Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #9 - The One With References (Animation: Part 2).

This is our longest episode yet; it's even longer than our first episode. So I hope you have plenty of time, because unlike episode 1, this one isn't long because of Reality Round-Up. Our main topic this time deals with Animated TV shows from our childhoods up through now. We split the main topic into categories: "Childhood," which are the shows we watched primarily from birth through roughly 5th grade; "Jr. High - High School," which are shows we watched around roughly ages 11-18; and "More Current," which is everything we were into after that. Granted, there is a 5-year age difference between Travis and I, so there are a few variations one what shows fit under which sections (and Travis, being only almost 19, doesn't have much of a difference between the latter 2 sections). But it's a lengthy discussion, as well as a very nostalgic discussion.

Not to mention there are quite a few drinking games you could probably pick up while listening.

Then there's a short segment of Reality Round-Up followed by a couple Recommendations. Travis pretty straight-forwardly recommends Iron Man 2, while I recommend TeamFourStar's Dragonball Z Abridged. Finally, we end with our Mono-Dia-logues of the Week. And here's the video of what I actually did for mine:

Anywho, here's the player for the episode:

Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. The earlier episodes are being removed from the player for space, but you can still always download them on iTunes. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!

IRON MAN 2.

It's here. The first big anticipated film of the year is here. The original was a big surprise when it came out. This sequel has been anticipated (as already stated) ever since. But the original weren't without its issues. My own personal problems were the character of Pepper Potts (I just didn't like how she was written), as well as the climax feeling, well, anti-climactic. So did the sequel fix these issues?

The story follows Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) after having announced himself to the world as Iron Man. The government wants his armor, seeing it as a weapon that belongs to "the people." Tony, of course, refuses. They eventually have to bring in his best friend, Lt. Col. James Rhodes (Don Cheadle), to try and talk some sense in to him. Meanwhile, a man named Ivan Vanko (Mickey Rourke), the son of a Russian scientist, wants to take revenge on Stark. He builds an outfit to take on Iron Man, utilizing lightning whips. And then there's Justin Hammer (Sam Rockwell), a weapons' specialist out to commercialize the Iron Man technology for the U.S. Military, and he ends up taking on Vanko as help. The film also stars Scarlett Johansson as a woman who might know more than she seems, working with Stark. And, of course, there is the return of Gwyneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts and Samuel L. Jackson as Nick Fury.

First off, the trailer is slightly misleading. It portrays Vanko as the primary villain, and I don't think that's true. Yes, he's a main villain, but the trailers hardly even show Sam Rockwell. Justin Hammer is a huge part of the movie, and really none of the plot could happen without him. But I suppose when you have the option of showcasing Mickey Rourke with lightning whips or the powerless love child of Edward Norton and Dana Carvey, I'd go with the former, too.

So how are the villains in this movie? They're pretty good. Vanko only wears his ridiculous costume for the racing scene as shown in the trailers, but comes up with something a bit more sophisticated (?) for the finale (which I'll get to later). Unfortunately, those are his only two fighting scenes. Hammer, on the other hand, is in the film constantly, either stumbling over his words trying to outwit Stark or trying to play the impressive businessman to Vanko. And he is a good villain, despite not really ever getting his own hands dirty.

And how about the good guys? RDJ is still hilarious as Tony Stark and badass as Iron Man. Don Cheadle steps in to replace Terrence Howard, and I'm not sure which I like better. I think Cheadle, overall. Howard was able to add some humor to the character, while Cheadle pretty much plays him straight, at least up until the third act. But I think Cheadle pulled off the straight-man aspect of the character better than Howard, seeming more serious and believable as a military man. And then there's Pepper Potts. I actually liked her in this movie, especially since they didn't have her yelling secret plans to overthrow the enemy while the enemy was right there like in the first movie. So yeah, she was much improved over the first movie. Oh, and... uh... Scarlett was hot (and awesome). And hot.

So what were some of the negatives, you might ask? Well, first, I don't think there was nearly enough action. There are really only three major action sequences in the movie, and only two of them serious. There's the race car fight where Vanko first shows his abilities. The fight itself occurs at the end of the first act and, depsite Vanko slicing cars in half and Stark using his awesome suitcase armor, the fight is relatively short--maybe only 1 or 2 minutes once Stark actually gets his armor on. Then there's a not-so-serious fight that introduces War Machine, which is pretty fun. And then...

...then there's the climax. As a whole, the climax is awesome. There's Scarlett Johansson kicking ass. There's Iron Man kicking ass. There's War Machine kicking ass. There's explosions, lasers, flying, dodging, martial arts, and even a bit of humor... everything. But then there's Vanko. What I was worried about was a fight like the first movie's, where Iron Man goes up against the big bad guy and it ends up only lasting a couple minutes, as Iron Man figures out some big explosion-type deal that can take him down. So how is it this time? It lasts even less time than the one in the first movie. I suppose I shouldn't be complaining, as the entire climax up to that point has already lasted a long time. But I figured all that would be just the warm-up battle to prepare for the Final Boss, as it were. At least in the original, they fly around, shoot at each other, throw some punches... in this one, it literally lasts only a minute or two, mostly of Vanko holding on to Iron Man and War Machine with his lightning whips and tossing them about. How awesome would a midair lightning whip/hand blasts battle have been? Maybe add some rain... stylish! But oh well. Everything leading up to it rocked pretty hardcore to at least make up for it to a degree.

