Genius, or Utter Failure?

I watch way too much TV.

Well, let me amend that a bit. I watch too much of certain kinds of TV. But thankfully my intake of 'reality shows' is limited to Cops and the occasional Cheaters. I will admit that I would watch the odd episode of the real world or Road Rules, but that was a long time ago. Now, I'm wondering how long it will be before Fear Factor will run out of bugs to eat, and simply turn the last stunt into a good old-fashioned game of Russian Roulette.

But Spike TV is rolling out something that frankly intrigues me.

They're calling it "The Joe Schmo Show" and the premise is fairly simple. A group of people are picked to live in a house as part of a competion for 100 grand. There are eviction ceremonies and immunity contests, like a bunch of other shows.

The "catch" is that the entire show is rigged and everyone knows about it.

Except for one guy.

Apparently, this 'Joe' was some guy delivering pizza who decided to audition for a new reality show.

Now, I'm of two minds about this. Either this could be a brilliant satire, pointing out all of the things that make reality tv so compelling and repellent at the same time, or it could be the meanest ever practical joke. But like most things, it will probably be a little of both. For me, if they can convince me that the show is real, I'll be into it.

From what I've read, the show was pretty convincing since the 'Joe Schmo' character wasn't giving any interviews for the show.

Take care,
Mike G.

Some Sad News....

I found out this morning about the death of Wesley Willis.

I'm fairly certain that most of you haven't heard of this man. For me it was a few years ago when he was featured in a song contest on a local radio station. When I first listened to his "art" I was positive it was some sort of gag, or act. After reading about him and his life, I began to understand a bit more about him. You can find out more about him here.

I don't know whether or not he was exploited. I do believe his music hepled him find some refuge from the storm in his mind. I hope that he has found in death the peace he so richly deserved during his life.

Rock Over London, Rock On Chicago.



And, now some entirely self-serving promotion.

I, along with the rest of the P1 WAC wrestling crew, will be reviewing Summerslam tomorrow night on Sportsradio 1310 The Ticket. Tune in at 8:00, or point your browser to The Ticket's website. Take care, Folks.

Mike G.

Good Happy Fun Strong.....

One of the drawbacks of being a collector of stuff [besides the financial ones and the fact that people ask why you buy toys at x age] is a fairly simple one.

Space.

Depending on your particular taste, be it G.I Joes, Transformers, Lego sets, Star Wars or whatever. It doesn't take too much time to fill up all the standard places in your home.

There's the mantle, dresser, possibly a kitchen counter. maybe a nightstand or two. Then you might put some figures on top of the bookshelf, and one or two on top of the TV. Then you start taking some of the books off the shelf because face it, you weren't reading those anyway.

Then you start buying furniture expressly for the purpose of storing your toys and collectibles.

Now I am at that all too familiar crossroads where you must make the decision of just not collecting anymore.

But my answer came to me in the form of the LEGO Corporation and Art Asylum. For the past few years LEGO has been converting their excellent Star Wars kits into smaller sizes. I can fit a couple of pod racers, an X-wing and Tie Bomber in the same spot as your standard Mcfarlane monstrosity. And ever since they started making Star Wars sets and vehicles the allure of having a tiny Darth Vader face off against an equally small Luke Skywalker is extremely powerful.

Art Asylum started out, I believe as a design firm, but have since gone into the toy game. They've made toys based on Star Trek, Eminem, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. But they really caught my eye was a series of three inch figures very much in the style of the LEGO figure, but with 12 points of articulation. As a result I now have Captain Kirk, Bones and Spock recreating the Charlie's Angels pose on a corner of a shelf.

But that wasn't enough for them. They then teamed up with Marvel comics to make a line of Marvel Minimates that are even smaller [2 inches] but still have 14 points of articulation. Now Wolverine and Sabretooth are battling it out beneath the awesome towers that are the salt and pepper grinders.

Honorable mentions go to Stikfas, for their smaller size and ultimate poseability, and to Toynami's I-Men, for creating a mini version of the Blue Falcon and Dynomutt.

Bottom line? More Toys for Mike to buy, and I don't need to rent any space.

Take care, folks.

I Like To Eat...

First, my apolgies on the lack of updates.

This weekend was a fairly positive one for yours truly. I decided to treat myself by going to one of the most amazing restaraunts in the known World. It's called Texas De Brazil and the concept is fairly simple. Meat, Meat, Meat and Meat. First off, you're treated to a salad bar that stands head and shoulders above almost all others. Then you're given a small medallion, green on one side and red on the other. Place the coin green side up, and the fun begins. Waiters with skewers loaded up with beef, pork, and chicken come by your table and with a pair of tongs, you grab a slice of what you want. One of the highlights is a chunk of filet mignon wrapped with bacon. Also excellent is a sirloin rubbed with garlic. That's not including the fried bananas or the garlic mashed potatoes on the side.

Needless to say, I partook of many of their selections. Lunch runs about $18, but it's worth it. Besides, if you plan ahead, after your meal, you won't have to eat again for at least 2-3 days.

Ah, but gorging on fine meats and cheeses was not my only diversion. I attended one of the best comedy shows I know. Of course, it's one of the only comedy shows I know, but let's not split hairs.

For about the past year, I've been a big fan of the group Pavlov's Dogs. Honestly, the best thing I can say about these guys and gals is that they're funny. Very Funny. Even when that sworn Enemy of Comedy raises its ugly head. Of course I'm talking about....

Drunk Guy Who Thinks He's Hilarious.

