RavishingRickRudo

Crap, I planned to watch both episodes and compare them but stuff happens. This is a hard decision for me. I prefer Not Fade Away, but I consider The Gift to be a superior episode. I often preach objectivity when rating things, because judging things on emotion has so many environmental variables getting in the way. Not Fade Away was the last Angel episode. This means that everything in it carries weight that a normal episode tends not to carry. It is the last time we will ever see these characters, this setting, etc. so there is a high emotional charge. Would Wesleys death mean less if he were to show up on the season premiere a few months later? Would that cliffhanger mean as much if they weren't there to resolve it in the next season? When Buffy died in The Gift, she was back in the next episode. Angel & Co.'s fight is still going on because that's where they left off, and they won't be picking up any time soon. However, with that said, should I hold this against NFA? Writing a final episode is incredibly hard and rarely do you get a good one. Not Fade Away was the best Series Finale that I have ever seen. If anything, Not Fade Away should be rewarded for providing such a satisfying ending, without really providing an ending at all. And should I hold the fact that Buffy lasted 2 seasons after The Gift against it? Maybe I should. As stand alone episode, without taking anything else that happened after it in consideration, should I see the episode as Buffys death (even if she lives later on) and give it that emotional weight and see it as a fitting conclusion? But if I don't take Season 6 and 7 into consideration, then I shouldn't take Season 4 and 5 into consideration. Personally, I think that The Gift should be punished for the crummy Seasons that followed it. The way they dealt with and resolved Buffys death sucked IMO. They ruined everything that they made with The Gift in the later seasons - Willow/Tara, Anya/Xander, Buffy/Spike, Buffy/Dawn - as if to make that episode worthless. What was the point of doing all of this wonderful stuff if it were just to get broken down and thrown apart in the next season? Thinking about it this way, I'd have to choose Not Fade Away. Edit: Wait a second. This decision is choosing which is the best Buffyverse episode. We are picking what best represents why we love these two shows. These two, personally, are my favourite episodes and I am happy the tournament turned out this way. However, if I were to show someone either one of these episodes, I'd pick The Gift. As I have said before, The Gift is the pinnacle of Joss Whedons storytelling abilities. Everything in that episode - from theme to relationships to how they killed Glory - is a reflection on the season. I love the theme of Family, and I love how this episode shows that every person in the family has a role. Giles is the father figure, having to make the choices his children shouldn't/couldn't make. Buffy was transitioning into adulthood, where she made the choice that Dawn shouldn't/couldn't make. Xander proposing to Anya (who would ever have thought Xander from season 1 would be doing and saying that?), picking up the spare, Anya coming up with all the ideas, Willow mindfucking Glory, Tara leading them there, the BUFFYBOT getting some play, Spike (trying) to save Dawn. Just wonderful usage of the characters and their roles. Not Fade Away made good use of the characters and their roles, but didn't bring them into the all encompassing theme like The Gift did with Family. It was more matching up good guys and bad guys for convenience than anything. The theme of "Choosing your Fate" was expressive at the end, but not really throughout and it wasn't as effective throughout the season as "Family" in Season 5 was. However, I keep falling back to Wesleys death in NFA. I loved his characters progression throughout the years and it came to an end here. I think that's probably the greatest single scene in Buffys, Angels, and even Fireflys history (ok... the Jury is still out on the last one). It is perfect. And I think that is the anchor which holds me towards Not Fade Away. Not Fade Away

I will note that Dave Batista is coming TO TORONTO for an autograph signing sometime this month.

"THE GOOD LIFE" Wednesday, October 6, 9PM ET/PT Believing she has been branded a bad mom simply because she is famous, Kevin agrees to defend rock star Carly Austin (guest star Gina Gershon), who's on the verge of losing her daughter, but when he stumbles across a very inebriated Carly at a late night soiree, Kevin discovers she not only deceived him but jeopardized her daughter's welfare, and battles whether to defend his client or do what is ethically responsible. Meanwhile, Dame feels like his best friend's bachelor lifestyle is being neglected, so he conducts an "intervention" and takes Kevin to a party, and when baby Sarah begins speaking her first words, Kevin worries whether she will call him "daddy."

