CATTERPILLARBOY (I HATE IT HERE)

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

“On the day the storm has just begun, I will still hope there are better days to come”.

Further thoughts on VNV Nation’s new album, Of Faith, Power & Glory

 ‘Pro Victoria’- The obligatory instrumental opener…

 SENTINAL is just totally awesome, an automatic favourite and continues the tradition of strong opening tracks on their albums…

 ‘Tomorrow Never Comes’ has a total Robert Miles/Trance vibe to it…

 ‘The Great Divide’- totally rockin’ with beautiful new wave synths…

 ‘Ghost’- quiet, moody…

 ‘Art of Conflict’- Bring on those ultra heavy beats!

 ‘In Defiance’- Very single friendly…almost so that it kinda sticks
out, but dammit, it’s so danceable…

 ‘Vernum Aeturnus’- Here’s that almost patented slowish beginning
then revving up the beats thing midway that VNV does so well…

 ‘From My Hands’- I can easily imagine Tori Amos covering this song and doing very good job…hush now…

 ‘Where there is Light’- While not as strong a closer as ‘Perpetual’, the powerful ‘As it Fades’ or my favourite ‘Arclight’, it is still very effective…can you see the light?

Overall: A very strong album, very cohesive in that you can listen to it end to end as one product and not notice the breaks. But the parts work by themselves very well as well. I really think this is their best album to come out since I began listening to them (post Futureperfect era…Empires is still a personal favourite and I think the PastPerfect is the project I enjoyed the most from them).

Rating: A+

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

VNV NATION- OF FAITH, POWER AND GLORY: “I will still hope there are better days to come”.

Excuse me for being such a fanboy- THIS IS A COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY AWESOME ALBUM.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

STILL NO NEW TALE TO TELL AT THE MOMENT

But I just have to report that they have built a life sized Gundam in Japan (see http://punynari.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/assembled-rx78-gundam-part-2/ for more information and some truly awesome pictures).

Part of the “Mobile Suit Gundam 30th Anniversary Project,” the structure in Odaiba’s Shiokaze Park will stay up for only two months and be built from fiberglass-reinforced plastic over a steel frame and coated in a layer of awesomeness. Fifty points on the Gundam statue will emit light, and mist will shoot out of 14 different points on the statue. The 1/1 scale Gundam will boast a moveable head.

THIS IS JUST COMPLETELY AND TOTALLY AWESOME.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

STILL NO NEW TALE TO TELL AT THE MOMENT

HOWEVER: I finally saw the new Star Trek.

Some points to ponder (or as we are discussing Trek, maybe nit-pick):

1) It was distracting to see the Oviatt Library at CSUN as Starfleet Academy as it took me out of the picture whenever they showed it. It’s cool to tell people that I graduated from Starfleet Academy though
2) The way they let Nero and the Nerada die. Just because they don’t want your help doesn’t mean you should unleash all your weapons on an already dying ship. It makes me think that this new alternate universe may be the Mirror-Universe instead
3) JUST HOW BIG IS THE NEW ENTERPRISE ANYWAY!? The bridge and hallways are cramped and crowded but as soon as we get to engineering the ship becomes a TARDIS
4) Speaking of engineering, this new Enterprise is powered by beer
5) While I like the pairing of Uhura/Spock, I found it odd that Spock had no qualms about PDA
6) The Klingons were conspicuous by their absence
7) Rachel Nichols is just too totally awesome
8) It was nice to see Winona Ryder again- while I was never a fan of Heathers, I did watch Edward Scissorhands and Beetlejuice over and over again in high school/college
9) The opening with Kirk, Sr. saving the Kelvin was just totally awesome
10) On the other hand, that Beastie Boys sequence was just awful and very painful to watch

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

NO NEW TALE TO TELL AT THE MOMENT.

Quick Points:

Birthday Massacre was almost a month ago now…it was a pretty awesome show and I got to meet Chibi who just seemed happy to be there. She is also very short and is ‘very soft’…

The VNV Nation box set ‘Reformation’ is a decent set…although the live stuff varies in audio quality, the remixes were kinda bleah and the unreleased songs need a few more listens. But it sort of works very well if you think of the set as a time capsule of the band’s last few years. Definitely a good warm up to the new album…

I haven’t seen the ocean, Pacific or otherwise, in almost four years…
Have lost touch of everyone I knew or called a friend from California that I am not related to. Not sure if there’s anyone in Texas I’d really refer to as a friend…

Why have I never heard of Sasha Grey until now?!

No new CHUCK until March of 2010?! WTF!

I still haven’t seen the new Star Trek movie…I guess I’ll just have to wait till it comes to DVD. Holly hates going to see movies in the theaters and I hate seeing movies in theaters alone…and I hate not being able to see movies during their opening weekend because everyone spoils it for everybody else after that first weekend…


Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

TOTALLY AWESOME

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

On happier notes, kindly please check out http://www.wired.co.uk/wired-magazine/archive/2009/01/start/column---warren-ellis.aspx?p=3 wherein Warren Ellis begins his new column for the UK version of Wired Magazine and erases any doubt that he was Spider Jerusalem to begin with.
Quotes of the day:

“This is the problem with writing fiction in the early 21st century: the real world outdoes you for madness every day”.

