bert425

the mystery DVD in mine was "Coaster Expedition Vol 8" (not sure if that's the same one others got tho). but I just spent about an hour watching incredibly fun "home movies" featuring folks I've only seen in trip reports (ie: still pics, or the occasional video that Robb posts). Makes me wanna go on a TPR trip all the more!

By Far my favorite show Music wise. the performances are good too, but performance wise, I'd pick "O" as the top show. top 5 for each: Music: 5) "Zumanity" (horrid show, but great music) 4) "O" 3) "La Nouba" 2) "Love" 1) "Alegria" Performance-wise: 5) "La Nouba" 4) "Mystere" 3) "Ka" 2) "Love" 1) "O"

I got my very first ever BoC ("Don't Fear the Reaper"?) today too! I've been slammed at work today tho, so although I've picked it up from the post box, I haven't had a moment to open it yet! (I'll do that tonight after I log off work and can enjoy the experience, and will come back to post a pic). but regardless of what's inside? Thank you so much to Robb and Elissa. . TPR is a great site, and once i discovered it a while back, it quickly became one of my favorite spots on the Internet. Heck, I was coming here well over a year before I even realized there were message-boards other than the main one here that links from the front page (I'm slow, so sue me). and I just recently joined the Facebook society (I SAID I'm slow), and TPR FB page is one the few pages I "like" and have in my feed. Y'all do a great job, and I've really enjoyed most everyone I've interacted with since joining the site! thanks again, guys! Updated with picture!

That is both AWESOME and TERRIFYING at the same time. If I were there, I likely would not have tried it! I'd be worried my fat ass would cause it to collapse. but WOO-HOO! A new video! (tho I loved watching your iPhoned Expedition Everest yesterday too).

I get the impression that "one does not rush a TPR bag of crap" the crappeth, will arriveth, when it is ready to appear Great seeing what folks are getting. . so cool. and really shows how special Robb & Ellissa make this site, and what makes TPR so special!

we saw the 2nd Hobbit in 2D, and didn't care for it. got dragged to a 3D IMAX screening by my Partner, who hadn't seen it (tho i warned him it wasn't great), and we both LOVED it. the 3D actually drastically improved this film -- in 2D all the Laketown scenes look like they were shot on a soundstage (I commented that it looked like they filmed inside a ride at Disneyland!) and that took me out of the film completely several times. But the 3D made all the difference in the world, and Laketown LOOKED like a real, existing location. Oh, the film still has problems (that river escape still goes on way too long). . but much improved by seeing in 3D Agreed tho, usually, 2D vs 3D makes no difference.

man. .the screams are going to reverberate NICELY thruout the dome. particularly from that upside-down dive!

gaaaaaaaaaaaaah! way to make us feel old! "Take it Easy" -- the Eagles: Well, I'm running down the road tryin' to loosen my load I've got seven women on my mind, Four that wanna own me, Two that wanna stone me, One says she's a friend of mine Take It easy, take it easy Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy Lighten up while you still can don't even try to understand Just find a place to make your stand and take it easy Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me Come on, baby, don't say maybe I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me We may lose and we may win though we will never be here again so open up, I'm climbin' in, so take it easy Well I'm running down the road trying to loosen my load, got a world of trouble on my mind lookin' for a lover who won't blow my cover, she's so hard to find Take it easy, take it easy don't let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy come on baby, don't say maybe I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me, oh oh oh Oh we got it easy We oughta take it easy

Saw the movie today, and I enjoyed it overall but basically agree with this. It's definitely P.L. Travers' story, much more than "the making of Mary Poppins". Travers was such an unlikable character on film (and apparently even more so in real life) that I spent the whole time just wanting her to sign the rights over and then go away so they could get on with making the movie. But Emma Thompson certainly played the role well, and definitely had some good lines in there. Now, keep in mind, I LIKED this film, very much so. (and am shocked Thompson didn't get an Oscar nod) It's not even Travers' story tho -- they omitted quite a bit of her personal story (as an adult). the Filmmakers claimed that this was a certain time-period in her life, and therefore they didn't NEED to put in anything about her sexuality (she was single at the time), nor about her adopted child (whom she basically adopted with her partner, and then immediately sent off to boarding school). yes, there was a throw-away line about her having a kid (when Disney asked her), and I DO think Thompson played Travers as a Lesbian -- it's there in the performance (Travers was actually bi-sexual, tho seemed to have preferred women). . but would have been nice if they *had* done a true bio-pic. and from what I understand (based on the books this film is based on, the trip Travers took to meet with Disney was after she had already signed the rights, and she came to the States (insisted to come), so she could make sure they did it correct. So yeah, Holywood-ized to create the conflict of "she doesn't want to go" and "will she, or won't she sign the rights over?" but regardless, it's a VERY good film. I just think of it as something like "Titanic" -- based on truth, but with some Hollywood mixed in to make it a better film.

