I was just thinking today about making a post on the Phoenix Suns’ ridiculous winning streak. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves just beat them tonight 121-112, with Kevin Garnett supplying 44 of their points. It’s not like they were going to come close to the Lakers’ record 33-game winning streak anyway. (A side note: The manner in which the sports media latches onto streaks when they’re only halfway to the record holders is pretty ludicrous.) The streak is still impressive.
Now, I’m not as big a basketball fan as I was when I was younger. Actually, I barely even watch any at all. It might have something to do with the Knicks becoming one of the biggest disgraces in professional sports, or maybe it’s because I just don’t find basketball that exciting – at least not compared to baseball and football. But on Sunday, I watched a little bit of the Suns-Cavs game and I couldn’t help but be amazed by the way the Suns played the game.
When I turned on the game, the Suns were down by a couple of points, and within what seemed like 30 seconds, they were up by almost double digits and had the Cavs reeling. They had taken three or four 3-pointers and had drained all of them. The Suns were running circles around the apparently lead-footed Cavs. It was amazing to watch. I actually have some interest in the NBA again just because of the small sampling I had the other day. That’s really impressive.
This looks so amazingly good for a PS2 game. As if there weren’t already enough reasons not to care about PS3. I can’t wait to get my hands on this action-packed gorefest in March.
If you’re not a big fan of the shitty quality of Youtube, here it a Gametrailers HD link.
Both shots courtesy of Gamespy (as evidenced by the mark on the 2nd pic).
Yea, this game looks like it’s going to rock. If you’re a fan of Bioware’s previous work with Neverwinter Nights and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic, you’re probably frothing at the mouth for this game. Personally, I’m not a big turn-based fan (even when it’s pseudo-real-time), but I enjoyed KOTOR for a while.
Yea, I got nothing else to say. I just thought these pics were pretty sweet.
Fernando Gonzalez played a gusty match and did as well as he possibly could, but Federbot just proved to be too much – as always. In his 7th straight Grand Slam final, Federer won his 3th straight Grand Slam in a row, and his 10th overall. It was his 3rd Australian Open title – his 2nd in a row. The match ended 7-6 (7-2), 6-4, 6-4, but it wasn’t even that close. Everything leading up to the first set tiebreak was ridiculously exciting and hard-fought, but after Federer dominated the tiebreak, he went on to utterly demolish Gonzalez on his serve. Federer lost 2 points on his serve in the second set, and Gonzalez didn’t fare any better against Federer’s service game in the third set. So he even though Gonzalez kept managing to hold his serve for the most part, he must have felt hopeless up against Federer’s.
Federer is truly on his way to shattering every tennis record in the books. It pains me to say this since I was a huge Pete Sampras fan, but Federbot looks like he’ll possibly reach 20 Grand Slam titles before his career is up. As his nickname suggests, he’s just a machine that wears down his opponents with his flawless ability. The man didn’t lose a set in the entire tournament. Just think about that. He didn’t lose a fucking set. In seven matches. In a Grand Slam. Holy shit. And he has a 36-match winning streak going, too. Unbelievable.
Next up: The French Open. The only title that alluded Sampras. If Federer wins it this year, I’m not sure if there’s any doubt anymore about him being the best to ever play the game.
On a trip into NYC a couple of nights ago, a bunch of friends and I stumbled into the Comedy Cellar. Actually, my friend’s mom (it was his birthday) had made reservations for us, as they’re required to get in. But a few of us still stumbled in due to… other factors. I could see why reservations are needed; once you walk down the stairs into a narrow hallway, one side of it is filled with dozens of photos signed by famous comics such as Jerry Seinfeld, Dave Chappelle, Darrell Hammond – the list goes on for a while. Apparently, it’s THE comedy club of NYC – right in the heart of Greenwich Village.
It’s a small, intimate club situated in the basement of a city building. Case in point: we were sitting in the back corner of the club, and we were still only like 30 feet from the tiny stage. It was the first time I had stepped foot in such a place, and it was just awesome. There was a $10 cover charge and a 2-item minimum. So for about $20 bucks (depending on what drinks you order), you get a good two hours of comedy in the best setting possible. Stuff that one of kids in our group constantly yelled out was always heard by the comics, and how each responded to the outbursts separated the men from the boys. There was one that stood out – the guy pictured above – Sherrod Small. Don’t know who he is? Apparently, he’s on VH1′s Best Week Ever. He sure as hell deserves it, as he delivered probably the best standup comedy I’ve ever seen. Maybe that doesn’t mean much because the amount of comedians I’ve seen live can be counted on my two hands, but he provided non-stop laughter. I don’t know how you could get much better than that. Just the way he handled the crowd and was able to improvise brillantly made him stand out above the rest. His material is definitely strong enough to stand on its own, but the intimate crowd setting just made his performance that much better I feel.
