Anakin's Glowing Eyes

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BUNCH of New HD Channels Today!!

This is big news for the HD world...DirecTv lit up a bunch of new HD channels this morning at 3am. And they plan to add many before next month and by the end of the year. This is just so awesome. Yes, the geek in me is happy. And I guess my grades will suffer...So early in the quarter too.

A list of the channels live now! -

Ladies and Gentlemen....

The new HD Channels are here!

The following channels are live today, September 26, 2007:

*265: A & E HD
282: Animal Planet HD
220: Big Ten HD
202: CNN HD
278: Discovery HD
206 / 73: ESPN HD
209 / 72: ESPN2 HD
70/501/509: HBO HD East
269: History Channel HD
76: HD Theater (was Discovery HD Theater)
79: HDNet
78: HDNet Movies
280: Learning Channel HD
244: Movie Channel HD
212: NFL Network HD
284: Science Channel HD
538: SHO Too HD
71/537/543: Showtime HD
540: Showtime HD West
267: Smithsonian HD
519: Starz Comedy HD
520: Starz HD East
521: Starz HD West
522: Starz Edge HD
518: Starz Kids and Family
247: TBS HD
245 / 75: TNT HD
74: Universal HD
604: Versus HD / Golf Channel HD
362: Weather Channel HD*

A Look Forward to the Fall TV Season

Top 7 returning shows I'm looking forward to this fall:

1. The Office - One of the most consistently high quality and funny shows. And it's not only the humor...But the subtle expression of inner feelings is unmatched.
2. Heroes - Let's hope it wasn't a one season wonder...
3. Scrubs - It's final season and still not in HD. It will be missed..or it would be missed if it wasn't already syndicated like crazy!
4. Family Guy - The season opener is gonna be a star wars special..Just awesome.
5. Supernatural - A very a quality underrated CW offering. How can not like Jensen Ackles??
6. How I Met Your Mother - Slap bet.
7. Bones - I think it's the only "crime" show I watch because it's actually entertaining.

I didn't put Lost on the list because it doesn't return until January 2008. But I am definitely looking forward to its final episodes!

There are a few returning shows that I do enjoy but am hesitant to place on the "looking forward" list because my interest in them is tapering off due their degrading quality last season...These include:

1. Smallville - I have been a fan since day one. I have every season on DVD. But seriously this show should have ended like 2 seasons ago. The show always has some of the absolute best season finales but the middles portions of the season have been lacking - there are only so many "mutant of the week" episodes you can do.
2. Grey's Anatomy - I think most would agree this show got a bit dry last season. Less romance/sex and more drama and humor please. And please don't have any cross over crap with that Private Practice spin-off bullcrap.
3. American Dad - eh. It's funny and all but it already feels dated for some reason.

Top 3 new shows I'm looking forward to:

1. Reaper - The pilot was great! It's a supernatural comedy about a 20ish year old guy who has to collect escaped souls for the devil. Funny stuff.
2. Chuck - Basically another show about a 20ish guy who works at the "nerd herd" (geek squad) tech repair center at a Best Buyish type store who ends up having all of the US government secrets copied to his memory. Brought to you by the creator of The O.C. so it has that same type of geekish humor that Seth (Adam Brody) did so well in the first 2 seasons of The O.C.
3. Beauty and the Geek 4 (I Consider this new since there are no returning characters)

The Sarah Connor Chronicles is missing from the list because FOX has decided to bring it out in January instead. Since the show is on FOX it's probably best not to get too attached to the show if it's an good since they will probably screw it over and cancel it without giving it a chance. (Yes, much bitterness here...Dark Angel..Firefly...John Doe..the list goes on.) It's a series based on the Terminator series.

And there are few shows I'm not too excited about but will probably watch an episode or two to see if they're any good:

Aliens in America - The pilot episode was okay..Had a few laughs but not much substance. I think I might actually be a bit out of the target age demographic though..
The Big Bang Theory - CBS trying to bank on the success of How I Met Your Mother style...Probably will fail like The Class did.
Pushing Daisies - Interesting concept - A guy can revive the dead for 60 seconds by touching them.

And Shows I will miss from the summer:

Entourage - It's just soooo good and addicting.
My Boys
Hogan Knows Best (don't laugh!)
The Two Coreys (what??)
Pick Up Artists (ok, go ahead and laugh.)

