Borat Lawsuit

Most people who have seen the movie love "Borat." It's especially funny for most of us in the West Coast, who laugh at the bigots and racists that reside in the south. I recently read that the fraternity boys in the very funny motor-home scene are suing the creators of Borat for allegedly getting them drunk and recording their obscene gestures. This is absolutely ridiculous. Even if the producers did give offer them more alcohol, those boys already believed that "slavery is a good thing" before the producers met them. If you had given me some alcohol (two or three shots would take care of it), I would not be calling for the reinstatement of slavery, mock Jews (Mel Gibson), or look like an idiot for my mugshot (Nick Nolte and Michael Jackson sans alcohol). Once again, it's people trying to capitalize on the popularity of a genius like Baron Cohen.

A Letter to Michael Richards

Oh Michael. What have you gotten yourself into? Wasn't Mel Gibson's tirade over Jews enough? You just had to offend the black community. Oh Vanilla Face. Now when people look at Kramer, they'll see a racist. When people look at your role in "Problem Child," they'll see a racist. When people look at your role in "The Michael Richards Show," they'll see...wait no one watched that show and probably don't even remember you ever made it. Lastly, the "I have black friends excuse" is not a good excuse. The only excuse is and forever will be "I am black" so I can make fun of black people. Just ask the Tsegas.

Veronica Mars

This is a good show. Actually, this is a great show. I'm a big fan of "Buffy: The Vampire Slayer," and this show is much much better. It's funny, cute, adult, and intelligent. I just finished watching Season 1 and can't wait to start Season 2. Also, I've finally realized that watching television on DVD is the best way to go. No commercials and no waiting for a week (or months in the case of Lost).

Crazy Things People Do #1

Often, especially in crowded areas like Bruinwalk, the Airport, and big malls, I look at every person that passes me. I often dedicate a good stare and probably 2 seconds longer than I have to in order to get a really good look at their face. Why do people do this? I have no idea. I doubt that you'll ever see anyone you know, but I guess it's just nice to people watch. Sometimes, I would just plug in the Ipod and stay on my course, but that rarely happens. I know I probably won't see Heidi Klum or Brad Pitt but I will occassionally get a Steve Guttenberg, A.J. from the Backstreet Boys, or, if I'm lucky, Wayne Brady. But I know that I don't have to look at these people, many of whom I don't know. However, sometimes, when it is someone that I know and I don't want to talk to, I put my head down or pretend I'm in the zone, look forward, and pass them without a glance. It's sad, but we all do it. It's just a crazy thing we do.

TWO Many Sequels

When looking around Blockbuster yesterday, I noticed a strange title, "Save the Last Dance 2." The film didn't have Julia Stiles or "that black guy" in the movie so I was intrigued to know the premise of the film. Basically, the story goes that a white girl learns more about herself through an unlikely relationship. This sounds extremely familiar to the first movie. There's nothing really further to explore in the mythology of "Save the Last Dance." So why make this movie????

Does anyone actually want to watch this? After looking more around the store, I saw more and more sequels of movies that do not need to be made. Wild Things 2 and 3, Skulls 2, Cruel Intentions 2, Prince and Me 2, Bring it On 2 and 3, Phenomenon 2, and the list goes on. Don't even get me started on Disney Films. Lion King 1 1/2. What is 1 1/2? Is there a small simba getting into trouble with little timon and little pumba singinga child's rendition of "Hakuna Matata"?

The Roller Skate

Although the first recorded use of roller skates was in 1743, the inventor remains a mystery. Those skates were in-line skates similar to the Rollerblades we know today. It wasn't until James Plimpton in 1863 decided to create the classic "quad" roller skate with 2 pairs of wheels set side by side to give more traction and control to the skate.

To James Plimpton I say: "Thank you!" Thank you James Plimpton for creating an invention that has served no benefit to mankind aside from broken ankles and the crap movie "Roll-Bounce." Thank you James Plimpton for causing me so much pain and making me look like an idiot in front of hundreds of black people and Michelle Trachtenberg. In the middle of the Civil War, wasn't there anything better to do than think of a way to improve roller-skates? Couldn't you have, I don't know, dedicated your time to fighting slavery?

