Posted by
Travis Goss
- Tuesday, September 10, 2013
It is no surprise Miley Cyrus has caused quite a stir lately in the public eye. Breaking from her good girl image during her days as Hannah Montana, Cyrus has now spoken to the world saying she has grown up and how kind puberty was to her.
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| Miley Cyrus |
In her latest video, "Wrecking Ball," she has no problem in cementing the fact.
Even though the music video has caused some controversy as Cyrus rides around on a wrecking ball completely naked, I do ask all of those who have seen the video the following question: Why does it shock you?
Well, watch the video first. Afterward, read my thoughts on the subject.
So, after viewing her latest video from her upcoming album, "Bangerz," here is how I feel.
Let us start with the song itself. It is your typical breakup song. A woman leaves her man and now she feels completely vulnerable. She is dealing with the breakup and it is practically tearing her apart.
Courtney, who is a very dear person in my life, put it like this: "The song is a break up song but it's also about vulnerability; and being naked in the video is one of the best ways to show it. Stripping naked is [as] vulnerable a person can be. It's like she's baring her soul, [her] everything. I think it's an artistic approach."
This is a very true point of view.
I am sure there are people out there who have seen this video and might be upset by the images. Perhaps some may have seen it as vulgar or tasteless. I disagree with these viewpoints because this is no more appalling than watching Lady Gaga videos where she has been naked a few times.
I honestly would like to know why people are still disgusted by images of naked people. I can possibly understand parents would want to shield their children from certain images on television and movies which are deemed too adult and inappropriate for minors. However, from my perspective, I would rather show two people making love than two people trying to kill each other. Think about it for a moment. One scenario sounds more pleasant and enjoyable while the other seems frightening and distressing.
If this does not help drive in both points, then I submit the following:
Would you rather see this?
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| Michelangelo's "David" |
Or, this?
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| A very disturbing image, indeed. |
Maybe I am looking into it more deeply than what it is. I just find it unacceptable for people to look at something beautiful and criticize it at the same time. Miley Cyrus is a very beautiful woman. She has a lovely voice and is very talented. While there are still some who objectify her raunchy appearance at this year's MTV Video Music Awards, we should all remember there have been other artists who have done similar acts on stage or in their music videos.
"Wrecking Ball" is a very powerful video with just as much of a powerful message. If the only thing people can take away from the video are the images of Cyrus naked and nothing else, then they have not fully understood what the video was trying to convey. We have come a long way since Michelangelo's "David." People really should relax. Above all, if you do not like it, then do not watch it. It is so simple.
Posted by
Ronnie Brown
- Monday, September 9, 2013
It was hinted at and we saw a brief glimpse of the packaging during last night's episode of Talking Bad, but today Sony Pictures Home Entertainment officially announced Breaking Bad: The Complete Series Blu-ray box set! On November 26, this set will be released alongside a Final Season set.
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| I personally would've expected an RV replica, but this also makes perfect sense. |
It may not be the prettiest packaging, but it really fits the tone of the show, and as you can see in this image, it comes with quite a few collectibles. These include a Los Pollos Hermanos apron, a booklet, and a collectible coin designed by Vince Gilligan, the creator of the show.
In addition to the physical collectibles, there are plenty of special features exclusive to this set, the most exciting of which is "No Half Measures: Creating the Final Season of Breaking Bad," a two-hour long documentary about the final season of the show. The set includes all of the bonus features from the previous seasons and a variety of new ones, including (courtesy of
TVshowsonDVD.com):
- Bad Memories - Bryan Cranston and Aaron Paul talk about the show ending and some of their favorite moments.
- Bryan Cranston: Director - Go on set with Bryan Cranston as he directs the first episode of the season entitled "Blood Money."
- Scene Envy - The cast tell us which scene they wish they could have been in.
- Shocking Moments - The stars reveal the moments that shocked them most.
- From Walt to Heisenberg - From high school teacher to deadly meth dealer, watch as Walter White quickly transforms into Heisenberg.
- How Will It End? - At the beginning of the season, the cast was asked to give their thoughts on how they thought the show would end.
- Avenging Agent: Dean Norris as Hank Schrader- A look at the character Hank Schrader and the man who played him, Dean Norris.
- Scene Stealer: Betsy Brandt as Marie Schrader- A look at the character Marie Schrader and the woman who plays her, Betsy Brandt.
- A Criminal Attorney: Bob Odenkirk as Saul Goodman - A look at the character Saul Goodman and the man who played him, Bob Odenkirk.
- Jesse's Journey - Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman - A look at the character Jesse Pinkman and the man who played him, Aaron Paul.
