Saturday, September 18, 2010

Watching True Blood

After years of wanting to see this series ( I don't have HBO) I finally rented Disc 1 of the first season. Everyone I talked too and who knows me said I would enjoy it. So last night Harry and I sat down to watch episode 1. Harry wasn't sold on it yet but said he would watch the first episode and then let me know if he wanted to continue or not.

We watched it and then a few moments later we watched the second episode and would have continued to watch if there were more then 2 episodes on that disc.

Needless to say I LOVED IT.

Though it's been out for a while I didn't really know much about it.. I mean I knew it was about vampires and that the main character Sookie was telepathic. But that was about it. I didn't know the Vampires "Came out of the Caskets" and were fighting for civil rights. Which was AWESOME because it pretty much mirrors gay people and how they are fighting for their rights, minus the undead, killing people part. :) Lot's of blood, which I expected and didn't mind. Lot's of sex which I don't mind or course.. but I guess I'm not use to it in TV shows, though I did watch Sex and the City a bit. But the one thing that really surprised me about the first few episodes was the humor.. both Harry and I laughed out loud, though out both episodes. There was some great dialogue.. and I liked how you cared about the characters so quickly. The main characters were charming, funny and charismatic. I mean we've only seen two episode but when Sookie was getting . attacked you just wanted Bill to come and rescue her and kill that couple. Which he does in the next episode but man I was hoping he would make them suffer a bit.

Anyways... I'm bummed that there are only two episodes per disc and that it will take at least 2 days to return the disk and get a new one.. I might have to go out and buy me the DVD's for my Birthday unless I can find a friend who has them already.

I can't wait to see more of this series.

Friday, September 17, 2010

Star Wars: The Clone Wars - Season 3 Premiere

This is one series I have been really looking forward to returning. I'm a HUGE Star Wars fan and have loved The Clone Wars since it started a few years ago. It's one of those rare series that I have to see the episodes if not live then within a few hours of it's airing. Tonight was the premiere of Season 3 and it was actually 2 episodes back to back.

The first episode was focus on a group of clone trooper trainees. I really liked it, had some very emotional parts. Didn't realized at the time but we saw these troopers in a previous episode in season 2 when they were protecting a remote base. I even got the reference to THX-1138 in this episode.. nice little node to the Star Wars fans

That's one thing about this series is that it's not in chronological order. Episodes air that can happen before the ones you've already seen.

The second episode brought back the two surviving troopers from the episode we just saw and that's when I realized who they were. The second episode tonight was action packed, we got two lightsaber battles with Grievous vs Obi Wan & Ventress vs Anikan. And lots of Clone Trooper story. I love that they are showing these Trooper as individual even though they all look alike they are all very much different.

I can't wait for next Friday to watch another episode and at the end of October Season 2 comes out on Blu-ray and I can't tell you how beautiful it looks in HD.

More TV Shows That I Miss!!!

Earlier this month I blogged about some of my favorite TV shows that were cancelled way to soon. I tried for the most part to include only Sci fi (with exception to Twin Peaks).Top 10 Sci Fi TV Series: Gone Before Their Time

After posting that blog I received several comments bringing up some other really good show. These aren't really Sci Fi and are more Fantasy but I truly miss these as well so I'm going blog about those right now.

These are not in any particular order.

1. Pushing Daisies
October 3, 2007 to June 13, 2009

Ned possesses the unique talent of being able to bring the life to dead merely by touching them. However, the person may remain alive only for one minute, or else someone else dies for them. A second touch will render the person dead again, unable to be revived. Through his connections with PI Emerson Cod, Ned revives his childhood sweetheart, Chuck. The trio, aided occasionally by Olive Snook, helps solve the mysteries of various murders, whose murderer is often surprising.

This series made it for 2 seasons, but unfortunately the writers strike happened and only 9 of those episodes were finished. Luckily those 9 did decent numbers and it was brought back from another season, but it took almost a year for it to come back and ABC never repeated the first season so when it came back the ratings were horrible and it was cancelled after a 13 episode run. So even though we got 2 seasons we truly only got 22 episodes which is really just a full 1 season.

I wanted to see this series just from the commercials, It was visually stunning and the cinematography was BEAUTIFUL!!!! After the first episode I was in LOVE. This was and will always be one of my all time favorite TV series.. it's just sad that we got so few episodes.. but man the episode we did get... AWESOME!!!!! Luckily they were told early enough that they were not getting picked up that the creators when back and re-wrote the finale and kind of wrapped up some of the stories in the last few minutes. So we got a semi-closure to the story.

