- caught the latter half of Jurassic Park on cable this weekend and i've got to say, i forgot just how much fun that movie is. is it a GREAT movie? well, i don't know. there is some great camera work, and they try to work in some deeper issues, but honestly it still is just a popcorn summer blockbuster that pales in comparison to the book. however, it's great FUN.
- as many of you know, i haven't been to the beach yet since i've been here. 10 months and counting. first i just never went, and now it's like "well let's see if i can live here in Hawaii without ever going to the beach." well, my aunt and uncle are in town for the week and tonight we were walking around Waikiki (the Disneyland of Hawaii) and we ended up on the beach. now, i'm not going to count it as "going to the beach" because 1) it was night, so i wasn't soaking up any sun, and 2) i didn't go in the water. for me to "go to the beach," it would have to be during the day either to soak up some rays or to go swimming (or both). what i did tonight, that was just a stroll on the beach. :)
- anyone else think the NFL playoff games this weekend were rather lackluster? granted, i was only able to catch one of them in full (the rest i caught highlights of on ESPN), but they just lacked a certain something. even the Pittsburgh/Jacksonville game (the one i watched), where Pittsburgh came back only to lose in the end... it almost felt like it was all staged, fixed. i don't know. well, go Packers next weekend. they got a tough game ahead of them, facing the red-hot veteran Seahawks.
- k
Monday, January 7
Saturday, January 5
i love me some well-written Spider-Man - a review of Spider-Man: Reign
so mainstream Spider-Man hasn't been treated the best lately.
first there was the questionable Spider-Man 3 movie (which i still loved, but saw many of the flaws that everyone else did - i just chose to look past them and enjoy the overall experience). if you want my lengthy remarks on the movie, check for my post from a few months ago.
then there's the debacle that is Amazing Spider-Man the comic book. ever since "The Other" storyline 2 years ago, it's been tainted by what i'd call "editorial mandates" - meaning maybe the writer (the wonderful J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame) wanted to do something with the character but the editors of the books had ol' Spidey fitting in to their plans in a different way. first Spidey moved in and joined the Avengers and Tony Stark/Iron Man became his mentor/father figure. not so bad, so whatever. THEN they had Spidey do something quite uncharacteristic in Civil War (it made national headlines it was so out-of-character). and NOW... well let's just say that the editorial machine that is Marvel has lost a faithful reader with their latest mainstream Spidey decision. i am done collecting Amazing Spider-Man for the foreseeable future.
however, there ARE creators out there still writing great Spider-Man stories. two of my ongoing favorites are Ultimate Spider-Man (which focuses on a younger Peter Parker and isn't bogged down by 40 years of history) and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (which is more like a high school drama, focusing on the friendships of Mary Jane, Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, and Spider-Man).
and then there are the mini-series.
Spider-Man: Reign was a 4-issue mini-series that got collected in a hardcover trade that came out last year i believe. it's written and drawn by Kaare Andrews - someone i had never heard of up until this series.
you know Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller? came out in the 80s, was a dark, gritty look at Batman's future... yeah, well Spider-Man: Reign is the dark, gritty look at Spider-Man's future. and while it's probably not going to be the classic that Dark Knight is, it certainly was a great read.
set 30-some years after Peter has hung up the costume, the city of New York needs him again. it is being turned into a totalitarian state, and by a familiar foe. however, Peter doesn't go rushing to the rescue. see, he stopped being Spider-Man for a whopper of a reason and it takes a few familiar faces to make him don his costume once again.
ok, since the cover gives it away i'll tell you the reason. Mary Jane is dead, and he feels responsible. he feels responsible for ALL the deaths of those close to him - Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Mary Jane. let me tell you - once you find out HOW Mary Jane died... wow. it's pretty shocking. i'm surprised it got past Marvel's editorial staff.
anyway, it's fairly obvious that Andrews pulled from Dark Knight for inspiration, as the art style, storytelling, and even story mirror it quite a bit. it's a very dark, brutal, and unforgiving story. speaking of the storytelling, it's written from a few points of view, and the dialogue early on is kept intentionally vague - so it can be a bit confusing at first (like "who's that guy?" or "why are these people speaking so cryptically?") but the story is better for it. all will be revealed, don't worry.
the only faults are that 1) it almost mirrors Dark Knight (and other future stories like V for Vendetta) a little too much with the whole totalitarian state thing, and 2) the main villain, while a good fit, just doesn't have the emotional punch that it should. see, Batman has his Joker (the villain in Dark Knight) but Spider-Man doesn't have a Joker. the closest foe would probably be the Green Goblin, but he's been dead for a while. as it is, they did the best they could with the villain, but it just lacked a certain something.
