Friday Five: My Tattoos

Yesterday, I got my newest tattoo, the fifth one I’ve had done during my life. I figure now is as good a time as any to go over all of them.

Tattoo #1 - “The hardest thing in this world is to live in it”

This was my very first tattoo, which I had done on September 24, 2005, just after I moved into my new condo. My family was definitely surprised that I even got a tattoo, given that I was deathly afraid of needles growing up (and I still hate medical needles). The quote is from the Season 5 finale of “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”, my favorite single episode of a television show all time. The tattoo is rendered in the “Buffied” font, and on my right arm.


Tattoo #2 - Angel Investigations Logo

Just about a month later (Oct. 27, 2005), I got my second tattoo done. This is the Angel Investigations logo from the “Buffy” spinoff “Angel”, done on my left wrist. The tattoo is inked around a small scar on my wrist. This was by far the least expensive tattoo I’ve had done, and until my most recent one was the most painful to have done. There’s not as much padding around the wrist, meaning you feel every press of the needle.

Tattoo #3 - Mary Jane Watson

I went more than two years before having another tattoo done, finally getting Mary Jane inked on my left arm on Nov. 10, 2007. I wavered between using this art (drawn by PooZ) and a version of MJ done by Tim Sale but eventually decided on this, because I knew if I ever wanted to get matching tattoos, it’d be easier to get something drawn by PooZ than by Tim Sale.

Tattoo #4 - Gwen Stacy

PooZ gave me the artwork for this one sometime around Halloween of 2008, but I held on to it for about six months before I got it inked, on April 11, 2009. This is actually flipped from the artwork PooZ did -- originally I was going to have it on MJ’s left, but I decided to put Gwen on the right when I had it done. Also, when PooZ gave me the art, he actually gave me two designs. I ended up going with this one, because it more matched Gwen’s final appearance. The other one had her in her iconic striped shirt, but would have been much harder to translate as a tattoo (and, I think PooZ will agree with me on this, the face looked better on this one).

Tattoo #5 - Black Cat

As soon as I got the Gwen Stacy tattoo done, I knew Black Cat would be next. I let PooZ take his time with the art, since I knew she’d be a little harder to do, and he got it to me last week. This is probably the quickest I’ve gone between getting the art and having the tattoo done. At this point, with Gwen, MJ and Black Cat all on the right arm, PooZ and I are going to work on something to tie them all together. I just need to let this one heal first (since it STILL hurts).

More Dollhouse Thoughts: Unaired Pilot "Echo"

Well, I picked up the "Dollhouse" Blu-Ray set on Tuesday, and the first thing I did when I cracked it open was fire up the unaired pilot episode, "Echo", to see what FOX had asked Joss Whedon to re-work.

The episode is VERY different from the first episode that actually aired, and I have mixed feelings about it. On its own merit, "Echo" is a very good episode, but it seems to move things much faster than the first season of "Dollhouse" did overall.

**SPOILER ALERT**

In the pre-title sequence, we see Echo on a handful of different engagements, while DeWitt explains to a wealthy client how the Dollhosue works. It's the exposition scene that jumps us into the show's concept (the DeWitt scene was actually re-used as the first "memory" in "Epitaph One", which was pretty cool to see).

After the opening title sequence, things start happening very quickly -- we get introduced to Victor, and a scene later find out he's a doll. Ballard gets Caroline's photo, and meets her a scene later. These things played out much more dramatically in the series, but were compressed in the pilot. I know some people didn't like the slow-build of Season 1, but I enjoyed it, so the pilot seemed to move a little too quickly from a plot development standpoint for me.

One thing that worked better with the quick movement of the pilot was Echo's developing personality. In the pilot, it was clear that was something Topher was already worried about, and he'd brought Boyd in on that discussion too. Also, the engagement between Echo and Ballard went wrong, and the implication was that it was because Echo was resisting the imprinting in some way.

I think if FOX had aired this episode as the first one, and let Whedon build off it, the first season would have been drastically different (and the first four or five episodes that actually did air would have been unnecessary). That said -- and I think this is going to be an unpopular opinion in the "Dollhouse" community -- I think FOX made the right call. So many people have criticized FOX for asking Whedon to make changes to the early part of the series, and I think some of that was because people assumed they'd cancel the series. But now that they've shown the willingness to stick with "Dollhouse", the slow build makes more sense. Had they canceled the series after six episodes, then yes, the complaints would have been justified, but as it stands, the series works well as aired (including the decision not to air "Epitaph One", which feels too much like a series finale to work as a lead-in to Season 2).