Happy B-Day Helen!

Who has a better blog?

When I'm thinking of things to write in my blog, they usually amount to superficial things that only matter to a few people. So you can imagine my surprise when I realized that I could write about things in real life. Except for the fact that my life isn't very exciting. I wake up to no job, no school, and no thing to do. (I know that i'm supposed to use nothing but no thing fits better with my motif) For people who write excellent blogs (i.e. Mindy), they have excellent lives to muse about. I could never write about my roommate who doesn't want to share the kitchen because my roommates are my parents. They always want to share the kitchen. I could write about my love for bran in any form or my old piano teacher who teaches me to play songs like "I Found Love in a Cherry Tree." Nope. Instead, I focus on the superficial entertainment news because I'm a superficial guy who wishes he hung out with Ryan Gosling everyday. Don't expect me to share my inner secrets with you, that's why I have Aegean. Just realize that my life isn't exciting and my blog will only discuss trivial matters that are more exciting than my own.

Half Nelson

This year has been very disappointing in terms of movies. When you watch a movie now, you always say to yourself, "Have I seen this before?" Of course, in the case of Jackass 2, you can't really say that you've seen someone have their privates be bitten by a snake. (Then again, what you do in your private time is your business) But I saw "Half-Nelson" with Aegean and we were both blown away by it. I haven't seen a film like this all year. It's a simple story, but I think we all need something simple. I guess I liked it because Ryan Gosling is really really good as this sad and pathetic teacher who snorts (and smokes) crack. He is my new favorite actor and for the first time I can say with full dignity that I want to see "The Notebook."

A Never-Ending Oasis

If anyone who reads this (which is probably all of 2 people) is in their early 20s, they grew up listening to Oasis. When "Wonderwall" hit the radios in the mid-90s, I was in the 7th grade and immediately loved this band. Like everyone else, I had proclaimed the new Beatles were here for my generation. Sadly, the band always fell in its own shadow and never became what they were supposed to be. After re-listening to their first CD "Definitely Maybe," I actually felt sorry for them. Here is a band with great anthems of love and despair and rejoice. They have such beautiful songs but, alas, they became perfect examples of fallen rock stars. Now supposedly, Charlie on "Lost" and his brother were modeled after Liam and Noel Gallagher. I only hope that Noel get stuck on a deserted island with strange polar bears and cocaine in Virgin Mary statues so that he may have an epiphany and realize his band was the best band of the 90s and could still recapture the glory if he wanted it.

Family Feud

There are some pretty stupid game shows out on television. For example, in "Wheel of Fortune" you spin a wheel and pick letters. Any idiot can do that, in fact, my three year old cousin can do that. And the worst part about it is that they can make over $10,000 easily. It's a glorified Hangman and it irks me everyday. But sometimes these game shows for idiots can be somewhat amusing. Take Family Feud, a personal favorite for many years especially with Richard Karn, where families give answers to survey questions. Most of the time, these answers are absolutely ridiculous. In a recent show, the question was "Name Something you bring on a first date?" One person replied, "Ketchup." Immediately the family responded, "Good answer! Good answer!" What is the screening process for this gameshow. Are the criteria: 1) Idiot 2) Little Education 3) Absolutely no common sense? Once again, my three year old cousin can give a better answer. And once again, the family can earn $20,000 each night. And once again, I watch everynight at 6pm.

Sports Night

I love sports, in particular basketball, tennis, and football (Baseball is a past time that feels like lots and lots of wasted time). So imagine my surprise when I discovered there was once a show called "Sports Night" about the going-ons of a "Sportscenter"-type show. I immediately added it to my Blockbuster queue and have enjoyed the show immensely. It's from the creators of "West Wing" and the newly beloved "Studio 60" and has a younger Peter Krause from "Six Feet Under" and Felicity Huffman from that god-awful "Desperate Housewives." Add it to your queue please or borrow it from me. Although it takes place in the World Trade Center, the show makes me wonder why this show was never on the radar when it was still on the air. Who decided to cancel this show and green light "Grey's Anatomy" with Sandra "Oh My Gosh You're Nasty"??