2. Legend of the Seeker
November 1, 2008 - May 22, 2010

Millions of readers the world over have been held spellbound by this valiant tale vividly told. Now, enter Terry Goodkind's world, the world of The Sword of Truth. In the aftermath of the brutal murder of his father, a mysterious woman, Kahlan Amnell, appears in Richard Cypher's forest sanctuary seeking help...and more. His world, his very beliefs, are shattered when ancient debts come due with thundering violence. In their darkest hour, hunted relentlessly, tormented by treachery and loss, Kahlan calls upon Richard to reach beyond his sword-to invoke within himself something more noble. Neither knows that the rules of battle have just changed...or that their time has run out. This is the beginning. One story. One Rule. Witness the birth of a legend.

I hadn't read the books but knew of them so I was really looking forward to this series. There are so few "fantasy" TV series out there. This show did not disappoint, it was beautifully shot, acted and the stories were fun. The SFX were good even thought it was a lower budgeted show. The chemistry between the two main characters was great. They diverted from the books quite a bit but these stories were just as entertaining. The series ran two seasons and it really looked like it was going to be picked up for a third when out of no where it was cancelled.

3. John Doe
September 2002 - May 2003

John Doe is an intelligent adventure series, named after the main character, albeit not by name: 'John Doe' is called thus because nobody knows the name of the man who literally fell from the sky, naked, in the sea near an obscure island. When Far Eastern fishermen save him, it soon becomes clear his memory is in a paradoxical state: he has total amnesia concerning his own past, even his real name, but has more factual knowledge stored in his brain then even the Google computer banks on every possible other subject, as if he had memorized the Library of Congress, so one rarely needs to read anything when he's around. He also is intelligent and inquisitive enough to understand and use much of that knowledge, and keeps rolling into all kinds of weird mysteries, teaming up with various characters, each of which must first be convinced he's legit, such as police detectives Frank Hayes and Jamie Avery, but gets frustrated by finding his own story the most elusive, probably linked to some secret experiment.

This was a fun mystery series. This was the Lost before there were tons of series like Lost. It was a slow builder but entertaining. Every week you got a little bit more into the story until it got to the finale where they killed off one of the main characters (very shocking) and revealed other huge clues that really pushed the story forward... then.. yep it was cancelled on the cliffhanger never to know what was going to happen.

4. Kyle XY

June 26, 2006 - March 16, 2009

A Seattle family takes in an amnesiac teen (Dallas), whom they eventually learn has mysterious powers and psychic abilities, the result of a secret human cloning experiment conducted years earlier. The family helps teach Kyle human behaviors such as anger, joy and love, and guards him against forces who seek to use Kyle for their own nefarious purposes.

I saw previews of this series and really liked what I saw..but when it first aired I missed a few episode and had to go online to get them. Once caught up I started watching this on a regular bases. This series ran for 3 seasons (S1 - 10 episodes, S2 - 23 episodes, S3 - 10 episodes). The main character, not only was super cute but very charismatic and you couldn't help but love him. The family that take him in were your typical family which was nice to see. As the series continued the stories got more and more complex as we find out more and more about Kyle XY.

That is one think I really liked about this series is they gave you answers at the end of each season, and of course would ask more questions. They assumed they were going to get picked up for a fourth season so they left us with many big cliffhangers to never be resolved. But even knowing that I would watch the series all over again and it's a fun family, kind of magical series. And it's one that I will always miss.

5. Roar
Summer of 1997

Roar
chronicles the extraordinary life of Conor, a reluctant 20-year-old orphaned prince who must rise above tragedy to lead his people to freedom. Conor takes on a band of ragtag allies that include Tully, a teenage apprentice magician; Catlin, a beautiful former slave; and Fergus, Conor's big-hearted, ebullient protector.

Their primary struggle is against Longinus, a supernatural creature whose true essence is that of a 400-year-old Roman centurion ready to do the bidding of evil Queen Diana, an emissary of the Romans. In this fight for freedom, what is most important for Conor and his people is the Roar—the roar of the land, the roar of the people—a voice that echoes through every living creature and is the power of life.