For perspective, I watched the first episode, "Ghost", last night as well. It definitely is not as strong of an episode, but it leaves much more to the imagination (or the next few episodes). Seeing both of them back-to-back, it's clear one of FOX's major requests of Whedon was to slow the reveals; don't give away so much right away.

To sum up: I'm glad I was able to see the unaired pilot, and on some level I wonder what the show would have been like building off of that episode, but I have no complaints with what actually happened in Season 1, and I hope Season 2 continues to develop the storylines we've been given.

Best of Britney Spears: By The Numbers

Britney Spears has released six studio albums, starting with 1999’s “...Baby One More Time” and culminating with 2008’s “Circus”. I’ve purchased every one of them, most of them the minute they were released (including 2000’s “Oops!... I Did It Again”, which was released a day before my 20th birthday).

I could re-hash my favorite Britney albums of all-time, my favorite songs from her latest album, or even my favorite videos of hers, but instead, I wanna go strictly by the numbers.

So here they are, my most-played songs from each of Britney’s six studio albums, according to my iTunes Library. But first, a little explanation -- I’ve got multiple versions of each song in my library, thanks to singles, remixes, etc. So this list reflects the most played song, including ALL versions.

“...Baby One More Time” from “...Baby One More Time”

- This wasn’t a surprise at all. 199 plays in iTunes -- which only starting recording play counts in July of 2002. I’m pretty sure this will always be among my favorite Britney songs.

“Oops!... I Did It Again” from “Oops!... I Did It Again”

- I really like title tracks, I guess (though I think it’s more something to do with first singles), and this is actually my most-played Britney song of all-time. 311 plays so far, among 16 tracks (including three live versions).

“I’m A Slave 4 U” from “Britney”

- My actual favorite Britney song (probably, I still think) has been played 202 times so far.

from “In the Zone”. That’s in a tie for third among all Britney songs, and would be higher if I owned more remixes of this track.

“Toxic” from “In the Zone”

- My second-most played Britney track is also probably my second-favorite, and depending on how I feel on a particular day, may in fact be my favorite. It’s been played 283 times so far.

“Piece of Me” from “Blackout”

- Now we get into the more recent stuff, which doesn’t have nearly the play count strength of the past. “Piece of Me” has only been played 78 times.

“Circus” from “Circus”

- I predicted back when this album came out that this song would be my most-played off this album, and so far I’ve been right. 57 plays, which is 10 more than both “Womanizer” and “If U Seek Amy”. I also predicted that it’d eventually be in my top 10 overall. Well, that’s a ways off, as you’ll see by this list:

Adam’s Top 10 Most Played Britney Spears Songs

Including All Alternate Versions

1. Oops!... I Did It Again - 313 plays
2. Toxic - 283 plays
3. I’m A Slave 4 U - 202 plays
4. Me Against the Music - 202 plays (tie broken by fewer total tracks)
5. ...Baby One More Time - 199 plays
6. Stronger - 177 plays
7. (You Drive Me Crazy) - 174 plays
8. Overprotected - 165 plays
9. Everytime - 138 plays
10. Boys - 115 plays

Tuesday Countdown to Britney: T Minus 4 Weeks and Counting

I’m very excited right now, because in EXACTLY four weeks, I’ll be sitting ringside at Madison Square Garden, where I’ll have an up-close view of Britney Spears as she makes the rounds on the second United States leg of “The Circus” Tour.

Technically, I’ll have seen the exact same show the night before, but those are just lower-bowl seats -- “only” the 13th row. August 25th, I’ll be as close as I can be to Britney without violating any laws (and, please, hold your restraining order jokes, I’ve heard them all before).

For those who’ve forgotten, I saw the last show on the first leg of the tour, at Mohegan Sun. I took plenty of pictures, and a bunch of videos too.

To prepare for this concert (again ONLY FOUR WEEKS AWAY!), I’m making every Tuesday “Britney Day” at AdamReisinger.com.

Check back later, and I’ll reveal my most-played Britney track from each of her six studio albums.

Catching up...

- One of the things I’d meant to do on my vacation a few weeks back was update the “Buffy Collection” section of my web site -- I didn’t get around to it then, but I finally did it the other day, and it wasn’t as out of date as I’d thought, mostly because there haven’t been a lot of new “Buffy” collectibles released in the last two years. There are still two statues I need to photograph (a couple of “Tooned Up” Electric Tiki releases), but I did update all the comic covers.