"I’m a writer of fiction struggling with a world that’s getting stranger faster than I can make strange sh*t up."

Totally Awesome.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

April 14, 2009

To: Betty Brown


Dear Ms. Brown:

I am writing to you regarding your recent comments concerning Asian American names such as:

“Rather than everyone here having to learn Chinese — I understand it’s a rather difficult language — do you think that it would behoove you and your citizens to adopt a name that we could deal with more readily here?”

And:

“Can’t you see that this is something that would make it a lot easier for you and the people who are poll workers if you could adopt a name just for identification purposes that’s easier for Americans to deal with?”

I would really like to just make joking remarks or even make mean spirited ones, but as you have already been the butt of many jokes and have probably been called every name in the book, I will refrain from doing so as you are a government official and deserve some modicum of respect.

I am a resident of the great State of Texas who moved here in approximately four years ago from the equally great State of California. In my time so far in Texas, specifically Austin, I have not experienced the same deal of ethnic diversity I was used to in Southern California. That is not to say that, for the most part, I have been treated by other Texans differently due to the colour of my skin and my almond shaped eyes. My experience in Texas has shown me a new unique side of these United States and gave me a greater appreciation for this nation as a whole.

Texans, a group notoriously known for their belief in a bland world, have treated me as just another person and judged me on the quality of my work and my quality as a person. Your comments have disappointed me and made me realize yet again that we, as Texans as well as Americans have a long way to go.

As a Filipino American, my name is more ‘acceptable’, as you would put it, than those of other Asian Americans but there are still times where people greet me with ‘ching-chong’ noises, kung-fu poses or any other stereotypical reactions that reaffirm that I will always be different from you.

You have stated that you meant no harm or racism in your statements and I accept that. But in the days that followed, I saw that you have chosen to withdraw from this matter than accept it as an opportunity to be involved in dialogue and/or any other action that would help the matter of race relations in this country.
It is not too late to be more involved and show Texans like myself that our representatives are something more than just evolution-fearing republicans that just want things just to remain bland and are those that realize that Asian Americans are not just ‘other people’s citizens’, we are your citizens as well.

Thank you for your time.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

Still here and still in full on geek mode…

All this talking to Star Trek lately just made me forget my other favourite sci-fi franchise: THE MATRIX*. Can you believe it has already been ten freaking years since the original came out? That there are tweens out there who weren’t even born when it came out is proof that pretty soon I’ll be, thankfully, dead.

Yeah- people bash the sequels, but you know what- having recently watched the trilogy again, I’d love to see more from the franchise.
And since I’m still on still in full on geek mode here’s how I’d like to see them:

THE MATRIX- REBUILT: The Agent Smith Movie…nuff said- written & directed by the Wachowski Brothers (as I see it, this would either be the Trilogy as seen through the eyes of Agent Smith and/or a pro-machines tale).

THE MATRIX- RECREATIONS OF REALITY: Thankfully, I think the prequel craze has died down (now we’re just in remake/reboot mania) but the character of Seraph was an Agent in one of the earlier incarnations of the Matrix. I love to see his rise and fall as one of the original Agents, his exile, his time with the Merovingian, how he lost his wings, how he beat Agent Smith and how he eventually came to work with the Oracle…story by the Wachowski Brothers, screenplay & direction by Tsui Hark.

THE MATRIX- SENT TO DESTROY: A pure no-holds-barred (and short- no longer than 70 minutes) fight movie full of kung-fu, gun-fu and bullet time. Plot- what plot? All right- set during the timeline of the original movies, it’ll be a chase movie of a bunch of red pills trying to get something, getting that thing and trying to get that thing somewhere all the while evading Agents, blue pill pawns, Sentinels and whatever else I decide to throw at them including but not limited to 10,000 bullets flying everywhere all at once…Mostly set in the Matrix, I’ll write the screenplay while Yuen Wo Ping handles the direction.

THE ANIMATRIX RELOADED: A series of nine animated shorts detailing the history of humanity and the machines 10 years, 100 years and 1000 years into the future following the events of the Matrix: Revolutions.

*Yeah, I like Star Wars/LOTR as well- but I still hold the Matrix as the best Sci-Fi movie trilogy of the last ten to fifteen years…

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

I am a geek and I have been one since before it became a pop fad.

But if you know me you already knew I am a geek…why else would I be talking about Star Trek? I, however, am not a Trekkie/Trekker (and really- I never want to be one). I don’t speak the Klingon language or know minutiae about obscure episodes or know specifics about the various technobabble and, to date, I have not seen any episode of the animated series. I have seen approximately 75% of the live action shows and movies (missing only the first two seasons of ENT, the 40 mediocre/bad episodes of TOS, the first season or so of TNG and most of seasons 1,2, 6 & 7 of VOY; I have seen all of DS9).