Overall, the movie was really good. I wasn't even going to comment on the visuals, as they are amazingly well done. The action that was there was done very well, but I think there could have been a little more there. With so little action, everything else in between seemed to drag at times. I was about to get annoyed right before the racing scene came up. Yeah, he's in his suit more, but just wearing the suit does not Iron Man make. Everything else was amazing. So was it worse than, as good as, or better than the original? I certainly don't think it was worse than. I'm actually tempted to say it was even better than the original in some cases, while in others it was just as good as. I guess what I'm trying to say is that if you liked the original, you will definitely like this one, possibly even more. It had a couple issues, but then again, so did the first. Has summer officially started, then? Hell yeah, baby.


A Keanu 'Whoa'

(P.S. Wait for the scene after the credits. On top of the million Avengers nods this movie throws at you, there's one after the credits that's pretty cool).

TV Review: 24 - Day 2.

Warning: Here be spoilers.

---------------

Season Two: Day 2.

Season 2 picks up 18 months after Season 1. The main plot this time deals with a nuclear threat on L.A. Jack must deal with the consequences of the last season, stop the bomb, and help President Palmer figure out who is behind it all. But the season really seems, much like Season 3, to be split in half. The first and second halves are quite different in feel to each other. But which half is better? It's really the characters that make one half better than the other.

So let's check out the character stories this time through.


Jack Bauer

After the death of his wife at the end of last season, killed by the one person he thought he could trust, Jack leaves CTU and basically becomes a bum. Kim hardly talks to him. But after the government tortures information out of a man that somebody was going to drop a nuke on L.A., newly appointed President Palmer requests Jack Bauer to head the mission.

This season isn't as personal as the first (or even the third), but it's still pretty intense. Jack's not connected to the baddies this time out, and he only has two real personal issues: protecting his daughter by getting her out of the city, and having to work with Nina--who killed his wife--to help stop the bomb. But besides the Nina angle, it's really not until Jack teams up with Kate Warner (who I'll get to next) that his story becomes really interesting.



The Warner Family

The Warners are new to the show this season. Their story begins as younger sister Marie is getting ready to marry a man named Reza who works for her father, Bob. Older sister Kate is trying to get everything in order, but she doesn't exactly trust Reza. Eventually, Bob and Reza are taken into custody, both accusing the other of being involved with the terrorist plot, having done business with the man supposedly behind the threat. Kate, on the other hand, eventually teams up with Jack to help him locate the bad guys. And the budding romance that begins between them starts to help Jack slowly get over the death of his wife.

The Warner plot really only holds up for the first half of the season and then disappears until near the end. The interactions between Jack and Kate are fun. There's one episode in particular that I thought was excellent, wherein Kate infiltrates a Mosque in order to locate CTU's prime suspect. I won't spoil everything here, just in case, but only Kate really continues as an important character in the second half of the season. But overall, the Warner plot is interesting and added a nice change of pace to the story.


George Mason/CTU

The CTU building itself has its own plot. At one point, in order to stop CTU from helping, the bad guys plant a bomb and nearly destroy the place. So for most of the first half of the season, they're working through rubble and trying to get things back up and running. Meanwhile, George Mason--who took over for Jack during his rogue spell last season and just stayed in charge after Jack left--gets exposed to a high dose of radiation. So for the whole of the first half of this season, George is slowly dying, and he tries to keep it a secret from most people, only letting a few people (like Jack and Tony) in on the secret. And speaking of Tony, he's essentially the second in command now (though eventually taking over for George), and this season is when he begins his relationship with Michelle, another CTU employee.

George Mason has one of the most interesting stories this season, despite you knowing exactly how it's going to end (and I don't mean dying of poisoning). I think anybody with a brain could figure out what he would decide to do. And it's once his story ends that the season shifts. Tony's story is interesting, too, especially now that you know he's a good guy (after all of last season having you never know until the end). Also, the second half of the season, I believe, is when we finally see Ryan Chappelle, the big boss man at Division (the people who control CTU). And he's a total ass... but I'll get more into Ryan in Season 3.


President Palmer

After successfully becoming President of the United States, David Palmer is immediately hit with all sorts of crazy issues. First, there's the whole nuclear bomb threat. Then there's the fact that, apparently, there are people in his party that want to overthrow him. In fact, there might be a lot more of a connection between that and the nuclear threat than originally thought. Sherry Palmer also makes a return, having been forced into divorce from her husband after the last season. She's a little less unlikable this time out, but she's still awfully unlikable. Anyway, the second half of the season primarily focuses on Jack and Palmer. There's a voice clip that connects the bombing to a foreign country. Jack tells Palmer that he thinks the tape has been forged, and, of course, Palmer believes him. But the rest of the government does not. They do everything they can to remove Palmer from office, while Jack tries as quickly as possible to find proof of the tape's unauthentic nature.

This is probably Palmer's most interesting storyline (thus far, anyway). There's really not all that much to say about it. Jack is tied directly into Palmer's storyline, as Jack has to race against time to get information that will help both Jack's part of the story and Palmer's part of the story. The character of Mike Novak returns, as well, and he's always been a pretty likable character, though I'm not sure I cared for him in the second half of this season. And speaking of things I didn't care for...


Kim Bauer

Here's the weak link of this season. It was the only plot that wasn't directly related to anything of importance. Kim starts off as a nanny for a young girl of some rich family. But after she realizes that the father of the family is a psychotic asshole, the mother tells her to take the girl and leave and get to safety. And then, after her father finally lets her know of the bomb threat, she calls up her kung fu boyfriend to help out. All sorts of stuff happens to Kim during all of this. She has to kidnap the girl twice, gets arrested for murder, gets into a wreck, gets lost in the woods and chased by a mountain lion, and then shacks up with a crazy man for one episode that we never see again. You can really tell that the writers were like "Well, we have to keep her in the story somehow... but we don't want to tie her directly into the main plot again. Let's keep it fresh. How about... mountain lions!"


