The Blogirhythm

Herefore No Longer Here or There

2010-01-14T11:40:00.000-08:00

Yeah, I've grown tired of the dark drab blog that was the orginal Blogirhythm. I've now moved to greener pastures. Check out the New and Improved Blogirhythm Network! ! I hope to see you all there.

-Smola

New Heroes Review

2009-02-10T12:16:00.002-08:00

Overview:
The plane crashes. Nathan reminisces about it on the phone. Mohinder, Matt, and Hiro team up. Ando and Daphne show up but Daphne gets shot before she can get people away. Claire gets captured and released three times. Sylar tortures a family and gets a microwavable sidekick. Matt shoots a bunch of people with his mind. Tracy gets captured, and Peter gets the rest of the gang together. They all decide to take the fight to the man, Cajun-style. Claire gets a rebellious text message.

Line of the Night: Claire (to Nathan) - "Except for Senator Skyboy, of course, because he has everything under control."

Review:
Well, Volume 3's debacle of accomplishing nothing but the downfall of Nathan finally feels like a distant memory. "Trust and Blood" was a well-paced setup episode, and the rest of volume seems ready to jump off from here.

First of all, it seems that they've all but abolished Mohinder's meandering soliloquies that began every episode, and it's about time. Now, it starts with the the last scene of last episode, and goes straight to a 43 hour time gap. Outside of using Nathan as lead-ins, which is unusually artistic for Heroes the show finally did a great job of pairing the episode down to just two storylines - Sylar's quest for his father and the fugitives escaping from the crash.

The fugitives themselves act completely naturally, which for Heroes is a rare feat. Hiro still feels like he can be a warrior without his powers, Tracy is still working all the angle, and Matt still hates his powers (although I have to agree with him when he says "I didn't want this" - because honestly, I didn't want to watch more clairvoyance... again).

Zeljko Ivanek brings a refreshing breath of badass acting to the crew - and some sorely need intrigue. The Hunter is a fantastically loose cannon, he must have an interesting origin story. It seems him and HRG have a history (notice that they both knew about the airstrike but Nathan had no idea) - hopefully they'll develop this further.

Also big kudos to immediately answering nagging mysteries, Heroes has a nasty reputation of leaving loose ends everywhere. Still not sure what the eclipse does... But here, it's almost instantly revealed that Peter can only absorb and keep one ability at a time. Also a good thing, since now he's no longer Superman.

Sylar's simply demonic as usual, torturing the one soldier that had the misfortune of surviving his first onslaught. This also sets up the origin story for his sidekick Luke, who comes from a home as broken as Gabriel's. He seems perfect in the role as apprentice of evil, showing an eagerness to learn about people with abilities, but still has no problem melting his deadbeat father. It's also refreshing to see a character learn something from season to season on Heroes, as Sylar openly admits it's a "big deal" for him to let someone with abilities live. And it is, so more kudos.

Daphne getting shot didn't carry that much dramatic weight, as the drawings let us know it was coming. The scene was still very well done, having a strong chilling factor as Matt turned those soldiers against each other. However, upon further investigation (read: watching the same scene twenty times), she was only hit in the shoulder with one bullet even though three were fired. So she's probably not dead. Nobody ever dies on Heroes.

Peter teaming up with Tracy was unexpected, and turned into one of the most intense scenes of the episode. It was interesting to see Tracy try and manipulate her way into freedom, only to have that lead her to be abandoned by the supposedly most pious character, Peter. Nathan and HRG letting Peter live show that there's still compassion left with this twisted family bloodline, but goes against the precendent set by Nathan at the end of last season. The juxtaposition against all these character's personalities underscored the title of the episode, as even blood relatives can't trust eachother.

The soon-to-be super group meet up and decide it's time to split up and turn guerilla; setting up the rest of the volume. The music in this scene rocks, by the way. The episode caps off with Claire exchanging texts with a mysterious "REBEL," providing the most intrigue this show has had since Hiro traveled back in time to visit Peter. Is this the infamous Sparrow Redhouse? Probably not, they want to give Claire a new love interest with a power. This may be the best volume yet, but it's still too early to tell.

