A Moment Of Your Time

Next week Arune.Com will beback to regular updates, but this will likely be the last update this week. Just some small news bits.

• Mission Impossible 3 looks a pretty fun movie, and as always Tom Cruise has some of the coolest apparel in Hollywood, such as this Casio watch.
• Speaking of blockbuster movies, Time magazine has a full rundown of the big movies this summer. I’m excited about Superman Returns, but I can wait for everything else on DVD.
• Yeah, you all know that Battlestar Galactica is one of the best shows on television, but now it will be twice as fun for fans: a spin off series has been announced! Normally I find prequels to be a silly idea, but with the creative minds of BSG behind this new series, and the rich history hinted at thus far, I have no reason to believe this series won’t kick ass.
• CNN knows which song is the worst of all time.
• Superman is one of the 100 Most Beautiful People. He could probably kick the crap outta the other 99, seeing as how he’s Superman and all.
• In real news, we’re seeing the digital divide grow smaller in India and China. These two countries are moving at a real fast pace these days and the west needs to prepare for the emergence and redefinition of these two superpowers.

Be Part Of The 24 Experience

Well, it seems that the next 24 DVD set will be quite different from previous releases. You can go right here to enter a survey where you choose from (5) different possible box art designs for the Season 5 DVD set, as well as the kind of packaging you prefer. It’s also an easy way to get entered in a contest to win the first four seasons of the show on DVD. Sure, you might have them, but you could sell them on Amazon.Com or give them to a deserving friend. No matter your decision, go vote for the box design you like best and then tune into 24 tonight, where I predict we’ll see the deaths of two major characters.

Bauer Powered Morning

Yes, it’s Monday, the day when America is able to see the continuing adventures of their hero, Jack Bauer, in 24. There are also new episodes of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, so it should be a good night of television. There will be sporadic updates this week, but until next week, don’t expect any normalcy in updates.

• I found a review of 24 in a Pakistani newspaper and it isn’t too positive. The author does complain that the bad guys seem evil for the sake of being evil, and not nuanced enough, which I guess is a valid complaint. Still, I think it’d be a mistake to make the bad guys too sympathetic, since part of the show’s appeal is the righteous violence by Jack Bauer.
• And here’s yet another interview with Mary-Lynn Rajskub, who plays Chloe in 24.
• If you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of comic book movies coming out in the next year or two. Of course, the best of them will be Superman Returns.
• It’s been 60 years, but Pakistan is finally showing a movie from India. If only the two countries could truly find peace.
• New York is often ahead of the curve, and now they’re enacting strict wireless communication policies. I’m glad to see this issue finally being addressed and we can only hope that others cities choose to–and can–follow suit.
• I doubt they’ll make it to the Stanley Cup, but the Montreal Canadiens kicked some ass this weekend. I’d love to see the team pick up their 25th Stanley Cup.

Smallville: What The Hell?

For those not in the know, Smallville is the reimagining of the Superman mythos as a teen soap opera. The show had a brilliant pilot, due in large part to the Lex Luthor character, who was now a Macbeth like character. He had the best of intentions, as did his new friend Clark, whose secrecy and desire to do “the right thing” would eventually drive a wedge between the two. The two men were similar: both had secrets they had to hide from the world, and want to be good people, but met with differring results. To make matters worse, it was Clark’s ship landing on Earth that caused a meteor storm in Smallville, killing Lana Lang’s parents (Lana being the girl Clark pines for) and causing Lex to be bald as a child…which has haunted him throughout his life.

The show promised to be an exploration of how two people can both try to be good people and believe in themselves…but still be enemies. Lex would be the man who put his faith in Clark, only to find that Clark still lied to him, despite Lex’s attempts to be a better man…turning Lex into a version of his evil father. Clark, on the other hand, would continue to keep his secret close and try to do the right thing, but soon realize he’d helped create his greatest enemy: his friend Lex.

Great set up. Lots of potential. Redefining “hero” for the 21st century.

One problem: the show is horrible. There’s no character or plot consistency, Lex is more of a hero than Clark half the time, the women are generally passive-aggressive and rewarded for it…the show isn’t good at all. It has its moments, but there’s no real forwad movement in the show. People conveniently lose their memories or “die.”

The season finale has been announced for the fifth season of Smallville, along with a new poster. My brother, Nick, has figured out how it’ll work out: Lionel will be taken over by Jor-El, Zod will take over Lex and a huge battle will erupt, leaving Jor-El dead at the hands of Zod. Lex will gain control over his body and “forget” that he was Zod…but his dad will be dead. And then Lex will be “evil.”

And frankly, that’s the BEST we can hope for. Lex learnt Clark’s secret back in Season 3 and guess what? He was cool about it. He wanted Clark’s help, but he didn’t criticize Clark or blame him for keeping the secret. Clark, on the other hand, let Lex get lobotomized so he’d forget the secret, because somehow Lex was “evil.” This show has a history of stupid stories.