Overall Thoughts

It's a pretty good season with a couple rough spots here and there. I asked a question earlier: Which is the better half? If you couldn't figure it out from my comments, I think the first half of the season is the better half. It gives us most of the good Warner stuff, the suspense of finding the nuke, the bombing of CTU, and George Mason's story. The second half is good, but not up to the par of the first half. The Warners all but disappear, George Mason is gone, CTU miraculously goes from rubble to completely operational, Tony miraculously goes from crutches to hardly a limp, and we switch from finding a nuclear bomb to finding proof that an audio tape is forged. Most of the good of the second half comes from Palmer's storyline, as you're just rooting for him to overcome his cabinet and persevere. Not to mention the season ends on a major cliffhanger dealing with him. So, yeah, the first half is better than the second, but it's all around a pretty good season. But it's nothing compared to Season 3.

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #11.2: The Top 5 (Results).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

The intro video showing more funny HCJ... then goes right back into the overly dramatic stuff. I think tonight, again, the Bottom 3 will be Aaron, Casey, and Mike, with Aaron going home (though possibly Casey, if we want another angering shocker).

8:01: "This... is... AMERICAN IDOL!" Interesting new emphases... trying to switch it up a bit, Ryan?

8:02: Lady GaGa performs tonight. Assuming she's performing "Alejandro," that will probably be the 3-4 time I've heard that song today. There's only so much of it I can take...

8:03: The Top 5 performing a medley of Sinatra songs. Let me take this time to pose a question to myself: Why do I do a live blog for the results show? Nobody cares how I thought the bajillion and one guest performers did. They just want to know results. But I suppose doing an American Idol post with only about 5 lines wouldn't be all that interesting. So for prosperity's sake, I shall continue on. Hell, there are only a few more, anyway. Oh, and the medley is alright. Lee's been getting quite a bit of cheering. I'm starting to think he's actually gonna overtake Crystal for the win. What an underdog story if it happens.

8:09: Hells to the yes! Next week will be "Songs of the Cinema"! They'll be doing songs from movies! That'll be awesome. Anyway.

8:10: Ryan: "Are you ready... for the world premier... of the new... Ford Music Video?" No, actually... I really couldn't care less. Though they're singing Plain White T's, I believe... I haven't heard this song in a while, but it's a good one.

8:11: We get a video on how Tuesdays have changed for the contestants... before they got on the show and after they got on. And...

8:12: Did they just say 7 AM was early? Pfft... and did they just call a tequito a burrito? Get your Mexican (or at least Tex-Mex) cuisine right.

8:14: Getting to some results. He talks to the contestants for a minute.

8:15: Lee stands up first. He goes to the center of the stage. I think tonight might actually be the night when Ryan does the "choose which group you think you should be standing with" thing that's so mean. I'm guessing he'll do it to Aaron.

8:18: Or not. Lee's safe. I guess he's not gonna do it this season? Huh. Oh well. But yay! Lee's safe!

8:22: And we're back with Lady Gaga... because when I think Frank Sinatra, Lady Gaga is the first to come to mind. And... she's singing Alejandro. Blah. Though she's starting off with Bad Romance? Interesting. No comment on the whole thing, really. Interesting outfit, I suppose? Yeah.

8:32: And we're back... again. But instead of doing any more results, we get to see some behind the scenes with HCJ and his humor. I can go with that. And, yeah, he's funny. And he's gonna sing now. No offense to the type of music or HCJ, who seems like a super awesome guy, but I'm just not a fan of crooner-type music. So... I can give a pass on this. Not that it's bad or anything. It's not, and everybody there is incredibly talented. I just don't care for it.

8:38: HCJ stops singing after the song ends (duh) and addresses the audience. Pretty cool and different. He makes an Ellen joke... and then announces that he'll be accompanying the contestants in singing some of his songs. And so far, most of them are doing even better than last night. For instance, Casey's few seconds of singing here are miles better than his whole performance last night.

8:42: HCJ tells the story of when he first met Sinatra. Fun story.

8:48: Finally getting back to some results. Crystal stands up. She moves to the far side of the stage.

8:49: Big Mike stands up. He stands on the near side of the stage. Aaron stands up. He better not join Crystal...

8:50: Thank God. He joins Big Mike. Casey stands up. Go join Crystal... and... yeah, he goes over to Crystal. BASTARD! He's doing the "choose a group" thing, making Lee choose. Lee refuses to pinpoint the safe group. Good for you, Lee. But the Bottom is...

8:51: Mike and Aaron. That means Casey and Crystal are safe along with Aaron. I suppose that means Aaron is finally going home?

8:55: I have to be honest... I won't be hurt with either of them going, but I want it to be Aaron. And it's...

8:56: Aaron! About damn time. Now we get the Goodbye Video.

8:58: And now we get the Goodbye Song. And he's just singing what he sang last night. Because people liked it enough the first time to vote you through, right? Bleh.

Final Thoughts: I'm glad Aaron is finally gone. Next week is the Top 4 of Crystal, Lee, Casey, and Mike singing Songs of the Movies. I hope it's as awesome as I hope. We'll see. See y'all then.

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #11: The Top 5 (Frank Sinatra).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

For what is probably the third time, my internet decides, right before I have to start the live blog, to not function properly. Thankfully, however, it's up and operational now. Anyway, we're down to the final 5... and it's Frank Sinatra night. Prepare for a bunch of "That was so old fashioned" comments. And Harry Connick Jr. is the mentor. I think Siobhan would have done amazing this week... oh well.

