My Movie Picks...and Go Blue!!

MOVIES:

Ok...I went to see Flight Plan last night, a movie I've been anticipating for a while (cuz Jodie Foster is awesome!), and it didn't disappoint. First of all, what a kick-ass plane that was...sweet-lookin bar, 2-levels, and it actually looked comfy. Wow. Second, I liked the plot and acting...of course, Jodie carries it...she's the wo-man! I enjoy seeing her in action MUCH more than I do Fish-lips Jolie and Fish-lips wannabe Fantastic Four girl, whose name I can't remember. And to think the writers originally intended a man to play the part of Kyle...till Ms. Foster expressed an interest in the part.

Anyway, go see this movie...if you haven't. Also, while I'm at it, if you haven't seen The Constant Gardener, see it too...no one's said much about it (except raving critics), but it's a very intelligent political thriller. It will leave you thinking about certain hush-hush policies of national governments and perhaps infuriate you in a way.

More good-looking movies are coming up:

• Brokeback Mountain (which likely won't be released around here...perhaps in the State Theater or Michigan Theater..i HOPE). This is a movie set back a couple of decades, revolving around two cowboys who fall in love. They think what they feel is wrong and attempt to each carry on as if they are straight, getting married, having families...but they can't deny their true feelings. From what I've heard, this looks to be a very powerful love story, which I hope won't be labeled a "gay movie", despite its characters. The movie stars Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal and will originally be released Dec. 9th.
• Serenity - Following up on the short-lived tv series, Firefly, this movie continues the saga of that space crew. Why will this be good? Because the tv series was excellent...because Joss Whedon (creator of Buffy and Angel) directed/wrote it...'nough said!! This will be a campy, fun, kick-ass movie that will be a great investment of your movie $$'s. I can't wait for this, personally. It will be released next Fri. Sept. 30th.
• Pride and Prejudice - This year's rendition looks wonderful...it might be this year's best romance movie...we'll see. And when better to see a romance movie than when it's starting to get cold, eh? Releases November 18th.
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire - What more can I say? This is my second-favorite book in the series, so I'm hoping the movie will do it justice. And I will definitely be going to see this one at the latest-at-night showing possible to avoid being puked on by little kids. Also releases November 18th.
• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe - I've always loved C.S. Lewis' Narnia saga and hope that the movie series will capture the land of Narnia as magnificently as the Lord of the Rings movies did Middle Earth. Releases December 9th.

SPORTS:

In other news, Michigan plays Wisconsin today...they've had no trouble with Wisconsin in a while...will today be different, or will they simply add another tick mark to the wall? We'll see...next week, they'll face a fierce Michigan State, which took out Notre Dame last week and is 4-0, after today's game against Illinois. I think next Sat. will be a helluva game...blood will be spilled, and the Wolverines will have to fight hard to give the Spartans their first loss this season. Tonight's game vs. Wisconsin begins at 6pm....next week's big game begins at 12pm at Michigan State. Get the popcorn ready...

More storms forming in the Atlantic

This post confirms what a dork I am...just a warning. I was reading over at Weather.com that the next tropical storm has formed: Philippe. It is the 16th named storm of the season, making it the earliest 16th storm in recorded history. It is currently near the Lesser Antilles.

As if that weren't enough, Tropical Depression No. 18 has formed as well and will likely become Rita, the 17th named storm (obviously) of the season. It is projected to head toward southern FL and the FL keys by early next week.

And two other systems in the Atlantic are being watched for further development. The forecasters who said that this would be a highly active hurricane season can pat themselves on the back.

This hurricane could continue to make history...some experts expect for the current name list to be exhausted before the end of the season (ending in Nov.). After the last name, Wilma,is used, I believe that Greek letters are used to name any following storms of tropical storm intensity.

Yeah, I know hurricanes don't play nice with people...but I do find them fascinating anyway...the way they form, how they grow, how they sustain their mass until landfall...amazing. Ok..that's all she wrote. I warned you...I'm a dork!! HA

I am almost trained! Booyah!!

