Special K

Quit crying 'racist.' It would have been in poor taste if they did a Timothy McVeigh character too. And while there's no required terrorist attire, I think the top suggested item is a ski mask. Why couldn't they have worn santo masks, or hockey masks, or anything else? Oh, yeah, because the WWE WANTED and INTENDED for you to infer that they were Muslim fanatics, the group of people that the U.S. is at war with now. EDIT: Oh, and if you choke someone with piano wire in non-fakey world, it cuts his or her throat, mmmkay?

Arrested Development is my favourite show, EVER, so I hope it racks 'em up.

Christ, we've discussed this before. To preface, I don't really give a shit about the angle, but to say the WWE didn't know what they were doing is retarded. They carried out Daivari like a martyr. They prayed. They dressed like terrorists. They mimed an action that would cut someone's throat. And (here's something I missed when i watched) apparently Hassan held up Taker's head sort of like a trophy. They did ABSOLUTELY EVERYTHING they could have besides have a plane fly a banner saying "this attack is meant to invoke terrorism" above the arena. Stop trying to cut them slack. even the WWE has basically ADMITTED they were trying to do a terrorist angle. No they didn't explicitly say "these are terrorists." They knew they couldn't do that. But besides that, you have eyes and ears and a brain. Make the small, logical connections.

I'll start with my by far favourite band of all time: Sonic Youth. They started noisy, chaotic and menacing as fuck (but good) in Confusion is Sex and Bad Moon Rising. They started crafting some absolutely amasing more rhythmic (still noisy) albums with a really cool sensibility, with some actual standout tracks. Almost certainly their peak (EVOL, Sister, Daydream Nation) They had one really good mainstream grunge album (Goo) a pretty much Ok album (Dirty) and then started putting out some pretty blah records (like Experimental Jet set, Thosand Leaves, NYC Flowers & Ghosts) which all had a couple good tracks, but weren't really cohesive, and Kim Gordon got fucking ANNOYING. Then they seemed to content to completely wallow in totally avant-garde feedback fests in the SYRs and the Silver sessions (Some are highly regarded, but that shit's just clangs and hums to me.) Washing Machine was a bright spot in this whole era, it's an awesome album. Then BAM, out comes Murray Street. I don't know if it was Jim O'Rourke joining the band or what, but this album is just drop-dead gorgeous from beginning to end, and IMO their second best album, very nearly their best. Totally different sound, but just lovely. Sonic Nurse, their most recent, is also very, very, good. I can't wait to see what they come out with next, but in their middle age, they are just great purveyors of lovely rock music now. The Pixies: This is a different example. The Pixies were always a great band, but when they split, Frank Black made some absolutely SHITTY music. The Breeders, with Kim Deal were awesome, but only put out a couple albums before Kim Deal supposedly dropped off the face of the earth and lived some hard years. They've come back, and from what I've heard, they're just amazing in concert. I liked their one new song too (the one with the completely gibberish name that was available on iTUNES.) I hope they put out some more new music. The Posies: I always liked them, and they didn't really get bad, but I never figured they'd get back together. From what I've heard on the radio, the new stuff's GOOD too. 50 Foot Wave (or L'~ if you're UBER) Throwing Muses was always a great band, and they didn't trail off in quality at all. However, with a new drummer, they've completely reinvented themselves as the best punk rock band I know of today. They sound incredible. Kristen Hersh sounds like a woman possessed. She sounds like the most pissed off alcoholic grandma in the world. So what bands do you think made an unexpected comback, or just changed their sound to good effect?

I enjoyed the last Ultimate Spidey storyline I read too (Hobgoblin)

That thing was awesome.

Yeah, you're right. Fred meant more to the other characters, though. Lorne was pretty much pure comic relief, so I sorta forgot him. Did you take your screenname after Giles, Ripper?

London Calling is so the incredible shit. I think 'The Clash' is fine but way overrated. The Clash totally reached their peak midway through. Nine Inch Nails. I think Pretty Hate Machine is theri/his best album by far. Violent Femmes. Man, they still kickass in concert, but every one of their anthems *about fucking 5 teenage anthems on that album* came from their first.