7:00: Harry Connick Jr.: "This... is American Idol."

7:02: Wow... usually when Ryan asks "Who's your favorite?" to the audience, it's just a jumbled reply of "I really can't understand any of it." But pretty much everybody was screaming "LEE!" Wow.

7:03: No, Harry... It's MYRIAD WAYS. Not "myriad OF ways." The "of" is built in. OK, I'm done.

7:05: Interesting. Harry Connick Jr. (hereon in redubed HCJ) is not only mentoring for the contestants, but writing their compositions (how the band is going to play the songs, etc.). So if the judges have any complaints to how the song sounds, they only have the mentor to blame.

7:11: Aaron is up first. Oh wow, I'm already disliking it. He just started singing a note and it made my ears hurt. And then HCJ was like "What you're singing doesn't make sense" (key-wise). And that's just the rehearsal video with the mentor. He's doing "Fly Me To The Moon." Here's goes the real thing.

7:13: Ick... the actual performance isn't faring well, either. He's really pitchy. It sounds terrible. Imagine a Jonas Brother trying to do Sinatra... and doing it horribly (like, even for a Jonas Brother). You'll get a general idea of what this is like.

7:15: WHAT? Randy said he did a really good job. Are you kidding me? Ellen makes a joke about HCJ's piano playing. She thinks he really pulled it off. WHAT? Kara didn't think it was as strong as last week (which was also horrendous)... and says that he'll be back next week? I certainly hope not. Simon is more with Kara. He says if Sinatra were a lion, Aaron was a mouse... but people seem to like him. These judges are crazy. That was awful.

7:22: We're back with Casey. And apparently last week, his friend called him up for a 50-dollar gig and was unaware Casey was on Idol. Funny. HCJ is a jokester. And he likes Casey's groove. Oh, and he's singing "Blue Skies."

7:24: I'm liking this one so far. Typical Casey bluesy feel. Overall, really good. Not the typical Casey.

7:25: Randy thought it was his worst performance... yeah, these judges are crazy. Ellen makes another HCJ joke. But she thought his performance was very stiff. Kara says he sounds like a lamb with his vibrato. Simon didn't think he was fantastic and thought he was embarrassed/awkward. And HCJ chimes in and says that Casey did better in rehearsal. Interesting. But hey, I'm so glad they're getting the opinion of the mentor. They're listening to me!

Note: Maybe I just wasn't listening very closely (as I was typing this up). I'll give them the first note was pitchy and off, and he does have the lamb vibrato. But I didn't think it was all that bad. But then again, I guess I might not have been fully focused on the song.

7:33: Random Anthony Hopkins sighting. Wow... horribly shameless Coca-Cola plug. Anyway, Crystal is up. She'll do great, I'm sure. She's singing "Summer Wind."

7:34: She looks fantastic in the dress, first of all. But her singing is even more fantastic. But what else is new?

7:36: Randy thought it was OK, but sleepy. LAME. Ellen thought she needed to loosen up more, but that overall she's really impressive. Kara: "It's out of your element, but I kinda liked it." Simon thought the second half of the song was better, but that's she's only had 2 OK weeks. Bleh. Whatevs, yo.

7:43: Big Mike is up. He should do well tonight. This seems right up his alley. Let's just hope I can actually care. But he's saying it's a "dancing" song, so I have hopes. He's doing "The Way You Look Tonight."

7:44: Vocally good, as usual. But it's still one of those 'mid-tempo' songs. And I'm not really tempted to get up and dance (no worries). But I do give him credit that it's one of his better performances as of late... and probably one of the better ones of the night. But it's been a pretty mediocre night, so that doesn't say all that much.

7:47: Randy loved it ("Mike is in it to win it"). Ellen says he seems to have the most comfort on stage... and she thought the whole thing was really good. Kara says he did everything right. Simon essentially just said Mike's was the best performance of the night. Let's just hope that the next performance blows them all out of the water.

7:54: Lee! He's singing "That's Life." HCJ says Lee reminds him of a new and improved version of him. And he loves him. HCJ is hilarious.

7:55: Starting off really well. And it's continuing very well. I'll go so far as to say this is the best of the night... saving the best for last.

7:56: Randy loved it. Ellen was distracted by Harry's "organ" (instrument). She says that if this was the last night of performances, he would have just won the whole thing. I can agree with that. Kara asks Lee if he thinks he can win. He says yes, and she says he can win this thing. Simon says that HCJ managed to help bring out Lee's personality and that it was, by far, the best performance of the night. For once tonight, I agree with the judges. Man, HCJ should be the mentor every week (just for his humor).

7:59: The Recap. Aaron is still bad. I still don't think Casey is pitchy... though he is lamb-ish. Crystal is still really good. Big Mike is good. Lee is excellent.

Final Thoughts: I'm thinking a Bottom 3 of Aaron, Casey, and Mike, with Aaron going home (runner-up leaver, Casey). We'll see.

TV Review: 24 - Day 1.

I've put this off long enough. A little while back I started watching 24 via Netflix, figuring it was time I try getting into the show. And then it got even easier once I got my Instant Streaming and discovered that all 24 episodes are available there. In other words, I didn't have to wait forever to get the next disc of whatever current season I was watching. So now that I've watched the first 3 seasons, I'll start giving my thoughts, one season at a time.

Warning: Some spoilers ahead.

Season One: Day 1.

