Good old Bill, he’s a hoot ain’t he? Now onto the remixes.

Billy O’Reilly Flips Out - The Dance Remix:

Stephen Colbert Flips Out:

Bill O’Reilly Is Misunderstood (YTMND)

Bill O’Reilly Hates the Opera (YTMND, also my personal favorite)

At this rate, we may have a new Star Wars Kid on our hands.

Technorati Tags: Bill O Reilly, Bill O Reilly goes crazy, conservative, remix, flips out, Star Wars Kid, Stephen Colbert, parody

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In my post reviewing Sierra Nevada Pale Ale, I mentioned that I’m not a big fan of IPA’s.  While that still rings true, I think I’m warming up to them a little more.  I still can only drink them in smaller quantities, but sometimes that’s for the best.  Anyway, the other beers in this sampler pack were Red Hook’s ESB, Blonde Ale, and Copperhook.  I haven’t tried the Copperhook yet, but the name alone makes me think of a metallic taste.  I’m sure it’s in reference to its color or something, but whatever.  Perhaps I can give that one a review next as it’s their seasonal beer for spring.  

Long Hammer pours with a nearly non-existent head with a golden-yellow color which is somewhat lighter in comparison the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.  The smell is pretty much pure hops, which would have made me gag like a chick on a Blacks on Blondes video a year ago when I wouldn’t go near a pale ale.  As far as taste goes, the first sip I took I experience what I like to call "Hop Rape".  What this means is that you get that instant hop bite that can be quite overwhelming and surprising, hence the term.  Luckily, this dies down significantly as the beer sits.  It then becomes smoother and more drinkable without the flavor of chewing a handful of hops.  The taste resembles something along the lines of pure hops and pine.  Drinking pine may not sound like a whole lot of fun, but thats what you have to expect when drinking pale ales.

To some folks, the "Hop Rape" factor is very appealing, but after it dies down they seem to lose interest.  For myself, it’s the exact opposite.  I enjoyed Long Hammer’s ability to "calm itself down" in a sense, but if you’re a real hop head it may lose its appeal in this regard. 

Taste: Average

Smell: Average

Drinkability: Average

Final Words:

So is this a hit or miss for Red Hook?  I think it’s a little bit of both.  It’s a pretty much a run of the mill IPA, but it’s an easy one to try for starters even with a 6.5% ABV.  I doubt I’ll be buying more of these in the near future, but as of right now I certainly don’t mind Long Hammer taking up room in my fridge.  I’d recommend this beer to a person that’s wants to "break in" to the world of craft brews, but nothing above that. Just as it states in the ratings above, this beer is pretty much average all around. .  Although that may not be such a bad thing for an everyday beer.
 

View the Pour:

Technorati Tags: Beer, Reviews, Red Hook, Indian Pale Ale, IPA, craft beer, ale, brew

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Anyway, here’s a video that I dug up on Youtube starring former WWE wrestler Ahmed Johnson.  You see, old Ahmed wasn’t exactly the best on the microphone.  In fact, his interviews and promo’s caused more people to scratch their heads rather than to be excited for his wrestling matches.  So when Ahmed was forced to cut not one, but four promo’s for the Playstation game WWF Warzone, hilarity and confusion ensued.  Luckily there is this video that subtitles three of these promo’s with interesting results:

Technorati Tags: funny, movie, youtube, WWF, WWE, Ahmed Johnson, interpretation

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Of course with Grand Theft Auto’s popularity, the R-rated content within the game is going to be subjected to a fair amount of scrutiny whether justified or not.  Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas made headlines for its infamous "Hot Coffee" scenario, and the series has been blamed for several instances of violence.  In this day and age this is pretty much to be expected between so-called activists and the sensationalist media.  However, recently I came across an article of a reporter bashing GTA4 before it even hits the streets.   Let’s take a look at this article and see what all the hoopla is about, and perhaps even examine some future controversy that I see this game producing down the line in a very sarcastic manner.