- Yesterday, PooZ, Wayne and I all went to the Red Sox-Orioles game at Fenway Park. John Smoltz got rocked and the Red Sox lost, 6-2. I’m not a Sox fan, but I root for them when I go, out of respect for PooZ. That said, I was happy to see Smoltz stink up the joint. I have no love for former Braves, even one that didn’t necessarily kill the Mets (Smoltz was only 18-15 carer against the Mets, though he was a perfect 24-for-24 in save opportunities as a closer).

- Also, the Orioles win continues a strange streak for me -- the road team has won the last four sporting events I attended. The streak started in the NBA Finals, when the Lakers won Games 4 and 5. Then the Dodgers beat the Mets at CitiField, and now Sunday’s win by the Orioles. Prior to this, home teams had won 13 of the last 15 games I’d been to, dating to the start of the ’07-08 NBA season.

- I’ve been posting more frequently on AdamNPooZ.com, if you haven’t been there lately. From now on, most of my comic book and movie review-type stuff will go there. I will still post TV thoughts here (though I did a “Dollhouse” post on AdamNPooZ.com earlier today), and once college football season rolls around, I’ll keep doing my poll here. Also, “The Covington Curse” will always be here, as will “This Week in Buffy History”.

- I don’t promote it much, since most of my personal video mashups don’t end up there, but I have spruced up my YouTube channel. Right now, it’s got 22 videos up there, most of which are from the Britney Spears concert at Mohegan Sun, but I do have some NBA Playoffs videos (including two live videos from the 2009 NBA Finals). As for my “Buffy” videos, those are on a page here on AdamReisinger.com.

- Lastly, you’ve probably noticed that the nav bar at the top of this site is surprisingly sparse. Well, I re-did the front page of the web site (no more entry page -- adamreisinger.com takes you directly to the blog) and added a “sections” nav on the front page. This is mainly to deal with the intricacies of iWeb, which doesn’t handle multiple “sites” well. For those of you familiar with iWeb, adamreisinger.com is actually a single domain file with seven distinct sites inside, including LeBron2010 and the AdamNPooZ.com Podcast -- the reason I did it this way is to better maintain the separation between the different visual looks and make external redirects easier. For those of you not familiar with iWeb, well, consider yourselves lucky.

Thoughts on Dollhouse's Unaired Episode - Epitaph One

I had a chance to watch the unaired episode of Dollhouse, "Epitaph One" this weekend, a few days in advance of its release on the Dollhouse Season 1 Blu-ray set this Tuesday. The episode -- which was filmed to fulfill the 13-episode requirement for the overseas markets -- was screened at SDCC, but has yet to air on FOX in the United States.

For those that aren't familiar with "Dollhouse", well, honestly, just stop reading, because pretty much none of this is going to make sense. For those of you that did watch the show, but don't know about this episode, well, let me fill you in.

"Epitaph One" takes place ten years in the future, after the Dollhouse's technology has run rampant, turning the world into some kind of post-apocalyptic wasteland. We learn in the episode that China obtained the technology and used it to create an army of actives, who were programmed to kill non-actives. The surviving humans, calling themselves "actuals" in a nice touch of symmetry, are trying to avoid the actives while also finding a way to avoid being imprinted themselves.

I'm not going to give you a play-by-play of the episode (you can find that plenty of places, including this Dollhouse-focused web site), but I did want to say a few things about the episode.

First off, the episode makes sense as a series finale -- which many people expected it would be, before FOX surprisingly renewed the show -- but not as a season finale. It gives too many conclusions to allow for a bridge between Seasons 1 and 2.

That said, the episode does serve as a logical view of the future that "Dollhouse" was building toward during Season 1. We saw Echo (Eliza Dushku) begin to "glitch" during the season, which, according to "Epitaph One", leads to her being able to resist the imprinting entirely. There was an episode during which one of DeWitt's friends placed her entire consciousness into Echo -- and during a flashback in "Epitaph One", we saw the head of the corporation that runs the Dollhouse making that service an option.

The structure of the episode -- jumping between scenes in 2019, scenes that took place before the series started and scenes that take place post-season 1 but pre-2019 -- made it hard to follow, but once I watched it multiple times, I caught more of the references to things that had happened in Season 1 and how they were laying the groundwork for this episode, and the future it showed.

