Arune.Com Updates Will Be Coming Soon

Hey folks, just a note that there probably won’t be any updates on Arune.Com till late next week, as there are real life issues that will prevent updates to the blog. Please go through the archives, find something that interests you and spend some time learning why we’re becoming more popular every month.

If you’ve got suggestions, comments and/or criticisms, feel free to leave them in the comments.

It’s Not Easy Being A Fan

Everyone’s got their own set of tastes and that’s great, because it results in a huge variety of entertainment choices for everyone. However, sometimes it results in people questioning why you like things and telling you “you’re wrong,” which doesn’t make a lot of sense to me. Sure, if someone doesn’t understand what they’re watching– perhaps not comprehending a certain plot point– then I can see a correction, but it doesn’t make someone’s taste “wrong.” I know that 24 is a patently ridiculous show, but I enjoy it while also acknowledging the lack of logic at times. I’ll use a different personal example to illustrate the point I’m trying to make.

As you all know, I’m a big wrestling fan and two of my favorite wrestlers are in the tag team named “Rated RKO”– Edge and Randy Orton. The latter (seen above to the right) is one of my favorite wrestlers even though he is disliked by most fans (you can learn more about Orton here). I don’t mind that– Orton has been pretty lousy on the mic and in ring of late, but back in the day, he was great at both. Whenever I converse with wrestling fans, I’ve found that I’m often asked: “Why do you like Orton? Don’t you realize he sucks?” Sure, I can realize Orton isn’t very good, but it doesn’t mean I need to justify my overall impression of “I enjoy seeing his work” beyond it simply being the truth. Maybe there’s a greater reason for it all. Maybe it’s as simple as me just liking bad guys in wrestling.

It’s an odd question to me, because on one level its insulting, implying I don’t understand what I watch and then there’s also a need for justification that doesn’t seem necessary. Sure, when I talk to some about a show I don’t like, I’ll ask why they like it, but to call them silly for not seeing the same faults I do seems, well, silly.

Sure, Orton’s not everyone cup of tea, but if I enjoy his work, where’s the harm in that? Same goes for other entertainment that isn’t harming someone. If you think Passions is the greatest thing since sliced bread, more power to ya. I think we all– myself included– sometimes need to step back and let people enjoy entertainment (that isn’t hurting anyone) for what it is: entertainment.

Transform And…Walk?

Well folks, expect a major slow down in blogging this week through the next, eliminating any chance of beating last January’s record for the amount of blog entries. Ah well, I can find solace in the fact that this has been one of the most fun months to write and I thank everyone for all the feedback.

However, I do have a fun story about the newest Transformers:

Takara continues to release more innovative and imaginative products with the new Transformers Sports Label series! This new series features 1/2 scale transforming Nike shoes! These licensed items should be somewhere around 6″ in length in shoe mode and it looks like they even have real laces connected to the top of the shoe. Convoy and Megatron are also each sporting a miniature pair of Nike Free 7.0 as a finishing touch.

Convoy is the Japanese name for “Optimus Prime” and images of the shoe-formers can be found at the above link. I think it is a really cool new avenue for Transformers and had I the cash, I’d totally pick up the Optimus shoe. I just find it really fun and true to the spirit of the Transformers– innovation involving everyday items.

One Of The Signs You’re Obsessed

“Wife induces labor so husband can go to Bears game”

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. (AP) — Nine months pregnant and married to a fervent Bears fan with tickets to Sunday’s NFC Championship game, Colleen Pavelka didn’t want to risk going into labor during the game against the New Orleans Saints.

Due to give birth on Monday, Pavelka’s doctor told her Friday she could induce labor early. She opted for the Friday delivery.

To be fair, as long as this was safe for the baby and as long as the parents were both okay with it, I’d be hard pressed to call this “wrong.” I may not understand it or much like it, but I’m not sure there’s a moral highground to take, so I don’t want to seem like I’m criticizing these people on those grounds. That said…what the hell?

I have my passions– perhaps obsessions– but I’m not sure I’d work having a child around those as opposed to working my passions around this new life entering the world. For all I know, this couple are really balanced in their lives and the father is only like this because of the playoffs, but honestly…I just don’t get it. It baffles me. But to each their own, eh?

Great Canadian Music

That name may not be accurate to all, as I’d even be hard pressed to call most of these songs “great,” but I enjoyed them in my youth and enjoy them to this day. As an addition to the recent post about Canadian Literature I’ve enjoyed, I also hope to make a list of the best foods you’ll only find in Canada…or at least the ones you won’t find in America. Onto the music!