- Skyler Breaks Bad - Anna Gunn on Season Four - Actress Anna Gunn and series creator Vince Gilligan explore Skyler's character evolution through the fourth season.
- Growing Up in the White House: RJ Mitte on Walter Jr. - RJ Mitte, Anna Gunn, Bryan Cranston, and series creator Vince Gilligan discuss the extraordinary dynamics of the White family, and Walter Jr.'s unique role.
- The Ultimate Chess Match - Members of the cast and crew discuss Walter White and Gus Fring's extraordinary and complicated battle of wits and their struggle for Jesse's allegiance.
- Looking Back: A Season Four Retrospective - Season Four's most surprising and memorable moments.
- Ted's Wipeout - In Episode 411, "Crawl Space," Ted Beneke suffers a head injury while trying to escape from Saul's goons. In this featurette, Christopher Cousins (Ted) explains how this shocking stunt was accomplished.
- The Truck Attack Storyboard Comparison - A side-by-side comparison of the Los Pollos Hermanos truck attack and the brilliant shot-by-shot storyboards that were created for the episode "Bullet Points."
- Walt and the Challenger Storyboard Comparison - A side-by-side comparison of the sequence where Walt indulges in some crazy stunt driving in Walt Jr.'s Dodge Challenger and the storyboards that were created.
In addition to these features, the Final Season set includes plenty of features as well (all of which will also be in the Complete Series set):
- "Blood Money" Table Read - A rare look at the only final season Breaking Bad table read. (Blu-ray exclusive)
- Cast and Crew Commentaries on every episode.
- 4 Featurettes: The Main Event, The Final Showdown, Life of a Show Runner, Behind The Scenes of the Alternate Ending
- Alternate Ending - A 3-minute alternate version of how Breaking Bad could have ended.
- Deleted & Extended Scenes
- Gag Reel
- Walt's Confession
- The Layers of a Sound Mix
- Over 15 Episodes of Inside Breaking Bad
- Uncensored and Extended Episodes
Whether you complete your collection with The Final Season set or spring for The Complete Series, you're in for a treat on November 26. Since the complete series set is sure to be expensive (
Amazon currently has it listed at $224.99), I would recommend anyone who has the previous five sets go to
MovieStop if you have access to one and trade them all in to help pay for it; that's what I plan to do. Pre-ordering something at MovieStop usually gives you the cheapest price available as well, so if you had things to trade in on top of that, it would be much cheaper there than anywhere else. While you're at it, reserve the pretty sweet looking poster sold exclusively at MovieStop. It costs $30 and must be paid for in full by 10/27, and you can pick it up on November 26 as well.
With just three episodes left in the series, I'm sure Breaking Bad is going to end in a big way, so be sure to check back on Fanboys Anonymous for my final three reviews. It may take a few days after the release date, but also expect a review-ish post from me about the complete series set at the end of November. Until then, everyone go break bad!
Posted by
Ronnie Brown
- Sunday, September 8, 2013
Okay, are you all still alive? Barely? That's what I thought. Let's get through this together, shall we?
Holy. Shit. That ending was one of the most infuriating things I've ever seen, so much so that I literally ran around in circles in my front yard when it was done to blow off some steam. I'm hoping that there are no crueler cliffhangers in the next two episodes leading into the series finale, but I know that's probably very stupid and naive of me. To call this episode a game changer is a massive understatement.
Anyway, let's wade through the rest of the episode before diving into that ending. Todd is really gearing up to be the next Heisenberg, except for his inferior, non-blue meth. He's even got a little crush on Lydia, so maybe he's hoping he found his Skyler. I still absolutely love the fact that this half of the season has been framed as one continuous story, with the teaser this week showing what happened during Walt's phone call to Todd at the end of "Rabid Dog." And with the way this one ended, I'm sure that idea will continue come next week. But I'm getting ahead of myself...
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| I really loved the billboard in the background of this shot. |
If there was one theme this episode, it was one of rather brilliant plans from most of the cast. Starting with Hank using the brain matter to trick Huell into thinking that Walt killed Jesse, that was an excellent way to get Huell to talk. Knowing that To'hajiilee is the Indian reservation where the desert scenes are shot, combined with seeing Walt bury the money again in the recap leading into this episode, it was obvious the money would come back. Which leads into Hank and Jesse's rather ingenious plan to have Walt lead them right to his money. I was surprised at how well it worked, and from the moment Hank, Jesse, and Gomez showed up, the tension was just too much. The most interesting thing about that moment to me is that Walter White, even when facing his downfall, still refuses to hurt Hank, trying to call off the hit on Jesse when he realized Hank was there too. And it almost did him in.
