Blue's Reviews: Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling

I just hit play on the DVR for tonight's UFC show that I'm quasi-looking forward to but I can't imagine it'll be anywhere near as fun as Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling that I just finished watching.

When they first announced the concept, I said that it'd live or die based on the people they booked for it. Then the talent list got announced and with names like teen pop star Tiffany and Tabitha from Bewitched, the show looked doomed. But then some clips started to surface and again, my interest was piqued a bit.

Tonight, the debut of Hulk Hogan's Celebrity Championship Wrestling hit the airwaves and I loved every second of it. Sure, it's corny. Sure, it's a little silly to see Screech delivering clotheslines but some of those guys looked like they were having the time of their lives and - shockingly - seemed to have a little bit of talent for it.

Screech, Butterbean, and Bonaduce seemed to be the best from the first episode. Todd Bridges looked athletic but didn't do much. The girls haven't shown much at all so far. Rodman looked alright but he should look better since he's done wrestling before.

How crazy is it that I now have to say... "I can't wait for next week!"

Oh, and I said when the Sox came back to win Game 5 that it was the kind of win that can change a series - just like I knew that Game 4 of the NLCS was the kind of loss that could change a series.

Yeah.

It ain't over yet for the Rays but... well, it's nervous time if you're a Tampa Bay fan.

Keep Your Politics In Your Own Bedroom Please

Fuck it.

Since I was already on my high horse the past couple days about the horrific, pathetic state of the American health care system, I might as well take a few jabs at the latest attempt to pass off bigotry as "traditional values."

Check these fantastic ads done in the tradition of my favorite commercials out...

The Final Countdown REMIX!

The Return Of Top Five Friday!

First off, I want to thank everyone who left a commment or sent an e-mail or called or texted or whatever in support yesterday. It was a very difficult day for myself and my family that really made the health care system problems in our country starkly apparent. Bad stuff, people. Bad stuff. Think about things like that when you wonder why I spend so much time supporting Barack Obama on this blog. Anyways, my thanks again for your thoughts and prayers.

On a lighter note, since I'm sitting at home today, I thought it would be a good time to revive Top Five Friday - a long-running feature that got pushed aside when I started working every Friday. It was always one of my favorite posts of the week and I was getting a little bummed out that I wasn't doing it anymore.

To get back in the swing of things, I thought I'd throw myself a softball. It's no secret that I've been quite underwhelmed with the offerings on television lately [thank God for the MLB Playoffs and the return of the Lakers and all the debates] but there have been a few things that still rock my socks. Therefore, I thought I'd give them a little shoutout today.

TOP FIVE FRIDAY: The Top Five TV Shows I'm Watching

DISCLAIMER: There's a lot of highly-regarded shows out there that I'm not watching yet - things like Dexter, Mad Men, etc. There's also a pair of shows that would probably make the list if I was caught up on DVD [Prison Break, Battlestar Galactica.] Also, no shows that haven't returned yet [24, Lost, American Idol, Scrubs, 30 Rock] are included. And finally, there's a handful of shows that I've got on DVR that I'm not caught up on yet [How I Met Your Mother, Fringe, Gossip Girl] which'll affect my rankings.

HONORABLE MENTION: General Hospital & GH: Night Shift
I don't know why but I had a hard time comparing these to the rest of the list so I decided to give them their shoutout in a different area. I've been watching GH on and off since I was... well, to hear my family tell it, since I was born. I can spout off and recall random GH storylines from the past two decades +. In recent years, it's gotten very mob-centric which is a little dull so when Night Shift came along focusing on the hospital again, it was like a breath of fresh air. Both shows are very different from one another but from the same family, it's very cool to see.

MORE HONORABLE MENTIONS:
Entourage - Started off pretty slowly but has really picked up steam starting with the ep where Ari got the Ferrari and carrying all the way through last weekend's which was might be my favorite of the season.

How I Met Your Mother - Due to a DVR error, I'm a few eps behind on this but the first episode of the season was fantastic. This is one of my favorite shows so I can't imagine the rest of the season hasn't been golden but I couldn't rank it based on one show.

Gossip Girl - Same as above. I'm 2 or 3 eps off on this one but what I've seen so far has been awesome. One of my favorite shows on TV easily.

TOP FIVE!

5. The Office
The Office, while still funny as hell, has felt a little off to me this season. Maybe it's the lack of Pam in the building but I haven't felt the same kind of magic that the show usually has. It still has some incredible moments but it's been a little off so far. I haven't seen last night's episode yet so I'm hoping that picks things up for the show.

4. The Amazing Race
Easily my favorite reality show, I remain so disappointed they don't shoot this thing in HD because it would be absolutely gorgeous if they did. TAR serves as the ultimate travel show, showing off some amazing places in the world while featuring some of the most fun characters in reality TV. The great thing about TAR is that we don't get overloaded on one character or another like you tend to see in Survivor or the like so we get just enough to love, hate, or be indifferent towards them without feeling like they're overexposed.

