Memorial Day

"All gave some, some gave all." - Winston Churchill

As per my favorite second brain, Wikipedia, "Memorial Day is a United States federal holiday observed on the last Monday of May. Formerly known as Decoration Day, it commemorates U.S. Service Members who died while in the military service. First enacted by an organization of Union veterans — the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) — to honor Union soldiers of the American Civil War. It was extended after World War I to honor Americans who have died in all wars."

Here is the article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Memorial_Day.

Slogans have a way of becoming cliché and wrote when repeated too often. That does not negate the truth behind their meaning or their message merely because they are well known. That being said, "Freedom is never free, it comes at a high price." Please join me in remembering those who paid that price for us to enjoy all the benefits and freedoms that are so easily taken for granted.

Have a peaceful Memorial Day.

Covert Ops Vacationing

Here at Rancho del Evil Chicken things are getting crazy busy.

No, that’s not the right phrasing; please allow me to begin again…

Here at Rancho del Evil Chicken things are getting CRAZY BUSY!!!

Yeah, that’s a little better.

We are busy. Mother Hen is taking classes for her Bachelors. I’m about to start my Masters and Bad Wolf, the oldest of the Three Chicks is going to be starting to work for her Associates. Throw on top of that all of our jobs and all of our other commitments and it does not take a great leap in logic to realize that, as Kahn said in Star Trek II, “Time is a luxury you [Kirk – or WE in this case] do not have.”

Look, I/we love all of the craziness that I/we are involved in but there has got to be a release valve somewhere. A time when we can get away as a family, let our hair down; so to speak. Get some R & R. The trick is that with our schedules the big “Family Vacation” is just not in the cards for the foreseeable future.

What to do?

WHAT TO DO?

I’ll tell you what you do. You get smarter about how you use your time. Weekends with an extra day, Monday or Friday make for an excellent escape plan. You get away from the keyboards & LCDs for a little while. You explore what is around you and then some. I figure anything within 6 hours driving distance from South Jersey is fair game. Now then, let’s see here; let’s explore some possible options, shall we?

The Newport Mansions of Road Island: http://www.newportmansions.org/page7016.cfm.

Boston: http://www.cityofboston.gov/visitors/.

Sleepy Hollow, New York: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Tourism-g48622-Sleepy_Hollow_New_York-Vacations.html.

New York, NY: http://www.nycgo.com/.

Chincoteague Island, VA: http:http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif//www.chincoteague.com/.

Gettysburg, PA: http://www.gettysburg.travel/.

Baltimore, MD: http://baltimore.org/attractions/.

Point Lookout State Park, MD: http://www.dnr.state.md.us/publiclands/southern/pointlookout.asp.

New York, Finger Lakes Region: http://www.fingerlakes.org/.

Thousand Islands: http://www.visit1000islands.com/visitorinfo/.

So there we have it; ten possibilities for long weekends, an exercise in covert ops vacationing. Do YOU have any suggestions for a relatively nearby getaway? I’m open to suggestions.

Thanks in advance, Gentle Reader and fellow Traveler.

Sincerely, Evil Chicken

Gil Scott-Heron has Passed

A voice that had something to say went silent yesterday. Gil Scott-Heron voiced emotions & ideas that went above and beyond the times that he spoke them. Listen to his work and it is evident that it remains on point & relevant even though the names (Nixon, Agnew & Regan) have slipped into history. There is timelessness found in his work. Did his work make people comfortable? No. Did it make people think? Always. Mark Twain / Samuel Clemons once said about writing, “A writer’s job is to comfort the afflicted and to afflict the comfortable.” Gil Scott-Heron did just that. You may not have agreed with what he had to say but words he spoke had an edge and an honesty that refused to be ignored.

Here is what Gil Scott-Heron’s website tells you about him: http://gilscottheron.net/about/ - “Gil Scott-Heron (born April 1, 1949) is an American poet, musician, and author known primarily for his late 1960s and early 1970s work as a spoken word soul performer and his collaborative work with musician Brian Jackson. His collaborative efforts with Jackson featured a musical fusion of jazz, blues and soul music, as well as lyrical content concerning social and political issues of the time, delivered in both rapping and melismatic vocal styles by Scott-Heron. The music of these albums, most notably Pieces of a Man and Winter in America in the early 1970s, influenced and helped engender later African-American music genres such as hip hop and neo soul. Scott-Heron’s recording work is often associated with black militant activism and has received much critical acclaim for one of his most well-known compositions “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”. On his influence, Allmusic wrote “Scott-Heron’s unique proto-rap style influenced a generation of hip-hop artists”.”

Here are some examples of his work from Boing Boing, “In Memoriam: Gil Scott-Heron, ‘The People’s Poet’”: http://www.boingboing.net/2011/05/27/gil-scott-heron-rip.html?dlvrit=36761.

Once I read the Twitter feed this AM that Scott-Heron had passed I, admittedly, had to tap into the deep recesses of my memory banks. I first became aware of his work with, “Whitey on the Moon.” I was a little too young for, “The Revolution will Not be Televised”, and I was just a kid with the poignant, “B-Movie” was birthed. Gil Scott-Heron most recent album, “I’m New Here,” was his first album in 16 years and was released in February of 2010.

