Tuesday Top Ten: Board Games

This week's top ten is board games I loved playing. They have always been an easy and fun way to pass the time. They start arguments and bring a lot of laughs. There is always at least one game that someone is good at, you'll never find someone who is terrible at every board game. They may hate Monopoly but they are awesome at Scrabble and Boggle. It's just the way life works.

10. Nightmare

Not exactly a scary game but I loved how it was interactive with a VHS tape. I am still waiting for the game to be updated with a DVD.

9. Connect Four

I can never get sick of this game. I played it so much that everyone else got sick of it. Then when Nessa and I started dating her aunt had an electronic version which I played so much that the batteries got sick of the game.

8. Scene It

One of two games that people don't like playing with me because I'm a geek that knows too much useless things.

7. Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture

This is the other game that people won't play with me. Nessa and I even had to make special rules so that she would play it with me. Then when I'm answering questions she gives me those annoyed eyes she has.

6. Scattergories

This is Nessa and my go to game when we want to play a game. It's easy to set up and provides some good laughs. You find out some interesting facts as well. Like Ben Williams was a football player in 1954 but he was not the runner caught taking performance enhancing drugs. That was Ben Johnson. Also Jello Cube will never be a Halloween costume.

5. Yahtzee

I use to play this game a lot when I worked at the Youth Center. Craig Isaac and I had some crazy Yahtzee battles. I mean what else were we supposed to be doing, watching the kids?

4. Risk

 I suck at this game because it takes forever and I end up making stupid moves cause I am bored. But I use to like playing with the guys at Al's and it gets extra points because Al and I would team up to make sure Rory lost.

3. The Game of Life

 I remember that when we use to play this as a family I use to be the only one who went to college. Funny how life turns out.

2. Battleship

You've sunk my battleship. I use to love saying that and it amazes me that I do not own this game right now. When I pointed this fact out to Nessa agreed that we should go buy it soon. It's such a quick game to play when you just want to set up the game quick and have some fun.

1. Monopoly

 My all time favorite board game. I'm not a huge fan of how they have modernized it, I mean what is the point of playing if the banker can't steal money or cut deals on the side when people go to the bathroom. What's amazing about this game is everybody has different rules. Some play with only $500 on free parking. Others play that you have to wait until all properties are sold to buy houses and hotels. The really crazy players even play without all the bad Chance and Community Chest cards.

Music Monday: Missy Higgins - Where I Stood

'Cos I dont know who I am, who I am without you
All I know is that I should
And I don't know if I could stand another hand upon you

I first heard this song in an episode of Smallville then someone danced to it on So You Think You Can Dance Canada and I was reminded of how much I liked the song. 

It's such a sad song but it hits on so many things that most people feel when in a long term relationship. The thought always passes through my mind., what if there was someone better suited for the the person you were in love with. With over six billion people in the world what are the real chances that I am the best person for my wife. The song also touches on the feelings that if the person leaves what do you have left. When you live you whole life for someone else it's scary to think of what life would be without them.

It's something that scares me but all I can do is be the best husband I can. I don't think I'd be good at dealing with heartbreak but at a certain point it's out of my control. I can just love her to the best of my ability and hope it'll always be enough to keep her in love with me forever. Sometimes people are lucky enough to meet the love of their lives and be with that person forever. 

Fingers crossed that I am that lucky!

Tuesday Top Twenty: One Hit Wonders

I'm going extra this week. Mostly because I actually like all 20 songs. Some are guilty pleasures that I listen to in the privacy of my home when no one is around or secretly tap my feet to while I am listening to my iPod. Of course I pretend they are other songs. That's the power of head phones. Other songs are by artists I really enjoy but for whatever reason they never got that second hit. Either way I had a hard time getting it down to twenty songs and like this all so the easy solution was to just extend the list to a Tuesday Top Twenty. 

Enjoy the tunes ... should bring back some memories for you!

20. Chumbawamba Tubthumping

  Sure the song is kinda annoying but it's still a good listen every once and a while. Plus it's a good song to sing when you are trying to annoy people by getting songs stuck in their heads.

