The Green Smoothie

A couple of weeks ago I was crawling around searching for a coffee cup just past the crack of dawn. I was groggy but I was able to flip on the TV and navigate to channel 10, my NBC affiliate, for the Today Show. As I poured myself a cup of coffee and took my first sip my senses began to return to me. Some well quaffed gentleman was delivering a news story that by the sound of his voice and the seriousness of his cadence was somewhere on the importance scale of a meteor hurtling towards our planet roughly around the size of Mexico. My head cleared further as I listened…

“…But the custody of Michael Jackson’s children is still in question…”

Next up was a segment with Hoddah and Kathy Lee. “Really?” I said out loud to no one at all. My prognosis was not looking good for getting ANY relevant news of the day from the Today Show so I flipped over to channel 6, my local ABC affiliate to see what was happening on Good Morning America. There I found a health segment already in progress. All of the morning anchors were gathered around a wonderfully honed and Arobisized Beautiful Person. The table in front of them held bunches of green produce, some apples, lemons, pears, a blender and a glass filled to perfection with Green Smoothie. She, the Beautiful Person, turns out to be Nutritionist Kimberly Snyder and she appeared quite knowledgeable on the topic of detoxification of the human body and was firm in her stance that fad diets did not work. She suggested using the Green Smoothie as a meal replacement for three or more meals a week.

Hmm… I’m a fat guy in my forties and know that I have to do something to become less of a fat guy so I listened more intently; besides, who am I to argue with spandex? The recipe is as follows:

Green Smoothie Recipe:

1 1/2 cup of water
1 head of organic romaine lettuce, chopped
3-4 stalks of organic celery
1 organic apple, cored and chopped
1 organic pear, cored and chopped
1/3 bunch of organic cilantro
1/3 bunch of organic parsley
Juice of ½ fresh organic lemon

Combine the water and chopped head of romaine into your blender. Starting the blender on a low speed, mix until smooth. Gradually moving to higher speeds, add the herbs, celery, apple and pear. Add lemon juice last. Serve chilled or at room temperature. This recipe makes about four servings.

“Hmm…” I thought to myself, “I think I’m gonna try that out.” Last night I did the shopping and this morning I made my first blender full of Green Smoothie! After sampling said Green Smoothie I can not help but believe that half a bottle of vodka (your choice) would certainly improve the overall meal replacement experience. The recipe says that it can be served at “room temperature”, I do not subscribe to this theory. Chill it. If it is colder it will go down quicker. My first few sips reminded me of that story from the movie “Creepshow” where Stephen King turns into that plant – do you remember? Well if not, Gentle Reader, then know that the Green Smoothie is as close as you can get to performing photosynthesis yourself.

I do not mean to sound all together negative; the Green Smoothie is healthy and, since it is all pureed together, you really don’t have to digest it! Mmm… I’m going to stick with it though, Yours Truly knows that he has to do something and the Green Smoothie just may be a part of that.

I’ll let you know how it goes.


Recipe and picture of the Green Smoothie were found at http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/Weekend/Story?id=8052138&page=1

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Triathlon

An old friend of mine, Scott Champion, is raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society by participating in the “Nation’s Triathlon” down in Washington DC on September 13, 2009. He is on the Team In Training team. As his email to several people including yours truly states the following, “The race is structured beginning with the swim (1.5 miles) in the Potomac River, then transitioning to the cycling portion (approx. 25 miles), and ending with the run (6.1 miles). I believe in the hope and support we can bring to finding a cure through endurance races, such as the Nation’s Triathlon.” This will be the second time that he does this and, please allow me a little aside, as a fat man I am very impressed.

He is seeking sponsors. I have not yet but I will be and when I do I will go to this link right here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/snj/nattri09/schampion where I’m told that it is possible to “donate online quickly and securely plus learn more about my (or rather Scotty’s) progress. You will receive a confirmation of your donation by email, and I will be notified as soon as you make your donation.”

Gentle Readers if you are so inclined Scott thanks you for your generosity, come to think of it, so do I.

All the best Scotty, good luck and God bless.

