Remembering Tunguska

Indicating that Ray Stantz's dialogue at the conclusion of Ghostbusters is historically inaccurate, io9 reminds us that today is the 100th anniversary of the Tunguska blast:

One hundred years ago today, June 30th, 1908, a great explosion rained Hell over Siberia, flattening 830 square miles of forest. Easily big enough to destroy a city, the 30-meter diameter space rock missed Moscow by about 4 hours. And it will happen again. But even as we track the objects headed our way in the next century, the flood of media hype over the centennial this past week shows there are still some major mysteries about the Russian blast that need solving.

The post has a nice little roundup of articles from major science outlets that paused to remember the centennial (I recommend the BBC piece). Fascinatingly, experts continue to disagree on just what caused the Tunguska blast (some say a meteor struck Earth, but others argue no physical evidence exists to support that explanation). Still, the words "interdimensional crossrip" do not appear in any of the accounts.

More On My Favorite Movies

So I finally got my favorite movies list published here. It is something that everyone should do. Examining cinema over the years to find what impressed you, for various reasons, is a lot of fun. After all, movies come up in every day conversation all the time.

I know a few of my choices will make people say "What the f---?"...but I don't care; it's my list and I have my reasons. I won't get into all 50+ here but I would like to explain my Top 10. But before I do that I have a bit of statistics for you.

The Best Year (By Number) - 2001; 5 in my Top 50 and 1 Just Missed (The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring; Black Hawk Down; Monster's Inc.; Shrek; Pearl Harbor; Ocean's 11)

The Best Year (By Rank) - 2003; #5 (Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl), #7 (The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King), and #16 (Finding Nemo) released

The Best Decade (By Number) - 1990s; 20 of my Top 50, however the 2000s have 19 with 1.5 years remaining in the decade (to be released in 2008 or 2009: The Dark Knight, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, Transformers 2)

The Best Decade (By Rank) - 1980s; includes my Top 2 (3 of Top 10)

The Best 10-year Run - 1995 through 2004; 30 of my Top 50 (14 of Top 25, 6 of Top 10)

Some random stuff...

• A movie has joined my Top 50 every year since 1993
• The oldest movie on my list is Disney's animated Robin Hood from 1973 (#39)
• The newest entry is Pixar's WALL-E, which I saw yesterday and is now ranked at #28
• The longer the title, the better? 13 of my Top 25 have 4 words or more in their title. Slots 2 through 9 are quite verbose. Coincidence? Probably but still interesting.
• Ghostbusters will never be beaten.

And now my commentary on the Top 10...

10. Twister (1996)
I'm a weather junkie. I had liked the weather for a long time (I usually approximate my age as 8 when I considered becoming a meteorologist) and this movie made my interest rise. I was 11 when the movie came out. Though not all of the movie is possible or believable it is still ridiculously entertaining. By today's standard the special effects are below average but in 1996 they looked good. Bill Paxton and Helen Hunt are great. This will remain one of my favorite's my entire life. I don't doubt that.


Best Moment - The first chase scene with Bill (Paxton) and Jo (Hunt) in her yellow truck.

Favorite Quote - "The Suck Zone. It's the point basically when the twister... sucks you up. That's not the technical term for it, obviously." --Dusty to Melissa


9. Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
It's hard not to enjoy the Indiana Jones movies. They have everything I look for in a movie: action, suspense, mystery, history, fiction, science, and comedy (I guess a bit of romance, too). The exchanges between Harrison Ford and Sean Connery are spot on. I didn't see this movie in the theaters (I wasn't quite 5) but it is still an exciting adventure that ages well. Also, any movie poking fun at the Nazi's gets bonus points.

Best Moment - When it appears that Indiana Jones goes down with the tank over the cliff. Everyone is in mourning looking at the wreckage and Indy crawls up and looks down at it as well. Classic.