I originally started watching Trek around the second season of TNG, but never religiously watching it week after week. By 1993 or so, they had syndicated TNG to run daily and that’s when I started to watch more and more and became interested enough to learn more about the franchise. And then DS9, VOY and eventually ENT came about and I saw episodes of all of them here and there while they aired (it was never ‘must see’ TV for me and while I caught all of the relevant episodes by chance, it was not until the advent of DVD season sets that I saw the majority of Trek).

But Trek always stuck in my mind for some reason. I raise a single eyebrow in silent astonishment like Spock every now and then, wonder how transporters work (apparently by swirling golden flakes in water), marveled at the Klingon honor system (and know if an episode was about Klingons and written by Ron Moore, we’d be in for a treat), asked what exactly was a ‘warp field’ and was just puzzled at the scale of things in that universe (just how big were the Enterprise and DS9?). Plus the good episodes of Trek were always VERY GOOD.

And yes- I want to boldly go where no one had gone before. That spirit of exploration always interested and intrigued me and one thing I liked about Trek was that the spirit of exploration was not just to places out there but to places within yourself (as irritating as the character of Q was, he said it best at the end of the TNG finale).

Obviously my favourite incarnation is DS9 with the various takes on religion, war, terrorism and the theme of the consequence of your actions (and a supporting cast as great as the regular cast). Despite a weak first season (although it had the totally awesome pilot) the show just kept getting stronger season after season.

TNG was the closest we saw to the ‘perfect future’ that Roddenberry envisioned for us Terrans and they did it mostly without being cheap and preachy like VOY was. Best finale of all the TV shows and a shame it is not hailed as classic like TOS is (probably because 90% of the first two seasons were CRAP).

VOY just tried to hard and failed so much of the time (and ended up as nothing more that a carbon copy of TNG). But there were gems in the rough (I keep thinking of that two parter where they ended up in 1996 as well as that episode with EMH Mark 2). EMH Mark 1- is also the best ‘doctor’ character of all Trek.

ENT, meanwhile started out like a carbon copy of VOY but they eventually tried to be something different with a season long storyline- where the idealistic and optimistic Captain became a Jack Bauer clone and showed the beginning of his progress to recovery in the totally awesome fourth season (minus that weak, weak, weak series/franchise finale of course). Killed too soon, but that fourth season is a personal fave of mine (and like DS9 had great supporting characters like Shran; oh- and by the way, Hoshi can be my Empress any day).

TOS- the classic episodes are rightfully so, but the 40 mediocre/bad episodes were just plain forgettable.

MOVIES- Well, the first one sucked, but I can find something to like in all of the others even the much maligned even numbered ones. The Undiscovered Country is my personal favourite. The only movies I saw in theaters were VIII & IX. I love that during VIII when the Vulcans revealed their ears at the end the entire theatre gasped in astonishment (while I do not classify myself as a Trekkie/Trekker, I knew enough of Trek history to know they were coming).

THE UPCOMING MOVIE- yes, I am psyched about it. But I cannot help but be a little cautious about it. I mean, it’s written by a couple of dudes who wrote some good episodes of Alias at best, but they wrote Bumblebee ‘leaking’ onto a Government Agent in the Transformers movie. Plus I hear rumblings of young Jim Kirk stumbling around the Enterprise with an oversized hand and that scene in the trailer had the tween version yell his name out loud for no reason other than to make the audience cringe.
Plus the movie is getting marketed towards hipsters, is a prequel/reboot (preboot?) and involves time travel (an overused concept in Trek). We all know it’s going to be a movie with big explosions and maybe facing one’s destiny but it probably won’t be thought provoking (like the Cold War analogy of ST-VI, the theme of facing the fact that your best days are gone in ST-II, the survivor’s guilt of Picard in ST-VIII and not to mention the social relevance brought on in the various episodes of the various shows). As much as we geeks don’t want it to, the advertising will be accurate- this is not and will not be, the Star Trek that got us to like Star Trek in the first place.

We probably won’t get a new TV show out of the new movie, but I’m okay with that- I still have lots of Trek to go through and for that I’m happy. I just hope that eventually we do get a return to TV for the franchise because that is where it belongs in the first place.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

By the 24th (or is it the 23rd?) century, after California apparently suffers a devastating earthquake, what used to be found in the North-East corner of Los Angeles (the city of Northridge) gets relocated to NoCal as the mighty Oviatt Library of California State University Northridge becomes part of Star Fleet Academy as seen in this still from the upcoming Star Trek reboot/prequel/sequel.

It’s always a kick to see CSUN on film, where I went to school. It reminds me of simpler days, when the problems of today seem so gigantic compared to those from the days of yore. Sure- I was poorer, and the living conditions were much more ‘compact’ as I lived in a one bedroom filled with boxes and about ten square feet of available living space. I still live with boxes but now I have about eleven square feet of available living space. But the living back then was much more streamlined, less complex and way much less personal drama.

But things have changed and so have I. So what if I am not the same person I was four years ago, nine years ago? Like you are the same as when I first met you.

The future sucks- there are no jetpacks, no flying cars and everything you do, no matter how hard you try and want it to be different just turns to shite. You think I just being selfish and yes that’s true but that does not mean I am trying to be who you want me to be.

