Why Do We Do This (The downside to being a sports fan).

Last week I was watching the Michigan vs Notre Dame game with a fellow intern (who is a die hard Michigan fan) and a few of his friends at a bar in Brooklyn.  While Denard Robinson was having, quite possibly, the worst game of his career, we got to talking about sports in general. More specifically, we started talking about the worst sports losses/moments of our lives. As we were reliving these moments over beer, wings, and sorrow, someone brought up the point that sports fans rarely enjoy watching their favorite team play. I quickly dismissed this as untrue. I mean, how could that be true. I look forward to watching my team play every chance I get. However, he then challenged me to really pay attention to my mood the next time I'm watching one of my teams play.


So I did.

And the results were mind blowing

The game in question was the Miami Dolphins vs the New York Jets.  I made a conscious effort to stop myself after about every 10 minutes and really evaluate how I was feeling. I can honestly say that for only about 20 minutes of that 3 and a half our game was I actually happy.  Meaning actively cheering, excited and hopeful.  For the rest of the time I'm yelling about bad passes, dropped passes, bad protection, bad calls, stalled drives and that's only on the offensive side of the ball.  And this also happened:

Think about that.  I only really enjoyed 10% of an activity I previously thought I immensely enjoyed.  Were else would we allow that ratio in a past time? Would you recommend a movie you only enjoyed for 10% of the time?  Would you hang out with a friend you only 10% like? Would you continue eating a food that hasn't made you sick only 1 out of 10 times? No way. Which begs the bigger question:

Then again, you all did recommend this movie

Why do we do this? 

No seriously, why do we do this? What possesses us sports fans to continuously subject ourselves to constant disappointment.  Take the NFL for example, only 1 out of 32 teams will win the Superbowl. That means 31/32 teams will wind up leaving their fans disappointed.  Those are terrible odds.  The odds are similar in most professional team sports.   But yet we devote whole days and nights to watching. We raise the stakes of every game, and set ourselves up for the inevitable fall.

Sadly, I don't think there is a good answer for this. We just do. It's what it means to be a sports fan.  It's an understood code. There are certain rules that all fans follow (hmmm, sounds like an idea for a new post). These rules are never spoken but instead inherently understood.  And you can't understand them until you become a fan yourself. Trying to explain it to someone who doesn't watch sports is futile. Not only can they NEVER understand, the more you try, the more you realize how little sense you are making. There is no logic behind it.  There is no reason a group of 52 players I have never met should be able to affect my mood so greatly playing a game miles away from me against another 52 guys I've never met. But i just does. Sports fans get it.  Just something to think about.

5 Most Overrated Movies of All Time

So, a couple of weeks ago I saw The Dark Knight Rises, one of the most hyped movies of all time. The movie was great, (not as great as The Dark Knight, but that's for a different post), and I left the theater feeling great about how it ended. In fact, I was shocked that I wasn't disappointed.  With all the hype, I felt that there was no way it could possible live up to it.  That got me thinking on what were the most overrated movies of all time.






5. Slumdog Millionaire

This movie got a TON of hype as it came out.  So much so, that I felt compelled to watch it.  At best this movie is a average fairy tale type story. But all the reviews said it was "life-changing", that it showed you what it was like to live in the slums in India, and that "hard work. perseverance and luck" could overcome anything. I expected a gritty, realistic movie about the human condition. Instead we got a cliched movie that relied way too much on coincidence and pure dumb luck for its ending.

4. Crash

The theme of Crash seemed to be "hey we're all a little bit prejudiced but we can still be good people despite it" which is an okay message...I guess. Otherwise the acting was weak, the stories were weak. The characters weren't that believable. It's a very special skill to be able to flesh out multiple characters in an ensemble type movie, and Crash failed at this. On a basic level, the movie was enjoyable but it was no where near Oscar worthy.

3. Inception

This movie isn't that deep. There, I said it. The ending is purposefully ambiguous, but that's about it.  I have no idea how people could have sat through Inception multiple times.  The effects were cool, and the acting was good but after I saw it once, it wasn't a movie I felt I needed to see again. It wasn't a movie I WANTED to see again. In fact, it also wasn't a movie I felt that I needed to tell all my friends to go see.  Apparently I was the only person in America to feel so.



