Thoughts From Third: Buddy TV List

So....I had trouble deciding what this fit under, but I decided it was Thoughts From Third.  Or "JS is taking a day to say which females on TV he thinks is hot" but that's a really long title...so let's stay with Thoughts from Third, shall we?


So...Buddytv.com (which I don't believe I've ever visited before today) came out with their list of "TV's 100 Sexiest Women of 2010".  It's a pretty good list, but I picked the 15 I think should be higher on the list.  Not that I have the ranking they SHOULD be...just I think they are my top 15.  So, I will share here with art (not the pics they use, which aren't all flattering.  Basically, I'll put the number they had the person and name, etc how they have it, then a picture.  I may comment on some...but not sure how many.  Anyway...here is my list for no other reason then, well...why not?

#99 Tina Fey, 30 Rock

Really...is anyone surprised I like the Geek look?

#98 Lea Michele, Glee

She's just really cute.

#82 Alyson Hannigan, How I Met Your Mother

Cute redhead...are you surprised?

#81 Emily Deschanel, Bones

Sometimes it's all about the eyes.  I found a picture with her also amazingly cute sister Zooey.  

#63 Sarah Lancaster, Chuck

Here is why I don't say sexiest...I say hot or cute.  She is just adorable.

#49 Allison Mack, Smallville

Chloe (her character) is just amazingly cute.  I always like her more than Lana or Lois on the show.

#35 Julia Stiles, Dexter

This one goes way back and I think has more to do with her intelligence, or at the least perceived intelligence.

#30 Laura Vandervoort, V

She's Supergirl...what do you expect??

#29 Cassidy Freeman, Smallville

Another cute redhead.  You know...there needs to be more.

#21 Olivia Wilde, House

Like I said...sometimes it's all about the eyes.  

#17 Erica Durance, Smallville

She's no Chloe...but she IS Lois Lane.

#11 Jennifer Morrison, How I Met Your Mother and House

Once again...adorably cute.

#10 Heather Morris, Glee

As you can tell, sometimes the character they play adds something.  Most definitely true here.  

#5 Kaley Cuoco, The Big Bang Theory

Funny story...I thought she was just the SECOND cutest on her first big TV show...Amy Davidson was much cuter.  

Amy Davidson, for reference:

Yeah...cute redhead trumps cute blonde.  

And the final person I think is rated too low???

#1 Yvonne Strahovski, Chuck

How can you be #1 and still be ranked too low???  When you are as cute, beautiful, stunning, etc. as Yvonne Strahovski.  

Funny thing...none of the Divas from WWE were on the list.  I would possibly add one or two.  

Anyway....there is my Thoughts from Third Base on Buddy TV's list.  

Thoughts from Third Base: December 9, 2010

Let's start with a trailer this week.



I enjoyed the other two Transformers movies.  People judge them (and the GI Joe movie) too harshly.  There are changes, but they keep the feel of the old cartoon.  A bit more cohesive of stories.  But remember-these are movies based off of a toyline.  Deal with it.

Sadly, the first (WAY too short) season of The Walking Dead has ended.  It's going to be a LONG wait until next October for a longer season 2.  Two interesting pieces of news, however.  Not only was The Walking Dead the most pirated series, the ratings of the show INCREASED with every episode.  Interesting.

American Pie 4 is being made, and they are hoping to bring back the entire original cast.  The biggest issue seems to be how busy Alyson Hanigan is.  That's what talent gets you!

Glee characters will get replaced as they graduate. They've done a good job of NOT saying what year anyone is in really, but this is only good news.  We can't keep them around forever.  Maybe Brittney.  She could easily fail year after year.

Randy, the best character in the Scream movies, may be back in Scream 4.  Sure he died in Scream 2...but...

Rob Liefeld, the creator of Deadpool, is slamming Fox for trying to PG-13 the character.  He has a point.  Deadpool needs to be R-Rated...some characters just need that.

The Hobbit movie is set to continue deviating from the books, as Orlando Bloom/Legolas is set to return.  I'm ok with it...he was the best character in LOTR...which I now want to rewatch.  Maybe on my 3-week break from work...

Rumor has there being a FULL trailer for the most anticipated game of next year (followed closely by Portal 2 and LBP2) this weekend, but here's a teaser:



The Wackowski Brothers are set to revamp Robin Hood.  I'm good with that.  A movie with an archer is always worthwhile.  :-)



The next TV series based on a DC Comics character may be based on the Teen Titan Raven.  This would definitely be a teen-focused show, but could be good.  It's an interesting character to choose.

