Nike’s Dream Team

Is it a preview of the next Dream Team or just a Nike commercial? The ads tell very little, save that the best and brightest of this new generation of NBA superstars have joined forces like a Justice League with a jump game. In truth, the ads are to celebrate 25 years of Nike Air Force kicks.

The billboards are epic and the TV ads feature rappers Juelz Santana & Just Blaze. The website features mashups and other fun stuff.

As a Knicks fan, it’s nice to see a little excitement back in hoops even if it’s just advertising.

Nike AF25

And the award goes to…

Last week the Oscar nominees were announced and last night the Screen Actors Guild Awards were handed out.

The names were all the same, Helen Mirren, Forrest Whittaker, Eddie Murphy and Jennifer Hudson. This is going to be an anti-climatic year.

But on a personal note, Isn’t it cool that Whittaker, who played Jefferson in Fast Times at Ridgemont High, will soon be an Academy Award winner. Between him, Sean Penn and Jennifer Jason Leigh, Fast Times could have been a Miramax release.

Then there’s Eddie Murphy. Our beloved SNL alum who went to play Axel Foley, Prince Akeem and Sherman Klump — not to mention the voice of Donkey in the Shrek films. If Murphy wins the golden statue, he will be the first SaturdayNight Live cast member to win.

And finally, Jennifer Hudson. The American Idol cast off and former cruise ship singer. What sweet sweet victory. Even if she doesn’t win for her first ever acting experience, she has bragging rights.

Good for her.

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80 GIGS IN MY POCKET

Last week I upgraded my ancient 20 gig 4th gen ipod for a crispy new 80 gig. Why an 80? I have a lot of music. Most of which I couldn’t put on my old ipod. In fact, I’ve used nearly 30 gigs of it in less than a week. I was trying to wait for the rumored “true video” ipod, but nothing has been announced and I’m just not sold on the iphone. But that’s just me.

I’m Back!

Hello world.

Sorry I’ve been gone so long. The holidays are over and a new year has begun. In the weeks that I’ve been gone, A democrat has fianlly returned to the governor’s mansion. Three cheers for Elliot Spitzer!

Herstory was also made when Hillary Clinton announced she was “In it, and in it to win!”, meaning she was running for president–a job her husband notoriously held 7 years ago.

                                                                      

Hil is kicking off her campaign with a series of “web chats” designed to unite dems and republicans in a country-wide conversation that will hopefully end with her (and Bill) in the white house. Good luck with that.

I also like how her campaign is marketed as “Hillary for President” since “Clinton for President” might imply we are electing Bill again. But really, if she does win, isn’t that exactly what we’re doing?

History was made yet again when Barack Obama hinted he too would be running for president.  As we know, the junior senator from Illinois has made quite an impression on the world since being elected in 2004. He was even featured shirtless in a magazine. Just what I’ve always wanted, a nude pictorial of my commander-in-chief.

So now we have a woman and an African-American vying for the democratic ticket. Oh, and John Kerry is somewhere in the mix as well (so is John Edwards). In any event, 2008 will be interesting.

On the weather front (get it?), the East Coast’s mild winter is over and frigid temps are putting me ina  rotten mood.  I’m su8re that would matter if this was my world, but it’s just my blog so allow me to vent.

And so ends my brief first post for the new year. I’m going to try and post more. Hope someone is reading…

Shout out to Rosanne and her brilliant blog http://annieatomicv2.blogspot.com/

Hillary for President 

Barack Obama

The Forecast

A Few Of My Favorite Things: Battlestar Galactica

In honor of the holidays, I’d like to list a few of my favorite things.

The first being BATTLESTAR GALACTICA. To say that I love this show would be a resounding underestimation. The idea that many people do not watch this show because it is “sci-fi” is tragic. Magazines like Rolling Stone have described BSG as “the smartest and toughest show on television”–and they would be right.

Looking past the backdrop of space; ignoring the space battles and instead focusing on the human drama, BSG is nothing short of brilliant, a fact I thought impossible a decade ago.

