WWE Slammy Awards

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody. So in a few weeks on Raw, WWE is bringing back the Slammy Awards. WWE.com recently announced the award categories, so I thought I would provide you with my predictions.

Superstar of the Year: This is surprisingly tough, as no Superstar necessary had a HUGE year, but I'm going to have to go with Chris Jericho. After a lackluster start, he had an amazing feud with Shawn Michaels, turned heel, completely reinvented his character, and won two World Championships. Not too shabby.
Match of the Year: It's sad that it's now the end of November, and not a single match jumps out at me as amazing. Nevertheless, I'm tempted to say the Shawn Michaels/Ric Flair retirement match from WrestleMania.
OMG Moment of the Year: John Cena is the surprise 30th entrant in the Royal Rumble and wins the event.
Diva of the Year: Beth Phoenix will likely win, although I have to admit that my favorite at the moment is probably Kelly Kelly.
"DAMN!" Moment of the Year: The difference between the "OMG" moment and "DAMN!" moment escapes me, but I guess I'll go with Jericho being inserted into the Championship Scramble match and winning the title.
Tag Team of the Year: This one is relatively easy, as I think you have to go with John Morrison and The Miz.
Best Musical Performance: I'm racking my brain trying to think of what performance took place that gave them the idea to even include this category. Didn't Edge sing to Vickie once? I'm guessing that wins, because I'm otherwise drawing a blank.
Best Finishing Maneuver: I'm not sure why, but I can see the RKO winning this one.
Extreme Moment of the Year: Nothing jumps out at me, but I guess I'll go with that John Cena/JBL street fight from a few months back.
Couple of the Year: This is a toss up between "Glamarella" and Edge and Vickie. I give the slight edge (no pun intended) to Santino and Beth Phoenix
Breakout Star of the Year: Gotta go with Evan Bourne
Announcer of the Year: I honestly would love to say Mick Foley, but I'm going to go with Jim Ross since nobody else has blown me away. Although I am fond of Matt Striker's unique style.
Best WWE.com Exclusive: The Dirt Sheet, of course (this is a gimme)
Best Impersonation: I'm guessing this is going to be the Charlie Haas category. If that's the case, I guess his Bret Hart one was pretty good (I like how he held the microphone at a downward angle, like the Hitman used to).

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A Case of the Mondays: TV Round Up!

A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 3-10:

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/25/heroes-episode-3-10-review/

Some notes that I forgot to mention in the column - First, I loved the contrast between how HRG taught Claire to fight and how Meredith taught her to fight. HRG used Claire's psychological issues to strengthen her, and was undeniably proud when she succeeded. While it wasn't with mal intent, Meredith used Claire's psychosis to break her down, leaving her even more damaged than she was before.

Oh, and Ando + Hiro + Daphne + Parkman (the weak link in the equation) = comedy gold. I just love how Ando and Hiro explicitly refer to Daphne as "nemesis"....right to her face. These guys are great together (and giving Hiro amnesia allows the writers to conveniently dodge the issue as to why Hiro isn't scared to death of Parkman, given their interaction in the future).

A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episode 4-12:

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/26/prison-break-episode-4-11-review/

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Republi-Can I make a correction?

Longtime reader Dan had this to say in response to my 24: Redemption column, in which I wondered if female president Taylor is the first instance of a Republican commander-in-chief on 24:

Keeler ran against Palmer in season 3, so he and Logan must be Republicans.

Dan is spot-on correct. In fact, I half-remembered that, except that I got a little confused because season 4's Keeler was an honest, upstanding, honorable man. Season 3's version was conniving and underhanded, as he plotted with Palmer's ex-wife in order to blackmail him into dropping out of the election. Clearly, it was easy to forget that they're one in the same.

Anyway, Keeler ended up being hit with a missile while in Air Force One, and was possibly killed. Logan disgraced the nation and was forced to resign. Then he was stabbed by his ex-wife, and was possibly killed. Could the third time be the charm for the Republican party? Lets hope, for Ms. Taylor's sake.

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A Case of the.... 24: Redemption

After last season’s less than stellar performance, I’ve found myself very unenthusiastic about a show I once gushed over. When it was announced that the series would go nearly two years without a new episode, I was surprisingly complacent. In the past, the eight or nine month wait would feel unbearable. What could have possibly gone so awry?