Here is a great article by Alan Wilkinson from the New Yorker entitled, “New York is Killing Me”: http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2010/08/09/100809fa_fact_wilkinson?currentPage=all

Dependency can blind. Classically someone who is addicted does not see it. They believe, whole heartedly, that the next high will achieve some new level of consciousness (for artistic or spiritual awareness), relieve the pain that they feel (real or conjured) or they simply have the taste for oblivion. The worst part is that while they perceive it to be a victimless crime the people who pay the cost are those closest to them; their closest family members, their children, their significant other. The individual can not see this price paid in full by their loved ones. It just does not register. Monique de Latour (his ex-girlfriend at the time from the New Yorker piece); when she says, “There is a very gentle person inside Gil,” she said, “but very remote. It’s the little boy who lived with his grandmother in Jackson. He used to say to me, ‘I wish you knew me before I was like this.’ ” By “this” he meant before his addiction to crack cocaine.

In the Wikipedia, my favorite second brain has a great quote from Fairfax New Zealand (February 2010) that reads, “Gil Scott-Heron released poems as songs, recorded songs that were based on his earliest poems and writings, wrote novels and became a hero to many for his music, activism and his anger. There is always the anger - an often beautiful, passionate anger. An often awkward anger. A very soulful anger. And often it is a very sad anger. But it is the pervasive mood, theme and feeling within his work - and around his work, hovering, piercing, occasionally weighing down; often lifting the work up, helping to place it in your face. And for all the preaching and warning signs in his work, the last two decades of Gil Scott-Heron's life to date have seen him succumb to the pressures and demons he has so often warned others about.”

My prayers go out to his family & loved ones at this time.



…Picture of Ms. Scott-Heron from Wikipedia

“Bombshell” from DC Comics Coming Soon

[NOTE: I am diving into the GEEK deep end here so if that is not your thing – move along; there’s nothing for you to see here. You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here.]

Gentle Reader, are you still here? GOOD!

So, remember that weekend when that prince and princess got married, Superman renounced his American Citizenship and Osama bin Laden was put down? Yeah? Good times… good times. I didn’t write about the royal wedding. It’s just not my bag, Baby. I didn’t write about OBL’s demise; after all, what more needs to be said? I did, however, write about Superman (which happened a day before SEAL Team 6’s raid). Let’s review, shall we?

Here’s the link: http://evilchickenscratch.blogspot.com/2011/04/american-way.html.

So there’s that. Well, this morning while catching up on some Twitter activity I saw that Jim Lee (DC Comics Guru and Comic Book LEGEND) had retweeted something about a “Bombshell” that he, Geoff Johns and the rest of DC Comics is about to unveil. Here’s the link: http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2011/05/23/geoff-johns-and-jim-lee-plan-to-drop-dc-bombshells-at-hero-festival/?dlvrit=63378. The bombshell is set to go off on 6/11/11, at the Chinese 6 Theater at the Los Angeles Times HERO COMPLEX Film Festival. I think my faith in Geoff Johns, Jim Lee and DC Comics is about to pay off in spades; they’re going to show their hand concerning Kal-El and his future and what a BIG HAND it will be. Now then, with that being said, you should know that I have absolutely no insider information but I just wanted to voice my prediction for what I believe is in store for The Man of Tomorrow before the big day happens.

The Last Son of Krypton has been far too good for far too long. I bet Superman is about to ultimately become what he hates the most – the complete opposite of everything he once stood for. The Boy Scout is about to become the absolute ruler of Earth. He will claim the power grab is for all the right reasons but soon, very soon, Earth will become a complete totalitarian state. There will be those who compare him to the dreaded, Darkseid and not without cause. Sure, it’ll start small with renouncing his American citizenship; soon he’ll be toppling governments that do not fit into his ‘new world order’ and when the UN and the United States finally realize what his endgame is it will be far too late. He’ll take care of Bruce (since Bruce has already planed for such a contingency). Supes will probably set him adrift in the Phantom Zone out of some twisted sense of guilt or for some further use he might have for the Batman. Come to think of it he’ll have to do the same thing with Diana. Wonder Woman has to go as well. Heroes will fight and heroes will lose. My guess is that “Parallax” will ultimately be the cause of Kal-El’s corruption. In the end Hal Jordan and the rest of the Green Lantern Corps free Batman & Wonder Woman from the Phantom Zone and the battle royal commences. Hal was corrupted by Parallax before so he’s carrying that baggage with him into battle but it doesn’t matter; Hal and company win the day. Kal-El assists with getting Parallax into the Phantom Zone and everything goes back to the way it was before Superman renounced his American citizenship – except, now that the world has seen what Superman is truly capable of and now wonders should he ever be trusted again?

Fini.

So there’s that. I sincerely thank you for making it this far, Gentle Reader. I anticipate one of three responses to this blog; especially that last paragraph.

1. “I really should have skipped this particular Blog entry here at Chicken Scratch.
2. “That would be so cool!”
3. “You know, we ought to hire this, Evil Chicken guy.

If your answer was:

1. Sorry. I will try to do better next time. I’ve gotta ask; didn’t you read the note at the beginning?
2. I know, RIGHT!
3. You can contact me right here on Chicken Scratch or via my Twitter account at the right. I look forward to working with you in the future.

The writers & artists at DC Comics are about to have a very good time unleashing the Armageddon that Superman is about to become onto an unsuspecting comic book world. Mr. Johns, Mr. Lee and the rest of the creative team at DC Comics, I can’t wait to see it happen.

On the other hand perhaps it is only my ravings. We shall see... we shall see.