3. Pushing Daisies
This might bump up once I see last week's episode but I adore this show and every time I hear that it might be close to cancellation, I weep a little inside. Wonderfully quirky and adorable all at the same time, this show is one of TV's best and a cancellation here would rank right up there next to Arrested Development and Firefly as true tragedies in the course of TV history. If you're not watching this show and spreading the word, you're part of the problem, people! If Pushing Daisies gets canceled, the terrorists win!

2. Desperate Housewives
I know, I know - I'm not supposed to like it but dammit, I just can't help myself. After a lackluster second season, DH has been perhaps the most consistent show on television year after year. After pulling what many viewed as a ratings stunt by "jumping ahead" in last season's finale, they have really knocked things out of the park so far this season. We almost ditched this one when we dropped Grey's but I'm glad we stuck around because it's been a ton of fun.

And the #1 show I'm currently watching...

1. The Shield
SPOILER ALERT! You know a show is well-written when the death of a fairly minor character at the hands of another character is enough to make the Missus despise the killer so badly that she refuses to watch it anymore. The Shield has put out some of the most compelling and thrilling television that you could ever imagine seeing and it'll be a true loss to television when they wrap things up in about two months' time. This season has been a scorcher from moment one and last week's was simply awesome. Things are really heating up and I can't wait to see how it all ends. I'm guessing it won't be with the screen cutting to black.

I have to admit that I did not expect to blog today from a hospital.

I'm fine, don't freak out. No postgame suicide attempt.

My grandma is suffering from Alzheimer's and had some kind of attack a
few days ago that has landed her in the hospital so here I am.

It really is an odd and scary disease. It's hard to see someone
devolve so quickly to an almost unrecognizable person. A year ago,
she was at my wedding dancing, laughing, and having a good time. Now
she's in a hospital bed barely coherent.

My mom thinks it's almost over but the doctors disagree. Now my
family is faced with the impossible choice to either take her home
which would be almost a certain disaster since she apparently has lost
the ability to walk OR put her in a nursing home which is
heartbreaking as well. This is the choice presented to my family by
her HMO - oh, and we have to decide today. Heartless fucks. Remember
that when you visit the polls in a couple weeks.

Anyways, I'm stalling because she was asleep when I got here and my
family hasn't arrived yet. I just wanted to vent a little.

Obviously, I expected to write about a much different topic today but
well, life sometimes has an odd way of adjusting your priorities.

Take care of yourselves today, guys.

Sent from my iPhone

Fine! I'll Talk About It!

Alright, I guess I should say something about it.

Game 4 was a heartbreaking, thrilling game to watch - let alone be at. I had so many moments where I was overjoyed and just as many where my heart was ripped out of my chest like Mola Ram and that poor Thuggee dude in Temple of Doom.

But in the end, the bullpen couldn't hold the lead and the Dodgers find themselves on the brink of elimination after a roller coaster ride of a season.

So, now what?

Chad Billingsley needs to shake off the effects of Game 2 and ignore the media who wants to put his entire career at stake in one game. It's one game, kid. Win or lose, you had a hell of a year and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

For the rest of the team? Suck it up and remember, you've got to play them one game at a time. You only need to win one...

...for now.

I'll be at work during the game unfortunately so I won't get to live and die with every pitch like Dodger fans around the world. But I'll be with them in spirit - right there at Chavez Ravine like I was on Monday night, cheering my heart out and waving my rally towel.

When I was discussing the playoffs with someone at work, they said that they were an Angels fan but that they really didn't care if they won or not. Or to quote, "My life doesn't change one bit if they win or lose."

I'd say that I wish I could be the same way but I really don't, you cold, heartless, soulless fuck!

It starts with one game. Hamels vs Billingsley. Let's get it on.

Oh, and of course...

You've gotta believe.

A Change Of Subject

I'm not going to talk about it.

But, I did stumble upon something yesterday that I thought would be fun to take a look at. Gamer website ugo.com did an article of the Top 50 WTF? moments in comic book history. I thought it might be entertaining to take a look at the list and comment on a few of them.



Number 49 was the resurrection of X-Man Colossus. Personally, I found this one to be a WTF? moment because I thought it was a horrible idea and really ruined a prior story - something most comic writers don't care about at all, I realize. But with Joss Whedon penning it, I had higher expectations. For those unaware, here's the story. Colossus died years ago saving the mutant world from an AIDS-like virus called the Legacy Virus. It was quite the heroic farewell - but in my opinion, it was ruined by the revival of Colossus by Whedon who revealed that Colossus hadn't actually died but was being held captive by an evil villain who was using Colossus to figure out a way to "cure" mutants of their powers. The X-Men universe is full of deaths/revivals but this one came across particularly bad to me.



#39 finds Lex Luthor as the President of the United States in the DC Universe. Now THAT is a WTF? moment. I read very little of that story arc but I remember being more than just a little WTF? when I heard about it. But... well, considering the world we live in today where we've seen elections stolen, civil rights snatched, and bold face lies told to the public to engineer a war... is a super villain as President really that far fetched?