Yes, karma is a bitch, but why is it that for every single good thing there has to be seven or eight crappy things that happen to me. Every time I get a good thought or thing that things might be looking up, there’s at least 48 hours of suffering that’s subjected to me. I fear that pretty soon there’ll be nothing to me but anger and hate.

Anger that no matter how hard I try my life is just nothing like how I want it to be and hate because it is my entire fault.

This is not a cry for help, this is me just complaining out loud because I am weak and this is all I can do to cry into the wind. Hell, this was just me originally saying how cool it is to see where I went to school featured in a Star Trek film.

But look- that school is about to be destroyed- just like everything that has ever made me crack a smile.

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

I AM NOT REALLY MUCH OF ANYTHING: Because everything that is wrong in this wretched world is my fault.

(yes- this is just me moaning and complaining about life in general; my life is light years better than it has any right to be [for example: I live with a beautiful and patient woman] and I could stand to improve more as a person [i.e.: more patience and definitely more thinking before acting/speaking]; however frustration at everything in general leads to this tirade)

But it is true- I am not much of anything…

I previously reported at http://catterpillarboy.livejournal.com/35703.html (amongst other places) the things that I am happy and grateful for but why don’t we get a list going of things that I can live without and/or just annoy me?

1) DRAMA- Why can’t I live a life without any drama? You know the kind: family issues, relationship issues, work issues- why can’t life be just SIMPLE?
2) POWER- Why do I not have the power to just THINK anything/anyone I don’t like out of existence?
3) FINANCIAL FREEDOM- The fact that the vast majority of humanity has to work for a living and not work for fun is proof that we are no better off that we were several hundred thousand years ago…homo habilis had it better
4) PATIENCE- Why can’t I just get what I want when I want it?
5) LUST- The kind that makes we which I was born castrated
6) WANT- The Buddha was right
7) EXISTENCE- Because life is suffering and suffering is life
8) DIABETES- Why do I have to give my big, fat, adorable cat insulin shots twice a day? Why can’t he just be happily healthy and live forever?
9) CAT FUR- Why does it get on everything I wear?
10) CAT CRAP- Dear Vishnu- why does it smell so bad!?
11) MY PARENTS- JUST LEAVE ME ALONE ALREADY!?
12) HOLLY- Sorry I’m not FCUKING perfect!!!
13) HATE- Because it is out there…
14) ANGER- Because it makes me evil when I don’t get to vent properly and no one thinks I could ever get angry when all I want sometimes is to just SMASH
15) THE INTERNET- Because my home connection is so slow and I am paranoid about internet security
16) MY MAC- Because it’s operating system is out of date and it’ll cost an arm, a leg and then another person’s arm to upgrade it
17) CABLE TV- Really? Several hundred channels and nothing’s on?!
18) ME
19) VNV NATION- Just start to suck already! Same goes to the Birthday Massacre and every other band I enjoy listening to…the Cure? They already suck
20) MY CAR- Amongst other things, the transmissions gives a nasty JUMP when it goes from park to reverse, there’s no working radio and the AC is busted but I can’t fix it because no one works with Freon anymore
21) EVIL- I’ve witnessed beaten wives, neglected children and abandoned pets…and then are those to are willing to screw everyone and anyone just to make a couple of extra dollars (people who initiate or are involved in Ponzi schemes must be gassed veeeeerrrrryyyyyyy slowly…)
22) THE LAWN- I just hate mowing the lawn…
23) DUST- Dammit! Although I’m not allergic to it, it just annoys me when it settles like five minutes after I dusted something
24) SUMMER- It is either 100 degrees, hellishly humid or both in Texas…oh and summer here begins in March and ends the first or second week of December…by the way remember when I said my car’s AC is busted?
25) AMBITION- I want to be and do so many different things…
26) THE BEACH- why is it so far away?
27) SPELLCHECK- because it points out my flaws
28) ANGIE TILGHMAN- Because you taint my memories of high school, although granted, my memories of high school weren’t great to begin with…you still suck!
29) LEILA TILGHMAN- For being such a good friend
30) TO ALL THE GIRLS I’VE LOVED BEFORE- You all suck!
31) GETTING OVER IT- Because if some people can’t, I guess I won’t as well
32) THE GOOD OLD DAYS- Because it just shows how crappy my life is nowadays
33) AUSTIN, TX- I’ve never seen a more pretentious city in my life and I lived in Los Angeles
34) ME- But I’ve said that already
35) ENDLESS REMAKES- But at least maybe we’ll get a special edition of the Neverending Story out of it…
36) THE HYPE- Why do I always fall for the hype?
37) YOUTH- I’m not it anymore
38) COOKING- Why does it take forever to make and so fast to eat…also why is it what I make is nowhere as good as what THEY make?
39) MEAT- Because I am now vegetarian and because you to hurt something to get it
40) ANIMAL ABUSERS- Your kind just sickens me…
41) CHASTITY BALLS- you know, the kind were parents throw mock-proms for their tweens so they swear they won’t have sex as teens
42) VIDEO GAMES- for being so expensive and because I’m no good at them…
43) POLITICS- Because the Republicans just want Obama to lose so badly and because we went to war for all the wrong reasons
44) TRYING TO BE A NICE GUY- Because it gets you nowhere and you see jerks get all the chicks and all of the fun
45) THE RAIN- for making it so hard to drive in
46) ANYONE WHO’S EVER BEEN A TEASE
47) THAT KID WHO STARTED THE NO-CUSSING CLUB
48) ANYONE WHO DISMISSES EVOLUTION AND FORCES INTELLIGENT DESIGN ON OTHER PEOPLE’S KIDS
49) YOU
50) …hoping that it will all get better someday…