Good Television...Bad Movies

I've been very disappointed with the recent movies. "Illusionist" was fine, but I haven't been wanting to go to the movies. Instead, I've been content with the television, awaiting "Lost" and the new NBA season. There is just nothing good out in theaters when you know Jet Li can't act and will make another martial arts movie or when you discover that they're making movies from t.v. shows (Jackass 2 from Jackass and the Last Kiss from an old episode of Felicity). If you missed the episode last Monday, it's time to watch "Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip." It has movie stars (Amanda Peet), a old movie screenwriter (Aaron Sorkin from one of my guilty pleasures "American President"), and lastly a movie look. It feels like a small movie and it works. I've always enjoyed Sorkin's shows especially "West Wing," and I hope people watch it because it's in an unusual time slot and because people still watch "Grey's Anatomy" despite "Sandra Oh My God you're STILL nasty."

4.8.15.16.23.42

Lost Season 1 is the best television series I've ever seen, which is what makes Season 2 so disappointing. It's hard to follow Season 1 which introduced us to great characters and great storylines. It seems like Season 1 was so thoughtfully planned out and strategic to the very end whereas Season 2 rehashed old storylines (Ana Lucia's storyline seems very similar to Jack's storyline) and gave us storylines that we don't care about (who cares about Rose and Bernard?). Thanks to Blockbuster online i'm revisting Season 2 in anticipation of Season 3 later this month. I guess i'm watching it because I have to. I don't want to give up on Lost, but if they aren't careful "Lost" will become the next "Alias" (a great one season show).

High Fidelity

Great movies can be made even greater with the soundtrack. Imagine Jaws without John Williams score. (You could then start to think that the shark looks really fake). But that's just the music score. If a film has a great song soundtrack, the film can be so much better. The Graduate, Almost Famous, and Garden State were all better films because of the soundtrack. (Without Elton John there is no sing-along on the bus, without Frou Frou there's no sweet romantic kiss with Natalie Portman, and without Simon & Garfunkel there is no Mrs. Robinson) Although these are great soundtracks, I will give my vote to High Fidelity. First, the movie is a favorite of mine. Second, the soundtrack is so eclectic and varied that it captures all of the emotions of John Cusack's character. I just watched this movie and loved every minute of it because of the songs (ranging from Velvet Underground to Stevie Wonder to Bob Dylan). It's so good and reminds of what good soundtracks are and what they're not. (Screw you Cobra Starship!)

Thrifty Ice Cream

Ice cream is bad for you. I think everyone realizes ice cream (and every other dessert) is bad for you. They're filled with fat and cholesterol and all the things that prevent Rubben Studdard from joining the NBA. For a double shot to the crotch, most places now charge $3 for a single scoop. However, the cheapest and still the best ice cream out there is from Rite Aid (formerly Thrifty). I remember days in the summer when I would do nothing for the entire day except for getting on my bike and riding to Thrifty for a 89 cent scoop of Rocky Road or Coconut Pineapple if I was feeling dangerous. So what if they don't offer fancy toppings or candy bar mix-ins, it's only $1. God Bless Thrifty Ice Cream.

The Art of Watching Two Movies at the Grove

When did movies get so expensive? 12 bucks to see Hillary and Haylie Duff prancing around to their cover of a Madonna song...I don't think so (actually someone did see this since "Material Girls" made 7 million over the weekend). But that's besides the point. It would take over $45 for a family of four to watch a movie on the weekend. And this is at an old crappy theater without the attraction of the Village or Arclight. I miss the good old days of four or five dollar admissions. And they wonder why attendance is decling each year. So to combat this trend, I've been going to the Grove in Los Angeles and watching two, sometimes, three movies a trip. The Grove's a great theater and no security. The times match up so perfectly that they're begging you to see another movie. It's a great thing to do when you have absolutely nothing else to do and want to catch up on the latest movies...My blog is not just about entertainment but also a Pennysaver.