19. Billy Ray Cyrus Achy Breaky Heart

My sisters use to play this song all the time and even though I pretended to hate it I secretly listened to it. Just not as much as they did. At least this daughter is really successful.

18. Biz Markie Just a Friend

One of my favorite songs to sing at karaoke. Mostly because his voice is almost as bad as mine. 

17.  Skee-Lo I Wish

The video made this song. Sadly I couldn't find the video but it's still a great song from the 90's.

16.  Rednex Cotton-Eyed Joe

The Flagship use to play this all the time in the late 90's. Of course the fact that I know that means I was in a bar well before I was 19. It's not my fault they didn't card us on Friday nights. Of course we didn't give them much choice considering when they did card we all left so it was either let it slide or have an empty bar. 

15. Sir Mix-a-Lot Baby Got Back

Can't have a list of one hit wonders without Sir Mix-A-Lot. I can't rap but I always tried when this song came on.

 

14. Afroman Because I Got High

I was gonna write a blurb ... but I got high.

13. Daniel Powter Bad Day

Another very addictive song that just gets stuck in your head. Daniel Powter actually has other songs I like a lot more but this is the only one that he was able to hit it big with. 

12. The Cardigans Lovefool

I didn't care for their other songs but I always loved this tune. 

11.  Semisonic Closing Time

I use to crank this song at Al's after a long night of drinking and just wind down. Of course I was winding down more because I was so drunk I was passing out but that's besides the point.

10. Nena 99 Luftballons

 Forget the translation. This song is so much better in German. 

9.  Whigfield Saturday Night

I remember this song being played at Junior High dances. I still do the dance in my socks.

8.  Uncle Sam I Don't Ever Want To See You Again

Not sure why I like this song. I've never been cheated on by someone else but for some reason I just really like the way the song is sung. 

7. Right Said Fred I'm Too Sexy

I'm not even sure if they ever recorded another song but anything that included the line "I'm too sexy for my cat" is a classic.

 

6.  Lou Bega Mambo No. 5 (A Little Bit Of...)

Another purely addictive song when you listen to it. I actually once owned the album and pretty sure I only listened to the one song.

5. Sixpence None The Richer Kiss Me

I was at HMV once and saw a Greatest Hits of Sixpence None The Richer and laughed.

4. Vanilla Ice Ice Ice Baby

I had a chance to see him in University but he cancelled because UPEI threw potatoes at him.  I really wanted to see him even if it would have been Metal versions of his hits. Word to you mother!

3. The Verve Bitter Sweet Symphony

 I still listen to this song all the time. The video is one of the best ever and the should have been a bigger band like Oasis.

2. Joan Osbourne One Of Us

She tried really hard to get that second hit but it just didn't happen. It should have. "One of Us" is one of the best written songs ever and she sings it with such emotion. 

1. Dexy's Midnight Runners Come on Eileen

One of the best songs from the 80's. I've never heard another song by the band but I've always loved this song. It's catchy and has a fun video that was always enjoyable. 

Music Monday: The Beatles - I Want To Hold You Hand

And when I touch you I feel happy, inside
It's such a feeling
That my love
I can't hide

The Beatles had a lot of great songs but this one has always been my favorite. It's such a simple song with a melody and lyric that just gets stuck in your head. The song doesn't show their great song writing ability like some of their bigger hits like "Yesterday", "Hey Jude", "Help", and "Come Together" but it excelled in it's simplicity and honesty. The song is also what launched Beatlemania in America.

I'm not sure if the fact that it is such a simple song is why they became so huge in America but considering some early singles failed, you can look at the top of the charts now and it's easy to assume that the song was huge because it was simple and easy to enjoy for the American audience. Either way it opened the door for The Beatles to have the opportunity to expend into more artistic avenues with some of the best albums ever released: Revolver, Abbey Road, The White Album, and Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. They didn't start with this song but when a lot of people think of The Beatles, a lot of the time this is where the discussion starts.

The song is also very romantic. It's a want that can be felt by all ages. It gets to the core of what a relationship is. Just wanting to hold someone's hand. Sure it always leads to falling in love and everything that comes with that emotion but at the heart of any relationship is the want to simply hold someone's hand. Maybe I'm just a sappy guy but that feeling has always appealed to me.