Meanwhile, Todd and Uncle Jack devised a great way to get Walt back into the business; they'd kill Jesse as long as Walt showed Todd the ropes so that he could properly cook Heisenberg's blue sky meth. I felt very uneasy about that plan, and of course it could be irrelevant come next week, but assuming everyone makes it out of this, there will be fallout. Jack and his crew already proved they won't listen to Walt, showing up in the desert even after he told them not to, so nothing good can come from this situation for anyone.
The other great plan, though less effective than the others in this episode, was Walt using Brock and Andrea to try to smoke Jesse out. We all know it would have worked if Jesse had gotten the call and wasn't working with Hank, but unfortunately for Walt, Hank saw right through him. I admit I was so nervous during that entire scene and wondered just what Walt was getting at until Andrea mentioned trying to get in touch with Jesse right there. Interesting that Walt's plans are much less effective now that everyone else is either on to him or against him. That does not bode well for him in the next three episodes, that's for sure. The man is slowly becoming powerless.
Now...that ending. When Walt saw that Jesse was with Hank, I truly believed that he would make that sacrifice and have Hank killed anyway. With Hank dead he could just leak his "confession" video, after all, and be absolved of all his sins. Yet even at this point in the series, Walt is still a family man at heart, so he's not a total monster. At that point I really didn't know what Walt was going to do; he was trapped, and I didn't think even the great Heisenberg could work his way out of this one. So it was totally shocking and nerve-wracking for Walt to not only surrender, but to actually get arrested. Regardless of whether or not you hoped for Walt to get caught in the end, it's hard to deny that it was a chilling moment, and everyone in that scene played it beautifully, from Dean Norris showing Hank's barely contained glee to the look of pure pain and betrayal from Bryan Cranston when Walt realized that Jesse sold him out. There was even a quick, simple shot of Jesse's excitement that this man was finally in custody that I loved. This was also about the time that I started getting unbelievably nervous; dread was slowly washing over me and pushing down on my chest. Something had to happen here. Hank can't pull it off this easily. Then the dread intensified when Hank called Marie. That shot of her looking down at the brain matter in her trashcan could've been a horrible bit of foreshadowing, something that Breaking Bad excels at. Then the two of them became so filled with joy, Hank mentioned that he probably wouldn't be home for awhile, and they said "I love you," possibly for the first time onscreen in the entire series. I really thought Hank was about to die, and my dread grew.
Then Jack's crew showed up, and my dread exploded into a full-blown panic. My palms were sweating, my heart was racing, and I thought the tension might really make me pass out. Could this episode really end in a standoff, waiting for shots to be fired? Nope. Instead the episode will end MID-SHOOTOUT. It was infuriating. It was unfair. It was amazing TV.
Now, as far as predictions go, you'd think I would've learned by now not to make any because they almost always turn out to be wrong. But with this shootout, now that I've had time to think about it, I really don't see Jesse dying at this point and we know Walt can't die because of the flash forward scenes, but Hank is still in very real danger in my mind and things could go either way with him. Of the three though, Gomez is the most likely to die. Maybe Hank gets shot but manages to make it to Walt's car, where he and Jesse can make their escape. I don't know, but whatever happens, I'm sure it will be just what the story needs to push it forward even more.
Random Thoughts
- "Don't drink and drive, but if you do, call me!" It's still great to me that Breaking Bad has its humorous moments despite how dark it's become, and Skyler teaching Junior the family car wash business when Saul arrived was such a fun scene. Junior's starstruck reaction to Saul was great, and it's actually surprising that those two have never shared a scene before.
- Huge moment in my mind: Jesse talking to Walt and actually calling him "Walt" instead of "Mr. White." That's only the second or third time in the entire series that that happened, and it's always a powerful moment when it does.
- Next week's episode is called "Ozymandias," and it has me so curious. According to IMDB, a bunch of dead characters will be back next week, including Krazy-8, Mike, Gale, Tuco, and Jane. Interestingly enough no Gus though. I have no idea what this means. Flashbacks would seem like the most logical answer here, but Breaking Bad is not a show to waste time on flashbacks unless they serve the story well. Like when the end of "Gliding Over All" flashed back to season 4 to really drive home Hank putting everything together. But based on the title of the episode and the amazing trailer released back in July, Walt's empire seems to definitely be crumbling now and I can't wait to see it.
There you have it. I had a lot to say this week, so hopefully I didn't bore you all too much. Like I said, I promise we will all get through the home stretch together, so drag yourselves back here next week with me for "Ozymandias!"
Posted by
The Dace Man
- Saturday, September 7, 2013
Check out episode 11 of The Dace Man Show with regulars Gibby and Nikki Mills....and a special caller from the 641!
