Random Stuff!
Yes, I'm bored, so Random Stuff is back. Now, it will be in a more palatable form, broken up into 4 categories, Wrestling, Movies, Television, and Music. Now, onto to my random musings:

Wrestling

Not much to say other than WWE sucks right now, and it's really taking it's toll on me, a person who has literally never known life NOT watching wrestling, so I'm loyal to the core, and continue tuning in, as if it were some masochistic ritual. But, hopefully, by Wrestlemania 21, Bret Hart or Hulk Hogan will have shown up, if only for their swan song, giving me something to look forward to.

The new character of Simon Dean, whose promos started Monday night has me interested. Dean is like a wrestling fitness guru in the fashion of infomercial king Tony Little. I like these kinds of fun gimmicks, and I believe they can add a lot of entertainment to shows, unlike bland, or mind-numbingly stupid typical WWE crap. Wrestling was fun in the 80's because they had fun characters, who weren't so wacky that they were stupid, but zany enough to entertain. WWE should hire writers who understand the difference between fun and entertaining characters, like Hurricane or Simon Dean, and intelligence insulting ones like Eugene.

Rumor has it, NWA-TNA is looking to sign Scott Hall & Kevin Nash, and I for one would love it. While Nash, as much as I enjoy him, proved in his latest WWE run last year that he is pretty much done as a wrestler, Scott still has some gas in the tank. If Scott goes to TNA, and shows that to WWE management, he might just get an invite back. If that happened, and Razor Ramon was reborn, I'd wet myself, and practically forgive WWE for all their wrongdoings since it's downward spiral began in the tail end of 2001.

Lastly, I just got the news today that one of my favorite underrated WWE talents, Jamie Noble got his release from the company. Jamie is one hell of a worker, so I sure hope he bounces back, and has good luck with whatever he decides to do next.

Movies

Having FINALLY got Dish (DVR no less!) hooked up in my room, I can safely say my insomnia isn't as big a problem as before, since I have access to all the movie channels. I have been recording and watching practically everything that tickles my fancy even slightly. Recordable devices such as Tivo and Dish's DVR might just be one of the greatest inventions of the past few years, right behind the surge of p2p clients and torrent servers that let me scream in delight like a little girl because I can download Royal Rumble 1991.

Speaking of my Dish movie watching experience, nothing beats those cheap ass b-flicks starring former 80's standouts. Some prove to be good, like Night of the Running Man, starring the beyond awesome Andrew McCarthy (BRAT PACK BABY!), and some are intriguing solely based on who's in them, like the one I watched last night, Write to Kill. Write to Kill starred Scott Valentine, who is best known as Nick from the epic, epic, EPIC 80's family sitcom, Family Ties. On Family Ties, Nick was the boneheaded boyfriend of Keaton sibling Mallory, who also happened to rank low on the IQ charts. But, if seeing Nick (sans his KILLER mullet) star as a struggling mystery writer out for the revenge of his dead brother WASN'T odd enough, his leading lady made it even more surreal. Playing his love interest, and professional con-woman, was Joan Severance, who is practically a queen of B-movies (mainly erotic thrillers), who played the love interest of my hero Hulk F'N Hogan in one of my bestest, most favoritest movies ever, No Holds Barred! So here I was, watching NICK & Hulk's former movie flame teaming up to catch bad guys, when things got EVEN MORE screwed up. The duo engaged in a SEX SCENE!!!!!!! Dear lord, how do movies that feature Scott Valentine & Joan Severance doing the dastardly deed ever get made, and how do I sign on to write them? It's movies like these that make staying up at 3am totally worth it. You people can have your 8 hours of sleep, as long as movies like this are on, things aren't so bad for us night owls.

Onto current films. Nothing on the horizon is piquing my interests, so I'll have to wait until Batman comes out next year for anything worth spending money to see. Batman will surely suck, something that hit me when I saw that the Bat-mobile is nothing more than a concept car, and in no way resembling the cool Bat-mobile of movie's past. I heard Kevin Smith is doing a sequel to a fav film of mine, Clerks, so that should be cool when it comes out. As for the endless saga of the Superman movie, it still seems like if it ever does get made, it's bound to fail, but I'm still curious about it, since while I sparingly liked comics, Batty and Supes have always been golden in my book. Freddy vs Jason 2 is looking to be made, but they might ruin it by adding Ash from Evil Dead. I've seen the trilogy of Ash movies, being Evil Dead parts 1 & 2, and Army of Darkness, and sorry people, I just don't see what's so damned special about them. I must admit, I did like Army of Darkness, but seeing Ash mess up Freddy vs Jason round 2 will piss a lot of people off like me, who could give a crap about Evil Dead characters. If it was Michael Myers or Pinhead, I'd say give it a go, but not someone who is only there to appease fringe-horror Evil Dead fanboys. Finally, there is one prospective movie that has been rumored for years I hope we will someday see, Rocky 6. To me, seeing Rocky grace the screen for one last outing would be one of the most anticipated theatrical releases of my life, right along side my crazed anticipation awaiting Hulk Hogan's first starring role in No Holds Barred, and Freddy vs Jason, with the Kill Bill films rounding out the list. Just to be in a theater, and out of nowhere, hearing that famous music blast through the place, with a simple "It's Coming" graphic for the teaser would have me standing on my chair, screaming about Rocky's triumphant return. If this movie does come to fruition, it NEEDS Hulk back as Thunderlips, and damn, if Hulk is in it, I might need some nitro pills to get through the thing without my heart exploding, I will simply go BONKERS. I apologize in advance to any future film goers who might be in the same theater as me should this event occur, but please understand, there is only so much awesome one man can take, and Hulk in Rocky 6 is just too damn much.