Good GOD this show looks AWE$OME! I swear, if I were to create a television show starring Taye Diggs, THIS WOULD BE IT! A hot-shot attorney at a prestigious entertainment law firm, Kevin Hill (Taye Diggs) is a star on the rise. He commands attention in the courtroom and at the hottest clubs in New York City. Through all of his exploits, he is joined by his buddy, the charming and witty Dame (Jon Seda), who is always up for a good time. Without warning, Kevin's whole life turns upside down when he's left to raise the ten-month-old daughter of his cousin, who unexpectedly passes away. Overnight, this once unflappable player turns into a nervous dad. After figuring out how to deal with bottles, diapers and his new no-nonsense, gay nanny, George (Patrick Breen), Kevin is forced to overhaul his life and quits his shark-infested, workaholic law firm for a flex-time, boutique law office, Grey & Associates, owned and staffed completely by women. With the change in pace and clientele at the new firm, Kevin must adjust his attitude when dealing with his new co-workers, who include Jessie Grey (Michael Michele), a professional single mom and boss who likes fostering Kevin's bumpy evolution; Nicolette Raye (Christina Hendricks), the office's most underestimated legal weapon thanks to her slightly-mousey demeanor, and Veronica Carter (Kate Levering), a whip-smart diva who finds it especially difficult to work cases with Kevin, considering that she previously had a one-night stand with him. Despite continuing temptation from his party buddies, Kevin is determined to walk the line between the women at his job, the women that he chases and the baby girl in the crib.

You clearly aren't as familiar with the Middle East and Muslim culture as I am. Curly Toed Boots are a necessity, if not a way of life over there. Hussien needs a nickname as well. The "Desert____" or "___ Scorpion".

... And he has to have the Iron Shieks curled up toe boots.

Then they could have Hussien, post heel turn, enter the building freely while old ladies get checked out in line to see if they are carrying any dangerous weapons. And you could have all of his promos be cut in the same way OBL's videos were shot - in the mountains, pretty grainy video, with a rifle in his hand. He could also have an Al Jizeera Video crew with him documenting his stay in the WWE - which is why they're afraid to mistreat him, because it could cause an international incident. AAAAAAAND you could have him take prayer breaks during matches - specifically when he's losing - and the ref would have to allow it. There is so much potential here. I will be disappointed if they don't have the TV crew with him.

I say have Hussien, or whatever this new Muslim character will be, just show up one day and start to wrestle. After his match, have some heels (preferably with a southen accent... Bradshaw...) come up and say "Git the hell outta here you Saudi bastard! We don't want your Palestinian ass here in the land of the free! Go back to I-rack before you fly another plane into our freedom loving buildings!", and then have a clean cut babyface show up (Charlie Haas?) and say "Hey man, he's just a wrestler like us trying to make a living. He's in America now, so he's free too." and have the Liberal Hippy Haas take Hussien by his side. Play this stuff up for a few weeks until a PPV with Hussein/Haas vs. Evil Hick Team. Then have Hussien turn on Haas and lay all the Americans out in the middle of the ring. Have him "terrorize" matches, where he runs out and obliterates everyone in the ring (wrestlers, refs, time keepers, announcers) to the point where GM Teddy Long questions whether or not he should even be having matches. Meanwhile, evil Hussien uses DIPLOMATIC IMMUNITY and the MUSLIM COMMUNITY to keep him from getting suspended. Eventually this leads to JBL turning face and telling Teddy that if he closes down Smackdown, then the terrorists win. So we have JBL stopping Hussien once and for all and turns him into a parking lot.

Well, I guess that makes me better than Kanyon. (crickets) ...... HEY~! (BIG POP)

Muahahahha!

I like this board. I defend this board often by those who say the posters here are idiots. You both are not helping my case. There is good discussion and there is bad discussion. Good discussion happens when those involved wish to learn and develop and grow from the discussion. This is bad discussion. This is childish. There is no point to this, there is no value in this at all.

Both of you guys make me very sad. How about you both stop?

Wha? Just because you replied to me doesn't mean you proved anyone wrong. Hogan was mega over up until Brock beat him. Infact, that was the moment Brock actually started to build up heat. I remember this distinctly because I hate LiveAudioWrestling, mainly because their hosts hate Hogan with a passion and said that the Hogan pops would die down. They didn't. He sustained the crowd reaction for 4-6 months. His run still did sizable damage to the promotion. There isn't a debate here, btw.