The iPad 2 is rumored to ship in February.  I'm waiting to get my iPad until the 2 is out, so I'm ready.

Tons of other news and rumors flying...but that's good for today.

Round-Tripper Reviews: iTunes Top 25

So...Review is a lose term...but I'm going to list and comment on my current Top 25 played in iTunes from the past 3 months or so.

26 (dropped off while I was writing the blog).  dugdig by ytcracker
ytcracker is a nerdcore rapper.  He had an album that was all to the tune of old NES music.  This is one of the two best.

25. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Theme
Leonardo Leads...ok, so I listen to interesting things, and these should prepare you for that.  There actually isn't anything from Winnie the Pooh, although there are several of the songs Jennifer and I listen to a lot.

24. Curse of the Randy Bird by Stolie
This is what knocked ytcracker off the list.  I just discovered recently they had the uncensored version of this song on iTunes and immediately downloaded it.  I really enjoy Stolie's music, and this song got us to book her at Marshall when we saw her @ NACA.

23. Sadie Hawkins Dance by Reliant K
I like Reliant K.  They're a lot of fun...and this song just makes me happy.

22. boom boom pow KUNG FU by K.Flay
This is one of a few artists I discovered through NACA.  I heard her at Showcase Selection and loved her stuff immediately.  She is one of the reasons I hated missing NACA this semester...I really wanted to see how she did.

21. Today is Gonna Be A Great Day by Bowling for Soup
Yes, this is the theme song for Phineas and Ferb.  Yes...there are a ton of kids that think it's awesome I know the song.  You actually will (I believe) only see two BFS songs on this list, which may seem low since it's my favorite group.  Also, they both are really low.  The reason why is that there are SO MANY of their songs I listen to, very few get extended play.  Saving Jane actually falls into the same boat.

20. Stimulate by Eminem
I like Eminem's meaningful songs and the funny ones.  This is meaningful.

19. A Friendly Goodbye by Bowling for Soup
Yes, already the other BFS song.  They are talented musicians...but if you know me well you know I care more about the lyrics.  And that is where BFS shines.

18. Anything but Ordinary by Avril Lavigne
I typically like artists that I like a lot the first time I hear them  Saving Jane & BFS were that way...so was Avril.  I really enjoy her music.  As a bonus, this song was used in the underrated TV Show Birds of Prey.


17.  Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne
Yes...already the other Avril song on the list.  This song never gets old for me.  I mean, don't pretend...

16. Bang a Drum by Bon Jovi
I've liked Bon Jovi my whole life, and have often made the case his music is the music of the past 30 years.  If a band is flopping all they need to do is pull out a Bon Jovi song and they get the crowd back.  The Young Guns II soundtrack is just excellent.

15. Our Song by Taylor Swift
I have a broad sweep of music I enjoy.  T-Swift is on there.  She's very talented, and a lot of fun.

14. I Wish I Could Go Back To College from Avenue Q
Avenue Q and Wicked are easily the best musicals of the last 11 years.  Both are amazing.  This song hits is perfect with the end...college was great times...but you can't go back.

13. I'm Not Setting the World on Fire by Brad Yoder
I met Brad at NACA and am happy to call him my friend.  He sang at Jennifer and I's wedding, which is one of the most important parts of the day.  His music is perpetually on this list, and different songs.  It actually falls into the BFS category of there are so many songs I listen to not many can make the list. I just hope he's not upset about some of the people that fell above him the last few months.

12. Fort Bragg by Beki Hemingway
I also met Beki at NACA.  We had her perform at Marshall for two or three straight years.  I listen to some of her songs a lot as well...but this is my favorite.

11. If I Had $1,000,000 by Barenaked Ladies
Jennifer and I have an entire playlist of songs we sing together.  This is one of the ones we sing the most.  They're also just a lot of fun.

10. Lucky from Glee
There are three songs from Glee on the list.  I''m a little surprised at this one being so high.

9. Poker Face from Glee
I'm not surprised by this one.  I really enjoy it.  I don't really listen to Gaga, and so I heard this before the original.  This version is good...I didn't like hers as much.

8. Hot As Ice by Britney Spears
Ok...say what you want.  She doe have talent, and this is a good song.

7. Worst of Me by Saving Jane
This is about timing.  There are a ton of Saving Jane songs I listen to constantly.  As a matter of fact before I had to format my computer this year the song I listened to most was One Girl Revolution.  So...it changes.

