Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Defiant Karate Kid fans... it's ok. They didn't ruin it.


I came to the conclusion that I couldn't dishonor Daniel-san by watching The Karate Kid (2010) in theaters. That's where Red box comes into play. I'd pay $1 to see it. After watching it, I would've paid a couple more.

I would yell "Spoiler Alert" at this point, but since you've already seen the original, this is the same concept combing the first, second and the Hilary Swank Karate Kid films all in one.

Mom and kid move to an unfamiliar place. The handy man is strange. Kid tries to make new friends. He meets the girl. Bully beats him up for talking to the girl. Kid takes revenge by dousing the bully and his gang with some sort of liquid. He gets caught and beaten up after a chase. Handy man steps in and beats up the bullies... Need I go on?

Homage to Karate Kid part 2 was paid when Mr. Han(Jackie Chan) takes Dre(Jayden Smith) up to the mountains where he learned Kung Fu. You start to see where the snake technique resembles the Crane kick.

Kudos to Jackie Chan during the car smashing scene. Mr. Han was driving while having an argument with his wife. He loses control and the car wrecks killing his wife and child. So apparently, He puts the car back together and smashes it because his life wasn't put back the way it was when the car was fixed. Tears and everything. Great piece of acting in the film.

Now to the best part, the fighting. I will make allowances for camera angles and sound effects, but these kids went at it! Fast and furious fighting complete with WWE style flips and kicks.

And speaking of kicks, it wouldn't be The Karate Kid without Cobra-Kai, am I right? Same thing happens here. "Mercy is for the weak..." Oh yeah, they changed it around a little bit, but it was there.

"Sweep the leg, Johnny!" In the new one the instructor wants Dre's leg broken. Same injury applies. The Doctor doesn't recommend going back out there. Mr. Han does his version of the "Rubbing Hands" technique. The announcer declares Dre has 2 minutes to return to the ring or he forfeits. Dre shows up at the last moment. The fight goes on Dre gets his leg re injured with a jumping 360 strike from his opponent. Dre takes a while to get up then brings up his leg into the snake technique... and you can guess what happens next.

Overall, I was happy with the Kung Fu fighting as it seemed like anything you find in a good martial arts movie with adults. They respected the original and I do not feel that watching this will defile your memory of the first one. Besides, that VHS tape half works if at all. It's only a buck and worthwhile for a boring Wednesday night or a lazy Sunday if you have a feeling that the Panthers are going to lose again (cough cough).

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

'Huge' is last one picked on the ABC Family team


I watched 'Huge' on ABC Family. I thought it was interesting to see a show that followed the actual existence of overweight teenagers.

Most shows with overweight folks like 'Biggest Loser' and 'Thintervention' revolve around them losing weight through some sort of program that leaves them physically exhausted as the cameras roll. Add in a physically fit trainer berating them as they are tempted by well placed fattening treats and it's a recipe for condescension mixed with voyeurism. "Will the fat person lose the weight or will they eat the cake?"

'Huge' dealt with teens going off to "Fat camp" and did include the overbearing trainer for a while, but it wasn't the whole show. They dealt with all the classic things that thinner teenagers deal with in TV shows. Possessions being stolen, relationships, hating each other, starting a band, running away and drinking... Apparently the ratings were high enough to make it worth keeping.

I will say thanks for trying, though. Thanks for giving overweight teens a show where they weren't just the fat kids whose clothes didn't seem to fit and were always shy, alone, sitting in a corner and eating something.

For a little while overweight teens were just teens.

*image EW.com

Huge cancelled by ABC Family

Monday, October 4, 2010

The Hangover 2: Waking up in Bangkok


When Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Justin Bartha and Zach Galifianakis took over Las Vegas, we weren't ready. A movie where the Groom is stuck on the roof of the hotel and that's just the beginning.

Mike Tyson's Tiger was abducted in a stolen police car and held in a bathroom, one of the guys pulls out his own tooth on a dare, a drunken wedding proposal that lead to the guys being saddled with an infant... Only in Vegas.

So what in the world could happen in Bangkok? We'll find out soon enough. The Hangover 2 goes into production later this month.

*Image: Frank Masi/EW

'Hangover 2' to get Bangkok Dangerous

Thursday, September 30, 2010

A Kanye West rant that even Taylor Swift could agree with.


I know it's great to get free music. So why would you steal from someone who is giving it away?