This first season hooked me in pretty fast. However, it wasn't perfect. Granted, I've only watched the first three seasons at this point, but the first season is really the only one where I've noticed one particular issue: making things overly complicated to do what should have been an otherwise easy task. For instance, near the beginning, an assassin woman gets a seat next to a photographer on an airplane to L.A. from Europe (I forget where specifically), chats him up to gain his trust, then kills him, steals his I.D. card, and jumps out of the plane with parachute after blowing up said plane. She then lands in the desert and buries the I.D. card so that someone else can come pick it up to deliver it. Seriously? Whatever happened to just jumping the guy in the street or robbing his house?

Anyway, the plot of this season centers around an assassination attempt on Senator Palmer, a Presidential Candidate, on the day of the Primary. So it's up to Special Agent Jack Bauer, head of CTU (Counter-Terrorist Unit), to save the day. But it's not that easy, as his daughter Kim and, eventually, his wife Teri--who he just got back with after a separation--are kidnapped. And the bad guys are using them against Jack to force him into carrying out the assassination himself. So Jack also has to save his family while avoiding assassinating Palmer and figure out just what his connection to all of this is.

As the show is split into multiple stories, I'll focus on each individual plotline and talk about its strengths and weaknesses. And I'll start with the major one.


Jack Bauer

The show really starts off showing you that our main character is no protagonist, as it were. No, we're dealing with an Anti-Hero here. Jack will go to any lengths to do what is necessary. At one point he threatens to shove a towel down a guy's throat and have it settle in his stomach just long enough for the acid to latch it to his stomach lining... and then pull it back up and out. That's pretty hardcore. Of course, he never does it, but just threatening to do so it crazy.

And that's Jack Bauer for you. You know he'll do whatever is necessary, but you can never really tell if he'll actually do it or not. He's a great bluff... or is he really bluffing? And how is all this stuff really affecting him? He keeps a hard outer shell that I don't think ever cracks until the final minutes of season 3 (which I'll get to soon).

Anyway, Jack corresponds with CTU, despite being away from headquarters for most of the season. He doesn't know who he can trust, as there is apparently a spy in their ranks. So while trying to stay away from the likes of the ambiguous Tony Almeida and sticks with Tony's girlfriend and Jack's former flame, Nina Myers. He also keeps confidence with one of the main computer techs, who can help him with anything technical he might need done.

Now, I'm usually pretty good and picking up on twist endings, and despite me basically figuring out any twists early on, the show has a way of making you second-guess yourself. So kudos on that. Overall, Jack's story, being the primary one, is interesting and action-packed. It has to be. It's the driving force of the show.


Kim and Teri Bauer

Their story starts as Kim sneaks out to hang out with a friend and some guys she knows. Well, it turns out the guys were hired to kidnap her. Fortunately, one of them--Rick--realizes he's in over his head and tries to persuade his crazy friend to stop doing what they're doing. But things get a bit out of control, leaving Rick in the driver's seat, so to speak. And there's a bit of a romantic angle between Kim and Rick, allowing the feelings between them to help Rick overcome his fears and try to help them out as best he can without getting caught or killed.

Meanwhile, Teri travels around with who she thinks is Kim's friend's father, but he turns out to be working for the bad guys, too. Teri ends up in the same place as Kim, and they have to work together (along with Rick) to stay safe and try to escape.

Overall, this plot gets old after a while. It's just repetitive. They get caught, they escape, they get caught again, they escape again, they get caught again... seriously. And at one point, both Kim and Teri escape together, but after a car accident, they get separated and Teri gets trauma-induced amnesia after thinking Kim is dead. I know that happens all the time, but it was still a bit ridiculous.

Oh, and is it just me, or did Teri and Nina look incredibly similar? If Teri grew out her hair a little more, they would look damn near like twins. Anyway...


David Palmer

Palmer's story isn't very interesting, especially in comparison to the next season. Years before, his son murdered a guy who raped his daughter (the son's sister). But it was leaked to somebody who decided that she must release it to the press. So while Palmer sees no real way to stop it from being leaked, his wife tries to cover it up, all the while yelling at her husband for potentially having their son go to jail. Of course, he didn't know about any of the bad stuff, as his wife had covered it all up after it happened. And all she cares about is keeping her husband's image positive so that he will win the election and get her into the White House. And she'll do whatever it takes to gain that power.

I really liked David Palmer as a character. And, of course, the whole plot centered around him. But almost everybody else in his plotline was annoying. Sherry, his wife, was actually more unlikable than the real villains of the show. You know how in Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Delores Umbridge is more despicable than even Voldemort? It was similar here. I loathed Sherry with a passion in this season, but really had no strong feelings for the real villains. And then the Palmer children were just kind of annoying. The daughter was alright, but she wasn't really on screen very much. The son, however, irked me, too. And I'm glad after Season One, he's pretty much in one episode and only for about 3 minutes.

Palmer himself, however, is really, really likable. He's just a good guy all around. He wants to do what's right and gets conflicted if put in a position of moral ambiguity (i.e. where Jack stays through the whole show).

Overall Thoughts

This season is a really good one, which is obvious considering it spawned another 7 seasons after it. There are obviously some things I disliked about the season, but they weren't things that destroyed it for me.

What really hooked me into the show, besides the suspense/tension, was its style. The way the show handled the multi-screens to show things happening in different stories at the same time. And, of course, the counter. The premise is that the show takes place in one day, and every episode is one hour of that day. Granted, when you're not watching it with commercials and 4-5 minutes will pass in about 5 seconds where commercials should be, that bit of the concept is lost. But it's still fun.

I think the best thing about this season was the tension and the twists. The secondary characters get better plots in the following seasons, but here they do what is necessary for the story. It's definitely a "season one," trying to find its place, but as I've seen mentioned elsewhere, even a below-average season of 24 is a better season than most other shows. Not that I'm saying this is a below-average season. It's not. I was just making a point on the quality of the show. And I think that about does it for the first season.