6. Re: Your Brains by Jonathan Coulton
He has some amazing songs, and this is easily the best.  How can you top a song about Zombie office workers?

5. American Saturday Night by Brad Paisley
I really like the theme of this song...how America is a mish-mash of tons of different cultures.

4. The Burbs by V.P.
Another NACA find.  This song is awesome.  I think his music would be a hit at Miami.

3. The One That Got Away by Katy Perry
Katy Perry is very talented, though her choice in men baffles me.  Regardless, this is a wonderful song.  I'm not sure how much Jennifer likes me singing it, though.

This is a good time to mention I'm actually really surprised there's no 3OH!3 on the list.  There are several of there songs I've been listening to heavily.

2. American Friday Night by Bucky Covington
A song discovered at King's Island in one of their shows.  Elissa worked at King's Island, and I keep picture her dancing in one of the shows...

1. Billionaire from Glee
This song actually has a good message if you pay attention.  From wanting to help disaster victims to providing for those that are needy...as well as the things for yourself.  I really enjoy it.

I will probably reset the play counts around the new year/my birthday, so I will be able to start fresh.

Happenings from Home: Redsfest 2010

As you all know, the past two days have been one of my holidays...Redsfest 2010.  There are several big days per year.  Opening Day.  Opening Night.  This year we had the Civil Rights Game, the Reds Hall of Fame induction, the celebration of the 1990 team, and the first playoff game in Great American Ballpark history-all of which I attended!  We also have Redsfest.

Friday I arrived at the Duke Energy Center at around 8 am.  We have the past 3 years, and sat along the walls inside the building.  This year, I arrive, and they aren't going to open the doors until noon.  So, Bob and Zach Volk, myself, and 20 other people wait outside in the cold until noon to be the first inside.  They let a guy in a wheel chair who came an hour later (he was in a wheel chair because of low blood sugar) and let him in the front of the line.  Not to sound like a jerk, but I don't think that's right.  I won't rant...it's not worth it.  However, there was no reason he could not have waited outside like everyone else.  Anyway...

So at noon we went to wait a few more hours until the doors open.  One of the people we had been waiting with was actually able to sneak and get a picture of 3 of the 5 autograph slots. So we were all able to see and prepare for several of the autograph times.

We all were sure that at 4:15 (as normal) they would have an autograph slot, as well as one at 9:15.  They had both.  When we were waiting to go in, the guys we were with kept saying "Run straight to A, that's where the best will be!" (There are 5 autograph lines...A, B, C (season ticket holders only), D (Kids only), and E.  Bob was ready to do so, and I talked him into heading to the center to look first, like we do every year.  It's never served us wrong.  At 3:35 they let us in. We did as I suggested...and immediately turned around and headed for B.

I had already decided this year wasn't as much about autographs as the last few years.  I ended up spending a lot more time looking around and at the main stage.

I took a picture of the line:

That was behind me...I was fourth in line.  Bob was seventh.  At 4:15, it was time for our first autograph. 

Aroldis Chapman, with the 105 MPH fastball and jewels everywhere, was one of the few I hoped to get.  It was a great first treat.  The man in grey is Chapman's translator. He has an interesting way of signing...he turns the ball and signs sideways.  So when you look at the picture below, he turned to where the part with his autograph was with the C at the top and n closest to him to sign.  It was rather interesting.  

Behind it you can see my World Baseball Classic ball I won.  It is one of four commemorative baseballs I have.  The other four are near the end of the post.

After that, I went and enjoyed the highlight reel of the season.  It really was a tremendous year!  It was the most fun I can imagine for a season...I can't wait to see what next year holds.  After that I checked out some memorabilia.  They had some cool things (a ton) and I picked up a few smaller things. I picked up a couple more small things today.  Possibly the coolest thing I picked up was this:

That is the Reds team yearbook from the year I was born.  Sure I was only alive for 13 hours that year...but it is still from the year I was born, which I thought was nifty.  I also got it for $10 instead of 15 and in that awesome case.  

Anyway, after the main stage and memorabilia, I took a picture with my future wife.  (A joke...Jennifer and I won't ever be separated...and she's not a real person...but it's a fun joke.)

Rosie Red and I

A Rosie ornament I got at Redsfest

I went to go see Jamie Ramsey, who has one of the best blogs in the business, Better Off Red.  Great blog from a Miami grad.  We chatted for a few, and I moved on and looked at pretty much all of the booths around Redsfest.