Spider-Man: Reign. read it if you can.
- kawitchate
first there was the questionable Spider-Man 3 movie (which i still loved, but saw many of the flaws that everyone else did - i just chose to look past them and enjoy the overall experience). if you want my lengthy remarks on the movie, check for my post from a few months ago.
then there's the debacle that is Amazing Spider-Man the comic book. ever since "The Other" storyline 2 years ago, it's been tainted by what i'd call "editorial mandates" - meaning maybe the writer (the wonderful J. Michael Straczynski of Babylon 5 fame) wanted to do something with the character but the editors of the books had ol' Spidey fitting in to their plans in a different way. first Spidey moved in and joined the Avengers and Tony Stark/Iron Man became his mentor/father figure. not so bad, so whatever. THEN they had Spidey do something quite uncharacteristic in Civil War (it made national headlines it was so out-of-character). and NOW... well let's just say that the editorial machine that is Marvel has lost a faithful reader with their latest mainstream Spidey decision. i am done collecting Amazing Spider-Man for the foreseeable future.
however, there ARE creators out there still writing great Spider-Man stories. two of my ongoing favorites are Ultimate Spider-Man (which focuses on a younger Peter Parker and isn't bogged down by 40 years of history) and Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane (which is more like a high school drama, focusing on the friendships of Mary Jane, Peter Parker, Flash Thompson, Liz Allen, and Spider-Man).
and then there are the mini-series.
Spider-Man: Reign was a 4-issue mini-series that got collected in a hardcover trade that came out last year i believe. it's written and drawn by Kaare Andrews - someone i had never heard of up until this series.
you know Batman: The Dark Knight Returns by Frank Miller? came out in the 80s, was a dark, gritty look at Batman's future... yeah, well Spider-Man: Reign is the dark, gritty look at Spider-Man's future. and while it's probably not going to be the classic that Dark Knight is, it certainly was a great read.
set 30-some years after Peter has hung up the costume, the city of New York needs him again. it is being turned into a totalitarian state, and by a familiar foe. however, Peter doesn't go rushing to the rescue. see, he stopped being Spider-Man for a whopper of a reason and it takes a few familiar faces to make him don his costume once again.
ok, since the cover gives it away i'll tell you the reason. Mary Jane is dead, and he feels responsible. he feels responsible for ALL the deaths of those close to him - Uncle Ben, Aunt May, and Mary Jane. let me tell you - once you find out HOW Mary Jane died... wow. it's pretty shocking. i'm surprised it got past Marvel's editorial staff.
anyway, it's fairly obvious that Andrews pulled from Dark Knight for inspiration, as the art style, storytelling, and even story mirror it quite a bit. it's a very dark, brutal, and unforgiving story. speaking of the storytelling, it's written from a few points of view, and the dialogue early on is kept intentionally vague - so it can be a bit confusing at first (like "who's that guy?" or "why are these people speaking so cryptically?") but the story is better for it. all will be revealed, don't worry.
the only faults are that 1) it almost mirrors Dark Knight (and other future stories like V for Vendetta) a little too much with the whole totalitarian state thing, and 2) the main villain, while a good fit, just doesn't have the emotional punch that it should. see, Batman has his Joker (the villain in Dark Knight) but Spider-Man doesn't have a Joker. the closest foe would probably be the Green Goblin, but he's been dead for a while. as it is, they did the best they could with the villain, but it just lacked a certain something.
Spider-Man: Reign. read it if you can.
- kawitchate
around the web - 1/5/08
wasn't really any good finds yesterday, and that's what it'll usually mean when i don't post any links - either that or i'm too busy at work (or too lazy at home) to post anything.
i DID however find a gem today. it's a SNL TV Funhouse cartoon that is a parody of Dora the Explorer. and it's hilarious:
Maraka (and her cat friend, Mittens)
- k
i DID however find a gem today. it's a SNL TV Funhouse cartoon that is a parody of Dora the Explorer. and it's hilarious:
Maraka (and her cat friend, Mittens)
- k
Friday, January 4
RIP SiP: 1993-2007
i haven't talked much about comics on this here site yet, but i am to change that - starting tonight with the end of a long-running favorite of mine, Strangers in Paradise.