(Picture from, Game Banana)

That’s the Way the Cookie Crumbles

Perhaps it has something to do with undiagnosed OCD or perhaps I have a touch of “hoarding behavior” but I collect Fortune Cookie Fortunes; not other peoples but my own. Over the years I have amassed a pretty decent collection. Some I like and some, I believe, were a little off center with the whole ‘forecasting’ thing. I find that the Cookie chooses the owner. A cookie passed to you by someone else at the table may have tarnished the message originally meant for YOU! After all, they touched it first - perhaps it's THEIR fortune? Then there is the consumption question, “Does the Fortune count if you don’t eat the cookie?” Who’s to say? I won’t even go into the additional; “In Bed” alternate Fortune Cookie ending. Clearly, the Fortune Cookie holds more mysteries than a slip of paper predicting the future.

You may ask, “So where did the Fortune Cookie come from?” and, I might add, Gentle Reader, that would be an excellent question. Wikipedia, my favorite second brain, says this, “A fortune cookie is a crisp cookie usually made from flour, sugar, vanilla, and oil with a "fortune" wrapped inside. A "fortune" is a piece of paper with words of faux wisdom or a vague prophesy. The message inside may also include a Chinese phrase with translation or a list of lucky numbers used by some as lottery numbers, some of which have become actual winner numbers. Fortune cookies are often served as a dessert in Chinese restaurants in the United States and some other countries, but are absent in China. The exact provenance of fortune cookies is unclear, though various immigrant groups in California claim to have popularized them in the early 20th century, basing their recipe on a traditional Japanese cracker. Fortune cookies have been summarized as being "introduced by the Japanese, popularized by the Chinese, but ultimately they are consumed by Americans.”

So what we have here is a distinctly American phenomenon that dates back to the early 1900s. Still there is evidence to suggest that not all of the Fortunes are “faux wisdom or vague prophesy.” There are those moments when the Fortune Cookie transcends its original intent and, in the twinkling of an eye, a forecast is given – a Fortune revealed! I suppose, statistically speaking with, “approximately 3 billion fortune cookies made each year around the world, the vast majority of them used for consumption in the United States”; that a few of them would hit pretty close to the mark. It is in that vein that I share a few of my favorite Fortune Cookies. Perhaps you too save Fortunes for a rainy day?

- “A man can fail many times, but he isn’t a failure until he gives up.”
- “A real patriot is the fellow who gets a parking ticket and rejoices that the system works.”
- “Faith is the bird that feels the light and sings while the dawn is still dark.”
- “Nature, time and patience are the three great physicians.”
- “You will soon be receiving sound spoken advice. Listen!”
- “It is better to have a hen tomorrow than an egg today.”
- “Sometimes the wisest person is dressed in the rudest clothing.”
- “The only thing we know for sure about future developments is that they will develop.”
- “Discontent is the first step in the progress of a man or a nation.”
- “Be prepared to modify you plan. It’ll be good for you!”

Now I ask you, Gentle Reader; are these vacant Fortunes chocked full of empty wisdom? I think not. Although these days I order the steamed vegetables & rice instead of the egg foo young & pork fried rice – I still save room for the Fortune Cookie.

“One can never be too sure.”



...Picture from 'Tumbler'.

House Cleaning

I'm messing with the status quo - messing with the order of things here at Chicken Scratch. You may notice some of the changes. What can I say, it's house cleanin' time again.

Thanks for your continued patronage, Gentle Reader. Hold Fast, we'll get through this together. Confidence is high.

...Sort of.

Twitter Test

This is a TEST Twitter... Had this been an actual emergency I would have required more than 140 characters.

New Orleans Seafood Kitchen

You know, one usually writes about a restaurant after one eats there. I’m making an exception in this case. I live close to the city of Vineland, NJ; which is in the pangs of resurgence, so to speak. The Landis Theater is up and running in all of its art deco glory, there has been a distinct effort to “clean up” the downtown area to get people interested in going back to Landis Avenue again, and then there’s the Landis Marketplace with the Amish Market at the old Newberry’s building. Good things are happening.

One of those good things that is about to happen is the advent of the New Orleans Seafood Kitchen. On our way out of the Amish Market today I noticed a chalkboard menu that caught my eye. There was an alligator perched on one of the corners of the board where colorful chalk announced a menu of Creole Gumbo, catfish and Andouille sausage. They had me at Gumbo. My youngest daughter, Chicken Little, and I made our way to the table where we met a woman in chef’s togs. She is a chef who is originally from Vineland and she has spent the last 10 years in New Orleans. She said that her restaurant is going to be opening after the final inspections are completed and estimates that will be in about a weeks time. She gave us a couple of packages of Creole seasoning. Now, Gentle Reader let me just say to you that which you may have already surmised… I love Creole cooking. I love the flavor and the spice. There is something real – something alive (well, formally) in the preparation and the fare.

“God bless you.” I said.

“Wow, this is the first time someone has had a religious experience concerning my food.” She said.

“Good Creole cooking should be a religious experience.” I said as she smiled and gave me some coupons. I glanced at the print and saw displayed there in black ink Chicory Coffee.

“Are you going to serve Café Au Lait like they do at Café Du Monde?” I asked, wiping the drool from the corner of my mouth.

“Why yes we are.” She said, “In fact, we will be giving out free cups of Chicory coffee in the mornings.”

“There is NOTHING like this in the area.” I said.

She smiled and said, “I know.”