So here we have a writer from a blog of the Charlotte Reporter who it taking a look at Grand Theft Auto 4 before it’s release.  Here are some of the things he has to say:

  "Tuesday, ‘Grand Theft Auto IV’ debuts in stores, and it needs and Adults Only rating"

Oh is that right?  Well I’m assuming you’ve had some good one on one time with the game I’m guessing.  Why do you think it justifies that rating?

  "The new game, among other things, allows players to choose one of three prostitutes for various forms of sex in a car. It graphically displays simulated group sex in a strip club. The images are about in line with something you might see after midnight on certain movie channels."

That actually sounds pretty awesome!  I guess that’s what you can expect for a game that’s designed for Mature audiences over the age of 17.  What can you tell me about the other aspects of the game?  How’s the driving, shooting, free roaming etc.?

  "I haven’t played "GTA IV" yet, but I was simply shocked by the clips I saw."

So wait, you haven’t even played the game yet?  What the fuck?  How can anything be justified as Rated X if you haven’t actually sat down and used the product?  You fail at logic sir.

After reading the rest of the article, you can see that the reporter focuses only on the sexual aspects of the game.  The violence in the game is ignored mind you, however any mention of sex and this guy is already pointing the "shame on you" finger.  So remember folks, beatings, shootings, explosions, and other forms of violence are OK, but don’t you even THINK about showing a titty.

But enough of that nonsense.  GTA4 is bound to create a firestorm of controversy from everyone who thinks they know what’s best for "the children".  So here are quite possibly some future comments from folks who might be upset by this game:

  "It’s games like this that are threatening the very fabric of morality in today’s society.  This filth is perpetrated by liberals in an attempt to undermine American family values.  Don’t look at my Adam’s Apple. "

  "Why must you Morans play such shit? Go USA!"

  "Yo son, I can’t take personal responsibility for my actions, so I’m going to blame it on this game.  Hit me up on my Myspace, HOLLA!"

  "I’m saving all my cash up for a Wii Fit."

  "So you’re going to buy Iron Man today instead of Grand Theft Auto?  Why don’t you have a seat over there?"

Technorati Tags: Grand Theft Auto 4, GTA4, Rockstar, controversy, violence, sex, reporting, San Andreas, Super Mario Brothers, mature

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I had mentioned in my review of Doom Asylum that the Code Red DVD label was undergoing a change in distributors.  This marks the first film that they’re releasing under their new distributor BCI.  Will there track record of releasing quality DVDs hold up?  Lets find out.

The Plot:

Washed-up actress Karla Davis wakes up one night with visions of an impending plane crash in which everyone on the flight dies with the exception of a woman named Denise Watson.  Denise happens to work at the talent agency that Karla is involved in, and Karla attempts to warn her agent about the incident that she sees forthcoming.  This of course is immediately dismissed by her agent due to her history of ranting and raving about such things.

We soon find out that just as Karla predicted, the plane had crashed and its passengers have perished with the exception of Denise.  She handles this ordeal remarkably well, however after several "near miss" accidents and incidents involving strange figures, it seems that she isn’t quite as lucky as she originally thought.  It looks like Death’s minions have come to make Denise per her debt, and they’re not afraid to take a few others with them. 

The DVD:

•  Image
  • Considering the source material and the fact that Sole Survivor was made on a budget of $350,000, the video quality is actually pretty exceptional.  There are parts of the film where the colors seem to be a bit washed out, but this is hardly noticeable.  It’s also presented 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen which is certainly a deluxe treatment for a film like this.   8 out of 10

• Sound
  • The film is presented in mono and the track seems to hold up pretty well.  Not cracks or pops that I noticed at all.  However, I should point out that the audio track seemed quite low on my system.  I had to turn it up a few notches to hear the dialogue, but if you have a decent system this shouldn’t be too much of a problem.  7 out of 10
    

• Extras
  • Extras include the original trailer for the film, as well as trailers for upcoming films from Code Red DVD.  I always enjoy these, probably because of the high cheese factor in some of them.  Other extras include an interview with actor Caren Larkey (who plays the role of Karla) and executive producer Sal Romeo, an introduction from Caren, and a commentary track.  These extras are pretty informative, and I’m a sucker for trailers, so this gets a    7 out of 10

