Real Quick Review

Alien Swarm Review

2010-10-01T09:07:00.001+08:00

So playing in Practice mode doesn't fully entail a full review for this game. But what the hell....

Alien Swarm is a shooter game similar to Killing Floor, where you get to choose from different classes of soldiers available and defend yourselves against aliens.

What makes this shooter so unique is its camera view - unlike your typical FP or First Person view, this one's in overhead third person. If you can recall how some NES games were when it came to the overhead third person view, it's similar to Alien Swarm's camera view.

Check this video out: IGN: Retroburn in Steam - check his blog at http://www.imbacore.blogspot.com

They got raped in that video but it can give you an idea of what to expect when playing Alien Swarm.

This game is free from Steam and it's a whopping 2gb download - I finished mine in like 3 hours last night.

If you guys don't have a Steam account, you can easily sign up for one when you download their launcher thingy.

Add me up on Steam - BulgeManCroikey

Happy gaming, y'all!
--
Justin Philippe L. Haguisan

SEO - Internet Marketing Consultant / Virtual Assistant / Content Writer /

"Good things come to those who wait but only left by those who hustle. - Abraham Lincoln"

CDOtaku Airsoft This Sunday

2010-09-14T09:45:00.001+08:00

To all Frustrated/Bored Otakus:

Tired of your everyday life or are you just plain angry over how incompetent people are? Wish to let it all out? Wouldn’t you just like to shoot someone in the face or wherever?

Well, NOW’S YOUR CHANCE!!!

Join us in our airsoft get together this Sunday Sept. 19, 2010, and get a chance to shoot people (minus the complications and consequences of the law), For only 200-300 php. You must be ready to commit and pay before saying “ME PLZ.” We will message you for the additional details if you wish to do so.

When: Sept 19,2010 (Reply before Sept. 16,2010)

Where: (To Be Announced)

What: AIRSOFT GET TOGETHER

How much: 200-300 php (with gear)

More details at:

Real Quick Review

Contact these CDOtaku members for more info:

Justin - SnarlMKIV

Dianne - Hime

Monica - Pinkchocobo

My Final Decision - New Laptop this week

2010-08-09T08:01:00.001+08:00

Sometime this week

I might be getting a new laptop: Acer Emachines D640.

Spec Sheet:
AMD Athlon II dual-core processor P320 (1MB L2 cache, 2.10GHz,1066 MHz FSB, 25/35 W)
AMD M880G Chipset
2GB DD3
250GB
8X DVD-Super Multi double-layer drive
Multi-in-1 card reader
14" HD 1366 x 768 pixel resolution, high-brightness (200-nit), LED-backlit TFT LCD with glare panel
ATI Radeon HD4250 Graphics with 256 MB of dedicated system memory, supporting Unified Video Decoder 2 (UVD2), OpenGL 2.0, OpenEXR High Dynamic-Range (HDR) technology, Shader Model 4.1, Microsoft Direct X 10.1
WPAN; Bluetooth 2.1+EDR
LAN: Giagbit Ethernet, Wake-on-LAN ready
WLAN:802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi CERTIFIED
2.2 kg (4.85 lbs.) with 6-cell battery pack
342 (W) x 245 (D) x 25.5/31.9 (H) mm (13.5 x 9.6 x 1.00/1.26 inches)
48.8 W 4400 mAh 6-cell Li-ion standard battery pack
3.7 hours
Video conferencing solution, featuring webcam with 1280 x 1024 resolution/ Microphone
Multi-in-1 card reader (SD, MMC, MS, MS PRO, xD)
Three USB 2.0 ports
HDMI port with HDCP support
External display (VGA) port
Headphone/speker/ line-out jack
Microphone-in jack
Ethernet (RJ-45) port
DC-in jack for AC adapter

After scouring the market for a laptop, I stumbled onto Open Source computer sales in Divisoria where the salesman convinced me that I was paying for too much with my first choice of laptop - ASUS k42JK. He told me of a cheaper laptop that's got the same performance with the ASUS and after reading Acer Emachines D640 reviews on Tipidpc.com, I am now convinced to buy the model.

Take note there's a big price difference: Emachines D640 costs only 23k php while the ASUS K42jk costs a whopping 34k.

Despicable Me and Expendables and my Laptop Quest

2010-08-04T07:23:00.001+08:00

Hmmmmmm...

I feel the need to watch these two movies sometime within this month. Despicable Me should've been shown like last July on our theaters but for some unknown reason, they never did.

Also looking forward to the Testosterone-filled movie The Expendables starring Sylvester Stallone this month.

By the way, help me choose which laptop I should buy:

Lenovo G460

Intel Core i3 2.26Ghz

2gb RAM
320GB HD

Nvidia Geforce 310M - 512mb

Asus K42JK

Intel Core i3 - 2.26GHZ

2GB RAM

320GB HD

ATI Radeon HD5145 - 1gb

Untitled

2010-08-04T07:17:00.001+08:00

It's another Wednesday morning here and I lack sleep. Sigh.

Posterous is so cool

2010-08-03T21:09:00.001+08:00

Posterous is just so cool. I am actually posting this content to my Facebook page, Twitter account, Tumblr account, Blogger.com account and my Plurk account.

This is just so cool. I love my theme too.

My 2009 and 1st Decade Reflection

2009-12-31T23:59:00.001+08:00

As I write down my yearly memoir, I’ve decided to retrace further back at the start of 2000. 2009 marks the end of the first decade of the new millennium, with the start of the second decade in merely less than 12 hours.

All I can say is the first decade has been a rollercoaster ride of life; ups, downs, loops, twists and sudden stops.

Despite the multitudes of events which happened on the first decade of 2000, I still look back during those days and say “Whoopee!” for the happy moments, “Well, shit happens!” for the sad moments and “Oh crap! What the hell?” for the rather confusing moments.

People come, people go, things happen for a reason and things are not the way they’re supposed to be; this is what life is all about. To expect the unexpected, and to live for the moment; it’s a beautiful synergy. To make choices and to take risks; the spices of life.

I know I’ll always make both the right and wrong decisions in life, we all will. But what matters is the conviction behind the decisions we’ll make. I have never lived a life of regret, nor have I let regret linger. It’s a festering wound which eats right through our soul, our being.

When 2010 comes in a few hours, it’s a start of a new chapter in our lives. The first chapter of the new millennium will slowly close it pages and find its way to our archives. When the clock strikes 12:00AM, we start with a fresh page, a fresh book and a brand new pen to write the coming changes in our lives.

What’s in store for all of us in the coming decades? What challenges await us? What surprises and misfortunes are lurking? The only answer is “BRING IT ON!”

Take challenges head on; never back down without a fight. Accept surprises, even the little ones and never wallow in misfortune for too long.

Let 2009 and the other years in your life serve as a reminder of what you did and who you are. We must take a step backward to take two steps forward.

To my loved ones, friends, workmates, and to every other person who’s affected my life one way or the other, I wish you all a prosperous New Year for 2010.

Real Quick Review gets a REVAMP!

2009-10-25T14:52:00.002+08:00

Real Quick Review gets a revamp!

After nearly a year of using the old layout, I've decided to change the layout into this minimalistic inspired theme. It's about time too. Real Quick Review is now a year old and it's been my outlet for experiments and rantings. At first, I made this blog into a money-making paid review blog but I went the other way around and simply ranted about things that I liked, things that irked me, and things that you probably are interested in or things you probably hate at the same time.

To my readers of RQR, thank you for taking time to drop by my blog.

Killing Floor PC Review

2009-09-08T22:41:00.005+08:00

THIS GAME TOTALLY ROCKS!!!

Image from IGN.com

I just played Killing Floor PC for the first time with my girlfriend a couple of hours ago and MAN WAS IT A BLAST!

Talk about giving new definition to the phrase SURVIVAL HORROR! The game's concept is fairly simple: Survive wave after wave of zombies (similar to Left4Dead but not on a stage basis). Each level would give you about 10 waves (LEMME HEAR YOU SAY IT! REPLAYABILITY!) Each wave would require you to kill a number of zombies (depending on how many players are playing it) and once you achieve the goal, you're then redirected to a Trader to resupply ammo, buy weapons, change classes and so on. Be warned though that there is a time limit for purchasing before the next wave pushes through. That's the basic gameplay. Each wave would release the different species of zombies, from the basic peons to the peons with big assed machete's to the fat ass acid spewing bitches to sirens to crawlers and the list goes on and on. Thankfully you have grenades up your sleeves. And No, you can't push away zombies when you're mobbed like in L4D... So better exercise those reflexes 'cos this aint L4D!

Each player can choose between different classes, each with different benefits: Sharpshooter, Commando, Berserker, Field Medic, Support Specialist, Firebug.

It's a very addictive game with a high replay value and the gameplay is just perfect in my opinion. I love the challenge and I love the horde of scary assed mofo's coming right at me. I have finished 5 waves of one level all by myself and that was just BEGINNER'S LUCK!

Survival Horror at its best!

BodyBlast Online Vitamin Shoppe

2009-09-05T21:19:00.002+08:00

Quite frankly, I was never a fan of online shopping but somehow I am always forced to do so because there are things that I want to buy that are cheaper on the Internet.

I am an avid health buff and a gym enthusiast. I would spend an hour at the gym for 3 days a week of full body workout. Then again, working out can only get you so far. I wanted to purchase supplements like whey protein and creatine among others but they are all so expensive here where I am from.

I found BodyBlast Online Vitamin Shoppe in an anonymous forum where I was looking for reviews on some supplements. I browsed thru some of his products and believe it or not, they were priced so cheap it was a bargain. I was skeptical at first but when I read his customers' feedback, I knew I was dealing with the right stuff.

I shot him a few inquiries and he was very quick in answering all of my questions. He's even a very knowledgeable health adviser who aims that you get the best for every single penny you spend on your health.

BodyBlast Online Vitamin Shoppe offers a variety of products that caters to everyone's health needs: Fat burners, whey protein, specialized protein, mass gain products and the list goes on and on.

Dealing with BodyBlast Online Vitamin Shoppe has been very satisfactory. Customer service, prices, quality, and prompt delivery.

You can't go wrong with buying from BodyBlast Online Vitamin Shoppe.

Visit his site at http://bodyblast.multiply.com

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: A Halved Effort

2009-07-18T19:02:00.002+08:00

“Once again I must ask too much of you, Harry.” – Albus Dumbledore

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was quite frankly a disappointment on my part, considering that I am a very big Harry Potter fan.
The movie was a half-hearted effort of reliving the magic of Hogwarts into the big screen. True enough and expectedly, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was well made with a huge number of actors and astounding CGI (there has been a very big improvement with previous HP movies in terms of CGI).

The story however, as expected too, didn’t directly intertwine with the book’s details. I am not particular with what details they missed or left out but gut instinct tells me that there were actually instances or some details in the book that were cut from the movie.

There was little plot development as Harry now began to discover the truth of Voldemort’s immortality through the Horcruxes: objects where Voldemort placed a part of his soul in to protect himself from death. Character development was also a half hearted effort since it only revolved around the romance of Harry and Ginny, and Ron and Hermione. It was a partial success at giving the Harry Potter movie franchises a maturity boost considering there were more, how shall I put it, “intimate” moments, puppy love scenario and freakish stalker love-lust combo.

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince just gave way to what we are about to expect in its final movie coming the next couple of years and I just hope that by then, the last movie should be one to remember.

Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen’s HUGE success an understatement

2009-06-26T14:37:00.003+08:00

June 24 marked the opening of the much awaited and highly anticipated sequel of the Transformers movie franchise. Earmarked as Revenge of the Fallen, the movie promises to have a huge cast of Autobots and Decepticons to flood the screen with their gigantic presence and awe us with the eye-opening fight scenes.

Story-wise, it’s not all that’s cracked up to be. At first I was disappointed that Transformers 2 got a 24% review from Rottentomatoes.com, but it turned out the critics were right. Not to actually base my review on their words, but Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen did lack storyline or the fact that most of the storyline ended up being underappreciated by the special effects. Either way, story was not that good.

As a Transformers fan since I was little, counting also the Transformers toys that I had back then, seeing my toys on the big screen was by far the one of the most fulfilling experiences ever. Seeing Sideswipe, Arcee, Devastator and the Constructicons, Jetfire, and Optimus come to life in the big screen made me ecstatic. Boo for you guys who don’t know jack about the Transformers since you clearly missed out a lot on your childhood.