That is the question Kanye West is wondering when a hacker leaked one of his unfinished songs earlier this week. West releases a song each week as part of his G.O.O.D. Friday program. But not this time.

In my opinion, hackers have their place when they are helping to uncover evil secrets and expose corruption, but this is no different than stealing candy from a house on Halloween. You ruin it for everyone.

I'd love to see more artists release a free song each week. Hopefully hackers can find something better to do with their time if this happens.

*Image: Will Ragozzino/Getty Images/EW



Kanye West vents about leaked music, revokes Internet's free tune privileges

Friday, September 17, 2010

Linkin Park's 'Thousand Suns' causing light to fade.


Linkin Park doesn't rock anymore. They are whatever it is you would say about techno in terms of it being great. Or do you say "Techno rocks?"

Listening to "Thousand Suns" was like getting that gift from under the Christmas tree that you know had to be a gag. This is a joke, right? Have I been punked? Was this one of those things where you did it just to shock the fans out of their complacency? Apparently not.

Don’t get me wrong. I like techno music, but I wasn’t expecting this and I can’t seem to snap out of the rock guitar I had imagined.

According to the story on MTV News, the band is perfectly happy with it and basically telling the rest of us to go away.

OK, guys. I get it. I know when I'm not wanted. I'm moving on.

Are there any good rock/rap/screamo/metal bands out there that want a loyal fan? You keep rocking on guitar and I'll keep listening.

*image from MTV News

Linkin Park Tell Thousand Suns Critics To 'Go Find Something You Like'

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Get closer to celebrities with TwitChange


Imagine one of the Jonas Brothers wishing your child a happy birthday. Picture UFC President, Dana White, congratulating you on your latest MMA victory. How about if you only said "Hey" to Maria Menounos and she said "Hi" back? This is possible with TwitChange.

TwitChange gives people the chance to get retweeted, mentioned and/or followed by their favorite celebrities all to help www.ahomeinhati.org.

Just think about the publicity and fame you could get from a Loren Ridinger mention or retweet. It's possible with TwitChange.

Twitter package: http://bit.ly/lrtwitchange
Details: Includes a follow (for up to 90 days), ReTweet and mention from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives two (2) tickets to the Vogue event in Miami, Florida.

Twitter @mention: http://bit.ly/lrmention
Details: Includes a mention in a tweet from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives a Motives Autumn/Winter kit.

Twitter ReTweet: http://bit.ly/lrtweet
Details: Includes a ReTweet from Loren Ridinger. Winning bidder also receives a 30-minute mentoring session.

Twitter Follow: http://bit.ly/lrfollow
Details: Includes a follow (for up to 90 days). Winning bidder also receives a diamond Macrame bracelet from the Loren Jewels collection.


For more info, Click Here

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

You ruined it for me: Things I can never tell my mother.



My daily stroll around the entertainment websites led to a gem. Foods we refuse to eat due to bad childhood experiences. We all have some of those. I think I can give my top 10.

1. Pimento Cheese. My mother loved it. If there was a spreadable cheese in the house it was pimento cheese. Later in life I realize that I love cheddar and various other cheeses, but when I go to a social event where there is pimento cheese, I'm ready to go home.

2. Beets. Sometimes you taste something you just don't like. Unfortunately, when you are little, you are made to continue eating it because it is on your plate. And if you had the bad luck of your parents buying it in bulk because someone was "picking it from their garden," you will be subjected to the horror of consuming it more than once with the accompanying phrase "eat it or no desert." Sometimes desert wasn't worth it.

3. Root beer. I found a trick to root beer. Get used to chewing wintergreen gum and you can drink root beer. The first time I had root beer, it wasn't for me. Then I was placed with a choice of either root beer or water at a sleepover. After spending the whole day chewing wintergreen gum, the root beer didn't taste bad at all. They seemed to have the same taste. I'd like for someone else to try that and see if they agree with me.

4. Stir fry. You run into the kitchen excited to find out what's for dinner and when you see the wok, its over. No flavor, just the taste of vegetables with a hint of whatever meat was placed in there. I was able to overcome this aversion by watching Food TV. Chicken stock, garlic, onions, light soy sauce, 5 spice powder, scallions, white wine and a little honey reduced down to the consistency of a sauce... did wonders.

5. Cube Steak. This amounted to marathon chewing sessions almost every time. The mashed potatoes and peas were the best part of that meal.

6. Hot dogs with the cheese in the middle. I think this wound was self-inflicted. I said I could eat them everyday and they were on sale. My mother put me to the challenge and I haven't touched them since. The thought comes back as I'm typing this. What was I thinking?