Favorite Quote - "What's this?" "Ark of the Covenant." "Are you sure?" "Pretty sure." --Elsa and Indiana Jones


8. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1990)
Having been born in the 1980's it was inevitable that a movie or two from that illustrious decade make the list. OK well this is actually the second consecutive one. And technically the movie came out in 1990. But this actually reminds me of the '80s. The Turtles were a part of every child's day back then; everyone had a favorite character (mine was/is Donatello). The original movie was great. It's nice to see a Turtles renaissance of sorts in the last few years but the new cartoon and movie aren't the same as the originals. They just don't make children's cartoons like the use to. Oh and every time I watch the movie I have to, absolutely have to, eat pizza. The opening gets me every time; a pizza will be ordered within 10 minutes of the opening credits.

Best Moment - The Turtles having to hide in April's apartment when her boss comes over.

Favorite Quote - "A José Canseco bat? Tell me you didn't pay money for this." --Raphael to Casey Jones


7. The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) The first semi-recent movie on this list. The end of The Lord of the Rings "trilogy" is stupendous. The special effects are top notch and the dialogue is true to Tolkien. The characters are almost fully developed by this point (movie-wise) and the action just takes over. The Battle for Minis Tirith is great. Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end and The Return of the King delivers. Peter Jackson is a genius. Let's hope he does The Hobbit. And soon.


Best Moment - When Aragorn jumps off of the commandeered ship of the Men of the West with only Gimli and Legolas visible. They charge and the Dead Army appears to fight.

Favorite Quote - "I summon you to fulfill your oath." "None but the king of Gondor may command me. That blade was broken!" "It has been remade. Fight for us... and regain your honor. What say you?!" --Aragorn and the King of the Dead


6. Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)
The conclusion of the second Star Wars trilogy has its ups and downs. Though many rip on it for the mediocre dialogue, I (and others) applaud it for its creativity, effects, and content. It really tied the entire saga together well and that is what it was meant to do. Despite some minor plot and acting shortcomings Revenge of the Sith still delivers. It's use of Clone Troopers and the presence of Order 66 make it interesting on a personal level. It also has a lot of sentimental value having been the only Star Wars film I have ever seen at midnight.


Best Moment - The execution of Order 66. It shows the ultimate demise of the Jedi that we knew had happened for decades.

Favorite Quote - "You were the chosen one! It was said that you would destroy the Sith, not join them. You were to bring balance to the force, not leave it in darkness!" --Obi-Wan Kenobi


5. Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
A blockbuster masterpiece from Disney. The movie was anticipated by many but once it was released became an instant hit. I remember seeing it in theater's at least twice (something I only normally do for Star Wars movies). Johnny Depp's Jack Sparrow is one of the best movie character's ever. The plot was flawless, the action was magnificent, and the candid humor was refreshing. Oh, and the music kicked ass. Unfortunately, the sequels Dead Man's Chest and At World's End were nowhere near as polished as Pearl was.


Best Moment - Jack Sparrow docking what's left of his boat and the following sequence where he admires the Dauntless with Mullroy and Murtogg.

Favorite Quote - "You cheated." "Pirate." --Will Turner and Jack Sparrow


4. The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
The first part of Tolkien's most famous work was a welcoming change of pace to the movies that had been our recently. Fellowship actually had a plot and a story to tell. It is my favorite of the "trilogy" because of how it builds up the character's and endears them to you. The casting for the saga is top notch and it really shows during this first part. If Fellowship would have flopped, The Two towers and The Return of the King would have as well. This is another prime example of amazing music and what it can do for a movie.



Best Moment - When the Fellowship is walking up the mountains, specifically the shot where the group walks by to the main theme of the movie.

