Thurston Blogging

Movies I Want to See in '07

There is nothing good at the theater this weekend.  We want to go to the movies as much as possible before we have to get a baby-sitter.  Quite the bummer that there isn't  anything  on that we both like - as there isn't much else to do around this town besides eat dinner and go to the movies.

Since there isn't anything out now, I have compiled a list of movies I want to see this year.  Here they are:

Fanboys.  This movie features Kristen Bell from Veronica Mars (The Jay's favorite new finds).  The story is about a bunch of clown-punchers who have to get their dying friend to see Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace.  Hilarity ensues.

American Gangster.  Russell Crowe and Denzel Washington play cops and robbers in this 70's flick.  Probably will be up for an Oscar or three.

The Simpsons Movie.  Time to sneak a sixer of beer into Celebration Cinemas.

Grindhouse.  Rose McGowan stars as an amputee with a gun for a leg in this Rodriguez/Tarantino epic "blow 'em up" flick.  I will be seeing this alone, along with 300 - a movie about the Battle of Thermoplyae.

Knocked Up.  Seth Rogan from The 40-Year-Old Virgin impregnates his one-night stand.  Ryan Seacrest also has a cameo, but I'll let that slide.

Evan Almighty.  Okay, this may be a renter.  Steve Carell and Morgan Freeman return to this sequel of Bruce Almighty.  Carell makes me laugh like crazy, and the thought of him playing a Congressman who has to build an arc.

Live Free or Die Hard.  I'll probably have to see this one on my own.  However, Kevin Smith is in it, so maybe Sharon will roll with me to it.

Transformers.  If you don't know what Transformers are, go soak your head.  This is not to be confused with the cartoon movie (which was freaking awesome), but this is a live-action flick directed by Michael Bay.

Blades of Glory.  This opus stars Will Ferrel and Amy Poehler along with Jenna Fischer from The Office.  Could be the next Anchorman, or it could be the next Talladega Nights.  I'm hoping for the former and not the ladder.

Spider-Man 3.  Represent.

The Ex.  Zach Braff and Amanda Peet (two of Thurston Blogging's favorites) star in this movie about a slacker who has to go back to work after his wife quits her high-paying job.

Into the Wild.  A dude picks up and moves to Alaska.  Hilarity probably does not ensue.  Vince Vaughn is in it, so  I'm interested to see his work.

A few others sound interesting, like the new Pirates flick and the latest Bourne movie.  Be Kind Rewind with Jack Black also sounds interesting, as does Zodiac with Jake (Donnie Darko rules) Gylllenhaal.  Zodiac is about the Zodiac killer in San Fran.  Natalie Portman stars in Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which sounds interesting.  She is also in The Other Boleyn Girl with Scarlett Johansson.  Looks like a boring flick, but I would like to punch up the script a bit given the chance.

It's time for Pac-Man

I wanted to play Pac-Man this morning.  Within 3 minutes, I was able to play Pac-Man from my Blog.  Find someone smarter than me. 

My Sexy Orange Tie

Don't you wish your tie was hot like mine?  Yeah, I'm not afraid to roll with an orange tie.  For some reason this little beauty was on clearance at Macy's.  No idea why. 

The Chosen One is 19 Weeks

Next Friday, we find out whether The Chosen One is a boy or a girl.  TCO just turned 19 weeks on Friday.  The brain is now developing the ability to understand senses such as taste and smell.  The baby can hear Sharon and it can also hear me when I talk to Sharon's belly.  I do that a lot.  Last night, we talked about how bad our dog Wrigley smells.

Here is a rendering of what the baby looks like in it's penthouse:

2007 NFL Mock Draft

A quarterback.  The Detroit Lions sign John Kitna last off-season.  He throws for over 4000 yards, yet cannot stay upright.  To me, that says "Lets draft somone who can protect Kitna".  Let me say, I'm not Kitna fan.  I rank him just higher than Andre Ware and Scott Mitchell in the pantheon of Lions quarterbacks.

It looks like the Lions take this as, "We should find another quarterback".  Here are a few mock draft lists that show what all Lions fans fear:

From CNNSI:

Robert Davis from Footballs Future also has the Detroit Lions taking Brady Quinn:

Starting to see why I drink so much?  These are not the only two websites predicting this - there are sites like Condraft, Draftclass, and Football.Com that all feel that Notre Dame's star QB will be in Ford Field this year.

While QB's like Joe Montana, Kurt Warner and Tom Brady all winning Super Bowls and not being first-round picks, it appears Matt Millen wants to restock his fantasy team with  a  #2 overall quarterback.   

In fairness, a few other draft boards show the Lions making some sense and drafting Joe Thomas, the big tackle from Wisconsin.  While I'm out on Big Ten linemen (Aaron Gibson, Robert Gallery, Tony Mandarich and company), the Lions need stout guys on the end of the line to stop the rush.

What will happen?  We'll find out the two days after my birthday this year.

Darth Tater meets the Jerking Gorilla

Our friends Matt and Anne gave us a baby gift over the weekend.  It's a baby gorilla.  While having a gorilla seems like a welcome gift, our gorilla has a slight personality tick.  Watch the video of baby gorilla meeting Darth Tater, and you may spot the gorilla's shortcomings.

My Super Bowl Picks

Here are my Super Bowl picks:

The Saints somehow beat the Bears to represent the NFC.  Rex Grossman cannot win when it matters most.

In the AFC, P. Manning takes the Colts to the promised land.  Tom Brady finally has to stay home and watch the best QB in the league play on the last Sunday.

In the Super Bowl, it's all Colts.  42-27.

Put it in the books.

I'll Take Things that suck for $1000, Alex

I had a dream about something that I hate.  Not it wasn't Yanni.  It was mushrooms.  For those who don't know, mushrooms are a fungus and should not be eaten.  Eat Corn instead of mushrooms, and you will live a long and healthy life.

It got me thinking - What else do I think is stupid or terrible.  So, I've compiled a short list of things that I think we can all do without.

10) Terrible Reality shows.  For example - Wife Swap and Meet your new Mommy.  Quit catering television to the trailer parks.

9) Wal-Mart.  Aside from the fact their stores are a mess and their products are of poor quality, they treat their employees like migrant workers.  In some cases they are, which is another problem.

8) Having to talk to Customer Service Representatives.  This means something has went wrong, and these minimum-wage headset jockeys are going to stand in my way.  If they mumble, speak English as a second language, or have an attitude - I now possess a license to rage.

7) The fact that my SUV has to run on gas. I want an engine like that from Back to the Future which runs on trash, and gets 300 miles per gallon.

6) Oprah.  That lady hasn't done jack for me.  Where is my Pontiac G6?

5) Spam.  Both the annoying e-mails, and the meat product.  Also included are dumb e-mail forwards where I'm going to  get a free Disney Vacation, free iPod, or some other dumb urban legend.

4) Napoleon Dynamite.  That movie was awful.

3) Mayonnaise.  I don't know what it is made of, and I don't want to. 

2) Matt Millen.  Why?  24-72.  That's why, man.

1) Mushrooms.  No further explanation needed.

What's it gonna be?

Here is your chance to vote whether Baby Thurston is going to be a boy or a girl.  What do the winners get?  Taco Bell onions.

Get Your Poll Widget

R.I.F.

Last year, when I was on the road, I read like I was trying to find an antidote.  Since there was nothing on television worth watching (in English) in Italy besides CNN and BBC, I decided to sit down with a good book.  Or thirty, as it turned out.  Many thanks to the Grand Rapids library system for making that possible.

Here is a list of a few books I own, and I'll publish another of the books I borrowed from the aforementioned library very soon.