Base Score: 8
+2 for getting rid of the lead-in and lead-out monologue and a refreshing storytelling technique.

-3 for Matt for inheriting Isaac's "gift."

+1 for good pacing (for once)

-.5 for some bad acting, but not terrible acting.

+2 for giving the viewers something to talk about again at the water cooler "Who is REBEL?" "What's the hunter's back story?"

-2 for Nathan not wanting his brother dead (if this volume ends with Nathan redeeming himself again and him maybe dying again I'm done with this show)

Final Score: 7.5

A-Rod, Steroids, and Random Bits

2009-02-09T15:59:00.001-08:00

So I just finished watching A-Rod's entire interview with Peter Gammons, and he may have saved his hall of fame chances. He came off as poignant and genuine, which for Rodriguez is a mighty feat. However, this is a deeply rooted issue that affects Major League Baseball as a whole.

First of all, about the A-Rod Hall of Fame debate. He claims that he only took steroids from 2001-2003, during his Texas Ranger years; right after signing his at the time historic 10 year, $252 million contract. It makes sense then that a person as worried as A-Rod about his image would do everything he took to live up to his anointment as the greatest player in baseball. Compare his three seasons in Texas with the rest of his career:

2001-2003: .308 avg/54 hr/132 rbi
1996-2008: .306 avg/42 hr/124 rbi

Clearly, steroids played a part in his Texas years, bolstering his home run total to 12 over his career average, and his slugging percentage a good thirty points over the same span (.578 career vs .614 2001-2003). But in the overall scheme of things, with or without his steroid use, Alex Rodriguez was always going to be one of the best players in baseball.

He also said he was naive and didn't know what he was doing, and that things were "loosey goosey." This also makes sense, as an 18-year old phenom drafted out of high school, he was already batting .358 and belting 36 homers by the time he was 21. And remember, A-Rod is an impressionable person, always the one to do what's expected of him, because he's soooo worried about what people think about him. So when he says that he didn't know what he was doing, it makes sense.

Then you look over the roster that A-Rod had in Texas in those years and it even becomes more apparent that he's become a victim in this steroid era (as opposed to one of the enablers of the juicing). Just look at the names he played with, all linked to steroid use:

Rafael Palmiero, Ken Caminiti, Ruben Sierra, Juan Gonzalez, Kenny Rogers, Ivan Rodriguez... The list goes on.

The point is, not all of them were pushers, but the culture of the Texas Rangers (and MLB at large) is bred on the big numbers, the home runs, the stats. Steroids just gave these people an edge, wherever they could take it. And that's where A-Rod fits in - he was anointed the next home run king (way too early in his career) and he needed to make sure that he was going to get there. Youthfully and stupidly. And now that he's apologized openly, which is more than either Clemens or Bonds has done - he's cleared his plate. Now he has nine years left to prove he's still got it.

As for his as-of-yet broken record? I think it's time that Aaron and Maris had their mantles back. And if A-Rod breaks the record, give him a twenty home run handicap.

Random Bits

- Whoever MIA's maternity doctor is should be fired and stripped of her medical license. I'm sure the exposure was everything behind this decision, but what doctor in their right mind lets a woman who is due on the night of the Grammy's to perform on said stage with thousands of screaming fans, a choreographed dance routine and dozens of strobe lights?

- The only reason "I Kissed a Girl" was ever popular is because if it was called "I Kissed a Boy" nobody would have given a shit.

-Heroes looks like it's back on track. The dialogue still sounds like it's written by a fifth grader though. Maybe poach some of the writers from Lost? Wait, what? They fired Jesse Alexander last season? Hmmm...

Fast Food Should Be Made Illegal

2009-01-25T11:34:00.001-08:00

Okay, everyone knows that fast food is bad for you. But how bad? Sure, there's a hell of a lot of calories in even the smallest cheeseburger, but even that doesn't do the evils of fast food justice. So how bad? Try illegal substance bad.