Beyond the Dreams of Avarice

It is that time of year again where Geeks the world over bow to the west and worship at the Mecca that is the San Diego Comic-Con. At one time Comic-Con was only about the gushing of fan-boys over all things new, bright and shiny. While that is still the case it has grown to a multi-media, panel discussing, pop culture phenomenon. It is a place where movie makers, publishers, writers, actors, videogame developers, artists and everything in between present their wares for the next year to the world. Those with their finger on the pulse of such things, both buying and selling, recognize Comic-Con as the BIG one.

As for yours truly, I do not worship all things bright and shiny but I am a HUGE fan of storytelling and all of the ways that a story’s plot can be delivered. It is for this reason that Comic-Con captures my attention. …Well that and I am a card carrying Geek. This year I am looking forward to the “Tron 2.0” Trailer, the Doctor Who panel, Tim Burton’s panel on “Alice in Wonderland” and the film’s trailer and any dark horses that might separate themselves from the pack.

The 2009 Comic-Con starts today and runs all weekend.

FOOD on the HIGHWAY

The top three are Coffee, Hot Soup, and Tacos. And here I was pulling for Fondue, Lobster, or Alaskan King Crab legs.

Now Behold “The 10 Most Dangerous Foods to Eat While Driving” from Wired Magazine: http://www.wired.com/autopia/2009/07/dangerous-foods/. Insure.com has the information presented in a clear, concise fashion too: http://www.insure.com/car-insurance/driver-distractions.html.

People do stupid things. It’s like a moth to the flame. It’s just what we do and driving is no different. It is for this reason that I am petitioning congress to have the purchase and consumption of an Extra Value Meal part of the standardized driving test of these United States. One should be able to safely suck down a cheeseburger on the way from Point A to Point B. If this is too much to ask then you don’t deserve a license. You can join the fight by donating heavily to the cause as often as possible; please make checks payable to Evil Chicken. Together we CAN make a difference.

Gentle Reader; never forget the most dangerous part of a car is the nut behind the wheel.

Happy Birthday Nikola Tesla

One day late... 153 years ago, on July 10, 1856, Nikola Tesla was born in Serbia. He later moved to Paris and then to the United States. Tesla was brilliant, he was eccentric and he, quite literally, changed course of the world.

Nikola Tesla was one of the founding fathers of the harnessing of electricity and how it is used by each and every one of us today. His experiments with electricity and magnetism are the foundation on which our power grids are presently built. Tesla was on the frontlines of the “War of the Currents” between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse. This war was to see who would dominate the future, Edison with Direct Current or Westinghouse with Alternating Current. Tesla had, at one time worked for Edison but Edison thought that his ideas for Alternating Current were foolish and could not be realized in the real world. Edison said of Tesla, “His ideas are splendid but they are utterly impractical.” Edison cheated Tesla out of work that he did for him and it was not long before that Tesla was working for Westinghouse. Westinghouse & Tesla won out in the end but that was not before Edison, seeing that his hold on the future was in jeopardy, went on a huge publicity campaign against AC power which included the electrocution of “Topsy” the elephant and the covert funding of the Electric Chair. The “Wizard of Menlo Park” had a bit of a dark side.

Tesla was also one of the original pioneers of Radio and was credited by the United States Supreme Court in 1943 for being the “Inventor of Radio”. Chances are he would have been the father of transatlantic communication via his Wardenclyffe Tower (see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wardenclyffe_Tower) project but his funding ran out. Wikipedia (my favorite second brain and the main source of the data found in this particular blog) states this: “After his demonstration of wireless communication (radio) in 1894 and after being the victor in the "War of Currents", he was widely respected as one of the greatest electrical engineers who worked in America. Much of his early work pioneered modern electrical engineering and many of his discoveries were of groundbreaking importance. During this period, in the United States, Tesla's fame rivaled that of any other inventor or scientist in history or popular culture, but due to his eccentric personality and his seemingly unbelievable and sometimes bizarre claims about possible scientific and technological developments, Tesla was ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist. Never having put much focus on his finances, Tesla died impoverished at the age of 86.”