So tomorrow is my last day of training for my new job at Flagstar. While I've enjoyed getting to know the other new-hires, I won't miss the 1 hour drive to and from the corporate office in Troy. At least I'll get compensated by the bank for my traveling!! I finally get to go to my office tomorrow afternoon. It feels great to be working at a bank again...and at a higher level than I was in GA. Scary...heh heh.

The corporate office is sweet...nicely decorated...we get to use key cards to get access to various areas of the building...I'm easily amused, so I really love this part! It's fun to wave that card at the receivers outside the doors. Woohoo!!

My trainer is insane but great! She has plenty of corny jokes for me to stockpile and unleash on random people. Much better training than what I received at my old bank (even though I enjoyed working there very much)...I feel quite ready to take on my new position. And it'll be nicer to have a slower-paced environment than what I was used to in Roswell.

Christina, the trainer, joked that I must feel lucky to be the only guy in the class of 9. Yeah...I've let her go on thinking that. lol It's just great when they get into discussions about what's in their purses or who is the best stylist...or what diet is best. I felt my testosterone levels sinking over the last week and a half. I may be gay, but I am not a woman! But they are really nice and fun. Hopefullly, I'll see them again in future classes or wherever.

Did I mention how I can't wait to not have to drive all the way to Troy (having to get up at 5:30 too!)?? Monday, I will only have a 15-20 min. drive to work...it'll be wonderful. And even better, at this bank, I only have to wear a tie once a week. AWESOME!! My neck loves that already.

Life is good for now, 3 months in. I look forward to the challenges winter will pose...all those people who tell me "you'll HATE it here in the winter!" make me want to prove them wrong sooo bad. I'm stubborn, so even if I do end up hating it, I'll be VERY reluctant to admit it. lol At least I can go cross-country skiing very nearby when we have snow..and hopefully, do some downhill skiing at some point as well!! YEAH!! My body is craving some good snow-skiing...it's been waaay too long since I've shot down some good slopes (let's see who has a dirty mind).

Alright...enough random shit...I gotta work my abdominals....

US Open ends; TV 2005-2006 Season begins

So the US Open is over...it feels weird. I can't believe how much fuckin tennis I watched!! Geez... but Sunday's men's final was awesome. Agassi gave Federer all he could, but when Federer went back to god-level at the end of the 3rd set, Agassi was finished. Great match..and I'm sure Agassi was a bit disappointed...but he played very well for what may have been his last US Open final.

As for the women's final Sat....well, that was about as exciting as trimming my armpit hair. I did love Clijsters' jump into the stands after she won...a great Open moment, for sure! She's awesome...but I still hate that she took out some of my fave women. Well, I guess I'll be watching the Davis Cup next.

The 2005-2006 TV Season:

It's that time again...when all of our favorite fictional characters return to the boob tube for new episodes. WOOHOO!!! Here are the shows I'm gonna be watching:

Family Guy premiered on Sunday with a hillarious episode...my favorite part was Stewie remembering playing Marco Polo with Helen Keller. lmao

Tonight, the Gilmores are back in action...will Luke say "yes" to Lorelai's proposal?...will Rory make up with her mom (I hope not for a while...I like her living with Emily and Richard!! lol)?...will the crazy Stars Hollow residents still be as loony as usual? Bring it on!

Then, Supernatural premieres...I've been highly anticipating this new series that has been described as a horror movie in each episode. The producers hope to scare the shit out of us viewers...and I hope they succeed...I love me some good horror!! YEAH!!!

Next week, Lost returns for Round 2...what in the hell is behind that damned hatch??? will the guys on the raft survive? will we learn more about the island's mysteries? I can't wait!

