Battlestar Galactica Finale: Its Not Too Late For a Post Mortem

**Warning! Here there be spoilers**

You might think its too late to dissect Battlestar Galactica, since the final episode aired over a week ago, (Friday, March 20) but considering that Hulu and SciFi only uploaded the two hour finale over the weekend, I don’t care what you think.  The fact is that, I canceled cable and I’ve been at the mercy of the idiots at SciFi (Syfy) who have kept me a week behind for the entirety of the last half of the last season.

I really enjoyed Battlestar Galactica, but there were times when I wasn’t sure I could watch anymore.  There have been points in all the seasons in which I almost gave up, but its the characters that always brought me back. I couldn’t abandon Starbuck, the Adamas, Helo, even the ever narcissistic Baltar.  Those season finales always made it worth the trouble and had a tendency to blow your socks off. read more

The Final Days of Bromance, Bro

Can two guys be friends anymore without being accused of their friendship being a “bromance”? In the past few months, the term has become mainstream and a bit over-used. Urban Dictionary defines bromance as “the complicated love and affection shared by two straight males.” The word came to the forefront this year because of an show of the same name, starring Brody Jenner, from MTV’s The Hills. Yes, he really is named Brody!

So what might be causing all of this bromance? Psychologist say it has to do with a few factors. First, the average age of marriage has been pushed back from age 23 to 27 (into the early 30s for people in college/university). It was less than 50 years ago when a man would graduate, find a job, and get married — all within the same month. Today, young men are more apt to delay serious relationships. Companionship needs are being met by friends and casually dating, while these bachelors are enjoying their independence with the purposeful delay of traditional adulthood. Another reason for the term catching on is society’s apathy for being conceived as gay. Many guys considered to be in a ‘bromance’ often partake in beer, football, and date women. If the name implies anything, its strictly ironic. read more

The Terrible Secret of Space

Do not trust the Pusher Robot!  Its a blast from the past I thought everyone had seen.  Apparently I was wrong.  I recently sent this in a link to a few people and none of them had heard of it.  If you’ve been lurking the internet for a while now, you may have already come to love or hate this particular video.  If you have only just started following these things you may have missed out.

Long before the rickroll, and years before YouTube saved us from boredom Something Awful gave us entertainment.  It is similar to “All Your Base Are Belong To Us”, however” “The Terrible Secret of Space” seems to lack the staying power.  So, on this lazy Sunday, enjoy a fun techno, crazy video, and please go stand by the stairs.

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A Universe of Lists

I have to admit, I love Top Ten Lists and trivia. I don’t know what it is that makes me love them, I just do.  If crappy shows on VH1 are any indication I’m not alone. Maybe it’s the anticipation of waiting to see what number one will be, or maybe its just an interesting look inside the opinions and psyche of the list writer. Before we delve into what it is that makes people gravitate towards lists or the number ten, lets move on. Delving is boring and best left to the professionals.

Listverse is a site that can devour hours upon hours of time. There are lists on a wide variety of topics and everyday a new one is posted.  If the list posted today isn’t something you’re interested in, pop back in 24 hours and a new one will be waiting. Although, you could try reading lists beyond your interests, you might learn something new!  Some of my favorite lists have been total surprises, based on topics I didn’t think I’d be interested in. read more

Cable TV Ala Carte: Who’s in Your Top Five?

Does anyone, who is not a coma victim, watch the Golf Channel?  Is anyone without insomnia watching HSN or QVC?  Isn’t the need to buy useless crap fulfilled by the Internet now?

There are at least 15 channels in everybody’s cable TV lineup that are completely useless. Admit it, for $60 a month, you are paying for a lot of content that you’ll never watch.  Ratings are sinking since the web has arrived. Ratings have even taken serious blows since the highly adopted use of TIVO and DVRs. Most people in the know don’t watch a talking head for 20 minutes to find out which mission critical toxin “might” be present in their cupboards. Anyone with half a brain knows that real content today is delivered on-demand and chosen to reflect your interests.

Gone are the days of spending a half an hour with your eyes glued a scrolling marquee on the lower portion of ESPN. Today you check your phone or ESPN’s own web site for the score.  Today you can use your computer or mobile phone and have all of of the day’s news fed directly to you.  So why are we still paying for cable as a complete service when we only want the programming we actually watch? read more

Somebody, Somewhere — Somebody loves me!

