Etch-A-Sketch Grand Master

I didn’t know this kind of detail was even possible on a Etch-A-Sketch? George has mad skillz. Amazing.

Rockstar: Supernova – Elimination#2

Before we begin, can I just mention how incredibly bad Brooke Burke is? Not just mediocre, she’s horrible. I’m fully convinced a cardboard cut-out hooked up to a tape recorder would actually be an improvement. Ok, enough of that.

Tonight’s show found the easily predicted Bottom 3 to be Jill, Zayra and Chris. And I say easily predicted because America has consistently voted those who get any kind of significant criticism from the band into the Bottom 3. It’s like clockwork or bad ratings from the French judge, you can just depend on it.

So Jill completely redeemed herself singing “Bring Me Back to Life.” Not only was a wonderful performance it was exactly the kind of song she needed to sing after that whole Hole debacle.

Zayra stubbornly chose to sing the same song that put her into the Bottom 3 on the last show. And even though I didn’t think it possible, she actually did a poorer job with it, if only for it being the second time I had to cover up my ears and watch her jerk and bounce around the stage. She’s a freakin’ spaz. I would have bet anything the band was sending her home. But alas, once again I underestimate the power of a cute girl on a bunch of old, horny rockers.

I think America putting Chris in the Bottom 3 two straight weeks hurt him more than his performance of “If You Can Only See”, because it wasn’t so bad. Not like Zayra who should be packing her bags next week. Oh well. Chris took it like a man and hopefully the exposure will help launch his career.

Rockstar: Supernova – Performances #2

Can you say, “Drama”? I love when the band disagrees about a performance. Especially cool was when Tommy Lee, who had just put his mic down, picked it back up to tell Jason to “Shut up!” Awesome.

Performances

Magni did “My Generation” and had a little Bono thing going on.

Jenny did a decent job with “Tainted Love” but the funny part was Tommy Lee’s remark. “It was ho hum. We need a little less ho, and little more hum.” What the hell does that mean? Did he mess it up and mean he wanted more “ho”?!? I’m baffled.

Hole isn’t a good band. They sucked pretty much all around and I’m not speaking figuratively. So Jill does “Violet” by Hole and it couldn’t be anything but sucky. Then the band ripped her for dressing up like Courtney Love and Jill denies it. So it didn’t surprise when she was in the Bottom 3 at shows end.

Zayra sang “You Really Got Me” and did a so-so job. But the vocals were weak then the band hit her with, “Do you even own any of our albums?” To which she replied, “I was in diapers at the time.” In other words, “Get off my back ya ole geezer.” Stellar!

Let’s just face it. America wants Chris gone. Don’t really know why. His version of “Take Me Out” was good, but not great. Oh well. Maybe the free pub will land him a gig with the Allman Brothers. Chris was part of the Bottom 3 along with Zayra and Scary Jill.

I don’t know why but I want Dilana gone. Maybe it’s because she sold her soul to Satan, I’m just not sure. Taking a epic song like “Ring of Fire” then trying to make it all spooky just doesn’t sit well with me.

Did a wonderful job with “Arms Wide Open” and it’s clear he’s got a great voice. Don’t know if he’ll fit this band though. Like all the males except for Lukas, he’s too pretty-boy nice.

Tommy Lee loved Phil’s version of “If You Could Only See” while Jason wanted something (much) harder.

I must be honest. Storm scares me. Not as much as Dilana but in that “little boy getting pushed around by the big, tough high school baby sitter” way. Kinda over-punked “Surrender” though. Thought she was the leading chick until I heard Patrice.

Patrice can rock! “Heart Shaped Box” was a good choice for her and she nailed it. Almost perfect. She’s the leading chick, IMO.

The Dark Gnome is both visually and vocally interesting. I can’t take my eyes off the little freak. He’s like a cross between Adam Ant and Angus Young. Loved what he did with “Don’t Panic” which I have to admit is a song I absolutely adore.

Ryan sang “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”. *yawn* Crammed on the vocals. Wasn’t much impressed. Coulda used a stage dive or three.

Dana sang “Born To Be Wild” which showcased her strong rock-and-roll voice. The band seemed to like her.