the series started way back in 1993, and, while i had heard of it when i first collected comics in the late 90s, i didn't start reading it until the second time around, starting in 2002 i think. i picked up some of the early trade paperbacks (collections of the single issues) from an ebay auction, loved what i read, then picked up a collection of single issues from another ebay auction after that to continue the story and get me up to speed. after that i collected the singles each month as they came out for a year or two, then moved back to the trade paperbacks when i made the overall move from single issues to trades (stopped getting singles 2-3 years ago).
the final trade came out late last year (that's 2007 - remember, it's 2008 now), and i just finished reading it tonight (after receiving it as a present for Christmas).
107 issues. collected in 19 trade paperbacks. 14 years in the making. written/drawn/published by just one man - Terry Moore.
it's the story of 3 friends - Francine, Katchoo, and David. David wants Katchoo, Katchoo wants Francine, and Francine doesn't know what she wants. this is the basic framework, but the tapestry woven by Moore is so rich and multi-layered that it's truly fantastic to behold. there's crime drama elements, sordid pasts, a ruthless shadow organization, extremely dark moments, and a large supporting cast - and yet the core of the book is never lost.
it's the story of 3 friends. it's a love story - a story about the power of love.
oh, and the HUMOR! the man can write the most wonderful humorous real-life situations. granted, as the book went on there were fewer and fewer of these moments, but they would always pop up and remind you that laughter is truly the best medicine (besides love, and being loved).
there are a few questions i had after finishing off the series, so i tracked down a number of interviews and blog posts he did around the time the final issues came out last year. yeah, that's me - uber-nerd. of note:
- he was thinking of starting to wrap up the series in 2001 when 9/11 happened. after that, he decided to continue a little longer on it and change the end he had in mind - which would have been darker and more depressing - to an uplifting one full of hope and love. i'm SO glad he did this. most times i'd vote for the dark/depressing ending (like in movies), but this series shouldn't have ended on that note. it should have ended just as it did. wonderful job.
- because the series deals with lesbians (remember, Katchoo loves Francine, and Francine thinks maybe she loves Katchoo), Moore was eventually asked to leave his church. simply amazing the close-mindedness of organized religion. it's not a book about lesbians - it's a book about LOVE. people, in love. it just so happens that the two people are women. to be honest, Moore handles it so well i often found myself saying "oh yeah, i guess they could be considered lesbians."
- there is a flash forward to the future midway through the series that i remember being simply amazing at the time i read it. however, reaching the end now, it seems that the flash forward didn't exactly get incorporated just right. it might have had to do with Moore changing his ending from dark and depressing to uplifting and of hope, i don't know. all i know is i REALLY want to go back and reread that spot to make sure i'm not crazy. too bad the rest of my collection of SiP is thousands of miles away.
actually, after reading the finale, i immediately wanted to go back and reread the ENTIRE series. he sort of invites you to with some writing tricks in the final issues. he certainly did a good job bringing things full-circle.
Strangers in Paradise. an excellent series. can't recommend it enough. if you can, pick up the pocket book versions that have come out. they are a little cheaper than the trades and collect all the issues in 6 rather thick pocket books.
what's Moore up to next? oh, only WRITING MY FAVORITE COMIC RIGHT NOW, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane!!! the original writer of the series jumped ship from Marvel and Moore's taking over sometime this spring. they couldn't have picked a better successor. he's also got another independent coming out called Echo, and taking over writing duties on Runaways, also for Marvel.
- kawitchate
the series started way back in 1993, and, while i had heard of it when i first collected comics in the late 90s, i didn't start reading it until the second time around, starting in 2002 i think. i picked up some of the early trade paperbacks (collections of the single issues) from an ebay auction, loved what i read, then picked up a collection of single issues from another ebay auction after that to continue the story and get me up to speed. after that i collected the singles each month as they came out for a year or two, then moved back to the trade paperbacks when i made the overall move from single issues to trades (stopped getting singles 2-3 years ago).
the final trade came out late last year (that's 2007 - remember, it's 2008 now), and i just finished reading it tonight (after receiving it as a present for Christmas).