The special effects were AMAZING. Michael Bay outdid himself, in a good and bad way. There was just too much special effects that it drowned out the entire storyline, as earlier stated. The explosions was earth-shattering; literally. Seeing robots go in a TITANIC close quarter combat would make any man cry for joy, and any Transformers die-hard fan shed a tear at the realism of the legendary robots.

This review may be biased, but as far as I am concerned, Transformers 2 Revenge of the Fallen was the best movie that’s come out this year and I cannot wait for part 3.

Supernatural Season 5 - Series Ender?

2009-05-25T22:21:00.004+08:00

After what seems to be an eternity, I finally completed my Supernatural Season 4 download on uTorrent. I have been aching to watch this latest season after being cliff-hanged on Season 3.

Where we last left off on season 3, Dean dies in the hands or paws rather of the hellhounds after his deal has reached its deadline while dealing with Lilith in Ruby's body.

I am still watching the 4th season, and time would stand still again if I finish the season. But wait, there were rumors spread around that the 5th season would be the last for the Winchester brothers. And Eric Kripke, creator of Supernatural, confirmed this.

Eric Kripke had said that they had a 5 year plan for the Winchester brothers, (Jared Padalecki and Jensen Ackles), and they had worked them both so hard over the year. And now, the saying goes, all good things must come to an end.

Who knows what's in store for the Winchester should the 5th season start? It's tad disappointing to know that one of the best TV series is coming to a complete end...

Frank Kearns - Relationships Expert (Author Review)

2009-05-13T21:12:00.002+08:00

Relationships are very hard to deal with, especially if you don't know what advice to take, what road to follow or what choice to make.
Frank Kearns is considered to be a relationships expert by his peers and friends simply because instead of sharing with them advices, he shares with them his experiences with relationships and in that way, his friends and peers might be able to take out some knowledge from that particular experience.

His most recent story that he loved sharing with his peers and friends is how he managed to get back with his ex after she left him 3 days before the wedding. Inspirational right? I mean, getting your ex back is not an easy task but Frank did what he had to do to get back with his ex and succeeded. Now, as an Author for Ezinearticles.com and with over 50 articles approved and viewed worldwide, Frank is slowly reaching out to people all over the world by writing some of the most inspiring and clever articles about relationship issues that even we can't imagine or think would happen to us. His articles are an eye-opener, with the way he writes and points out the simplest of truths when it comes to dealing with matters of the heart.

Frank Kearns is definitely someone to look out for in the world of online writing. His works can be viewed by clicking this link.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine - One big disappointment

2009-04-30T23:23:00.004+08:00

I just got off to a fancy evening by watching X-Men Origins: Wolverine with my beautiful fiancé, after a romantic dinner (KFC instead of Yellow Cab)…

True enough and admittedly, I was excited at first to watch X-Men Origins and at the same time, skeptic to how GENUINE the film is and how it will give justice to the actual comic series which was also named Wolverine and Weapon X, both offering different variations and artwork behind Wolverine’s origin and the Weapon X project.

The film actually DOES NOT give justice to the actual story in the comics. I swear to God I will definitely hurt people when they say that they didn’t follow the comics for CINEMATIC PURPOSES.

At some points, some parts in the film actually stuck to Logan’s comic origin and skills like bone claws (at first I thought he didn’t have these), rapid regeneration and healing and heightened senses; and that much I give due credit to the writers for actually sticking to the comic storyline even to that tiny little detail.

Story-wise, if you’re a Marvel fan, then watching this movie will leave you disappointed and frustrated at the failed attempt of merging comics with the big screen. I admit, I did like the smooth 3D animated graphics, and special effects and explosions and all the yelling, who wouldn’t?

There was actually no character development in the movie, it kept on jumping from one event to another without showing the slightest hint of how these events are related except for pathetic millisecond flashbacks. I know, it’s pathetic, considering the theme of the movie revolved around the word ORIGIN and by definition “The point at which something comes into existence or from which it derives or is derived.” Somehow, I never really saw that in the movie.

I am clearly venting out my frustration with how big time movie producers take time to actually think about recreating one comic book series into a big movie and then flushing it down the toilet along with their morning breakfast by incorporating their own version of the story for the purpose of CINEMATOGRAPHY which is entirely one huge pile of crap.

It would’ve been better if they really did to the same set of characters, storyline and events which transpired and contributed during Wolverine’s actual origin.

Rottentomatoes.com gave it X-Men Origins: Wolverine a rating of 44%

Caramelldansen

2009-04-27T22:33:00.000+08:00

Just something cute and funny I'd like to share with you guys.

Something for Nostalgia's Sake

2009-04-20T22:58:00.003+08:00

I've seen this back in High School and it's a pretty sad music video. It's about a guy who gives his eyes for his girlfriend. It's pretty nostalgic when my girlfriend asked me if I know of this song and believe it or not, this was in Youtube. After all these years, it still manages to bring a tear to my eye.

10 Reasons You Should Never Have a Religion

2009-04-10T20:18:00.003+08:00

While consciously pursuing your spiritual development is commendable, joining an established religion such as Christianity, Islam, or Hinduism is one of the worst ways to go about it. In this article I’ll share 10 reasons why you must eventually abandon the baggage of organized religion if you wish to pursue conscious living in earnest.

Since Christianity is currently the world’s most popular religion, I’ll slant this article towards Christianity’s ubiquitous failings. However, you’ll find that most of these points apply equally well to other major religions (yes, even Buddhism).

1. Spirituality for dummies.

If you have the awareness level of a snail, and your thinking is mired in shame and guilt (with perhaps a twist of drug abuse or suicidal thinking), then subscribing to a religion can help you climb to a higher level of awareness. Your mindset, however, still remains incredibly dysfunctional; you’ve merely swapped one form of erroneous thinking for another.

For reasonably intelligent people who aren’t suffering from major issues with low self-esteem, religion is ridiculously consciousness-lowering. While some religious beliefs can be empowering, on the whole the decision to formally participate in a religion will merely burden your mind with a hefty load of false notions.

When you subscribe to a religion, you substitute nebulous group-think for focused, independent thought. Instead of learning to discern truth on your own, you’re told what to believe. This doesn’t accelerate your spiritual growth; on the contrary it puts the brakes on your continued conscious development. Religion is the off-switch of the human mind.

Leave the mythology behind, and learn to think for yourself. Your intellect is a better instrument of spiritual growth than any religious teachings.

2. Loss of spiritual depth perception.

One of the worst mistakes you can make in life is to attach your identity to any particular religion or philosophy, such as by saying “I am a Christian” or “I am a Buddhist.” This forces your mind into a fixed perspective, robbing you of spiritual depth perception and savagely curtailing your ability to perceive reality accurately. If that sounds like a good idea to you, you’ll probably want to gouge out one of your eyeballs too. Surely you’ll be better off with a single, fixed perspective instead of having to consider two separate image streams… unless of course you’ve become attached to stereo vision.

Religious “truths” are inherently rooted in a fixed perspective, but real truth is perspective-independent. When you substitute religious teachings for truth, you mistake shadows for light sources. Consequently, you doom yourself to stumble around in the dark, utterly confused. Clarity remains forever elusive, and the best answer you get is that life is one giant mystery. Religious mysteries, however, arise not from what is truly unknowable; they arise from the limitations of trying to understand reality from a fixed frame of reference.

A more intelligent approach is to consider reality through a variety of different perspectives without trying to force your perceptions into an artificial religious framework. If you wish to learn more about this approach, read Spiritual Depth Perception.

3. Engineered obedience training.

Religions are authoritarian hierarchies designed to dominate your free will. They’re power structures that aim to convince you to give away your power for the benefit of those who enjoy dominating people. When you subscribe to a religion, you enroll in a mindless minion training program. Religions don’t market themselves as such, but this is essentially how they operate.

Religions are very effective at turning human beings into sheep. They’re among the most powerful instruments of social conditioning. They operate by eroding your trust in your own intellect, gradually convincing you to put your trust into some external entity, such as a deity, prominent figure, or great book. Of course these instruments are usually controlled by those who administrate the minion training program, but they don’t have to be. Simply by convincing you to give your power away to something outside yourself, religion will condition you to be weaker, more docile, and easier to control. Religions actively promote this weakening process as if it were beneficial, commonly branding it with the word faith. What they’re actually promoting is submission.

Religions strive to fill your head with so much nonsense that your only recourse is to bow your head in submission, often quite literally. Get used to spending a lot of time on your knees because acts of submission such as bowing and kneeling are frequently incorporated into religious practice. Canine obedience training uses similar tactics. Now say, “Yes, Master.”

Have you ever wondered why religious teachings are invariably mysterious, confusing, and internally incongruent? This is no accident by the way — it’s quite intentional.

By putting forth confusing and internally conflicting information, your logical mind (i.e. your neocortex) is overwhelmed. You try in vain to integrate such contradictory beliefs, but it can’t be done. The net effect is that your logical mind disengages because it can’t find a pattern of core truth beneath all the nonsense, so without the help of your neocortex, you devolve to a more primitive (i.e. limbic) mode of thinking. You’re taught that this faith-based approach is a more spiritual and conscious way to live, but in reality it’s precisely the opposite. Getting you to distrust your own cerebral cortex actually makes you dumber and easier to manipulate and control. Karl Marx was right when he said, “Religion is the opiate of the people.”

For example, the Old Testament and the New Testament in the Bible frequently contradict each other with various rules of conduct, yet both are quoted during mass. Church leaders also behave in direct violation of the Church’s teachings, such as by covering up criminal and immoral activities by their own priests. Those who try to mentally process such glaring contradictions as coherent truth invariably suffer for it. A highly conscious person would reject membership in such an organization as patently ridiculous. So-called divine mysteries are engineered to be incomprehensible. You aren’t meant to ever make sense of them since that would defeat the whole purpose. When you finally wake up and realize it’s all B.S., you’ve taken the first step towards freedom from this oppressive system.

The truth is that so-called religious authorities don’t know any more about spirituality than you do. However, they know how to manipulate your fear and uncertainty for their own benefit. How nice of you to let them.

Although the most popular religions are very old, L. Ron Hubbard proved the process can be replicated from scratch in modern times. As long as there are large numbers of people who fear the responsibility of their own power, religions will continue to dominate the landscape of human development.

If you want to talk to God, then communicate directly instead of using third-party intermediaries. Surely God has no need of an interpreter. Don’t fall into the trap of becoming a mindless minion. It’s a mistake to think that turning off your neocortex and practicing mindless “faith” will bring you closer to God. In truth it will only bring you closer to dog.

4. Toilet-bowl time management.

If you devote serious time to the practice of religion, it’s safe to say you practice toilet-bowl time management, flushing much of your precious life down the drain with little or nothing to show for it.

First, you’ll waste a lot of time filling your head with useless nonsense. This includes reading some of the worst fiction ever written. Then there are various rules, laws, and practices to learn.

Seriously, if you have insomnia, try reading religious texts before bedtime. You’ll be asleep faster than you can say Methuselah. Why do you think hotels put Bibles next to the bed? It’s the greatest sedative known to man. I have to give props to the Scientologists for at least incorporating space aliens into their stories. It’s a shame Gene Roddenberry didn’t formally invent his own religion; Stovokor sounds like a lot of fun.

Once you finally realize your head has been filled with utter nonsense, you must then purge such garbage from your mind if you want your brain to be functional again. That can take considerably longer, assuming you succeed at all. It’s like trying to uninstall AOL from your hard drive.

Next, you can expect to waste even more time on repetitive ritual and ceremony, such as attending mass, learning prayers, and practicing unproductive meditations.

If I add up the time I attended mass and Sunday school, studied religion in school as if it were a serious subject, and memorized various prayers, I count thousands of hours of my life I’d love to have back. I did, however, learn some important lessons, many of which are being shared in this article.

I especially remember listening to a lot of bad sermons; most priests are hideously poor speakers. Maybe it’s because they drink alcohol while on duty.

Now if you really go overboard and throw in learning a dead language for good measure, you can kiss years of your life goodbye.

The more time you devote to religious practice, the more you waste your life on pointless, dead-end pursuits… and the more you’ll want to delude yourself with a phony “Hehe, I meant to do that” attitude.

5. Support your local pedophile.

In addition to being a serious waste of time, religious practice can also be a huge waste of money.

