Mike's Archive

Blog

  • Superman’s So-Called Secret

    Sometimes changing the canon is the best possible thing.

    When Chloe Sullivan, a non-canon character on Smallville, learned about Clark Kent’s secret (and kept that knowledge past the end of one episode), I was pretty skeptical. No one is supposed to know the truth except Kent’s parents and, much later, Lana Lang. (He tells her before leaving his hometown.) Adding a new character into the knowledge-mix was pretty questionable unless they were planning to kill her off, a plotline they already exhausted at the end of last season.

    During the last few episodes, however, I’ve really come to appreciate the trials that Chloe has had to go through to prevent Clark from finding out that she knows what he’s tried so hard to keep from her.

    This week’s episode in particular, “Blank”, really turned the tables, as Clark has developed a vicious case of amnesia and Chloe must explain to him that he has special powers and needs to do whatever it takes to keep them from everyone. It’s a simple device, but it really put an interesing spin on the story, and Allison Mack did a solid job pulling it off. (I never loved Chloe, but the last few weeks I’ve actually felt sorry for her in regards to the whole Lana thing — she’d treat Clark far better than “Fiona” ever would.) Her very last line of the ep. really summed it up perfectly: “You had a clean slate to start all over with, and you made all the same choices, except for one… You trusted me.”

    Anyhoo, Smallville may not be the greatest or most consistent show, but twists such as this one have kept me watching over the years. In fact, the Alicia episodes and the Chloe “secret” have made this one of my favorite seasons so far.

    P.S. I’m not a hardcore Superman fan, so my knowledge of the lore is only cursory. Apologies if I got anything wrong.

  • Protected: The iPodyssey, Part 1

    This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  • Protected: Cox joining the iTV fray

    This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  • Springsteen “Rehersal” Show, Asbury Park, NJ

    Judging from both fan reaction outside the show and from message board postings I’ve read since, most Bruce Springsteen fans will love anything this guy does. Me, I’m not like that. I tend to be more critical of Bruce, because I know what he *can* do. I’ve been there. That’s why, after attending the second of his “rehersal” shows last Friday afternoon in Asbury Park, I was not exactly thrilled with Springsteen’s performance. There were, as always, some amazing highlights, but the entire set was marred by some bad, boring choices. The second half of the show was especially lifeless, leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth despite the much better first half of the show and incredible piano performances. (more…)

  • The O.C. Recap 4/21/05

    Some interesting storylines are developing…

    Trey and that blond hotty — did they set up the Kyle guy? Or is she just a little whore? I can feel a staty rape change coming.

    Is Zack setting up Seth? He’s clearly quite happy with the fact that Summer is virtually ready to jump back into his arms. He may not be quite that clever, but he’s certainly enjoying the way this is playing out.

    Sooooo sick and tired of this Kirsten / Carter storyline. Didn’t we just watch this with Sandy and Rebecca?

    We waited all this time for Death Cab to appear on the show and THAT’S IT??? I can’t imagine anything more anticlimactic. Seth was so busy with all the other crap that was going on, he barely even noticed. They could have devoted an entire plot to his obsession with this show, and instead it was a wasted footnote.

  • Protected: Interactive TV Purchasing a Reality

    This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  • Vince Carter is Still Overrated

    The rallying cry in the NBA seems to be “Vince Carter is back!” after he’s scored 39 points or more in 3 of his last 4 games. My question is this: what has Carter ever actually done? We know this: He’s scored a lot of points, won the slam dunk title, and gone absolutely nowhere in the playoffs. In addition, it seems this season that he purposely tanked games in order to be traded. How is this guy a great player?

    A few years back he had that phenomenal series against Philly and seemed to be on the verge of ‘The Leap”, but nothing ever came of it. Oh, and they LOST the series against Philly. Since then, he’s acted like an immature prima donna and hasn’t even helped his team win games. Now he’s back playing well for a short stretch, and all of a sudden he’s a superstar again?

    So much emphasis is placed on individual stats and highlight reel plays in the public’s perception of NBA players, but at the end of the day, great players win games. No great player would EVER tank a game for any reason, especially for his own selfish motives. (Can you imagine Bird or Jordan doing that?). Until Vince proves himself with some meaningful Wins, he’s still an also-ran in my book.

  • The New Food Pyramid

    The U.S. Department of Agriculture has finally released their updated food pyramid. Check out mypyramid.gov for your “personalized” pyramid.

    My first thoughts are that this is a huge improvement over the previous pyramid, which has become insanely out of date. Gone is the absurd reliance on all grains, including refined breads and pastas. Gone is the insistence that all oils and fats should be used sparingly. Instead, the new system describes a “Healthy Diet” as one that:

    * Emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products;
    * Includes lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs, and nuts; and
    * Is low in saturated fats, trans fats, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added sugars.

    The food pyramid, while still utilized here, is presented with a twist: individualized plans are based on a person’s age, gender and amount of daily activity. At first this makes perfect sense, because everyone is different and needs to find the diet that works best for them. However, I also have some fears that the added complexity of this individual plan may be a problem for many Americans who have attention spans shorter than your average TV commercial. If people do take the time to research mypyramid.gov, however, they should find some good information that will encourage a healthy lifestyle. (more…)

  • Protected: Verizon Stepping up Channel Lineup

    This content is password protected. To view it please enter your password below:

  • Happy Patriot’s Day

    As a kid growing up in the Boston area, we always looked forward to Patriot’s Day, a New England-only holiday that occurs on the third Monday in April. Most importantly, this day represented the beginning of “April Vacation”, a week off from school. (In New England, schools have a week-long “February Vacation” and a week-long “April Vacation”. After moving out of the area and realizing that the rest of the country has one week off before or after Easter Sunday, I never did understand the N.E. rules, although perhaps it was to encourage parents not to take their children out of school to go skiing.)

    Patriot’s Day, however is much more than just the start of Spring Break in Boston… It’s also the day that they run the Boston Marathon and the day of the only Major League Baseball game that starts before Noon (first pitch at Fenway Park is always at 11:05). So, all over the city, people take the day off and, weather permitting, get drunk while watching sports. It’s no wonder this is such a popular holiday (and why I miss it so much now that I don’t live in the area).

    The hilarious thing about all this is that, although I grew up in the Boston area, to this day I had no idea what Patriot’s Day actually celebrated (no, it’s not the football team). So I did some research: It commemerates April 19, 1775 — the battle of Lexington and Concord, the beginning of the Revolutionary War, and Paul Revere’s legendary ride. In fact, re-enacting Revere’s ride is a far longer-standing tradition than the marathon or the Sox game.

    Perhaps we should all be celebrating Patriot’s Day after all… (nice spring day, off work… any takers?)