I think at its core, 24 decided to do away with all those little things that made it so clever, unique, and charming, and soon became a parody of itself. It honestly did begin to resemble those stereotypical action flicks, where nonsensical twists and turns would take place in between illogical and unnecessary explosions. Along those same lines, the stories got progressively less intelligent. Another thing that set 24 apart from most other popular series was the show’s willingness to kill off main characters. And the writers would do a brilliant job knocking them off (who could ever forget George Mason’s sacrificial death, or Jack being forced to execute his boss Chappelle, or Teri Bauer’s unexpected murder?) By the end of season six, these supposedly major deaths had become forgettable and, again, nonsensical. It seemed more about shock value than anything else.

All of that being said, I thought 24: Redemption was absolutely fantastic.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/24/24-redemption-episode-review/

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Survivor Series predictions

One of my top three favorite wrestling Pay-Per-Views is this weekend -- Survivor Series -- and since I have my nephew's Christening tomorrow and a holiday party tonight, this will probably be my only chance to offer my predictions. Unfortunately I won't be able to catch the event (WrestleMania, Royal Rumble, and Survivor Series are the only three PPV's I even consider buying), which is too bad, because I'm glad they're actually providing some traditional elimination matches. Here are my predictions!

World Heavyweight Championship:

Chris Jericho (c) vs. John Cena

While I love the fact that Jericho is World Champion, and I'd hate to see his latest reign cut short, I really believe that John Cena NEEDS to win this match. Before his injury, Cena was jobbing out left and right. While traditional wrestling logic would indicate that Cena wins the match, but not the title, resulting in a chase for the gold, I really believe the smarter way to go would be for Cena to simply win the title.

Incidentally, in the latest edition of WWE Magazine, Cena promised he wouldn't do anything ridiculous to the World Heavyweight Championship should he ever win it. I suppose that remains to be seen, though.

Winner and new World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena

WWE Championship:
Triple H (c) vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Vladimir Kozlov

I'm SO tempted to say Jeff Hardy finally wins the gold, given how hard they're pushing him, but if Cena does win, I'm just not sure I see them changing both championships in one night. That being said, I think they risk hurting Hardy's credibility, as in the past year, he's earned, but lost, WWE Championship matches against Randy Orton and Triple H (numerous times). Will they finally pull the trigger? Sorry, but probably not tonight.

Winner and still WWE Champion: Triple H

Casket Match:

Undertaker vs. Big Show

I think this would be a perfect time to utilize my Edge return idea. Have all of La Familia attack Undertaker, only for Edge to return and make the save (a nice reverse allusion to his actions last year). I doubt it would happen, but I can still hope for it.

Winner: Undertaker

Traditional Survivor Series Match:

Team Batista (Batista, CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Matt Hardy, and R-Truth) vs. Team Orton (Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, William Regal, Mark Henry, and Shelton Benjamin)

This is a tough one to predict. I think either Batista or Orton will walk away as the sole survivors of their respective teams. On the one hand, WWE apparently wants to keep Batista happy. On the other, if Cena wins the gold, it would make sense to try to make Orton look strong. Survivor Series has historically been Orton's "event," so I'll go with him.

Winner and sole survivor: Randy Orton

Traditional Survivor Series Match:

Team HBK (Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Cryme Tyme, and The Great Khali) vs. Team JBL (JBL, Kane, John Morrison, The Miz, and MVP)

Here's my first prediction: MVP gets eliminated less than a minute into the match, when he's unexpectedly hit with a Super Kick. Anyway, I see the faces winning this one, with Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio standing tall. Well, Mysterio will just be standing.

Winners: Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio

Traditional Survivor Series Match:

Raw Divas vs. Smackdown Divas

The Raw Divas are more "legitimate," which is too bad considering that Victoria and Natalya Neidhart are both more than capable, so I'm saying they win, with the enemies Mickie and Beth surviving together.

Winners: Beth Phoenix and Mickie James

Anyway, I think this has the potential to be a great show. It would have been nice to get one more traditional match, but oh well, three is better than none. Enjoy!

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Un-F'N-believable!

And I repeat: January cannot come soon enough!

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 8-10

To quote Chandler Bing, “Could that beginning BE any more Cloverfield-esque?”