The Reason I Am Up Late & Gadget Update

I have been staying up pretty late these past few days...Going to sleep between 3 and 4 A.M which is odd since I spent most of the summer heading to bed by 11 since I had myself on a strict MCAT study schedule. Hopefully this pattern won't hang around too long since classes start this Thursday. Maybe I should stop drinking Mountain Dew Game Fuel at night..over 20mg more caffeine than a regular can of dew for a total of 73 mg per can.;)


You can probably notice that my phone cam pic is not its usual 5MP self. This is because I sold my 3-month old Nokia N95 in anticipation of the late september (hopefully) release of the US version of the N95 which adds 3G, bigger battery, and double the RAM to the original N95 making it pretty much the best and most complete phone available. SO for now I'm relying on the super dependable 6620.

I also added a new toy to my ever growing gadget bin - a 16GB iPod Touch. I mainly got it for its browsing capability and video. Still gonna use by regular ipod from time to time since I have well over 40 gigs of music which obviously can't fit on the touch.

On the HD front I "upgraded" my Tivo HD DVR to the HR20-700 (for free if you play your cards right!) so I can watch/record the new HD channels coming up in the next month or so. I already miss my old Tivo interface and reliability..And I won't be able to use "Tivo" as a verb anymore...But I guess sacrifices have to be made if you crave the latest and greatest. Hi-def is addictive.

And a pic of Anakin while I'm at it:

Why Don't Men Talk Like Women Do?

Some of the interpretations in the article "Why Don't Men Talk Like Women Do?" are really true in my experience...An example:

Yeah. He's thinking exactly what he's saying, which is that everything's fine. "Women think that not talking about the relationship means there are problems, but it's the opposite for men. If we're not talking about it, it means we're happy," says Conner, 32. So the real question is not "What's he thinking?" It's "What are you thinking?" If you're content with the relationship you've got, then relax and enjoy it. And if you want more, say so. "If a man loves a woman, he'll prove it with daily action not just words," says Jimmy, 27. Either he'll step up to the plate, or what he's giving now is all he's got -- and maybe you need to move on.

Check out the rest of article here.

3 Weeks Off = Too Many Movies to Review Part 2/2

This is part 2 of 2 of my quickie movie reviews from the past 3 weeks...

The King of Kong (2007) - (8.5/10) - Just awesome. A documentary about the battle for the world record for Donkey Kong. Even if you're not into this kinda stuff I am 100% you will be entertained from start to finish.

And the trailer:


One Crazy Summer (1986) - (6/10) - This is my second time seeing this and for some reason it still doesn't entertain me the way Cusack's other films seem to do.


I'm Reed Fish (2006) - (4.5/10)
Trailer:


Popcorn (UK) (2007) - (6/10) - A movie about an insecure guy who gets a job at a theater multiplex to win the heart of a girl who already works there. The whole movie takes place in one night.

Serial Killing 101 (2004) - (5/10)


The Battle of Shaker Heights (2004) - Fun cast - Shia Lebeouf, Amy Smart, and Shiri Applby and decent plot. Oh, and bonus points since all the high school scenes were shot at my old high school.

Lovesick: Sick Love (aka The Chambermaid) (2004) - (5/10) - A group of people screw each other over for money and "love". Oh, and the chambermaid is smokin'.


Deadline Auto Theft (1983) - (4/10) - Nonstop police chase for 90% of the movie. No real characters or plot as far as I can tell.


Yellow (2006) - (3/10) - If you are a fan of Roselyn Sanchez then you will LOVE this movie. If you're not fan..uh..pass.

The Goonies (1985) - (7/10) - Do I really need to say anything?


In A Dark Place (2006) - (2.5/10) - Let's make a movie featuring a woman constantly waking up startled and confused and scared with images of creepy looking children. Oooh, so scary. What was Leelee Sobieski thinking when she took this role?

The Mallory Effect (2002) - (4/10) - Finally a movie (co)starring JOSIE MARAN! Too bad it sucked. Also it's too bad she is retired..sigh..At least I have a reason to post a pic of her.


Nearing Grace (2005) - (5.5/10) - A feature length version of Dawson's Creek taking place in 1978.


Redline (2007) - (4/10) - Really expensive fast exotic cars racing. Don't expect anything more or less.


The Other Side - DNF

Up In Smoke (1978) - (6.6/10) - I've been drug and alcohol free my entire life and even I can appreciate this movie. It's just a true buddy adventure flick.


La Doublure (The Valet) (2006) - (7/10) A great little French romantic comedy about a valet driver who has to pretend to be the boyfriend of a supermodel. It's Cute.

Trailer:


Severed (2005) - (6.5/10) - Zombies in a forest. Solid zombie flick.


Westworld (1973) - (7.5/10) - This movie is just too good. People go to amusement parks that are full of life-like human robots and live out there fantasies in theme worlds such as the wild west or the renaissance period...But not everything goes as planned...


