Burn Notice’s Michael Westen Kills The Competition

Has The Blot told you lately what a huge fan I am of the USA Network’s Burn Notice? Week in and week out it is one of my favorite shows on television, and evidently much of America feels the exact same way. Last week’s season finale officially made Burn Notice “the hottest show on cable.” (link) Burn Notice ended its second season “with two series highs: 6.1 million in total viewers and 2.7 million” viewers in the coveted 18-49 demographic, making it the highest rated show on basic cable. (link)


These are extremely impressive numbers considering the second part of Burn Notice’s second season aired against strict competition from the broadcast networks. Not only was Burn Notice Season Two, Part II numbers competitive with shows like NBC’s ER and CBS’ Eleventh Hour, it soundly beat the ratings of “cable’s incumbent ratings champion, TNT’s The Closer.” (link)


I finally got a chance to watch the episode last night and was blown away. Burn Notice Season 2’s final episode was pure fun and excitement. I won’t include any spoilers in case you still haven’t seen the episode, but never in a million years did I expect the show to end the way it did. It definitely set up next season to be an exciting one without giving us a lame cliff hanger to worry about for months.


I’m just dying to see how Season 2’s game changer affects Michael (Jeffrey Donovan), Fiona (Gabrielle Anwar), Sam (Bruce Campbell) and Madeline’s (Sharon Gless) lives from here on out. If anything, I was more than a little bummed to find out there won’t be another episode of Burn Notice until the summer of ’09, but that’s a small price to pay for quality TV.

Lost - LaFleur

While last week’s episode of Lost, “LaFleur,” wasn’t the most exciting or informative episode ever, it definitely started to connect some very distant dots for us. Even though it didn’t give us any straight answers, we finally got to see what life was like on the island before the destruction of the Dharma Initiative. While The Blot initially thought Sawyer and Co. were stuck in the 70’s, it’s looking more and more like maybe the early 80’s.


I was pretty shocked at how easy it was for the time lost Losties to assimilate into the Dharma Initiative, and I definitely never imagined the island bound Losties would be living amongst them for three whole years. For some reason I just assumed the Oceanic Six would return to the island shortly after they left. So this begs the question, where have Rose and Bernard been all this time!?! Are they in the 80’s or is it possible they are on the island in the present time.


Sawyer without a doubt has grown the most of any character on Lost and this episode is a perfect example of that. He’s even using his conman skills for good! Did anyone else love the scene between Sawyer and Richard Alpert as much as I did? The dialogue was perfect for both characters and I really liked the fact that it showed two characters finally talking to one another without just reacting. I wonder if what Sawyer said helped cement Locke’s legacy as the future leader of the Others (or should they be referred to as the Natives from here on out?). And I have to say, I find myself really liking the pairing of Sawyer and Juliet. They make a really great conniving power couple.


Now that we have a better idea of when the time lost Losties are it’s time to start asking some important questions, like “at this point has a young Benjamin Linus already come to the island” and “will the time lost Losties escape the island in time to avoid the Others’ purge?” I also wonder if the reason why it was so important to the Others to bring Juliet to the island is because they already knew she had successfully delivered a baby on the island (as seen in last week’s episode).


The next obvious question of course is who does that baby grow up to be! Also, is the reason Ben has always referred to Sawyer as James because he previously knew him as James LaFleur? These are all interesting questions that I know will be answered eventually…if only I was that patient!

And lastly, I know of at least one The Blot Says… reader who was extremely excited by the all but too brief glimpse of what we can only assume was the back of the four toed statue. I love how these little details keep popping back up in the mythology of Lost. The four toed statue seems to be the remnants of a statute of Anubis, an Egyptian god of the Dead whose job it was to protect the recently deceased and bring them to the afterlife. We also saw an Ankh pop up several times during last week’s episode.

The Ankh, which means eternal life, is historically seen in conjunction with gods of the afterlife. Considering how many characters have returned from the dead once they are brought to the island, I am certain that the symbolism of Anubis and the Ankh will play a significant role in explaining the island’s mysticism and rich history. Maybe, just maybe, everything will actually get tied up by the end of next season.

The Black Chase Jaguar Warrior 8 Inch Dunny by Jesse Hernandez

In case you haven’t seen it yet, here is a picture of the Jesse Hernandez 1-in-12, super rare Black Chase Jaguar Warrior 8” Dunny that some people are referring to as the Panther Warrior Dunny. The picture is courtesy of Kidrobot.com from Jesse’s signing at the Miami Kidrobot store earlier this month.


