Yes, it's been quite a while since I mentioned Jimmy Fallon was taking over for Conan on Late Night, but that day is finally here. Conan has done his last show and won't be back until June, but Jimmy starts his Late Night run tonight at 11:35pm CST. I feel like a lot of people are going to be watching this week to see if he can pull it off. He's got a lineup of what seem like friends of his like Tina Fey and Drew Barrymore so he can ease into the show. In addition, he's already been testing the waters with several web clips.
If you're not already familiar with TED Talks, you're missing out big time! TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, Design, and Wikipedia provides a great description:
The lectures, also called TED Talks, cover a broad set of topics including science, arts and design, politics, culture, business, global issues, technology and development, and entertainment. Speakers have included such people as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, Nobel laureates James D. Watson, Murray Gell-Mann, and Al Gore, Wikipedia co-founder Jimmy Wales, and Google co-founders Sergey Brin and Larry Page.
I used to catch these when they occasionally spread online to sites like Digg, but recently I've started watching a lot of these since they're only 20 minutes long, and there's all kinds of topics so you're sure to find something that interests you. There's a technology demo/explanation of how Brad Pitt's face was completely CGI in the first half of Benjamin Button (embedded below, gets really interesting starting at the 9-minute mark), Bill Gates talking about eradicating malaria around the world (this one became popular due to his releasing mosquitos into the audience saying "why should only poor people catch malaria?"), a cool technology called Siftables, and tons more.
It's costs $6,000 a year to be a member of TED and attend the conference, so it's awesome that they've been putting all the talks online for free since April '07.
This week's episode was sweet! Tons of action, not a lot of White House scenes, a car chase, explosions, etc. Good stuff. And even better, it looks like it isn't going to ease up any next week, unless the preview was for the next few episodes (and given how much they showed, that's possible). The car chase and the crash were cool, and it was even better when the paramedics are trying to save Dubaku...he's already in critical condition and Jack's getting them (at gunpoint) to administer adrenaline, cut him open, etc. just so he can get the list of compromised government officials. The list, and more specifically the media it was stored on, was ridiculous. Jack claimed to have never seen anything like it, Chloe identified it and said it could only be read once and it would be erased (how convenient!), and it looked a lot like a standard SD card. So Chloe was hacking away trying to get the list downloaded. Let's take a moment and recall her system already got hacked once while helping Jack just 1 episode ago, and yet here she goes, happily transferring the contents of a one-time-read-only card to this insecure machine so she can then decrypt it. What could possibly go wrong?
Well, Sean (owner of the access-anything digital key in the previous episode) also has a untraceable wire tap that Chloe and Larry aren't aware of, so he knows they're about to get the list. So he gets Erica (that she was involved was actually a surprise I thought was well done, with her seemingly busting Sean on the car warrant, and then his dialogue making it clear that she knows what's going on) to take down the whole system and then shoots her. His plan didn't make any sense though...he had plenty of time to make it look like Erica had shot herself after initiating the system crash, so why involve himself at all? Instead he made it look like she shot him in the arm and he ended up killing her. Suddenly Chloe remembers that she shouldn't be panicking because she's so smart and has mirrored all activity somewhere external, which makes her an idiot for panicking in the first place. Sean, hearing this, obviously has to make a quick exit. But, oh look!, Janis, who was suspiciously absent the entire first half of the episode instead of prying into what Sean is up to like she usually does, now wants to pry into what Sean is doing becuase he's trying to leave. Of course one might wonder if, with so much at stake, Sean might have been OK with not going to grab his jacket, because maybe it would be worth dealing with a bit of cold weather to make a faster exit and avoid stupid Janis. So of course he got caught in about 2 minutes because Chloe told Larry he was on the list and he got cornered.
There was some stuff with the prez and her daughter, and the prez and Bill, but nothing interesting enough to comment on, except that Bill convinced her to "think about" talking to Senator Mayer about letting Jack be done with the Senate hearings. She'll "think about it"??!? He saved her husband and has been the only reliable person to do anything useful with everything going on...ridiculous. Anybody else get the feeling that Senator Mayer's corrupt assistant is going to end up killing him since he's travelling with him?
And finally, everything about the scene with Jack and Tony at the end of the episode was hilarious. They both kept glancing in all different directions every few seconds while talking, they both kept whispering even though there's nobody around, and Tony got all kinds of intel (though it was quite vague), but he can't do anything without Jack's help. If eveerything they showed in next week's preview really is in the next episode, it's going to be bananas!
This site may behave strangely this weekend...it just got moved to a new server and I am still working out the kinks. It was down for some of today, and you may see errors on some pages. Hopefully I'll have it resolved by the end of the weekend, but this is just a heads up that it might behave strangely or unexpectedly until then and I am aware of it!