“Brilliant.” I said. She was kind enough to give me a 4 cup sample of some Chicory coffee, “Since you’re in the know.” She said.

I liked her and the promise of great Creole food and Café Au Lait coffee served in Vineland – of all places. I will be there when the doors open. I wanted to pass along this little tidbit to you too. Great food lends itself to company and Creole is great food. With Father’s Day rearing its head once again; lest there be no doubt, you now know where I’m campaigning to go.

Here is the New Orleans Seafood Kitchen and Luciano’s Fresh Market’s website: http://www.lucianosfreshmarket.com/default.html. They will be open soon. Stop in and check ‘em out – when they open within the next week or so. I have a very good feeling that it will be worth the visit.

Laissez le bon temps rouler, Vineland!

Weapon of Choice

THOR had his hammer, Mjolnir.

007 had his Walther PPK.

Indiana Jones had his bullwhip.

Bilbo Baggins had Sting.

Lorena Bobbitt had her Ginsu.

Me? I’ve got my trusty Pilot G-2 07.

“What?” you may ask.

Oh yeah, make no mistake, that pen is my weapon of choice. Other writing instruments have come and gone but it is the G-2 that keeps finding its way into my pocket. In fact, at any given time I carry at least 3 (one for each of my kids) and one on my lanyard (for those quick draw – must have a pen NOW moments).

“You’re nuts.”

Perhaps, Gentle Reader; however, I have found no other vessel (save for my trusty computer and internet connection) as a means of idea delivery that comes close to my trusty G-2. When the Evil Chicken action figure is mass-produced (check in the toy section of your favorite department store this Christmas) it/I will come packaged with a scaled down plastic 16 or 20 oz. cup of coffee, my black messenger bag (which holds notebooks, my e-reader, the latest issue of “WIRED Magazine” & possibly a laptop) and a PILOT G-2 07 PEN! Some don’t like the boldness of the ink but the simple fact is your ink should be as bold as your thoughts are. Once you accept this fact then you can never go back. I have dabbled with the .38, the 05 and even the 10 but it is the 07 that I return to again and again. It is that good. So, you see, it was with a heavy heart that I read an article written by Mr. Mark McClusky entitled, “Mightier Than the Sword: 5 Perfect Pens” in the most recent issue of WIRED where my beloved G-2 was not counted among the pantheon of “perfect” writing instruments. Don’t believe me? Check it for yourself here: http://www.wired.com/magazine/2011/04/pl_filter_pens/.

I can see the BIC, I can see the LAMY Safari (the gateway fountain pen) but I just can’t get my head around the Uni-ball 207. Really – the Uni-ball? Others may moan about Fisher (the Space Pen people) not getting a shout out; I’m not one of them (it’s just too kitschy). I grieve for the omission of my weapon of choice the Pilot G-2 07; especially if the Uni-ball was its replacement for the article.

Mr. McClusky, say it ain’t so.

Well, at least you now know where I stand on the issue. Now if you will excuse me I am going to console myself by doodling with the finest writing instrument known to man, the Pilot G-2 07.

Until next time, keep on writing!

Strange Days Indeed

“Half my life’s is books, written pages. Live and learn from fools and from sages.” – S. Tyler

Strange things are afoot, wouldn’t you say? Floods, earthquakes, lost & found terrorists; it’s hard not to say that we live in interesting times. That being said, the times here at Rancho del Evil Chicken are getting stranger too. 3 out of 5 of us will be in college this year; Mother Hen, one of the Three Chicks and, yours truly. We will be working on Bachelors, an Associates and a Masters, respectively. Translation: all of the “free time” (which is really non-existent round these parts) that we have enjoyed is about to… well, let’s just say, get more complicated. That whole “can’t have an omelet without cracking some eggs” thing comes to mind.

I mention this for the simple reason that I may not be touching base here at Chicken Scratch as much as I have in the past – as much as I would like. Of course, the opposite may be true as well. We’ll have to wait and see on that one. So, as much as I would like to discuss “THOR”, the newest episode of “Doctor Who” or mention the idea that Meredith Vieira is leaving the TODAY Show; chances are I will have to pick and choose what is blog worthy and what is not. I already dance that dance; however, the absence of time may place more constraints on the issue than I hope.

So, there’s that.

We shall see…

We shall soon talk once more, Gentle Reader, until then, Adieu.

…The American Way

I heard about Superman’s decision to ‘renounce his American citizenship’ last week and I have been waiting to actually read Action Comics issue 900 before passing judgment.

“…I’m sorry, what was that?” you may ask, “something about Superman?”

If you have not heard by now here are the details: http://www.wired.com/underwire/2011/04/action-comics-900/. Here are more details: http://www.comicsalliance.com/2011/04/27/superman-renounces-us-citizenship/. Here are even more details: http://www.newsmax.com/InsideCover/superman-comics-uscitizen-iran/2011/04/28/id/394467.

“WHAT!? The writers and publishers have turned Superman into a traitor!”

Nope, I’m not jumping on that bandwagon; unlike these quotable souls here: http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2011/04/29/still-more-anti-superman-comments-from-teabaggers. [NOTE: Not my blog - not my choice of language. However; it's still an interesting set of quotes.]

The one word that comes to mind describing the situation that the publishers have placed the Man of Steel and that word is BRILLIANT.

"Huh?"