Saw "Devil's Due" today, and enjoyed it for what it is. I was very surprised that it's a "found footage" film -- something they seem to have hidden in all the trailers. Think of it as "Rosemary's Baby" crossed with "Paranormal Activity" everything is filmed from either camcorder (the main character holds), security tapes, or cameras that have been placed thru-out their home (tho no explanation is ever given how that footage could be used to show us the film we are watching. the film has some pretty LARGE plot holes, but if you go into it just wanting a fun "devil cult impregnates woman with the Antichrist" film, this one does fit the bill. the actors (and therefore the characters) are all very likeable, and the blood is kept to a minimum for the most part -- except towards the end of the film. (I believe the segment that caused them to release Unrated instead of rated is the "birth" scene, but that's a key part of the story, so I can see how the Producers would balk at trimming their one true "gory" element. . . so yeah, don't be fooled by that "NR". . it's really not that gory). it IS full of creeping dread that slowly builds, so it's a good spooky film, and I did enjoy it.

I really need to give that steakhouse a try. Everyone has told me how it's a hidden gem and absolutely incredible. I'm not sure if I should believe the hype and go or if I'm just a pawn in a huge practical joke and setting myself up for severe disappointment. believe the Hype -- it's amazing. was the highlight of our stay (and the property book you get for staying on site, includes a coupon for a free bottle of wine with dinner)

Are you serious? It's WAY WAY MORE dangerous to put his 6 month old in a car seat and drive on the California freeways. That video was completely idiotic. I'm shocked that anyone here could actually support that and think there was "nothing wrong' with it. --Robb "There are just so many stupid people in this world" Alvey I wasn't doing any kind of comparison between putting a toddler on an animal and putting a toddler in a car. saying I don't have an issue with anything he says, isn't the same thing as saying I agree with him about why REO pulled out of Sea World. (because it IS dangerous, just as it would be dangerous to put a 6month old on ANY animal (bigger than a human or not). I can see his point of view, that does NOT mean I support that they pulled out of Summer Nights. and of course the video is idiotic -- it's TMZ asking the guy a question when he gets off a plane (and putting a false and misleading headline on the video). but what he actually says in the video? I simply don't think it's all that bad. sorry you feel that's a terrible thing to say (apparently?), but that's what I think about this particular 90 second interview with a member of REO Speedwagon. (how do you feel about Heart performing on "Family Guy". . do you find that as hypocritical as I do?).

tell you what WE said about it: "ouch, ouch, OUCH, F##k, G@#*am that HURTS, ouch, ouch, OMG there's more? OUCH, when does it end. . . never again" that's pretty much an actual quote from when we went two years ago we did a 5 day ParkHopper with a one day excursion to Knott's -- I'm pretty sure the day was Wed, and there were LITERALLY 200 people in the park. Everything was a walk on. I asked an employee about it, and she said it's always slow during the week, but that they make up for it on weekends. so maybe when you go back, shoot for a weekday?

that is one heck of a great "Mike Brady Perm" AWESOME!

No Band, but a song with that name actually DOES exist:

but it's a big animal, and they have killed folks (fairly recently). can that be said about a lot of big animals? yep, a Lion just killed a zookeeper in Atlanta Zoo (I think it was Atlanta)? but he was asked specifically about Blackfish, so, he responded regarding Orcas. so yeah. . he was a bit casual, but c'mon, he got asked a question by someone with a camera (who probably lied and said he's a fan to get him to talk) while getting off a flight. It's not like it was a formal interview in a business or press conference setting.

Annnnnd the "Bag O' Douche" list gets another tally mark... did you watch the video? or just go by the headline?

