Crown Me King!!!!

Well I've done it again. After years of venomenlty denying that I would, I purchased and XBOX 360. I didn't just purchase a 360, I went all out. Four wireless controllers, Guitar Hero III, Charge and Play adapter, the whole nine yards. And what you may ask would ever prompt someone that hasn't played a video game system in the last two years to spend nearly $800 on a toy. Well, it was ROCKBAND. Harmonix has produced what I consider to be the game that resurrected my gaming career. Originally back in 2003 it was Halo, but now it is Rockaband. Now that I mention Halo, let me say that it was not an early adoption for me. The game was nearly three years old before I even bought the system, so restraint was always a part of my newfound interest in gaming. But Rockband is something different.

Apart from the sociopaths, and weirdos out there, no one dreams of killing people with a rapidly evolving barage of weapons. But every little boy at some time or another dreams of being a rock star. For me that dream was a whole lot simpler. I just wanted to be able to play an instrument. I tried the piano....too many keys. I tried the guitar, twice.....too hard. So here comes Rockband to rescue me from musical pergatory. Now the premise of the game is simple. You take a Guitar Hero style interface, and add to it another guitar to play bass, a microphone to sing into, and the holy grail of video game music, a drum kit, and you've got an honest to goodness video game band. But this drum kit is pretty cool. Sure, you're not actually playing the drums in Rockband anymore than you're playing the guitar in Guitar Hero. But it's closer. The physicality of hitting the drum pads, and the real drum sticks, and the thump of the bass pedal. It's pretty sweet. Even real drummers say that though not exactly like playing a real drum kit, Harmonix got it pretty close.

So each evening I head home from my job, take my seat at the kit and bang out such rocking hits as "Say it Ain't So", "Creep", "Enter Sandman", and even a little Jimmy Buffett. So for the wanna be rock star in all of us, I say hats off to Harmonix, EA games, and XBOX. This title rocks, and version 2 is on it's way. For me however, it means a return to the land of late nights in the basement.....and the quest for a perfect song. For me it's off to the land of the dorks. And man does it feel good to be KING!!

BOOOORING!!!

Well I toughed it through another week of American Idol. Sure David Cook is a great entertainer, sure David Archuleta could sing the dictionary and it would sound good, and sure Syesha is tremendously attractive, but who cares. Now before the women in the audience get upset with the above sentence, let me assure you that I think Syesha is a wonderful singer. Is she as good as the David's, well no. But she is good. But to me her singing talent are overshadowed by her infectious personality, and her stunning good looks. Kinda begs the question "Why the David Cook picture dude". Well I'm lazy, and it was the first one I found relating to Idol.



Now back to the subject of this post. I've watched every season of American Idol since Season Two. I enjoy the opening rounds a little more than I should, and I really pull hard for the attractive women in the contest. But does the outcome really make a difference. Well it certainly doesn't make a difference to me. Out of the top 12 Finalists from this season, half of them are assured record deals, and two or three more could end up adding to the din of the airwaves in the near future. So next week when the Davids take the stage for what promises to be a spectacle about as exciting as a World Cup Soccer match, I will be watching, but I won't really care who wins.



The whole Idol synergy is really quite impressive. In two weeks, as many people vote for Idol as voted in the last presidential election. That doesn't speak very highly of the aspirations of our country as a whole, but it is what it is. Idol is a popularity contest. Chicks dig it, kids dig it, dudes dig it, and your mom digs it. It is everywhere. So it's not too difficult to see what the attraction is. It's the same attraction that drew us to Grey's Anatomy, and Lost. It's the same reason we watch the Super Bowl when we haven't seen a professional game all year. And it's the same reason we tune in to watch the Oscars each and every year. Americans like to feel like they are part of something. We like to belong. When we go to school next Thursday, we need to be able to talk about the show. When we show up at work, we need to know who won. During our morning bike session at the gym, we really need to know how sexy Cook was the previous night. If we can do these things, we can be part of the collective. At the end of the day, isn't that what everyone needs.

The Eyes Have It!

Forgetting Sarah Marshall is funny. That statement in and of itself isn't really a revelation. But the fact that I have said it means something. When I go into a movie these days I have to admit, my expectations are quite low. One too many times, Hollywood has let me down in this regard. Take for instance all the hype and anticipation that preceded the Star Wars prequels. I should have learned my lesson after The Phantom Menace fell flat on it's face, but instead I was there opening night to watch Attack of the Clones underperform as well. Since then I have been much more pessimistic of a movie's ability to live up to expectations. It is just easier for me to expect nothing and then be surprised. Such was the case over the holiday season with I am Legend. I went to the theater to see Sweeney Todd, but the theater had decided to hold it's release locally until after the first of the year. So I am Legend took the slot, and it ended up being one of the best movies of 2007 for me.

