DYK

Don't get too excited, I haven't forgotten how to spell, just time for some..

Wire Did-You-Know:

Clark Johnson, who directed the finale, and plays Gus Haynes in the final season, actually grew up in Canada, even attending both Ottawa universities.
He was also a very talented football player, and he was drafted into the CFL, before playing a short while in the NFL.
He was kicked out of Eastern Michigan U because he got caught stealing turkey dogs from the cafeteria.

Truth in Language

Jon Lajoie strikes again with more gold.



check out his other videos here.

Charlie

Just another Charlie bit me remix, this one is a very new take on it, however.

Ten Horrible Uses of my Time

I made a promise to a friend that I would post about my ten favourite television shows of all time. This really has become a top ten favourite television shows of today, because I have a far more vested interest in television now than I ever did in my youth.

I'll start with some of my unfortunate near misses.

In my youth, I was a huge fan of Teddy Ruxpin, great show. I also loved Darkwing Duck, and ReBoot.

As the years passed I moved into some bigger and better things. Namely, Sliders, and Psi Factor.

Finally, High School came along, and I pretty much tuned out from TV altogether, however I rarely missed an episode of Prison Break, 24, or even the oft-maligned teen serial, The OC.

In all honesty, however, none of these shows come close to my top ten, because, let's face it, before University I rarely watched any HBO or showcase, the two greatest cable channels in the history of cable.

Let's get to it.

10. Flight of the Conchords.

A fabulous show that somehow contains more awkward silences than my own life. I may have laughed harder at 'I'm not crying' than I have at anything else, ever.

9. Heroes.

After a first season that was tantamount to a thousand nuns first experiencing orgasms, the sophomoric debut was middling, at best. However there are few shows that are as cinematic and thrilling from week to week as Tom Kring's science fiction thriller.

8. Curb Your Enthusiasm.

This show... it's pretty, pretty, prettay good. Larry David is a master at poking fun at his own perilously perturbed personality. There are no other shows out there than can even approach the mastery of the uncomfortable humor like Curb.

7. Weeds.

There's a reason that I've got a Weeds poster on my wall, and it's not Heylia James. This hellishly funny sitcom based in what could be any suburban paradise captures perfectly a mother with pure unadulterated wit and frustration. As a bonus for Daniel Ehman, you get to see Lex Steele's flaccid penis.

6. Real World/Road Rules Challenges.

I do not understand how this show is so wildly under appreciated. It contains some of the best athletes/partiers in the world jockeying for position in a dizzying competition, competition, hook-up, drama sequence every single week. There are no reality shows that come close to this, and few scripted shows that can compare.

5. Entourage.

I think that Mark Whalberg would consider it a serious VICTORY! for his self-inspired show about the trials and tribulations of celebrity to be rated this highly on a very competitive list. HBO strikes again with some fabulous characters and a show about a lifestyle we all desperately wished we had. Bonus points for shouting out to Nova Scotia.

4. Lost.

I am actually a little surprised at my own rating here. JJ Abrams has put together one heck of a twisting masterpiece with this modern day lord of the flies. Every single week I wait in anticipation just to get one more tiny piece of the puzzle. This show is king among cliffhangers, and ropes you in for an hour to learn 2 minutes of new information.

3. The Shield.

If it weren't for a certain #1 ranked show, this gritty crime drama would be tops on this list. However, because of it's unfavourable comparisons to the best show in the history of shows, it must stay down here. Scenes as sad as the one where Shane kills Lem are few and far between. Bonus- CCH Pounder is the coolest name ever.

2. Dexter.

Darkly Dreaming Dexter is the basis for one of the greatest bandwagon shows in history. I have never seen a show that kept an entire continent with such bated breath. Michael C. Hall plays easily the most likable serial killer since Ted Bundy. Too soon?

1. The Wire.

It's not even close. I have never felt more connected to a show in my life. David Simon has created his own Greek Tragedy, and he's done it incredibly well. The list of characters I love is phenomenally long. From the obvious police, right down to the street level corner boys, the west-side kingpins, down to the harsh longshoremen. I actually believe there is nothing I love more than this show.

... The Life of Kings

... LIVE BLOG
PS- major spoiler alert, so don't tune in if you're planning on.. tuning in.

This episode is called -30- because apparently, that is newspaper jargon to signify the end.