So instead of Lex becoming evil for some real, relatable or sympathetic reason, he gains super powers and kills his dad. Because that has to be better than Lex making a conscious choice to kill his father or a conscious choice to embrace his dark side. I don’t get it. I don’t get how the ratings have spiked on this show when it’s become so ridiculous. Lex is the one character who has tried to be a better person, while EVERY character on this show has spent time embracing their base emotions and dark side. But Lex is the “bad guy” because…of what? Because people, much like the writers on this show, seem afraid to really debate morality and what makes someone deserving of pain.

Don’t Get Too Excited

I’m going to try to update the blog as much as I can over the next week, but don’t expect updates to be regular till next Saturday. School can really be a pain. And this week on 24, I’m predicting we’ll see some big deaths.

• The Internet has a big role in people’s lives. No surprise there. But it’s interesting that it has become so therapeutic for people: why can’t we find this kind of therapy in our own lives with the people around us?
• For people like Kurt Ingram, travelling between Canada and the U.S isn’t going to be managed in the fashion that America wants. I’m not sure that national I.D Cards would be any better than our silly system we have right now. As long as we rely on pieces of paper to establish our identities and secure our place in society, we’re screwed.
• J.J Abrams, the man behind Lost, is bringing back Star Trek. Does anyone care anymore? And a prequel? WHY? There’s no real dramatic tension and nowhere to take the franchise with that kind of movie. I’d rather see a new iteration of the series, with a bit more chaos in the universe, or a complete reboot, as was done with Battlestar Galactica.
• Three cheers for Steve Jobs! Songs on iTunes will remain at 99 cents.
• If you’re not a hockey fan, you might not understand why everyone loves “Rocket Richard,” but this new film will help to give you context. I think I’ll have to import the DVD from Canada.

Nascar?

Okay people, help me out here. I enjoy country music, from the old stuff to newer acts, such as Keith Urban or Rascal Flatts. I like pickup trucks, from the Dodge Ram to my Honda Ridgeline. I enjoy shooting and have a fascination with guns (in a totally healthy way). I’ve even come to enjoy those diners tucked in the oddest places. I get all that…but I do not get Nascar. I know it requires skill and I know it is a real sport, so I’m not trying to dismiss it, but what the hell is the appeal?

I’ve watched the Daytona 500. I’ve tired watching Formula One, to see if different cars are part of the appeal. Hell, the driving in Days of Thunder bores me and I like the film. But whenever I watch Nascar, I keep seeing cars drive around in circles and I get bored. Yes, we could reduce hockey, The Greatest Sport Ever, to simply skating and hitting a puck into a net, but hockey feels more visceral…more immediate. When I watch Nascar, it doesn’t feel like there’s any palpable tension or immediacy to what’s going on. So what’s the appeal? Am I missing something? Do I need to be a bit more drunk, redneck and overweight? I know lots of people, like my buddy Scott Bennion, who enjoy the sport and are not the stereotypical viewer. So what the hell is the fun in watching Nascar?

Tuesday…The Day Of Mourning

Tuesday means that we’re one week closer to this season of 24 ending. Let’s all hope we’ll see some more patented Jack Bauer torture, more righteous violence, and the ousting of President Logan. If there is a God, Curtis Manning will return and lay the smackdown on more villains; Chloe will continue to nurse her “personality disorder”; and Kim Bauer will die. Somehow. And if you’re wondering about the image on the top, it’s of a terrorist from Season 4, who I’ve been told looks like me. Image is courtesy of CTU Fan Site.

Chloe O’Brien is a sex symbol? What the hell? She’s funny and all…but sex symbol? There’s also a nice article about Kiefer Sutherland’s television comeback, with a spotlight on others who’ve made a name for themselves on the small screen. I’m telling ya, the best entertainment is on television these days.

I was just talking with Kurt and remembered seeing a movie, back in 2000 or 1999, that took place in real time with four screens of story, like a beta version of 24. One line was “Trotsky’s in da house — diggy diggy”–anyone remember the movie name?

• There’s a new Superman Returns video game coming out and it looks cool, but even better is the involvement of the movie cast
• I’m not going to pretend to have enjoyed Lost this year, but I do agree that a change in scheduling might help. Also, resolving plots and making characters sympathetic and/or likeable would do a lot to improve the show.
• Canada kicks ass. We all knew that. But now Canada is giving us a cool movie about superhero sidekicks. This almost makes up for cancelling Due South all those years ago.
• Don’t think I’ve forgotten about Battlestar Galactica: still one of the best shows on television. And when it returns, Starbuck will be quite different.

Up, Up, And Away On Monday

This will be a short update for now, but I hope to update the site a bit later today. 24 is tonight and as the season winds down, it’s almost sad: we’ll have to wait till January 2007 for more Jack Bauer goodness.

More “Which Character Are You?” Polls

Which O.C. Character Are You? Find out @ She’s Crafty

Saturday Night Live…is funny again?

This is a recent SNL skit and I’ll be damned if I didn’t laugh a lot. Remember, just press the play button and it’ll all work out perfectly. Update: the video has been removed from YouTube. Hope you got to watch it!