After that, I went over to the kids only autograph line, where one of my favorite players of the past decade was signing for kids...of which I don't count at Redsfest.  As he was walking from kids only to a picture, I asked him to sign a ball for me, and he did. I had forgotten what I really wanted him to sign in my office.  I stopped and got it today, and waited in line for him to sign it today.  I also got Sam LeCure to sign an unused playoff ticket (the Reds did not get to that game).  Here are pics of each:

Dontrelle Willis McFarland from 2004

Sam LeCure ticket from Game 4 of the playoffs...which was never played.

The first day ended, and we moved on to day two...some of which you just heard about.  Bob Wilson joined me today, and we had a good time with everything.  We watched several things on the main stage, got some autographs, shopped a little, and had a great time.  It was tiring but fun.  This blog is already long, so I'm not going in to everything...you get the idea.  But below are some images with captions that will show you more about Redsfest (and a small bit of my Reds collection...maybe 10% of it.

Walt, Dusty, and most of the Coaching staff

Marty and the Cowboy, fresh off new 3-year deals

Marty asking Walt for the inside scoop on upcoming deals

Why does no one pay attention to us?

"So, Dusty...how are you going to use that many starting pitchers?"

"This year, I think the Reds need to focus more on modern dance."

"Did you see what Chuck D is wearing?  It's great having fans that into this!"

Chuck D, the #1 Reds Fan, waiting in line to ask a question.  He didn't get to.

"I wish I was golfing."

"I could use some fried chicken right about now."-Cowboy thinks

"The reason we led the league in runs scored? It was all me." -Third Base Coach Mark Berry

"Dusty...can we get past the first round next year?"

"I'm telling you-dance is the answer!"

Bob Wilson with the four Reds All-Stars

NL and Reds team MVP Joey Votto.
 

Joey: "What I do in the bathroom, I do to myself." (He actually said that)

The bags they gave us...replicas of the new batting practice jerseys.  I want a jersey!

The Reds travel mugs they gave us.

Autographed balls from Redsfest.

L-to-R: Dontrelle Willis, Matt Maloney, Devin Messorasco, Bob Castellini, Chris Valaika.  

Behind it you can see my autographed Barry Larkin ball and the pic of us together. 

My current Reds autographed ball shelf, minus the new balls.  L-R

Top: Dusty Baker, Ryan Hanigan, Coco Cordero, Sam LeCure, Mike Leake

Second Row (cases): Aaron Harang, Edinson Volquez, Bronson Arroyo, Johnny Cueto

Third Row front: Corky Miller, Homer Bailey, Nick Massett

Third Row Back: Jared Burton, Bill Bray, Mike Lincoln, Micah Owings, Logan Ondrusek, Danny Ray Herrera

Fourth Row: Joey Votto, Brandon Phillips, Orlando Cabrera, Todd Frazier, Scott Rolen, Paul Janish

Fifth Row: Lance Nix, Drew Stubbs, Johnny Gomes, Chris Heisey, Jay Bruce

(I'm not moving any free agents until they sign elsewhere)

Former Reds players.  

The left half is mostly former Reds (except one who never was a Red, Brandon Webb)

The right part is some of my balls from the 1990 team.  Not all of them are there, I believe.

The other commemorative balls I have received in batting practice or at games.  

Front: Nationals Park Inaugural Season, last out of an inning, tossed up by Garrett Anderson

Second: Shea Stadium (Mets) Final Season, tossed up in BP by Eric Gagne

Third: Target Field (Twins) Inaugural Season-BP, hit out by an Astro

I LOVE this headline, and now I have the paper signed by Jay Bruce!  

There it is...Redsfest 2010. A wonderful time.  I can't wait until the season!  

Redsfest

So...down at at Redsfest. Every year we come down early and sit inside along the wall. We get here between 7 and 8. This year, they said we can't get in and have to wait outside until noon. We'll see how that works out.

Sent from my Windows Mobile® phone.

Thoughts from Third Base: November 30, 2010

I added voting buttons to the bottom of my blogs!  Epic (which is a joke...nothing I blog is epic, but it is better than "Like"), Fail (yeah...sometimes I fail...it's rare.), Wha-huh? (somethings are just bizarre), and Derailed (sometimes I lose topic).  Enjoy, and I know you'll ALL go back and rate ALL of my previous blogs...or at least go mark fail to the Christian Reds Rap....which was an EPIC fail.  :-)

Let's kick this off the right way....Redsfest is rapidly approaching!  This is the first year I'm not boiling over with excitement...I think it's because I'm more excited to get to the season to see if the team can carry their success over.  It's an interesting switch. This is the first Redsfest ever with a Reds playoff team, so it'll be interesting.  Normally the Reds focus Redsfest on the past (remember 1990 and how awesome it was) or the promise of the next year...this is the first time they could really look at the current year.