Favorite Quote - "Are you frightened?" "Yes." "Not nearly frightened enough. I know what hunts you." --Aragorn and Frodo


3. Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002)
Following the disappointing debut of The Phantom Menace (hey, I liked it but many didn't), the expectations for Attack of the Clones was lower. It still wasn't as well received as the original trilogy installments but seemed to get better reviews than Phantom. The prequel story was still being built and Episode II really added to Star Wars lore. The introduction of the Clone Army and clarifying their allegiances altered the perception of the saga immensely. Since I have such a soft spot for Clone Troopers it is easy to see why this is my favorite movie of all 6 of the current Star Wars films. Attack of the Clones opened up the endless possibilities of the Clone Wars in the expanded universe.


Best Moment - When the living Jedi are surrounded in the Geonosis arena and the Clone Army descends. The arena battle and the ensuing Battle of Geonosis is my favorite part of Star Wars lore.

Favorite Quote - "I have to admit that without the clones, it would have not been a victory." "Victory? Victory you say? Master Obi-Wan, not victory. The shroud of the dark side has fallen. Begun the Clone War has." --Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yoda


2. Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981)
Though this movie was released 3 years before I was born, the original Indiana Jones story is the best. Many people agree with me. Even critics and the American Film Institute. This adventure film combined history and religious myth with incredible action and witty dialogue. Harrison Ford is a better Indiana Jones than Han Solo...and Ford agrees. The humor is ageless. It will be hard to bump this movie out of the Top 5.


Best Moment - Indy, Sallah, and the slaves digging in the sands to uncover the Well of the Souls, where the Ark rests.

Favorite Quote - "Indy, why does the floor move?" "Give me your torch. Snakes. Why'd it have to be snakes?" "Asps. Very dangerous. You go first." --Sallah and Indiana Jones

1. Ghostbusters (1984)
Here is another movie that I did not see in theaters due to the fact that I wasn't even born yet. But because of the presence of the cartoon and the sequel (which I did see in the theater) the original is priceless. The cast is one of a kind and their deadpan and unscripted lines just fit so well. This movies effect on pop culture is astounding. For the upcoming release of the video game, Sierra did a worldwide test of the Ghostbusters "no ghost" symbol. The conclusion of this research was that the Ghostbusters symbol was the 2nd most recognizable symbol in history behind only Coca-Cola. Wow. This movie ties in with my childhood and just reminds me of all of those sweet toys. I don't see Ghostbusters being moved from #1...ever.


Best Moment - The trip to the first call. From the bell ringing to their entrance at the hotel. Awesome.

Favorite Quote - "Hello, Ghostbusters... Yes, of course they're serious... You do?... You have?... No kidding! Just gimme the address... Oh sure, they will be totally discreet. Thank you! WE GOT ONE!!!" --Janine Melnitz


So there you have it. My Top 10 is broken down and my true feelings are put out there for all the internet to see. Remember this ranking is not what I think are the best movies but are just my favorites. Even if some have massive plot holes or awful dialogue they can still be enjoyable. These are my favorites.

The List: My Favorite Movies

'The List' will be a new series of posts that I will write every so often. Much like my 'Random Musings' posts, 'The List' will be about anything I want to rank or show off. There is no set schedule. The only real guideline is that it will be in list format. Up first for 'The List' series will be my favorite movies.

I need to take a moment to define 'favorite'. Here favorite does not equal best. Some of these movies may have gotten awful reviews or done poorly at the box office. Who cares? If I enjoyed it, that's all that matters. These movies may not be viewed as the best of a certain year or in its genre or may not have even won any awards (though some did). This is simply a list of the movies I enjoy watching, for numerous reasons. And here we go...

The List: My Favorite Movies

Click to enlarge.

I'll be back a bit later to discuss my choices, specifically the Top 10 and good ol' numero uno.

The Clone Wars Battle Packs Revealed

Jedi Insider has done it again. They have images of 2 upcoming battle packs based on The Clone Wars. They include Yoda & Coruscant Guard as well as Obi-Wan and the 212th Attack Battalion Clone Troopers. Pictures below from Jedi Insider.



No word on when these will be released but it may be on July 26th with everything else.