#30 finds the Breaking of the Bat. Ahhh. This is the story that got me back into comics back in the late 90's after years of being out of them. I was always more of a Batman guy than a Superman guy. It's probably something to do with the "normal guy does extraordinary things" theme. So, when on the heels of the Death of Superman story that drove most people into comic stores back then, DC announced the breaking of Batman - I was hooked. I spent an entire summer driving all over Southern California with my friend Danny trying to find every issue of the "Knightfall" story. It was a beautiful idea. Arkham Asylum broken into and all of Batman's worst enemies freed. That made Batman have to work extra hard to put them all back in jail so when he finally met the man who was responsible for the breakout, Bane, he was physically and mentally wrecked and easy prey for the steroid-cooked supervillain. The stories that followed with Bruce Wayne getting back into shape and retaking the Bat mantle from the man who he had picked to hold it in his place were lots of fun and remain one of my favorite arcs in comic history.



Checking in at #25 is another one of my favorite stories ever and another one that makes me remember fondly those days when I used to drive to the comic store once a week after school and grab the latest and greatest. Fatal Attractions was an X-story that crossed all the books [big shock, I know] that all built up to a big showdown between the X-Men and Magneto. In the climax, Wolverine finally gets a shot at Magneto - and gets his adamantium skeleton ripped out of his body by the Master of Magnetism THROUGH EVERY PORE IN HIS BODY! It was amazingly cool - and was only helped by an issue or two later when Wolvie tries to pop his claws and has bone claws rip through his flesh. Simply awesome.



At #23 [and making me wonder what the hell is in the Top 20], Superman dies. Well, not really. Everyone knew Superman wasn't going to die permanently but SUPERMAN WAS GOING TO DIE! I remember going into comic stores with friends searching for that black bagged comic that they would never open. Me? I bought the TPB years later. It was a hell of a story actually but it was all pissed away with the Return of the Supermen story. Ah well.



#21 is the death of Captain America - which I can't imagine how that ranks above the death of Superman or the breaking of Batman but whatever. It was a big one. I remember hearing about this one on CNN and having to race to the comic store on my lunch break to see what the hell had happened. It was another well done death story which is really the last major comic story I read before my current hiatus from comics [which may be ending soon as I'm intrigued by the Ultimatum storyline.]



Let's skip all the way ahead to #8 with the death of Jason Todd, the second Robin. Jason Todd was a fucking prick. He was a punk little bitch and the fanboys hated him. So, in true American fashion, DC gave the fans the choice - should we kill Jason Todd? The voting was clear - Robin must die! And in truly awesome fashion, The Joker got to deliver the fatal blow, just turning up the heat in the never-ending war between The Joker and Batman.

There were lots of other WTF? moments mentioned throughout the story that deserved mention but I didn't want to make this post any longer than it already is. If you want to check out some of the others, hit up the article for the rest.

"...the fuck?"

Simply awesome.

I May Not Always Love You...

On my day off as I sit here "preparing" to go to Game 4 tonight, I've been digging through some mp3 blogs to add some stuff to my collection and I uncovered a real gem.

I'm a firm believer that most people end up getting a large chunk of their musical tastes from the people directly around them.  Example - I'm a huge Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band fan but I can't imagine I would have become that on my own if I hadn't spent a huge chunk of my childhood with my aunts listening to Bruce at every turn.  Same thing goes for Rod Stewart, Tom Petty, and so on... yes, even Barry Manilow.  Likewise, I can pick individual bands out from my musical tastes and point out who influenced them.  I still remember the first time I heard Nine Inch Nails' "Pretty Hate Machine" was on a crappy boombox shoved under the front seat of my friend Brian's car back in the day.  You get the idea.

But oddly, for the most part, I barely remember my Mom listening to any music growing up.  I knew that my aunts teased her for having "Lay Lady Lay" as her favorite Dylan song.  I knew she liked Elvis and a lot of the 50's and 60's bubblegum pop but I never really heard her play it around the house.

The only band I can recall my Mom listening to or talking about a lot was The Beach Boys.

The Beach Boys don't get a lot of love from your typical rock music fan because they're treated as the aforementioned bubblegum pop but I defy one and all to not crack a big ol' smile when you hear the music.  Back in '06 when the Missus and I attended Bridge School Benefit for the first time, Brian Wilson was on the bill and in a crowd filled with people there to see Pearl Jam and the Dave Matthews Band take the stage, Brian Wilson stole the show by rockin' the night away with the old Beach Boys songs that had that entire crowd up on their feet singing along.

Now THAT'S what I call music.

The good folks over at Aquarium Drunkard posted an amazing set of Beach Boys studio rehearsals  from back in 1967 that the writer claims is his favorite Beach Boys recording ever.  After a quick initial listen-through this morning, I can't deny he may have a very legitimate argument.  If you're the slightest Beach Boys fan at all - or even just want to give ol' Blue a chance at being right, take the time to listen to the songs on that post and tell me I'm wrong.

I defy you!

You Win! Flawless Victory