The Bottom Line:

I first heard of Sole Survivor through a minor buzz across some of the horror boards I read.  Many posters were anticipating its release, and some had mentioned its similarities to Final Destination.  After viewing the film, the similarities are pretty apparent.  You have the plane crash, the premonition, and the "close calls" which exist in both the films.  I wouldn’t say that Final Destination was a direct rip-off of this film, but it had generously borrowed more than a few ideas.  Hell, the linear notes in the DVD point out that director Thom Eberhardt may have even checked with his lawyer on the matter.  However, to Final Destination’s credit, Sole Survivor isn’t a slasher film (I often think of Destination as a sort of "invisible slasher") as it relies more on ambiance then jump scares or gore.

But enough about Final Destination, lets get to the film at hand.  Sole Survivor is a film that has its fair share of eerie atmosphere.  The people that stalk Denise are the living dead, however they’re not presented in zombie form.  They appear as ghostly, expressionless figures which I believe are far more effective.  These figures are often times unknown to the viewer, and their only explanation to their existence is that appear to have a sole purpose of bringing Denise face to face with death. 

Even though the premise of the film is very good, there are some minor gripes I have.  The actress that plays Denise is all over the place.  She’s incredibly upbeat in the beginning of the film despite the fact that she was involved in a ghastly tragedy.  Also, she delivers some out of place cheesy lines here and there.  Another thing is the part of Karla, the psychic actress down on her luck.  Her story isn’t explored at all, but I guess her purpose was to be the stereotypical clairvoyant who also happens to be the bringer of really shitty news.  There’s also a minor love interest story that doesn’t lead to much at all.  Things like this are to be expected though, considering the budget, time frame, and actor experience.

Overall, Sole Survivor manages to bring the dread associated with life and death in an effective manner.  The atmosphere that the picture possesses is enough in itself for one to see the film.  This film marks a successful return of Code Red DVD, and I hope their future releases live up to this quality. I enjoyed this movie despite its predictable flaws and I recommend that you check it out too, Final Destination be damned.

7.5 out of 10

Technorati Tags: Horror, DVD, Sole Survivor, Code Red, Final Destination, death, living dead, review

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Kurt Angle Vs. Randy Couture

Kurt Angle Vs. Daniel Puder

This is by far my favorite "Kurt Angle is crazy" story.  Daniel Puder was a contestant on WWE Smackdown’s Tough Enough contest in 2004.  In one of the television segments, Puder actually locked Angle in a submission unexpectedly (this was legit, although it wasn’t planned that way).  Many viewed this as being unprofessional on Puder’s part, while others exclaimed the act was "taking the bull by the horns".  Either way, this displeased Angle very much. 

Angle and Puder continued to have a "war of words" of sorts from this point forward, with each wanting to challenge one another to fights.  However, it was Angle’s hilarious comments that took this feud to a whole new level.  Here are some summaries of the things he said in an interview:

"Kurt said that Puder should try and fight someone decent and not just go up against bums and crack heads."

Kurt Angle Vs. DUI

In late September of last year, Angle was arrested for driving under the influence in a Pittsburgh suburb.  According to the report, Angle hit another car in his Escalade and was later arrested at his home after failing a sobriety test. During this whole scenario, there was even rumors that police found Angle chewing pills at his home before his arrest, however that has never been confirmed.  Now I wouldn’t technically classify this as "crazy", as people make mistakes and Angle was one of those people.  However, his (summarized) comments are more than enough to label him as quite possibly insane:

"The lady who called the police on him had a DUI herself just three weeks earlier, and actually wrote down his license number to give to the police on the back of a receipt from a liquor store which had enough alcoholic purchases on it to kill three people."

Of course to no one’s surprise, this has never been confirmed.

