking trying to intimidate them would just get laughed at. Plus Samurai were master tacticians. When you think of tacticians, Vikings don't even enter the conversation. I'm not saying all Vikings were idiots fought like animals. I'm just saying their usual advantages would be non-existent or almost worthless vs. Samurai. A Viking trying to taunt or scare a Samurai would be Viking looking at his guts spilling on the ground a few seconds later. They're using Celts in an upcoming battle, and frankly I think Viking vs. Celt would have been a more interesting fight. Go watch the episode of the History Channel series Warriors, a series hosted by Terry Shappert, who is a former Green Beret, that they did on the Vikings. Its a much better done, more realistic series than Deadliest Warrior and actually gives you historical information as well as having experts on. That episode had me even more convinced that a Samurai would own a Viking. (There's also an episode on Samurai) Vikings would have the strength advantage, no doubt. But Samurai would have the speed advantage both in movement and weapon speed. You can't kill what you can't hit, and when you're being hit 3-4 times while you're getting one hit in....

Tito Ortiz has been arrested for beating up Jenna Jameson and she's said she will press charges. Now, I hate Tito already, but if he really did hit her, I almost hope he gets his neck snapped if he ever fights again.

And even if the Viking was using a sword or axe, they'd still probably be screwed. They tested one of those weapons (axe, I think) on a Samurai helmet, and the helmet deflected it. Might sprain the Samurai's neck if the blow was hard enough, but that would be it. I'd love it if they use Miyamoto Musashi in a future historical figure battle, but knowing them they'd give him wooden swords as his special weapon.

So.... The actress who played Juliette is on V. Someone from the show is on FlashForward, I think, but I forget who. (Don't watch it) Daniel Dae Kim (Jin) is going to be on the new version of Hawaii 5-0. So some actors from the show already have new jobs. And Cynthia Watros (Libby) is on House for a few episodes (was on last week's and will be on this week's; no idea if she'll be around after that.). Won't say what she's playing, but she's not a patient or new team member.

Is the Trigun movie a sequel to the Trigun series, a side-story that takes place during the series but between episodes (like the Cowboy Bebop movie), a prequel, or a condensed retelling of the series? Also, is the Sakura Wars movie worth tracking down?

Responding to Big Dog's post, I was in a hurry when I made mine because someone else needed the computer so I didn't have time to edit. What I meant is that Vikings were effective because they had fear and intimidation on their side - something that they would NOT have vs. Samurai, who would spit in their faces and say `BRING IT ON!'. The closest thing they had to `special forces' units would have been the Berzerkers. Berzerkers would stand absolutely NO chance against Samurai, either in a one-on-one battle, a squad battle, or a full on battlefield, because Berzerkers were all offense; they didn't defend themselves and were able to survive wounds longer than the average Viking, but a Berzerker isn't going to keep fighting after being chopped to pieces with a Katana or shot full of arrows. One on one: One thing Deadliest Warrior *may* have gotten wrong is Vikings wearing ring or chain armor; there's only one or two known examples of that type of armor being found in an excavation of Viking lands. So lets assume that metal armor was only worn by the richer Vikings or commanders and the rest wore leather armor that may have had *some* metal components, but not mail (note: Not counting helmets here, just body armor; there's no disputing Vikings wore metal helmets). That automatically gives the armor advantage to Samurai. Shields? Well, Viking shields were round and were made of wood with iron bands around them holding the whole thing together; Vikings eventually did switch to more conventional shields, but that was near the end of Vikings' existence. Those iron reinforced wooden shields would not hold up in prolonged combat, and I don't see a Viking taking down a Samurai quick, because the Samurai would have the mobility advantage (Samurai were fast and fairly agile; they'd be dodging AND getting more hits in due to their training and the speed of their weapons). Now lets assume this fight takes place in Japan, which would be most likely. The Vikings would automatically be disadvantaged because not only would the Samurai have homefield advantage, but they'd also have access to archers. Vikings DID use bows and arrows, but they were used more as hunting weapons. I wouldn't think a raid would have a lot of archers, if any. Plus Samurai would have troops on horseback, armed both with melee weapons and bows. A shield wall wouldn't last long because those iron reinforced wooden shields would be too full of arrows to be of any use, and mounted archers would probably outflank them before they could shift to defend themselves properly, anyway. In a hand to hand combat situation, I believe the Kanabo would put the shield and the arm using it out of use. If not, a Katana could probably cut through it; remember, Katanas are the sharpest swords there are, as well as one of the hardest. The most common Viking weapon was actually the spear, NOT swords or axes like you see in movies (they didn't wear helmets with horns on them, either; that's a total myth), so in a squad or battlefield situation, most of the Vikings would be screwed right there. Mainly because the spears had wooden shafts and were made to be used as hand held or ranged weapons. Can't kill someone when your weapon has been hacked to pieces, and I believe a Samurai would be too fast to be hit by a thrown spear if he saw it coming. Now, in Viking territory I'd probably give the advantage to the Vikings - because they'd have horses and maybe even archers while the Samurai likely would not. But if the fight took place in Japan or even neutral territory, it would be a massacre....by the Samurai. (Why Samurai in neutral territory? Because if you give both sides horses and archers, the Samurai would still have the cavalry advantage because they used mounted archers. Vikings did not.) Samurai vs. Vikings might as well be Samurai vs. the Minnesota Vikings! P.S. October, I'm with you regarding Atilla vs. Alexander. Plus, I think its fairly obvious that Atilla will have the ranged advantage hands down.