If you’re a fan of modern rock that sounds from its another era (think The Strokes), then you need to check out the London-based Cazals. The five piece indie rock group’s debut album, What of Our Future was released last year in Europe on French label, Kitsuné Music. Even though the album has been out for more than a year in Europe, North America is finally getting a taste of the first single, Somebody, Somewhere this month. Check out the fun animated video above for a clever mix of live action and animation. The last time an animated character and a human tore it up in a music video, Paula Adbul and M.C. Skat Cat were cutting a rug in Opposites Attract.

If you dig this song, you can get the North American version of the album at at a local retailer on The:Hours music label. You can also get this single as a free (and legal) mp3 download via the download link below. read more

Is the world ready for another Muppet movie?

When we last left the Muppets, they were singing in last year’s Christmas special on NBC. Since Disney’s acquisition of the Muppets franchise in 2004, there has been a series of low budget bombs (Muppets’ Wizard of Oz, Studio DC: Almost Live!) that make the public wish Jim Henson were still alive. A recent report is now creating a buzz about the newest Muppet film currently in production. The working title for the film, “The Best Muppet Movie of All Time,” is slated to hit theaters sometime next year.

The script is being written by Jason Segal and Nick Stoller. You might remember them as the star and director of Forgetting Sarah Marshall,  respectively. Jason is said to have been the motivation behind this project, actually approaching Disney and the Henson Company with his idea. I’m all for someone with a passion for puppets! The new script is rumored to be heavy on celebrity cameos including Rachel Ray, Anne Hathaway, Vince Vaughn, Bob Saget, Lisa Lampenelli and others.

The report goes on to describe how the writers are hard at work trying to respectfully tie-in the plots from previous Muppet films, including cameo by Charles Grodin, whose character was incarcerated in The Great Muppet Caper. There are also efforts to incorporate the story of the original Muppet Show by having the main characters struggle to save the vaudeville-style theater the series took place in. All of the main Muppets are slated to be in the upcoming film, including the new addition of  Walter, a brown nondescript puppet. read more

The Weird Merchandise from the Watchmen

I had the pleasure of getting to see The Watchmen this week. Having never read the graphic novel, the film was somewhat of a surprise to me. Although the super hero film genre has been exhausted lately, I still found the movie a fun escape. As Spider-man, Batman, and the X-men have proven, each successful super hero franchise comes with a load of merchandise. Here are a few of my favorites:

Rorschach Ski Mask
This ink blot mask  is perfect to protect your identity while you’re robbing a bank…I mean fighting bad guys.

Night Owl Dark Roast
Super heroes have to stay up late. Of course they need an all organic coffee.

Dr. Manhattan Lunchbox
Send your kid to school with a lunchbox that features a glowing naked man on it. read more

Dear Lolcats, I think you’ve had enough cheezeburgers

It has come to my attention that I use too many cat photos for my articles.  Its not that I like using cat photos, but usually I’m left with little choice.

Cats are cute and all, I like them well enough.  I would have one as a pet if i were less lazy, if i weren’t mildly allergic and if I wouldn’t have to put down a huge deposit for my apartment.

I HATE the Lolcats trend though.  I don’t mind photo’s with captions.  I don’t even mind cat photos with captions.  What I hate is the intentional misspelling and misuse of the English language. What I hate even more is how much other people seem to be obsessed with the “can has cheeseburger” situation.

“I can has cheeseburger” fanatics are worse than new parents with their child’s photos.   We all have friends like this.  Every damn link they send you is of a F–king lolcat!  The popularity of this site has every asshole with a digital camera taking snapshots of their cats and plastering them up with lame misspelled captions attached.

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Free iTunes Coupon for SXSW Sampler

Every year a mix of artists, press, and party-goers head to Austin, TX for one of the biggest conferences in the country. South by Southwest (SXSW) is actually three festivals back-to-back, which include film, music, and interactive (technology). Austin is considered the “live music capital” of the US, and draws some of the biggest musical talent from around the globe.

You can download a complete free album (legally, of course) courtesy of NPR Music. The sampler album is a collection of NPR-featured artists that are also preforming at SXSW. The download comes in the form of a coupon code that you can redeem on iTunes.

Click below for the code…
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