Thursday, March 31, 2005

Deux Ex Machina

Last night's episode of Lost was once again excellent. It was sad to see Locke taken advantage of by his parents that he never knew he had. JJ Abrams stated early on that he would not make the show too unrealistic with things that are not really possible. That being said, I wonder what the source of the light in the pod is. Also, how much do you want to bet that at some point Charlie will discover the heroine and get back on drugs? I wouldn't be surprised if Boone dies in the season finale. I like his character, but I think Abrams will shake things up a bit.

Wednesday, March 30, 2005

The Final Four

I bet you thought I was talking about the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Wrong! There are only 4 episodes left of Lost this season and tonight is the first one. It is called Deux Ex Machina and has a Locke back story. We get to find out how he was paralized tonight. Next week we get another all new episode called Do No Harm with a Jack back story. Then we get to wait another 2 weeks before The Greater Good with a Sayid back story. Then another 2 weeks before the season finale on May 4 called Born to Run with a Kate back story. I am sure the dates are subject to change, but it looks like we have to suffer a little bit more. I hope they don't do this to us again next year! The one good thing about Alias this year is that they are showing every episode straight through without a break.

Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Hello Hello

U2's World Tour kicked off last night and some of my friends were lucky enough to be in attendance. I can't wait to hear from Nick, Melissa, Craig, and Felipe! From what I read on U2.com it is a sweet show. I am a little disappointed that the word on the street is that it is completely random whether or not you will be inside of the ellipse. I was planning on getting to The Pond early Saturday morning to guarantee a spot inside the ellipse. No matter what happens, it will be awesome. Here is the setlist from last night's show.

CITY OF BLINDING LIGHTS
VERTIGO
CRY/ELECTRIC CO.
AN CAT DUBH
INTO THE HEART
BEAUTIFUL DAY
NEW YEAR'S DAY
MIRACLE DRUG
SOMETIMES YOU CAN'T MAKE IT ON YOUR OWN
LOVE AND PEACE OR ELSE
SUNDAY BLOODY SUNDAY
BULLET THE BLUE SKY
RUNNING TO STAND STILL
ZOO STATION
THE FLY
ELEVATION
PRIDE IN THE NAME OF LOVE
WHERE THE STREETS HAVE NO NAME
ONE
ALL BECAUSE OF YOU
YAHWEH
40

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Alissa Hospitalized

My Wife Alissa has spent the last couple days at Mission Hospital on IVs. She has experienced severe nausea throughout the last couple months. Because she has been throwing up several times a day, she has become dehydrated. The doctor admitted her to the hospital on Tuesday afternoon after her insurance denied her a home IV system. This morning the doctor informed us that she will be released today and that her insurance is going to cover the home IV system now. She will get 2 bags of fluid daily and some nausea medicine through the IV. She will constantly have a heplock in her arm to administer the fluids to her. Hopefully, this will alleviate her sickness sooner and allow her to enjoy the pregnancy.

Thursday, March 17, 2005

Heartbeat

Alissa had her third doctor's appointment yesterday and we finally got to hear the heartbeat. It was very cool to hear. It was very fast. It made the whole thing a lot more real to hear it. It will be even more crazy once the baby is big enough to start kicking. I can't wait!

Wednesday, March 16, 2005

Poker Night

We are having another Biola Alumni Texas Hold'em No Limit Tournament at Craig's house this weekend. In preparation, I purchased a no limit texas hold'em game for my Pocket PC. I have been practicing as much as I can. It should be a lot of fun taking everyone's money this weekend. My goal is to be able to pay for my floor ticket to U2 with my winnings.

Lost on DVD



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
THE MUST-OWN,
6-DISC DVD BOX SET
AVAILABLE SEPTEMBER 6
LOST
THE COMPLETE FIRST SEASON

Includes Original, Never-Before-Seen
Extended Uncut Version of the 2-Hour Pilot,
Deleted Scenes,
Audio Commentaries and More
Exclusive Bonus Features
#1 Primetime Drama Series From The Creator of 'Alias'

BURBANK, Calif., March 15, 2005 - Touchstone Television's runaway hit LOST crashes onto DVD with a superb six-disc box set that includes the complete first season. Broadcast on ABC and one of the hottest shows on television, LOST is the newest action-packed mystery-thriller from J.J. Abrams, creator of "Alias." Join an excellent ensemble cast as they fight for survival on an island laden with secrets and suspense, and discover over five hours of exclusive bonus features in LOST: THE COMPLETE 1st SEASON, from Touchstone Television and Buena Vista Home Entertainment.

Bonus features for LOST: THE COMPLETE 1st SEASON include the never-before-seen, extended uncut version of the original pilot; exclusive, in-depth behind-the-scenes looks at the making of the show; backstage with Drive Shaft all-access pass behind the music; the art of Matthew Fox featurette; 'Before They Were Lost' original casting tapes; blooper reel; rare deleted scenes; and multiple filmmaker audio commentaries. Available for $59.99 for the six-disc DVD.

The September 6 release date is timed to give new and existing fans an opportunity to catch up with all 24 episodes (plus the five hours of exclusive bonus programming that includes the pilot), before the next season airs on ABC TV.

LOST: THE COMPLETE 1st SEASON is presented with theatrical style specifications - widescreen with a Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Soundtrack - for an optimal viewing experience.

LOST is the thrilling adventure of 48 survivors of a plane crash, all stranded on an island that holds many secrets. Matthew Fox (Party of Five) stars as Jack, the quick-thinking doctor and group leader.