I wonder what the world would look like today if the whole Wardenclyffe Tower project was funded and successful. Wireless internet, that glorious modern wonder that we now take for granted, may have been available decades earlier. Yes, I know that’s pure, unadulterated speculation on my part but what if? Tesla was “ultimately ostracized and regarded as a mad scientist” and he “died impoverished at the age of 86.” He was too busy envisioning the future to take care of the present. Of his failure to find the backers needed to complete the construction of the Wardenclyffe Tower Tesla said, “It is not a dream, it is a simple feat of scientific electrical engineering, only expensive — blind, faint-hearted, doubting world! [...] Humanity is not yet sufficiently advanced to be willingly led by the discoverer's keen searching sense. But who knows? Perhaps it is better in this present world of ours that a revolutionary idea or invention instead of being helped and patted, be hampered and ill-treated in its adolescence — by want of means, by selfish interest, pedantry, stupidity and ignorance; that it be attacked and stifled; that it pass through bitter trials and tribulations, through the strife of commercial existence. So do we get our light. So all that was great in the past was ridiculed, condemned, combatted, suppressed — only to emerge all the more powerfully, all the more triumphantly from the struggle."

Nikola Tesla towards the end of his life may have been ridiculed and ostracized but he was a brilliant inventor and innovator who deserves a far better epitaph.

Happy Birthday Mr. Tesla

The E-Reader Blues

Someday, not today but sometime in the near future, from one electronic device you will be able to have an entire library of books in the palm of your hand. It will be a wonderful thing. Instead of lugging around a wheelbarrow full of textbooks or best sellers you will have it all at your fingertips wherever you go and whatever you want to read. Perhaps you will be able to download different books from online libraries the world over or, if you are in college, download the semester’s curriculum in one fell swoop. But that day has not arrived. Perhaps we will be able to procure new E-books from a variety of sources including the big three, Amazon, Boarders and Barnes & Noble – who’s to say? Again, that day has not yet come.

Alas, Amazon has the Kindle 2.0, which has now dropped in price to $299.00 from $360.00, is nice enough but the only place that you can get your E-books from is, shockingly, Amazon. Even with the price drop three hundred bucks is, at least for yours truly, a decent chunk of change; and then there’re all those books to buy at $10.00 a pop – discounted from an honest to goodness book in your hands but ten bucks, nonetheless (see: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/04/kindle-readers/). And that’s just the Kindle. There’s a slue of these puppies hitting the marketplace and there are things to consider if you feel so inclined such at the jetBook (http://www.geardiary.com/2009/03/09/the-ectaco-jetbook-universal-portable-reading-device-review/) and the Cool-er (http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/cool-er-e-book-reader-turns-up-the-heat/). You are going to need to know if you can get the books/data that you want to read, you will want to know what formats are supported (very important) and, of course, you are going to want to know how much you are spending. I don’t know what to tell you, Gentle Reader, other than steering you to this nice little article on choosing an E-book Reader that may help clear things up a bit: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2009/05/buying-guide-e-book-reader/. If that does not assuage your thirst for knowledge check out what my favorite second brain has to say on the subject: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-book_reader.

Man, I love me some Wikipedia.

Someday the book publishers and electronic media makers will come to some consensus. When that day arrives I will see about making the jump. Until then I will wait and dream of the titles that I would put onto such a device; several versions of the Bible, the Lord of the Rings Trilogy, the Hobbit, the entire Harry Potter and Gunslinger series would be worth rereading. I am also quite fond of Neil Gaiman, Jules Verne, Ian Fleming, Christopher Moore, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Allen Poe, Stephen King, Kurt Vonnegut, Mark Twain, Anne Rice, Shakespeare, Robert E. Howard, Edgar Rice Burroughs… the list really is endless and the idea of having THAT library with me waiting to be read on one device is wildly appealing. I’m probably not alone with this little desire for the future.

So on that one day in the not too distant future, just what will be on your E-book Reader?

Sci-Fi Goes to Syfy

Get a good look at the logo to the left; it’s about to disappear.

“Huh?”

Yup. That’s right the Sci-Fi Channel is changing up tomorrow to the Syfy or, perhaps, Syfy Channel.

“Why?”

I think it boils down to the idea that Syfy is copyrightable whereas Sci-Fi is not. Here’s a good article of the nuts and bolts of the decision: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2009/07/sci-fi-channel-reboots-as-syfy-with-eye-on-expanding-empire/.