* Here's where a change in the tone will change for this post.  I for the most part like the above 3 movies, just not as much as everyone else. I actively hate these next two movies.

2. The Blair Witch Project

Eff this movie. No seriously, eff this movie. And Eff everyone who loves this movie.  Here's some backround: I didn't see this movie until 2005.  I stayed up until 5:00 am on a night before I had an 8:00am class in the morning just to watch this movie. Nothing happens in this movie. And don't give me that BS "the terror you don't see is scarier than the terror you do see". Yes that is true if the story is well written with good pace and good acting.  Those kids were annoying. Halfway through the movie I was just hoping they would all die anyway.  Almost the entire movie is spent watching them be lost in the woods. HOW IS THAT GOOD CINEMA????

1. Fight Club

This movie isn't good. It isn't smart. There's no deep message. It's a bunch of preformed ideas that look cool on paper but do not translate to anything.  It's the equivalent to the college freshman who is taking a philosophy course and is now thinks he/she is an expert and forces their new found enlightenment into every conversation that they can.  "We are too materialistic". "We are living our lives in a catatonic state" blah blah blah. One of the most pretentious movies I have ever seen. I not only think this movie is overrated, I actively hate this movie and do all I can to campaign against this movie.   Let me stop now because I could go on for days about all the things I hate about this movie.

All NBA Probe Awards

We're smack dab in the middle of the NBA playoffs which also means we're in the middle of NBA awards season.  Many deserving (and some not so deserving) players, coaches and GM's will receive recognition for their work this season.  An All NBA first, second and third team will also be announced to recognize the best players at each position.  Rumor has it that the NBA is working on introducing some new All NBA awards and I was lucky enough to get my hands on the rough copies.  I'll include my thoughts on some of the selections


All NBA "Old Man Game" team

This team represents the idealism/charisma of the uncle who suits up to run a few while the burgers are cooking on the grill.

G- Andre Miller

Everything Miller does is in slow motion but is effective. Definition of old man game.

G- Mike Bibby

Bibby is a relatively new induction into this fraternity.  He's still learning to adapt to the fact that he can't really sprint down the court anymore without stopping to catch his breath.

F- Paul Pierce

A really great pick here. His whole career has been the epitome of "old man game" but he really elevated his performance these past few years. The use of the wheelchair back in the 2008 championship season was really a MVP performance.

F- Zach Randolph

Another good pick.  While Randolph has an amazing array of low post moves, his game rarely involves getting more than 6 inches off the ground.  I look forward to many old man years from him.

C- Tim Duncan

He really brought back the idea of old man game as a young person. Amazingly, if you look at his game in the late 90's, it's essentially the same.  Gotta love the commitment.




All NBA "Flop" Team

Ever since Vlade Divac came to the NBA, flopping has taken center court in defensive strategy. As the players have gotten more athletic, the fundamentals of the great floppers have just gotten better and the situations in which they try to flop, even more daring.


G- Chris Paul

He brings leadership to this team.  There is no one in the league who flops so obviously but at the same time remembers to ride the refs about their "missed' calls.  That's what I call court vision.

G- Manu Ginobli

Ginobli is such a veteran of flopping, we've almost come to believe that he is just a very unsteady person with low core strength.

F- Lebron James

You have to give it to Lebron. He just won his 3rd MVP. He's his team's best offensive player, defensive player and assist guy. He's also the team's best flopper and that's saying a lot when Dwyane Wade and Shane Battier are on the same team.  Most players would have just went down for the flop pictured above but Lebron elevated his game by running around the court grasping his neck until the refs felt compelled to call a flagrant foul on Chandler.  He truly sees the game at a level we can only dream of.

F- Blake Griffin

Blake has been victim to many hard fouls of late as opponents tired of being posterized on a nightly basis.  Griffin had two options, a) to toughen up and start playing with a chip on his shoulder, letting opponents know that hard fouls would be reciprocated or b) to exaggerate even the slightest of contact with the hope that he would never have the opportunity to actually be hit again. Seeing as how Blake went to OU, we all know which decision he made.