New Section About My Collection

In an effort to expand my content I have added yet another new page to the collection website. This new page is a Q & A with me about my collection. The questions are the same as the ones I asked Brent back in April. My Q & A can be found here. If anyone has any questions about my collection, you can send me an email at JMays1454@gmail.com.

UPDATE: Both Q & A's have been updated with pictures!

Another Ghostbusters Comic Reference

This one comes from Mostly True Comics. Check it out:

Ya know, I never thought about that before. Why the hell did he have a syringe and Thorazine with him?

UPDATE: Looking through the Mostly True Comics archive, I found another Ghostbusters reference.

New Republic Gunship On the Way

It's obvious to even the casual observer of this site that my favorite thing about the Star Wars universe are troopers. Well a close second is their very cool transport known as the Republic Gunship. It has been released as a toy already 4 times (twice in the SAGA line, once for ROTS, and once more for TSC). Well it is coming back. The folks at Jedi Insider have uncovered this photo:


The gunship design on the box varies slightly from previous editions. However, looking at the instructions manual from Hasbro shows that it is the same mold but with a different deco. Hopefully it comes dirty and with that design under the cockpit! There has not been a confirmation on price or release date. I expect it to be about $30-$40. Some people believe it will be on shelves on the 26th of July with the rest of the new merchandise. And what shelves will it be on? Well, if you noticed the sticker on the box it will only be available at Wal-Mart stores. That will make this bugger hard to find. Especially if you want more than one.

New Ghostbusters Game Test

Head on over to the Ghostbusters game website and take an ESP test with none other than Dr. Peter Venkman. Get a perfect 5 out of 5 and you'll get a new banner. I did and I display it proudly at the bottom of this site. The site also announces that the ECTO-1 will be making rounds about the country to hype up the game. Unfortunately I didn't see any visits near Indianapolis or Philadelphia. The Ghostbusters train keeps picking up steam...

Ghostbusters Merchandise Picking Up Steam

Ghostbusters is experiencing a revival at retail. The 80's franchise has always been a hit at retro stores, but 2008 may put the 'busters back on the map globally. A video game, tentatively scheduled for release on October 21st, was announced in November and has made multiple lists for the most anticipated games of '08. NECA, who released small line of Ghostbusters figures in 2004, will be remolding that line for release with the video game. More and more t-shirts can be found with simple Google searches; many online retailers have some nice looking apparel. A new book from various artists has appeared for preorder on Amazon. Though not yet officially announced, Time Life is set to release the complete series of The Real Ghostbusters (including Slimer and the Real Ghostbusters) this fall, presumably around the same time as the video game debuts. In addition to the cartoon, HD enthusiasts are excited about the possibility of Ghostbusters being released on Blu-Ray soon, most likely in October. It's almost a foregone conclusion that it is coming. There are still rumblings about another big announcement at San Diego Comic-Con but what it is no one knows (another movie, cartoon, or toy line???). The most recent item to appear are the interesting line of Kubrick toys. Shown at the Tokyo Toy Fair, the 4 Ghostbusters, Slimer, the logo, and Stay Puft (with interchangeable head) will be released this year. The Kubrick line is exclusive to Japan so getting them here in the States will cost consumers a pretty penny. Here is a closer look (thanks to whoever took this in Tokyo):

I haven't been able to get my hands on any of the Star Wars Kubrick's out there but I am going to try my best and get this set. They look amazing.

'This Is Your Lightsaber'

It's as if thousands of voices cried out in rapture, and no longer have reason to remain silent.

LucasArts has officially announced Star Wars The Clone Wars: Lightsaber Duels (the original title, Star Wars The Clone Wars: Attack of Awkwardly Placed Punctuation: Like Colons: Lightsaber Duels, was apparently scrapped) as a Wii-only release to tie into the forthcoming Clone Wars movie, which ties into the forthcoming Clone Wars TV show, which ties into the forthcoming Clone Wars marketing blitz, which ties into an inevitable series of posts by Joey.