2011 POPCORN Awards Part 3

Best Song Used in a TV Show
Kris Allen "I Need To Know" on The Vampire Diaries
Chris Colfer "I Want To Hold You Hand" on Glee
Sara Bareillas “Breathe Again” Smallville

Christina Perri “Arms” One Tree Hill

And the winner is ... 

Chris Colfer "I Want To Hold You Hand" on Glee

If there was a cover I would pay from Glee this would be it. The episode was one of the more emotional ones and Chris Colfer is a great actor and singer when he's not being so peachy. The song is also one of my favorite Beatles tunes and it was nice to see it slowed down and included in such an emotion scene.

Best new show

The Walking Dead
The Voice

Rookie Blue

And the winner is ...

 The Walking Dead

It was a weak season for new shows on network TV but there were some good cable shows that debuted and I thought The Walking Dead was the best of the bunch. With all the love for vampires and werewolves, it is nice to see zombies get some love. One of the things I love about cable shows is that most of them are never afraid to kill off characters and push the boundaries to make good TV.
 
Worst Season finale
Glee
Grey's Anatomy
90210

Family Guy

And the winner is ... 

 

Family Guy

I love Family Guy but it was weak that their season finale was an episode that was released on DVD last fall. With all the money the show makes they could have written a real finale. Of course people still watched it, including me, so I cause the writers are having the last laugh.

Best Season Finale
Fringe
The Walking Dead
The Big Bang Theory

And the winner is ... 

Fringe

The finale delivered because they were able to jump into the future and deliver
an emotional episodes. It was a chance they took and it worked for the show. That combined with the stellar cliffhanger made for a great hour of television.

Best Series Finale
Smallville
Greek
Friday Night Lights

And the winner is ... 

Smallville

I love all three shows and they all had great moments but Smallville has been one of my favorite shows for the last ten seasons and the finale offered almost everything I could expect from a show that I watched for so long. I was happy they were able to bring back Lex Luthor and loved the montages that they were able to include into the show. And the ending scene was epic.

But I will miss Coach and Cappie as well. 

2011 POPCORN Awards Part 2

Worst cliffhanger

Naomi is Pregnant on 90210
Lack of a Cliffhanger on Glee
Vanessa is fired on Hellcats

And the winner is ...

 Vanessa is fired on Hellcats

Only because the show was cancelled. Even though I didn't watch the episode and Nessa told me about it. I just felt they should have cut this part off the episode. They had enough time to edit the ending and I always felt they show placed to much emphasis on the adult characters.

Best Cliffhanger

Peter disappears Fringe
Penny sleeps with Raj on Big Bang Theory
Who is Barney Marrying HIMYM?

And the winner is ... 

Peter disappears Fringe

It's not as good as killing off a major character but seeing Peter disappear and then everyone else act as if he was never there is as close as it gets. That scene was quickly followed by the observers saying that Peter served his purpose and that it will be as if he never existed. The cliffhanger opens so many possibilities for the following season. 

Biggest fall from last season

Glee
Vampire Diaries

The Office

And the winner is ...

Vampire Diaries

 The show wins by default over the other two because I couldn't make it through the season. I at least made it through the other two shows. The story lines felt so disjointed and it felt like the writers were trying to hard to include too many characters when they should focus primarily on the central three.

Biggest gain from last season

American Idol
Grey's Anatomy

True Blood

And the winner is ... 

 

True Blood

I really didn't like the story line in season two. I dragged my way through the season and took a long time to watch season three. I finally got around to watching last month because season four is about to start and I wanted to try to catch up before it started. Once I started I finished the season within a week. I only stopped when I needed to go to bed. It felt like the show returned to how it was in season one and the supporting cast this season was entertaining and drove the storyline well. The only part that I didn't like was the story acts concerning Tara but I've never cared for the character from the start.

Tuesday Top Ten: Animals in Pop Culture

This weeks Top Ten is for my dog Zack. He wanted to know what I thought was the Top Ten animals that were in movies and TV. It was a harder list to come up with but I made it through the list and here it is.