C- Reggie Evans

Love this pick here.  Evans isn't the most talented player. Instead of chipping in to help by being a tough defender and rebounder, he decided to exploit the rules to help ruin the game I love so much. Kudos to you.


All NBA "IDGAF" Team

Here is a special group of players.  This isn't for the selfish player, or even the player that lets his emotions get the best of him.  This group of players show an almost sociopathic lack of regard for how their actions affect anyone else but themselves.

G- Delonte West

Yes, that is a picture of Delonte giving a "wet willy" to a NBA player during a NBA game. You would think  that would be his crowning IDGAF moment but you'd be wrong. He also allegedly slept with Lebron James' mother in the middle of the playoffs, was caught in bed with her by Lebron, and subsequently likely cost Cleveland any chance they had of retaining Lebron.  Classic.

G- JR Smith

This guy has never met a shot (or tattoo parlor) that he didn't like.

F- Metta World Peace

He previously fought a fan who he thought threw a beer at him (he didn't). Then he asked for time off in the middle of a NBA season to promote his rap album. He then changed his name to Metta World Peace only to elbow a defenseless James Harden a few months later. Nuff said.

F- Lamar Odom

An interesting pick.  He demanded a trade from the Lakers because they tried to trade him, he put so little effort in for the Mavs that the owner essentially told him not to come to work anymore, then he flew back to LA with a Lakers jersey on. Also he's married to a Kardashian.

C- Andrew Bynum

Love the youth pick here.  Bynum should be a perennial member of this team. He has no leadership around him and he has an inflated sense of self worth. We might be witnessing the beginnings of a HOF caliber IDGAF career. Stay tuned.


All NBA "He's Still In The League?" Team


I'm still shocked that some of these players are still playing.


G- Jerry Stackhouse

Every time I watched Atlanta this year, I had the same reaction: "Jerry Stackhouse still plays?" It's like my brain refused to accept that as true.

G- Shaun Livingston

Shaun Livingston came back from one of the most horrendous knee injures I have ever seen.  If you want to see it, you'll have to find it yourself, I'm not trying to look at that again. I'm happy he's back to being a productive member of an NBA team.

F- Luke Walton

Yep, Luke Walton is still playing. He made six million this year.  How can that be possible you ask? Because he is a veteran member of this team. GM's just seem to forget he can't play basketball well.

F- Kurt Thomas

A snub from the "old man game" team, Kurt Thomas continues to plug away under the radar being under appreciated as he has been for most of his career.


C- Brad Miller

I hear this decision came down to Miller vs Jason Collins. I was leaning Jason Collins just because he has a twin who is out of the league but once I saw this throwback picture of Miller with cornrows I had to agree.  I'm shocked Brad Miller is still in the league.


All NBA "Future Terrible Contract" Team

This team has nothing to do with talent. In fact, by definition, all these players are very talented. The problem is that they will likely be paid on potential vs likely production, giving them contracts that will cause many to claim they are over paid.

G- Brandon Jennings

Brandon Jennings is a scoring point guard who doesn't really make his teammates better and isn't good enough to consistently get his team in the playoffs in the East. He is talented though. And some desperate GM will likely offer him a max contract.

G- James Harden

I love James Harden's game and his being on this list is not any fault of his.  He reminds me of how people talked about Joe Johnson when he was with Phoenix.  I truly believe some GM will think that Harden can be their #1 guy and pay him accordingly.  He could easily wind up in an Atlanta type situation like Joe Johnson did when he went and got paid.

F-  Danny Granger

Par for the course. Great wingman. Indy has had success.  Will either get paid too much to stay or will get paid too much and leave. He can't carry a team but once that contract comes, he'll be expected to. Think Rashard Lewis.

F- Danilo Gallinari

I've heard him compared to Dirk Nowitzki more times than I can count.  He's not Dirk. His 3pt shot is very inconsistent. He doesn't score with the efficiency or ease that Dirk does. Some team will think that he has all the skills to be a marquee player and regret that decision within two years.