107 issues. collected in 19 trade paperbacks. 14 years in the making. written/drawn/published by just one man - Terry Moore.
it's the story of 3 friends - Francine, Katchoo, and David. David wants Katchoo, Katchoo wants Francine, and Francine doesn't know what she wants. this is the basic framework, but the tapestry woven by Moore is so rich and multi-layered that it's truly fantastic to behold. there's crime drama elements, sordid pasts, a ruthless shadow organization, extremely dark moments, and a large supporting cast - and yet the core of the book is never lost.
it's the story of 3 friends. it's a love story - a story about the power of love.
oh, and the HUMOR! the man can write the most wonderful humorous real-life situations. granted, as the book went on there were fewer and fewer of these moments, but they would always pop up and remind you that laughter is truly the best medicine (besides love, and being loved).
there are a few questions i had after finishing off the series, so i tracked down a number of interviews and blog posts he did around the time the final issues came out last year. yeah, that's me - uber-nerd. of note:
- he was thinking of starting to wrap up the series in 2001 when 9/11 happened. after that, he decided to continue a little longer on it and change the end he had in mind - which would have been darker and more depressing - to an uplifting one full of hope and love. i'm SO glad he did this. most times i'd vote for the dark/depressing ending (like in movies), but this series shouldn't have ended on that note. it should have ended just as it did. wonderful job.
- because the series deals with lesbians (remember, Katchoo loves Francine, and Francine thinks maybe she loves Katchoo), Moore was eventually asked to leave his church. simply amazing the close-mindedness of organized religion. it's not a book about lesbians - it's a book about LOVE. people, in love. it just so happens that the two people are women. to be honest, Moore handles it so well i often found myself saying "oh yeah, i guess they could be considered lesbians."
- there is a flash forward to the future midway through the series that i remember being simply amazing at the time i read it. however, reaching the end now, it seems that the flash forward didn't exactly get incorporated just right. it might have had to do with Moore changing his ending from dark and depressing to uplifting and of hope, i don't know. all i know is i REALLY want to go back and reread that spot to make sure i'm not crazy. too bad the rest of my collection of SiP is thousands of miles away.
actually, after reading the finale, i immediately wanted to go back and reread the ENTIRE series. he sort of invites you to with some writing tricks in the final issues. he certainly did a good job bringing things full-circle.
Strangers in Paradise. an excellent series. can't recommend it enough. if you can, pick up the pocket book versions that have come out. they are a little cheaper than the trades and collect all the issues in 6 rather thick pocket books.
what's Moore up to next? oh, only WRITING MY FAVORITE COMIC RIGHT NOW, Spider-Man Loves Mary Jane!!! the original writer of the series jumped ship from Marvel and Moore's taking over sometime this spring. they couldn't have picked a better successor. he's also got another independent coming out called Echo, and taking over writing duties on Runaways, also for Marvel.
- kawitchate
the writer's strike and my subsequent television watching - Thursday edition
well, the third night of basic cable channel-hopping with the writer's strike in full force and i'm starting to see a pattern emerge - one that i basically fell into when all my shows ended last year. i watch reruns of Law & Order, Law & Order: SVU, and Without a Trace. tonight it was SVU and Without a Trace... oh, with a rerun of South Park and Drawn Together thrown in for good measure.
also tuned into the opening segments of both Leno and Conan. both still gave ample time to the issue of the writer's strike - even incorporating it into their bits/jokes more - and it was pretty good. Leno's monologue is spot-on. he must have written the majority of that himself to begin with. it's the segment after that where we see Leno "wing it," and it's really interesting seeing such a seasoned veteran wing it... same with Conan. good stuff so far.
- kawitchate
also tuned into the opening segments of both Leno and Conan. both still gave ample time to the issue of the writer's strike - even incorporating it into their bits/jokes more - and it was pretty good. Leno's monologue is spot-on. he must have written the majority of that himself to begin with. it's the segment after that where we see Leno "wing it," and it's really interesting seeing such a seasoned veteran wing it... same with Conan. good stuff so far.
- kawitchate
Thursday, January 3
around the web - 1/3/08
not that much funny or interesting today.
this one should keep you busy for a while, as it's a top 10 list with writing AND youtube videos! yay multimedia!
products you didn't know you can't live without
i love local news clips:
weather girl getting jiggy with it
i really hope this becomes a series of webisodes:
drunk history starring Michael Cera
- k
this one should keep you busy for a while, as it's a top 10 list with writing AND youtube videos! yay multimedia!
products you didn't know you can't live without
i love local news clips:
weather girl getting jiggy with it
i really hope this becomes a series of webisodes:
drunk history starring Michael Cera
- k
the writer's strike and late night television
so i've been looking forward to tonight for a few weeks now. you see, i learned back then that the late night mainstays - Leno, O'Brien, Letterman, Ferguson, Kimmel - were all going back on the air tonight after most of them had been off the air since the writer's strike started 2 months ago (most of them being members of the guild). how would the show be without writers? what would be said? would they pull it off? well i tuned in to Leno and Conan and, well, it was interesting.
