I’d be remise if I didn’t talk more about what at first appeared to be Ben escaping from the mercenaries by locking himself in his house’s secret room. How cool was it when Ben opened the door to the then unknown second secret room that was attached to his original secret room and called for the Smoke Monster? I guess there really is more to Smokey than we ever thought possible. And the hieroglyphics on the second secret room’s door evidently translate “to summon protection” which seems to be exactly what Ben did. (link)
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Lost - The Shape Of Things To Come
I’d be remise if I didn’t talk more about what at first appeared to be Ben escaping from the mercenaries by locking himself in his house’s secret room. How cool was it when Ben opened the door to the then unknown second secret room that was attached to his original secret room and called for the Smoke Monster? I guess there really is more to Smokey than we ever thought possible. And the hieroglyphics on the second secret room’s door evidently translate “to summon protection” which seems to be exactly what Ben did. (link)

The Flash / Barry Allen Returns From The Dead Today After 23 Years

24 Season 7 Cast Photo
But nonetheless I don’t really understand why they chose to blatantly give away this plot point again in the photo. If you hate spoilers then ignore the photo below, but if you love 24 and either already know the spoiler or just don’t care check out the photo below:
By now you should have noticed the return from the dead of CTU agent and Jack Bauer’s best friend, Tony Almeida (actor Carlos Bernard). They’ve been talking about this for a while now, and supposedly the original plan was for Tony to return last season as the show’s main villain. But instead the creators of 24 have decided to announce to the world Tony’s return for next season as one of the main adversaries for Kiefer Sutherland’s Jack Bauer.

Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Jimmy Buffett Live in Frisco, TX at Pizza Hut Park on 04/26/08
So last Saturday night Aly and I drove way north of Dallas to Frisco, Texas to see Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band perform at Pizza Hut Park (home of the local Major League Soccer franchise FC Dallas). This was only my second Jimmy Buffett concert, but after listening to his music for years and finally seeing him perform last year in Houston at Minute Maid Park, I wanted to relive the experience all over again.
With hundreds of beach balls flying through the air at Pizza Hut Park and more beer and margaritas being sold at a concert than I can ever remember, the crowd was definitely into the show. At some points the show around me was even more entertaining than what was happening on stage, but that’s what's to be expected at a Buffett show. Its not just about the music, but the experience and the party.
While Buffett’s voice is not as strong as it once was, he is just as much of a showman as ever, at one point even pulling Texas native Lance Armstrong on stage. Jimmy, as always, played his most popular songs and closed the night with three strong covers, including one of my personal favorites “Rainy Day Women #12 and 35” by Bob Dylan. The only thing I can complain about is that after two and a half hours of performing, the show seemed to have ended way too early. I guess I’ll have to wait until Buffett’s next visit to Texas for a return trip to Margaritaville.
Jimmy Buffett
2008 Year of Still Here Tour
April 26, 2008 - Set List
Frisco, TX - Pizza Hut Park
01. Homemade Music
02. The Tiki Bar Is Open
03. Fruitcakes
04. Pencil Thin Mustache
05. Miss You So Badly
06. It's Five O'Clock Somewhere with Mac McAnally
07. We're Still Here
08. Cowboy in the Jungle
09. Brown Eyed Girl (Van Morrison cover)
10. Cheeseburger in Paradise
11. One Particular Harbour
12. Creola (performed by Nadirah)
13. The City (performed by Mac McAnally)
14. Why Don't We Get Drunk and Screw
15. Come Monday
16. Makin' Music for Money (performed by Nadirah)
17. Piece Of Work18. Volcano
19. Son of a Son of a Sailor
20. Changes in Latitudes, Changes in Attitudes
21. School Boy Heart
22. A Pirate Looks at Forty
23. Far Side of the World
24. Southern Cross (Crosby, Still & Nash cover)
25. Margaritaville
First Encore:
26. Fins
27. Rainy Day Women #12 and 35 (Bob Dylan cover)
28. Another Saturday Night (Sam Cooke cover)
Second Encore:
29. Stories We Could Tell (John Sebastian cover)

Barney-ism Of The Week
In my experience the way this normally goes is we lie here for a while, make a little awkward chit-chat.
“Check.” - Robin
Then I make up some cabinet meeting, heart surgery, rocket test flight I’ve got to be at, slip out of the apartment
and never call you again.
“And later at the bar you tell your good friend Robin the story of your latest conquest and she thinks to herself who is this sad, self-loathing idiot who climbed into bed with Barney Stinson.” - Robin
Actually, you usually say that out loud.
To Robin After
Sleeping Together
"The Goat"
How I Met Your Mother
I know, I should have gone with Barney’s Bro Code, but I thought this situation/discussion was too funny to ignore. If you want to find out more about The Bro Code check out Barney’s latest blog post here where he goes into great depth about key Articles of The Bro Code.
On a side note, USAToday is reporting that Britney Spears’ return to How I Met Your Mother is official. (link) Britney “will reprise her role as bubbly secretary Abby in the May 12 episode” and the episode sees Abby collaborating with Barney on “their mutual dislike of Ted and acting on it.” (link) I’m guessing from the episode’s description that the bro break-up between Barney and Ted at the end of last night’s episode will not be resolved as quickly as I would have thought. At least if they’re bringing Spears back it sounds like it’s to advance the story line and not just another celebrity sighting for a quick ratings boost.