A NIGHTMARE ON ELM STREET.

Believe it or not, I typically don't go to see the horror remakes of classic horror films in theater. The last one I think I saw in theater was Texas Chainsaw Massacre, which I think was one of the first. I actually only recently saw Rob Zombie's Halloween and the new Friday the 13th (the latter just a couple weeks ago). And they're all pretty much crap. But Freddy is different. Freddy isn't the silent, faceless killer like Michael Myers, Jason Vorhees, or Leatherface. No, he has a face... a burnt face, but a face... and quite a mouth. And while I'm not an uber-fan of the original series (I think I've maybe seen two of them all the way through, not counting Freddy vs. Jason), I do like the character of Freddy Krueger, as well as his portrayal by Robert Englund. So to hear that not only were they doing a remake, but that Englund wasn't going to return, I was worried. But then I heard that he was being replaced by Jackie Earle Haley, and I felt better. But were my new-found feelings justified?

The movie is essentially about a bunch of kids who start getting killed off in their dreams by a burnt man with knives on his fingers named Freddy Krueger (Jackie Earle Haley). The main bunch includes Nancy (Rooney Mara), Quentin (Kyle Gallner), Kris (Katie Cassidy), Jesse (Thomas Dekker), and Dean (Kellan Lutz). So why is Freddy after them? Well, let's just say it's a revenge story--he was once a gardener at a preschool accused of being a pedophile, and the parents took justice into their own hands by burning him alive.

That's pretty much the story. The whole movie is just Freddy going after the "kids" as they try to stay awake and figure out what the hell is going on. Story-wise, there's really not much there. If you know the original film(s), there should be no surprises as to Freddy's backstory, which is basically the whole mystery of the movie. So in other words, you're just there to see the kills and scares.

The scares are all jump scares. The music will get quiet, everything will pause for a moment, and then BAM, Freddy appears from nowhere accompanied by a jolt of music. Did they scare me? Sure... but they're still forced scares. It's not a "oh my God this is so creepy" kind of scare. It's not the kind of scary where I won't be able to sleep at night. As for the kills, there is surprisingly little blood in this movie. And whenever there's large amounts, it's typically super-CGI.

Which brings me to one of my first big complaints. The movie relied pretty strongly on CGI. What's pretty cool about the original is that everything is practical. When Freddy pushes his face through the wall in the original? Practical. In the remake? Purely CGI. When blood gushes onto a ceiling in the original? It looks real. In the remake? Super fake (not to mention much, much shorter in time and in less amount). I think this is one of the first times where a modern remake doesn't try to out-gore the original. And for a movie like this, that's kinda lame.

I'm not going to bother getting into the acting, except for one. Jackie Earle Haley was superb as Freddy. I mean, he's no Robert Englund, but if they aren't going to have Robert back, Jackie was the next best thing. He has the voice down, and he's absolutely vicious. He even, toward the end, had some of Freddy's jokes and puns, which he pulled off nicely. The only issue I had with Freddy was his look. I know they wanted to make him look like a more realistic burn victim, but it just came off as fake. Parts of his face was too smooth, too plastic looking, especially in comparison to the original, which had deep pits and ugly scars. And I'm pretty sure they even did CGI on part of his face (trying to pull off a semi-Two-Face kinda thing), but I can't be certain there. But if they did, that's totally lame.

The cinematography was actually really good, keeping the movie dream-like and stylized. It was hard to tell sometimes what was a dream and what was real. Though I particularly liked the pharmacy scene, where it flashed back and forth between the real and dream worlds. Also, there are some nice moments recreated from the original movie (like the bathtub scene, though it doesn't go on like it does in the original).

So it was pretty decent, especially for a classic horror remake. Freddy was perfectly cast since they couldn't get Robert Englund. The second half of the movie, I felt, was better than the first half. The first half focused strongly on little plot, dream sequences, and the Kris and Jesse characters. The second half was more on figuring out the mystery while focusing on Nancy and Quentin (and the dream sequences were cleverer, and some were straight from the original). Overall, the movie had some issues, from the minor and up, but it was still decent entertainment, mostly thanks to Jackie Earle Haley, who boosted it up a point or two in my ratings from what it could have been.


I Am McLovin!

Podcast: The Demented Encyclopedia #8 - The One About Animation (Part 1).

This episode is the first of our first 2-part podcast. This one centers on animated movies, primarily those of the big 3 (or 4?) companies: Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks, and Studio Ghibli.

First off, Travis plugs a fellow blogger, He Shot Cyrus, and three things currently going on over there.

Then we get into our discussion of the companies, beginning with Disney/Pixar and separating them immediately into two entities. From there we move on to a brief discussion on Dreamworks before effortlessly segueing into Studio Ghibli. Who is the best? Which have the best themes? The best animation? The best entertainment? The best overall movies? And, in what is probably the biggest debate Travis and I have had thus far, which is better: WALL*E or Up?

Our Reality Round-Up isn't all that long, believe it or not. We discuss Survivor briefly and move on to a brief (and not as heated as expected) discussion of American Idol.

Then I don't exactly recommend anything as much as I "suggest" it, while Travis is a little more direct.

And we wrap things up in probably the most embarrassing fashion to date. We both sing our Mono-Dia-logues of the Week. Yeah. And that'll about do it.