The episode tries to end on a somewhat happy note, with the two main "actuals" we've seen throughout the episode following Caroline (Echo's true personality, but in this case, imprinted on a 10-year-old girl) to "Safe-Haven", but for the most part it's actually a pretty bleak episode. Throughout Season 1, multiple characters have suggested that the technology used by the Dollhouse would lead to the end of humanity, and it sure seems like that's the case. Still, it'll be interesting to see how things get there -- assuming FOX lets the series survive that long.

This Week in Buffy History: July 26-August 1

July 31
1967 - Rudolf Martin born (played Dracula in Episode 5.01 “Buffy vs Dracula”)

The Covington Curse #6: Descent

This story is longer than some of the previous ones, because originally it was a two-parter, but I decided, since I wasn’t limited by the comic book format (in terms of page limits) so I just condensed it into one story. Well, condensed isn’t really the right word, since it’s 24 pages, but I think it flows better that way.

This issue of “The Covington Curse” owes a lot to Dante’s “Divine Comedy”, the inspiration for the setting. In this issue, Jackson ventures into hell, or “Infernate”, in hopes of finding information that would lead to a curse for his curse.

Infernate, the hell dimension they visit, is the third distinct dimension in the “Covington Curse” universe, joining Abata’s home dimension and the standard dimension where most of the stories take place.

For those that are new to “The Covington Curse”, be sure to start with the first five issues before reading this one.

Download the sixth (and technically seventh) issue and let me know what you think.

The Covington Curse - Descent

Comics I Bought This Week - July 22, 2009

Last week, I started doing this new thing, where I do mini-reviews of the comics I bought that Wednesday. So, continuing that, let's get to this week's comics -- neither of which PooZ would support me purchasing (oh, and in case you're wondering, I did confirm today that PooZ is alive. I have yet to confirm that he still knows this site exists. It might be embarrassing picture time pretty soon).

Amazing Spider-Man #600 - Marvel Comics

John Romita Jr., who did the artwork for #400 and #500 (as well as many other issues) returns to draw #600, which features the return of Dr. Octopus right as Aunt May is preparing to marry J. Jonah Jameson's dad (yes, that plot is as stupid as it sounds). Doc Ock kidnaps JJJ Sr. and two of Spidey's female friends (a cop and a reporter, in two of the thusfar more shallow characters Marvel has tossed into this book in awhile) and of course Spidey has to save them and defeat Doc Ock all while keeping his identity secret and getting himself and JJJ Sr. to the wedding on time. The thing is, the actual plot of the comic isn't the real story; it's the fact that Spider-Man, who went to ridiculous lengths to hide his identity from the world in "One More Day", has been getting too casual with it again, leading him to actually open up his brain activity to the entire city (that plot actually isn't as stupid as it sounds -- if you read the book, it makes sense). So it'll be interesting to see how he does with that from here on out.

Oh, and I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the splash page that ends the main story: the return of Mary Jane Watson! I've stuck with this book through years of no MJ, hoping for her return, and now she's back! I couldn't be more excited about this. However, I gotta be honest, I expected a better-looking MJ from Romita. I mean, she looked good, but the pose was a little off, and her face didn't strike me as "MJ". After like 60 pages of great art (Romita did a great job drawing Spider-Man himself), MJ's visual appearance was something of a letdown.

Also, this issue, like most special anniversary issues, included a bunch of supplemental mini-stories after the main one (this issue is actually advertised by Marvel as "quadruple-sized", but it only costs $4.99, so it's definitely a value). My thoughts on each one:

- The "Identity Crisis" story by Stan Lee, drawn by Marcos Martin, is both funny and well-drawn. A nice, light inclusion, immediately after the heavy main story.

- "My Brother's Son" is just another 'Uncle Ben is proud of Peter' story -- we've seen this one a million times before, and it did nothing for me.

- "If I was Spider-Man" was a cute story about a kid imagining if he was Spider-Man, and his friend telling him all the things that could go wrong -- which just happen to mirror all of the actual problems Peter Parker faced. It's only 5 pages long, but it still feels repetitive.

- Marc Guggenheim's "The Blessing", with Aunt May asking Uncle Ben for his blessing to marry JJJ Sr., is well-written and amazingly drawn by Mitch Breitweiser (with a LOT of credit to colorist Elizabeth Breitweiser, who makes the pages pop).

- The "Fight at the Museum" story is an excuse to make fun of the Spider-Mobile (an actual thing from the 1970s), and it uselessly goes on for 5 pages.