The Dark Knight Character Promo Posters
I don’t know why this is, but I always seem to post on certain topics in bunches. After posting on the new “Welcome To A World Without Rules” Batman poster yesterday, I stumbled upon these great new The Dark Knight character promotional posters and a UK promo poster of Batman on his new Batpod.
The new three piece poster set features headshots of Heath Ledger as The Joker, Christian Bale as Batman and Aaron Eckhart as Harvey Dent, with all three characters holding something up in their right hands covering the right side of their faces. I am assuming the symbolism of the covering of the right side of the characters’ faces foreshadows Harvey Dent’s eventual turn to the dark side as the enigmatic Two-Face.
I’ve been keeping my eyes open for leaked photos of Eckhart as the disfigured villain Two-Face, but the only photos I’ve found has been Eckhart as Gotham City’s mild mannered District Attorney. I don’t know how they’ve kept the Two-Face scene so top secret, but hopefully their hard work will pay off big time when the movie is finally released to theaters.

Monday, April 28, 2008
Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics - Worlds Collide
As a child of the 90’s I can’t even begin to determine the amount of quarters I spent playing Mortal Kombat back in the day. There was nothing better than beating an opposite and then killing them with Mortal Kombat’s patented “Finishing Move.” And now to be able to control both Mortal Kombat and DC Comic characters in a versus style fighting game might just be the thing needed to finally motivate me to retire my PS2 and look into getting a PS3 or Xbox360.
According to News-a-rama.com, “there will be two different stories, one told from the side of MK, one from the side of DC, where each universe is invaded by the opposite universe’s characters. These stories will be told in a new version of the traditional single player campaign. The story will be used to balance the fights more evenly, and will do so using established mythology. For instance, the story will feature magic factors, to weaken Superman against a character like Sub-Zero.” (link)
Already confirmed in the game are Superman and Batman from DC and Sub-Zero and Scorpion from Mortal Kombat. Be on the lookout for future confirmed characters and an official release date at WorldsCollide.com. In the meantime check out this awesome “first look” trailer for the game, which shows Batman and Sub-Zero going at it Mortal Kombat style.
There has been some serious mixed reactions to the announcement of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics, but my favorite commentary on it comes from David Willis’ Shortpacked!. Shortpacked! is one of my favorite webcomics and is updated 3-5 times a week. Check out Willis’ Mortal Kombat vs. DC Comics comic strip below and click here to find out more about Willis and his cast of Shortpacked! characters.

Be A Pepper Too - The Dr Pepper Museum
If any of you have ever been to the World of Coca-Cola, the Coca-Cola museum in Atlanta, GA, then you’d be a little disappointed in the Dr Pepper Museum. It’s a fraction of the size and does not have anywhere near the technology or sophistication of the World of Coca-Cola, but if you’re in the neighborhood it’s well worth the $6.00 admission fee. Then again how often do you find yourself with some time to kill in Waco, TX?

Welcome To A World Without Rules

Thursday, April 24, 2008
Jimmy Fallon Returns To NBC As Host Of Late Night
It has been a long four years since the initial announcement of Leno’s scheduled retirement as rumors mounted that Leno was unhappy about his already planned exit and was hoping to either extend his Tonight Show run or move to a rival station. Many names have been floated around as the eventual successor to O’Brien on Late Night, with Fallon’s name repeatedly being mentioned as a front runner based upon his popular run on Saturday Night Live and his stint as co-host of SNL’s Weekend Update with Tina Fey.
While Fallon has been The Blot’s favorite Saturday Night Live cast members in recent years, I am worried that his unique style of delivery might be found a little grating when on television 5 nights a week. Hopefully his transition to behind Late Night’s desk will be a smooth one and much more successful than the comedian’s movie career which pretty much died on impact after Taxi and Fever Pitch bombed in theaters.