51) BUT WAIT, THERE’S MORE! But I’ve run out of patience to rant about it anymore…

Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

RE: “I do believe that I successfully killed myself the other day only that I didn’t notice except for the fact that I seem to be now and will forever be in hell for all the unforgivable things I did while I was still alive.”
I’m only moaning and complaining about everything in general.

Like for example- The Birthday Massacre are doing tour to promote their DVD but are skipping Central Texas, only playing Dallas on May 01, 2009. Well- fine, because they have a new album coming out this year and will be doing a bigger tour to promote that.

Then- there’s Depeche Mode, also skipping Central Texas playing Dallas on August 29, 2009 and Houston on August 30, 2009. They played San Antonio in 2005 and it was the best DM show I ever been to…

So much for living in the ‘live music capitol of the world’, huh? Yeah, SXSW is coming up soon- but like anyone worthwhile is coming.


Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

I do believe that I successfully killed myself the other day only that I didn’t notice except for the fact that I seem to be now and will forever be in hell for all the unforgivable things I did while I was still alive.

Have a nice day.


Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

MUSIC REVIEW: Combichrist- Today We Are All Demons. WOW- this is a frakking (or fcuking) good CD. I have enjoyed the other Combichrist albums and EP’s but those songs do tend to mash into one song. One REALLY good song- but one wonders if this Mad Norwegian is just a Mad Recycler. Well- wonder no longer.

While the Combichrist signature sound is present (and utilized to get your and everybody else’s’ body beat), this album presents a clear evolution and as Darwin (and God) taught us all evolution is a very good thing. The album really seems to achieve the notion of ‘Techno Body Beat’ music especially with the opening track “All Pain Is Gone”- with beautiful synths accompanied by beats that bash your brains in.

The CD literally made my ears bleed as I had to listen to it on headphones and the volume just kept going up no matter how hard I tried to protect my delicate hearing. I think my eardrums still hurt. The only thing I found weird was the title track- which is a slow, ballad type song that just seems out of place.

A perfect album for those crappy days when nothing seems to go your way, when birds defecate on you, dogs chase you and you find that both your wallet and fridge are empty. The album perks you up and makes you want to hit everything in sight. A+

KILL THE AIRBENDER ALREADY: Hey- they have now added ONE Asian guy to the cast. Actually I have to give them kudos in doing so, as the character of Zuko is the one main character that needed to NOT be whitewashed (although one has to wonder if they bowed down to all of the letter writing regarding the whitewashing; the person originally picked to play Zuko all of a sudden not being available to participate and replaced by someone from a flavour-of-the-week movie, Slumdog Millionaire). I’m okay with Aang, Katara and Sokka being portrayed by Caucasians as I found them race neutral skin-colorwise (by the way- Race Neutral does not mean it should have defaulted to white), but Zuko was so down with the brown (it would have been so cool if he were Pinoy like the toon’s voice actor but I’m cool with Desi). But the other character whose was voiced by a Filipino but has also been whitewashed, Suki? It looks as if her character gets a bigger role in the movie than in the toon (Jennie Kwan is as much a fob as I am…she chose the stage name of Kwan as apparently no one believed that a person by the name of Jennifer Trinidad Fernando could ever be Asian).

All said- I still have no interest in paying good money to see the live action version of this show.

GENE GENERATION: I finally saw this after hearing about this movie for quite a while now. It was advertised as one of those post-Matrix, Matrix type movies but the draw (for me) was that the music by Ronan Harris (score) and Combichrist (songs) featured in it. In the end, Ronan Harris got an ‘Additional Music’ credit although I don’t think any of the music he composed actually got used and some Combichrist songs were used here and there. The movie itself was very frustrating as the story had so much potential to be good but it seemed they did everything to make sure that everything stunk. To be fair, it did look as if the movie got stolen from the director as the deleted “Alternate Opening” scene was so much better than what was used in the movie, so I will be curious as to what a Director’s Cut looks like (apparently 45 minutes were lost in the cut we have now). But for now- F+

24 POWER HOUR- 1pm-2pm: ADRENALIN SHOT TO THE HEART! That’s just awesome. And now Agent Walker is now ZOMBIE AGENT WALKER! Just in time to hang out with Zombie Almieda- who just might revert to the Dark Side once the ‘innocent’ are no longer in danger…I also like the body count of seemingly significant characters- with Methos shot in the neck, Carly Pope unceremoniously stabbed and the evil Agent Pierce, Jr. done in by weak man…I love that no one is safe in this show….B+