The game is a lightsaber simulator, pure and simple. From /Film:

“Clone Wars for the Wii is all about lightsaber dueling. It’s about swinging your Wii remote like a Lightsaber and recreating what we know will be classic Lightsaber battles from the movie and the show,” producer Ken Fox told IGN. “We’ve tried to make the lightsaber control as intuitive and fun as possible. It’s not a Lightsaber simulator, but when you swing your Wii remote left to right; your character does the same. You use the thumbstick on the nunchuck to move your character and swing the Wii remote to swing your Lightsaber. The buttons all do cool stuff like use the force, block and dodge, but the focus is really on putting the Wii remote in the players hand and saying ‘This is your Lightsaber!’”

I hope Yak Face is unlockable.

Become a Clone Sharpshooter

Head over to starwars.com and view their new introductory page, full of Clone Wars goodness. While there be sure to play the Clone Sharpshooter training game. I sure did!

The phone-in topic today: "Ghosts and Ghostbusting."

OH MY GOD WHAT CAN IT BE?!?!?!?!?!

That's No Moon; It's a LEGO set!

Hasbro has continually downplayed the effectiveness of playsets for their 3 3/4" Star Wars action figure series. They claim poor sales. Whether or not that is true or if we will ever see new playsets isn't known. However there appears to be one company that doesn't mind offering a lot of bang for your buck. Pictures of a LEGO Death Star set has surfaced. You may be saying "LEGO already did a Death Star". Yes, they did. But they are definitely not one and the same. Have a look at these pictures from brickshelf.com (click to enlarge)...





Yeah. Holy crap. The set includes 20 LEGO Star Wars figures (including droids). The one major downside of this set is going to be its price. Forum rumors have it between $300-$500! DAAAAAAMN! The set seems to come with every room imaginable for recreating a scene from A New Hope. There seems to be a room for the prison, the trash compactor, the hangar, and the Emperor's throne as well as turbo lasers and the super laser. Plus, Luke and Leia's pit swing. Amazing. Let's hope Hasbro announces a new Death Star playset soon...

We had part of a Slinky. But I straightened it.

NOTE: This post was to run last night. I forgot to post it. GB II was actually released on the 16th of June.

HAPPY 19th "BIRTHDAY" GHOSTBUSTERS II! On this day 19 years ago you started what would be a record (at the time) 3-day gross at the box office of $29,472,894. Batman would break that record a week later. But still, it was great to have you back! And today we celebrate you, Vigo the Carpathian and Janosz Poha.

You know, I have met some dumb blondes in my life, but you take the taco, pal! Only a Carpathian would come back to life now and choose New York! Tasty pick... bonehead! If you had brain one in that huge melon on top of your neck, you would be living the sweet life out in Southern California's beautiful San Fernando Valley!