For starters when you donate to a major religion, you support its expansion, which means you’re facilitating the enslavement of your fellow humans. That isn’t very nice, now is it? If you feel the urge to donate money, give it to a real and honorable cause, not a fabricated one. Better yet, go outside and do something that really helps people. If you can’t think of anything better, grab a can of paint and clean up some local graffiti.

Your religious donations fund freeloaders who mooch off society but who generally provide little or no value in return. Sure there are some religious people who perform valuable public services, but for the most part, that isn’t their bailiwick. These freeloaders typically operate tax-free, meaning they’re effectively subsidized by taxpayers. That’s a great racket if you’re on the receiving side… not so great if you’re funding it though.

Religions offer a suite of special services to generate additional income. They’ll spout some gibberish while feeding you a crusty wafer, pronounce you bonded to a fellow human being, snip some of your excess skin, pour water on your head, proclaim your manhood, cast out your demons, pronounce your transgressions forgiven, and so on. When they can’t think of anything else, they make up some drivel like confirming you’re still loyal to them. The bill may read “suggested donation,” but it’s still a bill.

When you donate money to a religious organization, you’re doing much worse than throwing your money away. You’re actively funding evil. If you think that spending a billion dollars to defend pedophiles and rapists is a good use of your hard-earned cash, perhaps you should run for Pope. You could hardly do worse. At least Wall Street is honest about its greed and lust.

One of my Catholic high school teachers was later revealed to be a repeat child molester… written up in the newspaper and everything. I didn’t see any suspicious behavior at the time, and to be totally honest, I actually liked that teacher and was shocked to learn of his extracurricular activities. He was shuffled from one location to another by those who knew about his appetite for young flesh. I’m glad I wasn’t on the menu, but I feel sad for those who were. Methinks God should raise his standards… just a tad.

Why aren’t Catholic priests allowed to marry? This has nothing to do with what’s written in the Bible or with any benefits of celibacy. This rule was invented by the Church to prevent their priests from producing heirs. When the priests died, their property would go back to the Church, thereby enriching the rich even more. Apparently God needed more cash. It was a very effective policy, as the Church is now among the richest and most powerful organizations on earth. It’s hard to fail when you have a loyal force of lifetime indentured servants who work cheaply and then yield their life savings to you when they die.

Lay religious people (i.e. non-clergy), on the other hand, are encouraged to have lots of babies because that means more people are born into the religion, which means more money and a bigger power base. Condoms are a big no-no; they’re bad for business. Marriage is a big yes; it means more brainwashed babies will be made.

Would you seriously consider this sort of structure a “good cause” worthy of your hard-earned cash?

I have got to get me one of these…

6. Incest is best.

Religions frequently promote inbred social networks. You’re encouraged to spend more time with people who share the same belief system while disengaging from those with incompatible beliefs. Sometimes this is done subtly; other times it’s more obvious.

If you’re one of the saved, blessed, or otherwise enlightened individuals who stumbled upon the one true belief system, then supposedly everyone else remains in the dark. Certain religions are overtly intolerant of outsiders, but to one degree or another, all major religions cast non-subscribers in a negative light. This helps to discourage members from abandoning the religion while still enabling them to proselytize. The main idea is to maintain social structures that reward loyalty and punish freedom of thought.

This us-vs-them prejudice is totally incongruent with conscious living. It’s also downright moronic from a global perspective. But it remains a favored practice of those who pull the strings. When you’re taught to distrust other human beings, fear gets a foothold in your consciousness, and you become much easier to control.

When you join a religion, your fellow mind-slaves will help to keep you in line, socially rewarding your continued obedience while punishing your disloyalty. Why do they do this? It’s what they’ve been conditioned to do. Tell your religious friends that you’re abandoning their religion because you want to think for yourself for a while, and watch the sparks fly. Suddenly you’ve gone from best friend to evil demon. There’s no greater threat to religious people than to profess your desire to think for yourself.

There are better ways to enjoy a sense of community than joining a slavery club. Try making friends with conscious, free-thinking people for a change — people who are willing to connect with you regardless of how silly your beliefs are. You may find it intimidating at first, but it’s quite refreshing once you get used to it.

Since I get asked this question all the time, I might as well answer it publicly. Do I accept Jesus Christ as my personal savior? No more than I’d accept a credit card from Crapital One. Either way I’d be worried about the fine print. Does this mean we can’t be friends anymore? Please don’t hate me because I’m doomed.

7. Idiocy or hypocrisy - pick one.

When you subscribe to an established religion, you have only two options. You can become an idiot, or you can become a hypocrite. If you’ve already chosen the former, I’ll explain why, and I’ll use small words so that you’re sure to understand.

First, there’s the idiocy route. You can willingly swallow all of the contrived, man-made drivel that’s fed to you. Accept that the earth is only 10,000 years old. Believe stories about dead bodies coming back to life. Learn about various deities and such. Put your trust in someone who thinks they know what they’re talking about. Eat your dogma. Good boy!

Congratulations! You’re a moron believer. You’ll be saved, enlightened, and greeted with tremendous fanfare when you die… unless of course all the stuff you were taught turns out not to be true. Nah… if the guy in the robe says it’s true, it must be true. Ya gotta have faith, right?

Next, we have the hypocrisy option. In this case your neocortex is strong enough to identify various bits of utter nonsense in the religious teachings that others are trying to ram down your throat. You have a working B.S. detector, but it’s slightly damaged. You’re smart enough to realize that earth is probably a lot older than 10,000 years and that pre-marital (or non-marital) sex is a lot of fun, but some B.S. still gets through. You don’t swallow all the bull, but you still identify yourself as a follower of a particular religion, most likely because you were raised in it and never actually chose it to begin with.

To you it’s just a casual pursuit. You’re certainly not a die-hard fundamentalist, but you figure that if you drink the wine and chew the wafer now and then, it’s good enough to get you a free ride into a half-decent afterlife. You belong to the pro-God club. Surely there’s safety in numbers. Two people people can’t be wrong… although 4-1/2 billion supposedly can.

In this case you become an apologist for your own religion. You don’t want to be identified with the extreme fanatics, nor do you want to be associated with the non-believers. You figure you can straddle both sides. On earth you’ll basically live as a non-practitioner (or a very sloppy and inconsistent practitioner), but when you eventually die, you’ve still got the membership card to show God.

Do you realize how deluded you are?

Perhaps if you have to throw out so much of the nonsense to make your chosen belief system palatable, you shouldn’t be drinking the Kool Aid in the first place. Free yourself from the mental baggage, stop looking to others for permission to live, and start thinking on your own. If your God exists, he’s smart enough to see through your fake ID.

From time to time, some of my readers take a stab at converting me to their religion. Most of them come across as total loons, but I can at least respect their consistency. I’ve no idea why they bother to read my site (which is about raising, not lowering, consciousness). Perhaps some of them are getting ready to convert from fundamentalism to common sense.

You’d think I’d be quite a prize for any serious religion. With 2.4 million monthly readers, that’s a lot of people I could potentially enslave convert, not to mention how much I could fill the Church coffers by soliciting indulgences donations on their behalf. Henceforth I expect a much better conversion effort. If you won’t do it for the money, then do it for the souls. You can’t let so many of us go to hell without trying in earnest to save us, can you? ;)

Just keep those conversion emails below 10,000 words if possible, with no more than 9,000 of them quoted from your favorite great book.

8. Inherited falsehood.

Please tell me you aren’t still practicing the religion you happened to be born into? Surely you’ve outgrown your baby clothes by now. Isn’t it time you also outgrew your baby religion?

What if you were born into a different culture? Would you have been conscious enough to find your way back to your current belief system? Or are your current beliefs merely a product of your environment and not the result of conscious choice?

Many religions are just a mish-mash of what came before. For example, Christianity is largely based on pagan rituals. If those pagan beliefs and rituals had been protected by copyright, Christianity wouldn’t even exist. If you take the time to dig into the roots of Christianity, you’ll encounter various theories that Christianity’s teachings were largely assembled from pre-Christian myths and that Jesus himself was merely a fictional character pieced together from earlier mythical figures. You go, Horus!

Many religious teachers (i.e. priests, rabbis, ministers, etc.) are just brainwashed slaves themselves. They don’t have any real authority and aren’t even aware of the agenda being set by their superiors. This makes them better minions because they actually believe the B.S. they’re spouting and don’t know the truth behind it. A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walk into a bar, but that’s as far as they get. They may interact with the bartender, but they never get to know the guy who owns the bar. They suffer from inherited falsehood just like everyone else.

Is your religion based on the inspired word of God? No more than this article. Just because someone says their text is divinely inspired doesn’t mean it is. Anyone can claim divine inspiration. The top religions are decided by popularity, not by truth.

Even the central figures in major religions didn’t follow the religions that were spawned in their names. If they didn’t swallow the prevailing “wisdom” about gods and spiritual leaders and such, why should you? If you want to be more like the people you worship, then follow their lead by striking out on your own.

Move beyond your baby religion. Consider maturity as a reasonable alternative.

9. Compassion in chains.

Religious rules and laws invariably hamper the development of conscience. This causes all sorts of problems like pointless violence and warfare. Those who preach nonviolence as a rule or law tend to be the most violent of all. Such people cannot be trusted because they’ll violate their proclaimed values with the weakest of excuses.

When you externalize compassion into a set of rules and laws, what you’re left with isn’t compassion at all. True compassion is a matter of conscious choice, and that requires the absence of force-backed rules and laws.

The more religious a person becomes, the less compassionate s/he is. The illusion of compassion substitutes for the real thing. Religious people tend to be the most bigoted and non-accepting people on earth. They’re the least trustworthy and suffer from the grossest character defects. They pretend they’re doing good, but they’re really collaborators in a system designed to push people into unconscious slavery to a “higher” authority. They are slaves promoting slavery.

Historically speaking, religious people loved to fight each other. Instead of unconditional love, they practice conditional loyalty. The only unconditional aspect is their thirst for blood. If you disagree with them, you’re a target… either for conversion or destruction (both of which are really the same thing).

If you value the ideal of unconditional love, you won’t find it in the practice of religion. Real compassion doesn’t arise from believing in God, from practicing various rituals, or from studying the concept of karma. Compassion can only result from conscious choice, and this requires the freedom to choose without the threat of punishment or the promise of reward. If you’re obedient to your faith, it’s a safe bet that compassion is absent from your life. You probably don’t even know what real compassion feels like.

The more we collectively abandon all religion, the better off this planet will be. This doesn’t mean we have to abandon all spiritual pursuits. It just means we must stop turning spirituality into something it isn’t.

10. Faith is fear.

Religion is the systematic marketing of fear.

Blessed are the poor (donate heavily). Blessed are the meek (obey). Blessed are the humble (don’t question authority). Blessed are the hungry (make us rich until it hurts). Blessed are the merciful (if you catch us doing something wrong, let it go). Blessed are the pure of heart (because your brains are switched off). Blessed are the timid, the cowardly, the fearful. Blessed are those who give us their power and become our slaves. Muahahaha!

That’s the kind of nonsense religion pushes on people. They train you to turn your back on courage, strength, and conscious living. This is stupidity, not divinity.

Religion will teach you to fear being different, to fear standing up for yourself, and to fear being an independent thinker. It will erode your self-trust by explaining why you’re unable to successfully manage life on your own terms: You are unworthy. You’re a sinner. You’re unclean. You belong to a lesser caste. Of course the solution is always the same — submit to the will of an external authority. Give away your power. Live in fear for the rest of your life, and hope it will all turn out okay in the end.

When you practice faith instead of conscious living, you live under a cloak of fear. Eventually that cloak becomes so habitual you forget it’s even there. It’s very sad when you reach the point where you can’t even remember what it feels like to wield creative freedom over your own life, independent of what you’ve been conditioned to believe.

Faith is the coward’s substitute for courage. It’s also really good marketing if you’re the one who controls the faith. If you’re afraid or unwilling to assume total responsibility for your life, you’re a perfect match for religion.

Fear in one part of your life invariably spreads to all other parts — you can’t comparmentalize it. If you find yourself frustrated because you’re too afraid to follow your dreams, to talk to members of the oppposite sex, to speak up for yourself, etc., then a good place to start is to rid your life of all religious nonsense. Don’t let fear get a foothold in your consciousness.

Stop trying to comfort yourself by swallowing religious rubbish. If you really need something to believe in, then believe in your own potential. Put your trust in your own intellect.

Dump the safety-in-numbers silliness. Just because a lot of people believe stupid stuff doesn’t mean it isn’t stupid. It just means that stupidity is popular on this planet. When people are in a state of fear, they’ll swallow just about anything to comfort themselves, including the bastion of stupidity known as religion.