However...the most important part of the news for this week...the Baseball Hall of Fame ballot is out to the BBWAA.  The important part of that...Barry Larkin is back of the ballot.  Writers need to do the smart thing and vote 11 for '11!

As a baseball fan...not just a Reds fan...it's impossible to not like Joey Votto.

Dear Topps: Strasburg over Leake is a joke.  Way to buy into hype instead of performance.

I absolutely love this idea.  Carl Crawford's (who I wish the Reds could afford) agent is sending iPads with info on Crawford including videos, highlights, testimonials, etc. to all GMs interested in him to drive cost up. Agents @ NACA are going to start having iPads with highlights of their clients...I've already talked to some who are...Apple may not be Google...but they are revolutionary. 

Hmmm....has anyone thought that WW3 may not involve the Middle East and Korea but be a war between Apple, Google, and Microsoft???  If so...I hope I choose the winner!!!  (Google....)

So...if you haven't played Minecraft yet do it!  It's amazing, and consuming my non-work life.  

One of my goals over Thanksgiving was to try to zip through the main story of Assassin's Creed so I could move on to AC II.  I enjoy most of one...though there are some VERY tedious parts...and I've heard II is a lot better. AC: Brotherhood (a story continuation for ACII) just came out.  No clue whether it is ACIII or another continuation, but now there will be another new Assassin's Creed game next year.  At least with me playing late I get the games cheap!  (BTW-I know you're wondering.  NO...I didn't finish AC...Minecraft consumed that time.)

I've many times said the only three good slapstick/satire/silly humor actors I have enjoy the work of are Leslie Nielson, John Ritter, and Adam Sandler.  Unfortunately, we've lost another one.  (And yes...it's sad that every 9-11 I remember that John Ritter died two years after the tragedy...but yes I think of him annually.

Ian McKellen is back in The Hobbit(s).  Great news!  (BTW-the s is because they're making two movies...)

In the trailers blog, I talked about them remaking Teen Wolf as a TV show.  Well...they may actually be remaking it twice...also as a feature film series with a female wolf and Tom Welling as a secondary character.  Wha..huh?

Major Spoilers listing of the top 10 comic covers of the 1980's.  Some good choices, but a lot of my favorites aren't on the list.  Here's a couple of my favorites.

I just wanted to put a few.  :-)  

Also...one other comic cover that at least has something I love, but misses on the 80's (was in 1991) and the cover isn't great, it just has one thing I love:

It's actually a good cover...but what I love is the heading at the top.  "#80 in a four-issue limited series."  The series (as you see on #1 above) was planned as a 4-issue series...but sold VERY well so they rushed to continue it (whereas now they would just have a new #1.)  That lead to the really cool heading.  The image of Prime lurking in the back makes this cover as far as the non-headline goes.

One more early 90s cover I love (the 80s really went until about 1992 anyway...) that made me buy the comic and scavenge for YEARS to get the whole series...

So...back to the news.  

The next step in the entertainment wars is being taken.  If I had about a 1 or 2TB Hard Drive on my PS3 (I know...this is Microsoft...but don't think Sony isn't chomping at the bit for this) with DVR and cable, that would be AWESOME.  I would LOVE LOVE LOVE a cable service where you CHOOSE what channels you want.  Like you pay 1-2$ a month per channel you want, and more for the premium movie channels.  I'd jump all over that.

This is utterly ridiculous.  My respect for Fox is in the gutter right now.  If she was the leak...I would understand.  But for this...no.

Speaking of ridiculous...They are going ahead with the remake of Buffy without Joss Whedon. They really don't get it.  "This was popular...let's remake it!"  You know...there was a reason it was popular...and when you get rid of those reasons, there is nothing worthwhile!  Buffy was popular because of Angel and Spike.  Because of Willow.  Xander.  Faith.  Oz.  Giles.  You know who was probably the LEAST liked character in the series?  Buffy.  Who will be in the new movie?  Which characters?  Only Buffy.  Dreadful.  AND with no Whedon...no.  You have to LOVE his response though!  I don't see any Whedon fans seeing this movie in theaters...whic is going to hurt it.  