C- JaVale McGee

Remember Jerome James? Remember how he got that contract? He was a seemingly talented big man who just couldn't put it together until the first round of the playoffs. Then he had a great series for Seattle and got a large contract which he never lived up to.  The market for bigmen last year was 10-15 mil/yr. Expect McGee to make that much and then the team that pays him to realize that they just gave 12 mil to a player with no post game or offensive ability and questionable NBA IQ.

10 best songs about family members

Nas (the G.O.A.T) recently released a song called Daughter's centered on his regrets as a father and how they have affected his daughter's attitude/upbringing. It got me thinking on what the best songs about family members, spanning all genres of music are. (Well, the genres I listen to somewhat, if dubstep has a great family song, sorry, it won't be on this list).


10.  Butterfly Kisses by Bob Carlisle

This song is the epitome of what it's like to raise a daughter for a father.  It starts from childhood all the way to the wedding day.  It's one of my favorite country songs.  (Although I'll admit this is the first time I'm seeing the video and it's kind of creepy when he's in the dark room and they keep closing up on him).

9. Coward of the County by Kenny Rogers

That's two country songs in a row, bet you didn't see that coming! This song is about a boy who's father dies in prison when he was 10, so he has to grow up without a father figure to show him "how to be a man". The chorus of the song is the last words his father told him as advice for the rest of his life. The song is told through the point of view of his uncle (Kenny Rogers himself).  The song is really rhythmic and I've liked ever since I heard it on the 1st day I left Brooklyn for NJ.

8. Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy) by John Lennon

John Lennon wrote this song for his first child with Yoko Ono, and while there is a ton of controversy surrounding Yoko Ono and her effect on the Beatles, this song was at least one good thing to come out of it.  A very upbeat and optimistic song for his son and the future.  The song is of course interpreted differently as we know that Lennon passes and doesn't get to see his son come of age.

7.  Papa Was a Rolling Stone by The Temptations

This song is a bit more negative than the others on this list but it's still a great song.  It kind of deals with the aspect of the absentee parent. Catchy beat, great lyrics and smooth harmonizing make this song a classic.

6. I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack

I debated putting this song here just because it's not really a specific song. Womack has said before that the inspiration for the song was her children and frankly, it's my list so I can do what I want. Either way, this song embodies that hope and wonder of the world we develop as kids and implores us to not lose it. Not only is it a great song for kids, but also for anytime you are contemplating a major life change.

5. Dear Mama by Tupac

This is one of Pac's classics.  Here he raps about how he knows he didn't make life easy for his mother but he wants her to know that he "understands" all the sacrifices she has made to help make him the man he was.   And unlike the entry after this, she was still around to be able to hear it.  The video improves on the song by actually having interview clips of Afeni Shakur as well.

4. Dance by Nas

What, did you think I wasn't gonna put a Nas song on my best (insert noun) of all time list did you? Then you clearly haven't been paying attention.  Nas' mother had recently passed from breast cancer and he was very close to his mother.  This is Nas at his most introspective and the lyrics are chilling at times "I'd give my life up, just to see you one more day".

3. Dance With My Father by Luther Vandross

My Mom's favorite musician has always been Luther Vandross so he had a very strong prescence in my childhood.  When he made dance with my father, I think my Mom connected with it even more because she lost her father at an early age as well. This might be my favorite Luther song ever.

2. Isn't She Lovely by Stevie Wonder

No song has ever captured the joy of childbirth and the wonder of new parenthood the way Stevie did with this ballad.  Not only is the opening unique with the sounds of Aisha (his daughter) being born, but it ends with sounds of him playing with his daughter.  This song is just beautiful.

1. A Song for Mama by Boyz 2 Men

This had to be number 1. It's the go to staple for the Mother/Son dance at weddings.  Just as fathers and daughters have a special bond, so do mothers and sons.  I know I plan on using this song at my wedding.

Surprisingly Controversial Themes in Children's Media

Some forms of children's media stay ridiculously saccharine, others like to flirt with that line of adult themes (the Harry Potter Series did it best) and still others bulldoze past the line without any regard, as they charge full steam ahead into the adult world while still staying geared towards kids. This list salutes some of the latter.