Let’s look at this through the eyes of a writer and publishing house. Issue 900 of Action Comics is a collection of stories from several writers and artists giving their take on the iconic character. DC did not just hand the keys to anyone to tell the stories in issue 900. No, they brought out some members from the A-Squad. Richard Donner, Paul Dini, Geoff Johns and David S. Goyer are all amazing writers who have large volumes of high quality writing to their names. Mr. Goyer wrote the story that is causing all of the controversy; I also happen to be a BIG fan of his work. It must be very exciting as a writer flipping a static character into a dynamic one making what is old new again. He is not a minor player in this field. In fact a smart publishing house that had access to some of the finest talent in the industry may be very pleased with having a comic book from the nineteen thirties relevant once more; controversial to the point that it is making worldwide press. John Q. Public is once more buying a Superman comic book! Chances are it will be a third or a fourth printing of said publication by this point. People are going to want to read it for themselves.

Simply Brilliant.

I haven’t read any Superman title since the “Death of Superman” & “Rise of the Supermen” story arcs back in 1993. I will pick up issue 900 because I stand with John Q. Public – I want to read it for myself. As a fan and a guy who likes to write all sorts of different stuff I can see the story arc that could sprout from the seeds planted in issue 900. To quote the Joker from The Dark Knight, “It’s all part of the plan.”

Everyone knows the history, really. Kal-El, the Last Son of Krypton is the BIG ONE when it comes to American immigration stories in the world of Comics. Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster designed him that way in 1932. “The pair sold the rights to Detective Comics, Inc. in 1938” and in June 1938, Action Comics # 1 went on sale. Superman was born. The truth be told Superman is the prototype for all the other comic heroes that followed. The Man of Tomorrow has been around now for 900 issues – that’s 73 years. His popularity has ebbed and flowed over those years but to the masses the first image that creeps into the collective unconscious when someone mentions the words; comic book, is Superman. Superman is American pop-culture and people identify with that whether they read comics or not. That disenfranchised Kryptonian is a shared cultural touchstone, so to speak.

As a fan, a writer and a Geek for all seasons I can’t wait to see what’s next for Kal-El. I just may have to add Action Comics to my subscription again. These notions would not have crossed my mind if it weren’t for the story arc that is about to launch from a company with several tricks still up their sleeve.

…Brilliant DC, simply Brilliant.


[NOTE: Evil Chicken would like to thank his favorite second brain, Wikipedia and his friend the Internet for the information disseminated for this blog you’re just read, Gentle Reader. That’s my story and I’m stickin’ to it. Until next time, I’ll see you at the Comic Book Shop – I’ll be the one picking up the 4th or 5th printing of Action Comics issue 900.]

So Dad, What was a Movie Theater Like?

I read a very good article on Ain’t It Cool News by Nordling called, “Nordling Advocates For The Theatrical Experience!” It can be found here: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/49351. If you are a movie geek you will grok it mightily. I would have simply posted on AICN, however, gremlins appear to be attacking Harry’s site right now so I thought that I would post my reply right here on Chicken Scratch. Here it is in its entirety…

Here, Here!

Firstly, Nordling, that was a brilliant article.

The motion picture industry is just that, an industry. They are built to make money and technology and our ever increasing short attention spans make turnover of product faster and faster. The trick for the average person buying a ticket is separating the ‘Must See Opening Days’ from the Red Box rentals – the wheat from the chaff. The ART is still there (thank God), it must be or it will simply not sell. Not for nuthin’ but that’s one of the main reasons why AICN is what it is ~ as a consumer of what the movie industry is selling it is just bad business sense to simply buy a ticket to a movie without doing the market research first. You learn to listen to good advice. I have a family of 5 and unless I have a vested interest in a film (i.e. an event picture) I am not taking the troops; it’s just too pricy. Since we are in a confessional frame of mind I am more likely to purchase a single ticket for a matinee showing on opening day. I love the communal experience of a theater but these days I really have to pick and choose such communal experiences.

I stand by my opening statement; Nordling, that was a Brilliant Article. Thanks.

Both Shakespeare and Captain Kirk called the future, “The Undiscovered Country”. What the future holds for the multiplex is up for grabs. How do you think the future will unfold, Gentle Reader?

I’ll see you at the multiplex… for as long as I can.

All Terrain Armored Transport for America

I’m not going to lie to you, Gentle Reader; we are in a slump. We consistently are confronted by bad news Stateside; the economy, the jobless rates, we are mortgaged to other countries three times over, we don’t produce too much these days in science or technology and there are wars on three fronts… some might be tempted into saying something like, “Our best days are behind us.” In a world where corporations are now considered individuals (thanks Supreme Court!) it is hard not to envision the future looming like Darth Vader in a room full of Padawans representative of the evil Empire in the much beloved Star Wars saga.

Hey, if you can’t beat ‘em, JOIN ‘em!

I was poking around Twitter (WIRED’s Underwire, specifically) and found this: http://ht.ly/4ySy4. Yes, that’s right; there is an effort underway to build a full sized – fully functional AT-AT right here in the good ole, U S of A. Let’s face it we are excellent consumers and, as is alluded to in this particular blog posting, one of our favorite consumer items is Popular Culture. As a red blooded, American Geek this pleases me. To think that Adam Savage from Mythbusters has been made privy to these plans shoots my patriotic, Midi-chlorian count off the scale.