So that brings us to Sarah Marshall. On paper this movie has the pedigree. The cast is amazing, the creative team behind it is proven, and it touches on the universal theme of moving on after a relationshp ends. So it would be very easy to see why some have left the theater feeling a little underwhelmed. With that kind of possibility, a let down is only natural. But for me, with no expectations, I loved it. First off, I'm a huge fan of "How I Met Your Mother" and Jason Segel. He has the same sort of everyman appeal that Will Ferrell has riden to the top of his profession. He's not afraid to be laughed at, and you have to hand it to a man willing go the full monty with hotties like Kristen Bell and Mila Kunis in the room. Speaking of the ladies, is there a more visually appealing pair of women working in Hollywood right now? I certianly can't think of one. Toss in supporting roles from Paul Rudd, Jack McBrayer and Russell Brand, and you've got a comic soup of amazing flavor.

Now I don't want to get all movie reviewish here, that's not really my intention. If you were to ask me, "Hey Walrus, what did you think of Sarah Marshall?", then I would say definitely go see it. But the main reason for this post today is the lovely lady above. Mila Kunis surprised me. Now I watched "That 70's Show", and I liked "That 70's Show". But for me, it was all about the redhead. Laura Prepon stole my heart the day she dressed as Princess Leia for Eric. Jackie was always just the annoying little princess. Truth be told, I never found her, or the actress that played her attractive at any point during that show. But on Saturday as I sat there watching her share screen time with Kristen Bell, I was amazed at how great she looked. Kristen was an after thought. The more I thought about it, it came down to the eyes. Due to a childhood bout with glaucoma, Mila has a different colored Iris in each eye. I had never noticed that before, and something about it struck me as beautiful. Perhaps more than the color, it was the emotion that seemed to radiate from behind them. But whatever it was, I was hooked. It's interesting how that happens from time to time. Something that you think you know, or something that you dismissed at one time suddenly surprises you and you see it in a whole new light. It makes me wonder about first impressions, and the damage they do. Perhaps that girl sitting next to us in history class isn't really that weird after all.

There are two or three close-ups in the movie in which Mila looks just amazing Maybe it's the magic of Hollywood and the big screen, but I think it's something eles. Behind those eyes is something special. So for now, I've found myself a new movie crush. Mila Kunis has replaced Rachel McAdams at the top of my must see list.

A Blog is Born

Troy had Helen. One look and events were set in motion that no force could stop. Well my Helen is Miley Cyrus. Disney's latest pop tart has set in motion a genesis that I have resisted for quite some time. I saw no need to join the throngs of self-absorbed critics, or congratulatory scribes in cyberspace. Yet here I am, all thanks to Miley. So when my rants get too long, or my sentences make no sense, let's all remember, we've got her to thank. So with no further adieu.......The Walrus is born.

The photo to the left has set the mass media all aflutter. Right wing conservatives see it as the exploitation of a young girl, while the left sees it as the artistic expression of one of the worlds' greatest photographers. What about The Walrus you may ask, well I see it as a carefully crafted move to expand the career of a young lady outside the very narrow niche she is growing out of.

Let's talk a minute about the situation surrounding the picture's composition, it's publication, and the subsequent uproar. First off, the photo was taken for Vanity Fair by widely acclaimed and unanimously respected photographer Annie Leibovitz. This wasn't some back room photo shoot with a guy in a mustache and promised fame on the table. This was one of the most sought after and highly professional photographers of all time. Sure some of her photo shoots have edged toward the risque, but you know that going in. Not a single photograph in this series should be shocking or surprising, It's Annie. Secondly, Miley had a stable of folks around for the entire photo shoot. Her parents were even there, and at no point did they object to the shoot, or to the photo in question. The picture was taken, the caption chosen, and then it was sent out into the world for what it was. A very good picture of a very talented young lady. Now when I say a very good picture I feel that some clarification in necessary. As far as Miley Cyrus pictures go, it's not that grand. Her face looks a little too round, her back is a little thin, and her hair is a mess. But there is something about the picture. People are talking about it. Good, bad, or indifferent, that is what art is supposed to do. Good art will illicit an emotional response. Annie makes good artistic decisions and has a library full of examples. So now the picture is out there and the world is trying to make sense of it all.

Miley has apologized for the photo to her fans.....Funny

Disney has gone so far as to say that the photo shoot was set up to take advantage of a little girl....Hilarious

I've written a blog about it......Now that's absurd.

So Miley you did it. It's not your music we talk about, and it's not your acting we talk about, it's just you and this photograph. In a world where there is no such thing as bad publicity, you just hit the jackpot.

So finally we come to the climax of my little toe dipping into the world of blogging. I'll check in from time to time with my take on the world we live in. Some will be personal, and some will be a bit more universal. Some of it might not even be me, because as you know, there's a little bit of The Walrus in all of us.