So there you have it. Out with the old and in with the new. Sci-Fi is still Syfy its just that now Syfy can be trademarked. I enjoy some of the programming on the network; I absolutely loved Battlestar Galactica and Ghost Hunters is a guilty pleasure of mine. Who knows what’s next?

Ladies and Gentlemen… set your Tivos!

The Best of What’s Around – Summer Movies

Whatever tears at us, whatever holds us down, and if nothing can be done, we’ll make the best of what’s around. – Dave Matthews

I’m a bit of a snob, come to think of it, I’m also a bit of a slob but that’s not what I wanted to discuss just right now, Gentle Reader. I am, unapologetically, a bit of a movie snob – or rather Movie Geek… yeah, that sounds better. Anyway, last years writers strike has taken its toll at the movies this summer season. IMHO there is a distinct lack of films that are worth the price of admission at the multiplexes this year. I am still voting for “Star Trek” as the 900 lbs Gorilla of the season and I don’t see too many possible challengers to that title; “Up” maybe – possibly “Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince”. “Transformers II – Rise of the Fallen” and “G.I. Joe” are getting so much negative that I’m now just going to wait for the DVDs for both franchises.

That’s not to say that either of those franchises won’t make money. I predict that the Transformers movie will make a LOT of it but understand going in that you are going for a popcorn movie experience. There will be a lot of eye candy but it will leave you with empty calories and you’ll be hungry for the story that just was not included with the Happy Meal packaging. G.I. Joe; however, is going to flop. It is like the second coming of “Mega Force” which was a movie that was designed to sell toys and not to tell a story. I held high hopes for it as a kid in the early eighties and I still remember actually feeling embarrassed for the actors who were attached to this career ending abomination. As a member of the audience in attendance I felt used. I felt abused. It was so significantly forgettable that it is only now – so close to the release of the G.I. Joe movie, that I remember the experience in full and tremble.

So what’s a boy to do? Why you make the best of what’s around. Here is what I’m looking forward to the rest of the summer movie season. Yes, I know that I just did a similar blog a couple of weeks ago but things have changed since then and I have to face the cold, hard reality that I can’t get to the theater as often as I would like to. I’ve got to be picky and embrace my inner Movie Snob/Geekness. That leaves me with these possible options…

1. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. This will happen. I’m taking all of the girls and we’re actually going to the theater and checking it out. It is a great story and I’m looking forward to seeing how it translates to the big screen.

2. Moon. A science fiction character study that takes place (get this) ON THE MOON! Spin is good and it’s right up my alley.

3. The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus. Terry Gilliam is the storyteller. Johnny Depp is in there too as is a last performance from Heath Ledger. Gilliam is pretty solid at being worth the price of admission.

4. District 9. Some guy named Peter Jackson is producing and he put the guy that he wanted to put HALO on the big screen in charge. This will be a cool afternoon at the movies.

5. ??? I just don’t know. Perhaps something of a dark horse will rear it’s head and come from behind. If it happens that would be great; unfortunately, the name of that horse is not on my race form.

Slim pickin’s. Still I shouldn’t complain – good stories are still being told despite the majority of the stuff that Hollywood seems to greenlight these days. Please forgive me, Gentle Reader, that sounded a bit harsh… did I mention that I’m a Movie Snob/Geek?

I’ll see you at the multiplex – not as often as I would have hoped this year but there nonetheless.

Death – the High Cost of Living

The old Circle of Life is spinning at an amazing rate these days. It has been said that “It is not how we die, since all do that, but it is how we live.” I have to agree with that. Life is a precious and fragile thing, lest there be no doubt. It comes for the just and the unjust, the rich and the poor – it does not discriminate. It does not matter if you are some famous celebrity or just someone sitting on a Metro train in Washington DC; it is simply the way of things.

I do not bring this up to bring you down, Gentle Reader it’s just that it is hard not to notice that it’s not a good time to be a celebrity these days. We have very recently lost Bea Arthur, David Carradine, Garry Papa, Ed McMahon, Farah Fawcett, and, now, Michael Jackson? It is not a form of celebrity worship that I speak from they are only human like you and me – flesh and blood; it’s just that in some odd way these people and the rest of us share a history. I used to watch “All in the Family” with my mom and dad, “Kung Fu” was a staple in the seventies, Channel 6 Sports was & will always be Garry Papa’s, “The Tonight Show” was always started with a hearty; “HERE’S JOHNNY!”, that amazing woman on THAT poster was in “Charlie’s Angels” and married to Lee Majors (the Six Million Dollar Man), and “Thriller” was playing on my 33 1/3d record player.