They are calling for people to spread the word – which is, as it happens, exactly what I have now done. To quote from this blog, “…Now the rest is up to you. Spread the word. Get organized. We can get this done. If America can put a man on the Moon, we can bring a little bit of Hoth to the Earth. To volunteer to help, email ATATforAmerica@hotmail.com”.

Remember you real-life nephew of your Uncle Sam, the Force will be with you… Always.

Life, the Universe and Everything

Douglas Adams came up with the title that I have borrowed for this quick little ‘catch-up’ blog. Much is afoot and I thought that I’d drop some crumbs as to why I have not been the best of consistent bloggers most recently; of which I a deeply sorry, Gentle Reader.

1. Oscar beat me this year. “The King’s Speech” was a massive sleeping giant that I did not take into account as I put my Academy Awards blog together this year. I had second thoughts but I stood by my choices. Oops. This year goes to that little golden, bald guy. I’ll try to think more like the Academy next time. By the By, Ann Hathaway and James Franco did a great job of hosting.

2. A project is materializing that I really can’t talk too much about yet. Suffice to say, when the time is right I will not be shutting up about it. I will give you a hint, it will be cool and you will want to be there.

3. I’m seriously considering going back to school for a Masters degree in my chosen field. That’s all I can really say about that.

4. Charlie Sheen. That’s all I’ve got.

5. “Firefly” is being re-played on the Science Channel and I LOVE it. I missed it the first time around when it was on Fox before it was cancelled. I missed it the second time when it was rebroadcast on Sci-Fi. I’m not missing it now. Just what was Fox thinking canceling this show? Really. Whedon is an amazing writer/director who really has a knack for creating worlds that I want to visit. I can’t wait to see what he does with ‘The Avengers’.

6. I’ve been losing weight. No diet this time at bat; I’m just watching my calories. We are trying to get in more Geocaching too which is a great way to get out there to see what’s around the corner.

7. I think we; my family the Evil Chicken 5, are going to be getting a new “Mother Ship” (central computer). This means that I will be inheriting the old “Mother Ship”. This is a good thing. My laptop (that I am writing this little blog on, BTW) is getting long in the tooth. I started booting up yesterday afternoon just so I could type this now. Hey, who knows; maybe I’ll blog more if I can turn on my computer? It could happen.

So there you have it; a bird’s eye view of the craziness that I have been part and parcel to as of late. Apart from recent tardiness the fact remains, Gentle Reader… I’m still here.

See you soon,

~ Evil Chicken

Coffee Confessions

My wife and I were out and about today, adventuring hither and yon when it occurred to us that we needed a cup of coffee. To the coffee bar we went; or rather, to the nearest Wawa which happened to be in Tuckerton. My wife had business to conduct in other parts of the store, which left me on my own to procure two cups of coffee by my lonesome. I poured in the Half & Half and the fake sweetener and noticed that a State Police Trooper had joined me to do the same. The barista was behind a bank of coffee urns toiling away with washing pots. I took my two cups over to the “Mexican Blend” and started pouring from that specific urn. I filled one and started filling the other when half way through the pour it sputtered and died. It was empty.

“I killed the Mexican.” I said to the barista behind the counter. I tapped the urn to identify the empty container. He slowly turned towards my direction and glanced at the Trooper.

“Huh?” he asked.

“…Perhaps I should have put that another way.” I said looking at the Trooper and back to the barista.

“BWA HA HA HA HA!”

“I really don’t know if I want too ask this but could you repeat that, Sir?” the trooper said looking squarely at me.

“…I said, ‘I killed the Mexican’ but I hear that confession is good for the soul.”

The three of us burst into laughter. Tears were running down my cheeks.

My wife joined me after the three players all went our separate ways. I explained the situation and she rightfully warned me about the dangers of being left to my own devices.

Wise woman that Lady of mine.

Video From Japan

While trolling around Twitter I found this posted on a Tweet. First person horror from Japan. This is not a movie. This is the real deal.


First Person Video.

It does not take all that long for the world to completely change. Here is CNN's "Live Blog" on the crisis: http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/03/13/japan-quake-live-blog-nine-people-test-positive-for-high-radiation-levels/

Please keep all those who have been affected by this tragedy in your prayers and your thoughts.

Dwayne McDuffie

Skilled writer of the “Justice League” TV series, “Justice League - Crisis on Two Earths” DVD film; creator of “Static Shock” & “ICON” and the co-creator of Milestone Comics has passed unexpectedly after surgery. He was 49.

Here are some sites that do his legacy better justice than I…

http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=30969

http://www.superherohype.com/news/articles/127049-comic-creator-dwayne-mcduffie-passes-away

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0568336/

The man was a rock solid writer. I loved his treatment of Batman in "Justice League - Crisis of the Two Earths". Spot on the money characterization. He was an inspiration & an innovator. He had stories left to tell.

Godspeed, Mr. McDuffie; Godspeed.



Artwork from CBR.

Happy Birthday to Mr. John Williams

“America’s Composer”, Mr. John Williams turns 79 today and here is a wonderful article about his life and his music from the people over at Pop Dose: http://popdose.com/the-composers-john-williams/?_r=true.

Simply an amazing body of work can be seen here: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0002354/ and the wonderful news is that the man is still working at his craft.

Thank you for the music Mr. Williams. I can’t wait to hear what’s next.

83rd Annual Academy Awards

Yes, it’s that time of year once more… Oscar has been spotted. It's time for the battle to be joined anew - Oscar Vs. Chicken!

But first...