Animorphs

The Animorphs, by K.A. Applegate, was about a group of kids who are given special powers to turn into any animal for two hours. They must return to their regular form before the 2 hours are up unless they will be stuck in that form forever. They are given this power to stop the an antagonistic group of aliens, the "Yeerks", who can take control of any humans body, from invading Earth. Pretty basic stuff. Aliens bad and they must be stopped. And for the 1st half of the 50+ book series that is pretty much how it played out.  Nobody died, the Yeerks were cartoonishly evil but the children always managed to do just enough to survive.Then Applegate decided that she would rather things got real.

This started with the introduction of a new Animorph, David, who subsequently betrays the team and has the readers thinking he may have killed the team. Their solution to this problem, they force him to live his life trapped in the form of a mouse on an abandoned island. But he deserved it right? He was evil for no reason? Actually, the Yeerks had taken control of both of his parents and he was essentially "drafted" into a war against his choice. He was betraying the Animorphs in a chance to save his parents. Not exactly Lex Luthor over here.

Eventually the writers start to question the morality of the war. Is it okay to attack Yeerks who are defenseless? (They have to leave their host every three days to feed in a nutrition pool. Their natural forms are essentially blind slugs).  Is it okay to sacrifice team members for the good of the cause? How should they manage their need to win the war with their need to keep their humanity. Can they employ an "any means necessary" strategy just because the Yeerks attacked first? What made it worse was the team was split on these moral issues which really drove the point home. *Spoiler Alert* The series ended with the Animorphs recruiting more members from a disabled home (because they figured the Yeerks wouldn't be targeting disabled hosts). They were all slaughtered by the end of the series.  Also Jake, the de facto but reluctant leader, sends his cousin Rachel on a suicide mission to kill his brother (who was controlled by a Yeerk), and makes the decision to kill thousands of defenseless Yeerks by flushing them into space while they were feeding. Parallels could easily be drawn to the wars in Iraq and Afganistan and the series really stopped being about aliens and more of an analogy for the morality of human war. Oh and for fun, they also essentially created God and Devil analogies that were omniscient aliens playing "a game" with the universe of which the Yeerk invasion was just a small piece of.  Kinda deep for a 5th grade reading level.

Casper

Here, I'm specifically talking about the movie starring Christina Ricci. We all know the story. Ghost boy falls for this girl who moved into his house. He has three uncles who treat him like crap.  The movie is already kind of sad because Casper states that he died when he got sick from being out in the cold too long. We also find out that Ricci's mother also died and that her father has been researching ghosts to find a way to contact his deceased wife. Somehow, things get more depressing from here.

Yes, I just blew your mind. 

Later in the movie, in a drunken binge, Ricci's father kills himself. By falling in a ditch.  You read that right, he dies. Since he comes back as a ghost and parties with Casper's uncles it doesn't seem that traumatizing. But make no mistake, he is dead. Ricci becomes very emotional. Because of this Casper decides to use his one chance to become a living person again and find true love to instead bring her father back to life.  Let's recap, he died at a very young age, is forced to wait hand and foot on his uncles who pretty openly despise and mock him, he finally falls in love and has a chance to live again, but he has to give it up for the woman he loves. He is given the gift to be able to be alive for a night and has the most fun he's ever had, only to turn back into a ghost when he's about to get his first kiss.  Yep, Capser has no choice but to assume that life hates him.  To top it all off, the movie clearly states that ghosts are spirits with no unfinished business. Since Casper stays a ghost, he must have unfinished business and therefore will never be able to advance to the afterlife. What a picker upper movie.