Join The Dace Man this week as he tackles:
:: Celeb News This Week ::
- Dave Chappelle goes Kramer and calls us crackers.
- Beiber drops the 'N' bomb
- The love of my life Jeanette McCurdy dating a Detroit Piston
:: Weird World News With Gibby! ::.
:: Sports News ::
Also the fan favorite segments: the High Five, The Five Worst Cities in North America and the Douchebag of the Week
Step into the Crazy Train with Chris "The Dace Man" Dace this week on The Dace Man show....queue the Final Countdown!!!
Follow The Dace Man on Twitter: @TheDaceMan
www.Twitter.com/TheDaceMan
Catch The Dace Man Show every Wednesday at 8pm EST on Mega Powers Radio.
www.MegaPowersRadio.com
www.BlogTalkRadio.com/MegaPowersRadio
www.Facebook.com/MegaPowersRadio
www.Twitter.com/MegaPowersRadio
Posted by
Unknown
- Friday, September 6, 2013
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| Unfortunately, this isn't a screenshot of the app. |
Have you ever wished that you could have Tony Stark's totally awesome AI assistant? Well, I have good news. You can! As long as you can wait four days. The app will be available for both iPhone and Android users.
Paul Bettany, the voice of JARVIS, recorded 20 hours of audio specifically for this app. A lot of Blu-ray movies and TV shows are creating apps for a second screen experience. Viewers can watch behind the scenes videos, facts, interviews, and other extra features. JARVIS will become the very first voice activated second screen experience with the release of Iron Man 3 on Blu-ray.
But, 20 hours of audio of behind the scenes stuff? That sounds like a lot. What else can this bad-boy do? Oh, it can also be used as your personal assistant. Say whaaaat?! Sounds too good to be true, right? I wonder how much you can actually do with JARVIS. So far, all we know is that you will be able to do the following; check the local weather, be used as an alarm clock, and post to social media websites such as Facebook and Twitter.
It sounds like JARVIS may possibly be better than Siri, not that that would be hard to accomplish. See you Tuesday, JARVIS!
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Thursday, September 5, 2013
Do we have a new Gangnam Style on the rise? The latest viral video going around is a music video for the song "The Fox" by Ylvis, a Norwegian duo. Check it out:
It's ridiculous....it's stupid....and it's amazingly catchy.
Expect to see this on ringtones everywhere by next week.
By the way, is anyone else curious now as to what noises foxes actually do make? Google searches for this must be skyrocketing.
Ylvis - The Fox Lyrics:
Dog goes woof
Cat goes meow
Bird goes tweet
And mouse goes squeek
Cow goes moo
Frog goes croak
And the elephant goes toot
Ducks say quack, fish goes blub
And the seal goes ow ow ow
But there’s one sound - That no one knows
What does the fox say?
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding
Ring-ding-ding-ding-dingeringeding
What does the fox say?
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow
Wa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pa-pow
What does the fox say?
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho
Hatee-hatee-hatee-ho
What does the fox say?
Tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff
Tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff
Tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoffo-tchoff
What does the fox say?
Big blue eyes
Pointy nose
Chasing mice
and digging holes
Tiny paws
Up the hill
Suddenly you're standing still
Your fur is red
So beautiful
Like an angel in disguise
But if you meet
A friendly horse
Will you communicate by mo-o-o-o-orse?
How will you speak to that ho-o-o-o-orse?
What does the fox say?
Tchacha-chacha-chacha-chow
Tchacha-chacha-chacha-chow
Tchacha-chacha-chacha-chow
What does the fox say?
Fra-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow
Fra-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow
Fra-kaka-kaka-kaka-kow
What does the fox say?
A-hee-aee ha-hee
A-hee-aee ha-hee
A-hee-aee ha-hee
What does the fox say?
A-oo-oo-oo-ooo
Woo-oo-oo-ooo
What the does the fox say?
The secret of the fox
Ancient mystery
Somewhere deep in the woods
I know you're hiding
What is your sound
Will we ever know?
Will always be a mystery
What do you say?
You're my guardian angel
Hiding in the woods
What is your sound
Will we ever know?
I want to...I want to...I want to know!
May God have mercy on our souls and may any aliens that visit us not judge us all too harshly.
Posted by
Anthony Mango
- Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Although this has happened several times before, Futurama is coming to an end with its series finale episode that airs tonight, entitled "Meanwhile". To celebrate the fantastic series, you'll find a complete review of the episode once it airs, but for now, let's take a look back at how we got here.