- The last one is "Violent Visions", and it's the only one you actually MUST read. Madame Web has a serious of violent visions that appear to be of Spider-Man's future, and at the end she appears to be killed by the new Kraven (introduced a while back in one of the Brand New Day arcs). I really liked this, and I can't wait to see if some of those visions come true.

Fallen Angel: Reborn #1 - IDW Publishing

I believe this came out last week, but my local shop didn't have it, so I picked it up this week. This is a crossover "Fallen Angel" story, featuring Illyria from "Angel". I've never read any of the "Fallen Angel" stories, and I went into this expecting that I'd have to go online and read a lot of background to catch up, but this story was nearly entirely focused on Illyria, so it read more like an "Angel" one-off. I really liked this story -- Peter David has always written Joss Whedon characters well -- and setting it during Season 5 of "Angel" was a nice touch to avoid continuity issues with the ongoing "Angel" comic. As this series goes on, I'm sure I'll have to learn more about the "Fallen Angel" character, but this served as a nice was to dip my toes in (and also a cheap way for IDW to sell more books, since I would have never bought a "Fallen Angel" book if it didn't include an "Angel" character).

NEXT WEEK:

Over the in the Marvel Ultimate universe, the last issue of "Ultimatum" -- Marvel's big reboot event -- and the second issue of "Ultimatum: Spider-Man Requiem" are both due. Hopefully Marvel hasn't complete fucked their Ultimate universe like they did with their 616 universe.

Who Watches The Watchmen? I Do. Again.

Yesterday, the Director's Cut of "Watchmen" hit stores, and, of course, I picked it up and watched it as soon as I could.

Now, if you remember back to the podcast PooZ and I did post-"Watchmen", we agreed it was a solid adaptation that didn't really appeal to the mass market, and probably pissed off a fare share of fans of the book because of the changes. We both liked it, but it didn't do too well at the box office -- I think we represented the small part of the market that knew the book, but didn't need a religious adaptation of it.

Honestly, I don't feel like the Director's cut changes the mainstream perception of the movie, for whatever group you're in.

Let's break this down to three groups:

If you're a non-Watchmen reader, and you thought the movie would be "The Dark Knight" and were disappointed that it wasn't, you're probably just going to be more bored by the extra 24 minutes.

If you're like me and PooZ, read the book and enjoyed the movie, then you'll probably appreciate the extra scenes -- particularly the death of Hollis Mason (which is VERY true to how it's portrayed in the book).

If you're a "Watchmen" fanatic who was pissed they changed the ending/didn't include particular scenes/changed the costumes, you're still gonna be pissed. There's still no Dr. Manhattan sending everyone home at the riot. There's still no Rorschach explaining his mask. And the ending is still not the giant squid.

I do think that both Silk Spectre II and Night Owl II actually come across better in the Director's Cut. The scene between Dr. Manhattan and Silk Spectre II on Mars -- which is actually split up into multiple scenes in the movie -- is MUCH longer now. On our Podcast, PooZ complained about that particular scene, and I think the Director's Cut actually addresses his complaint (hopefully he'll chime in on this... eventually... if he remembers how to log in to this site).

On a related note, the Blu-ray itself is phenomenal. There are tons of features, which I've yet to fully delve into. Also yesterday, "300: The Complete Experience" came out on Blu-ray, and I watched that today, utilizing one of the picture-in-picture "paths" the movie has. Both "Watchmen" and "300" show just how far Blu-ray has come. When the format first came out, the movie itself was HD, and the audio was HD, but there wasn't much beyond what was on the DVD versions that made people want to pay double the price. Now studios are really taking advantage of the Blu-ray format, adding things like picture-in-picture special features, advanced commentaries and the all-important Digital Copy. In fact, one movie I bought yesterday -- Coraline -- had the Blu-ray movie, a 3-D version, and a DVD playable in a DVD player, plus a Digital Copy. That's pretty fucking loaded for a disc that was $24.99. It looks like Blu-ray is finally worth the money.

It's just one of those nights...

OK, so I'm sitting here at home, at the end of the weekend, having wasted pretty much the entire thing, trying to go to sleep, and failing miserably at that.

I know it seems early to be complaining about not being able to fall asleep (11:30 on the East Coast), but I've got to wake up relatively early for work tomorrow, so I should be falling asleep soon, and yet my body doesn't want to cooperate. So, I'll just throw some random thoughts up here, and maybe emptying out my brain will help.