My thoughts and my prayers are with all of those that they left behind – including us. After all, we share a history.

Take care, Gentle Reader. Much love, God bless.



(Picture of Blake’s Tombstone from http://www.bspcn.com/2007/07/21/12-hilarious-tombstones/.)

Curiouser and Curiouser

We’re all mad here… I’m mad, you’re mad. – the Cheshire Cat

I love to see what Tim Burton is up to. I have not preferred some of his most recent offerings (“Planet of the Apes” & “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”) but come what may he is one of those storytellers that never ceases to capture my eye. He has a unique vision and, thankfully, he is at it once more. The first pictures from “Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland” have hit the net. You can see them for yourself right here: http://www.collider.com/2009/06/21/first-images-from-tim-burtons-alice-in-wonderland-updated/.

I’m looking forward to this one. The cast is stellar (that’s Johnny Depp as the Mad Hatter) and the story is directly up Mr. Burton’s alley. When March 18th of 2010 comes along you will be able to find me at the multiplex – I’ll be the one remembering what the door mouse said.

Sleeping With the Enemy

Yes, I have officially crawled back into bed with Verizon Wireless and, unlike my previous experience with my Motorola Razor (see: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2009/03/cast-off-yoke-of-oppression.html for further details) my new LG Voyager is bangin’. It was cutting edge about two years ago but I am in love. It’s got a full QWERTY keyboard for texting and Twitter, and a touch screen – what can I say… Evil Chicken LIKE. So far it appears that there is a distinct lack of the inhibiting software that proliferated and utterly stifled the Razor. I’m still working on my MP3s and pictures; if I get that figured out then it appears I may owe Verizon an apology.

It is in that vein that I mention another fine site that I have to recommend to you Gentle Reader, to http://www.phonezoo.com/Welcome.do. A buddy of mine from church mentioned it to me and now I have to return the favor. You do have to sign up but it’s FREE with no strings attached. After you download what you want to your phone I highly recommend that you make your own from your favorite MP3s that you have kicking around on your hard drive.

Oh yes… I’ve been busy and it’s been too cool. Try it, you’ll like it. Sleeping with the enemy? Yeah, that’s about right – still in the area of the world known as South Jersey they are probably the best game in town with the largest amount of towers.

What’s a boy to do? Enjoy his new LG – that’s what.

Paid In Full

It’s not easy living with a price on your head. You begin to see and hear things in the shadows - footsteps in the mist. One begins to second-guess even the smallest of decisions. Gentle Reader, that was my existence up until this very afternoon.

“I owe a debt.” I said to the woman who politely smiled. Did I see a sultry curve to the corner of her lip? I couldn’t be too sure but I knew this woman held the keys to my future. I passed her my identification.

“Let me see…” she said investigating my credentials. She scanned my bar code. “That will be $1.70.”

“A dollar seventy?” I asked.

“$1.70?!” My wife yelled at me from the next terminal over. “Gallant returns her Library books on time – Goofus does not.” I knew from the tone of her voice just how and to whom the titles of “Gallant” and “Goofus” had been assigned.

I flashed her a smile and paid my fine. My debt to society satisfied I took out a couple of Jazz CDs (Coltrane & Gillespie/Parker) and a Neil Gaiman book, “American Gods”.

I tell you this story as a precautionary tale. It’s not easy to live life with a price on your head. The librarian spies are everywhere. Be mindful where you step and try to remember where you left that overdue book.

Don’t become a statistic.

More Reasons to see Star Trek Again

Go for the Easter Eggs!

“Huh?”

The Easter Eggs; you know, intentional props, people, and personifications slipped into a motion picture as acts of homage? Well, J.J. Abrams slipped a lot of Easter Eggs into the basket that is “Star Trek”. Did you see R2-D2, Randy Pousch’s cameo, 1701-D’s logo on Kirk’s duffle bag, or the how the bottle of Saurian Bandy was used? …No? Well, me neither (hence why I must return to the multiplex).