And also on that mode...this is a bad idea.  Superman as CGI?  No.  BAD IDEA.  Why?  Well, other not having Routh or Welling as Superman, there is another reason. That reason comes to us from 1978 (the year after I was born!)  Superman: The Movie.  Christopher Reeve.  What was the tagline of the film?  Anyone??

.....

That's correct!  "You'll Believe a Man Can Fly!"  I, of course, didn't see it until a few years later...but in 1978 they made us believe a man can fly.  Now having all Superman CG?  Dreadful. 

Newest Dark Knight Rising rumor: It'll be based on an obscure-ish story from one of the comics.  Not that I mind that, but the movies can bring us new stories...and I like that.  

The Harry Potter series is being converted to 3D and have a limited release in theaters at some point.  I think 3D is overrated.  I am typically underwhelmed by 3D, and only occasionally whelmed.  (YEAH!  Young Justice!  Thank you Robin...)  What I would LOVE is for July 17th or whatever (too lazy to look) to be Harry Potter day like when LOTR was released.  I'd pay $30 to spend a day in the theater with half hour breaks between movies to watch all 7 released movies leading up to the midnight showing of HP7-2.  I'd do it in a HEARTBEAT!  You know a ton of people would!  (Sadly...it would be about the length of the LOTR marathon, methinks...)

This is one of the most awesome things that has happened in the history of the universe.

Good. It's a better series. Yeah...I said it.  And still have my Geek cred to boot.  Deal.

Mayim Bialik and Darren Criss are now regulars on their respective shows.  Good.  They should be.  They make the already awesome shows better.

I know this has been a long one...so here is a thank you if you made it this far and made it to the end.  Do yourself a favor, and spend 10 minutes watching this...although just a warning...you'll want to watch all of it.  Just trust me!

"I am a beautiful animal!  I am a destroyer of worlds!"

Have a good one!

Round-Tripper Reviews

Well...I guess this is as good of a title as any for now.

I'm going to blast several VERY short reviews here in a row.  The first doesn't fit with the others...but...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1  Part one?  That sounds cocky.  Like they're OH SO SURE it will succeed and...wait.   What.  :-)  Oh yeah.

In all seriousness this movie was EXACTLY what I needed it to be.  It was awesome.  The changes made the transfer of mediums stronger.  It was very emotional.  It was amazing, and a great way to start to end the story.  I cried a lot, and sobbed at one scene.  Great job. Easily a home run.

Now...for the rest.  As almost everyone knows for a year and a half now I have been going through the process of reading the audiobooks for everyone of Stephen King's (fiction) book's in order.  I'll add in the non-fiction later.  Anyway...I'm going to give my brief thoughts on all of them I have read so far.  I'm excluding the short story collections pretty much, as there are too many stories.  I may do each of them in separate blogs later.  There will be the book title, year it was published, and an R if this is a re-read for me, F if it was a first time.

There could be spoilers-you've been warned.

Carrie (1974-R)
SK started strong here and opened with an amazing story.  It is well written and just an amazing story.  A home run.

'Salem's Lot (1975-R)
'Salem's Lot is good.  The movies for it are not.  I was originally going to watch all of the movies as I read all of the books, and stopped here.  Regardless the book is well done...just not one of his absolute best (which still means it is better than 90% of the books written).  A triple.

Rage (as Richard Bachman -1977-R)
Rage is a very good story...but it lost something to me between the first and second reading.  Add in that the book is no longer in publication because of Columbine, and this one is hard to find.  It's a good story.  A triple.

The Shining (1977-R)
Better than either movie adaption, although I think the mini-series the better of the two.  Regardless, the book is great.  It really builds suspense. A home run.

The Stand (original/edited-1978-F)
I had read the uncut, but not the original, so this was SORT OF the first first time for me. There are a few stories different people hold up as Stephen King's masterpieces.  The Stand is one.  There's a good reason.  It is one of the best stories written in the past 100 years.  While the uncut is better, this one is still a home run.

The Dead Zone (1979-F)
I REALLY liked the Dead Zone...until the last third of the book.  SK rushed the last (and possibly most crucial) part of the story after taking plenty of time with the rest.  It was like there was a page limit and he just cut the ending portion.  It really hurts what could have been a great book.  A double.

The Long Walk (Bachman-1979-R)
I remembered loving The Long Walk.  I re-read it.  I still love it.  A well told story.  Great story!  A Home run!