- Just to follow up on my "Harry Potter" review from the other day, the box office receipts are in, and the movie is -- not surprisingly -- doing huge business. This goes to show, again, that the movie-going public is willing to accept "ok... good, I guess" instead of demanding "great".

- The Emmy nominations came out the other day, and I was happy to see some of my favorite shows/actors up for awards. That said, one thing kind of disappointed me. I was hoping Christina Hendricks would have earned a nod for best supporting actress for her work as Joan Holloway on "Mad Men". I got on the "Mad Men" bandwagon a little late, but I thought Hendricks did her best work this season -- particularly in dealing with Joan's rape. Maybe she got pushed out a little bit by Elisabeth Moss (who was absolutely deserving of her best actress nod as Peggy Olson), but I think she just got overlooked.

- Along the same lines, Terry O'Quinn (Locke) definitely deserved an acting nod for his work on this past season of "Lost". Michael Emerson (Ben) got nominated in the best supporting actor category, which was the only acting nod for the show. Some people out in the blogosphere are calling for nominations for Juliet, Sawyer and others among them, but I thought O'Quinn was the only actor aside from Emerson who really stood out last season.

- Over on AdamReisinger.com, I just posted the latest "issue" of "The Covington Curse", my ongoing short story series. This was originally the comic that PooZ and I were working on together, but life got in the way and he wasn't able to do all the artwork for me (it's easier for me to churn out scripts than it is for him to turn them into artwork, especially when it's not his artistic vision). I'm still hoping he can do some character sketches for me, just so you can see what we wanted some of these important characters to look like.

OK, time to try and go to sleep again... which I'm sure won't happen... so leave your comments (which I know you won't do, since there's only like four of you that read this blog anyway), and I'll check them out as the hours pass.

This Week in Buffy History: July 19-25

July 21

Jack Stehlin born (played Dr. Angelman in Season 4 of “Buffy”)

July 23

1970 - Charisma Carpenter born (played Cordelia Chase)

July 24

1981 - Summer Glau born (played Prima Ballerina in Angel Episode 3.13 “Waiting in the Wings”

July 25

1973 - David Denman born (played Skip on “Angel”)

The Covington Curse #5: Nemesis, Part II

This story completes the two-issue “Nemesis” story arc, in which we meet Maximillian Vandercashen, and Jackson has to deal with the kidnapping of Meadows -- his closest, and perhaps only, friend.

This issue took longer than I expected to convert from a comic script into a short story, mostly because I kept tweaking the dialogue and set-up along the way. Originally, Vandercashen wasn’t physically in the room with Carolyn and Jackson in the opening scene, and there was also dialogue between Jackson and Meadows at the end. I decided the final scene worked better if they didn’t actually say anything to each other.

For those that are new to “The Covington Curse”, be sure to start with the first four issues before reading this one.

Download the fifth issue and let me know what you think.

The Covington Curse - Nemesis, Part II

Harry Potter and the Strangely Uneven Movie

I went to see the new "Harry Potter" movie last night (yes, I'm a dork), and figured I'd share my opinions with you here, since it's unlikely we'll discuss the movie on the podcast anytime soon.

Now, understand, I've never read any of the books (if you listen to the podcast, you know my detailed philosophy on literature and reading as a pastime) so I can't speak to the changes that have been made in translation to the screen, but from what I've read online, they seem to be many, and contribute greatly to the unevenness of the movie.

For the most part, I enjoyed the comedic aspects of the film. Jessie Cave (as Lavender Brown) and Evanna Lynch (as Luna Lovegood) did a particularly good job lightening the mood of the film. Even the main cast got into the comedy act. I actually laughed out loud multiple times during the movie.

The problem was the dramatic moments seemed randomly inserted in between all this comedy, and were sometimes very poorly acted. Alan Rickman has been getting lots of critical acclaim for his work, but I thought he spent more time chewing the scenery than actually capturing his character's inner conflict.

As for the big scene at the end where Dumbledore died (fuck your spoiler alert, this is a review of a movie based on a book that came out four years ago), it seemed anti-climactic. First of all, unless you've been living under a ditch for four years, you know Dumbledore died and you know Snape killed him (again, fuck spoiler alerts for four-year old material -- hey, ya know what else, Soylent Green is fucking people, OK). But the scene still played much flatter than it should have.