I always have a tough time rating the singer without letting the song interfere. In this case, I love “Somebody Told Me” by The Killers but I couldn’t tell if I like Toby or not. When my wife walked in the room, it wasn’t hard to tell what she thought, “Oh wow! He’s good looking!” FWIW, the band really liked him too. Color me jealous.

Big Brother 7 – Power of Veto #1

Fun stuff! I’m so glad that Howie and Janelle made the show. They are the most fun to watch. When Chicken George “mounted” a trash-bag wearing Howie and the other four guys dragged them both down the slip-n-slide… I mean, c’mon… normally that’s Pay-Per-View, am I right?

Then there’s Will curling his eyelashes. Huh? Is that why Howie is putting the moves on him? I wonder who’s making the other more nervous.

And what about Janelle? She’s a challenge machine. Can’t stop her. Season 6 needs to do more to build other fake alliances though, otherwise at some point the house will form up against them.

So Janelle wins Veto and leaves Alison and Danielle up on the block. That’s a smart move. Don’t get side-tracked yet. Build confidence with the remaining house guests. Still needs to work on adding to the Season 6 team though. I wonder if Jase could be counted on?

I do have this question. When the network needs to “bleep” or silence a curse word, is it really necessary to put those fuzzy pixels over their mouth? Are the lip-reading viewers among us also offended? I’m just asking.

See you next time!

Dojo Info 7/12/06

1. Kabbalah: is Madonna losing her religion?
   Madonna put Kabbalah on the map, now she’s like, If you dig deeper, you won’t like what you find. I’m paraphrasing. But when it comes to something as important as your eternal destination, don’t you think it’s a good idea to do a little research before signing up?
2. A call to honor the Sabbath
   Guilty as charged. I need to improve on this one myself.
3. There’s No Way I’m Saving That Guy
   Apparently, Jesus Christ is now writing for the Onion. Color me skeptical.
4. Superman vs. Jack Sparrow: Who will win?
   I’m pulling for Sparrow because of… “scribes Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris sought to downplay Superman’s long-standing patriot act. With one brief line uttered by actor Frank Langella, the caped superhero’s mission transformed from “truth, justice and the American way” to “truth, justice and all that stuff.” Anti-American sentiment is on a rampage.
5. Tripping Out: Scientists Study Mystical Effects of Mushrooms
   Free shrooms? Clones line up. Is it a search for meaning or an apathetic giving in to nothingness?

Last Comic Standing: Week 3

Ok, I know what I want to do with my life. I want to be Josh Blue’s campaign manager. Either that or a rock star, I just haven’t decided. Someday Josh will run for public office and I want to be right there with him. Josh! Josh! Josh!

Big news this show was Gabriel smuggling contraband onto the show. A shame too because he was such a great sport when the comics ripped him a new one at the Fryar’s Club. I haven’t seen that much bloodshed since the World Cup. Well, at least this way he won’t have those Blackberry thumbs.

Heading Home

I was cracking up at her Shaq bit but I think the crowd was a bit freaked out; they didn’t know whether to laugh at her or with her. But if you saw that episode of King of Queens where she was the waitress, you know she can be hilarious.

Before the results were displayed, I thought she had won. Keep your chin up lass.

I’m Still Standing

I thought Ty’s set was fine. No big laughs but the 2 female vs. 1 male setup gave him a decided advantage, just like last time.

Let’s be honest. The only reason people didn’t challenge Roz is because they’re scared of her. I don’t blame them. I would be too!

She’s a survivor of two Head-to-Head contests so that should give her an edge going forward.

After his roast of Gabriel, the comics should consider Chris the favorite. Good stuff, but not great, in my opinion.

I love Josh. The courage it’s taken to get this far is amazing. I need to start a nationwide campaign to help Josh with this thing. Who’s with me?

Media Misleads about Stem Cell Research

From the Family Research Council:

The Kansas City Star should have its star taken away. The paper tells readers: “Opponents of early stem-cell research” are building a grassroots network to fight against Missouri’s ballot proposal that would permit cloning of human beings. The ballot proposal falsely claims to be a “ban” on human cloning but would in fact require cloned embryos to be killed at 14 days rather than implanted in a mother’s womb. On the related issue of experimentation on stem cells taken from human embryos, we oppose this as unethical. It is unethical because it kills a developing human being. The E in ESCR is for embryonic, folks, not “early.” This story falsely claims that pro-life groups–including FRC–oppose stem cell research. Untrue. We favor stem cell research. We are proud of our record in support of ethical research. Everyone favors stem cell research.