The folks over at Trek Movie have compiled a list and where you need to direct your attention. That list is here: http://trekmovie.com/2009/06/11/location-of-r2-d2-easter-egg-revealed-more-star-trek-easter-eggs/.

Who doesn’t like an Easter Egg every now and again?

Weird NJ Noyes Museum Photo Contest

Gentle Reader… I do not know how much you are aware of the certifiable WEIRDNESS of the place that we here call home; the great Garden State. I sincerely hope that you have some sort of appreciation of just how interesting New Jersey truly is. If you do not understand what I am alluding to you either have recently moved here, have been blinded to the weirdness, or you have never read the pages of one of the greatest magazines in the entire world (no exaggeration) – Weird N.J. If the latter is true then click here: http://www.weirdnj.com/ and get a feel for what’s just around the bend here in our fair state.

So, do you know something that could make it into the exposition? Would YOU like to throw your hat into the ring? Here’s how you make it happen: http://www.weirdnj.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=222&Itemid=55.

As per this page on the Weird N.J. website: “Are you a professional or amateur photographer who enjoys focusing your lens on the more unusual sites in the Garden State? The Noyes Museum of Art and Weird NJ announce a Weird NJ Photography Exhibition to be held at the Noyes Museum. This juried event intends to discover what oddities may be lurking in the woods, under the boardwalk or at the local watering hole all within the state of New Jersey.
Our goal is to gather the weirdest photos of New Jersey. What specifies weird? Is it eerie, strange, historic, crazy, unbelievable, tacky, or forbidden? Photos will be selected for their originality, photographic quality or just plain weirdness. Selected photos will be on extended display at the Noyes Museum and featured on the Weird NJ Web site and in the pages of our magazine.
The deadline for submission is August 7, 2009. For all the details and entry information, visit the Noyes Museum of Art Web site at http://noyesmuseum.org.”

Now I ask you… how cool is that?

The entry forms can be found here: http://noyesmuseum.org/resources/weirdnj.pdf.

Did I mention how cool this is?

So there you have it, Gentle Reader… the gauntlet has been thrown. I’ve already got a couple of spots in mind. How about YOU?

Whiplash Spotted

Rumors in casting from all over the internet the last few months have, ultimately, proven true. AICN had the link that took me to USA Today’s site. Mickey Rourke is going to be Tony Stark’s nemesis in Iron Man II. Check this for your reading pleasure: http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2009-06-09-ironman2-rourke_N.htm.

This is one movie geek who can’t wait to see the fireworks.

Twenty Years Ago – Tiananmen Square

I remember watching the news feed break into the, “regularly scheduled programming”. I can still see, in my minds eye, Peter Jennings announce that tanks were literally rolling over students who were protesting the fact that they wanted to have democracy in their homeland – that the simple right to gather was being trampled on the other side of the globe.

That was twenty years ago. Here is a pretty good article on the anniversary: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090604/ap_on_re_as/as_china_tiananmen_28.

Twenty years. China, hosted the last Olympics and it truly was a sight to behold. Old and new, ancient and cutting edge; I can only assume that China itself must be, at once, a similar occurrence, a culmination of both of those worlds. Hong Kong has become the epicenter of the financial tsunami that China has morphed into; a truly wondrous example of capitalism at work. I wonder what would happen if some of the principals of democracy were in place there. I wonder what would happen if the people of China were able to be free; free to vote, to gather, to speak their minds, to pursue whatever their desires are for their own lives – what a staggering super power they would be.

I understand that all of the theoretical systems of government look good on paper and I know that we have our own problems right here in our own democracy; yadda, yadda, yadda – but still the very chance to be free, to live free – that alone is worth it.

Who’s to say what the next twenty years will bring? Hong Kong is a prime example of capitalism today. They also have freedoms that the rest of China only dream of. Who is to say, in the future Tibet and the whole of China may be free. One never knows. In the above linked article, Cheung Man Kwong says, “Hong Kong is China’s conscience.” He may be onto something.

So What’s Next at the Multiplex?

“Summer, summer, summertime; time to sit back and unwind.” – Will Smith

I’m a movie geek and prone to enjoy the stuffing out of the summer movie season. Hey, who doesn’t enjoy sampling the wares from the major studios in the summer? So far, for my money, “Star Trek” is on track to be the 900 lbs. Gorilla this season.