10.  Littlest Hobo

I always wanted the hobo to settle down. I wanted him to have a family and a home but that would go against what he stood for. Maybe tomorrow he'll learn to settle down.

9.  Clifford the Big Red Dog

I always liked the books better then the way they did the cartoons but they were some of my favorite books that I read as a young boy.

8.  Big Bird and Snuffy

 I always liked the friendship between Big Bird and Snuffy. They worked with each other well and Big Bird always kept Snuffy from getting to depressed. Sesame Street was good at showing true friendship and these two were some of the best other then Bert and Ernie who I still think are gay characters regardless of what others may think.

7. Kermit the Frog

He was always my favorite muppet and he always had the most work to do since he was almost always the main character in the movies and the host of The Muppet Show. He also often did skits on Sesame Street which is one of my favorite childhood shows. Plus I always loved the way he sang Rainbow Connection.

6. Santa’s Little Helper from The Simpsons

The Simpsons never really used the pets that often but when they used them it was often a touching moment. Sure I still think that The Simpsons should end but I like that they always kept Santa's Little Helper.

5.  Vincent from Lost

 It always felt like Vincent got the short end of the stick. He was always there for the castways and they always seemed to leave him behind. The final scene when he lays beside Jack is heartbreaking.

4. Rowdy from  Scrubs

 Rowdy was one the best running jokes that Scrubs had. Sure it's a little weird to keep a stuffed dog but the pranks they pulled with Rowdy were hilarious.

3. Paul Anka from Gilmore Girls

 I liked Paul Anka because he reminds me a lot of Zack. They are both afraid of everything. I loved the scenes where Paul Anka needed to have a coat put down because he was afraid of the stairs. Zack was once afraid of stairs as well. 

2.  Brian from Family Guy

 Family Guy does a good job of showing how a dog can be man's best friend even though the dog can walk and talk. Brian gets a lot of the best scenes and I like the scenes between Brian and Stewie.

1. Hedwig from  Harry Potter

 I always liked that Hedwig grew with Harry and was there almost to the very end of the series. JK Rowling did a good job of relaying the friendship between a young child and their first pet.

Music Monday: Darius Rucker - This

For every stoplight I didn't make
Every chance I did or I didn't take
All the nights I went too far
All the girls that broke my heart
All the doors that I had to close
All the things I knew but I didn't know
Thank God for all I missed
Cause it led me here to this

I found this song  because Nessa wanted it on her iPod so I downloaded it and have been listening to it every since. I like to live my life with no regrets and I strongly believe that everything happens for a purpose. That's what this song gets to. With everything that goes wrong in life we need to believe that it all leads us to something that is great. Every downfall molds us into someone who knows what they need to be happy and eventual we take the measures to find that happy ending.

2011 POPCORN Awards Part 1

Since I am such a huge fan of TV and like to make lists of my favorite things it was only naturally that I choose my favorite TV moments from the 2010 - 2011 TV season. And since I've been blessed with a great nickname which always serves as a great snack to watch TV with it only makes sense to call these the POPCORN Award.

Today I will post the first five awards:

Worst Storyline

Chucks entire second half storyline on Gossip Girl

Owen and Christina fight over wanting a child on Grey’s Anatomy

Adrianna steals a dead guys song book on 90210

And the winner is  ...

Owen and Christina from Grey's Anatomy

It's not that I don't think they should have the conversation about having children. I think that's one of the conversations couples should have when they get serious. But that's where the problem lies. They are fighting about this after they got married. Maybe they should have talked this through before saying their vows. Maybe Owen could have even written that he wanted kids into his vows so Christina could give her patented sarcastic face and left him at the alter. It just makes no sense that they only really discussed having children after being married for like a year.

Best storyline
Dan and Blair becoming friends on Gossip Girl

Alternate worlds on Fringe

Agent 0 on Chuck

And the surprising winner is ...

Dan and Blair from Gossip Girl

As much as I loved the Alternate Worlds storyline on Fringe I was shocked at how much I loved Dan and Blair working together. For the entire middle part of the season it's what kept me watching Gossip Girl. Of course the writers screwed it up like they always do with the good stuff on Gossip Girl but I think they were even surprised by the chemistry between Penn Badgley and  Leighton Meester. 