Then, instead of an actual dramatic funeral (which is what actually happened in the book -- and people who've read it tell me it's a really poignant scene), we get some weird wand-light show. I half expected someone to start playing "Hey Jude" or "Freebird" -- it was just that strange, and didn't fit in at all with the tone of the movie.

Overall, the movie was good, not great, which seems to be a consistent theme this summer. Also, given that director David Yates is already slated to helm the two-part "Harry Potter" finale, which doesn't have me optimistic. There was a pretty big dropoff from HP5 to HP6, both of which were Yates helmed, and if that trend continues, HP7-8 could be a disaster of "Phantom Menace" proprotions (note: I don't really think it could possibly be that bad, but maybe I can pick up some search engine traffic this way).

Comics I Bought This Week

So, in an effort to try and post more often on this site (rather than just using it for podcast updates), I'm gonna start this new feature, where I give quick reviews of the comics I bought in a particular week. Maybe PooZ will chime in, maybe he won't, who knows. But at least it'll give you a reason to keep this in your RSS reader/bookmarks/favorite sites/not the trash.

Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep #1 - Boom! Studios
This is a word-for-word adaptation of the original Philip K. Dick novel, which was famously made into the movie "Blade Runner". Why not just buy the novel? Well, the artwork is pretty slick -- it's interesting to see the visual differentiation between this and "Blade Runner". This is the first of 24 issues, which will encompass the entire novel. So far, I plan to keep buying.

Angel Not Fade Away #3 - IDW Publishing
Another comic adaptation of a previously-created work, in this case the final episode of "Angel." This whole three-part series failed to live up to my expectations. Too often, the artists chose to just recreate what we saw on screen, rather than building on it. I didn't expect a huge creative divergence from the episode (nor would I have wanted that), but some striking visuals would have been nice. I was particularly disappointed by the Fred/Illyria transformation scene with Cyvus Vail, which was a cruddy special effect in the episode, and could have been so much better in art, but instead, one panel she was Fred, and in the next she was Illyria. Lame.

Amazing Spider-Man #599 - Marvel Comics
The conclusion to the five-part "American Son" storyline was, well, I'm not sure I want to say "disappointing". "Predictibly stale" is probably a more accurate description. I don't feel like Harry really moved forward as a character. Yes, he did finally stand up to his father, but it felt... off. Also, the fact that once again, Norman Osborn lives to screw up everyone's lives (and at the end of the issue, they make it clear that something along those lines is coming -- I won't spoil it for you if you want to read it) is just annoying.

Plus, in this issue, they once again had to jump through hoops to keep Spider-Man's identity a secret. First, it was Harry using a special "filter" on his American Son suit so he couldn't see Spider-Man's face (yes, it was just as stupid in the issue as it sounds there), then it was Spidey taking a torn piece of his suit and putting it over his face like a bandana. We're like three issues away from going back to Paper Bag Man.

NEXT WEEK:
Next week's list isn't complete yet, but preliminarily, it looks like the only thing I'm picking up is "Amazing Spider-Man #600".

Updated Condo Pictures

Well, I promised it last week, and I finally got around to doing it -- taking updated pictures of my condo. I didn’t take any pictures of the basement, since it is just a storage/laundry room now, and I didn’t take any pictures of the bathroom, because, quite frankly, you don’t need to see my bathroom.

But I do have updated pictures of my living room, kitchen, dining room (which has been converted into a computer workspace) and bedroom.

Also, in the pictures, there are 30 unique action figures/statues/busts. If you can identify all of them, well, then, you’re probably PooZ (hint, there are 3 in the kitchen, 10 in the computer area and 17 in the living room, and I’m not counting the Blu-ray Bat-pod case for “The Dark Knight”).

My Condo

The Covington Curse #4: Nemesis, Part I

Issue #4 of The Covington Curse (note the new name) -- the ongoing story of Jackson Jennings and his attempt to rid himself of a curse destined to end humanity -- has been converted to story form and is ready for your consumption.

This issue may seem a little shorter than the previous three, but “Nemesis” is actually a two-part story, and this is just part one. Jackson is forced to confront Maximillian Vandercashen, a corrupt businessman who is attempting to use Jackson’s power for his own evil schemes.

I considered joining the two parts of the story, but I decided it really worked better split into two parts, as you’ll see once you read this one. I’ll try to get the next issue up by the end of the week, so you don’t have to wait too long for the conclusion.

For those that are new to “The Covington Curse”, be sure to start with the first three issues before reading this one.

