Year: 2009

Follow[ing] The Leader May Not Be The Best Idea

Since coming back from the dead, John Locke hasn’t been quite right, and all signs pointed to him going off the deep end on tonight’s episode of Lost, Follow The Leader.

First of all, there’s the very fact that he came back from the dead, which seemingly goes against the laws of nature (which may or may not apply on Lost Island).   Secondly, he’s had a higher-than-usual rapport with the island- knowing what to do and where to go, and as we saw tonight, knowing exactly when he was.

And finally, tonight, we heard of Locke’s plan, which made me think he’s lost it. Continue reading “Follow[ing] The Leader May Not Be The Best Idea” →

King Tom5 Comments

Of Patsies, Overachieving Hitmen and a Wasted Supervillain

Let me say off the bat that Season 7 of 24 has been great. The show has redeemed itself from the waste that was Day 6.

That being said, I’m glad there are only a handful more episodes left, because I’m getting tired of these episodes, like tonight’s (4:00 a.m. to 5:00 a.m.), that are all plot setup with a minute or two of action tacked on at the end.

Continue reading “Of Patsies, Overachieving Hitmen and a Wasted Supervillain” →

King Tom3 Comments

100 Percent Chance of A Parade In Chicago

Up until this weekend, most of my knowledge of the City of Chicago came from two sources: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Fugitive.

Well, this weekend The Civee and I had a chance to expand that knowledge- we were invited to a birthday party for her sister Saturday held on one of the rooftops across the street from Wrigley Field.

We decided to head up there Saturday morning and return this (Sunday morning).  With the game starting at noon (Chicago time) we figured we’d have enough time to get to Chicago, park at the hotel and take “The L” up to Wrigley in time for the first pitch.  We hit Chicago at 11, and seemingly, our plan was looking pretty damn good.

We got off the highway and on to Columbus (the street our hotel was located on) and all of a sudden, we were greeted by hundreds of cars not moving.  Columbus, it turns out, was closed.

In the great tradition of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off and The Fugitive, there was a parade in Chicago yesterday.  Not only did we have to seperate from the conglomeration of cars turning downtown Chi-town into a parking lot, we had to navigate to our hotel before we could carry out the rest of our plan.

Eventually, we managed to make our way to the hotel, but we pulled in the parking lot at 12:05 and our plan was shot to sunshine.  We did make it to Wrigley by the top of the third, which wasn’t that bad, considering we were set back an hour.

Still, I couldn’t get upset–the parade goers all had Polish flags, scarves, t-shirts and other paraphernalia.  Turns out it was the annual Polish Constitution Day Parade. As we sat in traffic, I actually considered ditching the ball game and joining my bretheren in celebration of the ratification of the world’s second-oldest democratic constitution.

But we had a ball game to go to.

The rooftop experience was fun. I wasn’t surprised that most of the people on the rooftop weren’t there to watch the game (especially with the free food and drinks).  It was nice to see former Yankees Ted Lilly (8 IP, 1ER, 10K) and Alfonso Soriano (2-5) have a good day.  It was even nicer to not get hassled for wearing a Yankees cap.

After the game, the Civee and I got back on the L and walked around the city a bit.  It was fun and we’d like to go back sometime for more than just a day.

If we do, our experience (and the movies) have taught us there will be a parade that day.

King Tom1 Comment

Dear Daniel, Mommy Doesn't Love You.

If there’s one (for lack of a better word) constant on Lost, it’s main characters with serious daddy issues.   Whether it’s a father stealing a child’s kidney, running off for years on end, or just living life in a drunken haze, fathers on Lost have been villified to no end.

But on tonight’s episode of Lost, The Variable, we met a (again, for lack of a better word) variable to the forumla.  Meet Daniel Faraday.  He’s a thirty-something physicist and professor at Oxford with possible moral and ethical issues when it comes to human experimentation.  He’s travelled through time, likes redheads and long walks through the jungle.  He has possible mental issues (but no one’s perfect).  He wants to make the island world a better place.