Show that was canceled and should have been

Hellcats

Mad Love

United States of Tara

And the winner is ...

Hellcats

I don't watch United States of Tara but my wife loves it and I always hate seeing shows other people love get cancelled prematurely. I did like the few episodes I saw of Mad Love and think it could have grown into a successful show if given the chance. I just think Hellcats could have been so much more if the writers were given a chance to retool the show. They needed to stop focusing so much on the adult characters and stop making Marti such a perfect character. The show had a lot of potential to grow like One Tree Hill grew in the early seasons. 

Show that was renewed and shouldn't have been

90210

One Tree Hill

The Office

And the winners are ...

90210 and One Tree Hill

90210 should have ended. High school shows never survive once the show moves to college. It's why One Tree Hill skipped the college years all together. And for One Tree Hill I am glad they are getting the last 13 episodes and hope they bring in Lucas and Peyton before it's all done but the way the season ended with Jamie dribbling in the Keith Scott hoodie was so poetic and a great bookend for the series. 

Most Underused character
Alex from Grey's Anatomy
Nate from Gossip Girl
Mike Chang from Glee  

And the winner is ...

Nate from Gossip Girl

The guy just sits around looking pretty. He's really just there to be a crutch for other characters story lines and if he wasn't so pretty he probably would have been written out because the show has rarely ever had anything useful to do with him.

Quick Take: Just Go With It

Let me start by saying I only watched this movie because Nessa wanted to order it on Pay Per View. I am not really a fan of Jennifer Aniston and had no intention to watch the movie. I was pleasantly surprised that I loved the movie.

Aniston was great in this movie. She was charming as the mother and worked well with Sandler and the children. There were alot of small moments where she had such joy on her face which you don't see much in her acting. Especially the scene where Sandler's character teaches her son to swim.

Sandler was really good in the film. I enjoy most of his movies but it was refreshing to see his comedy grow outside of just stupid humor and adapt into a more adult yet still funny sense of humor. It fits him well. Brooklyn Decker did well in her role as well. Not a lot of people can pull off the move from being a model to being an actor and I don't see any Oscars in her future but I can see her doing well in romantic comedies and action flicks.

The kids they chose as the son and daughter were cute. The little girl using the British accent was great and the little boy did well in all the scenes he was in especially the Pizza Hut and the swimming scene. Nicole Kidman and Dave Matthews did a good job with their smaller roles and the scene with Dave Matthews picking up a coconut with his butt was awesome

The movie has a great running joke that in most movies would get tiresome but they pulled it off well because it was used in moderation and to show the chemistry between Sandler and Aniston. The relationship between them was built nicely. You get the feeling that they love each other early on in the film and when they realize they are in love it feels like a realistic moment of realizing you are in love with your best friend and you've always been in love with them.

The film had the regular romantic comedy montage of people pondering their feelings and considering their future. It wasn't anything special but it included a great mash up of Snow Patrol's "Chasing Cars" and The Police's "Every Breathe You Take"

The movie didn't reinvent the romantic comedy but it was delivered in a way that was very enjoyable.

Tuesday Top Ten: High School Movies

With thanks to my friend Amy for the suggestion this week I will be doing Top Ten High School Movies.

Some honorable mentions this week are Varsity Blues because Dawson with a Texan accent is hilarious, Friday Night Lights and Remember The Titans because they felt move about social politics and football then high school, and Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink because althrough they are great movies there are better 80's high school movies that made the list.

10. High School Musical trilogy

Yes the movies are cheesy but what musical is not cheesy. I think they are fun movies that I happen to enjoy even if people make fun of me for it. 

9. Carrie

The ending to this movie always freaked me out. It showed how cruel people can be in high school before we had "Mean Girls." It was horrifying when the pig's blood was dropped on her head and the entire end of the movie is dramatic and spooky.

8. Not Another Teen Movie

There were a few movies I considered putting on the list but luckily I was able to use this movie to cover them all. She's All That, Never Been Kissed, Rudy, Breakfast Club. This movie covers them all and does in a way that's not over done like most of the recent spoof movies that have been released. 