First scene- Hilarious, Norman is amazing. He would have added some serious flair to the newsroom antics alongside Gus, Templeton, Fletch, Alma, Klebanow, Whiting, et al. Unsurprisingly, it looks like Daniels wants to come down hard on this sneaky business, while Carcetti and his smarmy aide that appears in season 5 want to twist this for their campaign. Fine line between heaven and here, eh, Tommy?

Lester's with Gary, the leak in the courthouse. Gary says "I always wondered if they'd get their shit together. But that's Baltimore isn't it?"
I'd love a count of how many times we've heard some variation on those words in this show, it would be astronomical.

Bunk Moreland- "Like a war, ain't it? Easy to get in, hell to get out." Oh David Simon, you politically leaning motherfucker.

OK, I stopped live blogging, I was far too engrossed in another magnificent episode.

So, Clark Johnson (who plays Gus, the silver tongued, loquacious copy editor at the sun) fittingly directed the finale, since he started it off by directing the premiere. I love the premiere primarily for the very first scene, with Snot Boogie.

Great episode. It threw me for a loop a few times. I was certain that McNulty would end up in jail, and when they showed him lying down on the pool table for the Irish wake at Kavanaugh's I thought maybe he had killed himself. Luckily it was just a roast and once again we get hope for Jimmy to live the straight life, even if some of us love his drunken life (Dan.)

There has been a lot of conversation at my favourite blog on the entire World Wide Web, Heaven and Here, regarding who is the 'next' who. This is an easy exercise to do and one that is not a total waste of time. David Simon has said repeatedly that everything is cyclical and that the 4th season was not just a commentary on the school systems, but also a narrative that shows how some of our favourite characters come to be. Some obvious parallels exist. Duquan is very clearly this generation's Bubbles, working as an Arabber, and shooting up. Michael is clearly a new Omar, even carrying his shotgun in tow. Randy we can't really say, as he hardly shows up this season, but perhaps the originally obvious parallel of Prop Joe makes sense, especially considering that he now has hardened due to the foster care facility. As for Naymond, I'm not sure we have an arc for Nay to follow, an enthusiastic former corner boy growing up clean. Easy to say it would be Colvin, but I'm not sure that really fits. Originally many had Kima pegged as the next McNulty, but clearly she has evolved over the course of these five seasons. I would say that Sydnor is quite clearly the new McNulty, judging by (no pun intended) his meeting with Judge Phelan. Fletcher, the kind reporter who does the piece on Bubbs, I think will become a very Gus-esque character, although I sort of feel the same way about Alma.

Some scenes I loved-
Cheese getting popped by Slim Charles; I have been hoping that Slim would make a return this episode, and he did not disappoint.
Dukie meeting up with Pryzbylewski; I hated watching it, but it was well done. Prezbo with a graying beard seems right to me.
McNulty verbally assaulting Templeton; beautiful, and necessary.
I loved seeing Marlo at the luncheon with Levy, it was very reminiscent of Avon going to business meeting with Stringer. Both try to live right but feel uncomfortable without the rules of the street.

One scene I didn't like much was with Michael sticking up Vincent at the rims shop. David Simon has expressed that Omar was originally only going to be around for seven episodes in the first season, but because of vapid fan interest, he kept him around. For such a character, who clearly had become a bit super human over the seasons, to be reproduced so easily by Michael felt forced to me. Not really a scene, but I was disappointed that we missed a chance at seeing Donut, one of my favourite supporting characters in the whole show.

All in all it was a beautiful, and touching finale. I'm glad that they once again stuck with their cyclical nature, and played the original Blind Boys of Alabama cover of 'Down in the Hole' for the finishing montage. And I was glad to see Kenard in bracelets, Valchek getting introduced as Deputy Officer (I immediately knew it would be him, or Marrimow, but clearly Marrimow hasn't risen up the ranks high enough to get that kind of promotion,) Spider finally 'getting it' and running the corner right, Slim Charles with Vondas and the Greek, and Chris and Wee Bey befriending one another in prison.

I love this show, and I hope and pray that it will finally get it's due at the Emmy's this year.
Finally, please do check out Heaven and Here for much more insightful commentary than I could ever hope to provide.

Love & Basketball

I'm sure most people have heard about LeBron's fan meet, or even seen the video.
That is not the point of my post.
If you watch to the end, you see LBJ doing a ridiculous high five with Ben Wallace. I never knew an offensive liability with disinterested defense would excite LeBron like that.

Weezy's Breezy

After witnessing a hair-raising video over at No Way Jose, I am now officially on the Lil' Wayne bandwagon.
You can find me on mininova, downloading some albums.