Snakes on a Stupid Plane

\Plain and simple: this is a stupid movie. For those of you haven't seen the movie, I won't spoil it (well there really isn't much to spoil). But here's the plot: a young man (played by the worst actor imaginable) sees a murder and becomes the key witness to bring crime mob Edward Kim to justice. Escorted by veteran FBI detective (Samuel Jackson), the young man boards a flight in which Edward Kim's hooligans have placed lethal snakes aboard (hence the title). Now I can think of plenty of other ways to get snakes on a plane...actually I can't. But regardless, this movie is worth absolutely nothing. I laughed here and there but kept telling Aegean, "Why did we see this and not 'Little Miss Sunshine'?" Damn you Samuel Jackson. You took my $12 for these Motherfu$%&*#g snakes on this "muthafu$%*&#ing" plane.

A Letter to Mel

What happened Mel? You ruled the world. You won an Oscar, earned high salaries, was loved by so many women, and were in one of my favorite movies (What Women Want). I know you don't like Jews (Shalom!) and you are one of the most strict Catholics next to the Pope. Good for you for sticking to your beliefs. Also, I give you credit for smiling in this picture and avoiding a "Nick Nolte". But why did you have to make "Apocalypto". Does anyone really want to see ancient Mayans running around? I know you're rich, but don't waste your money making a movie that no one will see. Unlike "Passion," there aren't millions of Mayans out there who'd fork over 8 bucks to see this. Good Luck Mel. From my experience of working for a Kaminsky, you don't want to anger the Jews.

Snickers Has What???

It seems that I only blog about movies, and there's only so much that one can talk about movies before getting bored or dying (rest in peace Siskel and get better Ebert). So I will tell you a tale of when I was an Resident Assistant in De Neve Plaza. One night, I got a distress call from a girl who said her roommate had an allergic reaction to eating a Snickers bar. I immediately rushed over there, called for an ambulance, and did anything I could to help her breathe. When the ambulance arrived, the EMT officers asked her what she had eaten and she replied, "A Snickers bar." The officer then asked what she was allergic to and she replied, "Peanuts." Then, I chimed in and said, "Don't you know that Snickers has peanuts?" She then told me, "Well yeah...but I was just gonna spit them out."

Back to the Good Old Days

My brother and I watched "Back to the Future" a few nights ago, and we started thinking, "Why don't they make movies like this anymore?" I absolutely love this movie for many reasons (it reminds me of my chubby childhood). But I love it because it's so funny. There are great jokes at perfect times in the movie. McFly and Dr. Brown have such a nice chemistry and it hits all the right notes. I just really like watching this movie (the sequels aren't bad either).

The Greatest Athlete Right Now

There are a lot of people out there who don't really appreciate tennis or think of it as a very demanding sport like football or basketball. But I think (actually know) that tennis, aside from golf, is the hardest sport to master. What makes tennis better than golf is that it is always static and moving. Tennis requires athletes without a belly and with enough stamina for almost two hours every night. It's a fun game to play but an even better game to watch. For these reasons, I believe Roger Federer is the greatest athlete today. Of course, you can make a case for Kobe Bryant or Terrell Owens. But tennis is a demanding sport and Roger Federer rules tennis.

Movie Disappointments

Since I haven't seen a new movie in almost two weeks (an event that rarely happens for me), I want to comment on the biggest disappointment of the summer. So far, I've seen some ups (Miami Vice, Nacho Libre, and MI:3), some mediocre films (Superman Returns and Devil Wears Prada), and some really bad ones (Da Vinci Code). In the midst of all these ups and downs, I was really down after watching X-Men: The Last Stand. There is a story, good actors, and decent special effects. I guess the fault lies in the director. Brett Ratner, the Jewish guy who thinks he's a reincarnated black man, is the worst director out there and still happens to get great projects to direct as if he's Steven Spielberg reincarnated (if he were dead...and black). Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker will always be funny, and Ratner's still living off that movie's success. Way to kill the X-Men franchise Brett but thank God that the movie made a lot of money so we can see another X-Men movie, hopefully with a different director.