Kurt Angle Vs. Huge Exaggerations

Since Angle has joined TNA wrestling, he has sung its praises and supported the company to no end.  This makes sense, considering the reportedly huge contract he signed with them.  However, there are more than a few times where he makes some slight exaggerations about the company and its successes.  Take for example TNA’s ratings which have been in the 1.0 - 1.2 area for several years.  Despite this fact, Angle’s claims that TNA’s popularity has exploded since he joined in 2006 despite the fact the ratings have been consistently in the same range.  Exploded?  Not quite yet pal.

Another exaggeration that he has made recently has been on TNA’s new wrestling video game, TNA Impact!  Angle claims that their video will outsell WWE’s video game in a month.  Keep in mind that WWE’s Smackdown! video game series has been a huge cash cow for WWE, and has been around for nearly ten years.  Somehow I doubt that a debut video game can dethrone such a long running franchise in one month, but hey that’s just me.

Kurt Angle Vs. WWE

Since Angle’s departure from WWE, he has done a fine job of burying his former employer.  He has slammed WWE owner Vince McMahon several times, and has taken shots at various wrestlers on their roster as well.  This is nothing new to wrestling or to anyone who dislikes a former employer, but Angle took it upon himself to make a tongue-in-cheek, anti-WWE, short action film.  This simply defies all logic, and you have to see it to believe it:

Kurt Angle Vs. Everyone Else

Considering that Kurt’s confidence (or over inflated ego) has been cranked up to eleven lately, its no surprise that he hasn’t made a lot of friends.  Angle has pissed off Chuck Liddell a few times, and Liddell has even commented that Kurt is "living in a dream world".  Not exactly a person you want to piss off when trying to break into the MMA world.  Angle has even upset fighter (and former WWE pro wrestler) Ken Shamrock after he supposedly pulled out of a fight with him. 

More recently, Kurt upset several WWE wrestlers after filming them during this year’s Wrestlemania weekend at a TGI Friday’s.  I can’t even make stuff up as good as this.

So what does the future hold for this Olympic Gold Medalist?  Most likely more outrageous things are going to be said, and maybe we’ll see him enter an MMA ring like he desperately wants to. 

Even though lately he’s been known for his outrageous antics, Kurt Angle will go down in history as one of the best professional wrestlers of all time, and he is easily deserving of that title.  He’s an Olympic legend and a well-respected hometown hero as well.  As of the current moment though, one thing is for sure:  Kurt Angle is batshit crazy.

Technorati Tags: Kurt Angle, Wrestling, TNA, WWE, Vince McMahon, Ken Shamrock, Chuck Liddell, Randy Couture, DUI, crazy, youtube, MMA, mixed martial arts, TGI Fridays

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Quite frankly, I didn’t know what this film was aiming for.  However, little did I know that this streak of confusion was to continue as I explored the other ways that Sony Pictures was trying to market this shit-fest.  Here is by far some of the worst promotion for a "horror" movie that I’ve ever seen.  Let’s start with the trailer:

Here we have:

• An amazing pop-punk cover of Cyndi Lauper’s "Time After Time"
• A bunch of model-like high schoolers that look nothing like teens in real life
• Screaming
• Jump scares and scenes that give away basically the entire movie
• More screaming

From this trailer, it looks to be that the "killer" is an escaped mental patient.  Truly groundbreaking stuff here, but that’s not all.

Next up is a promo for a contest from MTV.  Here we have a chance to meet Brittany Snow, which quite frankly isn’t a bad contest at all.  However, I did not this interesting tidbit of terror concerning the contest rules:

• Submit a 30-45 second video telling Brittany why she should pick you.  Be heartwarming, be funny, be original, be yourself.

Now those are some qualities that should be included in any film in this genre.  Keep in mind that the page has a scary backdrop and spooky fonts, yet encourages heartwarming attitudes and "just being yourself".  This is for a horror movie right?  Anyone?