“Well, if that’s the case, Evil Chicken, what else is there to look forward to at the movies this year?”

Funny you ask, Gentle Reader. Please allow me to let you in on what I’m looking forward to checking out at the local multiplex this summer:

1. “Up” from Pixar. If I could write for any company Pixar would be the one. They care for character and they make certain that the story is served. I have yet to see a Pixar film that I did not like.
2. “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus”. This is Heath Ledger’s last film and it comes from Terry Gilliam. Gilliam has a way of using the medium of film and twisting it into amazing and thoughtful entertainments; check out “Time Bandits”, “Brazil”, or “The Twelve Monkeys”. Amazing filmmaker. I can’t wait.
3. “Drag Me to Hell”. Sam Rami made a new horror movie. Please allow me to repeat that… SAM RAMI made a new horror movie. If you are a fan of the genre then you know the name. Rami is best known for the “Evil Dead” series and, of course, the “Spiderman” movies. “Hail to the king, Baby.”
4. “Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince”. Yes, I am a Potter-Head. This is a dark one. This sets up the finale to the entire series. It’s a great read and I bet it’s gonna be a great movie.
5. “Land of the Lost”. Make no mistake this will be stupid. It will be a goofy movie but it will also make me giggle and it will spark gushing waves of nostalgia. It will entertain and that’s one of the main reasons that I go the movies for anyway.

What are movies that I may see at the theater that I could wait for DVD:

1. “Transformers 2”. It will be a special effects movie that will sell a lot of popcorn. It will probably be best seen on the big screen but it’s not “must see” for me.
2. “Terminator Salvation”. I’d like to see this more than Transformers but I still have not made it to the theater.
3. “Night at the Musem II”. Eh.
4. “Inglorious Basterds” (with and “E”). Brad Pitt and Quinton Tarantino kicking Nazi butt? Sign me up. I would have put this one in the “Must See” section but after seeing all those movies.
5. “District 9”. Alien rights after their arrival? A plot for Alien slave labor? It sounds very cool. I’ll have to read some more spin on it before I take the plunge.
6. “Public Enemies”. This may easily slip into the “Must See” section. Johnny Depp as John Dillinger? Nice. We shall see.

Movies that I will wait for basic cable or the “Late, Late, Movie”... maybe.

1. “G.I. Joe”. As Randy says, “I’m not feelin’ it Dog.” This reminds me of a movie in the eighties called, “Megaforce”. That was an abomination of a movie designed to sell toys and exploit the masses much like this one. Don’t play into the MAN’S hands! Just say no.

So there you have it; the movies that I am interested in seeing – the good, the bad, and the ugly.

What’s on YOUR list?

Expatriation and Blogging ‘Round the World

It is no great secret; I am a Jimmy Buffett fan. Listening to his music for any length of time and one gets the urge to move to warmer climates and expatriate to places that are full of characters and character. Gentle Reader, I must be honest with you, expatriation has been on my mind as of late. I have been bitten by the bug that transfers the longing for the Gypsy lifestyle. As Keith Richards sang on one of my absolute favorite Rolling Stones songs from the “Some Girls” album (yes, that’s right, I said ALBUM), “I Will Walk Before They Make Me Run.” Tom Waits exemplifies the concept of life on the road (I’m listening to him now on YouTube).

Let’s face it, there is just something romantic about the open road. Anything is possible there, anything goes. This is a great country to, “go on the bum”, so to speak but there are other wonderful possible options that have been slipping into my daydreams as of late including but not limited to; British Columbia, Key West, Southern Utah, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, the South of France, Ireland, Italy – these are all spots that I could see transplanting my family and myself.

“But WHY, Evil Chicken?” you may ask. “Why would you wish to do such a thing?”

Well therein lies a very good question which I shall answer partially. Why not? It is no great revelation that life is entirely too short. I know that the good Lord is on the thrown but still it is important to make hay while the sun shines. So I dream. I dream of places far off away from the cares of life in the great Garden State. I have always dreamt of making some sort of a difference but just who is to say that that difference could not be made somewhere so very, very far away from here?

Hmm… Somehow I find this appealing.