Thanks goes out to Kevin MacLeod's Imcompetech Website for the music. As always, you can use the player above to listen to the podcast, or you can search iTunes, where we are also available for download. The earlier episodes are being removed from the player for space, but you can still always download them on iTunes. Also, please become a Fan on Facebook... then you can give us your input for the podcast and will probably end up on the show during the D-Bag segment. But as for now... enjoy!

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #10.2: The Top 6 (Results).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

Well, thank God Idol Gives Back is over. I don't have to deal with all that... humanitarian stuff again. Still, there's gonna be a bunch of country performances tonight, which I'm not looking forward to. But still. Getting to it. Prediction: Again, as I said last night, I figure the Bottom 3 will probably be Aaron, Mike, and either Casey or Siobhan... with Aaron going home. So we'll see.

8:00: Cue overly dramatic intro video.

8:01: Did Ryan say "This... is American Idol!"? I really wasn't paying attention. Oh well.

8:02: Lame. Instead of doing the cheesy group performance, they kick it off with a band. Rascal Flatts. I'm actually OK with this. Rascal Flatts is about as close as I'll get to country without wanting to vomit. However, this performance seems like... he seems bored. There's no emotion to it. And the lyrics seem forced, like he can't fit them in with the music.

8:09: Behind the scenes of the Ford Music Video. Interesting. They're supposed to be vampires. Casey actually makes for an amazingly cool vampire. As does Siobhan. I could so see a vampire movie made with Casey and Siobhan. Though Crystal's blood-red eyes are crazy, too.

8:11: Pretty cool (though cheesy) video. And Siobhan, despite her falling out of my singing graces, is still a really hot vampire.

8:12: Now they get to see to do voice acting stuff for Shrek Forever After. And now they get to see the movie.

8:15: And now Cameron Diaz and Antonio Banderas are on stage. Wow... Antonio has aged.

8:17: Finally, getting to some results. Siobhan stands up. She heads to the far side of the stage.

8:18: Aaron stands up. He moves to the center of the stage. Big Mike stands up. He stands on the near side of the stage. So... 3 groups?

8:19: Lee stands up. Lol... Ryan says "Was it hard to make such a well known song your own, Lee?" And it took me a minute, because I thought he say "your only." Anyway, he joins Siobhan on the far side of the stage.

8:20: Casey stands up. He joins Big Mike.

8:21: Crystal stands. I can only assume she'll be joining Aaron. Yup. I don't like Crystal standing with Aaron (for either implication... the strongest and weakest singers next to each other?).

8:22: Siobhan walks with Ryan back to the couches. And... HOLY CRAP? Big Mike, Casey, and Siobhan are the Bottom 3? Seriously, holy crap. I mean, I figured 2 of those were gonna be in the bottom with Aaron, but... Aaron is safe and all THREE are in the Bottom? Blasphemy...

8:27: So, next week will be the songs of Frank Sinatra. Should be full of comments like "This performance felt so old-fashioned." Anywho...

8:28: Did they bring in Carrie Underwood just to announce another band called Sons of Sylvia? Talk about vampires. These guys look like they should be doing alternative punk or goth metal or... emo music or something. But... I'm not sure what this is. It doesn't have that country twang (in either their voices or their instruments). And he has an electric violin, which is always cool. And another guy playing an... electric mandolin? I'm not sure I've ever seen that before. I just googled these guys, and they're considered a country trio, but this is not country. Or maybe they just found their least country-sounding song. This is just... strange. I'm not sure how to categorize this. I'll be looking more into these guys. And if they have a similar sound as they did here in most of their songs, I might have actually found a "country" band I can stand.

NOTE: I'm not sure how my mom could have gone from being a hippie to being how she is now. I called her to make sure what I had listened to was not country music, and she agreed with that, but thought it was weird... mostly because of how the singers looked. In fact, she declared that she didn't like it at all mostly because the guys looked strange, ignoring their, you know, singing and/or musical abilities. Anyway... enough about my parental unit.

8:36: We're back with another band, and this is Lady Antebellum. This song is incredibly over-played on the radio and gets on my nerves. And it's everything that annoys me about country music. A depressing story. Talks of whiskey. And the twang in both voice and instruments. So I'm gonna ignore it.

8:44: And... another performance. Rascal Flatts and... Shakira? Alrighty then. Mmm... her hips sure don't lie. You can be a Gypsy all you want... and you can travel on over to my place. Gimme a peek at your She-Wolf. And... yeah, I'm running out of puns and/or innuendo.

8:48: Getting back to the results. I'm sure he's gonna send one person back to safety. I figure Siobhan is safe tonight, and... I was halfway through typing "Mike will be going home tonight" when Ryan says "Mike, you are safe." WTF? This means Casey or Siobhan is going home?! BEFORE AARON? Double-You Tee Eff, Mate?!

8:54: Getting to it. See, THIS would be the night for the Save. But no, that had to waste it on Mike. Lame. Anyway, the person going home tonight is... Siobhan!? Wow. I so did not see that coming. Siobhan was supposed to make it into the Top 4 at the very least. I mean, I haven't been big into Siobhan's singing for a few weeks now, but still... she's miles ahead of Aaron and Mike. And she's hot... Oh well.

8:55: The goodbye video.

8:56: The goodbye song. She's singing "Think." Good. One of her really good ones. And that was great.

8:58: Siobhan gives Simon a hug. Aww. This was the biggest goodbye to a contestant thus far... and a much deserved one.

Final Thoughts: Shocking... truly. And I'm sure Travis and I will have a lot to say about it on the next Demented Encyclopedia... so... stay tuned for that, as well! And I'll see y'all next week.

Idol Chatter: The Live Blog #10: The Top 6 (Shania Twain).