So I have to apologize for my absence last week. Truth is, I didn’t know there was anything to be absent over. For whatever reason, my local WPIX affiliate didn’t air last week’s episode of Smallville. I figured that it wasn’t on, because the previous week’s episode (the one with Kara’s return) aired a preview for “Bride” (this week’s episode). Sounds like a conspiracy to me.

So anyway, let me just say “sorry” now, because certain things might be just a bit confusing. For example, apparently Chloe had amnesia (on Smallville? Never) and now no longer remembers that Clark has abilities. And Davis and Chloe kissed. That’s a pretty huge plot device, so I’m a bit disappointed that I missed it. Anyway, on with this week’s episode review….

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/20/smallville-episode-8-10/

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A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episode 4-11

So a week after my long rant about how nobody’s going ballistic about Prison Break possibly being cancelled (unlike Heroes, which brings in better ratings), rumors began circulating that this could be the series final season. This would be disappointing, of course, but you also have to consider that a show like Prison Break wasn’t meant to last ten years. Another year would be nice, because I do think there’s fuel left in the tank, but quite honestly, if this season ties itself up with a “happy ending,” it would quite possibly be the perfect way to conclude the series. The Company is taken down, Michael and his crew become completely free men, Michael can sail into the sunset with Sara, and those who didn’t survive either received their retribution, or died heroes. A very strong argument could be made that this is the right time for the show to call it quits.

Anyway, this week’s episode of Prison Break was another exhilarating one. I do have one major qualm, though: During the heist, why on EARTH would you send the guy who has repeatedly passed out and had seizures, who you know isn’t supposed to push himself physically or mentally, out on a wobbly, narrow plank to delicately sneak into a glass prison to nab their salvation? Yeah, yeah, I know he’s the star of the show, but it (a) took away from an otherwise incredible and flawless scene, (b) it made the rest of the team look incapable, and (c) it made Michael pretty unlikeable. I mean, is Michael so prideful and egotistical that he would risk the freedom of the rest of his team in order to be the big hero? That’s awfully selfish.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/20/prison-break-episode-4-10/

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 3-9

Starting backwards, let me just say that I absolutely loved the conclusion of the episode, with the two “teams” standing together behind their leader. On Angela’s side – the supposed “good guys” – you had Peter, Nathan, Claire, Parkman, and Daphne. Arthur’s team – the big baddies – comprised of Sylar, Elle, Tracy, Flint, and Knox. Then you have 10 year old Hiro in his 28 year old body (more on that later) and Ando, who will undoubtedly end up with the babyfaces. Ditto, I would assume, for HRG (who, actually, technically works for Angela as it is). And, of course, Sylar and Elle will ultimately end up with the heroes as well. On the other side of the coin, monster-in-training Mohinder is on Papa Petrelli’s payroll.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/19/heroes-episode-3-9-review/

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A final goodbye

On Halloween I sadly reported that a close friend of mine had died, likely taking his own life. Well, tragically, it does appear as if it was certainly a suicide. Today was his memorial service, which was beautiful and did a wonderful job of reminding me what an incredible person he was, and I thought I'd simply share the Irish blessing that appeared on the backside of his memorial card:

May the road rise to meet you.

May the wind be always

at your back,

May the sun shine warm

upon your face, and rains fall

soft upon your friends,

And, until we meet again,

May God hold you

in the hollow of His hand.

Also, if this tragic event taught me anything, it's that if you need help, you need to ask for it. And if you think somebody needs help, don't wait for them to ask.

God bless you, my friend. We all miss you.

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A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episode 4-10

In my Heroes column and on my blog, I’ve been discussing this – in my mind – completely unfounded belief that Heroes is on the verge of cancelation. People go on and on about how the ratings have gone down, but consider this: Is anybody out there proclaiming that Prison Break is a show in crisis? I mean, they’re on Fox, a station notorious for not giving their programs much of a chance before axing them. Fox also has a long line of hit shows to fall back on (which NBC does not). Perhaps most significant, this past week, Heroes LOST 330,000 while Prison Break gained 175,000 – yet Heroes STILL brought in over two million more viewers.

People are so dramatic when it comes to Heroes.

But this column isn’t devoted to Heroes, it’s about Prison Break. Last week I complimented the way Bellick’s death was handled, and that continued into this week. Sure, the St. Brad stuff got a little heavy handed at times (T-Bag fondly reminiscing about Bellick was perhaps the biggest stretch), but I thought it was an overall sweet way for his character to be remembered. I was especially pleased with the way Mahone refused to deliver the goods unless Bellick’s body was brought to his mother. And I liked Sucre’s feeling of responsibility to contact Mrs. Bellick.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/12/prison-break-episode-4-9-review/

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Siriusly?