His Dark Materials

Many might expect the Harry Potter series to be on here because that series got very serious in tone after the first book. Rowling started killing off characters left and right. Many Christian churches decreed the use of wizardry and witchcraft as being demonic and anti-Christian. While the HP series has gotten more negative publicitity, the His Dark Materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman goes way farther than Rowling ever did.  Simply put, Pullman actively portrays religion and the church as evil. Straight evil. Deadly experimenting on children evil. Kill those who disagree evil.  Sure, he's not the first to do that. What really makes his series controversial is that you learn the real goal of the protagonists father is to "kill The Authority", with the Authority being an Analogy for God.  Not only does he do that, he also changes the story of what/who God is. Instead of being The Creator, he says that he was just the first angel to come into existence, and then lied to all the other angels who came after him by saying he created them. The authority seems to age since when he is finally found he is old and weak and quickly passes away when taken off him "life support".  When they made the Golden Compass movie I was sure that the backlash would be monumental. Nope. There was some grumbling but nothing compared to what Harry Potter has gotten. Go figure. 

Why is it so hard to make a good Superman movie?

Superman is the most famous superhero ever created. There is no debating that. He was the pioneer for superheroes for many media outlets (comics, radio, TV).  He's the first superhero we learn about. Supes represents the best of humanity and what we should all aspire to be.  He's inspired songs (Superman by Lazlo Bane, Kryptonite by 3 Doors Down), clothing, nicknames and even NBA rivalries (Retired center Shaquille O'Neal actively hates Dwight Howard for "stealing" his Superman title.  Calling someone Superman is pretty much the ultimate compliment.  He's a cultural icon in America. But there's a problem...

There hasn't been a good Superman movie in over 30 years, (not since Superman II with Christopher Reeves).  In this time, Batman, Spiderman, Ironman, the X-men and even Captain America and the Hulk have produced movies that were critically accepted.  Superman's attempt in 2006, "Superman Returns", was widely panned. To make matters worse, most people can't even think of a Superman plot line that would make them rush to the theaters.  In an era where Superhero movies have captured our imaginations and gained mainstream appeal, we can't even THINK of a good Superman story line.  There's a reason for that...

Weirdly, the answer isn't Superman III although that was a great guess.

Superman is an inherently boring character. He's too "goody two-shoes" for our liking.  He's the guy in class who would remind the teacher that he/she forgot to collect the homework.  He's the guy who walks to the end of the sidewalk on an empty road because jaywalking is illegal. He doesn't kiss on the first date. He doesn't let himself get angry. The Wire was too edgy for him. He's boring.  We get it, truth, justice, blah, blah, blah. There's only so much we can take of someone who is that pure, that nice, and that good. We live in a cynical society, and that's why we have overwhelmingly chosen Batman and Marvel characters like Iron Man over Superman. They have flaws. They make mistakes.  They let their emotions get the better of them.  Movie writers are afraid to tarnish the legacy of Superman by showing anything less that perfection.  Therein lies the problem.

The Solution: Tell the Superman story that has been written before but never brought to the big screen. The story that you would expect if someone gave you a character who wanted the world to be good and was immeasurably powerful.

This Guy. Give this guy a movie.

There is a comic called Superman: Red Son.  It is set in an alternate universe where Superman landed somewhere in Soviet Russia as a baby instead of Smallville, Kansas.  He is raised with communist ideals and eventually emerges during the Cold War with the US.  They could have easily made this a "Russia =bad, US = good" story but they didn't. Superman still wanted to help people, regardless of where they were from. But because he was raised in a system where the government was more comfortable exerting their will for the "good of the people", he was, reluctantly at first but then more willingly, able to compromise some personal liberties to help achieve his ultimate goal of paradise. He was able to get most of the world to go along with him, except the United States of course.  This was a different Superman willing to use methods that the more known Superman would never consider. The fact that he is so controlling becomes a major theme of the story.

Another comic is called Superman: Speeding Bullets.  It also takes place in an alternate universe where Superman landed in Gotham City. He was found by Thomas and Martha Wayne, otherwise known as Batman's parents.  They decided to adopt him, and as a result he was named Bruce Wayne and the Bruce we all know was never born.  In this storyline, his parents still die but unlike our Batman who used the moment as motivation to become strong enough to be able to protect the innocent, Superman later finds out he was strong enough all along and has added guilt because of that.  As a result, this Superman, who goes by the name Batman, uses levels of violence not even our Batman could condone.