Download the fourth issue and let me know what you think.

The Covington Curse - Nemesis, Part I

This Week in Buffy History: July 12-18

July 13

1999 - Episode 3.22, “Graduation Day”, airs on The WB

July 14

1956 - Vladimir Kulich born (played The Beast on “Angel”)

July 16

1974 - Robinne Lee born (played Charlotte, Sired Vampire in Episode 7.08, “Sleeper”)

July 17

1978 - Katharine Towne born (played Sunday in Episode 4.01, “The Freshman”)

This Week in Buffy History: June 7-13

June 8

1963 - Anthony Cistaro born (played Scourge Commander in Angel Episode 1.09 “Hero”)

June 10

1975 - Nicole Bilderback born (played Cordette #1 in Episode 3.09 “The Wish”)

This Week in Buffy History: July 5-11

July 6

1978 - Adam Busch born (played Warren Meers on “Buffy”)

July 7

1970 - Robia LaMorte born (played Jenny Calendar on “Buffy”)

July 8

1979 - Iyari Limon born (played Kennedy on “Buffy”)

Staycation ’09 has Begun

My basement from when I moved in four years ago -- there are a LOT more boxes now

Staycation ’09 has begun.

Well, to be accurate, it began when I left work last night. I’m off for the next 10 days (including today) and I’m mostly just going to chill.

Why a staycation instead of an actual vacation (say, like my Chicago ’06 or Cleveland ’07 trips)? Well, after dropping $600 on Britney Spears tickets for two shows at Madison Square Garden in August, I was trying to save some money. I did price out a 3-day weekend in Vegas, but for the way I wanted to do it (big time) it would’ve cost about $2,000 -- and that’s before dropping a dime in the casinos, so that was out. Also, I did just spend 12 days on the road in Los Angeles and Orlando, so it’s not like I have an unfulfilled need to get away.

So last night I started the Staycation by playing some Playstation (check out that rhyme!)... specifically, “MLB ’09”, which I’ve let languish on my shelf for too long. I re-picked up my starting pitching career, which is frustrating the hell out of me.

Today, I spent most of the day doing my long-put-off re-org of my storage room. Basically, I’ve got tons of stuff in storage, but it was sprawling across my basement. Now it’s much more organized, though there’s still some work to do. Plus, I’m tossing my old futon (and when I say “old” I mean, like, pre-dating my college days). The frame partially broke the last time I moved, and while duct tape has done its job (duct tape solves everything!), I no longer use it, so it’s time to go. Actually, it was time to go for a lot of crap in the basement. I probably should have thrown out even more, but I just couldn’t bring myself to part with a bunch of my stuff.

I also do have a 30-inch CRT HDTV (old-school!) and tiny DVD player in the basement, so while I was cleaning, I also did a movie marathon. I started with “Dodgeball”, moved on to “Serenity” (one of my five favorite movies of all-time) and ended up with “I, Robot”, so it kind of turned into an Alan Tudyk marathon (he played Steve the Pirate in “Dodgeball”, Wash in “Serenity” and Sonny in “I, Robot”).

Right now, I’m watching “Independence Day” as part of my annual July 4th tradition. I know it’s only the 3rd, but I’m going to PooZ’s big 4th of July bash tomorrow, so I can’t guarantee I’ll have time to watch it. I still remember seeing the movie three times on July 2, 1996, and then going back to see it the next day. I’m watching it on Blu-ray now -- it doesn’t have the extended edition, which kind of sucks . Also, it’s funny how bad some of the special effects look -- they were state of the art in ’96, and now they look like something someone did with Photoshop and iMovie.

Speaking of iMovie, I’m considering doing another Buffy mash-up. I haven’t done one since the Season 2 recap I did during Project 310 and I’m not sure exactly what I’d do this time, but I feel like it’s time for another one. Maybe I’ll incorporate some Britney this time too.

As for the rest of the week, well, like I said, I’ve still got cleaning/boxing up to do in the basement, so that’ll be at least another day. Also, on Thursday, I’m making my first trip to Citifield to see the Mets take on Manny Ramirez and the Los Angeles Dodgers, so that should be interesting, especially since I’m going with Cash, who’s a Dodgers fan. I will also finally get around to taking updated pictures of my condo. The most recent set I have is about two years old, and looks nothing like the place as it is right now.

Aside from that, though, I’ve really got nothing planned, so if you’ve got any suggestions, or just want to hang, leave a comment.