While I tried my hardest, The Blot couldn’t get his hands on one of these awesome and extremely hard to find black variant figures and probably never will now that the 8 inch Jaguar Warrior Dunny seems to be sold out everywhere. It’s nice to see Kidrobot make the run size of their 8” Dunny releases relatively small again, but I am afraid this will mean prices will continue to stay at the $75 range.

Mr. Brainwash Prints - Jackson Pollock and 33rd St.

The Blot is excited to highlight the work of one of my new favorite graffiti artists, Mr. Brainwash. As the story goes “Mr. Brainwash, or MBW, is the moniker of an eccentric French filmmaker who has spent the last nine years attempting to make the ultimate documentary about graffiti art. But whilst filming many of the world’s most renowned street artists at work, MBW began putting his camera aside and making art of his own.” (link) MBW has since created a unique style all his own which has transformed into an extremely popular urban street art campaign.

What’s great about Mr. Brainwash’s graffiti is that it “does not fit the stereotype of your average street vandal. His artistic process chiefly consists of throwing random modern cultural icons into a blender and turning it up to eleven. The results are by turns profound, provocative and inspirational.” (link) Over the course of the next two weeks Mr. Brainwash is releasing two all new prints which I think many fans of The Blot Says… will enjoy.

First up is MBW’s “Jackson Pollock” print that of course features the famous American abstract expressionist artist. The “Jackson Pollock” print is a 22”x30” screen print which is individually hand finished and unique. Only 40 of the 50 limited edition hand signed and numbered prints will be available for sale on Wednesday, March 11th at the Mr. Brainwash online store. This print will retail for $250 and can be purchased here at around noon on the 11th.


The second print, “33rd St,” is one of my favorites because its background features the street art of some very notable artists including Obey Giant’s Shepard Fairey and Andre. "33rd St" is a 22”x30” 15 color screen print on archival paper and is limited to an edition of 50. This hand signed and numbered print will be available at around noon on Wednesday, March 18th here and will retail for $175.

Barneyism of the Week - BS (Before Stinson)

Ted, sure it’s fun to look back at a time when you were
a fresh faced farm girl with a virgin’s glow.

But all that stuff, Ohio, Karen, college…
all that was “BS” – Before Stinson.

Now, your life is awesome!

I mean yeah you still live with your ex-girlfriend,
which is ridiculous.
Your laser tag chops are almost nonexistent.
And your wardrobe,
it’s like “What are you allergic to quality fabrics?”

Seriously Ted shape up!

What were we talking about?

- Barney Stinson

"Sorry, Bro"

How I Met Your Mother

Wasn’t Laura Prepon from That 70’s Show awesome? The episode was a little underwhelming, but I love when a perfectly cast celebrity guest star brings an all new dynamic to HIMYM’s stellar ensemble cast. I can’t wait to see what else the former Donna Pinciotti has in store for Ted during her five episode stint on How I Met Your Mother. (link)

The Phish Reunion

This past weekend saw the triumphant return of Vermont jam band Phish with a three night stint (March 6th, 7th & 8th) at the Hampton Coliseum in Hampton, Virginia. Some fans never thought they’d see the band perform together again after its members decided to take an indefinite hiatus back in August of 2004, but as we’ve seen countless times before great bands always seem to eventually reunite. The Blot isn’t a huge fan of Trey Anastasio and Co., but a ton of my friends from high school and college are hardcore Phishheads (many of whom made the long trek to Virginia for the first Phish show in over four years) and it has definitely rubbed off on me.


What’s really cool about Phish’s three concerts at the Hampton Coliseum is that the band has decided to release official bootlegs of all three nights in MP3 format to public for free! Consider it a thank you to its fans for their many years of support and a consolation to fans who either weren’t able to make the trip to Virginia or get their hands on a highly sought after ticket to one of Phish’s three shows. I haven't heard that much about the shows yet, but one friend did say Saturday night was pretty awesome. If you're interested, head over to LivePhish.com and start downloading one, two or all three nights for free!

Click On The Links Below To Go To Each Show’s Download Page
March 6, 2009 - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA
March 7, 2009 - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA
March 8, 2009 - Hampton Coliseum - Hampton, VA

If you prefer better sound quality you can also purchase a FLAC or CD copy of the shows, but if you just want to hear what the band sounds like after all these years apart stick with the free MP3 format. If you’re dying to see Phish and weren’t able to attend this past weekend’s shows don’t worry, the band is sure to be announcing a new world tour any day now.

Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations - Vietnam

It’s a sad day at The Blot Says…, because The Blot has to announce that tonight’s episode of No Reservations is the last episode of Season 5A. The Travel Channel is actually making us wait until August before we get a crop of all new episodes! I truly hope everyone savors every last minute of tonight’s episode “Vietnam,” because after it’s over there’s no more Tony for at least 6 months. Now that I’ve got all that drama out of the way we can focus on the good stuff, this week’s episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.


There is no food destination in the world like Vietnam. The country is a clash of cultures mixed with a hectic urban pace where people are serious about eating. It is never a question of where to go eat when in Vietnam, but a question of what you will miss. Tony wanders the streets of Saigon, walking past food stands, sidewalk cafes and hawkers, enjoying sizzling seafood and vegetable crepes, fresh beer, and garlic sautéed seafood. If you’ve never sampled Vietnamese food you’re really missing out! Check out the video clip from tonight’s episode of No Reservations below to find out about Banh Mi, a hearty Vietnamese sandwich loaded with ham, cucumbers, dressing, and topped off with a fried egg:



Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations airs Mondays on the Travel Channel at 10/9c.

Who’s Watched The Watchmen?

Watchmen finally debuted in theaters across the country (and maybe the world?) last night at midnight, but due to some unforeseen circumstances The Blot won’t be able to see it until Sunday at the earliest. So, who out there has seen it and what did you think!?! Whether you’re seeing it tonight, tomorrow or whenever, come back afterwards to The Blot Says… and leave a comment to this post with your review of the movie!


Reviews of Watchmen are so mixed I have no idea what to expect. It’s weird, many of the websites I follow on a daily basis have all given it good to glowing reviews, but the more traditional news outlets seem to be grading it much lower. I think Time’s Richard Corliss has the best explanation for this. He reasons that “maybe Watchmen is one of those cult films that doesn't expand beyond the true believers. It probably won't make even alternative movie history.” (link)

I don’t know if that last part is a fair critique or not, but I’m really interested in finding out what people who were not already fans of the Watchmen graphic novel think of the movie. I guess we’ll get a better idea of the movie’s appeal to the country’s movie going public when its opening weekend numbers are finally tallied.

Watchmen opens in theaters today, Friday, March 06, 2009.

AMC's Breaking Bad Returns Sunday

Did anyone else watch Season 1 of AMC’s Breaking Bad? It’s definitely not everyone’s cup of tea and honestly, it can be difficult to watch at certain points. Aly watched the first two episodes and gave it up. Shows this dark aren’t entertainment for her, but The Blot couldn’t turn away. I think the most difficult part was seeing Malcolm in the Middle’s Bryan Cranston in a whole new light. But once I was able to do that, Breaking Bad’s dark comedy became addictive!

The End Justifies The Extreme

Cranston won the 2008 Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series and it was definitely well deserved. He plays Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher who lives in New Mexico and was recently diagnosed with Stage III cancer. With a prognosis of only two years left to live, he begins to panic about the thought of dying and leaving his family penniless. So Walt devises a plan to set his family up financially for life, he uses his knowledge as a chemistry teacher to start making and dealing Meth.


Breaking Bad “explores how a fatal diagnosis such as White's releases a typical man from the daily concerns and constraints of normal society and follows his transformation from mild family man to a kingpin of the drug trade.” (link) Needless to say, Breaking Bad Season 2 is sure to even more intense and shocking as the show begins to explore Walt and his partner Jesse Pinkman’s (Big Love’s Aaron Paul) newly created drug empire that was established at the end of Season 1.

Breaking Bad Season 2 premieres on AMC Sunday, March 8, 2009 at 10/9c. After that, you can catch all new episodes of Breaking Bad every Sunday on AMC on 10/9c.

Star Wars Run R2 T-Shirt by SplitReason.com

Before ordering the Starbuck’s Roasted Cylong Mug The Blot highlighted yesterday, I figured I should check out some of the other great stuff at SplitReason.com (to offset my shipping costs naturally). Lo and behold I came upon this awesome Star Wars t-shirt! The Run R2 t-shirt features, well, everyone’s favorite astromech droid R2-D2 running away from a giant All Terrain Armored Transport (also known as an AT-AT ). The Empire’s dreaded AT-AT may not be all that effective as a weapon, but its size is sure to strike fear into the heart of any rebel fighter who lays eyes on it and makes it a valuable transport vehicle.


The Star Wars Run R2 t-shirt comes on a navy t-shirt in sizes S-XXL, and can be purchased directly from SplitReason.com here for $17.95.