Some may read that line and think I'm off my rocker. While the majority of the time that may be true, I think I'm on to something here. Let's look at what fast food does to you. Fast food is generally consumed very quickly, no one ever wants to sit around to enjoy that crap. On the way down, it's the best feeling in the world. For like ten, twenty minutes maybe you feel like you can do anything, like you can conquer the world. Then - the bad feeling sets in. For hours, there's indigestion, heartburn, and just generally feeling like a piece of meat let to rot out in the sun. But then, after a few days, you find yourself in the same fast food line getting the same crap. Why? Because, for those 10-20 minutes, you feel like you can conquer the world. Try going a week without it, you start thinking about the fast food all the time. "Maybe I'll get the Angry Whopper today, even though I know I'm going to feel like crap... it tastes sooooo good." (side note: has Burger King really run out of burger ideas where they have to add emotions to the beginning of burgers and market them as something new?)

Reading through all these symptoms of a McJunkie made me realize that there's a distinct correlation between this and one other addictive substance. Cocaine. It makes you feel indestructible for a very short time, and then makes you feel like a strung out loser for hours. I know it sounds crazy, but all of the leading causes of death in the United States are linked to obesity related illnesses: heart disease, diabetes, and some forms of cancers. So why isn't anything being done about this? Because no one cares enough, and the McDonald's of the world have very powerful lobbies, a la Phillip Morris, to make it seem much less of a problem than it actually is.

Fight the addiction: Put the burger down.

I'm Baaaack

2009-01-25T11:33:00.000-08:00

Yeah, it's been a while, a lot of life stuff got in the way of this blog. But that's behind me now and I'm moving forward, so look for me to be posting with more regularity. How regular? I'm not sure. But at least twice a week. See you guys next post

-The Max

Week 13 Fearless Predictions

2008-11-28T17:03:00.001-08:00

My first week of picks didn't go too bad, so here's to hoping that that trend continues.

San Francisco 49ers at the Buffalo Bills
The Bills falter, and then they pummel a bad Kansas City team. Where does that leave them? Still at the bottom of the division, but look for them to continue their success against bad teams. Buffalo Bills

Baltimore Ravens at the Cincinnati Bengals
Ryan Fitzpatrick is still under center for the Bungles, so no contest. Baltimore Ravens

New Orleans Saints at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Riding high off that Monday win should serve Nawlens well, Brees MVP talk will fuel this game. New Orleans Saints

New York Giants at the Washington Redskins
I could write an entire post about what just happened to Plaxico Burress (seriously? shooting yourself in the leg?) But the Giants win just fine without him, so the best team in the NFL should continue to dominate. New York Giants

Miami Dolphins at the St. Louis Rams
Remember when the Rams were a good team? Seems like ages and ages ago. A good quarterback and still not much else. Miami Dolphins

Indianapolis Colts at the Cleveland Browns
The Colts are back to their dominant forms, and Peyton's finally beginning to look like himself, especially coming off that big win last week. It will continue here. Indianapolis Colts

Carolina Panthers at the Green Bay Packers
After a tough Monday loss, don't expect Rodgers and company to lose back to back games, especially in Lambeau. Green Bay Packers

Atlanta Falcons at the San Diego Chargers
Atlanta's been riding high and mighty with Matt Ryan under center - the Falcons went from preseason bottom-dwellers to a shot at the division lead. On the other hand. SD was the trendy Super Bowl pick and are fighting to just statistically stay alive. The Chargers need this one very badly, they're going to be playing hungry at home. San Diego Chargers

Denver Broncos at the New York Jets
The Jets think they're the best team in the AFC this week, having ousted the Patriots and the Titans on consecutive weeks. At home, they're a juggernaut - and Denver has suuuch a woeful defense. New York Jets

Pittsburgh Steelers at the New England Patriots
Matt Cassel's thrown for 400 yards in consecutive weeks, and that will not - I repeat - not happen again this week. Pittsburgh's defense is the best in the NFL, and they seem to be getting all the pieces together at the right time. Pittsburgh Steelers for the upset.