When you live in the UK, THEN you can complain about constant, forced shilling. How DARE you try and out-criticize me. At least you get JR! We have Mark Lloyd and his shitty Jim Rome impression. FUCK YOU! And WCW's last year was so much fucking better than the WWE today. I fucking PRAY for WCW 2001. Wrestling in N.A. sucked in 1995, but at least 1996 brought with it Austin/Hart for the WWE and the NWO in WCW. What the fuck do we have to look forward to? This is a war of attrition ladies and gents, and it's between the Never Changing WWE Programming and your own personal Interest in the show.

My biggest pet peeve is their shitty wrestling style. They aren't wrestling, they're -at best- pretending to pretend. That's why I like Benoit, at least when he's wrestling I know something in there is real.

They don't have good characters. There isn't a single well-developed character in the WWE. Not one. Of course, I am comparing this to the television shows I normally watch rather than using "wrestling standards". And guess what? That's the competition for the WWE now.

It... wasn't? And it is hurting the WWE, it just isn't hurting Vince.

Is this Hollywoods revenge on Bootleggers and the Internet? You know, all the shitty movies coming out right now... "Here's an idea, let's make movies that no one would want to steal! That will get rid of piracy for sure!"

CSI usually has an A story and a B story, sometimes a C story. I am finding it very hard to motivate myself to watch the WWE. It's an accumulation of 3 years of bad storylines, bad characters, bad writing, bad feuds, bad... everything. It isn't one big blow that takes your interest away, but rather, a bunch of small ones. I find it all so very boring. They haven't changed anything - the music is the same, the announcers are the same, the set is the same, the storylines are the same, the matches are the same, the guys on top are the same (even if there is a new guy like Orton on top, he's still playing the same role that everyone else has), even them trying to "spice it up" with Taboo Tuesday feels the same (their constant, incredibly forced, shilling). I am getting very, very tired of it. CHANGE IT UP.

What you, and it appears many others, do. Wait outside buildings, hold out pieces of paper or whatever, and try to get it signed. Some people do it for money, some to fulfill some silly quest, some to put an "x" in a column. Most people tend to do it relating to one area/interest - wrestling fans go to wrestling events to get wrestlers autographs, for example - while others, it seems, do it for "celebrity". We are a celebrity driven society. We hold people who "pretend" in a high regard. It is a very silly thing in and of itself, but most people leave it at Entertainment Tonight or Access Hollywood. That is the culture. The subculture would be those who go the extra step - those whom actively go out and "meet" these "stars" -and through reading about your experiences, there looks to be rules that govern this subculture, peers/groups/"fans" you recognize, and similar objectives. It's odd because when you look at it objectively, it's a piece of paper, a written name, and a "hello". And yet there are people who pursue this. It's similar to the Paparazzi in its sorta Parasite/leech-like nature, but even then the Paparazzi do it more for $$$ and fame in their industry than anything else. Personally, I think it'd make for an interesting documentary. Infact, your Bronson Pinchot story reminded me of a Paparazzi Documentary I saw where the photographers felt this sense of entitlement and even got to the point of "Hey, I don't need this. It's your loss." when a celeb wouldn't pander to them. I live a pretty isolate life here in Mississauga. I didn't even know there were people lining outside SNL or David Letterman mobbing celebrities. I am sure what you do is not the oddest thing a person can do, but its the oddest thing that I have heard about (in detail). Better?

This "Autograph seekers" is the oddest subculture I've been exposed to.

Hogan was mega over well into his title reign, and ratings and attendance still went down. In order to be a draw, you have to be over. If you are over, it does not automatically make you a draw. So, over = draw is not an absolute.

I posted the names on Page 3, for reference. My favourite characters thus far are Locke (the old dude), Sayid (the Iraqi), Hurley (the fat dude), Jack (the doc), The Hick, and Charlie. Ok, that's half the cast They showed a different preview for next week tonight than they did last Wednesday. This one focused on Kate and the Marshall rather than Locke. The Hick wasn't a prisoner, he was just talking about roles. Maybe he did some time before, but I don't think that will be particularly relevant to his character. The bigger thing about him was the letter he was reading. Sayid knew about the numbers because he noticed that they played after each message +1. It's just logic. The question is, how has the transmitter maintained power for 16 years? I heard the idea today that the monster was an elephant/mastadon. I like that theory.

"Throughout life, there are obstacles. Whether they big or small, life brings them. (Whisper: "Batista") In my life, there are no obstacles. Because throughout it all, I just B." B Whisper: And coming soon, "Demon" by Dave.

You guys are Un-B-lievable.