7. Grease

It still shocks me that my mother let me watch this movie as a kid. It's crazy how adult content can be so innocently hidden by singing a well timed tune. I also had a crush on Olivia Newton John so bonus points for that.

6. Can’t Hardly Wait

I always liked this movie. I liked how the popular jock became the joke and the nerd was the coolest guy at the party. Maybe it's because I was the nerd in high school. Also this movie makes Jennifer Love Hewitt tolerable which is a hard feat to accomplish and it's hard to not like anything that Ethan Embry is in. He's such a likable guy.

5. American Pie

Even through this movie came out after other great raunchy movies , it also came out when I was old enough to watch the movies in theaters which  makes it better because it's from my generation. My older sister has "Weekend at Bernie's" and "Porky's" and we get American Pie trilogy. Personally I think we got the better deal.

4. Dead Poet’s Society

One of my all time favorite movies. I always wished I had a teacher that really inspired me. Sadly I never got inspiration but I don't think any one really did at Sugarloaf. Carbee Diem ... Seize the Carbe, I mean seize the day.

3. Fast Times at Richmond High

Watching the trailer is just as funny as the movie. It's a seriously bad trailer. But the movie showcased what high school is in funny and irrelevant ways.

2. Dazed and Confused

 It's crazy to look back and realize that we based a lot of our high school parties on this movie. It's the epitome of what you want the last day of school to be.

1. Breakfast Club

Regardless of what anyone says this is the greatest high school movie ever. I am not looking forward to the day that a movie studio gets around to remaking this movie because I don't think they'll be able to recreate what the actors bought to the movie. Also with the world of social networking we'd know everything about the movie as it is being made and they'd cast popular but bad actors in the roles. The movie showed how people from different cliques could understand each other and maybe even become friends. This quote from the movie sums it up best:

Brian: Dear Mr. Vernon, we accept the fact that we had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was we did wrong. What we did *was* wrong. But we think you're crazy to make an essay telling you who we think we are. You see us as you want to see us... In the simplest terms, in the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain...

Andrew: ...and an athlete...

Allison: ...and a basket case...

Claire: ...a princess...

Bender: ...and a criminal...

Brian: Does that answer your question?... Sincerely yours, the Breakfast Club.

Quick Take: Teen Wolf

On first glance Teen Wolf reminded me a lot of Smallville. You have a young man learning to control his powers. You have the beautiful young girl who the main character lusts after and they even threw in the early makings of a potential love triangle with the popular girl. You have the older friend who you're not sure you can trust but need them to provide information and guidence. You even have the best friend who knows the secret and can help protect the main characterThe major difference is where Smallville had a lot of history to follow and could not step to far away from that history, Teen Wolf can grow into it's own show with no expectations set. It can easily ignore the great 80's movie of the same name.

The pilot set the story nicely and did enough to make me want to watch more. It's not always easy to establish characters and story but Teen Wolf did a nice job. The pilot had a nice pace and didn't try to throw too much at you but did set up a lot of potentially interesting stories for the rest of the season. 

The acting on the show was ok for a young cast. I did like that most of the actors looked like they truly belonged in high school. Their was moments that the main character reminded me of Keanu Reeves with his delivery and mannerisms but he was likable which is what is needed for a main character. It's always the secondary characters that people cling to and I am not sure that Teen Wolf. Smallville had Chloe. Everwood had Bright. Dawson's Creek had Pacey and the list goes on. I'm not totally sold on the character of Stiles yet but it was a good start and the character definitely has room to grow. The main love interest was a mixed bag as well.She had chemistry with the main actor and the twist at the end gave the story plenty of places to go from here. And watching the previews for the rest of the season shows that the story can go in interesting directions.

The dialogue was well down for the most part. There was a lot of funny moments. My favorite exchange was after the main actor suddenly became good at Lacross and the team's star confronted him.

Jackson: "Where did you get your juice?"
Scott: "My mom gets all the groceries,"

The show has a lot of potential to be a good tv show. I hope it continues to deliver.