This week's episode was setup for next week. Seriously, if you saw next week's preview, it's clear it's going to be crazy. But as a result, this episode was quite predictable and not too interesting. The thing that could have made the episode interesting, the revelation of Sean as the mole, was poorly done and honestly who didn't see that coming from the first time we met him and his shady behavior? But to have him take a phone call in the middle of a busy room and mention Dubaku by name was pretty stupid. Even Larry knows how to find an empty room when having a confidential conversation. Plus, Janis's skirting protocol gives Sean a perfect scapegoat, so there had to be a better way to reveal to us that he was the mole. Speaking of Larry, he setup the FBI network? That made me laugh. He seems like the kind of person who couldn't tie his own shoes if Renee wasn't around, and while it was amusing having Chloe bash his poor skills, it also made it ridiculous when Janis was "foiled" by the network security protocols. And of course, there is suspicion of a mole in the FBI and Chloe is leading Jack Bauer in a secret mission, so Larry leaves the giant digital "access whatever you want anytime" key in Sean's hands (and he'll happily pass it around to anyone that knows about him and Erica). How did that make any sense? Does Larry not know how a lockdown works? We finally had the "meeting" of Chloe and Janis, which basically consisted of Chloe staring at Janis with a look that said, "You think you're the new Chloe? Go to hell!"
I was surprised to see two familiar faces this episode, particularly because there was no need or reason for either of them to be in the episode, so I can only hope that means they'll have larger roles in future episodes! That's right, both Morris and Aaron appeared, and with Aaron they were particularly cheesy, introducing him by first on showing his badge, and then hearing him say "I'm Aaron Pierce" and then finally panning up to his face. He appeared to pick up the prez's daughter and take her to Henry in the hospital, and Morris appeared to drop Chloe off at the FBI and establish the fact that they have a kid. Chloe and Morris together are hilarious, so they've definitely got to bring him back.
Unlike some people, Larry knows how to take a confidential call
On to Jack and Renee searching for Dubaku before he flees the country...he's trying to get his girlfriend out with him, and gives her a horrible excuse about a revoked visa that she way too easily believes. Of course her sister finds out she's packing because she doesn't know how to close a door and is the world's loudest packer. Seriously, the only way she could have been louder would be to pack lit fireworks in an open trash can right next to her sister. But before she can leave Jack and Renee bust the door in and reveal that Smiley Samuel is really Dubaku. She was totally unconvincing on the phone to Dubaku, and then Jack got to tell Renee they had to use her as bait -- "we don't have another choice!" Classic. That never gets old. Jack and Renee couldn't have been more obvious when "hiding" in the hallway when the driver appeared unless they had pressed themselves to the glass. Then Jack and Renee got detained by local cops that Sean sent in. Also, the scene with Dubaku arranging his escape was absurd. He was mentioning the goons he spotted in the hotel like he was Tom Cruise in Mission Impossible, and the other guy seemed so startled and surprised that Dubaku had insurance in the form of documents on all the illegal activities and was ready to have them sent to the Justice Department if he was killed. The guy's an international terrorist who has killed a ton of people and you're surprised he's got his own ass covered? Idiot.
So far this year, there haven't been to many "must see in theaters" kind of movies. And for whatever reason, I missed some of the ones I did want to catch in theaters like Watchmen. But I saw The Hangover a couple of weeks ago (which is a great movie), and the trailers before it reminded me there's a lot of promising movies coming out in the next few months. So here's a list, much like 2007 movie rundown.
Movie Title
Release Date
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen All signs point to this one being just like the last...lots of CGI, lots of Megan Fox being hot, lots of non-acting, and lots of failure to have a compelling plot like the original Transformers from childhood. Basically, nothing more than mindless enterainment, which I'm fine with.
6/26
Public Enemies Christian Bale, Johnny Depp, and bank heists? Sign me up!
7/1
Beyond that, we've only got Resident Evil (9/21), Saw IV (10/26), and National Treasure sequel (12/21) as the movies of note through the end of the year (so far). I can't even imagine how they're making a Saw IV. Is the writer still not through proving that he is one of the most sick and twisted minds out there today?
Hope you found something of interest, and remember, you can always make a countdown for anything you're eagerly anticipating!
This week's episode was was kind of a mixed bag. While I was pretty pleased with the episode overall, there was a surprising amount of moments that made me cringe. Let's start with the good. There was a lot of action, between the capture of Henry (and subsequent torture), Jack's car chase to catch Vossler, Jack's actual encounter with Vossler, the attempt to save the First Gentleman, and the attack on the decoy Matobo. I was quite surprised when Henry got shot, especially after Jack's sweet slide into the wall to shoot the last bad guy. But they'd have to let him live, or it would be ridiculous. The White House sequences were brief and there weren't too many, which was also a good thing. Janis hardly appeared, but Chloe and Tony were almost completely absent. What happened to them? Especially Chloe, who can do pretty much anything with a computer...suddenly Jack says it would take her too long to get some phone records because of security clearances? Did he forget how many security systems she's broken in previous seasons?