Invasion follows Lost...another new show...about an alien invasion (obviously). It's supposed to be another thriller, which is awesome! And i'm giving it a chance since ABC has been on fire lately. Come on, scare me...give me chills...make me hide under the sheets...let's have another YEAH!!! lol

The week of Sept. 25 sees the return of the wacky Desperate Housewives...what are the African American new arrivals up to? is the dead husband really dead (nooo...we never saw his body!)? will the gun-toting teen kill Lois Lane? But the BIG question is: will we see more of Ryan Carnes? heh heh

Also that week, Alias returns...if Sydney and Vaughn didn't survive the car crash, I'll eat my left foot...really, I will...I've got the barbecue sauce sitting in the fridge. Anyway, I'm sure they will survive..and then we'd better find out soon what's up with faux-Vaughn. We'd also better see more of Irina, Sydney's kick-ass mom (a milf, for sure)!

Finally, Everwood, is back...and so is Ephram...but is he still pissed off? Will we see more of Edna, my favorite wise-cracking, kick-ass grandma? I wish I could live there...

So let the season begin!! Don't hate me cuz I'm cool...k?

Sports: The Open Semis and Michigan

Robby Ginepri (Yahoo Sports/AP Photo-Elise Amendola)
Andre Agassi (Yahoo Sports/AP Photo-Elise Amendola)

As I'm typing this, Federer and Hewitt are just beginning their face-off for the Finals. Minutes before, Agassi won in the 5th set of another incredible men's match against Robby Ginepri (my pick to win that match). This was Agassi's third 5-setter in a row and Ginepri's record-breaking fouth 5-setter in a row. Both STILL pulled out all the stops, never facing a tiebreaker. I loved every minute of it and cheered to the hilltops for my man, Ginepri.

Yes, Agassi is a legend, but he's had his time in the spotlight. I do like him and his game, but I also like Ginepri (a bit more). We'll be seeing more of Ginepri...he took out 3 seeds (Coria, Gasquet, and Haas)...he's damn good and usually keeps his cool. It doesn't hurt that he's easy on the eyes as well! lol I very much look forward to seeing him in future Grand Slam events and will be woohoo!ing big time when he achieves his first championship. He may not be the best out there (e.g. Federer), but he's my new favorite, hands-down.

Also, I have to comment on the women's matches. My favorites, Venus and Lindsay Davenport, are missing from the semis...hell, they were missing from the quarters as well. Venus definitely had a tough match against Kim Clijsters, but she didn't have to leave us in the last set...she looked worn and beaten and clearly didn't play her best in the end. Was Davenport even at her quarters match against Dementieva (aka Demented)? There is no way the real Davenport would've lost against that little pipsqueak (who sounded like a new species of bird during her "serves" and returns). Still, neither of those were as disappointing as the Williams' sisters over-hyped match that we all knew Venus would win.

Then we had Sharapova (my third favorite) facing Clijsters as well in the semis. That was a good match (one of the few the women have offered up at the Open this year)...Sharapova had some weak moments, but she fought well (working with a healing hamstring (I think?)). Clijsters is awesome, I admit...but again, this year, Sharapova has worked her way to the top of my list on the women's side. I can't wait to see her again in future tournaments and especially in the Australian Open in January. Hopefully, Venus and Davenport will be back and ready to kick some ass then too.

Tonight, Pierce and Clijsters face off for the championship...I favor Clijsters...send that French fry home!!! YEAH!! Tomorrow, I'm sure we'll see Federer and Agassi going for the men's championship...if Agassi wins, I'll be very surprised...but I'm sure he'll do well, regardless.

The Wolverines:

Since I'm a bigger tennis fan than I am of football, I caught only a little bit of the Michigan-Notre Dame game. Analysts were right...Michigan is struggling this year...it wasn't as evident in last week's game against a lower-level team, Northern Illinois--Michigan won but with many faults that another Big 10 team would've turned seriously against them. After today, the fact that Michigan don't got game is obvious. The Irish (ranked much lower) took them out once again. Will Michigan step it up? I hope so, but it's not looking good, realistically. Maybe I'll wait and get tickets to a game next season??? lol JUST kidding...

Time for more Open!!! I'll have a life soon...heh heh

The truly Amazing Race

I just had to comment on The Amazing Race, which I've started watching on the Game Show Network at midnight every night. I normally don't care for reality shows, but this one is phenomenal.