Kansas City Chiefs at the Oakland Raiders
In the nobody cares division, I'm looking for KC to rebound after that abysmal showing against the Bills. Oakland had a huge win last week, but they haven't won consecutive games all season. Kansas City Chiefs

Chicago Bears at the Minnesota Vikings
Huge divisional implications, and da Bears thrive under these conditions. A close game, edge goes to the Chicago Bears

Monday Night:

Houston Texans at the Jacksonville Jaguars
A Monday night game most likely no one will be watching. Still, Houston's shown promise in recent weeks, scoring a huge win on the road against Cleveland. They're going to carry what little momentum that gives them into this one. Houston Texans

Season record: 9-6

-The Max

Obama Showing Even More Promise

2008-11-25T21:09:00.000-08:00

So he's officially going to be our 44th President, and yours truly couldn't be happier (January 20th can't come soon enough). Not even in office yet and he's making all the right (proposed) decisions. Secretary of State? The Queen of Ice herself is assumed to be in line for the position. Essentially what this does for Obama is solidify his party underneath him, and quite possibly winning over the favor of the voters that voted for Hillary in the primaries.

Not only the Secretary of State, but rumor has it that Obama's team is planning on carrying over the Defense Secretary Robert Gates - a move that would create a double-whammy for Obama. Not only would he be reaching out to Republicans - a move not seen by Democrats in... ever; but he would also be retaining some form of continuity, at least as Iraq is concerned.

Yeah, the Republicans fucked it up there badly. However, by keeping on Gates, Obama is essentially saying "we can't clean this mess up without you guys". It will be supremely interesting to see what happens when he actually takes office.

Only 55 days...

- The Max

The Eclipse: Part I

2008-11-25T06:01:00.001-08:00

Short post, more later this week

Surprisingly, an intense and focused Heroes without any cringe-worthy scenes! One question though:

Claire can't heal, and takes a bullet full on in the chest. Why the hell then would HRG call it a "surface wound"? Is he really that stupid? What makes him think he's a doctor?

- The Max

Week 12 Fearless Predictions

2008-11-20T10:27:00.000-08:00

Yes, I may have missed the first eleven weeks but that doesn't mean that I can't jump in the midseason fray and post some winners. And that's all I pick. Winners. Not lines, not scores... just winners. So without further adue...

Philadelphia Eagles at the Baltimore Ravens

Going to be a close game, hopefully for McNabb that doesn't mean the chance of a tie. Both teams played poorly in their last starts, and they're both going to be looking to rebound. Both teams also need this win badly to stay in their division races. Philly doesn't want to embarrass themselves. - look for them to be hungry. Philadelphia Eagles

Houston Texans at the Cleveland Browns

Houston's been terrible on the road this season, going 0-5. Cleveland however scored a huge win on Monday night, edging out the reeling Bills. In a battle of could've-beens, Cleveland Browns get the edge at home.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers at the Detroit Lions

Man, Tim Tebow sure looks like he's going to be a Lion next year; if he doesn't want to graduate. Tampa Bay Buccaneers By a wide margin.

Buffalo Bills at the Kansas City Chiefs

The Bills are in a big tail-spin and who knows when they're going to break out of it. KC on the other hand may have a future QB star in Tyler Thigpen, and kept it close against a tough team in New Orleans. Kansas City Chiefs for the upset.

Chicago Bears at the St. Louis Rams

Another gimme game. No Steven Jackson = no chance. Chicago Bears

New York Jets at the Tennessee Titans

The Jets are looking high and mighty after ousting the Pats, and they're the trendy pick this week - thinking Favre will chew up their pass defense. I'm not going to pick against them until they lose. Tennessee Titans

New England Patriots at the Miami Dolphins

Both teams find themselves in positions they're unaccustomed to. For New England, that means looking up at a division leader. For Miami, that means a win away (and some good fortune) from being one. Miami's had a rather pedestrian schedule of late, although they've built a lot of momentum with a solid running attack and that 11-man front. However, New England is rebuilding itself around Matt Cassel's more than decent play, and Randy Moss is still the most dangerous deep wideout in NFL (Sorry, Plax). New England Patriots get the razor's edge.