We’ll start with rock pretty boy Edwin (Learn More) and his single “Alive.” Widely considered his best song by many– including myself– the song is an affirmation of life and the circle of life. His first album, “Spin Around The Sun,” is my favorite and his efforts since then have been, well, not my cup of tea. He’s a talented guy, but it’s only his first album that seems to conenct with me and frankly, it’s such a strong album that I don’t mind. It’s very “commercial,” but it’s hard not to enjoy at least a few tracks on it, though I’m sure I’ll hear from many who don’t like it.

Now this song is pure late-nineties pop, so your mileage may vary and even then, you gotta admt it’s one catchy tune. I’m talking about the band soulDecision (Learn More) and their hit song “Faded,” which also features Canadian rapper Thrust. To this day I think the video is horribly cheesy and kills the vibe of the song, but it’s a catchy tune. I’ve never heard anything past their first album and while I wish these guys the best of luck, considering the sales of their second album, it may make sense they’re not together any longer.

If there’s a more pretentious Canadian band than The Tea Party (Learn More)– and only Matthew Good Band comes to mind– then I haven’t heard of ‘em. These guys so often layer their songs in riddle and metaphor that it becomes an exhausting listen. Other times, like with this song “Heaven Coming Down,” they find a great balance and really surprise me. I love the band, have quite a few of their albums, but they’re a hard one to recommend simply because they can be quite polarizing. That in mind, this was always one of those overplayed radio songs back in my high school days and it helped introduce me to modern rock music, so I have a soft spot for the song and the band.

We’ll end with the band you probably all know best, Canadian rock star Our Lady Peace (Learn More). This is their hit song “One Man Army” and probably one of my favorite songs from the band, even if the video is a bit odd to me. There’s not much exceptional about their music, but I’ve never found the band pretentious or trying to be something they’re not, so I’ve never minded it all being ordinary. Their music is always just fun and while they haven’t released much new of late– besides some new tracks on a “Best Of” album– I do look forward to what they release next. If nothing else, these guys are always trying something, something I can respect regardless of how much I enjoy their songs (which I usually do).

A Blast From The Past: Teen Titans Pilot Review

Almost four years ago, my good friend Arthur and I reviewed the Teen Titans animated series pilot for CBR. It was a very fun review that did well with readers and was a lot of fun for us to work on. We worked in Arthur’s basement, taking copious notes, taking turns writing on the computer and copying notes from our PDAs (like my beloved iPaq, which since bit the dust because the battery died). It was a lot of fun and I figured I’d provide a link to it, since Arthur and I were reminiscing about the “good old days,” so I hope you check it out and have as much fun reading it as we had writing it. Truth be told, if you’re not a comic fan, it may not seem as fun to you, but it was a lot of fun for us.

Random + Television + Thoughts

There are a lot of little television tidbits I wanted to write more about, but I lack the time and energy to do that right now, so I’m going to touch upon them all here with the hope I can expand on these thoughts later this week. I doubt it’ll happen, but we’ll see how things turn out– after all, I never thought Arune.Com would be this busy one year later and we’re on pace to top last January’s numbers, with even better content than a year ago.

• Heroes returns this week, after finally airing an episode I liked and piquing my interest. I’ll say one thing for this show– it’s true to what it is, doesn’t have any delusions of grandeur and delivers real payoff. I do think that the pace hinders the shows in ways that affect my enjoyment, but considering the stellar reception by the rest of the world, I’m in the minority. I’m not sure I’ll watch this Monday, as I’m already recording two other shows, but I look forward to watching it on Sci-Fi later in the week. Fans need to check out CBR’s exclusive Heroes videos spotlighting this week’s episode and some specific cast members. CBR also offers weekly Q&A with the show’s writers, so make sure to check the site every Monday for more updates.
• WWE Monday Night Raw threatens to become less and less important to me, as each week’s show becomes more boring. Friday Night Smackdown is a brilliantly done wrestling show and with some minor exceptions, is the perfect wrestling program for me. TNA Impact!, airing on Wednesday this week, needs to promote the high flying X-Division if it wants to stay in the game. Right now it’s looking like a second rate show and not a real competitor.
• 24 has another new episode this week, hopefully without the “Stupid Person Plot Device.” What is that you ask? The father in last week’s premiere felt over the top stupid, when he knew what he was doing and still helped the terrorists. I understand the big impact of the final moments, but it would have mattered more to me if the character who put it into motion wasn’t acting so stupid. Same with the death of a major character– he seemed wildly out of character and his death had no meaning to me. I’m still loving the show, but I hope the silliness ends sooner than later. Jack’s “Count Jackula” moment was still pretty cool.
• Goodbye Smallville. I can’t begin to list all the reasons I dislike this show and I’ve watched it primarily because I’m a Superman fan…but since this Clark Kent is a petty, hypocritical jackass, there’s not much Superman for me to watch anymore on television. Still, one can’t ignore how much this show helped keep Superman in the spotlight over the last six years and for that reason I’m glad it came around. It also still features what I consider one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen and had some pretty good moments along the way, but I’m done with it now.
• For the Canadians, how much do Corner Gas DVD sets cost up North? The prices on websites seem ludicrious, so I’m hoping that Future Shop/Best Buy might have some deal on them that I’m not aware of right now. It sounds like a hilarious show and I’d love to check it out.
• With the cancellation of Passions and likely Days Of Our Lives cancellation in 2009, one has to wonder if the daytime soap opera is long for this world and if the powers that be will do anything to draw in new viewers– or even retain the ones they’re driving away. That’s a whole blog entry for another time, though I’d be surprised if we see daytime soaps on our television in 10 years.
• Studio 60 may be cancelled, which doesn’t come as a huge surprise to me, since the show hasn’t been able to find an audience. It’s a shame that television shows aren’t given more time to grow an audience and I’m hoping Studio 60 survives.
• If you’ve forgotten, Battlestar Galactica is back tonight.