For some reason, they decided not to show the car with the fake Matobo actually blowing up, showing a blurry 4-image sequence on a screen instead. I don't know why they keep avoiding big explosions. And speaking of the fake Matobo, did somebody screw up and ask for a Tim Meadows lookalike? Because that guy looked nothing like Matobo. The whole Renee holding the wife and baby "hostage" was cheesy because of how over-the-top Renee was acting. Equally grating was the scene with the waitress and her sister or whoever was telling Dubaku to back off. Though I wonder if she'll end up tipping off authorities to him.
Going with last week's photo again, because Fox is too slow to update their gallery.
There was some really cheesy dialogue in this episode. Sure, every episode has the occasional line, but this one had so many and some of them were so campy, I couldn't help but note them.
Jack: "Madam President, you don't have another choice" (there's never any choice! or time! ahhh!)
Prez: "How am I supposed to know where your loyalties really lie?" Jack: "With all due respect Madam President, ask around." (she didn't trust him but this line convinces her?)
Jack: "You've got one of two choices...you can either phone the President and explain to her that your conscience won't allow you to save him, or you can simply do what is necessary. Pick one!!!" (Jack looked like he was about to punch Renee and/or Larry when he yelled to pick one)
Larry: "I won't let you do it to her Bauer. Renee will not end up like you!" Jack:"You gonna give me your keys or not?" (Ridiculous)
Jack: "Let me know if he moves." Larry: "He's moving." Jack: "Damn it!!"
A lot of people may not be familiar with either of the names in the title of this post, but mention Lazy Sunday or Jizz in My Pants and they immediately know what you're talking about. Lonely Island is the group (Akiva Schaffer, Jorma Taccone, and Andy Samberg) behind those hilarious SNL digital shorts that keep going viral, and Incredibad is the name of their album which comes out tomorrow. This is even more timely since they just played their "I'm on a Boat" video on SNL this past Saturday and it's hilarious!
Note: Most of these videos likely have explicit lyrics.
(Sorry about the Hulu embed, but Lazy Sunday is not on YouTube!)
This week's episode was pretty good, though that was primarily due to one scene. The drama between Larry and Sean was over-the-top again, and the stuff with Janis and the plant manager was equally mind-numbing. And apparently the CIP device is basically a key to everything, because Dubaku went from using it to take over air traffic control to using it to blow up a chemical plant...it's so versatile and hard to detect! However, that convenient little device got destroyed in a sweet attack on Dubaku in his fortress of doom. Jack and Renee came down from the ceiling vents (could Jack have been whispering more loudly while in the vent right over Dubaku??), and Bill and Tony came storming in the front door. As expected they met with little resistance in the supposedly secure building. And Dubaku has an army in Sangala, but could only afford a handful of crappy lackeys to protect him and the CIP device, which Jack and Co. disposed of pretty quickly. In all the crossfire, the CIP device was destroyed. This was kind of surprising as I was pretty sure during the battle that Dubaku would escape with it.
But Dubaku still had leverage since he had the guy that created the device, so I figured instead he'd just take him and have him build another one somewhere else. But instead, he blew him up! It was a distraction/obstruction so he could escape, and it worked as Jack, Bill, and Tony were knocked to the ground. But what did he expect to do at that point with no more leverage? Well, it was his lucky day as on of his other thugs (who may be an FBI agent since he was listening in on the FBI broadcasts) ended up finding Henry Taylor alive in Samantha's apartment. Dubaku told him to capture Taylor and keep him alive.
Time to kick some ass
I liked how Matobo called the president, but wouldn't just say that some of her inner circle was corrupt. Instead he was acting all sneaky and trying to meet her alone. So of course the first thing she does after hanging up is to call Ethan in and tell him what's going on. What if he's the mole?!! Ridiculous. It was also funny hearing the discussions that led up to that call. Jack basically had to twist Bill's arm to convince him that they needed more resources and that the best option was to have Matobo call the president. Really? Bill still hasn't learned that you never question Jack Bauer? As if that wasn't ridiculous enough, he followed that up by letting Tony do whatever he wanted. Tony wanted to stay behind to "follow up some leads" and because he didn't want to get arrested, and Bill told Jack to "let him do his thing." So he doesn't question Tony, but he still questions Jack after spending a whole season getting egg on his face for not listening to Jack? Absurd.
dave submitted a story about a kid that created some camoflagued goalie pads designed to look like the goal net and throw off opponents.
Using computer skills he learned in a graphic design class at the private school in South Hamilton, Leahy sketched out new leg pads that blend into the goal netting behind him. He wanted pads, a trapper, and a blocker that are white with a raised double-stitched design, just like the goal. He applied for a design patent and had them custom-made by a Canada-based pad maker.
"When the shooter comes down and only has a split second to shoot the puck, they're looking for net," said Leahy, a senior from Hampton, N.H., who grew up in Byfield. "If you put the net on the pad, they'll shoot at the pad instead of the goal."
Apparently they had trouble figuring out how effective the pads have really been, but even if it makes a difference only a small fraction of the time, that's still an advantage. Pretty good idea.