24 POWER HOUR- 2pm-3pm: So how do you clean up all of those bits of Phlox off the walls? B+

24 POWER HOUR- 3pm-4pm: Apparently for Agent Walker, the sun will come out…tomorrow. Seriously that sequence where they use that guy’s family to get information was just classic 24. A+



Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

KUNG HEI FAT CHOI! Happy Chinese New Year to all of you who celebrate this holiday! I for one will be having some dim sum and will be kicking back and watching some of my beloved HK Action Flicks…

KILL THE AIRBENDER ALREADY:

From http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1602757/story.jhtml comes this thing: Due in theaters in summer 2010, "Airbender" has already begun to face a bit of controversy over the casting of white actors like Rathbone, Ringer and McCartney to play Asian characters — a concern the actor was quick to dismiss. "I think it's one of those things where I pull my hair up, shave the sides, and I definitely need a tan," he said of the transformation he'll go through to look more like Sokka. "It's one of those things where, hopefully, the audience will suspend disbelief a little bit."

Yes- and Mickey Rooney portrayed a Japanese-American very authentically and was in no way at all offensive. Actually I now find everything about the live action Avatar: The Last Airbender movie now very offensive and have no respect for M. Night anymore and that Rathbone guy needs to have his head checked, not shaved…FRAKKER.

I LIKE COMIC BOOKS: And I really do prefer them the way I read them growing up…in 22 page installments that come out monthly and written in a way that it does not matter if the story is a standalone tale or part of a multi-generation epic, I can still come in and enjoy it (Runaways when BKV wrote it was like this and so are the new Street Fighter books and Buffy Season 8). As I have lamented before- with books now four bucks a pop, I will soon have to quit monthly comics and just wait for the trade.

All this regurgitation of stuff I’ve talked about before and am currently talking about again stems from an article I read at http://blog.newsarama.com/2009/01/23/a-comic-book-ill-miss-reading-as-a-comic-book-if-and-when-they-stop-making-comic-books-as-comic-books/. And I point the article out because a large chunk of it praises a book I have very much enjoyed in its three 22 page installments, Johnny Hiro from Adhouse Books (http://www.adhousebooks.com/comics/jhiro1.html; and yes I also plug the book because its writer/artist Fred Chao kindly mentioned this blog’s predecessor in the book).

Yeah- there’s a trade coming, but pick up the individual issues if you can find them…they’re not the old comics of your youth that you can roll up in you back pocket, mostly because the cardstock cover makes it kinda difficult, but they exhibit a sense of carefree fun and wonder not seen in many of today’s comics. That and I really wished growing up that my mom had piloted the left arm of a giant robot…
BY THE WAY: Speaking of adventures that I really, really, really enjoy in 22 page installments- why the hell does Austin Books & Comics not carry the latest Blue Monday? DAMMIT!

24 POWER HOUR REVIEW- 1pm-2pm: Forthcoming…




Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

THIS IS OBVIOUSLY GOOD NEWS:

Of Faith, Power and Glory

VNV NATION mentioned on the bands myspace blog that a new album is forthcoming. Ronan confirmed to Side-Line Magazine that they're aiming for May 2009 with the album which will be titled "Of Faith, Power and Glory" or as Harris puts it: "The 3 things that people desire and which can make you or destroy you!"

I really cannot wait and I really hope they play Austin this time around…

24 POWER HOUR!

After being on hiatus since May of 2007 (with a brief visit in November of 2008) Jack Bauer returns to our televisions sets to see if he is still relevant. Now- 24 is one of my favourite shows (and the show that got me watching TV regularly again [last show I watched regularly was the 2nd to 5th seasons of the X-Files] and got me addicted to DVD sets of TV shows), but like the aforementioned X-Files is very much a symbol of the Clinton 90’s, 24 (along with MI-5/Spooks, Alias, Sleeper Cell, etc) will forever be reminiscent of the Bush/ Post 9-11 Era.

So it is appropriate that the show begins in the last week of said Bush Era and begins with an apology of being of the Bush Era (with Jack in a Senate hearing for all the torture he caused in pursuit of the bad guys).
I really hope this show is in its last season (because after it’s done, we’ll have a full week) and so it can retire while still in our good graces. By the way- having never been to Washington DC, are the city’s landmarks that easily seen no matter where you are? This happens in Bones too- I wonder if both shows overlap their shooting locations in Los Angeles (and if the X-Files’ FBI sets are reused).

So far the opening episodes also show how much of a prequel the TV movie in set in Africa was and I think the TV movie will soon need rewatching just to see how many clues were laid down for the overall plot (that said- here’s hoping that we have shorter story arcs this season).

But in the meanwhile:

HIGHLIGHTS AND THOUGHTS:

8am-9am: Pholx is in trouble! Will Kurtwood Smith call Jack a dumbass? “So, how far do you want me to go?” “Do whatever it takes.” SO HAVE A PEN TO YOUR EYE! Sniper Death! Is the FBI’s Renee Walker in any way related to Chuck’s Sarah Walker? Does the absence of Tony Almeida’s beloved Cubs Mug mean this is a darker, meaner Tony Almeida? Janeane Garafalo is back (it’s great just to see her in anything- I hope she sticks around for at least half a day but I’m doubtful- the celebrity cast member is always first to go...)