So today marked the death of XM Radio and the birth of Sirius XM. And while I didn't notice any significant difference regarding the music being played, one thing that jumped out at me is how much more talking there is. And that's a bad thing. With all due respect to any current and aspiring DJs out there, when I turn on the radio with the intent of listening to music, the LAST thing I want to hear is some guy telling me what I am about to listen to. Or what i just listened to. It's not even necessary, considering that the artist and song title now appears on the digital display. And I especially detest their lame attempt at humor. If you were funny, you'd be a stand-up comic. And if I wanted some commentary, I'd be listening to AM.

Anyway, one of my favorite things about XM was that, for the most part, the DJs simply played the music. Every now and then they'd make an inoffensive comment, which was fine, but overall they allowed people to listen to their tunes. But today, I was pretty taken aback by how many times the DJs interjected. It was actually getting to be a bit much.

Oh, and there were A LOT of promos as well. But I let that slide, figuring that they were simply trying to create some brand awareness.

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WWE Bound? Have faith in Christian

So the latest rumor going around is that TNA Superstar Christian Cage is set to make his return to World Wrestling Entertainment, just three years after taking a leap of faith and joining the distant #2 company, Total Nonstop Action. Truth be told, while it was a risk, Christian moving to TNA ended up being an enormously beneficial move. Undoubtedly, the Canadian Superstar's stock has risen exponentially following his tenure in Jeff Jarrett's playground. But, alas, THIS is the time for Christian to return home. At this point in time, TNA is far more overstocked in the main event scene than any of the three WWE Brands, which means -- logically speaking -- a move to WWE could place him higher on the overall pecking order.

So, assuming that he does return to "New York," what should be done with Christian? Here's what I would do....

I've long said that I believe Edge should return as a face. Don't get me wrong, I think he's the best heel in the company. And, at the moment, Smackdown has a lot more top faces than they do top heels. Despite this, a face turn would freshen up Edge's character dramatically. And I honestly believe that, if handled correctly, the fans would really get behind him. In an odd way, I actually think that the Edge-ster has been on hiatus a bit TOO long, to the extent that I don't think many fans even remember that he was at odds with his allies.

Nevertheless, I'd book Big Show vs. Undertaker for Survivor Series. At the end of the match, I'd have all of La Familia come in and start attacking the Dead Man. In the midst of a brutal, non-PG beat down, I'd have Edge's music play over the speakers. La Familia (with Vickie) would stand in the center of the ring, not sure what he would do. The announcers would naturally assume that he's there to join in on the attack. He'd grab a chair, indicate that he's going to beat down Taker, only to crack the chair Big Show over the head. He'd then Spear Chavo, and attempt to fight off his former Edge Heads. Taker would then rise to his feet, and the two Superstars would clear the ring. After briefly staring each other down, Edge would leave the ring (incidentally, this would also be a nice mirror image of what happened the year before).

Similar saves and attacks would happen over the next few weeks. Then, one week on Smackdown, La Familia could figure out some way to lure Undertaker from the arena. In that night's main event, lets say Edge vs. Chavo, La Familia can run out and start beating down on their former leader. Again, a brutal attack. As the fans chant for Undertaker, suddenly Christian's theme plays. The announcers are understandably confused as Christian's rushes down to the ring and clears the ring of the heels. As the show ends, Edge and Christian stand in the ring reunited.

Oh, and Tomko could fit into all of this pretty effectively as well. I could totally see Tomko matching up against Bam Neely.

But after the Undertaker/Edge/Christian vs. La Familia feud, what could be done with Christian? I'd actually move him to ECW, and make him the star of the show (sorry, Matt). Put the ECW Championship on him, and maybe even the WWE Championship on Edge. At the next draft, hopefully Christian will have fully established himself as a "Player," at which point he can be moved to one of the main brands.

Like I said, I truly do hope that Christian returns to WWE. This is the perfect time for him to do it.

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A Case of the.... Heroes - Episode 3-8

The episode kicked off with an awesome moment right off the bat. How cool was the “Villains” opening credits, instead of the usual “Heroes”? Very clever.