Perhaps I should consider some of the nations that some of the readers of this blog call home? There are not many of us but we are mighty, Gentle Readers. Let’s look at where you are from to feed my dreams of expatriation… Number 1 (according to my widget) is the U.S. of A. Most of the readers here are from my homeland. That’s not too surprising since I am an American and, dare I say, proud of that distinction. Number 2 is Canada. Oh Canada, I could easily see myself settling down in your bosom. Number 3 is the United Kingdom. Yes. You and I would have a time, wouldn’t we? Number 4 is Unknown. Unknown? I suppose that the Unknown are the Gentle Readers who have, for whatever reason, have had to hide their location. I’m ok with that; truth be told, I’m a little envious. Know that I am pleased and glad to have you here. Number 5 is Spain; Number 6 is France – welcome my brethren know that I would expatriate to either of your boarders. Number 7 is Taiwan. Number 8 is Mexico, number 9 is Turkey and number 10 is Germany. 11 is New Zealand, 12 Finland, and 13 Hong Kong. You are all dispersed over this great blue marble, Gentle Readers. I’m just thankful to have you here for a brief moment in time; a moment when you decided to kick back, relax and listen to the non-sense that you will find here most of the time.

Wherever you call home, Gentle Reader, thank you for stopping by. Who is to say, perhaps one day we will be neighbors? Rest assured I will be dreaming of it and one never knows.

Do one?

College Camp Class… The Final Frontier

So I’m mowing the lawn – an abhorrent activity that sucks away about an hour and a half – two hours of my life on a laborious and weekly basis this time of year, and I notice out of the corner of my eye Mother Hen. She was wandering in my direction when the engine stalled. The stalling of the engine is nothing new in the weekly sentence of cutting the grass but having Mother Hen outside while I am mowing the lawn is.

“Would you be interested in teaching a class on Star Trek?” she asked.

“What?”

“Yeah, you heard me. The college is hosting summer camp classes. They are looking for a Pokemon instructor and someone to teach a class on Star Trek. Would you be interested?”

“You’re kidding.”

“Nope.”

“Sure!” I said with a smile. “How cool is that?”

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that.” She said with a smile and she went back inside leaving me to tend to the rest of the greens. I primed the engine and started the mower once again – now my thoughts were on the class and all of the wonderful possibilities that it presents instead of the lawn; and I was all right with that.

And that’s how it happened, Gentle Reader; that is how yours truly became the instructor for the summer course on STAR TREK! Let me just say, I can’t wait. I am going to be sharing one of my passions with others, getting paid for it, and, my youngest daughter, Chicken Little (Chick 3.0), can take the course for free! I still don’t know how many kids will be in the class but I’m really excited about getting underway. When its over I want the kids to know what to do in case of a warp core breach, just how Zephraim Cochran ushered in the age of warp technology, and the dangers of mind melding with a Horta. More importantly, however, I want them to be aware of a great story that happens to unfold in the 23d century and that they can appreciate the historical, scientific, technological and social context of that story as well. I can’t wait.

“The Human Adventure is Just Beginning.” I will keep you posted on how it goes this August.

Dr. Horrible’s Sing Along Blog

I came to this party late but I’m so glad I showed. Pop some popcorn and direct your cursor over to here: http://www.drhorrible.com/index.html.

“But Evil Chicken, why would I want to do that?”

Because, Gentle Reader, you are about to be entertained. It is a play in three acts and it runs about 43 minutes. It’s got it all, comedy, tragedy, drama – it’s brilliant. Writer / director Joss Whedon (Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Firefly, Serenity) put this together back in 2008 during the writer’s strike. Wikipedia, my favorite second brain, says, “The idea was to create something small and inexpensive, yet professionally done, in a way that would circumvent the issues that were being protested during the strike.”

Well, he scored a direct hit. The cast is awesome and clearly having a blast playing their rolls. Neil Patrick Harris (Doogie Houser) is Dr. Horrible, Felicia Day (Buffy the Vampire Slayer) is Penny, Nathan Fillion (Firefly) is Captain Hammer and Simon Helberg (The Big Bang Theory) is Moist.

Will Penny fall for the hero? Will Captain Hammer help to open the homeless shelter? Will Dr. Horrible ever join the Evil League of Evil? Click over and find out!

Better to come late to the party then never at all. Enjoy!