9am-10am: So, please tell me the bad guys didn’t get their evil ideas after watching Die Hard 2: Die Harder. Is Jack a bad influence on Agent Walker? Yup- but I am starting to like Agent Walker. Is the First Gentleman storyline already boring? Yup- but there is always someone with family issues in this show- is it cliché yet to say the President’s son was taken down by the very same cougar that stalked Kim in season 2? If everyone who used to live in LA is now in DC, why not the cougar (by the way, why can I not say cougar anymore without thinking of hot older women)? JACK VS TONY! Hmm…I thought Tony would stay on the run for a while longer…The first utterances of DAMMIT are uttered (and surprisingly, Jack looked hurt when Agent Walker said it first). And of course- there is a mole in the FBI…

10am-11am: WOW-now this is classic 24! I figured out DEEP SKY was a phone number before Jack did- but it’s not the same number as the Fan Phone…It’s creepy how Jack says “We’re running out of time” in a very calm manner. CHLOE IS BACK! Agent Moss gets a well deserved hit to the face! The brief return of the Jack Sack! CTU CLASS REUNION! Chloe vs. Garafalo! DAMMITS ALL OVER THE PLACE! Car smashing out of a parking lot- from the second floor! A great end to the first story arc by Manny Coto and Brannon Braga- one wonders how great Enterprise could have been if that show had continued…By the way- why is it that this TV Show is only entertainment from the West that can mimic John Woo styled gunplay correctly (save of course from Mr. Woo’s American made movies and maybe the Matrix Trilogy)? Everyone likes to say that their show/movie contains John Woo type gunplay (like the movie Wanted) but they all do it wrong. But 24 gets it right with great fight choreography, all the sliding, unnecessary jumping here and there while firing rounds and of course, the unlimited amount of ammunition unless the script says otherwise…

11am-12pm: The ‘torturing’ temptations of Agent Walker. Hillinger- red herring or truly evil? That one guy who is always the main henchman to evil dudes is now THE main evil dude! Secret Agent Pierce, Jr. - is he evil too? Where is Buchanan’s wife? Undercover Jack- so with moles, conspiracies, boring treads involving a character’s family, hidden agendas in the Presidential Circle and a threat to the United States now in place, all of the show’s clichés are now in place…all we need now is the unbearably hot Mia Kirshner…

12pm-1pm: BURIED ALIVE! Agent Pierce, Jr. is totally evil! Hillinger is boinking that hottie Erika! All bets now on Erika as the Mole! Carly Pope is nowhere as unbearably hot as Mia Kirshner! The Sangalan Dude’s wife gives in as soon as things (literally) begin to smell bad!

TO BE CONTINUED…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…tick…

THE WORLD OUTSIDE THE CTU:

JUMP THE SHARK: Jackie Chan is Mr. Miyagi in the Karate Kid rehash (not to mention that movie where he is some sort of babysitter that gets into all kinds of trouble) – well, at least there’s the new edition of Police Story 3 to let us remember the good times and hopefully Shinjuku Incident would make us forget of some of his crappier recent releases…

KILL THE AIRBENDER ALREADY: A quick look on the web shows that I am not alone in hating that the Avatar: The Last Airbender live action movie contains a completely whitewashed cast. What also irks me is that at least some of the stunt doubles will inevitably of the slanty eyed variety. Count this fan of the franchise as given up on the movie unless some changes are made (no, taping their eyes back won’t do it and they all don’t have to be Asian but please add a decent amount of racial variety into the mix) or I see the movie in the $5.00 in at Wal-Mart.

REALLY- THAT IS SO NINETIES: Someone referred to be as being ‘alternative’ the other day when describing me to her sister. REALLY!? No one has referred to as ‘alternative’ since about 1994 which is probably before this person’s sister was born…

QUICK THOUGHTS ON THE INAUGURATION: Michelle Obama reminded me of Corazon Aquino, if only because of all that yellow she was wearing…if Ms. Obama becomes half as inspiring as Ms. Aquino was before she became President, I’d be impressed. While Ms. Aquino’s presidency was forgettable, her journey there including not limited to the strength she displayed following her husband’s assignation and her part in taking down the Marcos dictatorship really is one for the history books…







Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.

Once upon a time in the not-too-distant future (in distant days longing to sense it all so clear):

THE BIRTHDAY MASSACRE just confirmed that that this year should bring a live CD/DVD and a new album…while I now have something to look forward to this year, forgive me I sound skeptical until I see it up for pre-order. On that note, the Gene Generation finally comes out on DVD on January 27, 2008- I heard the movie sucks but we’ve have not had a movie like this since the Matrix movies; yeah there’s the Underworld movies but as the music for the first two movies sucked, they really shouldn’t count (the third movie’s soundtrack boasts a Combichrist tune and a VNV Nation remixed AFI as well as a remixed Cure, so that gets bonus points).