Leno did the better job of the two in terms of pulling off a pretty normal show without writers, but that figures because the guy is a workhorse! in the midst of doing the Tonight Show he's still doing his own stand-up acts regularly and writing a good chunk of the monologue of every show. so he had his normal monologue, went to the audience for unscripted questions for the bit after the monologue (where you could really tell it was unscripted, as Leno was stumbling and/or rambling a bit with his answers, which was kind of nice to see - a natural, human reaction), and then moved on to the usual 3 guests.
Conan skipped his monologue, did bits on his new beard, what he's been up to for the past 2 months, and a wedding ring spinning contest, then had his usual 3 guests. he was pretty uncomfortable at times, way more so than Leno. with his uncomfortable moments and the obvious time-killer of the wedding ring spin, i'm wondering if Conan was trying to send a message to everyone that yeah, i'm back on the air, but i'm nothing without my writers. get them back or this is all you'll get out of me.
both guys gave ample time at the start of their shows to explain their situations - that they're members of the WGA but could not go on not working. they each have a staff of 50+ that AREN'T writers, and those people needed to work. of course, i'm sure that NBC was also breathing down their necks, but whatever. the sad thing is, the WGA is now picketing both of them.
i'm going to try and tune in to at least the start of each program to see how things are progressing over the next few days/weeks, because it's kind of interesting. hour-long late night television unscripted. these guys aren't particularly loved now by either side (the companies that employ them or their writer's guild). we'll see what happens.
on the flip side of things, i heard that Letterman and Ferguson both got their writers back due to some loophole. i guess CBS doesn't actually "own" the two shows, but rather Letterman's company Worldwide Pants does... so the WGA made a separate deal with Worldwide Pants that allowed the writers of those shows to go back to work.
cheaters.
kudos to Leno and Conan for returning on the air with no writers. good luck to both of them. now the next thing to watch out for is the return of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which are both apparently coming back next Monday - sans writers.
- kawitchate
Leno did the better job of the two in terms of pulling off a pretty normal show without writers, but that figures because the guy is a workhorse! in the midst of doing the Tonight Show he's still doing his own stand-up acts regularly and writing a good chunk of the monologue of every show. so he had his normal monologue, went to the audience for unscripted questions for the bit after the monologue (where you could really tell it was unscripted, as Leno was stumbling and/or rambling a bit with his answers, which was kind of nice to see - a natural, human reaction), and then moved on to the usual 3 guests.
Conan skipped his monologue, did bits on his new beard, what he's been up to for the past 2 months, and a wedding ring spinning contest, then had his usual 3 guests. he was pretty uncomfortable at times, way more so than Leno. with his uncomfortable moments and the obvious time-killer of the wedding ring spin, i'm wondering if Conan was trying to send a message to everyone that yeah, i'm back on the air, but i'm nothing without my writers. get them back or this is all you'll get out of me.
both guys gave ample time at the start of their shows to explain their situations - that they're members of the WGA but could not go on not working. they each have a staff of 50+ that AREN'T writers, and those people needed to work. of course, i'm sure that NBC was also breathing down their necks, but whatever. the sad thing is, the WGA is now picketing both of them.
i'm going to try and tune in to at least the start of each program to see how things are progressing over the next few days/weeks, because it's kind of interesting. hour-long late night television unscripted. these guys aren't particularly loved now by either side (the companies that employ them or their writer's guild). we'll see what happens.
on the flip side of things, i heard that Letterman and Ferguson both got their writers back due to some loophole. i guess CBS doesn't actually "own" the two shows, but rather Letterman's company Worldwide Pants does... so the WGA made a separate deal with Worldwide Pants that allowed the writers of those shows to go back to work.
cheaters.
kudos to Leno and Conan for returning on the air with no writers. good luck to both of them. now the next thing to watch out for is the return of The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, which are both apparently coming back next Monday - sans writers.