A third is called Kingdom Come and is set as a possible future where Superman has retired because the people as a whole celebrated when a new superhero killed the Joker eventhough he had been found innocent by reason of insanity.  He later comes out of retirement when he sees how violent and reckless this new generation of superheroes are. He himself becomes much more violent, to the point that Batman actively opposes him as well saying neither side is provides an adequate solution.

I am in no way suggesting an alternate universe Superman where his origin is drastically changed. I think that would play very gimmicky as a movie. The reason I gave a synopsis of the three books above is because they ignore the boy scout most movies portray Superman as and they instead tackle an often ignored but very interesting theme:  Superman is the most powerful person on Earth yet he can't seem to make the people of Earth as good as he would like. He grew up on a small farm in a small town where people seemed inherently good. He comes to a big city and realizes people are corrupt and no matter what he does there is still violence, and innocents still suffer.  Instead of portraying him as having infinite patience, they portray him as an angry diety who has decided to take matters into his own hands.  This is a story that we have never seen on the bigscreen.  It is gritty, cynical, and really gets to the heart of humanity. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely".

This is the Superman we need to see. Angry, frustrated, but still wanting to do the right thing. A movie of this ilk would bring Supes back to the forefront of superhero folklore. Instead of just making a movie with a strong opponent, let us question his morality. Superman isn't human, add a little bit of alien coldness and you strike cinematic gold. Or kill Jimmy Olsen...he's been asking for it.

Best of Taiwanese/ US pop culture parody videos

The NWA (New Media Animation) is a Taiwan based company that creates CGI animated spoofs/parodies of popular news stories. What makes the animations great is the over-the-top nature of the humor and the analogies. They are narrated in Mandarin but later videos were subtitled in English and eventually narrated English versions became available.   Below are 5 of the best that I have seen.

5. Jeremy Lin's debut vs the Nets

Best Part: Lin getting thrown off the Golden State Warriors Bus
Most WTF Part: The signs of the protesters as Lin is trying to get his scholarship.

4. Nicholas Cage arrested for domestic Violence

Best Part: Where he dared police to arrest him...and they did
Most WTF Part: Cage turning into the Ghost Rider

3. Saints being caught in Bounty Gate

Best Part: Where the Saints cut Brett Favre in Half
Most WTF Part: Where a Bears player is caught injecting steroids into another Bears player's butt.

2. 2012 Giants vs Pats Superbowl

Best Part: Tie between the Statue of Liberty helping the Giants beat the Pats the first time and the line "God clearly favors the Giants, or like most people, he just hates the Patriots".
Most WTF part: Mario Manningham catching his pass with a basket

1. Feud with Conan

When Conan O'Brien first moved to TBS he made his own version of these videos as a parody of their video of him. NMA became (mock) upset and made this rebuttal video which is the best of the three.

Best Part: The alleged use of American child labor
Most WTF Part: The Neverland ranch/Michael Jackson cameo

The 5 Most Revolutionary Video Games of All Time

I'm currently playing Sonic Generations in my spare time.  I haven't liked a Sonic game since Sonic Adventure 2, but after reading some good reviews, I took the plunge.  I have to say, the game isn't bad. It's strongest selling point is the nostalgia factor which takes you back to a time when Sonic was one of the kings. Back when the announcement of a new Sonic game was met with hope and high expectations instead of dread.  So, in honor of great games, I came up with a list of the top 5 most revolutionary of all time. (Sadly, Sonic isn't on the list). Mind you, this isn't the best video games of all time, just the biggest game changers.


5. Pokemon Red/Blue - Sept/1998

Interesting personal story about Pokemon for me: I wasn't in the country when it caught on in September 1998. I was living in Nigeria for half a year (August to December).  When I left, I had never heard of Pokemon, by the time I came back it was all my friends would talk about. And I had no idea what it was or what was cool anymore.

So Power Rangers isn't a cool thing anymore? All right, I'll go change...please don't remember this.