AND- on the same day a new Combichrist album comes out, the United States also gets their new President thereby ending the worst Presidency in my lifetime- how Dubya got elected twice is proof that secret societies are in cahoots with whoever is in charge of the apocalypse in an effort of dumb us down to the point that when the world ends, we’d be too preoccupied with celebrity scandals to care (and more reason why you should never elect someone only as smart as me to lead the free world- we really did miss a bullet in preventing Palin form getting anywhere near the White House)…anyways, from the BBC, here’s a list of the hilarious Bushism’s from the last eight years (may he retire into obscurity and be forever forgotten):

ON HIMSELF
"They misunderestimated me."
Bentonville, Arkansas, 6 November, 2000
"There's an old saying in Tennessee - I know it's in Texas, probably in Tennessee - that says, fool me once, shame on... shame on you. Fool me - you can't get fooled again."
Nashville, Tennessee, 17 September, 2002
"There's no question that the minute I got elected, the storm clouds on the horizon were getting nearly directly overhead."
Washington DC, 11 May, 2001
"I want to thank my friend, Senator Bill Frist, for joining us today. He married a Texas girl, I want you to know. Karyn is with us. A West Texas girl, just like me."
Nashville, Tennessee, 27 May, 2004

FOREIGN AFFAIRS
"For a century and a half now, America and Japan have formed one of the great and enduring alliances of modern times."
Tokyo, 18 February, 2002
"The war on terror involves Saddam Hussein because of the nature of Saddam Hussein, the history of Saddam Hussein, and his willingness to terrorise himself."
Grand Rapids, Michigan, 29 January, 2003
"I think war is a dangerous place."
Washington DC, 7 May, 2003
"The ambassador and the general were briefing me on the - the vast majority of Iraqis want to live in a peaceful, free world. And we will find these people and we will bring them to justice."
Washington DC, 27 October, 2003
"Free societies are hopeful societies. And free societies will be allies against these hateful few who have no conscience, who kill at the whim of a hat."
Washington DC, 17 September, 2004
"You know, one of the hardest parts of my job is to connect Iraq to the war on terror."
CBS News, Washington DC, 6 September, 2006

EDUCATION
"Rarely is the question asked: Is our children learning?"
Florence, South Carolina, 11 January, 2000
"Reading is the basics for all learning."
Reston, Virginia, 28 March, 2000
"As governor of Texas, I have set high standards for our public schools, and I have met those standards."
CNN, 30 August, 2000
"You teach a child to read, and he or her will be able to pass a literacy test.''
Townsend, Tennessee, 21 February, 2001

ECONOMICS
"I understand small business growth. I was one."
New York Daily News, 19 February, 2000
"It's clearly a budget. It's got a lot of numbers in it."
Reuters, 5 May, 2000
"I do remain confident in Linda. She'll make a fine Labour Secretary. From what I've read in the press accounts, she's perfectly qualified."
Austin, Texas, 8 January, 2001
"First, let me make it very clear, poor people aren't necessarily killers. Just because you happen to be not rich doesn't mean you're willing to kill."
Washington DC, 19 May, 2003

HEALTHCARE
"I don't think we need to be subliminable about the differences between our views on prescription drugs."
Orlando, Florida, 12 September, 2000
"Too many good docs are getting out of the business. Too many OB/GYN's aren't able to practice their love with women all across the country."
Poplar Bluff, Missouri, 6 September, 2004

TECHNOLOGY
"Will the highways on the internet become more few?"
Concord, New Hampshire, 29 January, 2000
"It would be a mistake for the United States Senate to allow any kind of human cloning to come out of that chamber."
Washington DC, 10 April, 2002
"Information is moving. You know, nightly news is one way, of course, but it's also moving through the blogosphere and through the Internets."
Washington DC, 2 May, 2007

OUT OF LEFT FIELD
"I know the human being and fish can coexist peacefully."
Saginaw, Michigan, 29 September, 2000
"Families is where our nation finds hope, where wings take dream."
LaCrosse, Wisconsin, 18 October, 2000
"Those who enter the country illegally violate the law."
Tucson, Arizona, 28 November, 2005
"That's George Washington, the first president, of course. The interesting thing about him is that I read three - three or four books about him last year. Isn't that interesting?"
Speaking to reporter Kai Diekmann, Washington DC, 5 May, 2006

ON GOVERNING
"I have a different vision of leadership. A leadership is someone who brings people together."
Bartlett, Tennessee, 18 August, 2000
"I'm the decider, and I decide what is best."
Washington DC, 18 April, 2006
"And truth of the matter is, a lot of reports in Washington are never read by anybody. To show you how important this one is, I read it, and [Tony Blair] read it."
On the publication of the Baker-Hamilton Report, Washington DC, 7 December, 2006
"All I can tell you is when the governor calls, I answer his phone."
San Diego, California, 25 October, 2007
"I'll be long gone before some smart person ever figures out what happened inside this Oval Office."

Washington DC, 12 May, 2008

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/americas/7809160.stm






Till next time, true believers- I guess I’ll always hate tomorrow but not as much as I hate today.