Pacquiao/Hatton fight done - 99 problems but a bitch ain't one! Funny Jay-Z reaction to knockout

Check out the pic to see Jay-Z's priceless reaction to the knockout!  Too funny, so I had to save it and upload it!

Super quick fight, done at 2:59 into the 2nd round.  I loved it, though!  Well worth the $59.95 for the HD PPV.  Go Manny!

This blogspot has been almost deserted...

Well, ever since I've been Twittering, this blog page has been all but abandoned.  In Twitter, I can quickly post my thoughts without having to type a whole diatribe about it.  I feel I can say things in 140 characters or less.  Plus I can "tweet" random things that have nothing to do with anything!  It's pretty great.  I'll post here when I actually have a lot to say; otherwise, off to Twitter I go!

twitter.com/insanityVSchaos

Reviews this week so far...

I'm glad to say that this week's episodes of Lost and Heroes were great.  The past few weeks were just OK, but both shows kicked it up a notch this week.  The thing that made both shows good this week is the fact the stories were character-based, more so than trying to be too action-packed.  Not that I mind a good cliffhanger, but only if it is GOOD.  

Heroes this week focused on the Petrelli family and their struggle to find meaning on what to do with their lives.  Nathan, freshly ousted from the gov't program to round up those with abilities, brought Claire with him to Mexico to hide and to figure out how he can fix the current situation he created.  With the gov't hot on the trail, Angela and Peter Petrelli hid in a church where many of their family memories occurred.  Peter questioned God about his purpose and why he was given an ability when it hasn't really helped anyone.  Angela could not sleep, which she needs to do in order to have her dreams/visions of the future and figure out what needs to be done.  On the flip side, Sylar's storyline -- I'm not too fond of.  I mean, just how omnipotent is he going to become?  Now he can shape-shift?!?  It even looked like he could freakin teleport!  It's getting ridiculous with him.

Lost the past couple of weeks has not been so great to me.  They were good, but not great.  I understand that they needed to do those episodes to explain the whole 70's Dharma situation, but they really didn't connect to the overall plot to me -- probably due to the lack of flashbacks/flash forwards to any 2004-2007 events.  But this week's did, with a Kate storyline about how she tried to help Sawyer's daughter, as well as she left Aaron with Claire's mother.  It was a more emotional episode and I thoroughly enjoyed it (and I usually don't really like Kate episodes).  On a side note, what the hell is with Jack?  His character has really become very weak and he's pretty much a background character in comparison to Sawyer.  We'll see how long that lasts...

3/15/09 TV reviews

I know this is late, but I was sick all weekend.

First up, is the Simpsons.  I'm a hardcore Simpsons fan, yet I was underwhelmed by this latest episode.  Referencing a school computer game (get 3 things across a river)?  What is this?  Family Guy?  (I'll tear Family Guy apart later).  Then there was the whole Da Vinci code thing.  Not very well done.  The animation was good, but the ideas -- not so much.  South Park did it first, and did it better.  And this is coming from a guy who will defend the Simpsons against South Park or Family Guy anyday.  I guess being around for 20 years will give writers an excuse not to have any kind of continuity.  I distinctly remember one of my favorite episodes where Homer and Bart turn Catholic.  But in this episode, Homer exclaims "Ahh!  Catholics!" in disgust.  I hate to say it, but if the writing gets any worse, they need to put the Simpsons to rest.  One example is the episode where Homer and Marge are in their college days, in the 90's.  And Homer has a grunge band.  Terrible.

And speaking of terrible, Family Guy.  I used to be a fan of the show, but lately I just watch for old times sake.  An episode about OJ Simpson?  Wow.  This would've worked in 1993... Speaking of which, they made a small jab towards the Simpsons where they say "Simpson, no one's cared about you since 1993!"  and you see Homer say "D'oh!"  Honestly, no one's cared about Family Guy since 1999 when it got cancelled (and should have stayed cancelled).  Ever since South Park put out an episode joking the writing of Family Guy, Family Guy has not been the same.  Now instead of random jokes they used to do, now the rely on dumb senseless conversations that go nowhere and aren't even funny.  How about a 3 minute clip of Conway Twitty singing?  What a waste of time, and that shows the lazy writing.  Hey Family Guy writers, how about another Brian and Stewie conversation about the novel, or a project they're working on?  Ugh.