G.I. Joe The Movie - First Look at Storm Shadow and The Baroness
More and more pictures of the live action G.I. Joe film’s cast are slowly leaking on to the internet and here we have our first look at two of the movie’s villains, Thomas S. Arashikage, a.k.a. Storm Shadow, and The Baroness. I’ve been pretty impressed with the movie’s costumes so far and like the modern feel of the characters. With that being said I’m a little disappointed in Storm Shadow’s uniform. The character has always had a very distinct look in the G.I. Joe comics, cartoons and toys, but here he looks like a generic ninja straight out of the Matrix trilogy.
After having done such a great job with Snake Eyes’ uniform and staying so true to his character, I am surprised the movie went such a different direction with Snake Eyes’ blood brother and fellow ninja, Storm Shadow. The Baroness, on the other hand, has always had a very simple look, one that is easy to reproduce in a live action movie. I’m anxious to see how the movie chooses to recreate G.I. Joe’s main adversaries, Cobra Commander, the leader of COBRA, and Destro, into living breathing characters. Storm Shadow is played by Byung-hun Lee and The Baroness is played by Sienna Miller.
Update 5/9/08: To see BRAND NEW photos of Storm Shadow (in a different uniform) and The Baroness click here!
To see other G.I. Joe First Look photos of characters from the upcoming live action G.I. Joe movie click here.

Wanted - Teaser Movie Poster

Wednesday, April 23, 2008
GID 8 Inch Zombie Pet Dunny
The Blot’s pretty excited for tomorrow’s release of a new, glow-in-the-dark 8 inch Dunny. Designed by Argentinean illustrator Patricio Oliver and produced by Kidrobot, the new Zombie Pet Dunny is an “undead predator…made of translucent, blue vinyl and printed with glow-in-the-dark bones, for a distinctly ghoulish (but adorable) look. (link) This limited edition designer vinyl figure is sure to be a “must get” for fans of the zombie craze. One thing I like about this Dunny in particular is the fact that the figure doesn’t actually glow, just the printing on its body. It’s a unique twist on the glow-in-the-dark Dunnys of the past and, like most 8” Dunnys, should not last very long in stores.
The 8” glow-in-the-dark Zombie Pet Dunny hits stores tomorrow, Thursday April 24th, and has a retail price of $39.95.

Daniel Johnston’s Jeremiah, The Frog Of Innocence Vinyl Figure
For those of you who have had the opportunity to live in Austin, TX you might recognize the famous mural Johnston created featuring Jeremiah and the title of the album Jeremiah was featured on Hi How Are You? on the old Sound Exchange building on Guadeloupe across from the University of Texas campus. The album cover has also been featured on t-shirts for many years. The Hi How Are You? t-shirts were popularized in the 90’s by Kurt Cobain who often performed and was photographed wearing the Jeremiah, the Frog of Innocence shirt.

Tuesday, April 22, 2008
The Spirit Teaser Trailer and Poster
I think all of this PR is a smart move by the producers of The Spirit because its important to latch on to the super hero craze now while the movie industry is gearing up for a big summer. With six super hero/comic book movies coming out over the next four months (Batman, Iron Man, Hulk, Hellboy, Wanted and Will Smith’s Hancock), The Spirit needs to try and connect with the millions of moviegoers attending those movies now in the hopes that it makes it easier early next year to reconnect with them (and hopefuly entice them to the theaters).
I think The Spirit’s teaser movie trailer does everything it hoped to by teasing the audience of the movie to come without giving any real hint of a storyline or the characters involved. What strikes me as odd is how similar this movie’s look and feel is to Sin City. Obviously I knew Frank Miller was going for a similar look when he decided to employ the same filming techniques he and Robert Rodriguez used on Sin City, but with the teaser’s darkness it almost looks like the same movie.
This worries me considering how different Will Eisner’s The Spirit is from Miller’s Sin City comics. I really hope Miller has stayed true to Eisner’s vision and not turned The Spirit into Sin City lite. As much as I loved both the Sin City comic books and movie, I fear Miller might be using this directing opportunity as a warm up to his production of the Sin City sequels scheduled to hit movie theaters in 2009 and 2010.

The Barney-ism Of The Week and Robin Sparkles' Return
“When I was young I was so…vulnerable and open to things, ya know? I guess I just wanted to feel that way again.
I wanted to be sixteen again.” - Robin
Robin…that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard come out of your mouth.
You want to be sixteen again?
I have watched your first Robin Sparkles video a thousand times, and it’s not because I’m proud of you as a friend.
It’s because you were totally, totally lame back then.
"Sandcastles In The Sand"
How I Met Your Mother
Wow, Robin Sparkles is back and it was so worth the wait! “Sandcastles in the Sand” was awesome and the James Van Der Beek cameo was really, really good. I couldn’t stop laughing at the line about his “amazing collection of Hard Rock Café t-shirts.” There was definitely no Britney like letdown here!
Robin Sparkles - “Sandcastles in the Sand” Music VideoPlus, the second Robin Sparkles video for her song “Sandcastles in the Sand” was as good as her first video for the “hit song” “Let’s go to the Mall.” Between Marshal’s made up word “revertigo,” Lily’s bad case of revertigo and the show’s shocking, yet rewarding, ending, “Sandcastles in the Sand” was an all around classic episode of How I Met Your Mother.