Jack White and the Band

I went to a Raconteurs concert two weeks ago and the night still resonates with me. Probably because Jack White is the greatest act in all of rock right now. I saw him with the White Stripes...pretty good. But here with a band and a drummer that can actually rival White's guitar work, Jack really shines. He's having a good time playing the band's original songs ("Steady as She Goes") or covers of Gnarls Barkley ("Crazy") and Cher ("Bang Bang"). He's an amazing performer and musician that will no doubt go into both the Rock n' Roll Hall of Fame and Country Music Hall of Fame. Let's not forget about the Loretta Lynn album that he produced, which is currently in my playlist. Other than Jack Bauer of "24" and Dr. Jack Shepard of "Lost", Jack White is my favorite Jack.

Miami Vice

These guys are so cool and Michael Mann is my new favorite director. If you liked "Collateral" or "Heat," then you will really enjoy this movie. There is such good acting in all of his films from Tom Cruise in "Collateral" and Russell Crowe in "The Insider." Although Farrell looks great with the mustache and mullet, his acting is sub-par. But all that doesn't matter because this movie is way cool. HD Cameras, nice cars, hot girls (Gong Li...yowsers!), great action, and an awesome soundtrack make this movie so great to watch.

Grey Goose

I don't really like to drink alcohol. I get red and start to breathe heavy. I've been recently drinking some light beer, primarily because I don't get as red and can breathe normally afterwards. But I will drink Grey Goose. It's smooth and hits the spot like no other hard alcohol can. There are other great mixed drinks out there (my personal favorite is the Mojito) but if you want hard alcohol straight then Grey Goose is the way to go. It's a little more expensive, but for a guy who doesn't drink that often I'll pay a little bit more to get red the good way. Smirnoff bad...Grey Goose good!

Harold and Kumar

I have lots of favorite movies, but the movie of the month is "Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle." It keeps showing on Encore and I keep watching it. It's so hilarious and actually a great movie about Asian-Americans. Don't search for "Do the Right Thing" in this movie because it's so stupid that you have to laugh. Key scene in the film: Harold and Kumar sing the Wilson Philips classic "Hold On." We all know the song and we all sing along to it. Only this time: a Korean and Indian sing it. Watch it if you haven't seen it and check out my other favorite films in my profile. I'm watching "Wendy Wu: Homecoming Warrior" right now...so far so good.

Mrs. Knotts Chicken Dinner

I haven't been to Knott's Berry Farm in awhile and I probably won't go for a long time (It's too moist there). But I will go to the Marketplace and have a chicken dinner. I traveled there with the CEC gang only to be stuffed with chicken, potatoes, corn, soup, salad, boysenberry pie, and the biscuits (oh dear god, the biscuits). Kathy was raving about it and I don't know what the grade of the restaurant was, but Ravi was there also. There's something special about biscuits and jam together, especially boysenberry. I hope everyone gets to try this amazing meal for only $13.50 and then visit the weird shops around there (Where can you find a ceramic dog for over $300? Who buys this crap?) Anyways, it was a fun day of food and a fun farewell to our dear Mindy.

What is Hemet?

A lot of people ask me, "What is Hemet?" and "Where is Hemet?" Well it's in Riverside County and west of Palm Springs. Since graduating, I've been living in Hemet and my brother's place in Los Angeles. But I like Hemet and will be sad when my parents move out later this year. Hemet is a small town but have begun a recent modernization (2 Super Walmarts, Applebees, 6 Starbucks, Chilis, and Super Target). You're probably thinking White Trash and you're probably right. But I love the town and invite you all to come stay with me while I'm there.

Superman Returns

Superman Returns is a good movie. Superman Returns 3-D is a great movie. There's something about seeing Superman fly at you in 3-D that transcends the movie into a great one. Although you put on the glasses for 1/4 of the movie, it was still awesome. Brandon Routh is good, Kevin Spacey is good, but Kate Bosworth is not good. There's no spunk, no real emotion, she's just a downer. I hope everyone get's to see the movie in 3-D. Also, don't watch Scanner Darkly and see Devil Wears Prada for some good fluff.

The Beginning of the End

Why am I starting a blog? Well...it's cool. I get to share some intimate thoughts with whoever wants to read about them. Why not start a blog?

There are so many people out there looking at myspace.com or facebook.com, just trying to find old friends and see what they are up to. Well here's your chance old friends to read about my life. I'll try to update as much as I can, but it is the summer.