That sounds like the shit. I love Anya and Xander, only in defference to Oz and Erstwhile Willow. If any nerd show needs an official EU, Buffy is the one. Though I seriously wonder how they'll deal with Angel's finale. If it's left to: They kicked the shit out of everyone, they saved the earth, they made ready. they died, it's pretty much the only conlcusion, but what a fucking bummer. Of course killing Fred sort of gauranteed a bummer. (although sometimes overly so, she was about the only happy character enmeshed in the full angst. n the whedonverse.

Bob, aren't you like 120 lbs? I've been hitting the gym twice a weel and working my home recumbant bike about 3 times a week. And eatting Subway instead of other fast foods. I'm down to 275, which is better than it sounds. My lean body weight is 220, having somehow kept most of my muscle from high school (some 6 years ago). 20 more pounds and I'll look good, I think. PLus my strength has gone up some, so I think in a couple months I'll have packed on some more muscle. As an aside I dug ditches this weekend for 4 hours at a time, and it was murder. My back was hurting like a motherfucker. In high school I remember diggind ditches with a friend from crew for 6 hours 2 days in a row, laughing and joking the whole time. Them's were the days.

Cemetary Man (wow, more people have seen this than I thought) Braindead-Dead/Alive Land of the Dead You're killin' me. Dawn of the Dead. P.S. any reason Versus wasn't in the 1st round and Wild Zero was? Neither would have won, but Versus is way better, rock and roll knowing no boundaries of gender, sexuality or religion or not.

Psycho Mantis (from MGS) was awesome. "Ahhhhhh, sssooo you like.... SUIKODEN" "Do you like VANDAL HEARTS?" "Put your controller on the floor. Put it down as flat asyou can... that's good. Now I will move your controller by the power of my will alone!!"

Yeah, Blade 2 kicked ass. A bit of bad CG here and there, but some incredible fight scenes, Ron Perlman, and an actual horror film sensibility made it really enjoyable. Blade Trinity was pretty bad.

Cibbo Matto Aerosmith

Back in Black, Big Balls- AC/DC Master Dick- Sonic Youth THE STALLION- Ween

I'm still pissed about Genesis X-Men. Even Battletoads didn't make you fiddle with the NES.

I didn't even know Creed was still knocking around. If we were talking bands who had genius 1st albums and then crapped out... that Franz Ferdinand would be appropriate. And Creed would still be bombastic Bush wannabe bullshit who repeats their choruses ad nauseum. And sucks. At least the lead singer of Creed can totally rub himself off while watching his own videos. The Doors' first album is easily their best, IMO. It's more like 'what if Jim Morrison hadn't been such a poopot," He's definitely a guy who had an inkling of genius, but goddamn did Jim Morrison fuck himself up as quickly as possible. At least Charles Bukowski could handle his fucking liquor.

Rashamon? Nice one. That movie owns. 1981? Elephant Man would totally win, (most Lynch movies do in my mind), but it's technically a 1980 movie. Looking at the Oscars, Chariots of Fire and On Golden Pond were the big winners, and they're good movies, but there's GOT to be better movies that year. I'll pass that one on. That's a stumper.

As much as it's been politicized, as many college profs talk about these people fighting the good fight, you have to realive these people are, in all actuality, with all the hyperbole ascribed, they are ACTUALLY evil. I personally think we shouldn't have gone into Iraq as a cold cost v return issue. And America DOES do fucked up shit, but every society that has gleefully killed civilians as warriors has been pretty much been given the name barbarians. That said, I wish we could just assassinate motherfuckers like Bin Ladin. That's deemed inhumane. Rolling over Iraw is not? Israel has it dead on. Assassinate those fucks if they think they're so fucking righteous.