I love stories set in this time, and really enjoyed this series from the beginning. This was Heath Ledger first US TV shows. There was a nice mixer of action, story and magic. It only lasted 8 episodes before it was cancelled leaving 5 unaired episodes. Luckily the entire series was put on DVD a few years ago so I could enjoy a few more episodes that never aired.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

A Healthier Me - Day 32

Started my workout day with a 30 minute walk around the park with Daisy. Then started my regular workout..

Today's Workout:

45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
3 sets of 10 for shoulders (45 lbs)
3 sets of 10 on the front leg press (45 lbs)
3 sets of 10 for my triceps (70 lbs)
3 sets of 10 on squats (90 lbs)

Continued with my 45 minute cardio and found with the right music the time just flies by.

Wednesday, September 15, 2010

A Healthier Me - Day 31

Back is better, so I did a full workout today and it felt great. Up'd my cardio to 45 minutes and next Monday I'll up my workout weight, think I'll add 5 to 10 lbs to each.

Today's Workout:

30 minutes of cardio on the elliptical
3 sets of ten on the chest fly for my chest (60 lbs)
3 sets of ten on the curl arm for my biceps (45 lbs)
3 sets of ten on the free weight (90 lbs)
3 sets of ten working on my back (60lbs)

So glad I still did my cardio even with my bad back as it kept me in a routine. I knew if I took two days off on top of taking off two days over the weekend I would have a hard time starting back up.

Knights of the Guild Ep 20 pt1

download from itunes http://bit.ly/KotGCast & direct download/listen http://knightsoftheguild.com

Show Notes:

Here it is Episode 20 part 1 of Knights of the Guild… Enjoy!!!

Today’s show features:

  • * First up a classic Vorkism
  • * We are recording this weeks podcast live in our studios and we have a special co-host Mark Donica
  • * We have a great Crew Interview with the wonderful Guild Producer Kim Evey
  • * We find out what the cast and crew are up too
  • * We have some Listener Feedback
  • * We also announce winners of our end of month contest for August and our winner for our itunes Review contest as well as talk about continuing contests
  • * Then Business Time (I continue to use our contest entries as they are so good)
  • * Then our Good byes

Thank you again for all your support, we do this podcast because we are fans and more importantly for the fans.

Kenny & Jenni

Other Important Links

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

KOTG CompanionCast S4E9

download itunes http://bit.ly/KotGCast & direct download/listen http://knightsoftheguild.com

Show Notes:

It’s time for our next CompanionCast for Season 4 of The Guild. First of all be sure you watched Episode 9 of season 4 “Pirate Paddy”. If you haven’t seen it yet watch it HERE There is also a bonus video (Full Cheesybeards Commercial) which you can see HERE

What is a CompanionCast?? It’s a behind the scene look at the current episode of The Guild.

In this CompanionCast I interview Felicia Day, Sean Becker, Kim Evey, Greg Aronowitz, Tymberlee Hill and Vince Caso

I hope you enjoy a look behind the scenes of Season 4 Episode 9 “Pirate Paddy

Kenny

Other Important Links

A Healthier Me - Day 30

Still having back issues but nothing like the past few days so that's good.. I'm on the mend. I decided to once again take it easy on tonight's workout as I didn't want to hurt my back more.. I'm hoping by tomorrow night I'll be able to get back to my full workout.

Today's Workout:

45 minutes of cardio on the elliptical

Yay!! I did a full 45 minutes on the cardio today, which is what I really want to do from here on out and actually in another month get up to 1 hour of cardio a day. I did not do any weight training as again I didn't want to hurt my back. But I was happy with what I accomplished for today.

Harry Potter: Film Wizardry Book

Just read about this and I can't wait for this to come out. I love "Making of" types of books and combine it with Harry Potter and it's pure Galleons!!!

Monday, September 13, 2010

A Healthier Me - Day 29

So much for my new work out regime. I had planned to increase my cardio to 45 minutes and add 5 lbs to each of my weight sets. But on Saturday I visited with family and while playing with my nephew I tweaked my back and woke up on Sunday in extreme pain. Was hoping it was just sore from the extreme workout of playing with him.. but had a really rough night sleeping and once again woke up in pain. Soaked in the tub and took some domes for back pain and it helped a bit but I try and bend over or move the wrong way and I get a sharp pain.

Since it's Monday I did weight myself and it was 213.5, good news I didn't gain weight but bad news I didn't lose any weight.