***

Religion is spiritual immaturity. That’s a compliment.

It’s entirely possible to enjoy your life without spending so much of it bent over in submission. Pull your head out of your rear, and look around with your own two eyes. If you need something to worship, then feel grateful for your own conscious mind. Pull it out of the cobwebs, and boot it up.

Besides… if some popular religious version of God does exist, there’s a good chance he’s a complete and total idiot. He made us in his image, right? So perhaps we shouldn’t be so quick to worship an entity so lacking in intelligence. We’re better off on our own.

God isn’t going to smite you for not formally worshipping him. If he didn’t smite me by now, it’s a safe bet you’ll slide beneath the radar as well. And if that doesn’t work, you can borrow my fake ID. I’ve been baptized and confirmed, and I’m the son of an altar boy and the nephew of a priest, so I’m sure I’ll be fine. ;)

Praise Hestia!

A repost from: Steve Pavlina

Get his book Personal Development for Smart People here.

Movie review: Watchmen

2009-03-13T10:23:00.004+08:00

Finally, I was able to watch Watchmen.

Where do I even start to begin praising this movie? I have a lot to say about this movie, to the point that it exceeded my own expectations.

The dialogues:
The dialogues between characters, the monologue of Rorschach, are very well written, well delivered. Some were in dark humor, others in quips and comebacks, and others in dramatic speeches that could’ve been delivered by world leaders and other pathetic attention seeking bastards.

The storyline:
Here’s the best part of the entire movie. The storyline was divided into two parts, the first being the memories of other superheroes, their origins and the second part focusing on Rorschach investigating the murder of The Comedian. It’s all somewhat a basic scriptwriting technique, but the real complicated part of the entire storyline (which you have to be pretty smart to uncover it) is that the memories are connected with the conspiracy of the murder. Few writers can weave a storyline of so many characters involved to that extent and that alone shows that the writers of Watchmen are very good at what they do.

The characters:
The characters and superheroes of the Watchmen show the lives of the superheroes in their darkest form, that amidst the latex costume and makeup, they’re still human, with the same dark desires that exist in all of us. Rorschach is the antagonistic protagonist of the bunch, with no moral boundaries for criminals and villains as long as it gets the job done. Their individual storyline was well written and weaved intricately into the entire storyline, giving each breath of their character the importance and significance of their actions.

Overall:
Best movie I’ve seen this year so far. If you’re a sucker for fine and well written lines with the matching gore and action, then you definitely have to watch the Watchmen.

Mumbling about the new era of Gaming

2009-02-26T06:34:00.001+08:00

Games today are evolving at a very fast rate, going up as technology goes up. The desire for the best games out there ranging from the best Real Time Strategy to the best online casino games has never been so high. With the recent advents of PC paraphernalia, hardware, video game consoles and electronics, game developers have taken gaming into a whole new level. While those of us who grew up in a 16-bit generation of games take pride in the next generation of games, we just can’t help but take a look back on its predecessors and say “wow, look at how far we’ve gone in gaming.”
F.E.A.R, Dawn of War, Halo, World of Warcraft, Command and Conquer. These are just some of the best games out there and as a certified gamer, I couldn’t have been more proud of trying out these games.

The great gods of gaming have blessed 2008 with some of the best games and I believe we are in for more treat this 2009.

Keep on gaming!

Ranting about Torrents.

2009-02-24T13:23:00.002+08:00

Are you the lazy bum that doesn’t want to go and watch movies and theaters at the same time you despise piracy and all its forms?
Look no further. Lazy bums like you can use uTorrent to download the latest movies, series or whatever it is that fancies you. The downtime of using these torrents is that sometimes downloads is slow as you have to rely on the number of people sharing the file for download or seeders. Chances of landing a good file to download are like landing a good bet on some online casinos.

I’ve been using torrent sites for almost 2 years and so far I admit I end up being unlucky when it comes to downloading torrents, not to mention that my internet connection is crap as hell but if I get the chance to upgrade to a T1 line, then maybe I will start downloading movies via torrents all over again.

Philosophy of a Knife Trailer

2009-02-20T09:14:00.003+08:00

Warning: Not for the faint hearted! View at your own risk!

Trailer de Philosophy of a Knife
Uploaded by masalladeorion

The thought of watching the trailer never crossed my mind, since I could barely stomach the review of this movie. But fate has been cruel and my girlfriend somehow managed to find one in Youtube, saying that it was all brutal and all.

Overwhelmed with curiosity, I also went hunting for the trailer and here it is...

4 mins. seemed forever when I was watching this and I can't imagine myself what would happen to me if I heard the audio. I was already cringing at the sight of the torture...

"God created Heaven for Mankind. Mankind created Hell for Man."

Philosophy of a Knife

2009-02-19T08:34:00.009+08:00

Philosophy of a Knife
by: Tim Wambolt

It has finally happened. It took nearly 16 years for it to happen but it has now officially happened. An impressively long cinematic record held by Braindead since 1992 has at last been broken. Andrey Iskanov has created the most violent movie ever made. This is not an opinion, the film is over 4 hours of pure torture, consisting of the sickest and most explicit violence imaginable. So until somebody makes a 5 hour long gore-fest, Philosophy of a Knife shall remain the most violent movie of all time. Perhaps the most disturbing aspect about all of this is that the scenes in this film are reenactments of atrocities that actually happened.

Before the credits even roll the film opens with a prisoner being decapitated in the snow by a member of the Japanese Army, this will be the quickest and most humane death you will witness in the entire film. After this a very stylized title screen appears quickly followed by a scene of graphic dismemberment, as corpses are hacked to pieces with axes and limbs are sawed off and burned in furnaces. With this Andrey Iskanov welcomes you to Camp 731, the facility that was conducted by the philosophy of a knife.

During World War 2 a research laboratory was created by military police of the Imperial Japanese Army for researching epidemic prevention and developing weapons of mass destruction. Within these facilities a unit of chemical and biological warfare research team called Unit 731 committed war crimes and crimes against humanity by conducting torturous and fatal experiments on Soviet and Chinese prisoners with estimations resulting in around 200,000 casualties.

The chief medical officer of the Japanese Army, Lieutenant General Shiro Ishii was the commander of Unit 731 and lead the various weapons testing and warfare experiments being conducted in the laboratories, many of which are depicted in the film Philosophy of a Knife. The first of which involves the vivisection, the experimental surgery of a living pregnant woman without anesthesia. The doctors impregnate her then infect her with diseases and remove her organs and fetus while she is still alive, simply to study the results of these diseases before her decomposition. After this Andrey brings us to the infamous teeth yanking scene that you may have caught part of in the trailer for the film. If not, you should know this, the victim's teeth are not just pulled out, they are painfully twisted and bent and hammered out of her gums one by one, as she screams and bleeds until every last tooth is removed from her mouth.

Throughout the film survivors of the incident such as Anatoly Protosov, a former military translator for the USSR, are interviewed and reveal insider information, such as the incident of authority figures being convinced that Ishii's testing facility was actually a lumber mill, causing Unit 731 to often jokingly refer to their test subjects as "logs". After several scenes of vile experiments are depicted, such as the one involving a kid's face boiling from exposure to x-ray radiation, or the scene where a woman is experimentally raped by a man with syphilis for research before the man is slowly gassed to death, or the scene where the researchers strap a woman to a chair, cut her forearm wide open and then shoot her in the neck, it is then that we see their "joke" being taken one step further as these "logs" are chopped apart with axes and thrown into the fire.

Even watching Men Behind The Sun 1 and 2 back to back probably will not prepare you enough to view Philosophy of a Knife. The film is presented without any restrictions or censorship issues towards it's depictions of excessive violence or graphic nudity and with this Andrey Iskanov enters into territories that neither Tun Fei Mou or Godfrey Ho dared to or were allowed to venture. For example, in one particular scene a woman is stripped naked and tied to a chair while a large cockroach is forced inside of her vagina in graphic detail. After several hours of the cockroach moving around inside of her, the doctors cut and peel off her entire face and the cockroach exits from her mouth. They then put her face back on her head and carry her off to the chopping room. As the experiments continue, a man's face is slowly burned off, a woman's forearm is cut open and sawed in half, and a screaming pregnant woman's unborn fetus is ripped out through her bleeding vagina with pliers, piece by piece, along with parts of her own organs and intestines.

Unit 731 had a great interest in researching the effects of frostbite and gangrene on test subjects exposed to extreme temperatures. In one scene of the movie a boy is stripped naked and left tied to a post outside in the snow for several hours while soldiers pour ice cold water on his feet, hands and genitals. He is then taken inside the laboratory where his affected body parts are sliced open with knives. He is then forced to walk, causing him to collapse and die as his legs and feet split apart. After this his face is sawed open and he is chopped to pieces and in the chamber with the rest of the rotted, dismembered corpses. And all of this is in the first half of the movie, it only gets worse from here.

By the time you insert the second dvd you might at this point, be slightly more prepared for the violent radiation exposure scene to follow, which causes a naked man to graphically shit and vomit blood until he dies. Hopefully you handled that well because the next scene gets pretty rough! It features a woman being hung by her arms and electrocuted with cables shoved in her mouth, as the doctors cut open deep, wide gashes into her biceps and face. After this, they pull out her tongue and cut it in half with a knife. Following this scene is a very long and graphic autopsy. Then another woman experiences a similar treatment but this time her back is cut open until her vertebrae is exposed and the electrical cables are forced into her open wounds. Which leads us now to that compression chamber that made Men Behind the Sun so infamous. This time we get an up-close-and-personal glimpse of a boy being exposed to so much pressure that his limbs cave in and his head bursts apart in an explosion of blood.

Many more deaths follow, 3 boys are hung by their arms and gassed to death, a woman who tries to escape is shot through the chest and head and another woman looking for an easier way out slits her own throat with a katana. The death scenes in this film are given a creepier ambience through the use of haunting industrial music and various film filters giving each death scene a dark, bleak and morbid atmosphere similar to a David Lynch movie or a Nine Inch Nails video. Gorehounds and historians are guaranteed to be both fascinated and disgusted by all the newly discovered evidence, interviews, photos and video footage of the actual atrocities that took place, presented for the first time in this film! Andrey Iskanov was actually investigated by the KGB regarding his research for the film. They searched his property and confiscated his computers, along with all of his evidence and film footage. He was arrested and taken to a Military base for interrogation and locked in a concrete cell without a toilet. He was given very little food and was made to sign consent forms for search and seizure of all of his property.

The incidents at Unit 731 were hidden from the public for so long and even to this day, as you can see from Andrey's imprisonment, extreme measures are still being taken towards covering up the truth. It makes you wonder what else is going on today that we may never know about for years to come when someone else finally decides to risk everything just to make the truth known to us. In a way this makes Philosophy of a Knife one of the most powerful films ever made, it simply can not be ignored any longer. Andrey did his part and more, please do yours by helping to support his efforts and order Philosophy of a Knife now, this film must be seen. Please contact Producer Stephen Biro of Unearthed Films for ordering information.

http://www.unearthedfilms.com/

Movie review: Underworld 3 - Rise of the Lycans

2009-02-13T06:04:00.004+08:00

[Spoiler Alert!]

I am a fan of the Underworld series because of its deep storylines, character developments, intricate delving into a fictional history to support the fictional lifestyle for both Lycans and Vampires.

The first movie was better than the second flick, simply because the 2nd flick delved deeper into the conspiracy between Selene and her family’s civic duty to the Vampires, the Corvinus’ family history and the development of the monstrosity that is Michael Corvin.

The third film, like any other series, is the prequel of the Underworld series.
Titled “Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans”, the movie itself gave justice to not only to the Lycan’s uprising from the slavery of the Vampires but also to the love story of Lucian and Sonja. If you can remember the first film and some hints in-between lines from Kraven and Viktor, then you might immediately recognize where the story is most likely to end: the death of Sonja.
At the end of the movie, Kate Beckinsale makes a camio by showing the first part of the first film wherein Selene hovers over the city, surveying for the inevitable meeting with the Lycans and Michael Corvin. As Selene watches, voices of Kraven is heard in the background, telling how Viktor managed to condemn his only daughter to death and how Selene reminds him of Sonja.