Minnesota Vikings at the Jacksonville Jaguars

Weren't the Jaguars the darling preseason pick to win their division? This team is big mess, and look for a mediocre D-line to get absolutely pummeled by Adrian Peterson. Minnesota Vikings

San Francisco 49er's at the Dallas Cowboys

Shaun Hill may finally have provided some stability to the QB merry-go-round in 'Frisco, and the Niners look like a different team with him under center. But Tony Romo's only going to get better as his pinky gets healthier (looks so strange to read) - and also finally reopens their playbook to get Owens on deep routes. Dallas Cowboys

Oakland Raiders at the Denver Broncos

This just in: Al Davis has replaced interim head coach Tim Cable with television personality Alf. Davis said of Cable's firing in a press conference "He was fired for cause." Denver Broncos

Carolina Panthers at the Atlanta Falcons

It's time for Atlanta to prove if they're for real or not. Expect a heavy dosage of Michael Turner, but it's not going to matter. Carolina Panthers

New York Giants at the Arizona Cardinals

Arizona's got a chance to take down the NFC's best team, and Warner's playing like he's with the best team on turf. Arizona's D-line is decent, but the three-headed monster that is the Giants running game shred even the game's best defenses to shreds - tearing up Baltimore's 3rd-ranked run d to the tune of 207 yards. Decent won't do. New York Giants

Washington Redskins at the Seattle Seahawks

The popular thing this season is to pick against East coast teams traveling west and vice versa. This will truly put that theory to the test with a terrible Seattle team going up against a strong but flawed Redskins team. Still going with the Washington Redskins

Indianapolis Colts at the San Diego Chargers

The Colts are soaring, having won three straight against the Pats, Houston, and Pittsburgh. Peyton's finally playing like himself and his offensive line is finally healthy again. Worth noting: the Chargers suck right now. Indianapolis Colts

Monday Night:

Green Bay Packers at the New Orleans Saints

If Drew Brees is going to win the MVP this season, he has to win this game. The Saints do well on the national stage, and at home. Both teams have a great offense. Rodgers can sling it just as well as Drew Brees. Neither, however, have a defense at all, promising to make this game's score something in line with a high school basketball game. New Orleans Saints

Season Record: 0-0

-The Max

The Heroes Dilemma

2008-11-16T01:15:00.000-08:00

This, uh, is a tough subject to write about. First of all, since its inception, it's been hands down my favorite show on television. And up until recently, I was convinced I was going to get a tattoo of a montage of imagery from the show...

I'm glad I decided to wait.

The truth is, though, this show is in trouble. Ratings are wayyyy down (1.2 million less viewers than last year's season), and it doesn't look like it's going to change anytime soon. Jesse Alexander and Jeph Loeb, two of the executive-producers for Heroes, were recently given the blame and the axe. The problem is, they're already shooting episode 21... that only gives 3 episodes for there possibly to be an impact.

So the question is, what went wrong? And how can they make it better? Well, as the saying goes, you don't know where you're going 'til you know where you've been, so I'll examine what went right, what went wrong, and what possibly could be done to make the series better.

What Went Right*Please note that any reference unless otherwise noted is taken from Season 1

- Grounding the Show in Reality

Sure, the show had people that can explode (Three and counting) and a girl that dies seemingly every episode (too many to count) - but the fact that it made us believe that this could possibly, nay, actually - happen drew us all in. People with powers? A different DNA code. Bodies that can heal? No, it's spontaneous regeneration. People with different abilities? "Each person's DNA is different, like a fingerprint." (Note: Season 3 Premiere). Point is, for such a foreign and frankly, otherworldly concept of a show they made us believe.