Television

Besides the criminally short Ali G Show 2nd season (6 episodes?!), the soon ending Reno 911! 2nd season, and the Dead Like Me 2nd season, that still proves the show kicks ass, no current show has been deemed worth while by me. South Park returns thankfully in October, and the shows I just mentioned are either wrapping up, or done for the season, so I'll have to wait until next year for more. By then, Sopranos will finally show up for it's final 10 episodes, ending another fav show of mine, but Family Guy, and Quantum F'N Leap will be brought back! I guess it balances things out that Family Guy returns, and Quantum is getting the chance via TV movie (and possible revival series) to fix the finale's error, but there was a time almost every night had good stuff on. I used to love ABC in the late 90's, with Drew Carey before it started sucking, Two Guys, a Girl, AND A PIZZA PLACE (Don't try to change the title people!), and Spin F'N City (see how I use that to accentuate the coolness of things?) among others, plus my beloved wrestling when there were 3 promotions out there, all at peak eras. TV needs to boot reality TV, and since Frasier & Friends have AT LONG LAST been taken from the airwaves, start a new era, a Renaissance for quality programs. Bring back zany sitcoms, loaded with slapstick humor. Do big time blow 'em up action shows, loaded with violence. Entertain me again, you magical box! They are on the right track, Family Guy & Quantum are on the way, now, get Michael J. Fox his own show again, bring back Oz & Two Guys, a Girl, and a Pizza Place, then cast Bronson Pinchot & Thomas Hayden Church in something so that at least *I* can love television again.

Music

Music is another thing I am not pleased with, which has been well documented, so, I look to the past. This brings about a confession: I LOVE 80's music. I've known it all along, but now, since I have been on a non-stop 80's music kick lately, I've decided to come clean. Oh, I've told people I love 80's metal and stuff, but not my secret longings of pop tunes and some of the softer stuff. I think I've even found a new top favorite band, one I've admired from a far, but until now haven't embraced it, The Bangles. Laugh if you will, but I'm sure YOU, yes, YOU have some skeletons in your musical closet. But I REFUSE to hide it any longer, I'll say it loud, I'll say it proud, I LOVE THE BANGLES! THEY ROCK!!!! And yes, I'm listening to them right now as I type this.

In the last bit of my musings that have stretched on to an alarming length, I want to expound on that last paragraph, I want to talk about guilty musical pleasures. It's kind of sad really to have them, in the sense that you conceal them out of the fear of being mocked, or that as much as you like it, it's hard to actually go out and purchase it if it's particularly embarrassing or against type. Me for example, I said I loved The Bangles, an 80's "chick band", and another shocker I will now confess to, I also like some Sarah McLachlan music too. But as much as I REALLY like their music, do you know how insanely awkward it would be for me to walk up to the the counter at a music shop with it? You have to understand, I have enough social insecurities already, and I'd prefer not to go out and actively add to them by purchasing this kind of music. I'm not a tall guy, I stand about 5'8 with boots on, but am a broad shouldered, stocky guy, with a bit of a hip look (if you ask me) of a backwards white fitted hat, usually a colorful button down shirt, stylish Nike sneakers, and long jean shorts, with a cool, but not cocky swagger all my own. Now, imagine a dude like me strolling up to the counter with a Best of The Bangles or Sarah McLachlan CD. Sure, you could try to play it off like it's not for you, but I've told you, I'm not good in social situations, it's hard enough to just exchange in small talk with strangers like that. I'm pretty sure that's why bootleg music is so popular, so goth kids, skaters, lone wolf outsiders like myself, etc can pirate us up the music we love, but don't feel like being hassled over. Because heaven help him if a metal head digs Barry Manilow or something. You know what, screw the people that disagree with you tastes in music, TV, movies, whatever. We shouldn't feel so bad about it I guess, after all, it's kind of special, like something we are tuned into that most others are missing out on. Hey, next time your looking to pick up a CD, or even a DVD, go on and pick up that one you know you'll get picked on for, but really like. A minute or uncomfortableness, or the occasional jokes by people you know is a small price to pay for a lifetime of enjoyment if it means that much to you. I'll even try it myself the next time I can.


Well, that's all, sorry for the extremely long article, but I feel better now I got it all out. I leave you now with a random quote:


"So.....Who are you going to Amy Grant with?"- Reno 911's Lt. Jim Dangle, propositioning a male hotel clerk to join him in seeing a concert