New [a case of the blog] t-shirt!

For the second time ever, I have a one-of-a-kind t-shirt (how's that for a strange sentence?)!!

If you recall, over the summer I had a "Keep Calm And Get On The Case" [a case of the blog] t-shirt made.  Well, I decided to get a second t-shirt made, this time with a more blog-inspired design (and partially inspired by the cool new CM Punk t-shirt).  Well, here it is:

First and foremost, it's on a ringer t-shirt.  I always knew I wanted to do this -- as I love that particular style -- even before Punk's shirt debuted.  The white/black seemed to go best with the design I had created.  Let me break it down.

At the center we have the classic "beard and sunglasses" logo, although altered slightly to appear more animated.  The background is intended to be Internet-inspired, with a world wide web-like image.

Along the border are the roses that appear in my graphic above (and for what it's worth, I used those BEFORE Punk's shirt came out!)  At the top and bottom of the border are the icons that also appear on the banner (which represent the topics typically discussed on this blog:  "television, movies, wrestling, and more").

And finally, at each corner of the frame appears the QR Code that leads you to the blog.

So, what do you think?

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-23

First and foremost, Happy Memorial Day to everyone!  The weekend hasn’t been great weather (or excitement) wise, but I hope everybody has enjoyed their time away from work.  And more importantly, let’s be sure to remember what this day is about – the courageous men and women who have served our country.  I extend a special thank you to them, and their families (who make a mighty sacrifice as well).

I do apologize for the lateness of this episode review, but since it was the finale I wanted to make sure to devote the proper amount of time to it.  Overall, I enjoyed the finale but felt that it didn’t live up to last year’s cliffhanger.  Last year left me wondering what impact Elena’s “death” would have on the series.  It also featured a fairly significant loss with Alaric dying as well.  And Elena had finally made a decision between Stefan and Damon.  What impact would that have on all the relationships involved?

This finale featured many of those same climaxes.  Again, there was a significant death.  There was also a transformation of sorts for an important character.  And, again, Elena made a decision between Damon and Stefan.  Yet, oddly, I don’t necessarily feel that eagerness to find out what’s going to happen next.  Don’t get me wrong – it was an exciting hour and I felt that each of those happenings was handled well.  I’m just not necessarily sure I was AS invested in each of those events, which I’ll explain below.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-23"....

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The Office: Michael Scott's Return

So last week was the much anticipated series finale of The Office.  While the show has been a bit polarizing -- to say the least -- over the past two or three years, I've actually quite enjoyed the episodes leading up to the finale.  In particular, the work life chemistry between Dwight and Jim (as regional manager and assistant to the regional manager, respectively) has been hilarious.  I especially love all of the overly elaborate paintings in Dwight's office.

However, come finale time, there was really only one question:  Would Michael Scott show up?  Well -- SPOILER ALERT! -- he did!  And personally, I loved the moment.  I loved how it was both a surprise and completely telegraphed.  And it was a big moment, but it also didn't overwhelm the finale.  I thought it was great -- with an emotional and surprisingly understated "That's what she said" making his introduction.  Check out the video below for his return scene.

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LIVE Raw thoughts - May 20, 2013

11:08 - Remember how I said I would reserve judgment until the match was over?  Now it's over, and I'll judge.  You had all these former stars on Twitter (like Shane Helms and Lance Storm) saying how simply being in the ring with Triple H would make Curtis Axel.  Well, it surely didn't do a whole lot for him tonight, did it?  The focus was not in the least on Curtis Axel and his performance.  It was on Triple H and his career (life?) threatening injury.  And even while selling this injury, he couldn't even put Axel over.  Hell, he couldn't even let him have the offensive advantage!

Sadly, the purpose of the match wasn't to make a star out of Curtis Axel.  It was to build a story around Triple H.  A man who, at this stage of his career, does not need a story.  Anybody could have filled the role that Axel filled tonight.  And that's an unfortunate revelation of their priorities.