Unfortunately, we left early for reasons I don’t really feel like indulging in. In the process, we left before Dave Attell – the star of that set – ever came on stage. Maybe he would have been even better than Small, but I don’t know. All I do know is that it would have better than what we did afterwards. So I’m left wanting more. I definitely want to go back to that place sometime soon. If you’re ever planning a trip to NYC, I highly recommend making reservations there and experiencing a great night of comedy.
So that’s the original boxart for Yoshi’s Island DS. Notice how it has a2, and not a DS, at the end. Why did Nintendo change the title? Do they think having “DS” in a game’s title just automatically will make it a huge seller? Did Sony do that with the PS2? Imagine – GRAN TURISMO PS2. Just because a system is a massive phenomenon, don’t screw a game over by adding DS at the end. As a result of Nintendo’s decision, I feel like a lot of people thought this totally new game was actually just a remake of the SNES version. I know for sure one of my good friends thought exactly that until I informed him that YI:DS is in fact an absolutely great new platforming game that’s a lot better than the nostalgia-fueled New Super Mario Bros. On that note, I still can’t believe Nintendo put “New” in the title of a game. Anyhow, enough of me ruminating on Nintendo’s inability to name their products intelligently. (but…Wii. Fucking Wii.)
Yoshi’s Island DS just takes the original formula and expands upon it wonderfully – resulting in a bigger and more difficult game. The main addition in this sequel is the inclusion of baby characters other than Baby Mario. The infant incarnations of Peach, DK, Wario, and Bowser all enter the fray at various points in the game – each equipped with unique abilities that are required to get through the game. You’ll need to figure out when to use each baby’s abilities to get through certain levels and to grab every last red coin and flower. If you ever 100% complete the game, you would have become a master of each and every ability. It’s going to take me a while to get 100 on all the levels.
Maybe I just don’t remember the original YI well enough, but the levels in its sequel seem much more massive, and the platforming required at times is hand-crampingly intense. So even though YI:DS has one less world than its predecessor, there’s more than enough content here. In addition to the eight regular levels per world, there is an extra stage unlocked in each world when 100 is reached on every level in that world, and (like the GBA port of the original) there is also a secret stage unlocked in each world when the game is beaten. There’s all the different themed levels that you probably remember from the original – the vine-populated jungle levels, ice and snow levels, and the dark, maze-like cave levels. More than enough 2D platforming goodness for even the harshest critic, except the select few that don’t enjoy some difficulty. I’ve also heard a few complaints about the use of the dual screen, but I’m fine with the second screen just allowing a larger view of the level, and the gap between screens has given me little, if any, trouble.
If you have a DS, Yoshi’s Island DS is pretty much a no-brainer. As excited as I was for NSMB when it came out, it left me with a little bit of an empty feeling when it was done – and it was done pretty damn quickly. YI:DS is still giving every time I pick it up, as I slowly progress towards my 100% goal. This is the premier platforming game on the DS, not NSMB.
Honestly, look at him. He could easily be from some alien race of intergalactic tennis masters.
I don’t know why I actually woke up way too early today to watch the semifinal between Federer and Andy Roddick. I was tired last night anyway so I passed out at like 8 pm. So why not wake up at 4 in the morning? Goddamn it, I knew this is only way it would turn out – I just didn’t think it would be this embarrassing. Federer just defeated Roddick 6-4, 6-0, 6-2. He utterly dominated the last two sets, as evidenced by the score. When Roddick got broken on the very first game, I should’ve known this match was going to be a joke, but Roddick actually managed to break back a few games later. But starting with his serving game at 3-4, Federer rattled off 11 straight games in about 2 and a half minutes. Before Roddick knew what had hit him, the match was over. Every time Roddick tried to come to the net, Federer would just blow a passing shot right by him. No matter where Roddick hit a shot, Federer managed to hit it back with even more pace and better placement. Federer also knew exactly when to challenge the judge’s calls, further destroying Roddick’s psyche. The only shot that Federer didn’t hit back at Roddick was the one that Roddick hit out of the stadium (losing the grip on his racket in the process and hitting some cameraman).