Firestarter (1980-F)
I had previously read the first chapter of this book and stopped.  Reading it...wow.  Great story.  I really enjoyed it and wanted to push through.  Another non-happy ending, which SK does so well.  A Triple.

Cujo (1981-R)
I didn't really remember Cujo that well.  I was a lot younger when I read it.  (8th grade?  9th?)  It has some amazing parts...just not one of my favorites.  Having read this last year may also hurt it, but I'd say it's a double.

Roadwork (Bachman-1981-F)
This was a great story.  The Bachman Books are mostly very well done.  I really enjoyed this book.  It was the equivalent of a popcorn flick to me.   It was a good one where I wanted to see what happened next.  A triple.

Different Seasons (1982-R/F)
There are four stories here, but they aren't short stories.  They will be short reviews, however.  :-)  Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption comes in with a triple. For the psychological effect, Apt Pupil hits a home run. The Body gets a double for me...it just missed the mark.  The Breathing Method freaked me out, and gets a home run for it.

The Dark Tower - The Gunslinger (1982-R)
The Dark Tower series is an amazing series.  It is really SK's work of art.  And this kicks it off.  I hate westerns...and this series SEEMS to be that from the start.  It's not...and it is amazing.  A home run.

The Running Man (Bachman-1982-F)
I avoided this because I had heard bad things about the movie.  The book...wow.  This was an awesome story.  Surprisingly good.  A triple.  Really close to going out of the park.

Christine (1983-R)
I always really loved Christine...but at the same time it is never one of my favorites.  It's very well done...but there is something missing for me.  However, it's still a triple.

Cycle of the Werewolf (1983-R)
Was this intended to be a children's story???  If so, it is a weak pop-up to the pitcher.  If not (and it wasn't...it was going to be written as a calendar but was too long, from what I read) it is a strike-out.  Horrible.

Pet Semetary (1983-R)
He didn't want to publish this story because of how freaky it is.  It's amazing.  It's also scary...and I don't scare easily from books.  A Home run.

The Talisman (w/ Peter Straub-1984-F)
I never had a desire to read this book.  If I hadn't dedicated myself to reading all of the books in order I probably would have skipped it.  Wow was I wrong.  This book is amazing, and introduces one of my favorite SK characters (Wolf).  A home run.

Thinner (Bachman-1984-R)
I said earlier the Bachman books are mostly good.  This is really the reason for the mostly.  I didn't really enjoy this the first time...and only marginally more the second.  A single.

It (1986-R)
I always said my favorite books were The Princess Bride and It.  At least before HP7 jumped in to join them.  I always refused to reread It however, because I was afraid it wouldn't live up to my memories.  It did...in a big way.  I love this book.  A Grand Slam.

Eyes of the Dragon (1987-R)
I read the book when I was really young (again...maybe 8th or 9th grade) and didn't remember it...I just remembered kind-of liking it.  I started rereading it, and was bored at first.  Then I got into the story, and this is easily one of my favorites.  Really well done.  A home run.

Misery (1987-R)
This book caused me problems as it was messed up and I had to get a new copy.  I did, and it was awesome.  Very well done.  A Triple.

The Dark Tower II: The Drawing of the Three (1987-R)
The series is amazing.  I like parts of this book a lot, and parts just a little.  I think the problem is in the whole series I never made a connection with Detta/Odetta/Susannah (that's one character) and so her part drags this book down to a Triple.

The Tommyknockers (1987-F)
I'm not sure why I never read this...but I'm kind of glad I had not.  Otherwise I would have had to read it a second time for this...and once is enough.  It's slow.  You don't make a connection with any characters.  The only two I felt anything for were a dog and a characters younger brother...both of which were barely in the book.  It wasn't bad and the last third was good...it just wasn't my cup of tea.  For that, I'll give this book a single.

The Dark Half (1989-R)
Yes, another SK book about a writer.  You write what you know...right?  Well done...nothing special.  A double for not being as good as I remembered.

Four Past Midnight (1989-R)
Again, four novellas.  I just finished the second of two.  So, quick reviews of those two. The Langoliers is another good popcorn story, and gets a triple for it.  Secret Window, Secret Garden is the story of a writer who has an evil side that murders people he knows and threatens to take over his life.  Didn't I just READ The Dark Half (which is the same story).  This one is actually done a lot better, and will get a triple for it.

That's all for now.  I'm sure more will come.

Thoughts from Third Base: Movie Trailer Edition!

So...a TON of trailers/extended previews for movies and TV shows have hit recently!  I'll put them here and give my thoughts!