Cold Case was the best show of the night.  Well written, emotional story.  More so than usual.  And this episode wasn't even a cold case; it happened in real time.  Cold Case is always good, so this wasn't a big surprise.

Huh...

I was asked by a user on Youtube to have permission to air some of my videos on a Filipino cable program.  I have yet to reply, since I do not really know if it's legit or not.  But below is the actual message sent to me, which I've googled and others have gotten this message as well:

Greetings! We are a Philippine-based Cable TV station that can be viewed on CHANNEL 11 of Global Destiny Cable TV (one of the leading cable TV providers in the Philippines). We are strategically located between the two leading local TV channels in the country. Soon, we will be airing a program called "CUBETUBE" that will feature personal or group videos from viewers.

We saw your uploaded videos, and we find it interesting. We would like to ask your permission if we can broadcast it on our program.

We can download it on through the Internet, with your approval, of course. Or you can also send your videos to our email address cubetube@info.com.ph.

Make your way to the Top, be the cream of the crop, be the best of the best. Show, reveal, and expose your talent! Be discovered and be a star! CubeTube!

Way of the Electric Boogaloo HD on Facebook

Well, good thing I posted this on Facebook to test the quality.  Youtube sent me a warning soon after about this video and copyright issues about using the song "Play At Your Own Risk" by Planet Patrol -- which is owned by Warner Music Group.  I had to delete my Real World parody for the same reason.  

"Chocolate" Movie Review (Blu-Ray)

I just got this on Blu-Ray the other day, so I thought I'd review it.  "Chocolate" stars JeeJa Yanin (who is a female Tony Jaa of sorts), who plays a young autistic girl (Zen) who is the daughter of a female Thai criminal (Zin) and a Japanese Yakuza.  The father moves back to Japan to avoid conflict between himself and the Thai gang of the woman; this leaves Zin to take care of the autistic girl all by herself.  The lady eventually gets sick (cancer, I presume), while the girl watches the neighbors doing Muai Thai and imitates their moves.  Growing up, she watches Tony Jaa films and plays fighting video games -- which she imitates.  Her best friend is a chubby kid named Moom.  The hospital bills of her mom becomes a problem, so they need a way to make money.  Moom finds Zin's old list of people that owe her gang money and tries to collect.  Zen comes along and the fights ensue.  Eventually the Thai gang captures Moom, so Zin, Zen and later the Japanese dad come to confront them.

Ok, now that I have the plot out of the way, it's on to the good stuff.  This JeeJa Yanin girl (her Thai name is Yanin Matinanda) is up to par with Tony Jaa's moves!  Though she does not have the power that he does, she is just as acrobatic.  Truly breathtaking to watch.  She seems really young, I'm sure she'll improve even more in time.  Though, I wish she had better fight choreography.  Especially during the first few fights.  Way too many basic kicks during the ice factory scene.  And it was a bit annoying how many Bruce Lee "waaaaahh's" she'd scream after every kick -- I know her character is autistic, but they could've cut some of it out.  I did notice some speed up during some of the fights, as well as a little bit of wire work (during the final building scene, for safety reasons; but also during the fight in the Japanese restaurant).  But it was minimal, and not overdone like some movies *cough, cough, modern Hong Kong kung fu flicks, cough*  Don't get me wrong, this movie is filled with terrific fight sequences.  She is easily the best female on-screen martial artist I've seen.  And Yanin is a likeable actress; definite star potential.  I liked the idea of an autistic hero.  A much better plot twist than just getting back the head of a statue... ahem, Ong-Bak.

As I said, I purchased the Blu-Ray, so I'll comment a little on it.  It comes with the original Thai language, as well as the English dub (though, I strongly recommend you avoid it -- terribly done).  Of course it has English subtitles.  The box says it has Spanish subs as well.  The only real bonus feature is a "Making Of", which is an over extended version of the trailer with a few training scenes sprinkled in.  The other "bonus feature" is a bunch of trailers for movies from Magnet studio -- pretty much horror/suspense flicks; has nothing to do with Thai martial arts flicks.  Was hoping to see release info for Ong Bak and Tom Yum Goong on Blu-Ray.  Oh well.

In conclusion, I'd give this three and a half stars out of five.