7. Coffee. I can hear people gasp. This was also a mistake and my mother warned me not to have more than a cup. But I wanted to be an adult. The adults in the house could drop a pot of coffee in an hour. So I think I consumed around 4 cups with 6 or 7 sugars. The erratic behavior that followed would've been worthy of YouTube. Thank God we hadn't heard of the Internet back then.

8. Ranch Dressing. It took me a while to warm up to Ranch because the first time I tried it was the day I had a concussion. The fall knocked me senseless. Everything tasted strange and that was the first time I had tasted ranch dressing.

9. Chitterlings. My parents would call it babysitting. I called it kidnapping. I was trapped in a house where the people either don't believe in or can't afford air conditioning. Then I had to suffer through the smell of collard greens and chitterlings being cooked. It's not pleasant. I never got used to it. Still can't bring myself to try them again. Bobby Flay and Gordon Ramsay could tag team chitterlings in an episode of Hell's Kitchen and I'd still fill up on bread and water.

10. Soup. One of the things I learned about soup is to listen for the way people say it. Do they say vegetable beef or beef and vegetable. My mother made vegetable beef soup. Very little meat and more than enough okra. I wasn't a fan until my uncle took over the kitchen one day. Four packs of beef and steak went into that soup. That man was my hero. Add cornbread to it and soup has never been the same since.

Do you have a food aversion and were you able to overcome it? Tell us how.

*image Eun Byeo/flickr

Grapefruit: The Fight to Overcome a Bad Memory

True Blood and The MTV VMA's make for Sunday Funday


On Sunday Sept. 12, there was True Blood and The MTV Video Music Awards. The anticipation award goes to True Blood. The real winner is the one who owns the water cooler for the rest of the week. That would go to the VMAs.

Sunday night facebook conversations were about Lady Gaga's multiple outfits. We expect that out of her. The raw meat fashion was definitely a showstopper. My thought was that she wasted a perfectly good brisket.

Monday, seemed to analyze Taylor Swift's song and if she forgave Kanye West or not. Let's say she did. Kanye had did his thing and I don't feel any more insults need to be thrown. I would like to ask Kanye if he has forgiven the Saturday Night Live cast for making fun of him. He eludes to it with a couple vulgarities in his single called "Power."

Also, there was Will.i.am. His fashion ensemble was strange at best. Black leather looking makeup, sunglasses, a plastic looking hair piece and an all leather outfit. Just another oddity to some. But to others on twitter, they perceived him to be in blackface makeup. Rants ensued and Will.i.am took to his twitter page to subdue the onslaught twice.

Eminem and Rhianna performed "Love the way you lie." Not really a fan of domestic violence songs, but with his current domination of the charts, I'm in the minority.

Today has a simple question "How did Chelsea Handler do as the host?" Responses range from "fine" to "bomb." And who better to lead the charge on telling someone they bombed than Perez Hilton. This didn't go over well with Handler and another celebrity Twitter feud was activated. Whatever these two say to each other, it was the 3rd highest rated VMA show ever. Handler and the gang can take credit for a job well done.

*Image Getty Images/MTV

Everything You Wanted To Know About Lady Gaga's VMA Meat Dress!

Friday, September 10, 2010

CW brings Thursday back to life with death


When CW moved Smallville to Fridays it left Thursday a dead zone. But that was before Vampire Diaries and Nikita rolled into town. How to revive a dead zone? Turn it into a killing field.

The Vampire Diaries season premiere was filled with fighting, underage drinking, death threats, stabbings, neck snapping and even smothering someone with a pillow. Were your kids in bed? I sure hope so.

The Nikita series premiere opened with a botched robbery and a security guard getting blown away followed by a large hairy man getting his neck snapped at a pool party along with his bodyguard taking a knife to the chest...but that part was just a dream sequence... I think. None the less, there were more shootings, explosions, cuttings, death threats and general chaos for another hour.

After a look around the other networks' schedules, CW appears to have a lock in the violence department on Thursdays. Both shows kept my attention to where I didn't answer my phone. I was told that there was a football game last night. Who knew?

*image from Annette Brown/The CW

Vampire Diaries Recap

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Listen Up: Shakira's "Loca!"


New Shakira just for you! Check out the just released english and spanish versions of "Loca" on ma My World!


Loca (English) by Shakira



Loca (Spanish) by Shakira