Today's Workout:

22 minutes of cardio on the elliptical

I was hoping to do a full 30 at least but I didn't want to push it.. so I stopped at 22 when my back starting giving me an issue. I knew I couldn't do any free weights or chest press but was hoping to at least to some arm curls but I tried once and felt the pain in my back and stopped... I need to heal fast so I don't want to make it worse.. would rather take it slow with the workouts for the next few days rather then being able not to work out for a few weeks because I over do it.

Also Harry and are really working on eating better.. we got some books that my Dad's nutritionist gave him so when we go food shopping this week will be more conscious of what we buy.. I hope this will help with my weight lose as I'm getting frustrated that I'm going onto week six and have only lost 1.5 lbs.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Getting Old

Yesterday Harry and I went to visit my Dad, Brother, Sister-in-Law and Nephew Kenobi. He's now 15 months and about 30lbs. I played with him for a few hours.. during that play I would pick him up and pretend to drop him over and over and over. He kept laughing so hard and wanted to do it again I couldn't say no.. I would swing him around, or pretend he was flying.. but I was getting tired.. finally I couldn't do it anymore and collapsed on the floor sweating and exhausted.

On the drive home Harry knew I was sore and tired and said, "You still want one of those" and my answer was "Yes". I've always wanted a child and thought they are alot of work and I'm getting older I still would love one.. but if all I every get are nephews and nieces I'll be happy with that.

Oh man... this morning I woke up and my back is in so much pain, every muscle is killing me. But with that said it was totally worth is just to hear Kenobi giggly and laugh.. he loves his uncle Kenny.

Getting a Tattoo

Yep I am planning on getting a tattoo for my 40th birthday. I've wanted to get one for many years but never did it. I mean it's something that is permanently on your body and coming up with something that you want to have on your body all the time is tough. But the real reason I haven't done it is because I have five geeky loves that I know I wouldn't mind having a piece of them on my body. Star Wars, Star Trek, Firefly, Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. My initial idea was to do some kind of large tattoo that would encompass all five of these things and that is really why I haven't done the tattoo yet because I can't figure out first of all what I want that would represent each thing and then second figure out how to combine them all of them.

Recently my brother informed me that Moose (one of my oldest friends) is having a Tattoo party at my brother's house on the 24th. Something just clicked and I told myself I'm going to get a tattoo and it will be of one of these things that I love. Since I can't figure out how to combine them all why not just get 5 different tattoos... so that is my plan. I won't be getting all five at once.. but I do plan on starting with one.

So now I have to decide on which geeky love to put on my body first and what will represent that love.

Star Wars: I'm pretty set on what I want to represent my love of Star Wars... R2D2, he's my favorite character and always has been through all six movies. It was a no brainer that I wanted him.. only issue now is in what position do I want him?? Found this picture and thought it was pretty cool.. but will continue to look.

Star Trek: This has been a lot tougher as I love so many things in Star Trek but I'm currently leaning towards The Borg or maybe the Borg Queen. I know The Borg would be a more complex tattoo and would need to rather large to get all the detail in. So I'm still up in the air for my Star Trek tattoo.

Firefly: When I think of Firefly you automatically think of Serenity (the ship). I've always loved the style of that ship. But then I was thinking of something more obscure and do two blue hands (now if you're a fan of Firefly you'll know what that means). Or maybe the Fruity Oaty Bar girls or Blue Sun symbol. Yeah I'm still up in the air for Firefly.. but it will be one of those things.

Harry Potter: This was another tough one for me as I LOVE Harry Potter and was trying to come up with something when there are so many great things. Of course the first thing that folks said to me when they found out I wanted to get a Harry Potter Tattoo.. "get the dark mark". But that never really appealed to me. I thought about getting a character done but I'd be afraid that it wouldn't look like the person. So I think what I'm going to get is the Hogwarts School Crest.. that represents Hogwarts and the four houses. I found a really nice tattoo of one and really like it.

Lord of the Rings: Pretty much since the movie came out I knew I wanted "One Ring to Rule Them All" elfish script tattoo'd around my upper arm. Never questioned it.. this is what I want to get for my LOTR tattoo.

So on Sept. 24th I'll be getting one of these tattoos. I'm thinking it will be either R2D2 or LOTR since I know I want those for sure. Even though I would love to have Harry Potter be my first, I still have a few weeks to figure this out.. but I am getting one done. And of course I'm going to video tape the process and take pictures to share will all you wonderful people.