- Lots of Intrigue

One of Heroes' championed tactics is the "To Be Continued..." mock-up that has ended every episode since its inception. Whether it was tracking down the serial killer only known as Sylar (at the time) or exactly what Peter's power actually was, they knew how to pace reveals. Perhaps clichéd, but it has been undeniably effective. Every week they managed to have a quota of reveals, usually answering one old question but making twenty more. Producers of television shows will tell you that that's how you build a show with legs, and for the most part that's true. Heroes did it well, key word there though is did.

- Characters You Care About

Once upon a time, you actually felt a connection with the characters on screen. You felt the love and brotherly connection between Peter and Nathan. You felt the inner turmoil that HRG went through having to lie straight to his family's face in order to protect them. You felt the anguish as Ali Larter pranced around on screen as a stripper and ripped people apart to give her son the life he deserved. Wait... what? Well, at any rate, it worked.

- Catchy Slogans

Okay, this may have been a one in a lifetime thing but the main reason that Heroes ever made anyone care was "Save The Cheerleader, Save The World." Anyone who's ever (and a lot of people who haven't) seen the show has heard that slogan. It had everyone asking: "Why does she need to be saved?" "How will that save the world?" "Will Hayden Panettiere ever escape playing a cheerleader?" More importantly, it had everyone watching. It was so enthralling that no one complained that they used a sham alternate future plot to explain why Hiro traveled back in the first place. Oops! Spoiler Alert. Does anyone even care about those anymore?

What Went Wrong

- Too Many Characters

In Heroes' debut episode, there were nine main characters introduced. NINE!! Since that episode, eight more were introduced, three were written off the show, and four were killed. That's tough enough for me, an admitted huge fan of Heroes, I can only imagine what a random person tuning in would think of this montage of pretty people with powers (hooray for alliteration). Right now, as it stands, there are ten main characters. By the end of this volume, my guess is two more will die. Hopefully the creators of this show will wisen up and do some addition by subtraction and keep it that way.

- Ridiculous Plot Devices

On a show with the premise of ordinary people discovering they can do extraordinary things, one could argue that anything is possible. While that may be true, it doesn't necessarily translate to good TV. There's too many easy outs, and the writers (some of whom have been given the ax) used them a little too often. When there's a character that can change history and go back in time, a character that put any thought into anyone's head, and five characters that can't die (that's right, five) - they essentially have a bag of whammies to get them out of any plot. Which would actually help them a lot right now, because...

- Lack of Internal Consistency

This is probably the show's biggest problem, and it's a problem that's been aggravating and driving away fans for months. Characters on serialized programming succeed when there's growth involved with their plotlines. Viewers gain attachments to these characters watching them as they change through time, for better or for worse. Yeah, it sounds like a marriage but when you're a fan of a show sometimes that's what it is. That's why it's such an egregious failure of character development when at the end of season two Hiro vows to never travel back in time again, yet in the premiere of the very next season, he's messing around with a clock and GOING BACK IN TIME. And what about Angela Petrelli? In the episode "Villains" (3.08), she had a huge revelation that her husband, Arthur, was evil and that the plan to let .07% of the world's population go the way of Hiroshima wasn't worth the price to cleanse the world. Yet, all through season one she had no problem standing idly by as her cohort Linderman manipulates his way into almost making that future a reality. Some may say that the gift of hindsight is 20/20, to that end I say if these same writers wrote season one (which they did) they ought to know what goes on inside a character's head. In the mighty words of Gob Bluth "Come on!"

How To Fix It**Outside of not doing what they're doing wrong

- Stop Making the Stakes Higher

Season one's nuclear explosion set the stakes at .07% of the world's population. Season two's strain 138 of the Shanti virus then raised the bar to 93%. Although season 3's first arc isn't over yet, it seems that they've placed the pike at the world exploding. What's next? The universe collapsing in on itself?