Finally, I should talk a promo I saw last night on MTV for this film.  I don’t have any links or video for this one, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.   It featured some meathead high school kid in a tuxedo talking about his prom night.  Just think of Ogre from Revenge of the Nerds in a tuxedo and you’ll get the gist of what I’m talking about:

Anyway, this goof is talking about his night at the prom and how he went with his girlfriend, blah blah blah. Think of someone with the acting skills of a shoe, and that’s what I witnessed on screen.  He then goes on about how is girlfriend started to make out with another girl and other useless nonsense which has nothing to do with anything.

Now at this point I’m expecting the story to change into how he was chased by a madman, or something spooky along those lines. Of course this never comes about, and the promo abruptly ends and the Prom Night logo is flashed on screen. Nothing about horror or anything scary, just a douchebag talking about going to prom then a quick movie plug.  Wait what?

So there you have it, another mindless Hollywood disaster being marketed in a completely nonsensical way.  I won’t be surprised if this movie hits number one opening weekend either.  Ah, what will be the the next remake they have in store for us?  Only time will tell.

Technorati Tags: Prom Night, movie, Sony, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ogre, MTV, Brittany Snow, horror, remake, theater

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Technorati Tags: Mulberry Street, review, movie, DVD, horror, quote

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Last weekend, a good friend of mine had informed me that he was going to pick up a case of Samuel Adams White Ale.  He had mentioned that he had tried this beer on tap and was quite impressed with the result.  However upon drinking the same beer from the bottle, he had had found that it wasn’t nearly as good as he originally thought.  In fact, he offered to give me a six pack of the beer in question and had asked me to review it on my blog.  Never a man to turn down a six pack of beer, I accepted this gracious offer and thus here is my review of Sam Adams White Ale:

First off, let me take some time to say a few things about Sam Adams beer.  Personally, I’m on the fence about this brewery.  I’ve moderately enjoyed nearly all of the beers I’ve had from them, including their Summer Ale, Winter Lager, and their flagship Boston Lager beer.  However, with all of them I could only sit through two or three beers at a time before I got tired of them. There just wasn’t a whole lot of substance there.  Will this beer have the same result?  Considering that I’ve have tried all of their seasonal beers (including their Ocotberfest beer which I didn’t care for at all), I guess it’s only natural that I try their Spring beer as well which the White Ale is geared towards.

This beer pours with a very thin head on top and a with a cloudy orange body.  You also see a nice amount of bubbles floating to the surface that go nicely with the hazy look that’s common with your typical unfiltered wheat beers.  The smell of the beer is citrus-like in nature with hints of spices, but overall the aroma is kind of weak.  This is pretty much what I expected thus far from this beer, but how does this stuff taste?  Quite simply put, the taste is sub-par for a wheat beer.  You get the yeast-like taste and the flavor of various spices and even a pepper-like finish, but none of this is very strong or memorable.  I wasn’t expecting anything complex and thrilling from this Spring beer, but at least give me SOMETHING to work with.  I should also note that subsequent sips from this beer still resulted in a big bowl of "meh" as well.

Is this the right beer for the Spring season?  I guess if this is the only wheat beer around it might be a contender.  It does go down somewhat easily though, which increases the drinkability factor and the 5.2% ABV is just right.  However, if there’s a Hoegaarden available, I’d go with that first and keep Sam Adams White Ale as an after thought.

Taste: Below Average (for a wheat beer)

Smell: Average

Drinkability: Average

Final Words:

Sam Adams continues its streak as a brewery that’s just slightly over mediocrity in my book.  If I could sum up this beer in one sentence, it would probably be: "Think of drinking a Blue Moon with less flavor and perhaps more water and you’d have Sam Adams White Ale".  Is this beer horrible?  Not quite, but I would probably never had more than one if I didn’t receive that free six pack.  Despite the fact that Boston Beer Company(Sam Adams) is the biggest "craft" brewer in America, they need to step their game up a bit with this one.  Oh well, I’m still going drink the rest of that six pack any fucking way.  

View the Pour:

Technorati Tags: Beer, Reviews, Sam Adams, Samuel Adams White Ale, craft beer, ale, brew, Blue Moon, Boston Lager, American beer

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