- kawitchate
the writer's strike and my subsequent television watching
a funny thing is happening. the majority of shows i was interested in are now over - with some probably over forever - and i'm starting to watch the most curious of shows.
see, after a 8-9 hour day of sitting in front of a computer, the last thing i want to do when i get home (at least immediately) is get on the computer here, or even play video games. i usually veg in front of the TV for a couple two three hours. if there's "nothing on," i search until i FIND something on.
tonight started off with 2 hours of Law & Order. yes, an old favorite of mine is back for its 18th season (holy crap!) and, while i normally wouldn't watch it (haven't watched the original for a few years now, save for the episode here and there), there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE ON! so i gave it a shot, and it wasn't half bad.
in the midst of watching Law & Order i continued my basic cable channel-hopping hoping to learn which channel is what number. well, i happened upon the Travel Channel and the Food Network tonight (the History Channel was busy with shows on bunkers and WWII, no lie) and i rediscovered shows i had stumbled upon in the past.
first was Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network. this is a show that's got this uber-chef that goes into "impossible" (or improbable) cooking situations and has to work with the staff at hand to make this huge, delicious meal to feed sometimes hundreds of people. it's fun to see the interesting dishes he prepares and of course HOW he prepares them. tonight he had to work in a school cafeteria and in the famous ice hotel (that was pretty interesting).
next was Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel. he's a chef and author. think of the chef on Hell's Kitchen, but this guy is a little more reserved. anyway, what he does is travel to a city or region and partake in their food and culture. his observations are always a little off the wall (and blunt) which is why i like it so much. tonight he was in Osaka, Japan and it was just amazing. i have to get to Japan. oh, and i had actually heard of most the dishes he tried and had actually eaten a few myself!
last was Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. he's a food writer, dining critic, radio talk-show host, TV personality, chef and teacher (got that bit from the official website). this guy is really nice, quite the opposite from the guy above. he also travels to a region of the world and takes in their food and culture, but some of the foods tend to be a little more on the "interesting" side (read: bugs, fermented things, etc). tonight he was in Taiwan and wow... every little restaurant he visited was amazing, especially the one where everything is made/prepared with tea leaves in some way or another. now i'm thinking i might have to make it to Taiwan too! gotta try that stinky tofu!
it'll be interesting to see what i find to watch tomorrow night, as there's not one single show on network television that i want to see.
good thing i have basic cable.
- kawitchate
see, after a 8-9 hour day of sitting in front of a computer, the last thing i want to do when i get home (at least immediately) is get on the computer here, or even play video games. i usually veg in front of the TV for a couple two three hours. if there's "nothing on," i search until i FIND something on.
tonight started off with 2 hours of Law & Order. yes, an old favorite of mine is back for its 18th season (holy crap!) and, while i normally wouldn't watch it (haven't watched the original for a few years now, save for the episode here and there), there's ABSOLUTELY NOTHING ELSE ON! so i gave it a shot, and it wasn't half bad.
in the midst of watching Law & Order i continued my basic cable channel-hopping hoping to learn which channel is what number. well, i happened upon the Travel Channel and the Food Network tonight (the History Channel was busy with shows on bunkers and WWII, no lie) and i rediscovered shows i had stumbled upon in the past.
first was Dinner: Impossible on the Food Network. this is a show that's got this uber-chef that goes into "impossible" (or improbable) cooking situations and has to work with the staff at hand to make this huge, delicious meal to feed sometimes hundreds of people. it's fun to see the interesting dishes he prepares and of course HOW he prepares them. tonight he had to work in a school cafeteria and in the famous ice hotel (that was pretty interesting).
next was Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations on the Travel Channel. he's a chef and author. think of the chef on Hell's Kitchen, but this guy is a little more reserved. anyway, what he does is travel to a city or region and partake in their food and culture. his observations are always a little off the wall (and blunt) which is why i like it so much. tonight he was in Osaka, Japan and it was just amazing. i have to get to Japan. oh, and i had actually heard of most the dishes he tried and had actually eaten a few myself!
last was Bizarre Foods with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel. he's a food writer, dining critic, radio talk-show host, TV personality, chef and teacher (got that bit from the official website). this guy is really nice, quite the opposite from the guy above. he also travels to a region of the world and takes in their food and culture, but some of the foods tend to be a little more on the "interesting" side (read: bugs, fermented things, etc). tonight he was in Taiwan and wow... every little restaurant he visited was amazing, especially the one where everything is made/prepared with tea leaves in some way or another. now i'm thinking i might have to make it to Taiwan too! gotta try that stinky tofu!
it'll be interesting to see what i find to watch tomorrow night, as there's not one single show on network television that i want to see.
good thing i have basic cable.