In case you haven't heard of it or watched it before, 12 teams (usually 2 per team...this season it will be families of 4) embark on a race across the globe starting in the US and ending in the US. There are 13 "legs" (episodes) of the race...usually 10 of those resulting in the last place team for that leg being eliminated from the race.

On each leg, teams are given clues as to where they need to go to find the next clue or marker (designated by a yellow and red flag), eventually leading them to the finish line of that particular leg of the race. It's not as easy it it may sound. Most legs involve teams having to catch airplanes (since they are traveling all over the world), taxis, buses, trains, etc. They are given so much cash for each leg of the race and are to use a corporate credit card for airplane tickets only; each team has a camera man and sound man with them, so cheating is hard to get away with.

Also, during each leg, each team has to complete various tasks to find clues (marked in yellow envelopes)...these may be something that both team-members can do together, or they may be "Roadblocks", which only one person can do. Roadblocks can be tedious, and they can be daring (bungee-jumping or being tied to a windmill). Also, there are "Detours", which gives a team a choice between two tasks with vague clues as to what they are (e.g. "strong stomach" = eating live octopus!). One detour I watched involved skydiving vs. searching a river for the clue.

The first team to arrive at the "pit stop" (finishing point for a leg of the race) may receive a nice prize (vacation to be used later or digital camera, for instance) or they may just be congratulated. Of course, the ultimate champion receives $1,000,000...with the others receiving lesser monetary awards.

"Pit stops" give the teams a chance to rest, do laundry, plan, etc. They last for approximately 12 hours, sometimes longer. They also get free food at the stopping points. But they are not allowed to leave the area without supervision, so that they don't accidentally stumble onto the next leg of the race.

I love how the show has really thought everything out...the teams have to really work together and work hard to win. Of course, being human, many have arguments with themselves and with other teams. The teams are usually pretty diverse too. The show offers a glimpse of several different cultures as well...this is one show I would love to audition for...I just need to find a good teammate! lol

So you can catch it every night on Game Show Network at 9pm and midnight, and Season 8 begins on CBS Tuesday Sept. 27th at 9pm.

For a lot more info on the show and rules of the game, check out: Tarflies.com FAQ

So who wants to audition with me???

US Open Day 4 Begins

Today is the fourth day in the Open, and the weather seems to be better for the players. Yesterday, high winds made play difficult, often disrupting serve attempts. My favorites (Nadal, Venus, Serena, Sharapova, and Hewitt--those that played yesterday--are moving right along).

Raphael Nadal of Spain (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

Scoville Jenkins of USA (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)

The match between Nadal and Jenkins was my favorite of the matches I watched yesterday (which was more than a few! lol). Sure, there was a rain delay that caused the 2 hr.+ match to last well past midnight, but it was so much fun to watch!!

Jenkins really has some spunk and gave Nadal a run for his money. Nadal has more stamina, and that was one of his main advantages. He is a right-hander, but I heard last night that he was trained to be play left-handed, which has definitely payed off well for him. I think both he and Hewitt have the ability to give Federer a solid match. And even though Nadal isn't the cutest guy out there, he looks the sharpest (I actually love his clam-diggers and tight sleeveless shirts...good taste! lol). He's cocky, for sure, but I can't help but smile when he does his backwards dances and pumps his arm. He knows he's good.

As for Jenkins, he is up and coming and without a doubt, he will become a force to be reckoned with. This guy has so much potential, and I really enjoyed seeing him play. He's also from my point of origin (Atlanta, GA). Woohoo! Seeing his dad show so much enthusiasm (that dude is the polar opposite of the Williams' parents as far as showing emotion lol) was nice to see as well. I look forward to seeing Jenkins in the future...this guy will definitely win some events in the future, if not a Grand Slam event.

So that brings us to today, as Round 2 continues for most...Davenport and Agassi are up this afternoon, and tonight, I think Mauresmo's and Blake's matches ought to be fun to watch. Let's do it!