Another case of supposedly impartial news sources just giving us the news, right?

Dojo Info 7/11/06

1. Gays cannot ‘marry’ in N.Y.
   Guess I’ve complained about judges writing law from the bench enough that I need to highlight cases where they don’t. Good job Judge Smith!
2. NBA Trade Value Index
   Yes, I know. I’m a sports junkie.
3. Logo Redesign for MasterCard and Others
   Then follows another. Winners: Milwaukee Bucks and Westinghouse. Losers: MasterCard and IBM.
4. Video: George Lucas’ masterpiece in ASCII art
   Star Wars on Telnet? Why didn’t they do this sooner?!?
5. Doctor: ‘Tough days ahead’ for Barbaro
   Bad news for the Derby winner. It’s rare for these kinds of injuries to be successfully treated.

Down Syndrome Research Advance

In our country today, when parents learn that their unborn child has Down Syndrome, 80% choose to abort that baby. Babies like little Emily above aren’t given even a chance to live.

Now scientists have isolated the gene that causes this syndrome. This is wonderful progress! Sen. Sam Brownback wants to help parents in that situation through his Prenatally Diagnosed Conditions Awareness Act (S. 609). Sen. Ted Kennedy has agreed to co-sponsor the bill that would:

“…enlist the Department of Health and Human Services in making sure that parents know the many life-affirming options that are opening up for inclusion of Down Syndrome people in American life.” [link]

Please contact your representative and voice your support for the measure.

Zindane’s Head Butt Is Historic

I’m not sure I’ve ever seen a more dramatic outburst during any sporting event. Insane.

Elect Vernon Robinson in North Carolina

Not only does this commercial make strong points about the negtive issues in our country today, it does so in an entertaining and memorable way. Whoever put the commercial together deserves credit. And as for Vernon Robinson, I sincerely hope the people of North Carolina give him the opportunity to act on his promise.

Spread the word. Let’s see if we can help his campaign from the blogsphere.

Rockstar: Supernova – Elimination #1

Let me begin by saying, “Don’t visit rockstar.msn.com because if you do visit rockstar.msn.com you will wish you hadn’t visited rockstar.msn.com. Got it?”

Ok, now tell the truth. How many of you clicked that link? Yeah, I thought so. And here I am your friend, trying to look out for you. “Dude! That site will crash your computer!”

Back to the contest. No way this show holds as much appeal as Rockstar: INXS. It just can’t. We’re talking about one of the greatest bands of the 80s against Mr. Internet Pr0n/Trying to Make It In Hollywood Tommy Lee plus some extras. Even still, I’m a huge music fan and when you toss in some friendly competition, then put it into a reality TV setting? Yeah, I’m hooked.

Because I couldn’t watch the Episode 1 performances due to the aforementioned site from hell, I can only go on what was shown in Espisode 2.

Before I get to that, I must add that Brooke Burke and Dave “Yes Man” Navarro are back to carry the show. What else do they have to do?!? Brooke is about as talented as a can of Planter’s Peanuts but that didn’t stop the producers to offering the gig. What do you want to bet she took less money?

And Navarro? Enough’s been said already. I expect the same kind of brilliant commentary that we’ve grown to expect from Ole Fancy Pants.

Bottom Three

Chris is this season’s Brandon. Got that classic rock feel. Didn’t really bowl me over with L.A. Woman but it was decent. A few tears wouldn’t have hurt his chances.

Phil is too nice for this band. He won’t last long even though he’s truly a likable fellow. Thought it was crazy when Tommy Lee almost fell out of his chair cheering for Phil’s song selection—Stars by Switchfoot. Don’t get me wrong, I love Switchfoot, but they’re about a 1,000 miles away from Motley Crue on the rock-and-roll spectrum.

Another nice guy who probably wouldn’t mesh with the band. White Spike Lee did him a proper by showing him the door. But you gotta respect his stones for throwing down a hard rock version of Duran Duran’s Planet Earth. That song was cool!