Alligator (1980) - (5/10) - Mutant alligator in small town sewer kills people. Simple enough?


Cheats (2002) - (5.3/10) - Inspired by true events...A comedy about a group of friends who cheat their way through high school. Pretty much like the movie Slackers but in high school.


Death Race 2000 (1975) - (5/10) - This movie deserves an award simply because of its mighty cool title.


In The Land of Women (2007) - (6/10) - What can I say...I'm and Adam Brody fan.


LOL (2006) - (1.5/10) - The summary on IMDB says "The relationships of three men are examined through their use of technology." Bullcrap. It's a bunch of shaky cam footage of annoying guys with no screen presence texting and talking on the phone and IMing. Why the heck would anyone want to watch that? There is nothing funny or enlightening in this movie. And nothing is "examined."

Mardi Gras Massacre (1978) - (4.5/10) - This movie probably deserves a lower score but since I watched it right after "LOL" it made appreciate it so much more.

3 Weeks Off = Too Many Movies to Review Part 1/2

The list of movies I have watched during my 3 weeks off has grown quite a bit so I'm gonna keep these quickie reviews really short this time around...

Carry On Screaming! (1966) - (4/10)


Dario Argento's Opera (1987) - (4/10)


Edmond (2005) - (5/10) - This movie is so harsh and is the opposite of a "feel good" movie.


The Foursome (2006) - (5/10) - Kevin Dillon is the only reason I gave this movie a chance.

The Hillz (2004) - (2/10) - Hahaha...This is movie is just so bad it's even kinda funny. I listed to the audio commentary on and off and these guys were talking sequels and stuff...haha..hahahaha.


Disturbia (2007) - (5/10) - I don't understand why this movie was so successful at the box office. Sure it was entertaining....But nothing great or original other than maybe Shia Lebeouf. And this movie has nothing on Rear Window.

Jolly Roger: Massacre at Cutter's Cove (2005) - (3/10) - I'm gonna go ahead and guess this was simply made to make money off of the Pirates craze...

Detention (aka The Learning Curve) - (6/10) - A substitute teacher places 6 kids-lost-in-the-cracks-of-urban-education-system-who-need-to-saving in a cage over the summer to teach them life lessons. Uhh. It was actually pretty good considering these high school kids looks about 30ish.

Macabre (1980) - DNF

The Namesake (2006) - 6.7 - If your parents moved to the US from afar and you were born here then you can probably relate to a few moments in this movie.
Trailer:


Pieces (1982) - (4.5/10) - A psycho killer cuts up women into puzzle pieces. Decent if you're into 80's slasher flicks.


I Love Your Work (2003) - (6.7/10) - Starts off a bit too artsy...And it's nice to see Josh Jackson working again.
Trailer:


Zyzzyx Rd. (2006) - (4.5/10) - Katherine Heigl.


28 Weeks Later (2007) - (5/10) - Why? Why did they make a sequel? Please don't make any more. Thanks.


The Basketball Diaries (1995) - (6/10)


Un Gatto nel cervello (Cat in the Brain) (1990) - (3/10)


Superbad (2007) - (4.5) - Not as good as 40 Year Old Virgin, Knocked Up, Freak and Geeks...You get the idea.


Balls of Fury (2007) - (5.9/10) Totally fun and mindless entertainment. Perfect for the summer.


Ocean's 13 (2007) - (5.7/10) - Awesome cast as usual. Over-the-top confusing plot as usual. Fun as usual.


Evan Almighty (2007) - (5.5/10)


Study Hell - DNF Looks like a junior high production.

Hatchet - (2007) - (5.5/10) This movie has been getting a bit of hype because it's supposed to be one of those fun slasher flicks from the 80's..Well, it's not.


Lady In The Water (2006) - (5/10) - It was better than The Village...Of course that's not saying much coming from me.


Kickin' It Old School (2007) - (4.9/10) - It could have been a lot worse...Has a few parts worthy of a genuine chuckle - If you're into jokes about freely urinating transients.


The Last Run (2004) - (4.5/10) - Fred Savage (Wonder Years) becomes a womanizing sex addict. Must I say any more?
Trailer:


Malibu Vampires - DNF - The title of the movie had so much potential.

Human Statistics

Tommy Haas Beats Blake!

My absolute favorite tennis player Tommy Haas beat James Blake (actually one of my most disliked players) in an awesome, exciting, and tense match that went all the way to a 5th set tie breaker. Haas even faced 3 freakin' match points and a Blake supporting NY crowd...It's just fantastic to finally see him win a big match again. Next up is Davydenko in the quarter finals!

91

I cannot believe it is 91 degrees here at 11 o'clock at night.