"Chocolate" 2008

Starring: Yanin Mitananda (JeeJa Yanin)

Directed by:  Prachya Pinkaew

I had to delete my Real World parody videos

Due to copyright issues, Youtube decided to mute the audio on my "Real World: VA" video.  I used the song "Apache" by the Sugarhill Gang which is owned by Warner Music Group.  I got a notice on my account telling me they muted the video until the music was swapped out.  Well, the scene was me imitating the Fresh Prince of Bel Air skit where Carlton and Will entered a dance contest and performed to the aforementioned song.  It just wouldn't make sense if I changed it.  So rather than change my original vision, I deleted it.  My way or the highway.  They limited the views of the video.  I wondered why it got so little views, and now I know.  Youtube limited the visibility of the video -- they said so in the message/warning.  

The Simpsons now in HD

In it's 20th season, the Simpsons has gone Hi-Def!  Though it doesn't look too much different, it is cool to see it in widescreen now.  So no more using the old footage of the opening scene.  The opening has a few references to going HD - on the chalkboard, Bart wrote "HDTV is worth every cent".  Then at the end of the couch gag, they have a widescreen version of their purple television - complete with rabbit ears!  Funny to see it fall off the wall as if it were mounted like a LCD/Plasma screen.  I'm really glad I don't have to see the black bars on the sides anymore.

Chocolate trailer (Thai)

This came out last February in Thailand and probably the rest of Asia. But I just heard about it today. After watching the Thai version of the trailer, I was freakin AMAZED. From the director of Ong-Bak and Tom-Yum-Goong (The Protector), comes this film about a girl born from a Yakuza father and I'm guessing a Thai woman, who ends up autistic -- and that somehow makes her a kung fu genius. Not that I'm looking for a deep story from this genre, but it is a better and possibly more universal concept (that maybe why it is being released on Blu-Ray on Feb.10 -- Ong-Bak and TYG have yet to be put in HD). You'd think a girl version of Tony Jaa would be watered down; well, you'd be WRONG! The lead in this film is out of this world. She does as many crazy moves as Jaa, if not more (just based on the trailer alone). Watch this trailer --much better than the English version that  has too many cuts and editing. I will be picking this up on Blu Ray...

MacGruber Pepsi ad: Best of the Super Bowl commercials

I thought that this spot was the best hands down of the night. It's so random that they put an SNL skit on as a Pepsi commercial. And it couldn't have cost much to produce (aside from SNL copyright fees, actor wages). Especially compared to the special effects (i.e. 3-D, computer graphics) seen in all of the other commercials. Having the real MacGyver (Richard Dean Anderson) on was fun, too. Though it added absolutely nothing...

Do a dollop, do, do a dollop of Daisy!!!

I can't get this jingle out of my head! It's awesome! "Do a dollop, do, do a dollop of Daisy!!!" And I don't even like sour cream... I just like the commercial. I love cheesy commercials with catchy jingles.

Me and my niece Jailyn cover Jason Mraz's "Lucky"

Here is a video of me and my 7 year old niece Jailyn covering the Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat duet "Lucky".  Jailyn sung both parts ;P  I didn't hear the song beforehand, except for seeing a video of other people covering it.  So suffice it to say, I didn't play the guitar part correctly -- i.e. finger picking during the chorus, etc.  I was looking at the chord/tab on my laptop.  Enjoy!

Enough with the hand claps in your songs already!

Listening to the local hip-hop/pop radio station today, about 9 out of the ten songs had hand claps in the beats.  Even the commercials/jingles had clapping in 'em!   I like claps in songs once in a while, but now it seems like they are in every song.  It's a bit much.  Now all of these songs start to sound the same.  Change it up, people -- change it up.

I'm ragin against the machine!!!

Not really. But I did just get this nifty custom Fender Stratocaster off of Ebay! As you can see, it is MIM (Made in Mexico), has upgraded pickups (Lace Silver in the neck, Lace Gold in the middle and a Seymour Duncan Mini JB Humbucker in the bridge), a cool neck plate (not really a Custom Shop USA guitar, but cool nonetheless), locking tuners, straplocks, and best of all...a killswitch!!! Used by the likes of Buckethead, but you can use it to do some crazy Tom Morello stuff! It was shipped out disassembled, so I had to put the neck on and the strings, but it plays great. Love it. Thanks dude who sold it to me.

LOST: Season 5

Finally, after what seems like forever, LOST is coming back tonight at 8pm! (Check your local listings)  From the trailers they've been playing, it seems like this season will be very interesting.  Though I have been avoiding watching them as to save myself from spoilers, the one with Sayid and Hurley was pretty cool.  Seems like all of the trailers have been flash forwards... Can't wait to watch tonight!