Harry Knowles is one of my all-time favorite bloggers. He has been writing about movies even before there were things called, “bloggers”. On his site (aintitcoolnews.com) he is known as, “Head Geek” and that about sums it up. His site is one of the must stop places where both the unwashed and the true believers go to get their finger on the pulse of All Things Geek. Anyway, I tell you this, Gentle Reader, to give you somewhere to go if you desire a full and thorough rundown of all the films that have been nominated this year. You can find that here: http://www.aintitcool.com/node/48221.

Here at Chicken Scratch I’m gonna give you my spin on the down and dirty of the Academy Awards. Now some years are better than others, when speaking of the Academy voters. What should win and what does win are two entirely different animals. When picking winners in the Academy Awards one must think like the Academy thinks… It is in that vein that I humbly submit the following picks.

Best Actor: Jeff Bridges. The Dude will walk away with Oscar for a second consecutive time. Colin Firth or James Franco would be sweet too but with Bridges walks in two worlds; old Hollywood and modern American cinema.

Best Supporting Actor: Geoffrey Rush. He’s simply an amazing actor. Christian Bale is up there on the possibility scale too but 2010 remembers him better for blowing up at lighting guys than acting. I hear “The Fighter” is an amazing film but what’s going to stick out in the Academy’s mind are his tirades and not his talents.

Best Actress: Natalie Portman. Yup, the Academy will recognize her name from other outings although I hear her performance in “Black Swan” is pretty good – Oscar worthy good.

Best Supporting Actress: Helena Bonham Carter. Hailee Steinfeld did a pretty amazing job in “True Grit” but this year is Ms. Carter’s year.

Animated Film: “Toy Story 3”. I loved this film. It’s one of my favorite films released this past year. It pulls you in and just when you think you’ve got away unscathed it will undo your heartstrings all together. Pixar has yet to make a bad film and this is brilliant.

Best Visual Effects: “Iron Man 2”. “Inception” was amazing but watching Tony Stark in action on the big screen as Iron Man is pure, unadulterated eye candy.

Best Adapted Screenplay: Those Coen brothers again. “True Grit” is going to take it.

Best Original Screenplay: “The King’s Speech” will take this.

Art Direction: “Inception”. Christopher Nolan took a break from Gotham City to play in our dreams. Unbelievable that he didn’t get an Oscar nod for Best Director. “Inception” will take the Sound Editing too.

Documentary Feature: “Exit Through the Gift Shop”. The Academy wants to be ‘edgy’ and the act of embracing the artist Banky will let them believe they are.

Best Editing: “127 Hours” will walk away with the Oscar. “Inception”, a film that was not nominated for this category, should have at least been in the running. Oh well.

Best Makeup: Rick Baker will take this posthumously for “The Wolfman”. I really did not like this film for reasons that I have already expressed here at Chicken Scratch in the “Blu-Ray Dossier”; that being said the makeup effects are worth the nomination. Baker was a genius. Bottom line.

Best Original Musical Score: “The Social Network”. Trent Reznor will take it but what is practically highway robbery is the fact that Daft Punk’s soundtrack for “TRON Legacy” was not nominated. This is some of the most original music from the movies that has been heard in a long time. It’s a real shame the Academy was not given their score as a choice. This would have won. It should have won.

Best Cinematography: “True Grit”.

Best Director: The Coen brothers, Joel & Ethan for “True Grit”.

Best Picture: “True Grit”. The Academy has TEN nominations this year for the ‘Best Picture’ category. It’s gonna be “True Grit” although “Inception” (which has been ignored in most other categories) and “Toy Story 3” (which is animated and has no hope of EVER garnishing a ‘Best Picture’ win) is one of the best stories of the year. I’ve heard great things about “The King’s Speech” as well. “True Grit” is going home with the statue.

So there they are, my picks for the 83rd Academy Awards.

So who do you think will win?

We’ll find out together on 2/27/11.

See you then.

Blockbuster, Ramblings and the Blu-Ray Dossier

This particular Blu-Ray Dossier marks a milestone for this ole article here at Chicken Scratch. You see, Gentle Reader, in order to write about movies on Blu-ray one must either purchase them or rent them. The lion’s share of the movies on Blu-ray here that I’ve reviewed I have rented from Blockbuster; the corporate Juggernaut that rolled over all of the “ma & pa” video rental places during the last decade and made them vanish into the sepia images of memory. The corporation grew and grew and blotted out the sun from the other small businesses that peddled the film industries wares. They’re all extinct now. They fell victim to the future; they could not compete with the idea that one store could have so many copies of the movies that people wanted to see. Our hunger for instant gratification only fueled “ma & pa’s” demise. Why should we wait to see the movie we want to see when we can just go to Blockbuster and they’ll have a copy? Hey, I want to “go home happy”.

Where was I? …Oh yes, this blog marks the end of my / our Blockbuster exclusivity. Tonight we canceled our Blockbuster plan.

During the last three years we have rented 225 movies on DVD & Blu-ray; that’s on average 75 movies a year. We had the deal where you could receive up to three movies in the mail, swap ‘em at the local Blockbuster and get two coupons for ‘free’ movies a month. All this brought our total to $21.19 a month. Now let’s see here… that comes out to a total of $762.84 that we have spent to date – that’s about $3.39 per movie. Not too shabby in the long run and we have been running with them a long while. We stayed with Blockbuster not only because they were the only game in town (‘in town’ not via Netflix or cable) but because of a handful of true & dedicated movie fans who used to work there. These guys were Great – with a capitol G. They were not just ‘managers’ they were Movie Geeks and something that Blockbuster truly needed; a human face that actually gave two shakes of a Raisinets Box about film. They cared about movies and story and they bent over backwards for their customers and for their staff. These gentlemen are no longer there and now that the human factor is gone, so am I.