I was originally skeptical about this episode, I must admit. I thought to myself, “Didn’t we essentially see this episode in season one, when it was called “Six Months Ago”? But truth be told, this episode far exceeded my expectations, and it was quite possibly the most effective installment in regards to the whole heroes/villains story arc. While some of these “who’s good and who’s bad” twists and turns have felt forced, this episode did a wonderful job of actually explaining each character’s true spirit and motivation. I was highly impressed. And best of all, it didn’t feel the need to introduce every single character.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/11/heroes-episode-3-8-review/

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The 2008 Presidential Election: The final word

While some of what happened in the midst of this election left a bad taste in my mouth, in a way I feel like I got exactly what I was hoping for. I don't discuss politics often, but when I do, I almost always mention how much I detest the two party system. I think it makes sense in theory, but in practice it does far more bad than good. Yet this election saw Joe Lieberman -- who just two elections ago was on the Democratic ticket -- supporting the Republican candidate, and Colin Powell -- who was at one time a member of the current Republican administration -- backing the Democratic contender. Along with that, we saw many states that had typically been red emerge as blue (and to a much lesser extent, vice versa). Sure, this election was going to be historic no matter who won, but I don't think we should overlook the huge (albeit subtle) strides that were made that got us to this point.

This election also saw record number turn outs, with people who have never voted before voting. And that's never a bad thing.

I think in the grander scheme of things, Barack Obama was destined to win. And whether he as the superior candidate or not, I think one could make a strong argument that it's best that he did win. Of course, the election of an African American president is an enormous feat, but I think it's also important to recognize that the black vote did not win this election. On the contrary, a tremendous amount of people of all races, classes, and religions came together and showed an outpouring of support for this candidate. Sure, I'm only 27 years old, but I have never seen such enthusiasm behind one person (a HUGE contrast to John Kerry, whose entire campaign was "I'm not George W. Bush").

Unfortunately, though, this enthusiasm had a very negative effect on me. I have a lot of friends who felt very strongly about Obama, and I totally respect and admire their dedication. I also think that, for the most part, they respected the fact that I was still undecided about him (of course, the fact that I wasn't fawning over him was interpreted as me refusing to vote for him). But the media, on the other hand, really turned me off. At certain points, I was so disgusted with the absolute bias and favoritism shown towards Obama that I actually wanted him to lose.

This isn't an attack on Obama, but I honestly don't understand how anybody could argue that the media, as a whole, has an enormous liberal bias. Consider a few things. For example, Joe Biden made some extremely incriminating comments that insinuated rather strongly that if Obama were to win, our country would likely be threatened by force within the first six months of his term. That story was covered for about a night, on select networks. On the other hand, I am STILL reading articles discussing who picked up the bill for Sarah Palin's wardrobe. Really?

Then there's the whole Joe the Plumber thing. In my opinion, this man's comments REALLY showed a weakness in Obama's tax plan. Yes, McCain's camp did constantly try to alert people, quite erroneously so, that Obama will raise their taxes, but the fact remains that I honestly believe Obama's plan was the weaker of the two. Consider how many once successful chains went bankrupt within the last year or so. Under Obama's plan, most of the companies that have managed to survive will now be taxed MORE. That sounds like an awfully dangerous idea. Along with that, these companies aren't likely to just eat the loss. They're going to pass that cost down onto the consumers, which means there's a good chance that prices will rise. In our volatile economy, that could have disastrous results. And while it's true that many small businesses don't make $250,000 a year, the suppliers and distributors they purchase their materials from likely do. And, again, that cost is going to be passed down onto those small businesses.

Along with that, his "spread the wealth" comment, which some might say was a simple slip of the tongue, was enormously damning. A lot of people who are in that bracket that will see their taxes raised are there because of hard work, responsible saving/spending, and sacrifices. Why should they be "punished" because they had the good sense to save and spend responsibly? And why should they have to feel like they're "selfish" or "greedy" because they want to keep what they worked hard to earn? But instead of focusing on these very important issues, the media made it priority #1 to completely discredit and tarnish the reputation of Joe. Honestly, I could care less if he's a licensed plumber, or if his real name is Joe or Sam or Mary, or if he's paid his taxes (don't get me wrong, he should be fairly punished for any laws he had broken), but I do care about the issues stated above.