Random Musings #2

• 16 days until Brent, Greg, and Justin visit us in Indiana. Holler.
• 39 days until new Star Wars collectibles
• 46 days until Das Awkscht Fescht (TOY SHOW!)
• 47 days until my fantasy football draft
• 59 days until Star Wars: The Clone Wars is released in theaters
• The Phillies are still good but have been struggling a little recently. After sweeping the Braves in Atlanta, the Phillies won only one game in Florida and St. Louis. The offense is inconsistent, starting pitchers are giving up too many home runs, and Tom Gordon has lost it again. Jamie Moyer is easily the Phillies best pitcher right now. Brett Myers and Cole Hamels are up and down (currently down). For the Phillies to hold onto the NL East and push for the pennant, Myers and Hamels must be consistent. But I'm definitely not complaining about a 41-30 record.
• I'm torn on the iPhone 3g announcement. As much as I want the new version with faster wireless access and GPS (with a cheaper base phone), the charges on AT&T are getting ridiculous. Though the current iteration of the iPhone sold for $399, it is still cheaper in the long run. AT&T will charge $30/month for the cheapest plan on the 3g iPhone ($20/month for original) plus another $5 for 200 text messages (the text messages are included in the $20 price for the original iPhone). You pay less up front but more over the course of your contract. Of course if I had the money I would upgrade ASAP. But I don't. The EDGE network will have to work for me for now.
• Kelly and I went to the Rascal Flatts concert on Saturday. Their performance was amazing. It was my first concert ever and it was a good way to start. Their opening was sweet and they sounded really good live. This was their first stop on their tour this year so that's cool. We had a bit of an altercation with some rude people at the beginning which kind of ruined the first few hours there but once Rascal Flatts came on it was all forgotten. Taylor Swift was the opening act and she did pretty good. It seemed that a lot of the teenage girls that were at the concert were actually there to see her and not Rascal Flatts.
• Kelly and I also watched Meet the Spartans and Live Free or Die Hard this weekend. Meet the Spartans was worth what we paid for it ($1 at the McDonald's Red Box). I'm glad I didn't see it in the theaters but it was still funny and ridiculous; a good movie to watch for laughs and with friends. Live Free or Die Hard, basically Die Hard 4, was better than I expected. It's been out for a year but I never got around to watching it until this weekend. I liked the plot and the action was good. Bruce Willis looked really old so that cut out a little of the Die Hard mystique but it is set 19 years after the events in Nakatomi Plaza. Definitely worth seeing.
• New Ghostbusters toys have been announced, sort of. NECA will be making a video game version of their Slimer figure from a few years ago (see image below). The previous Slimer figure went with a small GB line that featured him, Gozer, Vince Clortho (Terror Dog), Zuul (Terror Dog), and the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in 2004. The 2008 version will be translucent, apparently as he appears in the upcoming video game. Rumor has it that NECA is trying to get authorization to create figures of the Ghostbusters. One can only hope. If NECA doesn't get it hopefully someone will.
• Recently a lot of images of the new Star Wars toys have surfaced around the internet. Someone in Canada actually found the Millennium Falcon at retail already. To my delight (but not my wallets) there have been many pictures of different colored/designed clones. Sweetness.

NECA's Slimer figure.

Carded Clone Wars, Legacy Collection Figures

July 26th is still a good 6+ weeks away but the leaks and rumor mill are in full force. Most recently the folks at Jedi Insider were able to post a ton of picks of the new Clone Wars and The Legacy Collection figures as well as the exclusive Dagger Squadron B-wing. A few hours later Sandtroopers.com had more pictures, including packaging with the foil "1st Day of Issue" sticker. This sticker will replace the UGH (Ultimate Galactic Hunt) and only figures in the first shipments will have this sticker. In other words, if you don't pick up the figures on the 26th or 27th, good luck finding that variant (or chase) figure. As I reported in my Random Musings #1 last week, as of now there aren't a lot of figures that I want to grab on the 26th. I'll grab the Clone Trooper, Obi-Wan Kenobi (General Armor), Captain Rex, and maybe Saesee Tiin (General Armor) from the Clone Wars line. The Legacy Collection has nothing of interest to me in wave 1 (wave 2 is a different story but that isn't due until September). Here is a picture of the Clone Wars Captain Rex, with and without sticker, from Sandtroopers.com:


And the clone trooper with "1st Day of Issue" sticker:

Hasbro confirmed in the past that Saga Legends will return in The Legacy Collection. Separate from the line waves, Saga Legends is an unnumbered assortment meant to keep prominent characters readily available at retail. Here is a picture of The Legacy Collection Saga Legends clone trooper:


Yes July 26th will be one busy day. Well, night, actually. The rumors are that the retailers will have a "Midnight Madness" type event like they did for the release of the ROTS figures. That'd be sweet. The night of July 25th/26th could be craaaazy.