Stripped of everything, the 48 survivors scavenge what they can from the plane for their survival. Some panic. Some pin their hopes on rescue. A few find inner strength they never knew they had - like Kate (Evangeline Lilly, TV's Kingdom Hospital), who, with no medical training, suddenly finds herself suturing the doctor's wounds. Hurley (Jorge Garcia, TV's Becker) - a man with a warm sense of humor despite the desperate situation - does his best to keep his cool as he helps those around him to survive. Charlie (Dominic Monaghan, The Lord of the Rings Trilogy) is a faded rock star who harbors a painful secret. Sayid (Naveen Andrews, Bride and Prejudice) is a Middle Eastern man who must wrestle with the racial profiling directed at him by some of his fellow survivors.

Jin (Daniel Dae Kim, TV's 24) and Sun (Yunjin Kim, Shiri) are a Korean couple whose traditions, values and language are foreign and thus causes much to get lost in the translation. Sawyer (Josh Holloway, TV's Sabretooth) has an air of danger surrounding him, and his intense sense of mistrust for everyone around him could prove to be fatal to his fellow castaways. Michael (Harold Perrineau, The Matrix series) has just gained custody of his nine-year-old son, Walt (Malcolm David Kelley, Antwone Fisher), after the death of his ex-wife - they are a father and son who don't even know each other. Locke (Terry O'Quinn, TV's The West Wing) is a mysterious man who keeps to himself, and who harbors a deeper connection to the island than any of the others. Claire (Emile de Ravin, TV's The Beastmaster) is pregnant. And self-centered Shannon (Maggie Grace, TV's Cold Case) - who actually gives herself a pedicure amid the chaos - and her estranged controlling brother, Boone (Ian Somerhalder, TV's Young Americans), constantly bicker and must learn to get along if they are to survive.

The band of friends, family, enemies and strangers must work together against the cruel weather and harsh terrain if they want to stay alive. But the island holds many secrets, including the intense howls of the mysterious creatures stalking the jungle, which fill them all with fear. Fortunately, thanks to the calm leadership of quick-thinking Jack and level-headed Kate, they have hope. But even heroes have secrets, as the survivors will come to learn. LOST is created by J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof, from Touchstone Television.

  • STREET DATE: SEPTEMBER 6, 2005
  • Suggested retail price: $59.99 (6 Disc DVD).
  • Bonus materials unrated and subject to change.
  • DVD aspect ratio: 1.78:1 Widescreen
  • Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound

Wednesday, March 09, 2005

The Contender


When I first saw all of the ads for The Contender, I really couldn't care less. I already watch enough TV, so I didn't want to get into another show. Well, I was over at my parent's house on Monday evening and my dad was watching Hardball with Chris Matthews. Towards the end of the show, he had on Mark Burnett and Sugar Ray Leonard. They started talking about the show and I got intrigued. It turns out that this finished filming 6 months ago. At the finale of the show, there will be a live title match. Since the show was filmed, one of the contenders committed suicide. He has some problems with his girlfriend and it apparently had nothing to do with the show. Regardless, that added a little extra incentive to see what this show was all about. The music for the show was composed by Hans Zimmer who did the score for The Gladiator. It definitely pumps you up while you are watching it. So, after getting home I added The Contender to my TiVo. I checked it out yesterday and was hooked. I was literally on the edge of my seat towards the end of the show.

Here is the premise. 16 boxers have come to a training facility in LA to get a chance at a title fight. They all live together and train together. Each show, there is a challenge where the East competes against the West. The winning team gets to choose which of their boxers gets to fight this week and get to choose who their opponent is going to be. So, you figure the winning team will pick the weakest fighter from the opposing team. Not this week. Alfonso Gomez from the West wanted to fight the East's best fighter, Peter Manfredo Jr. Peter was ranked #3 in his class with a 21-0 record. He figured that he could catch him off guard and that he would underestimate him. He also figured that in order to win this whole thing, he is going to have to beat him anyway. Well, he comes out and beats him. It was freaking amazing. If I don't have a vested interest in an athlete or a team, I root for the underdog. So I was on the edge of my seat during the entire match. I would definitely check it out if you like sports at all!

Tommy Boy - Holy Schnikie Edition

I was watching Without A Paddle while I was home sick last week and the DVD had a preview for the Holy Schnikie Edition of Tommy Boy. It is going to be a 2 disc special edition with over 3 hours of extras. It's going to be freaking awesome. I cannot wait!

Tuesday, March 08, 2005

U2 BONO's New Home

My license plate U2 BONO will have a new home soon. I picked up a 2005 Nissan Altima this weekend. After being home sick for several days, Alissa and I decided to run some errands on Saturday. The lease on my truck was coming up soon, so we wanted to test drive some new vehicles. I had been doing a bunch of research and the Altima had risen to the top of my list. We fell in love with it right away and test drove 3 different ones. We told them we were just looking right now because I still had 5 months left on my lease. Well, they wrote me a check for the remaining 5 months on my lease and I had my new car. It is Smoke colored with a charcoal interior. It has a bumper to bumper 75,000 mile warranty with no service required until 105,000 miles. Of course it still needs oil changes and tires every once in a while, but everything else is covered (even belts and hoses)! The best part is that I am paying only $2 more a month to buy this than I was to lease my truck. It will also help that it gets 23 to 29 MPG instead of the 11 my truck got.