And while I honestly feel like my friends had intelligent, well thought out reasons to support Obama, I do feel like a LARGE number of people who were supporting him had no idea why they were. It baffles me how long this man got away with simply saying he wants "Change," without offering any elaboration whatsoever, only to have people eat it up. Honestly, people constantly criticize Giuliani for resorting to "9/11" in order to get a reaction, but for a long time Obama was doing the same thing.

There were also a lot of misconceptions about the man. People would go on and on about how he's an idealist and that he's running such a clean campaign, when the fact of the matter is that he spent just as much money as McCain on negative ads. And as I noted in a previous column, he had an army of very influential people -- the media, celebrities, etc. -- slinging the mud, so he really didn't have to.

A lot of people are now saying that if McCain had a stronger running mate, he would have done a lot better. This may be true, but I'm not entirely sure that's a fair comment. After all, McCain's campaign was probably most successful and most energized immediately after she was named his Vice President. To a certain extent, I feel like Palin, in the media's eyes, was the anti-Obama. While the media decided that they wanted everybody to absolutely love Obama, they equally decided that everyone should detest Palin (and no, I'm not saying that Palin is on the same level as Obama -- if the ticket actually was Obama vs. Palin, there's no doubt in my mind that I would vote Obama). Some of her mistakes were pretty inexcusable, but at the same time, she was in no way treated with the kid gloves that Obama often was.

With that rant out of the way, let me make one thing perfectly clear: I 100% support our new President, and I'm very excited about his term. He's obviously extremely intelligent and charismatic, and I wish him all the best. This is most certainly a historic moment in our time, and it's great to be alive to experience it.

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Wow. Just....wow....

Check out the incredible official preview for the fifth season of Lost:



2009 can't come soon enough....

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 8-8

This episode saw the very sweet reunion between Clark and his ever so beautiful cousin, Kara. Along with the lack of Lex, the other thing that has really irked me about this season is how Clark can mope about being alone, yet never once mention the fact that his cousin is, ya’ know, missing. That being said, I did think that their scenes together were rather touching, and I’m REALLY glad they didn’t kill her off. I thought both characters possessed a certain sense of maturity that was lacking during much of the previous season. I thought her comment about him always being close to her heart was especially sweet. I truly do hope this isn’t the last time we see Kara. And damn, she couldn’t teach him to fly before leaving?

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/07/smallville-episode-8-8-review/

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Survivor annoyances

As per the etiquette discussed in my previous post, click the "Read More" link for my thoughts on tonight's episode of Survivor. There are some spoilers (if they're still considered that), 'natch.

While I completely understand that there's a lot of stuff going on that we the viewers don't see, and that there's a lot of information we're privy to that the competitors aren't, it absolutely drives me crazy when some of the players make completely asinine decisions.

Such was the case tonight, when Susie decides that she's going to jump ship. Let me get this straight: Instead of being part of the majority that always wins, you decide you want to be part of the minority that always loses? What sort of sense does that make?

And yes, I recognize that, in her eyes, she's the low person on the totem pole. But she still had a better chance of making it to the final six (which, of course, WE know never would have happened -- but she didn't) and hoping that she can survive based solely on immunity challenges and becoming the swing vote. I really don't know what her plan is, because even if they make it to the merge, they still won't have the numbers. Next time Fang loses, Matty's getting voted off. And if Koda loses again, they'd probably vote a tie anyway.

And you know what? She spent the entire season bitching and complaining about her status within the alliance, and they made it perfectly clear that this was the case because they were worried she would flip. And what does she do the first chance she gets? Flips.

But man, are things ever going to be awkward between Marcus and Crystal's cousin...

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When is a spoiler a spoiler?

Earlier today I was perusing the True Blood message board on IMDb.com when somebody very nonchalantly revealed the identity of the serial killer -- ya' know, the big mystery and central premise of the show -- in the midst of a discussion that was in no way related to that topic. This was a HUGE reveal -- one that could potentially very negatively impact my enjoyment of a show I have really been getting into.

The justification was that the show is based on a book series and that the identity of the killer was revealed in the books a long time ago.

This got me thinking: When is something considered a spoiler? For example, after an episode airs, is it appropriate to post what happened without any spoiler warning? Or is it proper etiquette to provide a "buffer" zone? If so, how long is appropriate?