10:58 - I'm guessing somebody caught the fact that the entrance video originally said "Curt Axel."  By the way, this is an awesome theme music.

Considering that things are a little too tight to have a full on match, are you thinking that we'll see the debut of another Heyman guy?  Or perhaps the return of Punk and/or Brock?

10:50 - I am just now realizing that Ryback changed into his wrestling gear for the sole reason of beating up Zack Ryder.

10:48 - So are they going to insert Randy Orton into the World Heavyweight Championship title hunt?  I've never seen one guy get so many big wins without having any direction whatsoever.

Also, not a whole lot of time left for the main event...

10:21 - I know he's just playing a character, but that Triple H seems like a nightmare to work for.  First he says he doesn't care that Brock Lesnar roughed up one of his workers.  Now he's threatening a doctor's job because he doesn't like his prognosis.  And not for nothing, but he's not doing Dolph Ziggler any favors by saying, "Yeah, we don't really need to take time off when we're injured."  Good thing Dolph's a heel.

10:16 - Awesome match with the right team winning.  More importantly, the right person got pinned.  Bryan and Kofi have been beaten far too frequently -- Kane can sustain a loss like this and not suffer.  Awesome performance from Bryan, for that matter.

10:12 - This is a great match (awesome performance from Daniel Bryan), but I also totally recommend you read this story on Macho Man Randy Savage, on this two year anniversary of his death:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1643969-the-final-days-of-randy-macho-man-savage

9:53 - I normally love Kingston's trunk designs, but his cow print theme is confusing me.

9:50 - I enjoyed the Shield promo and I like how they each seem to have a distinct personality.  But what the hell happened to Daniel Bryan's entrance jacket?  That thing ruled!

9:39 - Sorry Zack, but I'm starting to think that the spiked hair, sunglasses, headband, and short trunks weren't the problem.

9:36 - Yeah, we all hate seeing Ryder lose, but at least Cody Rhodes gets a clean win over somebody.  Can we PLEASE do something with him?

9:30 - Love this AJ push and that they're actually letting her beat people clean.  What took them so long?  It's too bad that they don't care enough about the Divas division to actually put her on a PPV card so that she can win the title properly.

9:20 - Very impressive performance for Langston and a big win for him as well.  However, they forgot about that Instant Replay thing pretty quickly, huh?

9:05 - I'm going to keep an open mind until the match actually happens, but I'm rightfully skeptical.  We were all very excited about Curtis Axel getting some attention, and then Triple H interrupts the moment and puts him down right away.  First verbally with his "adults are talking" comment, and then physically with a slap that knocked him off his feet.  So needless.  Yes, beating Triple H will do wonders for him, but I doubt that will happen.  Why not give him a convincing victory over somebody like Kane or Randy Orton?

8:56 - It's not Joe Hennig but it's a HELL of a lot better than "Michael McGillicutty."  I'm not disappointed.  This is a great opportunity to give somebody new a true shot.

8:47 - I've interacted with Titus O'Neil a few times on Twitter and I saw him signing autographs for little kids (while on his way out of the arena) at WrestleMania Axxess.  The guy is a class act and deserves much success, so I'm really happy that he got spotlighted a bit in this match.  I hope big things are in his future.  But if Mark Henry is out, where does Sheamus go from here?

8:41 - So let me get this straight....out of all the clips they showed just now, they leave out the one that set up this match?  Yeah, that makes sense...

8:37 - I guess Daniel Bryan didn't hear that faces aren't allowed to get upset about major losses.  You're supposed to just laugh it off.

8:31 - So the choices are Great Khali, R-Truth, and Randy Orton?  Geez, why even bother having a vote?

8:22 - According to WWE, the following things are more important than this match:
1) The WWE App.
2) Fandango's dancing

8:14 - Is there a less interesting feud than Wade Barrett vs. the Miz?  I almost hope Miz is the new Heyman Guy, just to give him SOME direction.  Miz turning face should have been a big deal -- he'd been a heel his entire career and he's a former WWE Champion -- but he's done nothing since turning.