- Get Brian Fuller Back

At some point in every episode this season I've cringed at something somebody's said, whether it be an offhand comment or out of place one-liners. Yeah, I understand that this show has firm comic book roots but that doesn't mean that the dialogue sounds like it's written by a fourth grader. As previously mention, execs at NBC took a step in the right direction with firing Loeb and Alexander. Now they have to be careful with who they choose as replacements. If they're smart, they'll hire Bryan Fuller, who's current show Pushing Daisies is a critical darling, but unfortunately no one knows because no one watches it. Assuming the show gets canned (and all indicators point to that it will) - they need to get Fuller back. Back I say? That's right, before his Daisies gig he was one of Heroes' most heralded writers, penning the only episode to actually be acclaimed for its writing - "Company Man" (01.17)

- Change the Timeslot

This is a risky double-edged sword. On one hand, changing a show's day and/or time usually signals it's in trouble, and not many shows recover from a move. On the other hand, a move would benefit because the show is it is right now buts up against the Monday Night Football juggernaut. That being said, if NBC still wants to make Heroes its trademark drama, which they still can, a move has to happen. Maybe Wednesday nights? Or Friday? Tuesday and Wednesdays are out because American Idol dominates those days like a lion playing with its almost-dead prey. At any rate, a move would help get the show to new viewers, which the show sorely needs.

Whatever may come, Heroes still needs to be fixed. No more moral ambiguity (who do you root for?). No more extraordinary people wishing they were ordinary (stop whining you evolved person... you!)... I'll still be watching, but it won't be the same.

So it goes,
The Max

Shackler's Revenge

2008-11-10T14:40:00.000-08:00

I just listened to Guns N' Roses' "Shackler's Revenge" on the radio. It's supposed to be their big comeback hit, the first new song the band has come out with since they were actually still a band, instead of the offshoot that's essentially Axl N' Friends.

And it sucks. Bad.

It's bad enough Axl chose to keep the band going after Slash left, taking his mutant metal-blues to more Velvet-y pastures. But to replace him with a man who wears an upside-down KFC bucket on his head and a mask? Honestly??

Not to say that Buckethead isn't a talented guitarist, in fact, far from it. He's got great chops. Problem is, it's not Guns N' Roses anymore. It's turned into a Marilyn Manson-esque industrial avant-garde outfit... and it's just not right.

Chinese Democracy is the next St. Anger. You heard it here first.

So it goes,
- The Max

Problems in the Steel City

2008-11-09T16:15:00.001-08:00

I just watched the Steelers drop their latest game to the Colts, which shows the biggest problem with Pittsburgh: Their offensive line.

None of these guys have played together before this year, and the last holdover from Superbowl XL was Alan Faneca - the left guard who departed via free agency to a more lucrative contract with the Jets. That's a huge loss - almost half (13) of the sacks that Roethlisberger sustained this year came from the left side - a position now manned by Chris Kemoeatu (who has . Big Ben cannot keep on being Filbert the Turtle and operating from his back - last time I checked, it's not a forward pass if it's thrown whilst the player is on the ground. Someone may need to check that one for me (and Roethlisberger for that matter) - because he keeps trying.

Their defense can only take them so far. Even if they lead the league in overall defense (the jury's still out on that one after giving up 302 yards to Indy) - without offensive output, they're going to be the 2000 Baltimore Ravens - even though they won the Super Bowl; they won against a mismatched NY Giants team (with the currently unbeaten Kerry Collins under center). Even then they had a fully healthy running back in Jamal Lewis.

So, with Fast Willie being down likely for another two games and an upcoming schedule that includes the unbeaten Titans and a Cowboys team that is getting Tony Romo back, Steeltown will be hard-pressed to go 5-2 the rest of the way and finish with a record of 11-5.

Super worthy? Highly unlikely. Maybe next year.

So it goes,
The Max

Welcome!

2008-11-09T15:53:00.002-08:00

So this is my first blog entry ever, created at the behest of myself. I've always been opinionated, and now I feel that I need to share all my opinions with all of you. I'll try and keep this blog as objectively subjective as possible (read: I'll interject my opinions using facts, and keep them open for debate). Topics that will follow:

Political discourse
Reviews of movies, music, television shows, video games, etc.
The Sports report (soft T's for you Colbert fans)
Random musings as well

I guess that's it until next time.

So it goes,
- The Max