Scared Straight

Can’t make any predictions just yet, but I do want to officially go on record saying that in all probability, Dilana is the anti-Christ. Did you see that hazy, wraith-like image that hung over her head during her encore performance of Nirvana? It was either the ghost of Kurt Cobain or the Apocalypse is right around the corner. I’m just saying.

Big Brother 7: Episdoe 1

Ahh summer. The hot sunny days, the leisurely nights, the massive onslaught of reality TV. Truly, July hits and the networks all go into red alert, code “stat” mode. Not that I mind, mind you.

So what does the imaginative crew at Big Brother have for us? Not a new season with a few twists but a rehash of past players, with a bright shiny label—All Stars. Sure, Survivor did it (and I’m assuming the ratings were ripe) so they’ll play that hand again… in a heartbeat. Because we all know, (recite it with me) ‘Hollywood is nothing if not predictable and greedy.’ Good job boys and girls!

On to the festivities!

Here’s how I see the alliances forming. I could be completely off-base as it’s only been a single show. So stick with 21st Century Paladin throughout the summer to follow Last Comic Standing and Rockstar: Supernova as well.

Season 6 Superclan

Since they have the early numbers, everyone thinks the Season 6 players have the early alliance. And they probably do, since Howie and Janelle are buds. Kasar is smart enough to join in and James will play both sides against the middle. So I’d say it’s a pretty healthy alliance. How about a 6 on the Predictor Scale?

Howie is back and ready to hug some more women. And by “more” I mean, “all of them every chance he gets.”

Who will Janelle “fall in love” with this season? Early money is on Jase but don’t count out Chicken George just yet!

The moment he stepped foot in the house, Will wanted him out. What’s the opposite of “cat fight, eeerrrwwww”?

Wouldn’t every alliance want somebody who was money come competition time? James is this alliance’s anchor man.

The Dark Side

Can’t you just see Will in full Darth Vader gear? He won’t last long because of his past success. Why they didn’t put him up for eviction in Week 1 I’ll never know.

Mike, or Mike “Boogie” as he likes to be called, is Will’s stooge. Better start making backup plans my friend, because Will won’t be around long.

Big Mouths

Alison leads the Big Mouths, with her, uh… big mouth. Not a good strategy to start the game. Uh uh, no.

It was actually Danielle who got this ball rolling, drudging up some support for Jase to balk on the nomination. Danielle, when you get the boot and head home, how long to you think it’ll take for every single friend and family member to say, “You shoulda kept your big mouth shut!”?

Anti-Pop

Nikomis is the kinda gal that wants to do the opposite of the mainstream. In this case, not tagging along with the Big Mouths is the right move. Now, she needs to get crackin’ on the Anti-Pop Underground Alliance.

George isn’t part of this group by choice, he’s just a bit aged. But if they can bring in the other disgruntled participants, they’d have an alliance to rival Season 6.

I can see Marcellas getting along well with Niko, but probably not George. Even still, he’s not going to be part of the “In” crowd. Better cultivate a loyal opposition party.

Unknown Quantities

Too soon to tell about Erika. Other than disliking Alison, we don’t really know where she stands.

Jase is talking like he’s part of Season 6 but as with James, he’ll play all sides until he’s forced to choose.

I didn’t even know she was on the show for the first 20 minutes. I have no clue as to what Diane might be thinking.

What say you? Who’s going to win it all? Any early predictions? Let’s hear it people. 8^)

Justin Jenifer Working the Dream

It’s rare to see a 10-year-old take something so seriously. But that’s what it takes to make it in this day and age. Competition increases as our population grows, as our society further embraces its athletes.

Justin Jenifer, at age 10, is doing things high school seniors would be proud of. Make sure to check out the video. Great stuff.

Dojo Info 7/7/06

1. Device records smells to play back later
   Oh no you didn’t?!?
2. Tesla Motors
   0 to 60 in about 4 seconds * top speed over 130 mph * 250 miles per charge * about 1 cent mile
3. Ken Jennings’ Blog
   Surprisingly funny stuff from the guy with a brain bigger than Brain.
4. How to do a pixel head
   It might sound easy, but it’s not.
5. Journal 34: My name is Paul, and I have an addiction
   Looks like the pilot didn’t get picked up? “C’mon Paul (Neuman), your being on TV (moving to Hawaii) is my dream too!” -Jerry