Not to sound too melodramatic but now it is Blockbuster’s turn on the endangered list. You see our hunger for instant gratification is fueling Blockbuster’s demise; and make no mistake; ‘demise’ is the right word. Why should we waste all that time to go to a brick and mortar Blockbuster when we can ‘rent’ a movie cheaper from Comcast or Netflix (which is MUCH cheaper than Comcast) and not even have to be concerned about returning it in the next day or two? Come to think of it with Netflix you can watch the movies / TV shows you want to watch wherever you wish be it in your living room you’re your laptop or on your smart phone. Some TV’s come with wireless connections just for downloading movies from Netflix these days. Do you have a Nintendo Wii or a Xbox 360? Yeah, you can download Netflix movies from these game systems too. Then there is Red Box. Red Box machines have popped up everywhere. You can rent a DVD for $1.00. “What about Blu-ray?” you may ask. Well, for $1.50 you can rent a Blu-ray from a Red Box. You can also return it to ANY Red Box kiosk. Blockbuster can not compete with that; nor can they compete with the future – downloadable content. Blockbuster has been trying to rearrange the furniture on the first class deck of the Titanic but no matter how neat & orderly the deck looks the ship is still sinking. It is hard to fight an idea whose time has come.

Let’s gaze into my crystal ball… into the future. What will it look like? DLC is the future. Downloadable Content for the distribution of media (movies, music, video games, information) will be the business standard in the coming years. And no matter how much I love my Blu-ray movies they too will give way to DLC in 1080p. No matter how much I may love my Xbox 360, my Sony PSIII, or even my Nintendo Wii video games there will simply be no reason why I will have to own a physical disk anymore. Blockbuster is hemorrhaging now, when the next – next generation game consoles hit Gamestop (a store that specializes in used video games) will fall as well. It’s the way of things and it is hard to fight against the future. I’m sure that there will be some sort of occasional effort from companies to have “Special Editions” of movies and games that are packaged with cool doodads, souvenirs, toys and statues but when you sit down to watch that movie or play that game you’ll enter a code from a card or you’ll simply click a button on a remote. It will be a world without discs. Theoretically, this should drive prices down since you will no longer have a physical Blu-ray or video game to take up space on your shelf but the price of this future is something that is still cloudy from the vision from my crystal ball.

Here’s to the hunger of instant gratification; the engine of society’s progress!

Now that I’ve said that and in that vein… I can move forward to actually reviewing some Blu-rays. At the Blu-Ray Dossier I review Blu-ray movies on a 5 star (5 is the best), two tiered system; the first rating is for the story and the second is for the jaw dropping Blu-ray quality. Here’s what I’ve been watching…

Despicable Me, 3 Stars / 4 Stars. I did not go into this one with high expectations but I was pleasantly surprised. The animation glistens and gleams in 1080p. The story is about a man who happens to be an evil genius who, through a series of misadventures becomes a dad. Good for the family. Go rent if for ‘em.

Knight & Day, 2.5 Stars / 3 Stars. A romantic comedy with explosions. I liked it and it is worth the rental. Tom Cruise and Cameron Diaz are the couple and they are fun to watch. Pop some popcorn; you’ll have a good time and YES this can be considered a “Date Movie”.

The A-Team, 3 Stars / 3 Stars. This is another one I was pleasantly surprised by. I LOVED watching original A-Team back in the day. This oozes nostalgia and seeing these characters in action again just had me grinning the whole picture through. There’s a bit of a breakdown in act III but it still delivers. If memory serves the movie didn’t break bank at the box office; still this is one franchise that I would love to see continue. Rent it, you’ll have a good time.

Resident Evil: Afterlife, 2.5 Stars / 3 Stars. The Resident Evil movies have always been loosely based on Sony’s Resident Evil video game franchise and this one is no different. It was originally released in 3D and shot with real 3D cameras instead of that horrid 2D to 3D process that some companies strain their new releases through. One thing I’ve noticed after 4 movies thus far, Paul W. S. Anderson is having a good time playing in the playground that he has created and I’ve got to give him kudos for that. He has written and directed each of the movies and they have been successful enough for Sony to keep asking him back. What can I say, I was entertained. Lots of ‘splosions and Anderson sets it up for part 5 which I will probably rent as well.

Grown Ups, 3 Stars / 3 Stars. A lot of reviewers have given this film a lot of flack and not all of it is deserved. I’ve heard, “It’s too crude” or “It’s not good for children!” Well that may be the case and it may not be for everyone but I’ll say this, it’s one of the most accurate portrayals of a group of men of a certain age that I’ve seen in a long time. Men are boys whose toys are more expensive; you may deny it but you know deep down that it rings true. Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Kevin James, Rob Schneider and David Spade play the adult versions of their younger selves and I, for one, enjoyed the heck out of it. Rent it but beware you may see yourself in this film; if you don’t or worse, you can’t; then you have my pity.

So there it is.

I wonder what I should call this article once Blu-ray discs become obsolete? I’ll have to ponder that one.

Until next time, Gentle Reader, I’ll see you at the Red Box.