8:03 - Here is the downside of all these gimmick PPVs:  Look at what you're putting your top talent through.  At the very least, your top two or three matches are in that show's specialty match.  And as we are all aware, the same people are typically in those two three matches.  That means your typical main event wrestlers (John Cena, CM Punk, Alberto Del Rio, Big Show, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Dolph Ziggler, etc.) have to compete in multiple ladder matches, multiple cage matches, a Hell in a Cell match, an Elimination Chamber Match, and then various Extreme Rules matches.  It's no wonder that these guys are constantly struggling with nagging injuries.

Also, that was an awful promo.  The premise was fine and it started off okay, but he lost me when he said that the audience was going to die for some reason.

7:57 - It's been a few weeks since I've done this, but I'm oddly intrigued by the prospect of a third Heyman Guy.  Who do you all think it is?  RVD?  Cesaro?  Ryback?  Big Show?  Is the interest enough to bring fans in after a seemingly lackluster Extreme Rules?  Let's find out...

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-22

Just a couple of reviews ago I criticized the fact that the villain situation this season has been a bit all over the place.  Who is supposed to be the big bad?  Is it the Originals?  The Founders Council?  The vampire hunters?  Silas?  Katherine?  As I said, it really felt like every time a new threat was presented, they were just as quickly discarded.  Well, I promise to take all of that back if it leads to ALL of those villains returning now that the barrier is down, and banding together as one giant threat for the finale.

Continue reading "A Case of the....  The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-22"....

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Once Upon A Time In Wonderland Trailer

I know, I know, I owe about two weeks worth of reviews for The Vampire Diaries (I'll do separate ones, since the finale deserves more than a "special double edition!" review) and I do want to talk about the Once Upon A Time finale as well.  However, to pass the time, I thought I'd share the trailer for the OUAT spin off, Once Upon A Time In Wonderland.  What do you all think?  Going to give the show a chance?

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A follow up on the Brenda/Dawn matter

As a follow up to my post last night asking whether Brenda or Dawn (or Brenda AND Dawn) went too far with their actions towards each other, I came across this interview that Dalton Ross (of Entertainment Weekly) had with Dawn following the finale:

http://insidetv.ew.com/2013/05/13/survivor-caramoan-dawn-meehan-brenda/

This was a great interview that reinvigorated my like for Dawn.  Yes, her crying was annoying and some of her actions were personally disappointing (like voting off my Survivor love Brenda), but outside of the game (and really, probably to an extent WITHIN the game) I think she's probably a very nice, caring woman.  And she came across very positively here.

And I credit Dalton Ross, who never shies away from asking tough, compelling questions to the contestants and host.  Here, he brought up the great point that Dawn was "forced" to apologize while no reference whatsoever was made to Brenda's behavior.  Even worse, it turns out that Dawn was somewhat blindsided by the whole "now, apologize" thing.  But Dawn seems to be in a peaceful place, having ALREADY apologized for what she had done.  And, to her credit, she did reveal that Brenda apologized following Tribal Council as well.

In regards to my stance on the issue, the more I think about it, the more I'm against Brenda (and trust me, that's tough for me to say).  I DO think she made a strong point in asking Dawn whether she REALLY would have dropped out of the competition had Brenda not retrieved her teeth.  And I don't even have a problem with Brenda ASKING Dawn to take out her teeth, to prove a point.  I think those were really strong points and would have resonated with the jury.  Hey, Brenda saved Dawn.  Dawn says that's not the case.  But Dawn won't put her money where her mouth is.  Brenda wins.  However, Brenda kept pestering and pushing, to the point that Dawn had to do something that you could tell she was very uncomfortable and unhappy doing.  And when she went THAT far, she turned into the bad guy.  It went from Brenda trying to prove a point, to Brenda trying to hurt Dawn.

Anyway, here's the video if anybody is interested in viewing it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVONkp0H0Eo

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Survivor Caramoan: Brenda vs. Dawn - Which one went too far?