Great Canadian Literature

I’m not sure that anyone dislikes Canada per se, but it seems like often the country isn’t recognized for all its accomplishments, from its peacekeeping work to the great entertainment produced in Canada. With that in mind, I figured I’d spotlight three books that are very deserving of recognition, all Canadian to the core.

The first book we’re looking at is entitled The Hockey Sweater, which is described as: “The story is widely considered an allegory for the linguistic and cultural tensions between anglophone and francophone Canadians, and an essential classic of Canadian literature. An excerpt from the story is now also commemorated in both official languages of Canada on the back of the Canadian five-dollar bill.” To many, this may seem insane, as the title of the book clearly identifies it as being a hockey story– one aimed at children no less– but such a perspective would ignore the cultural impact of hockey in Canada. I never played ice hockey, but I was a fan of hockey as far back as I can remember and a hockey stick may have been the first piece of sports equipment I ever learned to use. For Americans, consider how football is viewed in this country and multiply that by 100 to understand the effects of hockey in Canada, which represents a lot of Canadian culture. This book is a short story about a kid in Quebec who is a fan of the Montreal Canadiens, needs to replace his Canadiens hockey jersey and is instead sent a Toronto Maple Leafs jersey, which becomes his own scarlet letter.

Honestly, that’s all there is to the book in terms of plot, but it speaks volumes about Canadian culture, as noted above. I had to learn to read this book in both English and French, as well as watch the animated film of this story in both languages while in elementary school, a further testament to its effect on Canadian society, or at the very least its accuracy. Being a Canadiens fans in Leafs territory, I took a lot of flack for liking the Habs (the Canadiens’ nickname), but since few of us in school owned hockey jerseys, I never experienced anything similar to the book’s author when I played street hockey. While in Toronto, I purchased an English copy of The Hockey Sweater again and I should pick up the French version too, as I thoroughly love reading this book. I’m not sure if non-Canadians will really enjoy it that much, or if the cultural nuances will shine through as clearly, but it’s a great read for me.

Next we’ve got another children’s book, Love You Forever, a truly classic book by Robert Munsch. If you’re Canadian, you grew up on all his children’s books and probably enjoy them to this day. Here is how the book is described: “Love You Forever is a short but touching book written by Robert Munsch and published in 1986. It tells the story of the evolving relationship between a boy and his mother.” I’d be surprised if anyone reading this hasn’t read the book, or at the very least heard of it through pop culture references. The beauty of this book is in the simplicity and accuracy of each page, each illustration and the way that the book is perfectly paced. Using each page as a picture of each stage of a son and mother’s indivual growth allows the reader to see how both characters grow and how, in the end, their love remains constant. It seems like a disservice to the book to try to sum it up this briefly, so I just recommend you purchase it for yourself, for a loved one and then see how much you guys enjoy it together.

We’re going to end with a more serious and adult book, the critically-acclaimed Obasan by Joy Kogawa, which looks at one girl’s experiences during World War II, when she and the rest of her Japanese family were placed in internment. You can learn a bit more about it here. I was first introduced to this story in Grade 12, where it was required reading at my school (and not others, oddly enough) and I remember being one of the few who loved it. It’s steeped in metaphor, non-linear narrative and unrelentingly exposes some of Canada’s greatest shames, all of which not all teenagers want to read– which is fine, but it does make the book quite polarizing in English classes (or at least I presume so, based on my experience). It’s a beautifully written book and while I’d love to say more, it’s been years since last read it, so the details aren’t clear in my mind. That said, Obasan radically affected my approach to and passion for writing, as it was a truly unique book for English classes, where I’m so used to being forcefed much more linear and often trite tales (that are historically important, but bore me nonetheless), and opened my eyes to a part of Canadian history it seemed I was never otherwise taught. I don’t know how many high schools make this mandatory reading, but I can think of few books besides this that should be required for every Canadian high school student to read and analyze, as it will likely challenge many students’ perceptions of their country and of how to present a story. It’s intellectually stimulating, creative and entertaining– what more could you ask for?