This can be anyone. Creed, color, orientation, play no part. Simply add enough alcohol to override common sense, and voila!

Anyways, these folks do a great job in either shutting up the offender, or reversing the gag back on him, usually without him even noticing. One of their best "gimmicks" is the Nightmare skit, in which they take an audience member, ask him or her about a particular bad day, and proceed to create a sketch utilizing their responses. What really stands out is their ability to connect one gag earlier in the show with something completely unrelated. As a final note of praise, they seemed totally at ease when they noticed that I was showing up at each bi-monthly show. In fact, some have even said hi without a trace of fear or disgust.

Well, that should be enough for a while. Be back soon.

p.s. I know i'm late to the party, but I feel this blog is pretty fair and balanced.

MG

Stirring the Pot

I'm going to try and keep this blog apolitical. Not that I don't have the strength of my convictions, it's just that given the current political client, I'd hate to be arrested and catergorized as an enemy combatant.

That being said, I'd like to invite everyone to visit the White House for all the info you could ever want about our Chief Executive. And if that's not enough, writer Micah Wright would like to show off his collection of posters here.

In case John Ashcroft is reading this, I take back all of what I just said.

MG

Brushes With Fame!

First off, The interview with Mick Foley was great. He is a genuinely cool guy and it was a blast talking to him. He even stuck around longer than he was supposed to. Even if you have no interest in wrestling, I highly recommend picking up any of his books. I also want to give major props to Big Dick Hunter for letting me help with the interview. Just as a reminder, you can hear the P1 Wild Ass Circus weeknights 8-10CST on 1310AM The Ticket.

Today I was feeling the need for uncooked fish so I went to Todai, a seafood buffet. While I don't know enough about Japanese food, I think it's pretty good. Anyways, during the meal I spy someone vaguely familiar. Then it hit me. Comic artist Scott Kurtz was eating a few tables away from me. I had met him briefly at a Sci-Fi Convention last month.

If you don't know who Scott Kurtz is, then click on this right away. Scott draws the extemely funny web comic PvP. It's also published in collected form by Image Comics. If you don't know where your local comic book shop is [For Shame!] the simply call 1-888-COMIC-BOOK.

Anyways, we chatted for a minute, and then I let him finish his meal. Really nice guy.

As far as celebrity meetings go, it ranks up there with that time I kicked Castro's ass at Jedi Outcast, and cooler than the time I accidentally hit Peter Jackson with a tire iron.

Later,

MG

Have A Nice Day!

Really cool news. Myself and the rest of the P1 WAC will be brodcasting live from University Christian Church in Fort Worth where hardcore legend and best selling author Mick Foley will be giving a reading from his book for charity.

The show starts at 8:00 on AM 1310 and online.

I'll do my best to not be a typical fanboy. With that in mind I probably won't bring a sock for him to sign.

But I might bash his head in with a steel chair. You know, for old times sake.

MG

Blue Screen of Death

I am almost at my wit's end[not that far of a distance].

My computer had decided to take a leave of absence, and I'm pretty much
tired of it all.

I was considering taking a small vacation later in the year, but
instead I'll be embarking upon an even greater quest:

Finding a kickass pc that won't kick mine. I've pretty much decided not
to go with the 'big name' companies [i.e Dell, Gateway, etc] and
instead look for a more specialized dealer. Of course, those guys can clean
out your wallet just as fast as the big guys. I'll let you know how the search is going.

The other day I said Goodbye to what was for a while, one of the few
important things to me.

Without getting too much into it, I figure a link should be enough:

Check it out.

And before you judge, I just want to say that I was in college at the time, and was
into some freaky stuff.

Catch you later,


Mike G

Feeding The Beast.

The following is a piece of speculative fiction and should not be seen as either an admission or acknowledgment of any activities, legal or otherwise.

So buy.com opened up their new music store. Hot on the heels of Apple, who have won over a ton of converts due to their remarkably friendly policies regarding transfer of the music to CDs, portable devices and other computers. So I took a look at their site, and ran smack into the wall of coporate America. First off, the files are in Windows Media Format. Second, if you do what the sevice intends [buy a lot of music from different artists] you're going to need a separate database to keep track of the limitations bulit into the tracks. Certain songs can be moved to as many different computers as you want. Some allow only 3 burnings onto a CD, and some can only be transferred to a portable device once.

So what did I do?

What millions of people are still doing. Clicked on a filesharing program [with new blocking features to prevent spying] and downloaded a high quality file that I can do anything with.

For free.

Unfortunately, I think we've passed the point of arguing about the legailty of file-sharing, swapping, or whatever you want to call it. [lawsuits and subpoenas notwithstanding] Whatever 'high ground' the music industry seeks to claim has been shattered by their labeling of what should be their biggest supporters as thieves and criminals.

Free is a powerful word. And if you want anyone to start paying for something, you need a better 'carrot' than jail time.

I don't know if this is just rationalizing or not.

Mmmm..More Comics.

A quick list of the better comics that came out this week

Fantastic Four 501
Off the heels of "Unthinkable" Mark Waid continues to impress with his take on Marvel's First Family. After their battle with Dr. Doom, the scars [mental and physical] are still fresh.

Thor: Vikings
Zombie Vikings. Garth Ennis. Not for the sqeamish.

Batman 617
Jim Lee.

Transformers 4 and Transformers: More than Meets the Eye 4
As a child of the 80's, the reurgence of the Transformers is pure fun.

Take care folks.

MikeG