Oh, and he has mommy issues.

Continue reading “Dear Daniel, Mommy Doesn't Love You.” →

King Tom1 Comment

Don't Call It A Comeback, Irabu's Been Here For Years

Looks like Hideki Irabu is giving up his life of noodle shop proprietor by day and bar fighter by night.

According to NPB Tracker, the Yankees’ all time leader in wins by a Japanese starting pitcher is considering a comeback:

Nikkan Sports is reporting noted fat toad Hideki Irabu is working out in LA and aiming to resume his career in the US independent leagues some time this season. The article says that he’s played in amateur games and is hitting 90 mph on the gun in his workouts.

I’ve made it no secret that for some reason, I’m a fan of Irabu.  At times, his stuff was above average, and for a few months in ’98, he was the Yankees’ best starting pitcher.

But he had some major attitude issues and when he wasn’t trying, his stuff was all too hittable.  That and a habit of not covering first base led to a trade to Montreal where Yankees GM Brian Cashman must have had some incriminating photos of Expos front office officials to get a few decent players back for Irabu.

Hideki floundered in Montreal and also served as the Rangers’ closer before “retiring,” opening up a noodle shop in LA and another in Japan.

According to the NPB link, he also tried out for Japan’s WBC team this winter.  Looks more like he participated in the tryouts rather than actually made the team.

Still, if all he’s shooting for is another shot in the big leagues, best of luck to him.  If somehow he happens to end up in Columbus pitching for or against the Clippers, I may have to dig one of my two Irabu T-shirts out of the closet.

(Actually, now that I think about it, I may have worn one last summer.  Should I be admitting that in a public forum?)

King Tom1 Comment

Dear Tony, Jack Will Shoot You In The Face. K Thx Bye.

Tony has the upper hand, for now.Last week, during the 1:00 a.m. – 2:00 a.m. hour of Season 7 or 24, Tony’s heel turn was the big surprise.  During tonight’s hour, we saw evil Tony in action, and even more surprising than seeing evil Tony was watching him plot against Jack, and in the final scenes, actually point a gun at and threaten Jack.

Jack Bauer has the symptoms of Mad Cow disease.  His memory may be Swiss Cheese and he may be unable to control even the smallest of bodily functions.  He may not be able to communicate that Tony has betrayed him and the country (yet again).

But one thing is for sure. No matter how much Tony may have a grip on the situation now, Jack Bauer will extract his revenge on Tony Almeida.  Jack Bauer will shoot Tony in the face.  Possibly after incapaciting Tony using his legs.  But Tony’s actions will not go unpunished.

Continue reading “Dear Tony, Jack Will Shoot You In The Face. K Thx Bye.” →

King Tom7 Comments

Some Like It Hoth And Some Sweat When The Heat Is On

Ask a hundred people what they would do if they could travel back in time and you’d get a hundred different answers.

On tonight’s episode of Lost, Some Like it Hoth, we heard what Hurley’s plans are.  And all I have to say is it’s about time someone puts forth a time travel plan that makes sense.

Although I do have to say that I think Hurley was wrong in saying Empire Strikes Back could be improved. Hopefully, he was talking about just improving Return of the Jedi (with the whole “Ewoks suck” comment) and leaving well enough alone with Empire.

But he would also have the power to influence the prequels.  While I don’t have the issues with the prequels that some do, there are some areas that could be improved, and that would really be the advantage of time travel.

As a side note, I was planning on writing about how it would be torture for a Star Wars fan to travel back to the ’70s in 2004 and not have the chance to see Episode III.  But then, Hurley had a few years off the island, so hopefully, he got the chance to catch up on Revenge of the Sith in the inbetween years.

But enough about Star Wars…

Continue reading “Some Like It Hoth And Some Sweat When The Heat Is On” →

King Tom3 Comments