Huh?

Every so often, certain new stories make you sit back and think “huh?” or some string of lovely expletives. These are the stories prompting that reaction from me:

• Muslims Protest 24: which makes me wonder how many of them have watched the show in its entirety. Yes, this season it seems almost every Muslim featured for more than a few minutes is evil, but look further: CTU has a Muslim working for them; a Muslim terrorist is apparently seeking redemption; and we’ve seen a Muslim falsely imprisoned. Frankly, this show usually has European villains or psycho Americans, so it’s hardly an anti-Muslim show. This part of the article surprised me:
  

  “The overwhelming impression you get is fear and hatred for Muslims,” said Rabiah Ahmed, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations. She said Thursday she was distressed by this season’s premiere. “After watching that show, I was afraid to go to the grocery store because I wasn’t sure the person next to me would be able to differentiate between fiction and reality.”

  Seriously, if people are that stupid, I doubt it’ll take 24 to turn them to the dark side– they’re probably already there. Last season the President was the villain– did Americans stand up and riot? In the third season, we had a British villain– did the British protest? Muslims have been the major villain in two seasons– this season and Season 4, but in neither case have Muslims been specifically singled out by the show. The show indicts Middle Eastern extremists, who usually have American comrades-in-arms and are not discriminated against for their belief systems. They’re hunted like animals because they’re scummy terrorists, not because they’re Muslim, and it’s a distinction that any viewer with half a brain can make. I understand the initial emotional reaction that worries about racism, but in a show with two black presidents, high ranking minority officers of the law (Tony, Michelle, Curtis) and one that has gone to lengths this season to differentiate between Muslims and terrorists, it’s just not a valid concern at this point.

• ‘12-year-old’ is 29-year-old sex offender: …uh, yeah, that’s just messed up. If this freak did attend any of those schools. I’d like to know which idiots bought his story, unless he’s 5′4″ and weights 100lbs wet. It’s sick, twisted and I don’t know if I should laugh or cry and this:
  

  Stiffler and Robert James Snow, 43, “were very upset when the detectives told them they had been having a sexual relationship with a 29-year-old man and not a pre-teen boy,” Quayle said.

  It’s sick and deranged, but it’s the kind of thing that makes you laugh at the insanity of these people. I’ve had the “pleasure” of arresting people like this before and when you meet them, you just wonder what the hell got messed up inside of them. They think their obsessions are so normal and it’s scary how much they can twist reality to suit their perversions.

• Study finds simple stress relief: I know we all react to stress differently, and that I’m not perfect, but do we really need to spend an hour a day learning how to deal with stress from someone not in our work environment? I do believe there are common elements to all stressful situations, so there can be broad advice to share, but it seems silly to offer some uniform advice to everyone. I’d argue we need a widescale shift in how society views work and family in order to affect real change– if you have people working 16 hour work days, how are they supposed to sleep well? And with Blackberrys strapped to their waists 24/7, the spectre of work looms large and constant, affecting one’s life in all areas. But since we’re constantly promoting unhealthy levels of work, combined with unhealthy eating habits and unbalanced lifestyles, why should we expect one hour of stress relief a day to do much? It’s like putting band-aid on an eviscerated abdomen– it ain’t gonna do much. I’m sure this is the point where I’m supposed to have some grand solution, but I really don’t know how things can change, just that there is a need for change.

Galactica Returns On Sunday

This Sunday, Battlestar Galactica returns with the second half of the stellar third season. I’m mentioning this today because the show has aired on Fridays for ages, but has now moved to Sunday, with the hopes of a ratings boost. Check your local listings to see the time it airs on the Sci-Fi Channel.

If you’ve never jumped into this show before, I doubt this will be the best time to delve into the intricate plotting that has made the series so famous, especially since the focus is on the religious aspects of the show, which have trended weaker. I find a lot of the ideas fascinating– looking at the way Cylons view humans vs the way humans view God, for example– but the overt religious episodes, such as the Tomb of Athena arc, always leave me a bit dry. That said, religion is always handled maturely in the show and in way that shows both sides of the argument.

Regardless, this season has included some of the series’ best moments (FTL jump inside the atmosphere!) and I’m excited to see where it is all going. If only Sci-Fi didn’t feel the need to use “It Ends Tonight,” the over-played song by The All American Rejects, in all their commercials for Galactica. It just doesn’t fit at all, as evidenced by this spoiler-heavy promo, which is sadly one of their better efforts at integrating the song into the advertising.

Regardless, Galactica fans can’t miss this Sunday’s episode– if Season 2.5’s first episode was any indication, this one should be a doozy!