In the past, Futurama has had a couple of episodes that acted as a series finale in case it would not be renewed. "The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings", which aired August 10, 2003, was the first of these. Writer Ken Keeler, who has written all of the potential finales, left things open ended enough that there could be a return, but if not, we were left off with an indication that Fry and Leela would be happy together. Fry's holophonor opera has seemingly failed, but in a sweet scene that works both in-story and breaking the fourth wall, Leela asks "Please don't stop playing, Fry. I want to hear how it ends."
Futurama would return later on through a series of four DVD movies that once again "ended" with "Into the Wild Green Yonder", wherein the creators once again split the decision and go for a final scene that references both the story and the show itself. The Planet Express ship along with the principal cast of characters inside approach a wormhole with uncertainty of what will happen, but excitement towards the future ahead of them. Fry and Leela solidify their relationship and kiss.
The next episode, "Rebirth" (a title which says it all) started the Comedy Central era in a rebooted sense, leading us to the finale we're at now - once again written by Ken Keeler.
What I would like to see in the finale
Everyone plans out ideas of what a series finale should be for a TV show that they love and I'm no different, whether it be for How I Met Your Mother, The Simpsons, or how frustrating it was that we didn't get proper finales for shows like Heroes and FlashForward.
Perhaps only being rivaled by How I Met Your Mother and Scrubs from what I've seen, Futurama is one of the best comedies that has a consistent heart as well. Despite being built around laughs, it does not shy away from sad scenes that tug at the heartstrings. "Jurassic Bark" is notorious for being an epically depressing (though thankfully they retconned that later on with "Bender's Big Score" - itself filled with sad scenes depicting Fry's past, love for Leela and so forth). "The Luck of the Fryrish" is another, revolving around the revelation that Fry's bully of an older brother, Yancy, actually did love him.
They've shown that they can maintain continuity extremely well and reference events from previous episodes as being much more important than you would have assumed when you originally watched it (ie, Fry becoming his own grandfather in the Area 51 time travel, resulting in his Delta Brainwave abnormality that is the reason for Nibbler freezing Fry even in the first episode!)
What I'm hoping we get is a mix of all these aspects of Futurama. I'd love to see them go the sentimental route more than going for cheap laughs if they have to choose between the two. Fry and Leela should in fact end up together (as evidenced by Bender's "ultimate fate" description in "Overclockwise"). There should also be references to his past, despite how we already saw some closure in "Murder on the Planet Express" (which, by the way, is the only episode of a TV show to officially make me cry...twice). I'd love to see a glimpse into the future, where Fry and Leela have a son that they've named Yancy, named after Fry's brother and father, "to carry on their spirit".
Make this count...and make it so good that we don't need Futurama to return again (even though I'd love for them to continue).
For now, we wait, but this post will be updated with a full review of "Meanwhile" and a retrospective review of the series in whole in a few hours. Stay tuned!
Meanwhile Episode Review
The Nerdist was running a pre-finale and post-finale show, and while the episode was going on, they literally ran THE HYPNOTOAD! Hilarious!
This episode revolved around a time travel device created by Professor Farnsworth that allows whomever presses it to go back to the previous 10 seconds - but only the previous 10 seconds. What better thing to use as a plot device for Futurama than time travel?
Fry proposes to Leela and awaits her answer, but when he thinks she has opted out, he jumps off a skyscraper to his eventual death - realizing before falling that his watch was fast from the time travel device. In the midst of attempting to save Fry's life, the device breaks, freezing time for Fry and Leela seemingly forever.
They live their lives together, growing old together. As an elderly couple (implied, at least from my interpretation, to be near death), they go back to their proposal spot and are approached by Professor Farnsworth, who fixes the machine and informs them that they can all reset it back to when it originally broke.
Fry and Leela, having no regrets, decide that they'll sacrifice themselves (time travel duplicates, and whatnot) and allow the younger Fry and Leela to "have another go-around". I actually thought that they would have the Professor fix the machine so they could retain their memories or at least allow their older selves to talk to their younger selves, fill them in on what happened, and walk off into the sunset to their eventual deaths, allowing their younger versions to basically have two lifetimes of memories. Even though they didn't necessarily show that, the fact that they didn't means one could interpret it that way, if they so choose.
Overall, I was quite happy with this episode. There wasn't much for Bender and company to do, nor was it the most hilarious, but as I said, I was preferring a sentimental ending more than just a chuckle-fest and they delivered.
This was yet another open-ended finale, and I'm very proud of Ken Keeler and everyone involved for pulling it off once more. Congrats on a great series, everyone!
WHAT ARE YOUR THOUGHTS ON FUTURAMA'S FINALE?
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