Along with that, if something is revealed in a preview or commercial (such as the return of a character), is that fair game? I would think so, however I do know people who avoid watching previews like the plague, because they want to go in completely fresh.

And what if something is based on a novel? Even if it's a relatively well known book, should you respect the fact that not everybody may have read it?

Then there are classic movies. After almost 30 years, is it okay to talk openly about Darth Vader being Luke Skywalker's dad? And now that nearly a decade has passed, do we need to continue to hide the twist ending of Sixth Sense?

I tend to take a pretty conservative stance. You'll notice that I only post the introduction to my television reviews (you have to click a link to read the full column), and I typically don't openly discuss shows like Lost without any spoiler warnings until after the season has ended.

Like I said, the identity of the serial killer could easily tamper with my enjoyment of the show. While likely unintentional, it was still an inconsiderate and unnecessary thing to say. But I am curious, at what point does everybody consider something "fair game"? And when is it still a spoiler?

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A Case of the.... Prison Break - Episode 4-9

So the past few weeks I’ve been watching Prison Break with my dad, and any time they break into an office or secure area, he brings up that it was entirely too easy for them to break in, and nobody questions why they’re there. I gotta say, I think this is a perfect example of how we, as an audience, have unrealistic expectations for what should be happening. I work in an office, and I can’t tell you the amount of times that I walk past a room and see somebody that I’ve never seen before. And very rarely do I ever wonder who they are. And even fewer times do I bother to inquire. As a viewer, we are aware that these people don’t belong there and that they are up to something unsavory. But if we were actually in that situation, and we didn’t have that knowledge, I highly doubt that we’d even raise an eyebrow.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/04/prison-break-episode-4-8-review/

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It's official (well, projected, actually): History has been made!

Well, it's official: For the first time in our nation's history, an African American will serve as President.

Whether you voted for him or not, you can't deny that this is a very exciting moment, one that will most certainly be deemed as "defining." And while it is often brought up that we've never had a black man as President, if you really think about it, it's pretty depressing how -- out of 43 previous presidents -- we really haven't drifted at all from the white Christian male prototype. If I'm not mistaken, there's only been one Catholic president. This really makes you comprehend how monumental this election has been.

You also have to be impressed by the fact that he toppled the ultra powerful Clinton family in the primaries, and dominated the otherwise very popular McCain in the actual election. No small feat.

I offer my sincere congratulation to our next President. There is much to be said about him and the entire election process -- which I will discuss in the upcoming days -- but I do plead one thing:

Please, please, PLEASE, for the love of God: Can we STFU about the whole "Change" thing, already? I mean, honestly.....enough already.

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VOTE! VOTE!!! VOTE!!!!

So after, like, a year of legitimate anticipation, the big day is finally upon us tomorrow. I've gone through a wide range of emotions in the past several months, but whether you're a Republican, Democrat, liberal, or conservative, it is absolutely essential that you go out and vote!

The logistics of the electoral vote makes it easy to feel like your vote doesn't really count, but if this election has shown anything, it's that very few states are an absolute "given." Therefore, possibly more than any other election, your vote truly can make a difference.

And, as always, it's important to make an informed decision. I encourage everybody to check out the Fact Checker at CNN.com (linked below), which provides factual information to verify or debunk some of the accusations aimed at each candidate:

http://politicalticker.blogs.cnn.com/category/fact-check/

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A Case of the.... Smallville - Episode 8-7

So this episode of Smallville, appropriately titled “Identity,” contained lots of Clark and Lois interaction and Clark in a suit. At the end of this episode, I daresay that one could argue that “Superman” is alive and well. This was certainly the greatest leap they took for making that a reality. Sure, he may not exist yet in name, but Metropolis is now aware that there is some sort of red caped superhero coming to people’s rescue.

http://primetimepulse.com/2008/11/01/smallville-episode-8-7-review/

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Join my office tour!

Lets lighten the mood a bit, shall we? For my birthday I bought the entire series of The Office, which I had been watching for the past couple of years, and suffice to say I've been getting really into the show. Anyway, I thought you guys would enjoy a little tour of my office (and by "office" I mean "cubicle").



Oh, and since I hate when people toot their own horn, I'm going to simply pat myself on the back on that home made opening Office sequence. I thought it was done quite well, actually. I especially love the water cooler part (and yes, that's the actual water cooler from my workplace).

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