As most of you likely know, I'm a big fan of Brenda from Survivor.  I was massively disappointed by how invisible she was the first half of the season after being such a powerhouse in Nicaragua.  And then she finally got some attention and started making some big, important plays.  And she became the dominant female in several challenges.  But just as I was enjoying her reign, she got blindsided by her closest ally -- the woman she had looked out for in many different ways -- in a highly emotional moment.  While Brenda was the "Black Widow" of Nicaragua, she suddenly became the sympathetic victim of Caramoan.

And beyond that, Dawn became the biggest villain on all of television.  I hated the fact that she voted off Brenda because I have a mini-crush on her, but it WAS a smart move.  From Brenda's perspective, I understood why she was hurt and why she would hold it against Dawn.  After all, Dawn did promise her devotion to Brenda (not just to her face, but also in a confessional) and Brenda did stop her from dropping out of the game.  Nonetheless, fans viewed Dawn's move VERY negatively.

And then came the final tribal council, where Brenda would finally face Dawn.  And what did she do?  She made, in my view, a very strong point.  Dawn told Brenda that she would not have actually dropped out of the game if Brenda was unable to retrieve her teeth.  So Brenda asked her to put her money where her mouth is (so to speak).  If you were really willing to stay in the game and suffer that humiliation, then take out your retainer now.  Dawn resisted, but ultimately did it.  And it was pretty uncomfortable.  Overall, viewers seemed to think that Brenda went way too far and had needlessly humiliated Dawn.  Don't get me wrong, the point was a good one.  If Dawn really was willing to stay in the game, this shouldn't be a big deal.  But it was still a highly personal maneuver, whereas Dawn's move was a strategic one.  I understood what Brenda was going for, but at the very least I think she owed Dawn her vote after doing that.

But anyway, the thing that caught my attention was that at the reunion, all of the attention was on Dawn's actions and whether she would apologize to Brenda, and whether Brenda would accept.  I'm most certainly Team Brenda -- no doubt about that -- but she wasn't blameless.  I think Dawn deserved an apology as well.  Or, at the very least, somebody should have mentioned what she had done in retaliation.

Some additional Survivor finale thoughts:  I can't remember the last time we had a final three where one person wasn't a lame duck.  Honestly, it feels like the last several seasons have had one person who didn't even receive a single vote.  From what I understand, the reluctance of doing a final two is that the winner will be completely obvious.  I get that, but the last few seasons HAS had a winner that most people predicted from the final three.  So can we just go back to the far more interesting and prestigious final two?

Also, while the reunion episode drifted away from talking to everybody a while ago, it was somewhat disrespectful to put all of the pre-jury people in the audience.  I understand why they did it -- to not bring attention to the fact that Brandon isn't there -- but still.

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My 2013-2014 TV viewing schedule remains unscathed!

Last night the major networks, for the most part, revealed which shows they're renewing and which ones they're canceling.  Thankfully, virtually every one of the shows I watch will be back next season.  The only show that won't is the one that we've known all season that this would be their last:  The Office.

On the other hand, Survivor, Modern Family, The Vampire Diaries, Once Upon A Time, Nashville, Family Guy, and American Dad will all be back next year!  We're also getting spinoffs of two of the aforementioned shows (The Originals and Once Upon A Time in Wonderland), both of which I'm willing to give a shot.

So, yeah, good news all around.  Sorry for all you Happy Endings fans....but at least Elisha Cuthbert will now be available for that proposed 24 revival.

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A Case of the.... The Vampire Diaries - Episode 4-21

Hey!  I actually got this review posted in a reasonable amount of time!  As we draw closer to the finale, I’ll try to maintain this pace.

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A Case of the.... The Walking Dead - Season 3

And then there's arguably the show's best season yet -- the third (and most recent) season of The Walking Dead!  Be sure to read my thoughts on season 1 and season 2.  And remember, this column will contain spoilers anything that happened during the third season.

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