Fatbusters

Via ProtonCharging (subsequently via Ghostbusters.net): Here's a Volkswagen commercial in support of independent cinema that riffs on a familiar film and completely reinterprets it. Or maybe I just missed the point all this time.

Random Musings #1

OK so I realize that I have a lot of random stuff I'd like to say but I can't bring myself to write individual posts about them. I will gather them in a collective post and submit them whenever I want to; there will be no schedule. Topics may include but will not be limited to: Star Wars, Ghostbusters, Video Games, Books/Comics, Movies/DVDs, Sports. One additional thing I will start 'the musings' with will be any and all countdowns I may currently have going. Let's begin...

Random Musings #1

• 11 days until the Rascal Flatts concert
• 52 days until the reboot of Star Wars collectibles from Hasbro (more on that in a bit)
• 59 days until Das Awkscht Fescht (TOY SHOW!)
• 60 days until my fantasy football draft (reigning champ, w00t)
  
• 72 days until Star Wars: The Clone Wars is released in theaters
• The Phillies are good. They are currently 9 games over .500 (34-25) and are in 1st place in the NL East. After 59 games last year they were 30-29 and in 3rd place, 6 games behind the Mets. But we all know how that turned out... The Phillies didn't win their 34th game last year until June 12th.
• Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is good. It's better than Temple of Doom but not as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark or The Last Crusade. A 77% on Rotten Tomatoes is about right. I'd prefer an 80% but what are ya gonna do?
• According to Ernie Hudson (Winston Zeddemore), the Ghostbusters: The Video Game script (written by Dan Aykroyd and Harold Ramis) is 4 times as big as a normal movie script. Damn.
• Movies I MUST see in the theaters this summer: Wall-E, Star Wars: The Clone Wars
  
• Movies I wouldn't mind paying to see in the theaters this summer: You Don't Mess with the Zohan, The Happening, Get Smart, The Dark Knight, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor
• I started reading the Clone Wars and Clone Wars Adventures comics recently and I like them a lot. It's nice to have them sorted and bound. The Clone Wars period is my favorite part of the Star Wars universe.
  
• July 26th will hit my wallet hard. The AT-TE ($100), Millennium Falcon ($150), V-19 Torrent Starfigter ($20) and wave one of both The Legacy Collection and The Clone Wars figures from Hasbro hit stores. Luckily I have been saving up and am prepared to drop ~$300 or so on that date. I don't need any of the figures from the first wave of The Legacy Collection but there are three from the first wave of The Clone Wars line (~$7.99/each) that I'd like to get: Obi-Wan Kenobi (Clone Armor), Captain Rex, and Clone Trooper. I wouldn't mind grabbing the Clone Trooper helmet voice changer either (another $30).
• I love reading online comics but it's hard to find ones that I like. I found Yak's Pub about 2 months ago and really enjoy it. Heck, it revolves around Star Wars action figures which is awesome. I recently found Real Life. It has been around since November 15, 1999 and I just now found it. I started reading, from the beginning, on Wednesday night and am currently up to date with it as of 2:30pm today. I read over 2,000 comics in under 1 week. I'm kind of depressed I caught up this fast. Reading the comic was the highlight of my work day. What else am I supposed to do when Excel takes 5 minutes to open a damn file? Any suggestions on another web comic, please let me know. I have tried Penny Arcade. It's OK. I do like some of the CTRL+ALT+DEL ones.
  
• I want new Ghostbusters toys! Come on! We are getting the original movie on Blu-Ray (hopefully #2 as well). Time Life is doing a box set of The Real Ghostbusters series (including Slimer! And the Real Ghostbusters). Plus the video game is coming out in October. Now we need TOYS! TOYS!! TOYS!!!
  
• Today is my late grandfather's birthday. Happy birthday, grandpa! We miss you.

Well that about wraps up 'the musings' for today. TTFN!

Happy Birthday Brent!

Today Brent Behrenshausen turns 23. Enjoy the day. Here's to you, Brent!