A friend and I once had a conversation about successful updates of shows, noting that Star Trek had done such a wonderful job with Star Trek: The Next Generation. The original Battlestar Galactica, a favorite of mine as a child craving anything remotely Star Wars like, starred Richard Hatch as Apollo, Dirk Benedict as Starbuck and the late Lorne Greene as Commander Adama. It was a poorly disguised rip-off that tried to capitalize on the space craze of the 70′s. It didn’t last long, but still managed to cultivate a strong and loyal following.

When the topic of remaking old favorites came up, I claimed like an expert that it would be impossible to update or make Galactica legit. My friend didn’t agree, saying a good writer could legitmize anything. I laughed.

Years after that conversation, word spread that a new Galactica was coming. First Richard Hatch, the star of the original show not the “Survivor” winner, wanted to update the show ala The Next Generation, then director Bryan Singer was onboard to produce a new version. Neither of those panned out, backing my original claim.

Then Ron Moore, a writer and producer that cut his teeth on Star Trek re-imagined BSG–first as a mini-series, then as the jewel in Sci-Fi Channel’s crown. I never told my friend I was wrong and he was right until now.

As an aspiring writer, I look to certain shows to keep me on my toes. “Six Feet Under” still tops the list. “The Sopranos” is up there too, but Battlestar Galactica just keeps wowing me with each episode.

Edward James Olmos stars as Adama, the steely battlestar admiral leading what remains of humanity to salvation after an attack by the robotic Cylons. The series also stars Jamie Bamber as Apollo, Katie Sackoff as Starbuck and James Callis as Baltar. There are many more that I could talk about as this is truly an ensemble show.

If you have never watched an episode please, please, please give it a try. You don’t have to be a geek, or into this “genre” to enjoy this show. It is gritty, riveting and just damn well put together.

Battlestar Galactica is one of my very favorite things!

Yahoo!

Barnes & Noble came through and delivered me the much anticipated Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD Box set. It is all I have talked about since hearing rumors of it back in January. Now it is mine.

With the end of this quest I can sigh in relief that my association with Google is completely over. For those that do not know, please scroll down the blog for the complete story–including Yahoo! saving the day.

I will review this fantastic set in time. 14 discs is a lot to get through, but I think I am up to the task.

The Forecast

Cares Day!

                                                                            

I will be spending Thursday helping sixth graders build robots as a part of NY Cares Day. My job does it every year. It’s probably one of my favorite days.

Have a great Thursday! I’m certain I will

Move over Google, I’m seeing Yahoo! now!

So, for those you that were kind enough to read my plight, last week I attempted to buy the Superman Ultimate Collector’s Edition DVD box set. It sold out at all the major retailers the day it came out and silly me thinking no one would really care about it, failed to pre-order the damn thing.

In a frantic search I discovered it was still in stock at J&R Music and Computer World–a local store not too far from the former World Trade Center site. I ordered it on-line and discovered Google Checkout for the first time.

BIG MISTAKE!

A week and a whole lot of stress later, Google cancelled my order because J&R ran out of stock (But if you visit their website, it tells a different story).

So I’m surfing the web, trying to find this thing and come across Yahoo Shopping. Now typically I steer clear of them because they can be a little pricey, BUT they point me in the direction of Barnes & Noble. When I checked them last week, they were charging an arm and a leg for the set. Now they are just a hair higher than other outlets, but more importantly they have the set in stock!

Further more, Yahoo offers a coupon (uh-oh, I just don’t learn do I?) which gives you 25% off of a single item. Best part, it’s a coupon code for use on the BN website so there are no third parties involved.

I place the order, enter the code and the price is suddenly a few bucks more than what I would have paid through J&R–even with Google’s bribe money.

Even better, Barnes & Noble is also offering FREE SHIPPING and if you have the item delivered to an address in Manhattan, it’s SAME DAY DELIVERY!

Baring any unforeseen drama (re:Google Checkout), I should finally have the only thing I want for Christmas tomorrow evening.

Isn’t it funny how Google had me seeing red and the Yahoo! logo is that very same color.

I think it’s love.

The Forecast