No, its not a movie about Mick! http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44707 - Winner of a Grindhouse-type trailer contest, being made into an actual movie! (I hope the actor playing the hobo in the trailer gets a cameo in the real film) Rutger Hauer is going to be playing the hobo, though, not the guy in the fake trailer. Guess I can throw the script for "Ninja With A Chainsaw vs. Zombie With A Rocket Launcher" in the garbage now....

If the Steelers do trade Roethlisberger, I hope its to another AFC team. I don't see why. There's a huge difference between the Eagles sending McNabb to Washington and the Steelers sending Roethlisberger to Cleveland if it happens. The Redskins are only a few players away from being a decent team, despite their owner being a moron when it comes to football, and McNabb makes them more dangerous on offense because Campbell was not very good at all. Cleveland is NOT going to be a threat to anyone in their division just by adding Roethlisberger to their roster. The Browns are a long ways off from even being decent, and unless they have one hell of a draft, they'd still finish with a losing record even if they acquired him and he wasn't suspended.

Are you insane? I could see Owens going to Cinci....maybe. But there is NO WAY IN HELL the Cowboys should ever bring him back. It wouldn't be worth the hassle - let alone the fact he now sucks as a WR - because I'm sure half the roster would hit Jones' office asking to be traded as soon as word got out. And if started that Romo-Witten conspiracy crap again, I don't think he'd make it out of the locker room alive the next time he set foot in it. Hell, I'm betting someone would start a petition to get Jones a mental evaluation to see if he has Alzheimers if he did bring T.O. back! Holmes was traded to the Jets, wasn't he?

I love the gun demos myself, but I can see why some people would find it boring.... TBH my favorite season one ep was Spetsnaz vs Green Beret. Oh, I'm calling that total bs, then. Because Was Spetsnaz vs. IRA a close fight (computer results wise and squad battle), or did the IRA get owned? Spetsnaz vs. Green Beret was my favorite episode, too, even though I had problems with it, which I've already mentioned. Samurai vs. Viking is a close second. Pirate vs. Knight may have been the most bs fight (choreography and results-wise), but I swear the new GSG9 vs. SWAT one was the most the boring. And I prefer squad battles over one on one fights most of the time.

I understand it from that point, but I honestly don't think Owens is worth the risk. Granted its hard to judge since he was playing for Buffalo last, but Owens is washed up or pretty near it. Even if he did behave, there are better WRs to be had out there. As an owner, GM or coach, I wouldn't take the risk on him unless he only caught short passes. Of course, that doesn't mean I don't want Washington to sign T.O., because I'd like Redskins fans to put up with what us Cowboys fans had to put up with. That and I'd like to see my `Skins fan father have a conniption.

I didn't watch it (because Lost was on and I didn't want to bother watching something I wouldn't be able to finish), but they ran a 90 minute special to determine the deadliest modern warrior and deadliest ancient warrior from the first season winners. They pitted the Spartan and Samurai against each other, and the Spetsnaz vs. the IRA. Both bad matchups, in my opinion, and I hope they re-run it eventually, because I want to see , since I looked up the results but they weren't detailed; just told who won, not the # of kills or anything. Deadliest Warrior is pretty entertaining, even if you realize they only take weapons into account and not other things like hand-to-hand abilities (Yakuza would have fucked up the Mafia if they did) and tactics. My one problem with the show that I find hard to overlook is the tests sometimes don't make sense. I'd rather see them do the same exact test with each side's weapons, rather than having one side use a weapon on a ballistics gel dummy with fake bones and organs inside or a hanging side of beef, then have the other side attack a dead pig or foam dummy.

Apparently Donovan McNabb is lobbying the Redskins to sign Terell Owens. So if this is true, how long before we see "Donovan McNabb committed to mental institution, likely to miss the entire 2010 NFL season" posted as a news headline?