[I wanted to do this last season, but I got the idea a few episodes too late. I do admit, I watch American Idol. I really didn't start until a couple years ago, though (my mom was a much bigger fan). Similar in style to the Live Survivor Blog over at Blog Cabins, Idol Chatter (pun and all) will be a play by play of the episodes and what I think of what's happening. For those that don't know, just continually refresh this page to get new updates as the show goes on.]

Besides the fact that it's my 10th week doing this live blog, I'm really not looking forward to tonight. Sure, we're Tim-less (though we still have Aaron)... but it's Shania Twain music. Seriously? Shania Twain? It's just like... "Elvis! Beatles! Shania!" So... which one of these doesn't fit? On top of country music, it's Shania Twain music (honestly, nothing against Shania... it's country in general that irks me). Hopefully nobody will actually sing it, you know, country. Anywho, let's get on with it.

7:00: "THIS... is American Idol."

7:04: Surprise, surprise... Shania's the mentor for the week, as well. Though it's funny that she says she'll feel responsible if they do bad considering it's her music AND she's mentoring.

7:05: I so want one of the guys to sing "Feel Like A Woman." Anywho, Lee is up first. He's singing "You're Still The One." I'm already digging it from the mentor video.

7:06: I'm actually really enjoying it. It doesn't sound country whatsoever. He made it sound more alternative rock, which is what I hope almost everybody does. Yup, I liked it.

7:07: Imagine that, Randy thinks a song is "one of the greatest songs ever written." What song DOESN'T he say that about? Anyway, he thought he did pretty good. Ellen thinks he did more than pretty good (and likes how he makes songs his own). Kara thinks his voice alone makes songs relevant (so is she calling Shania old and irrelevant?). Simon thinks it was the perfect choice for him.

7:15: Big Mike's up next. He's singing "It Only Hurts When I'm Breathing." And... he's going back to ballads. Again. Mike, I love your voice, but I'm tired of how you're using it, man.

7:16: As usual, he's singing well. And it doesn't really sound country. But... I'm just finding it hard to actually care. He's staying in this safety zone and has yet to go out of it. He hasn't done anything to blow me away for a very long time, because his songs sound exactly the same week to week.

7:18: Randy loved it, of course, and loves how he doesn't love that safety zone. Ellen loved it, too. Kara likes how Mike can connect with his songs. Thank you, Simon, for telling us that "wet" is the opposite of "dry." But he clarifies that he means Mike was a bit girly with the song... which, yeah, it was a Shania Twain song. And Shania is crying... yeah.

7:25: Casey is up next. He says he's gonna change it up a bit. He's singing "Don't!"

7:27: And... his sounds the most country so far. But he's actually focusing on his singing more than his guitar playing, which is different. And... it's pretty good. One of his better vocals.

7:29: Randy says it's one of Casey's best. Ellen agrees and thinks it IS the best. Kara liked his vulnerability in this performance. Simon thinks last week was a good wake-up call and that this was his best performance so far. He also suggests that he comes down and kisses Shania... and while he doesn't kiss her, he does give her a hug.

7:35: Crystal is up! Awesome. She's singing "No One Needs To Know." Aw... I think Crystal wants a marriage proposal.

7:36: Ha, I love the "Big Band" feel of song. All it's missing is the dude blowing into a big jar. Sure, it's sounds country, but Crystal can make me love anything. And she's hitting some awesome high notes. I swear, if Crystal doesn't win this...

7:38: Randy didn't think it was his favorite performance, but he liked that somebody actually did something that sounded country. Ellen agrees. Kara agrees ("It's impossible for you not to be good."). Simon thought it was limp and thought it felt like a coffee shop performance. He also calls it a forgettable song (and apologizes to Shania). And Ryan's talking to the boyfriend ("A little pressure?" *whistles*).

7:46: Aaron is singing "You've Got A Way." Sure, this is right up Aaron's alley, but I still doubt I'll like it. I'm not sure I've ever really cared much for Aaron outside Hollywood Week. I've actually cared for Tim more than Aaron.

7:47: Vocally decent, but still the bottom of the barrel of the contestants. And he's having quite a few pitch problems. Are you kidding me? He just got a standing-o.

7:48: Randy thought he did really good. Ellen liked it. Kara agrees with Ellen. Simon thinks that last few weeks, he's really struggled, but tonight he was like a different artist. He thinks he did really well. Blah. So far, everybody (according to the judges) have done amazingly well, and they aren't sure how tomorrow is gonna turn out. But Siobhan is up next!

7:54: She's singing "Any Man Of Mine." And... she's doing a country twang with her voice. I'm not sure how I'm gonna like that.

7:55: Love the look, though. Siobhan, you need to stop trying to sing in your low register. That's where you struggle. I apologize for this, Siobhan... this isn't even close to your strongest, and I'm gonna say what Simon probably will... it's sounds awfully karaoke. And her scream there at the end held on a bit too long... though the whole end portion of the song was better than the whole thing altogether. But as I said last week, then end can't save the whole.

7:57: But... Randy loved the whole thing. Simon: "Way to pull the Shania 'Twain' into the station." Gotta love puns. Kara: "Guess who's back?" Simon really, really liked the song, but thought the screaming went on a LITTLE too long (almost like she was going into labor/giving birth). I guess I'm crazy, then.

7:59: The Recap. Lee was awesome. Big Mike had good vocals, but is boring. Casey was really good. Crystal was fun. Aaron was... Aaron (to me, anyway). Siobhan was loved by the judges, but only moderately liked by me (until the end).

Final Thoughts: I think the Bottom 3 will be Big Mike, Aaron, and either Siobhan or Casey, with Aaron going home. But we'll see.