Actually the fact that there isn't a GOOD, nasty racial slur for whites a bit surprising. Call me a crackermicpollack, I'll laugh in your face, because I have the slightest bit of pride in my heritage. 'Nigger' is still a disgusting, hateful word, but it's gaining some humor because (we hope) black people don't hear it every day as a slur. The use of 'Nigga' in popular colture is an example of taking a hateful word and turning it on its head. I certainly don't use it, but I don't begrudge black people who do. I have referred to myself as a 'mic' and a 'pollack' beacuse it's empowering to an extent. It defuses racial stereotypes as what they should be (and not necessarily are) as complete bullshit comedy. That said I like Jim Cornette, but we all know that Pro wrestling is a bastion of cracker racial stereotyping. Live in the south for a bit. 'nigger' is second only to 'faggot' to the favourite terms of the unwashed masses. Hopefully it'll change in our lifetimes. It IS chaning in our lifetimes according to my life experience, because I think ANY nationality, ANY religion is respected, at least at face value. Racism has become just about the worst stigma, and that's progress. Boiling it down 'nigger' or 'spic' or 'kyke' is about the worst, most horrible thing you can say nowadays. That's a good thing. *Cheesy DDP I fuck a model smile here*

I'm talking about bands that were getting better and better and then quit. There's bands like the Beatles and the Clash and Velvet Underground that I wish put out more albums, but had hit their peak as far as the music we saw. Pixies are an excellent example. though thinking about it, I think they had a steady output of awesomeness, but I think they had a genius album left in them, especially considering I adore the Breeders. That's pure speculation though. Minor Threat was a great band that broke up too early, but Fugazi's better. Throwing Muses could have put out a couple more awesome albums, but their early stuff was good too, and 50 foot wave is incredible, and it's basicallythrowing muses. I'm actually sort of drawing a blank on this one, though I'm sure y'all will fill in the blanks. I was just thinking the Jimi Hendrix Experience, but they (he) again were pretty much operating on a plateau of excellence. Oh, Nirvana. They were just getting better and better. There's one. What band makes you wonder what could have been?

Besides the Talking heads when I was like 8-9 years old, I've never had a favourite band (Talking Heads love was largely based on the Stop Making Sense live album, fuck that's a good album.) Until lately, where Sonic Youth is Firmly ensconced as my fave band of all time. A long discography with only a few misses, albums that get better the more you listen to them, a constantly evolving sound, and they're coming out with kickass stuff recently. Murray Street is a fucking incredible album. Their second best, IMHO. That being said, 50 foot wave's (or L'~) Golden Ocean is my most listened to album right now. And I determined that my favourite song would be a song I never, ever got tired of. For that, The Breeders' 'Cannonball' takes the cake. I've been listening to that song for the better part of my life now, and I still absolutely get a kick out of it. Also, everything Dan the Automator touches turns to gold. Well, except Pretty Boys Modelling Club, which is prettyu good, but not anyhing special to me. I wish the Clash and the Velvet Underground put out more stuff. Bikini Kill too. Sleater Kinney's last two albums have been wonderful, I hope they keep it up, and I have YET to see them live, despite living in Seattle, dammit. Queens of the Stone Age, Blonde Redhead, Social D and Violent Femmes are the best live acts I've seen live, in that order. Franz Ferdinand is probably 5th. I saw Buddy Guy, aka one of the great surviving guitar gods live. It was awesome. Mike McCreedy (of Pearl Jam) came out and jammed with them on the last song. He was laying out an awesome blues rock solo and got a little bit stuck and Buddy Guy turned to him, smiled and said "Come on man, PLAY that motherfucker!" I was impressed by McCreedy, of course Buddy proceeded to completely blow him out of the water.

Honestly, in earlier decades, it helps to look by director. I started with Billy Wilder, Hitchcock and Kurosawa and got 7 Samurai and Rear Window. Not too shabby. Ain't no beating Seven Samurai. 1999? American Beauty so barely over The Insider. One year the Oscars got it right. As a a caveat, I think The Insider was probably Russell Crowe's best acting performance, among many, many good ones (and he won for Gladiator? pffft) Or maybe Master & Commander... that movie got shafted. And I can't believe that Rocky beat Taxi Driver for Best Picture. I mean, I LOVE Rocky, but shit. 1950?

Seven Samurai narrowly beats out Rear Window. 1968?

I'm sure they'll be monumental flops, between the cost of effects and the fact that no one wants to watch that shit, so there probably won't be any money to donate.