I've thought of a few solutions for this problem: 1. The NFL and/or Rooneys spend millions, perhaps billions, of dollars to perfect cryogenics. Then they keep Roethlisberger on ice from the end of the season until training camp starts for the rest of his career. 2. Suspend him several games and tell him he's got two strikes. He gets in trouble again, he's DONE as an NFL QB. 3. Trade him to Cleveland. That way in a couple of years no one will give a fuck about him. I don't know if he actually did sell his soul to the devil, but I think the problem is that he donated his brain to science!

Ever seen footage of the game when Jose Canseco played for the Rangers and ended up pitching against the Red Sox? Twasn't pretty. (Was only a few days after the incident where a ball bounced off his head for a home run)

The problem with Knight vs. Pirate WAS Pirate winning due to a gun, when the flintlock did jack shit against armor during the testing and didn't even hit where it was aimed at and the Blunderbuss misfired the first time and only one pellet penetrated the armor the second attempt - though that second attempt would have been lethal. They should take misfires and problems in testing into account for the simulated battles. Worst fight in the show's history, because the Knight came off like an idiot (if the Knight had picked the shield back up and put his visor down, the Pirate would have been chum!) and the ending was too contrived. They could have at least made it seem like the Knight was going to win, standing over a downed Pirate and about to run him through, only for the Pirate to grab a Blunderbuss and blast the Knight. That would have made a LOT more sense than a flintlock to the face after too much crawling around to be believable. The flintlock was the worst weapon tested in that episode, and the morning star is arguably the best hand to hand weapon they've had on the series yet. I agree with most of your picks, except I think it'll be Al Capone over Jesse James and Sun Tzu over Vlad the Impaler, while Alexander vs. Atilla could go either way, but I think Atilla will win due to having the ranged advantage. Al Capone due to one weapon; the Tommy Gun. No real reason for the other pick, except if they had fought in real life, Sun Tzu would have kicked Vlad's ass. Sun Tzu literally wrote the book on war, and Vlad did get get defeated a few times.

Season 5 episode 1 aired here on BBC America tonight, and I thought it was pretty good. Do not care for the new version of the theme or the new opening title sequence, but I do like the new logo. (I'm assuming that was the regular new opening, and they didn't just do that bit with the TARDIS being hit what looked like lightning then spinning out of control before travelling on for just that episode?) I like Matt Smith already, but obviously since its his first episode as the Doctor and the Doctor is always screwy for a while after regenerating, I can't judge him fully just yet. And I have a thing for redheads, so Karen Gillan is a definite thumbs up. The new TARDIS control room is a definite improvement, but I don't like the fact the TARDIS key looks like an ordinary key. So the new sonic screwdriver has a green light instead of a blue one? Or was the coloring off on my tv? Not too thrilled about the Daleks episode (I think they've been overused in the series), but am looking forward to the vampires and Weeping Angels episodes.

Roethlisberger is an unfortunate combination of immature and stupid. Do I think the Steelers will get rid of him? It depends. I don't know if they'd be willing to release him outright if they can't find a team willing to make a trade. Do I want the Steelers to release him? NO! Because he might end up with a team I actually like! But I do think he should be punished somehow, and it doesn't matter whether its by the Commissioner or by the team. I think suspending him anywhere from half a season to a full season - without pay - would be a good idea, not just because of the situation right now but because of past behavior. Roethlisberger needs to get a clue and stop behaving like an idiot during the offseason. Dude needs to grow up!

Deadliest Warrior season 2 starts April 20th, and all the match-ups have been announced. The season premiere will be SWAT vs. GSG 9. Unfortunately, they're doing more historical figure matchups, and some of them seem to be forgone conclusions: Attila the Hun vs. Alexander the Great Jesse James vs. Al Capone (seriously?! It'll be Capone winning by Tommy Gun, I bet) Vlad the Impaler vs. Sun Tzu (Sun Tzu literally wrote the book on war, so I can't see any way they can justify it if he loses) The other matchups will be: Aztec Jaguar vs. Zande Warrior Persian Immortal vs. Celt Roman Centurion vs. Rajput Somali Pirates vs. Medellin Cartel * Nazi SS vs. Viet Cong * KGB vs. CIA (no idea if it'll be one on one or a squad battle) Ming Warrior vs. Musketeer Commanche vs. Mongol Navy SEALs vs. Israeli Commandos If they do a season 3, I'd like to see Miyamoto Musashi, Alaric I and Robert The Bruce used. *Two battles that I hope end up with no winning side, everyone dead. Oh, and if the first season aired in the U.K., I'm betting they didn't air Taliban vs. IRA?

COWBOYS! I also like the Titans (and no, it isn't a Tennessee thing; I liked them when they were the Houston Oilers), Bears and Colts. But I only give a damn about the Colts as long as Peyton Manning is their starting QB.

So if the island was the Matrix, I guess that means Desmond would be Neo, huh?