I now have a Twitter...

http://twitter.com/insanityVSchaos

God Bless America!!!

Yes we did!  We voted for the right candidate!  

It is an historic day for the United States of America, not only for voting for the first African-American president, but for voting for a true leader -- someone who has the capacity to lead and inspire at the same time.  The road ahead will be incredibly rocky, but let us not fool ourselves into thinking everything will miraculously change now that Obama is president.  He will need to make the right decisions, and we as Americans, need to learn to sacrifice and work together to make this country great once again.  For now, though, let us celebrate this occasion.  The days and years ahead will be a trying time...

Happy Birthday!

To my niece Jailyn -- Happy 7th Birthday! Pictured below, she is wearing my gift to her... a Snuggie! LOL... She liked my gift more than anyone elses!

Snuggie... yes, you can get them in stores!

You may be wondering "Can I buy a Snuggie in stores?" and "What stores can I buy a Snuggie at?"  Well, I can answer both those questions.  My niece wanted one for her birthday, so I searched online to see if I could buy it in stores (I didn't have time to wait for shipping -- her b-day was only 2 days away).  Someone on Yahoo! Answers mentioned they saw a display at Bed Bath & Beyond.  I went to the local Bed Bath & Beyond and as soon as I walked through the two automated doors, the first thing I see is a bunch of boxes of Snuggies.  It was $14.99.  Yes, it comes with the little booklight thing.  (see picture above -- it is the actual box of the Snuggie  I bought).  So pick yourself up a Snuggie... you'll say "Wow" everytime!  Oh, wait... that's the ShamWoW...

Complaint of the Day

Why is it that people decide at the last minute to change lanes?  Today, at a stop light there was traffic.  We were stopped for a few minutes.  I was in the left lane going straight (the two lanes beside me are left turn only).  So as soon as traffic starts moving, I start driving -- then all of a sudden a jackass from the turn lane swerves into my lane!  Why'd you get in that lane if you knew you had to go straight, ya douche?!  Figure out where you have to go BEFORE.  Moron!  Fathead!

Back in love...

...with my Epiphone Les Paul.  After neglecting it in its case for a while, I busted it out and decided to play.  (I have several other guitars, that is why I haven't played the Les Paul).  I plugged it into the amp, turned up the overdrive and it was magic to my ears.  The tone, the sustain - beautiful.  I can't figure out why I haven't used it as often lately.  It maybe because I've been used to playing my single coil pickup guitars (Epiphone Casino, Fender Telecaster).  But when I started to riff on Cream's "Sunshine of Your Love" then played (or tried to play) the opening to "Black Magic Woman" by Santana, those humbuckers really shined.

The King of Television advertising

Mr. Billy Mays, congratulations.  You sir, are the new king of television advertising.  Billy, your loud, abrasive style of selling wares has garnered you the distinct honor of being king.  The airwaves were once ruled by the likes of Ron Popeil and his Rotisserie -- remember to "Set it and forget it"?  But now, we cannot watch tv without at least one of Mr. Mays' many advertisements.  From Oxi Clean to Big City Sliders (which look  delicious, I might add) to even health insurance! (iCan).  I just Wikipedia'd Billy and found he represents 14 different products!  This guy can sell anything!  Mr. Mays, you sir are a service to the community.

Popeye's biscuits

I've been in love with Popeye's buttermilk biscuits since the 80's when I was growing up.  They were so moist and flavorful.  But now it seems that the biscuits have gotten progressively dry.  I don't know if it's just the Popeye's around here (Virginia), but the biscuits don't have that moistness I grew up with in Florida.  Maybe they need to add some more buttermilk or something.  Whatever it is, Popeye's, FIX IT.  Or else I'm gonna go eat the overly sweet biscuits from Church's Chicken.

Uhhhhhh...

Ok, what's with all the videos on Youtube showing you how to apply makeup?  And why are they so popular?  There is always a bunch of these on the Most Viewed section.  I know these vids actually serve a purpose and can be helpful to the ladies, but really?  That many women watch these to learn how to do different makeup styles?  To each their own...

Ong Bak 2 needs to come out in America already!

I'm six or seven months late for this, but below is the promo reel/trailer for the long-awaited Ong Bak 2.  I've been waiting forever for this movie to come out -- hopefully it comes out here in the States soon.  I'd love to see it in theatres.