Only one place to start:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1
Friday, November 19, 2010



I already have my tickets.  I'll be there Saturday.  I expect good things from this movie, and thing the 7th movies will be the best of the series.

Winnie The Pooh
July 15, 2011



I have been a Winnie the Pooh fan my whole life.  The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh. Pooh's Grand Adventure. The Tigger Movie. Piglet's Big Move. Pooh's Heffalump Movie. I love them all.  I wish I OWNED them all...Pooh's Grand Adventure is right there with the 3 Mighty Ducks Movies as most desired DVDs I haven't purchased yet.  I fully expect to enjoy this one as well.

Green Lantern
June 17th, 2011




I am so VERY excited for this movie.  I love me some Superman, Batman, etc.  But I cannot wait to see Green Lantern and Flash movies.  A Wonder Woman and Firestorm movie would also rock!  (For those wondering, I have no hope for a Nightwing movie.  Regarding the GL movie, however...this trailer gives me a Geekgasm.  It is AWESOME!

The Chronicles of Narnia: Voyage of the Dawn Treader
December 10, 2010

Trailer 1:



Trailer 2:



Disney did a great job with The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. Prince Caspian wasn't memorable but wasn't bad...it's just not as strong of a book.  Fox picked up the rights after Disney let them go.  Dawn Treader is one of the best books in the series and I think will make a good movie.  The only question I have is...where do they go from here?  I would guess The Silver Chair.  I don't think the will do The Magician's Nephew or A Horse and His Boy.  That only leaves The Last Battle.  It'll be interesting to see what Fox decides on.

Red Riding Hood
March 2011



Yesterday I said I thought this could be decent.  Then I actually watched the trailer.  I'm not as sure now.  I think this may get a DVD viewing at best.  Amanda Seyfried is a talented actress...I hate to see her wasting her time in things like this and Jennifer's Body.


The Smurfs

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

Ok...so...I questioned this one.  However, I loved The Smurfs and NPH is in it...so I may give it a shot.  Of course, I havent' seen either Chipmunks movies yet, so who knows...



As for TV Trailers:


Teen Wolf
I'm not really sure; MTV



This is clearly a re-imagining and not a remake.  After watching this...I'm not sold on it.  I don't think it is going to be horrible, necessarily...just don't know that it will be good either.

Young Justice
November 26, 2010 on  Cartoon Network

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

This I'm excited for.  I enjoyed the Teen Titans cartoon, but am more excited for this.  I just wish they had included some of the female Titans in the preview.  I'm guessing they get added after a couple of episodes.  I'm excited for this.

There are more, but really that is enough for today!  I hope you enjoyed your time trailer watching with me!

Thoughts from Third Base: November 16, 2010

The Quidditch World Cup Blog still is coming, I hope.  For now...

DVR Playground (whatever that is...too lazy to look) feels that Michael Rosenbaum (and other acting types) should take a page out of Teri Hatcher's book and give back to the franchise's that made them.  I won't lie...I hope Rosenbaum comes back...I wish he would come back for at least 6 to wrap the series.  However...not sure how likely that is.



Smallville really is an amazing show.  It's the best superhero TV show created.  The tenth season has been a tour de AWESOME.  However, since the CW has decided this is the last season (I'm glad they had notice, so they could write a final season...I'm not ready to say goodbye though...) Warner Brothers is looking for what to do next.

I guess their choice is natural.  However, if they don't expand past just Batman, this could get boring.  Batman is an amazing superhero...but needs the supporting cast to thrive.

Former (now) Red Wladimir Balentin is going to Japan.  He was really a AAAA player (a player too good for AAA, the top minor league but not good enough for the majors) so Japan should be good for him.

Ok...this headline just made me laugh because I'm still 12...  I do have a bobblehead of him.

Normally I agree with this blogger, but I have to disagree here.  It's the fear of change/change is bad idea, which I disagree with.  I think this could be a good change for baseball.

My second favorite band has totally changed directions.  Saving Jane is no more, now giving birth to Union Rose.  They have some good songs already, so give them a chance.  I'm glad I like different types of music  (They went from almost Pop-Punk to Country, both of which I like.)

I think I like the old version more.

Walking Dead already gets a season 2.  That makes me happy.  I am losing Smallville, but get more of Dead as well as Haven.

This could be good:



Can't wait for this movie:



This could be ok:



I still CANNOT wait for this game.



So...we're now going to have THREE Wizard World Cons in Ohio.

And...that's good for today.