But enough with the synopsis and spoilers:

Underworld 3 is a mixture of both romance and hardcore bloody warfare and action. You might say that it makes for a perfect Bloody Valentine movie date, pardon the pun.
I love the deep and creepy feel of the environment, the dark medieval surroundings and the LOTR-ish [LOTR – Lord of the Rings] castle background. The characters were also unique in their own sense, from the dark cruel Viktor to the rabid and charismatic Lucian. Sonja, played by Rhona MItra, is the seductive battle-maiden of a Vampire Lord and she couldn’t have done a better job of portraying the basis of Selene’s character. For fans like me, you might have said “Hey, Sonja fights just like Selene” when in truth, it’s the other way around.

For the cinematic effects, I give it an 11/10 and that is not a biased rating. I love the transformations of the Lycans. The smooth yet painful transition from man to monster is made possible by the outstanding artists behind the film. For the most part, I admit I am disappointed at the few action scenes since it was all talk but every line uttered is worth it. Prequels are made to clear things up for movie series. Underworld 3 did an amazing job clearing up the air for the first and second film.
Underworld 3: Rise of the Lycans is definitely one to be watched in cinemas and to be added to your video collection.
Till then.

GI Joe Superbowl Commercial

2009-02-10T06:47:00.003+08:00

'GI Joe: The Rise of Cobra' SuperBowl Commercial
Uploaded by trentisthenewpink

A short trailer of the upcoming GI Joe Rise of the Cobra flick was shown in the recently concluded Superbowl.

The trailer kicks ass... `Nuff said!

Kenneth Branagh to direct the movie Thor?

2009-02-09T07:08:00.006+08:00

Months have passed since word spread that Marvel was courting Kenneth Branagh to direct their upcoming big screen re-launch of one of their most favored heroes, Thor. But so far, a peep from Branagh is yet to be heard. MTV News caught up with the actor/filmmaker and asked him about the project.

“I am directing ‘Thor’ or ‘The Mighty Thor’ as you might like to call it,” he said with a smile before clarifying what the title of the upcoming film will be. “I think it will be ‘Thor’.”

Other writers have voiced out about why Branagh would be such a good fit for the hero. But what did Branagh find appealing about this project? “To work on a story about one of the immortals, Gods, extraordinary beings, inter-dimensional creatures,” he said with enthusiasm.

“There’s science fiction and science fact and fantasy all woven into one. It’s based on Norse legends which Marvel sort of raided in a brilliant way,” he continued excitedly.

So who is most likely to play Branagh’s hero? There were rumors about Kevin McKidd being up for the role of Thor, but the director simply waved it off as premature speculation.

“There’s been lots of talk [about casting] --- I sound like a politician --- but we are too early at this stage. We’re getting the story and the visual effects together and all of that is very exciting. Someone sensational is going to play the part but it is still early to tell.”
Just because Branagh hasn’t worked on a project of this scale since “Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein,” fear not. This “Thor” promises to live up to its name as large as the character would seem to call out for. “It’s a chance to tell a big story on a big scale,” said Branagh. “It’s a human story right in the center of a big epic scenario”

Branagh’s been keeping mum for the most part, but do you like what he has to say so far? Is he the best director for “Thor”?

GI JOE: Rise of Cobra

2009-02-02T10:21:00.004+08:00

When I first heard of the rumors of an upcoming GI Joe movie sometime late last year, I thought to myself “A GI Joe movie? This should be nice.” It has been a while since I last saw a glimpse of the GI Joe cartoon series or the GI Joe action figures but then this movie comes along and boy I cannot wait to watch it.
I just hope it doesn’t disappoint the loyal viewers of the series. The movie does include a powerhouse cast like Dennis Quaid, Channing Tatum, Marlon Wayans among the other Joe and Cobra soldiers. Under the watchful and creative eye of Director Stephen Sommers, and after viewing his filmography, I have a feeling that this movie might end up as a huge success, to fans and new viewers alike.
The movie is said to be released on August 2009, in line with other upcoming summer flicks.

Prince of Persia: Sands Of Time Movie Confirmed

2009-01-30T06:27:00.005+08:00

The rumors are confirmed and it is true that there is really a Prince of Persia movie franchise in the making.
Before anything else, here is the plot of the movie, based on the video game: Prince of Persia, Sands of Time.

Set in medieval Persia, this is the story of an adventurous prince who teams up with a rival princess to stop an angry ruler from unleashing a sandstorm that could destroy the world. The prince was tricked however by the dying Vizier to unleash the Sands of Time that destroys a kingdom and transforms its people into demons. The prince, realizing his fatal mistake, must save his own kingdom and it is up to him and the princess to return the sands to the hourglass with the use of the Dagger of Time, which also gives him a limited control over the flow of time.

According to IMDB, the movie is set to be released on May 28 in the year 2010. The movie is said to be directed by Mike Newell, who’s got movies like : The Mona Lisa Smile, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, under his belt and to be produced by the legendary Jerry Bruckheimer. The cast will be featuring Jake Gyllenhaal as Prince Dastan, Ben Kingsley as Nizam the Vizier, and Gemma Arterton as Tamina.
I am not one who appreciates the videogame based movie franchise since most that came into the big screen like Resident Evil, Silent Hill, Alone in the Dark, Hitman, Final Fantasy and as the list goes on end up as a disappointment to expectant gamers like me for expecting the movie to live up to what it was in the video games. But sadly, a twist of the plot here, a dead character here may seem like a glorified cinematic twist of fate for the non-gaming populace, it is a big deal for the rest of the other half of the populace watching the movie and say “Oh man, he/she wasn’t supposed to die.” Emphasis on supposed to means that we tend to value the movie the same way we value its videogame counterpart.

But enough of my rants, the movie poster of the Prince of Persia: Sands of time is said to appear in Jerry Bruckheimer’s upcoming chick flick, Confessions of a Shopaholic to be shown in theaters on the 13th of February 2009.

Left 4 Dead Update Released

2009-01-28T05:00:00.002+08:00

The first major update for Left 4 Dead has been released, fixing a lot of exploits, bugs, and empowering the Smoker and Hunter. Check out all the changes below:

Left 4 Dead has been updated with a host of fixes, tweaks and new features, including enhancements to Versus mode for improved competitive play. The full change list is below. For PC users the update will be applied automatically via Steam. Meanwhile, the update will be made available to Xbox 360 players in the coming weeks.

General
- Fixed Survivors being able to climb surfaces marked for versus infected only.
- Fixed a class of SurvivorBot bugs dealing with rescuing downed players.
- Players can no longer grab ladders while flying through the air after a Tank punch.
- Shooting near a car with an alarm that has already fired the alarm will no longer make chirping noises.
- Improved loading time.
- Fixed mini-gun physics exploit.
- Fixed propane tanks (and other physics objects) causing players to fall through elevators.
- Fixed rare achievement bug issues.
- Fixed several map exploits.
- Fixed various match making issues.
- Fixed NAT traversal issues.

Versus Changes
- Added HUD elements to show status of other infected players.
- Changed color of infected player name in chat to red.
- Fixed exploit where players could spawn infected bots
- Fixed instance where a Survivor changing to the infected team would be attacked by infected bots.
- Normalized special infected melee damage.
- Made the following client commands cheat protected: "Kill" and "explode".
- Fixed exploit where infected players could run away and teleport back to gain health.
- Players can only change teams once per map.
- Players can't change teams while other players are still loading.
- Tank spawns at the same % through the map for both teams in versus mode.
- Made the Tank and Witch spawn directly on the escape route.
- Increased chance of getting the Tank or Witch.
- Fixed team swap issue.

Hunter
- Easier to pounce a Survivor who is meleeing.
- Increased Minimum damage a Hunter pounce does.

Smoker
- Fixed Smoker tongue tolerance.
- Smoker now has to be killed or the tongue destroyed for the tongue to break.
- Survivor's cannot bash someone off the tongue until the Survivor being pulled is paralyzed or hanging
- Tongue attacks that fail to paralyze or hang a Survivor will use the shorter ability delay timer.
- Fixed cases where the ability timer was not using the correct time.
- Fixed case where you could point at a Survivor but not register a tongue hit
- Fixed Smoker tongue not targeting and landing properly through PZ ghosts.
- Smoker tongue does damage every second while dragging paralyzed Survivors.

Tank
- Bashable objects now appear with a red glow.
- Tanks hitting a car with an alarm disables the alarm permanently.
- Tank frustration timer is only reset by hitting Survivors with rocks or fists.
- Reduced autoshotgun damage against Tanks.

Witch
- Witch spawns at the same % through the map for both teams.
- Avoids spawning within a certain % of the tank.
- Fixed an exploit where the Witch could be woken up and tricked into attacking Survivors.

[Get more Left 4 Dead News Updates Here]

Crysis Warhead DRM Deauthorization Tool Released

2009-01-27T07:55:00.003+08:00

Now available on FileShack is the DRM deauthorization tool for Crysis Warhead
The paltry 1.04 MB download allows owners of the Crytek-developed PC shooter to deactivate their installation of the game, freeing up one of its five activation slots.

As with the Spore deauthorization tool, launching a de-authorized install will prompt a re-authorization, and Vista users are advised to turn off UAC (User Account Control).

Thanks to spaceyme and acare84 for the heads up.
[Source]

GameStop Cuts Off Dawn of War 2 Pre-orders, Supposedly Due to Steam?

2009-01-27T07:13:00.001+08:00

Shacknews can confirm that retailer GameStop has halted pre-orders of Relic Entertainment's upcoming PC RTS Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War 2.

The game's listing has disappeared from GameStop's online store, with multiple brick and mortar locations telling Shacknews that they can no longer accept pre-orders. Employees assured us that existing pre-orders would be fulfilled upon the game's February 19 release, and suggested that GameStop has sold out of its initial shipment. The retailer is known to pull listings and halt pre-orders in such scenarios.

A supposed inside source told Kotaku that GameStop will not be selling the game because it supposedly requires the installation of Valve's digital distribution platform Steam. However, this seems extremely unlikely, as GameStop sells numerous other PC games that require Steam, including Valve's own The Orange Box and Left 4 Dead.

Then again, GameStop doesn't seem to stock Volition's just-released PC port of Saints Row 2, which required Steam to play, though it definitely sells the console iterations. And Saints Row 2 was published by THQ, just like Dawn of War 2.

Then again, GameStop is still listing Relic and THQ's other spring release, Company of Heroes: Tales of Valor, for pre-order. And if Dawn of War 2 ends up requiring Steam--its multiplayer beta is Steam exclusive--there's a fair chance Valor would too.

Shacknews has, of course, contacted GameStop for comment.

[Source]

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

2009-01-26T10:09:00.008+08:00

AGOURA HILLS, Calif.-Jan. 19, 2009 -THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) today announced that Warhammer ® 40,000 TM : Dawn of War ® II, developed by the award-winning Real-time strategy (RTS) developer, Relic Entertainment, has reached the gold master stage of development and is now entering manufacturing. Set in the grim, war-ravaged world of Games Workshop's (LSE: GAW) Warhammer 40,000 science fiction universe, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers visceral combat, stunning visuals, and destructible environments throughout a non-linear single-player experience as well as a fully cooperative multiplayer campaign via Microsoft's free Games for Windows ® - LIVE service. Developed exclusively for Windows PC and powered by an enhanced version of Relic's proprietary Essence Engine TM 2.0, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II is scheduled to be on store shelves at retail outlets nationwide on February 19, 2009.
T"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II will build on the critical acclaim and commercial success of the Dawn of War franchise, letting players experience RTS gaming like never before," said Kevin Kraff, vice president of global brand management, THQ. "Combining non-linear gameplay, cooperative multiplayer, cinematic visuals, and destructible battlefields brings a new, innovative dynamic to the genre."

"Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II stays true to the fast-paced, brutal heart of the Dawn of War series, while introducing branching single-player storylines and unique unit customization," said Tarrnie Williams, general manager, Relic Entertainment. "The deep, tactical gameplay lets players develop and lead personalized elite units who gain experience and grow stronger with every ferocious battle."

About Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II

Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II transports players into Games Workshop's vast Warhammer 40,000 universe, where an intergalactic war between ancient races has raged on for countless millennia. Featuring vicious front-line combat, destructible environments, a fully cooperative multiplayer mode, four unique playable races and a non-linear single-player campaign with branching storylines, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II delivers the ultimate sci-fi fantasy RTS experience. Disposable units will become a thing of the past as gamers feel the intimate brutality of war and develop a personal connection with fully customizable squads. For more information on Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, please visit www.dawnofwar2.com.