I actually have absolutely NO issue with his comments there (he even gives Sea World credit for the good work they do with the animals). and his take that "it's Sea World's fight, not mine" -- while not an attitude *I* would take, it's a valid one. ignore the sensational headline, and watch the clip - he never says anything even CLOSE to what the headline states (he never says "my son SURVIVED Sea World"). And he does have a point - it was dangerous to put a 6moth old on the back of an Orca (but it would have been just as dangerous to put a child that age on the back of an Elephant at the San Diego Zoo, and I get the definite impression that if they had asked him that, they would have gotten the SAME answer) so yeah. . I have no issue with anything he says.

so. . just got around to watching last Sunday's "Family Guy" (a show that we love, but Sunday's in particular, called "Grimm Job" was absolutely full of gay/homophobic jokes, and sex jokes). but at one point (During the Jack and Beanstalk segment), Jack (Peter) tries to convince his wife (Lois) that he got a good deal by selling the cow for Magic Beans. his method? the band Heart singing "These Beans" and "What About Beans" I said to my partner, that sounds like Ann Wilson singing! But certainly no. They pulled out of Sea World summer nights due to ethics concerns. It would be HUGELY hypocritical for her to be voicing a character in "Family Guy" -- considering how often Misogynistic/Homophobic/and just plain offensive the show often is! but there it was, right in the end credits (and confirmed by IMDB): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3422494/?ref_=nm_flmg_slf_1 Ann and Nancy Wilson (Heart) will boycott Sea World, but will lend their voices to "Family Guy". Hypocrites.

I grew up watching him, and had since re-discovered his somewhat wooden acting in classic Sci-Fi films (such as MST3K: the Movie's "This Island Earth"). R.I.P. man. . . I'll miss you

you are very welcome. that truly *was* the Oscar short list. if you haven't seen "20 feet from stardom". . it's an AWESOME doc about the backup singers for major stars, it's incredible (if you hadn't guessed by my gushing over it). and if you have seen it, and liked it, go see "Standing in the Shadows of Motown" -- an incredible documentary about the Motown session players who did the music for most of Motown's biggest hits/stars. oh, and to keep this on topic, we are going to buy Season Passes to SeaWorld San Antonio this season to show our support for the parks (first time we've ever done a Sea World pass)

yep. . really pleased that they overlooked it. and I was correct in 3 of the five that DID get noms (THRILLED that "20 Feet from Stardom" got the "entertainment" Doc spot over B-fish)

My Giftee still hasn't posted any pics (oh well). . but today I got a really cool 2nd package from my Secret Santa: Midgetman82! I'm blown away with how PERFECT both this gift and the original DVD were. when I said I like Horror and Music, I wasn't expecting someone to nail the perfect gifts! (both things I don't have, and both things I LOVE). for those who aren't aware, "Goblin" is a prog band that scored many of Dario Argento's films (most famously "Suspiria"), tho they've done a TON of other soundtrack work as well. They just reformed and toured, so the shirt with their logo is a fantastic thing that I will wear and treasure

I'm pretty sure it will. Part of me is saying that because I want to be pleasantly surprised when it doesn't. But I also know how screwed up the academy really is, and I get the feeling they have played their cards much better than Waiting for Superman did. we'll know tomorrow for sure (nom's announced) apparently, here's the shortlist (the one's I'm expecting to see get Nom's I've bolded): The Act of Killing - Final Cut for Real The Armstrong Lie - The Kennedy/Marshall Company Blackfish - Our Turn Productions The Crash Reel - KP Rides Again Cutie and the Boxer - Ex Lion Tamer and Cine Mosaic Dirty Wars - Civic Bakery First Cousin Once Removed - Experiments in Time, Light & Motion God Loves Uganda - Full Credit Productions Life According to Sam - Fine Films Pussy Riot: A Punk Prayer - Roast Beef Productions The Square - Noujaim Films and Maktube Productions Stories We Tell - National Film Board of Canada Tim's Vermeer - High Delft Pictures 20 Feet from Stardom - Gil Friesen Productions and Tremolo Productions Which Way Is the Front Line from Here? The Life and Time of Tim Hetherington - Tripoli Street although I would REALLY hope that "Blackfish" spot goes to "20 Feet from Stardom" instead . . . but I have a feeling "Blackfish" will get a nom (tho it most certainly won't win). I loved "Which Way is the Front Line from Here?". . but the film just didn't work for anyone who wasn't already familiar with his work (unfortunately)

BAD Homo! BAD BAD BAD! I sentence you to 3 listens of the "Wicked" Soundtrack, and Hulu Watching of last year's Tonys, and Oscars telecasts!