Federer continues to show that he, not Tiger, is the most dominant athlete in sports today. Golf isn’t even a sport anyhow, even though I love it. Federer is just unbelievable. His one weakness I guess would be Nadal (as I already said), and that will maybe keep him from ever winning a French Open. I don’t know though. He still hasn’t lost a set in the Australian Open. I can only see him beating himself at this point. The French Open will hopefully at least feature him having some more competitive matches.
Oh yeah, Federer still has the final against the winner of the other semifinal (Haas vs. Gonzalez). The only question there is whether he’ll finally lose a set or not.
I’m not a huge tennis fan, but when there’s big matchups in Grand Slam events, I usually try my best to watch. And this is basically as good as it gets when it comes to semifinal matches. Andy Roddick is coming off of one of the best matches he’s ever played and Roger Federer is, well, Roger Federer.
In his quarterfinal match, Roddick only had 4 unforced errors in a straight-set 6-2, 6-2, 6-2 victory over a high school friend – Marty Fish. Roddick will have to keep his game up at that flawless level if he wants to a chance to beat Federer, who hasn’t lost a set yet. But that’s the usual for Federer up to this point in any tournament. The man is a machine whose only weakness is Rafael Nadal, but I feel like Federer would beat him in the final on the hard court of the Australian Open. This is the one match where Federer can be knocked off, and I will be rooting for Roddick all the way. Since Jimmy Connors became his coach, Roddick has enjoyed a remarkable resurgence where he finally seems to be harnessing the talent and promise he displayed in his 2003 U.S. Open win at age 21. This will be the big test to see if his game is truly world-class.
Unfortunately, it’s the Australian Open, so the match will be shown live on ESPN at 3:30 AM. Of course, it will be repeated later on in the day at 3:00 PM on ESPN 2. I will be watching.
I don’t know why I’m bothering with this. Jackass Number Two is comprised of the same stuff you’ve seen (or not seen) before on the MTV show, the first movie, and the CKY videos that started their run before them. Gross gags involving penises, asses, and shit, dangerous stunts involving rockets and deadly animals, and a few pranks mixed in. I’ve personally never liked the grossout stuff, i.e. anything that Steve-O does. That was something the CKY videos (at least the first two) didn’t have, and they were that much better for it. Nevertheless, I still enjoy the pranks and the rest of the crazy shit these guys do. It’s the things everyone wishes they had the balls, pain tolerance, or money to do. Turning a staircase into a snow hill, playing on a seesaw with red flags on it inside a bullring, launching off in the rocket…it goes on and on. A few of the pranks go on for a bit too long this time around, though. And don’t watch the unrated bonus footage unless you want to see penis after penis. Moreover, many of the deleted scenes aren’t worth the watch, but there’s so much material that some of it was bound to be subpar. I don’t know what else to say. If you’re a fan of Jackass, you’ve probably already seen the movie. If you’re not, you’re probably never going to see it. This was pointless. I hope you enjoyed it.
According to the Hollywood Reporter, Heroes actually managed to increase its audience while up against 24 for the first time. The mind boggles. I think having Deal or No Deal as a lead-in might have helped Heroes a little bit, or maybe America is just stupid. The article I linked to also shows that Two and a Half Men actually beat both Heroes and 24 in the 9 – 9:30 time slot. You gotta be shitting me. Yep, America’s braindead.
I’m pretty sure Nielsen ratings don’t take colleges into account and this type of garbage is where it shows. I could probably count on one hand how many college kids across the country were watching Two and a Half Men, while any other kid that was watching television was glued to either Heroes or 24. (Hopefully 24) I just can’t believe that something as pedrestrian as Two and a Half Men garners such a large audience, while something like Arrested Development gets such low ratings that it gets cancelled. I hate Middle America. And old people.
But back to Heroes and 24. I personally don’t think Heroes is a bad show, it’s just that it’s not nearly as entertaining as 24. And there’s numerous legal ways to watch Heroes later, even without DVRing or taping it. It’s repeated on Fridays at 7 pm on Sci-Fi Channel and one can also watch it on NBC.com. Come on people, watch 24.
Or Jack Bauer is going to have to give you a visit akin to the one he gave his brother last night.
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