About Games Workshop

Games Workshop is the world's largest tabletop wargames company. Based in Nottingham, UK, it designs, manufactures and distributes its range of Warhammer and Warhammer 40,000 games, miniature soldiers, novels and resin models through more than 330 of its own Hobby centers, mail order, Internet and independent retail channels in more than 50 countries worldwide. Further details on the company can be obtained at www.games-workshop.com. Games Workshop, Warhammer, Warhammer 40,000, Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II, the foregoing marks' respective logos, and all associated marks, logos, places, names, creatures, races and race insignia/devices/logos/symbols, vehicles, locations, weapons, units and unit insignia, characters, products, illustrations and images are either ® , TM and/or ©. Games Workshop Ltd 2000-2009. Used under license. All Rights Reserved.

About THQ

THQ Inc. (NASDAQ: THQI) is a leading worldwide developer and publisher of interactive entertainment software. The company develops its products for all popular game systems, personal computers and wireless devices. Headquartered in Los Angeles County, California, THQ sells product through its global network of offices located throughout North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. More information about THQ and its products may be found at www.thq.com. THQ, Relic Entertainment, Essence Engine and their respective logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of THQ Inc.

All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The statements contained in this press release that are not historical facts may be "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates and projections about the business of THQ Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively referred to as "THQ"), including, but not limited to, expectations and projections related to the Warhammer 40,000: Dawn of War II video game, and are based upon management's current beliefs and certain assumptions made by management. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements, including, but not limited to, business, competitive, economic, legal, political and technological factors affecting our industry, operations, markets, products or pricing. Readers should carefully review the risk factors and the information that could materially affect THQ's financial results, described in other documents that THQ files from time to time with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal period ended March 31, 2008, and particularly the discussion of risk factors set forth therein. Unless otherwise required by law, THQ disclaims any obligation to update its view on any such risks or uncertainties or to revise or publicly release the results of any revision to these forward-looking statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.

CONTACT: THQ Inc.

Media Relations

Craig Mitchell, 818-871-8587

cmitchell@thq.com

or

Investor Relations

Julie MacMedan, 818-871-5125

investor@thq.com

Source: THQ Inc.

[Source]

Silent Plot 01 - New MMORPG

2009-01-23T08:51:00.003+08:00

Out comes a new MMORPG with a survival horror theme from Silverpotion entitled Silent Plot 1: The other side of silence.
Still in its closed beta-testing, this Korean made (is there any other kind) MMORPG is the first of its genre with a survival horror theme. Based from the video, it seems that the setting is a neon/flashy Las Vegas per se town and city with a lot of mutants, undead (?) and weird demon creatures. The gameplay is very smooth, the skills looks nicely rendered and the blood spatter when doing PVP is great, similar to Dekaron.

Aside from the cool environment, you got to take a look at those weapons. Jaw dropping big ass guns. Yeah. What up! It would’ve been nice if they mixed it with a woman with big breasts and carrying a huge machine gun that can fire Xk rounds a minute. That’s gotta be like the ultimate turn on for the geeks of all ages. Girls and guns, gotta love them.
Before I continue rambling on about my geeky fantasies, the game texture is similar to that of RYL (Risk your Life), Cabal Online and unfortunately, the environment that very much resembles to RAN online (a piece of shit pathetic squatter’s game with an even POORER community in terms of netiquette, behavior and attitude.)
I can’t wait to try this game out in the near months to come.

I would give you their site but unfortunately it’s in Korean, so unless you can read Korean, you can visit their site here: http://sp1.nexon.com/

Without further ado, here are screenshots taken from a source I’d rather not mention because he/she wanted to remain Anonymous.

Perks of blog advertising

2009-01-20T19:31:00.004+08:00

Blog advertising is one of the fastest ways to earn revenue and at the same time generate traffic for your site or blog. For most parts, it’s a win-win situation for both blogger and the advertisers. Bloggers get paid to post and get paid to blog about the things that interest them or interest their readers. For the advertisers, getting a blog with a high enough amount of traffic to advertise on blogs in is also a challenge and at the same time, a very effective way of earning without having to campaign the blog for more traffic since it falls on the duties of the blogger to promote his/her blogs to the blogging community.

For advertising and blogs to mesh together in perfect harmony for an assured high amount of passive income, it falls on the blogger to do the most essential part of blogging: blog marketing. Blog marketing or blog promotion is in its simplest form, advertising your blog to other blogs thru various processes, methods and techniques, both legal and illegal. It’s not illegal in a sense that it will get you in jail, but it will cause your blog or site to be de-indexed by the search engines. Some advertisers go do the easy way by looking for blogs and sites with a high reputation in both the online and offline community. A simple diary blog or site with good reputation in communities, search engines and directories is a viable candidate for advertisers to pick and give the owner a chance to make money blogging.

Payingpost.com is a great way for bloggers to look for advertisers and vice versa. With an impressive amount of opportunities everyday that cater to every blog or site niche available, Payingpost.com is a sure fire way to generate income via your blog and your product. Patience is definitely a must when it comes to selecting the opportunities which will benefit your blog and you as well.

Payingpost.com is one of many blog advertising sites out there. So keep an eye out and while waiting for the perfect opportunity, promote your blog or site to others as well.

Touch My Body (Tuts My Barreh) / Karaoke Fail (English subtitles)

2009-01-20T18:11:00.002+08:00

I just had to post this on my blog.This is some funny shit right here.

F.E.A.R. - First Encounter Assault Recon

2009-01-20T07:05:00.005+08:00

I am a self-confessed geeky gamer. I enjoy playing almost every genre of any game out there, except for the puzzle and kiddie genre.

I fancy the usual FPS or First Person Shooter genre, especially if it enables you to do bullet time or in a much realistic sense of the word, kind of like doing The Matrix slow-mo to avoid bullets or aim at targets at a much faster pace.

The second latest game I played was F.E.A.R., and it is by far, the best FPS game ever. Long story short, it’s a mixture of action and psychic thriller-suspense. You play an F.E.A.R. or First Encounter Assault Recon operative with the mission of investigating an incident at a military laboratory but end up battling the supernatural and I don’t mean the ghost, vampire or monster kind of supernatural. Put it simply, it’s like battling a twisted and diabolical Professor X with an agenda for taking over the world. Yes, it’s a cliché agenda for would-be villains and all, but somehow they still add spice and excitement to the entire plot.

Gameplay:
F.E.A.R. has the standard game features of an FPS game, both of KILL ON SIGHT and OBJECTIVE based scenarios and features.

F.E.A.R gives you access to a variety of real (VK11 Shotgun, GSR1 Rifle) and fictional (HMV-11 Penetrator, MR Repeating Cannon) weapons. To fully maximize the capabilities and ammunitions of these babies, you have your Bullet-Time feature. It was never explained why you have that kind of ability as an operative but most just come up with the hypothesis that it’s an adrenaline boost and like all Bullet-time features, you can only do it for a minimum number of seconds or minutes but you can increase the limit by finding vials carrying adrenaline boosts scattered all over the game, either hidden in a secret duct space or placed plainly on a reception desk on a hotel.

The A.I is awesome. The enemies will actually flip over tables, close doors, crash through windows, and chase you all over the place. Talk about hardcore action.

Environment:
The game environment is creepy and silent, because there is hardly any BG music playing unless it involves an intense gunfight or a very scary encounter.
Oh, did I tell you about the encounters? At some point later on in the game, you will be having vivid hallucinations and nightmares implanted into your thoughts by the antagonist, and sometimes the scenes or instances make you jump of your seat or make you scream like a little girl. I’ve done both so you have nothing to be ashamed of, it’s a natural feeling when playing this game.

Overall:
F.E.A.R is by far the best FPS ever. I have had the privilege of completing F.E.A.R and F.E.A.R Extraction Point thanks to this fellow for letting me use his PC: IMBACORE

Prison Break ending series after Season 4

2009-01-14T10:13:00.002+08:00

Prison Break fans, there's really no easy way to say this so we'll just take a very direct approach: Prison Break is coming to an end...soon; Fox today announced the series will be ending at the conclusion of this season. The news probably isn't a huge shock to anyone who has been following the series recently. Late last year, speculators thought the show would be coming to an end when Fox tacked on a few extra hours to this year's production schedule. And with heavy promotion for Fringe, 24, and Lie to Me in full swing, it isn't hard to see who the odd man out is.
Prison Break is currently on a little vacation, as Fox beefs up its midseason schedule with the aforementioned trio and a little program called American Idol. However, Fox did schedule a return for the final episodes of Prison Break--they begin their run April 17.
According to TVGuide.com, Fox president Kevin Reilly explained, "[Prison Break] got to a point where a lot of the stories had been told," which is a kind way to say the show was running on fumes creatively. At least six hours of the drama are left to go, with the possibility of a few more hours added as Reilly said he wants the program to "finish strong."
Before fans organize a save-the-show campaign complete with an assault of freshly shaven hair and teabags, consider this: Prison Break was originally conceived as a one-season show or mini-series, but instead was stretched out to four full seasons. That's some glass-is-half-full thinking right there.
Well Prison Breakers, do you agree with Fox's Reilly? Did the show run out of gas? Who will you miss most when the screen goes dark?

Source: TV.COM

John Travolta Cancels Golden Globe Appearance

2009-01-13T07:00:00.002+08:00

Actor John Travolta will not be attending this year’s Golden Globe awards after the tragic death of his teen son earlier this month.Travolta was scheduled to appear at the show in support of his last movie “Bolt,” nominated for Best Animated Feature and Best Original Song for his duet with Miley Cyrus entitled “Thought I Lost You.”

The actor’s son Jett Travolta, 16, suffered a seizure at the family’s vacation home in the Bahamas. His body was discovered unconscious on the morning of January 2. He was rushed to the hospital, but died a short time later.

The teen’s body was cremated last Monday and his ashes were flown to the U.S. The family held a memorial service Thursday.

Travolta’s rep Samantha Mast told E! News that the star would not attend the Sunday awards show.
Source:Fox News

Heath Ledger receives Golden Globe Award: Family Overjoyed

2009-01-13T06:00:00.002+08:00

Heath Ledger's family is thrilled that the late actor won a Golden Globe Award for Best Performance by an Actor in a Supporting Role in a Motion Picture for his work as the joker in "The Dark Knight."
"We are overjoyed for him," the actor's father, Kim Ledger, told People from his home in Australia. Ledger couldn't make it to the ceremony, citing personal reasons for missing his late son's win. He said "it's wonderful" that Heath was honored for his role in the action flick.

Ledger was up against veteran actors like Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Jr., Ralph Fiennes and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Accepting the award for Ledger — who died last January of an accidental overdose of prescription medication in his home in New York City — was the film's director, Christopher Nolan, who said that Ledger "will never be forgotten."

"After Heath passed on, you saw a hole ripped in the future of cinema — but with the extraordinary response to his work that we've seen all over the world, I, for one, start to be able to look a bit less at that gap in the future and a little bit more at the incredible place in the history of cinema that he built for himself with his talent and with his dedication to his artistry," the director told the crowd.