- kawitchate
Wednesday, January 2
around the web - 1/2/08
i've been told that i should share my daily internet finds with more people. instead of emailing a bunch of you, i just figured i'd post it to my blog, since i want to post more anyway. here they'll be archived too. win win.
so, without further ado, here's the funny and/or interesting stuff from around the interweb today. enjoy.
better than all of last year's Skittles commercials combined:
finally, comfort in your car
*and yes, it looks to be a real product:
though they could stand to hire themselves a website designer
a little post-Christmas Christmas cheer:
everyone wants a holiday sweater!
bootleg edition of Star Wars Ep. III: The Backstroke of the West:
bad Chinese subtitles make for a better Episode III
want to play games? have no money?
best freeware games of '07
- k
so, without further ado, here's the funny and/or interesting stuff from around the interweb today. enjoy.
better than all of last year's Skittles commercials combined:
finally, comfort in your car
*and yes, it looks to be a real product:
though they could stand to hire themselves a website designer
a little post-Christmas Christmas cheer:
everyone wants a holiday sweater!
bootleg edition of Star Wars Ep. III: The Backstroke of the West:
bad Chinese subtitles make for a better Episode III
want to play games? have no money?
best freeware games of '07
- k
basic cable channel-hopping
my roommate recently downgraded us from digital cable (comparable to satellite in terms of number of channels) to basic cable. without telling me. initially i was upset, but then he explained that we've still got 70+ channels and that most of the main ones were still there. i was skeptical, but upon inspection, he is right. however, now all the numbering is wrong and i have to discover which channel is what number all over again.
while i was basic cable channel-hopping tonight, i happened upon the History Channel. now, i've never been one to really watch the channel - in my mind it's always been the "WWII channel," with tonight's episode focusing on the tanks of WWII - so imagine my surprise when there was a show about space on there. and not some history lesson on space - oh no. this was like Discovery Channel-type stuff.
it was a program called Universe, or The Universe. and the episodes i caught were on cosmic holes, the moon, the Milky Way, and a bit of the episode on asteroids.
cosmic holes and the Milky Way episodes were by far my favorites, as they dealt with things that i've never really grasped - wormholes, time travel, white holes, black holes, solar systems, galaxies, the universe, and how they're all connected. it really reminded me of just how wonderful and vast a place space really is.
and i just read two graphic novels about space - Orbiter and Ocean. both are by Warren Ellis and both are pretty good reads (Orbiter being the better of the two). maybe i'm on a space kick. who knows.
check out Universe on the History Channel if you can, paying special attention to the episodes on cosmic holes and the Milky Way. great stuff.
- kawitchate
ps. i'm back from a week-and-a-half-long vacation home for Christmas and ready to pay more attention to the blog in the new year. it became a little Heroes-centric there for a while... but with the writer's strike, i won't be writing about TV much for a while (unless it's to say how bad it is)!
while i was basic cable channel-hopping tonight, i happened upon the History Channel. now, i've never been one to really watch the channel - in my mind it's always been the "WWII channel," with tonight's episode focusing on the tanks of WWII - so imagine my surprise when there was a show about space on there. and not some history lesson on space - oh no. this was like Discovery Channel-type stuff.
it was a program called Universe, or The Universe. and the episodes i caught were on cosmic holes, the moon, the Milky Way, and a bit of the episode on asteroids.
cosmic holes and the Milky Way episodes were by far my favorites, as they dealt with things that i've never really grasped - wormholes, time travel, white holes, black holes, solar systems, galaxies, the universe, and how they're all connected. it really reminded me of just how wonderful and vast a place space really is.
and i just read two graphic novels about space - Orbiter and Ocean. both are by Warren Ellis and both are pretty good reads (Orbiter being the better of the two). maybe i'm on a space kick. who knows.
check out Universe on the History Channel if you can, paying special attention to the episodes on cosmic holes and the Milky Way. great stuff.
- kawitchate
ps. i'm back from a week-and-a-half-long vacation home for Christmas and ready to pay more attention to the blog in the new year. it became a little Heroes-centric there for a while... but with the writer's strike, i won't be writing about TV much for a while (unless it's to say how bad it is)!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
