Respect

Obviously ECW legend the Sandman's tattoo of himself smoking a cigarette on his bicep (see photo) retains the title of world champion tattoo, but I saw a good one while watching Comedy Central's Reel Comedy preview of Strange Wilderness. Allen Covert of Grandma's Boy and The Wedding Singer fame has a goat with "Respect" underneath it on his right shoulder. Because you have to respect the goat.

Drumline my ass

Via these dudes. If you want to make a sandwich or need to throw some laundry in the washer, no worries, it'll still be on when you get back.

Hit the bricks, pal

Happy 50th birthday to LEGO, one of the coolest toys ever. Whenever I see them in a store or advertised somewhere I still want to get them. All the Star Wars LEGOs look cool, but I never had a big desire to see the early Michael Caine film Zulu in LEGO form.

Geeked up

Are you a geek, or just frontin? Something called List Universe listed the top 20 geek movies all time, which I saw referenced here.

I've seen 18, as well as the bonus movie. How did you rate?

"Berra, Berra ..."

"... don't be making bets you know you can't win."

If you saw the Tampa episode of Rob and Big then you've seen the warehouse skatepark Steve Berra and Eric Koston set up in L.A. Some cool vids (Guy Mariano) and interviews (Jason Lee) to be found on park's web site.

Green flag 2008

Almost forgot about it, but the 2008 racing season kicks off (within minutes) with the start of the Rolex 24 of Daytona. Pretty stacked field of sports car regulars and racers from other disciplines this year, and I'll probably be pulling for the Alex Job Racing Porsche Crawford with Patrick Long, Andy Wallace and Bill Auberlen among the drivers. Be cool of my IRL guy, Dan Wheldon, could win in the second Ganassi Lexus Riley car with Scott Dixon too. Man, the SAMAX Pontiac Riley has some big time drivers with former Porsche regulars Mike Rockenfeller and Lucas Luhr, now driving for Audi, as well as Audi's Allan McNish. Good to see the Brumos Porsches both running the classic colors. Would be cool to see them in the mix too, and since they're now running Riley chassis, they could be.

Should be a good race.

Garfield fer realzies

These Garfield/Jim Davis tributes are quickly making the rounds, and I caught it here. A good WTF time. Made by Fatal Farm dudes, I was also laughing my ass off at their "alternate" TV series openings for the past hour. Check it out, and laugh your ass too. FYI, they are quite insane. I like this one:

I am shocked

I was looking around for the Jason Bateman scene from Smokin' Aces for the below post, but didn't come up with anything usable. (That's OK, see the movie.) I did find this, however. Pepper Brooks on The Ocho.

Orange On the Aisle: Smokin' Aces

I saw Smokin' Aces a while ago (and again recently), and thought it was a completely ridiculous story told in a hyper-kinetic, over the top style by director Joe Carnahan. But you know it's ridiculous going in, so don't sweat it. Sit back and enjoy the madness.

This guy gives a better review than I could, so peep that. For a movie that looks super violent in the trailer — and be assured, it is that violent — I have to agree with the observation on how death is handled. Instead of the "spoiler" scene the reviewer describes as his favorite (which is good), I'd side with the Jason Bateman scene. Genius.

If you see the trailer or the teasers at Carnahan's site and aren't pumped to see it, don't. Because what you see is what you get. If you think it looks cool, you'll probably like it.

By the way, Jeremy Piven's performance will make you never want to do drugs. And did I mention Alicia Keys as a hitwoman? Come on, how could you not like that movie?

— 3.5 out of 5 Matthew Fox hairdos

Orange On the Aisle: The Prestige

"Exact science isn't an exact science," David Bowie's character Tesla says in The Prestige. Neither, it seems, is digital cable because while I'm not supposed to be able to watch Encore OnDemand movies, I was allowed to view this awesome movie this week. And were it not 9 a.m. (and me not having gone to sleep yet), I would have watched it twice in a row. That's how good it was.

Christopher Nolan of Memento and Batman Begins fame directs, and The Prestige looks the business visually. Storywise we have the tale of two rival magicians in late 19th century London. Rivals in that they try to outdo each other in their acts, yes, but also the shooting off fingers and burying friends alive kind of rivals. Nolan, who also co-wrote, nicely pulls us in from the jump with Christian Bale's Borden character reading the journal of rival Hugh Jackman's Angier, who we see writing his journal while reading and translating Borden's.

I figured out a major element about an hour in, but things get twisty, and revelations come out of left field like throws from Andre Dawson, if he played left field. So I started thinking I figured it out too easily and was duped. Nope, I was right, but never comfortable as more madness and reveals roll out.

The Prestige gave me the vibe I was watching an extended issue of Warren Ellis and John Cassday's Planetary, as high praise as I can think of. After watching The Prestige, I wouldn't mind seeing Nolan take on a live action Planetary, actually.

— 5 out of 5 top hats

NOTE: I liked the "exact science" line a little better in 12 Monkeys, when the crazy homeless guy/voice in Bruce Willis' head, summing up the abilities of the "scientists" sending Willis thrugh time, says, "Science isn't an exact science with these clowns." Always cracks me up.

Cool Uniform Props: Sixers throwbacks

The Sixers have sported these 1980s throwbacks a few times this year, and I say it's time to bring them back permanently.

The future of basketball

Hot damn this looks good. Flint Tropics, pffft.

Orange On the Aisle: Children of Men

I caught Children of Men last night and aside from a few plot holes/questions (Why does Theo want to make the trip with Kee? What's the significance of The Fugees?), I thought this was really good. There were really good acting performances from everyone on down the line, but I most enjoyed the look of the film with both the direction (battle scene near end awesome looking) and art direction. The details in this 2027 world not too different from our own were spot on, including the see-through computer monitors, digital billboard on the side of a bus, home suicide kit commercials and dank look of London. I also liked Michael Caine's aged hippy character driving a futuristic car that still managed to look like an old, yellow Volvo station wagon.

— 4 out of 5 Fugees

Special Agent David Bowie

Speaking of David Lynch, I got the Twin Peaks Gold Box Edition for Christmas, and will be getting to that shortly. If you're a fan of the TV series but haven't seen the Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me movie, I'd suggest skipping it, aside from the first half-hour or so. This part deals with Chris Isaak as an FBI agent investigating a non-Laura Palmer murder, and then the below, which is one of the craziest couple minutes of cinema you'll see. The rest of the movie deals with Laura Palmer in the week before her death in the TV series, but is largely forgettable aside from the trademark Lynch mad bits.

The below has some pixelation screw ups, and offers a (French?) translation you won't need. The weird thing is, since you're not reading an English translation of the dream sequence guys, you're paying more attention to what Bowie is yelling about, which gives you some clues to what happens in the series I had not picked up on during prior viewings.



Only Lynch could make a still shot of a security monitor so creepy.

Pause the movie, David Lynch is calling