"For any of us lucky enough to work with him, I think for any of us lucky enough to have enjoyed his performances, he will be eternally missed. But he will never be forgotten." Source: MTV NEWS

Hinder's new album "Takes it to the Limit"

2009-01-12T15:20:00.003+08:00

Sex, drugs, and rock n' roll…or in Hinder's case, Playboy, Amsterdam, and hard rock. One can only imagine the life of a rock star. The lead songwriters of the band Hinder engaged in a conference call in the Vanguard office to discuss the release of their new album. Best known for their hit single "Lips of an Angel" that reached #1 on the Billboard chart in 2005, Hinder is back for more fame and glory with their second album, Take It to the Limit. The band plans to release their new composition on Election Day, November 4th."We just thought it was a very important day for our country and a very exciting day…We just thought it would be cool to jump on and give our fans something else to be excited about," said Cody Winkler, the lead drummer. "We will actually-this is awesome-we will be in Las Vegas. We're doing a records release party at the Palms there and having a big blowout and probably not waking up for a few days after that."
Austin Hanson, the lead singer, who commented several times during the interview about the "girl perk" of being in a rock band, is also looking forward to the party. "It's going to be pretty awesome. We rented out the Hugh Hefner suite, and we've got a bunch of girls from Playboy coming, and it's going to be pretty insane. It's going to be a great time."
The boys of Hinder are very proud of the record itself and its representation of how far they've come as a band since the release of their first album Extreme Behavior. "Growth…It's just something that comes with time and learning experiences and life experiences that you go through, and like, you know, with anything, with time, it just gets better. And I absolutely think that we've matured as songwriters, and this record is definitely a step up from the last one," Austin described. "On this record, we just let our influences show a little more, and as a collective whole, Guns N' Roses is probably our biggest influence as a band, so we got a chance to make the record that we wanted to make this time and, like I said, let our influences show a little more."
The band members are very confident with the music they chose to record on Take It to the Limit. "… Sonically, it sounds better. The songs are better…it's a step up. We're taking it to the limit, if you will," one band member added. "The melodies just kind of come to me…like Cody'll usually come up with the chord progression and then I'll bat out a melody, and if it sounds catchy enough and hooky enough, we'll keep it. If not, we'll suggest something different, but there's no kind of structured thing that we do. It just kind of happens."
Not only does the band have exceptionally high expectations for the new album, but they are also eager to start performing and touring for their fans. Austin says that "The fans can always expect the unexpected from us and a great show. And we're actually very excited about going out and performing the new songs and, actually, just for the record to come out so the fans can have it." In a discussion about Hinder's fans, Cody remarks, "Our fans come from a wide range, from like, eight-year-old girls, to 60-year-old men, and they're all crazy. And they love us and we love them." Austin agrees with Cody, and laughing, adds. "I think our fans like to party as much as we do, so that's why we get along so well…"
Hinder has strong ties with their fans, but part of the reason enjoy playing together is the strong friendships share. When it comes to what they like to do in their little spare time, Austin says, "You'll pretty much find us doing the same things at home that we do out on the road. Anytime we have a chance to hang out with each other, we do, so it's kind of fun." As a band, Hinder is known for having most of their fun when they are our partying. When asked if they have ever been out-partied by another band or group they have been with, Austin immediately responds with "No, There's no chance in hell." Cody adds "If there's anybody out there that wants the challenge, bring it on."
The party in all of the band members came about long before they became famous. Austin knew he wanted to play the guitar from a young age. "It's crazy. The first time I saw somebody play an acoustic guitar that was actually really good I just kind of knew that I wanted to do something with music and I wanted to play the guitar. And I was just very, very ambitious about it, and I haven't stopped since." On the other hand, Cody had a different idea of what his future might hold. "Well, myself, whenever I was younger, I wanted to open up a strip club, actually. That was my goal, so now it's kind of worked out nice. I just get to do that every night on the bus, so it works out alright."
Until the release of the new album, all the band can do is sit in suspense and wait to see how their fans and the public reacts. Cody explains "You never know if it's all good until the release date comes, but we don't really feel any pressure. We know we delivered the best record we could-and our fans are going to love it."

Source: The Vanguard

How I Met Your Mother

2009-01-02T23:01:00.006+08:00

Ever heard of the catch phrase “Love story in reverse?”

Well, if you had the chance to watch How I Met Your Mother, you’d recognize this simple catch phrase.

How I Met Your Mother tells the story of Ted Mosby (Josh Radnor) as he narrates to his kids in the year 2030 the story of how he met their mom. With his friends, engaged couple Lily (Allison Hannigan) and Marshall (Jason Segel), hot newscaster Robin Scherbatzky (Colbie Smulders) and Ted’s best friend [according to him] Barney Stinson (Neil Patrick Harris), Ted goes on in the search for the perfect girlfriend he wants to marry. Each episode is funny in its own right and I have to commend the scriptwriters’ creativity for coming up with such hilarious and downright funny quips and comebacks. Aside from the humor, you can’t help but be inspired and look at how they go about their daily lives and be able to see yourself in one of the characters in the show. As for me, I’ve been able to relate with either Ted (for being the hopeless romantic) or Barney (for the downright humor).

With currently 4 seasons, HIMYM is by far one of the best sitcoms I’ve had the privilege of laughing my ass off. And like any other TV series, it will leave you wondering who Ted is really going to marry in the end. Each season shows a little clue about who his wife is like the yellow umbrella, blond hair and a wedding scene.

I would really love to recommend this show to you, my faithful readers and I hope you would enjoy it as I did.

My Year 2009 Message

2009-01-01T00:00:00.001+08:00

Wishing everybody a happy new year.2008 has been a blast for me. I have had my share of ups and downs (mostly ups, but what can I say, what goes up must come down.)

But now, with the end of another year and the start of another, one cannot help but look back at the disappointments, struggles, hardships and how it has made all of us into the person that we are now. New Year's Eve is certainly a day in everyone's lives wherein the moments of happiness and sadness are merged into one huge reflection within the short span of 24 hours.

As for me, I look back into the 364 days of happiness and sadness and realize that I have had a better year.

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow a mystery. But today is a gift, that's why it's called the present.

I just hope that 2009 will be a better year for me.

To all of my faithful readers and to the entire blogosphere and to the millions and billions of people worldwide, I wish you a Happy New Year!

Bleach: Turn back the Pendulum

2008-12-30T12:00:00.006+08:00

Every anime series, whether in Manga or Animated version, has its share of fillers. For those of you who are new to reading manga or watching anime, fillers are episodes or chapters in which the events that take place answer some unanswered questions as the series progresses. For short, fillers fill up the blank spaces (duh!)

Bleach, one of my favorite series, released another filler a couple of months ago entitled “Turn back the Pendulum”, taking place 100 years ago prior to the latest episodes. The Vizards, as shown in previous chapters, were in fact, Shinigami Squad Captains and Lieutenants. Avid bleach followers must have realized at some point that there were in fact questions and dropped issues mentioned in some chapters and back then, we didn’t know what to expect and what they really had in connection with the entire storyline of Bleach. Back then, since the start of the Arrancar Arc, the most solid conclusion to what really happened with Vizards and Arrancars, were only pure speculation.

But now, Turn back the Pendulum focuses on the origins of the Vizards and the reason why Urahara Kisuke was exiled from Soul Society. I have to admit some of the chapters are pretty dull since most of the time it’s all talk but enduring the boredom is necessary if you really want to get a good flow of the entire Bleach storyline so far.

The last remaining chapters of this arc shows the transformation of the new Vizards and unfortunately, the filler ends with a new question: “What happened next?”

So I guess another filler is bound to come up within the next few months or it could be sooner.

To all Bleach fans, stay tuned.

Free Trojan Remover

2008-12-30T10:00:00.003+08:00

Trojan: A Trojan virus is a fake program that pretends to do something desirable but on execution it infects the system. Trojan virus does malicious activity without the user's knowledge. A Trojan virus is one of the most hostile types of malware you may encounter online. Trojan virus is particularly hostile because Trojan virus can be downloaded onto your computer without your knowledge and these are used against you in very dangerous ways. Since Trojans do not call attention to themselves or they remain undetected, they can remain hidden and allow someone to control your PC for long periods of time. Because Trojans are hard to find, Trojans cannot be removed easily.

Homepage Hijacker: Do you remember, ever been redirected to a website that was completely unknown to you? If so, your PC may have infected with what is called a homepage hijacker. Because a hijacker can be downloaded to your PC without your knowledge and take control of your homepage settings, it is considered by many to be a type of Trojan virus. Typically, a hijacker will redirect your computer to adult sites then connect you to all the related pop-up advertising and banners. Hijackers are also difficult to remove.

Key Loggers: Key logger records anything you type on your PC keyboard. Key logger’s are probably the worst type of malware. The collect data is either stored on your computer for later retrieval or secretly piggybacked onto e-mail messages you send out. Can you imagine about all the information you type onto your computer - from personal information in e-mail messages to financial information such as credit card numbers and online banking passwords. Key loggers can even hack into your webcam. You can use good free spyware removal programs to remove these threats from your computer.

How to do removal of Trojans using free Trojan remover software

Removal of Trojans using Free Trojan Remover aids in the removal of Malware –[ Trojan Virus, Worms, Adware, Spyware ]- when standard anti-virus software either fails to detect them or fails to effectively eliminate them. Standard antivirus programs are good at detecting this Malware, but not always effective when removing them.

Free Trojan Remover is designed specifically to disable/remove Malware without the user having to manually edit system files or the Registry. Removal of Trojans using Free Trojan Remover also removes the additional system modifications some Malware carries out which are ignored by standard antivirus and Trojan scanners.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

2008-12-30T07:00:00.002+08:00

While waiting for the agonizing zombie performance of Keanu Reeves in The Day the Earth Stood Still, this movie trailer managed to catch my attention.

Showing the Marvel Logo, I sighed and told myself “not again”. Here we go again with another failure in its attempt to transform every comic book they made into a silver screen feature. But then, I realized that I was watching something different. At first I thought I was watching the next X-Men movie but then the startling thought came to my mind “Could it possibly be the spin-off that everybody was talking about?”

It took me a minute to familiarize myself with the character and right then and there when it hit me, I jumped out of my seat to focus on the interesting trailer. X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The short almost 2 minute trailer featured Hugh Jackman reprising his role as Logan or Wolverine.

If you guys haven’t read the comics of his origin, then I guess you’re all better off since you’re going to be spared from feeling disappointed. Honestly, can’t directors stick to what really happened in the comic books and spare us the “cinematic” bullshit? Anyways, I don’t want to give judgment or criticize this movie since it’s still going to be released around May 2009 but as an avid comic book fan, I speak on behalf of all the comic geeks by saying we won’t be expecting much from this movie. Maybe if the directors and writers threw in Omega Red, things would’ve been interesting.

All I am saying is, Hugh Jackman does play a convincing role as Logan and I personally couldn’t have thought of a better actor to portray Logan than Hugh Jackman. If you thought I was going to be giving out the plot of the movie, think again. I’m just ranting about what’s going to be an expected failure of a comic book franchise yet again.

Griping about Heroes Season 2

2008-12-29T22:49:00.006+08:00

Heroes Season 2 falls short to 11 episodes due to the massive Writer’s Strike that took place.

Season 2 follows the events after the last episode of Season 1 and the plot thickens as well with new twists and character developments later on in the 2^nd season.

Season 2 follows Hiro’s journey through the past, Peter’s quest to regain his lost memory, Sylar’s desire to regain his lost powers, and Claire’s inevitable struggle with the “normal” life.

I have to admit, 11 episodes cut it really short but I am impressed with how they manage to unravel a huge plot or twist with each episode. The writers of Heroes got their work cut out for them but I guess the strike was well worth it, even to the disappointment of fans worldwide.

Season 2, like its predecessor, ends with a very large question mark and I will leave it to you, my readers, to watch the season and find out for yourself. All I am saying is Heroes Season 2 is definitely a must watch for you die-hard Heroes fans.

Heroes Season 3 gripe to follow in the next couple of months.

ZAGG introduces Z.buds earphones

2008-12-29T10:46:00.003+08:00

ZAGG is a household namewhen it comes to mobile electronics accessories, and their latest release would be the new Z.buds earphones.The Z.buds earphones are special in a sense that they mark the debut of ZAGG’s maiden entry into the headphones market, and before it has even been sold, the Z.buds have already been named a 2009 CES Innovations Design and Engineering Showcase Honoree. Guess we can be sure that the Z.buds will be a thing of beauty to look at, although there are bound to be some detractors who love nothing more than being a wet blanket, failing to see the silver lining behind every dark cloud all the time.

What does ZAGG offer with the sleekly designed Z.buds? For starters, this pair of earphones will integrate passive noise cancellation so that music and user conversations can be heard in greater clarity than ever before. ZAGG has also made sure that the Z.buds’ high-end audio is able to provide a full sound that is comparable to earbuds that cost nearly or twice as much, offering you unprecedented value for money in these economically uncertain times where every single penny counts. The cord is made out of nylon to make it more durable throughout the lifetime of the device, and you can wear it in many different ways, making the Z.buds one of the most versatile product of its kind. You can choose to wear it around the neck for a clean, professional look, or around the back of the neck and over the ear so that it won’t flail all over the place when you’re taking part in sports or some bit of vigorous exercise.

You can choose from black and red colors, and nice to know that the Z.buds earphones also double up as a hands-free headset. In-line volume management and on-cord button are part of the setup, while the microphone is strategically placed to carry out all your hands-free conversations. There is no word on pricing, but each purchase will come with a range of interchangeable foam, silicone and triple-flange tips.

Supernatural Season 3

2008-12-29T08:23:00.001+08:00

Finally,I got my hands on Supernatural Season 3, with 16 episodes. Yes 16 because of the recent Writer’s strike that took place.