Pokemon Red/Blue was just a great game.  It spawned a tv show, a card game and ridiculous amounts of merchendise.  We all had our favor starter Pokemon (Bulbasaur FTW!).  The game was easy enough that even gaming novices could pick it up and enjoy it, yet it did require strategy and planning to beat the game. You could trade pokemon with your friends and even battle them, pitting your skills as a trainer against theirs. Battery companies saw profits like never before (Buying drug store generic batteries was a rookie mistake. Yeah they were cheaper but they ran out so quickly).  From assembling your ultimate team, to taking on the elite four, battling Mewtwo,  and using the Missingno glitch for essentially unlimited items, fans have many fond memories of the game. In fact Red/Blue is the best selling RPG for the Nintendo Gameboy. The series is on it's 5th generation now but the original 151 will always be remembered as the spark that started it all.

4.  Mortal Kombat - Aug/1992

I debated for a long time between Street Fighter and Mortal Kombat. Both were great fighting games that let you dish out punishment to your friends (what more could you ask for).  I had to go with Mortal Kombat for one reason:

That stylish hat Raiden is sporting?

Blood.  Mortal Kombat was the first mainstream game to show blood. And not "realistically" or "tastefully" or even "responsibly". No, we got ridiculous, over the top, likely having a negative influence on our development, levels of blood. Blood would go flying everywhere.  But even better that the blood? This little treat you got when you beat your opponent (if you knew the right button combinations)

The fatalities are what really set this apart from Street Fighter.  Not only could you beat your friend, you could dismember him/her in the most gory way possible.   This was a time when video games were very PG, with cute characters and poorly simulated violence. Mortal Kombat was such a shock that the industry was forced to start rating games like they rate movies so that parents could know what games were "appropriate" for children.  For all you kids that couldn't buy a rated M game because the store wouldn't sell it to you without an adult being present, you can blame Mortal Kombat.


3. Goldeneye 64 - Aug/1997

A staple of any 90's kids life.  Almost everyone has played Goldeneye at some point. What made this game so revolutionary was that you could play with 3 of your friends at once (no more taking turns). This, along with Mario Kart 64, drove the sales of the Nintendo 64. There are very few video games in history that have house rules. Everyone has tangled with the "can you or can't you use Oddjob" debate before.

However, the biggest contribution this game has made to video game history is making the "escort" mission mainstream and giving it a face (Natalia anyone?).  "GET OUT OF THE WAY!". Here's a real life version of that terrible mission. She almost seemed to want to die.

p.s. for all you non gamers "escort" mission meant escort to safety. I just realized how the video screen grab and the title escort could be misconstrued. Get your minds out of the gutters.

2. Grand Theft Auto 3 - Oct/2001

Grand Theft Auto 3 ushered in modern gaming.  It was one of the first games with a truly expanded universe. You could spend your time taking on the missions one by one or you could explore.  You could get in a Taxi and become a driver collecting money.

Thanks for letting me borrow your taxi bro

You could steal a cop car and exact some vigilante justice.  You could pick up a lady of the night for more...adult activities.  You could just get your favorite gun and become a pedestrian's worst nightmare.

Pay your parking tickets people

GTA 3 started the trend of extending game time by adding more and more features/side missions that don't necessarily add to the plot of the game. In fact, games today seemed to be designed to prevent us from finishing the game by distracting our already low attention spans.  It rejuvenated the franchise which has continued to give us great games.  And it renewed media criticism of video games. Truly revolutionary.


1. Super Mario Bros - Sept/1985

Truthfully, there are a lot of games in the Mario universe that could have made this list.  It seems every few years, the people at Nintendo will release a new Mario game that completely changes the field.  I had to go with the first though because it is the prototypical platforming game. The game's soundtrack is still the most recognizable of all the Mario games.  "Thank you Mario, but our princess is in another castle" is almost a legendary phrase for people who played video games.

From this game, a brand was truly created. Mario was able to play basketball, tennis, golf, soccer, become a doctor, race his friends and enemies, and even throw parties.  He's seen rivals come and fall (Sonic and Crash Bandicoot to name a few) but still he remains. You know what, he's essentially the Jay-Z of gaming.   (There could easily be a youtube remix of "A star is born" by Jay-Z for Mario).  What's amazing is Mario shows no sign of stopping, we're almost ingrained to support Mario games.