Anyways, this season kicked off with the appearance of the 7 Deadly Sins, new heroines (?) and the plot of the series thickens with each episode. With the Winchester brothers facing dilemmas of their own, Dean having only a year to live and Sam having to deal with the fact that he’s bound to lead the armies of hell and to top it off, there are demons that are ready to fight for him but unfortunately as tasteful as this may seem, no demons come to aid the brothers.

I don’t want to reveal the entire plot of the series though. I just like to comment on a few things. The entire season lacked the action scenes compared to its predecessors and focused more on plot unraveling, hence more conversation and flashbacks. If you really want to watch the 3^rd season, it’s best to catch up on a few things by watching the first 2 seasons again.

I had to because there were moments where scenes from season 1 and 2 were insignificant but were in fact a big part of the plot that would be unraveled in the 3^rd season. The monsters and ghouls that disappointingly few and there were enemies that came back in the 3^rd season. I’m never really a fan when an antagonist gets recycled unless they REALLY play an important part of a movie or TV show but if not, then I guess they just recycle monsters and bad guys just because the writers haven’t come up with anything (wait, I forgot, it was the Writer’s strike when this 3^rd season was being made so I can’t blame them).

Anyway, it was worth the wait and I can’t wait to watch the 4^th season.

I like: Tropic Thunder

2008-11-25T20:51:00.001+08:00

I just saw this movie a couple of nights ago and I must say I was laughing my ass off while watching this movie. With a powerhouse cast to boot, Tropic Thunder is sure to make you laugh at the idiotics of Ben Stiller and Jack Black.

The movie also has a well done script. Ben Stiller's adlib per se script deliverance is really something that I enjoy. He's a natural actor and he really does deserve this part. Jack Black does a good job of delivering laughter to the audience. Robert Downey Jr.'s attempt at comedy never failed. Along with some major stars like Matthew McConaughey and Tom Cruise (yes, he's here in the film and you have to look for him because he's wearing a disguise.)

Overall, this movie made me laugh and I'd love to watch it again. I give it a rating of: 8 of 10

I like: Max Payne

2008-11-25T20:43:00.001+08:00

Another video game turned movie franchise.

I won't be divulging the plot of the film though. I never really enjoyed playing the video game version but I did manage to read some players' reviews and I guess it turned out well for a shooting game.

Though I'm always a skeptic when it comes to movie franchises like this, some of the best games made for video games never turned out so well in the big screen. I guess I can say the same thing for comic book turned movie franchise as well.

Anyways, back to the review.

I like the action scenes though I was fairly disappointed at the low amount of gunfights and so on. The conversation thru out the entire movie was 50 percent interesting and 50 percent boring. I guess you could say evil person conspiring against good person never really amounts to interesting conversation. The CGI's for the movie was kick-ass (I love the valkyries. oops).

All in all, I guess I could rate this movie: 7 of 10

Lindsay Lohan Sex Scene

2008-11-08T08:47:00.000+08:00

Title says it all. Though I never am a fan of her acting ever since she started crashing...

I hate: High School Musical Series

2008-10-22T13:10:00.001+08:00

To start with, I don't consider this a movie or even a musical. I’m a fan of musical shows and movies but I don’t dig musicals that delve into the modern pop culture. To put it simply, it’s like one big concert with a lousy script to boot.

Of course, this is just my opinion *cough* negative feedback *cough* on this movie. Of course, I really didn’t expect Disney to be able to produce a “musical” such as this. I really didn’t get the entire plot of the movie, since I was pissed off at watching the song and dance routines of the stars. It’s like watching high school kids on drugs and then acting off. I do give credit to the choreography but come on; putting effort into something like that may as well end up doing a classical piece or Broadway performance. Not to mention that the actress, Vanessa Hudgens got herself into a rut by showing off nude pictures of herself in the Net. Supposedly taken by her “boyfriend” Zac Efron, it’s caused quite a commotion for Disney, fans, and parents. Vanessa Hudgens, as a typical Disney star, is supposed to be looked up to by teenage girls and young girls alike. But unfortunately, with her recent escapade in to the lewd scenes, one cannot help but say “This girl’s such a waste” and all are hoping she doesn’t follow into the footsteps of Lindsay Lohan who’s caused quite a scene so far with her imprisonment and other issues.

Back to the topic, I find it hard to amuse myself watching this movie. Then again, it’s just my 2 cents.

I like: Pablo Francisco

2008-10-22T12:33:00.008+08:00

First off, I’m a fan of standup comedy acts and I love their sick and wicked twisted sense of humor. The first ever standup comedian that I had the privilege of laughing at so hard is Pablo Francisco. What’s so special about this comedian? What makes him stand out from the rest?

Literally dubbed as an impressionist, his acts are comprised mostly of a hundred voices, especially the “movie voice over” guy. Adding to the humor and joke, he never fails to make audience laugh so hard by sounding like a girl to a beat box to a very famous character like Kermit the Frog. Of course, aside from the different variations of his voice, one cannot help but also laugh at his jokes. Though some may be offensive, people just don’t notice that the joke it’s offensive because on how he delivers his joke.

Here’s more info about the comedian [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pablo_Francisco]

In the 1990's, he began appearing on MADtv as a featured player. His stand-up act was finally introduced to America at large when he landed his own half-hour comedy special on Comedy Central Presents in 2000. In 2001 and 2002, Francisco toured as part of "The Three Amigos" with Carlos Mencia and Freddy Soto. Since then, he has performed on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, VH1's ILL-ustrated, Mind of Mencia as "The Voiceover Dude" (same as "Movie Voiceover Guy"), and most recently, Frank TV.

Francisco is widely recognized within the comedy business for his ability to do vocal impressions of famous people including Jackie Chan, Don LaFontaine, Aaron Neville, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Casey Kasem, Keanu Reeves, John Madden, Michael J. Fox, Jerry Springer, William Hung, Chris Rock, Danny Glover, and Gary Busey, as well as sound effects and character voices like Count Dracula (as a Spanish Radio DeeJay), Droopy Dog, Tony Montana, R2-D2, Kermit the Frog, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and Mr. Magoo. He also has a talent for beatboxing.

His shows are definitely worth watching and of course, it’s not for the short tempered.

Till then

TV Series Review: Supernatural

2008-10-22T11:09:00.001+08:00

Starring Jensen Ackles & Jared Padalecki

The series revolves around the Winchester brothers, Dean and Sam. After their mother was murdered by a powerful demon, their father vowed vengeance and chased after the demon, taking Dean with him. Meanwhile, Sam leads a simple, normal life until his girlfriend suffered the same fate as his mother. Unbeknownst to him, Sam has not realized of his brother’s quest for a long time. At that time, Dean picked up Sam at the law school where Sam was currently attending and told him of what’s been going on. Parting ways with their father to chase after the demon, the two brothers end up going from town to town, killing monsters, exorcising spirits and picking up leads to the whereabouts of their father and the demon that killed their mother.

That pretty much sums up the entire synopsis of the series, now on its 4^th season and of course, I have yet to watch season 3, this series is action packed with lots of twist and drama, and of course some wicked humor and the usual sibling rivalry. The monsters and ghouls that haunt the episodes are cool and scary to boot. Of course, the series wouldn’t be complete without monsters and ghouls, tackling some of the scariest urban legends and other campfire stories with a matching reference to boot. One cannot help but be drawn into the history and reference of the different kinds of ghouls in every episode. As the season goes on, more plots and twists develop, leaving viewers intrigued and begging for more. Some twists end up shocking the viewers, even me.

That’s all I can say for this series. I still have to watch Season 3 and I cannot wait to get my hands on Season 4. Till next time.

Heath Ledger's Praises as the Joker

2008-10-22T11:00:00.001+08:00

One of the most villainous characters of the movie industry, The Joker.

Just recently, director Christopher Nolan released The Dark Knight, sequel to the box office hit, Batman Begins. With the success of the first movie, it was no surprise to me that the sequel would come less than its predecessor, and of course, satisfied the expectations of fans and critics.

Portrayed by the late actor Heath Ledger, who supposedly died of drug or medication overdose, this was his best (and sadly his last) performance to date.

I'm not really a big fan of his movies, but I was curious about his performance in his last movie. The more I read praises from critics and fans, the more I really wanted to see for myself how he portrayed the Joker. Sadly enough, I wasn't able to watch it at the big screen *cough* financial trouble *cough*.
But late last Tuesday night whilst rummaging thru the pirated DVD's, I found a decent copy of the Dark Knight. After checking its quality, I decided to buy it. I just found the time to watch the movie I bought last Tuesday night when I woke up at 8am this morning. The whole time I was watching the movie, my attention was more focused on the villain rather than the hero. His performance was just great, giving justice to the praises and performance of his previous predecessors who also portrayed the Joker in previous Batman films. I give him full praises and appreciation for a wonderful (and twisted) performance of one of the movie and comic industries' most sadistic and heinous villain of all time.

Heath Ledger, May your soul rest in peace.

Movie Review: Hancock

2008-10-22T10:58:00.000+08:00

A superhero movie that went against the stereotypical superhero-movie genre. Hancock is a misunderstood superhero, as he causes more damages than saving lives or ending disasters. Unlike the other superheroes that we all grew to love, Hancock takes a different turn. For one thing, he's an asshole "as the people in the movie often call him". He doesnt give a damn about anyone or anything. In the early parts of the movie, Hancock's attire is different from the other superheroes with tight leather pants, and capes and boots. He wears a bonnet with an eagle design, and looks like a homeless person with his raggedy clothes.

I will not post the plot of the movie, since this is only a movie review.

What's there to like about this movie:

- if you're a fan of the superhero movies with lots of destruction, havoc, and chaos... this one's for you.
- its got a very good twist later on in the movie.
- nice special effects
- will smith (honestly, he's one bad-ass mofo.)
- charlize theron (she's soooo effing hot!)

What's not to like about this movie:

- fewer action scenes than anticipated
- we all love chaos and destruction and explosions but too much of something is never a good thing.

All in all, this movie is worth watching and should definitely be added to your DVD collections (if you have any though.)

But don't take my word for it. See for yourself and you be the judge.

Top 5 TV Villains That We Love to Hate

2008-10-11T16:35:00.001+08:00

Following today's lineup of most watched TV series, fans can't help but admire and hate at the same time the series' antagonists. Whatever or whoever they may be or what their plans are, TV drama is just not the same if there are no characters from the dark. Below are the top 5 most evil villains of all time.

5.) Lex Luthor (Michael Rosenbaum - Smallville) - Superman's best friend turned worst enemy. Manipulative, intelligent and the attitude of "get the job done at any cost", it's no wonder everybody around Smallville share a similar amount of hatred for this sleazy bastard.

4.) Theodore Bagwell (Robert Knepper - Prison Break) - one of the series most hated characters. With a sadistic attitude, he manipulated Scoffield into letting him join his escape plans. With a variety of crimes committed like: rape, assault, kidnapping, murder, and the works, T-Bag is definitely somebody you shouldn't cross paths with.

3.) Yellow Eyed Demon (Fredric Lehne - Supernatural) - one of my favorite villains. after murdering dean and sam winchester's mom, he follows the winchester siblings into a series of adventures which then leads to the unveiling of his plans for sam. twists and turns are his specialty so expect to get a twist of the story everytime he pops up (until the end of season 2)

2.) Bizarro (Tom Wellings - Smallville) - yet again from the series, Smallville. at the start and end of season 6, Bizarro jumps from one host to another until he reunites with a kryptonian host (namely clark kent) and finally assumes a full body. with a nasty reputation in the comic book series, no doubt Bizarro is definitely tops when it comes to TV villains. Can't wait for future smallville series.

1.) Gabriel Sylar (Zachary Quinto - Heroes) - TV's sadistic bastard of the day (he makes Tony from the Sopranos look like a schoolgirl). He steals the powers of every special person he comes across during the entire season 1, with no regards for human life (he even killed his mother and killed Alejandro, Maya's brother and got it on with Maya... that is definitely sick!) as long as he gets what he wants. Manipulative, smart, charismatic and evil personified, Gabriel Sylar is definitely one of the most evil characters in TV history.

Warm Greetings

2008-10-10T21:51:00.000+08:00

Welcome to my movie and entertainment niche blog, where you'll get my reviews and rants about actors/actresses, movies, TV series, stand up comedians and a whole lot more where boredom is not welcome.