Category: TV

All Hail the New TNA X-Division Champion Austin Aries!!!

If you haven’t been watching  Impact Wrestling — and I know that most of you haven’t — then I urge you to give it a go. Yeah, there’s still a bunch of crap like Ric Flair and Sting embarrassing themselves in their advanced age, the uncertainty of whether Jeff Hardy will wrestle or traffic drugs, every segment with Hulk Hogan, and 84 percent of what Vince Russo comes up with. All that aside, there’s one glorious bright spot in all of TNA Entertainment — Austin Aries.

Obviously I’m biased, but Aries is the best thing — by far — about Impact Wrestling. I’m thrilled that he’s the new X-Division Champion. He absolutely deserves this success and more. He’s putting on great matches and cutting great promos. He’s been consistently great since returning to TNA. While other wrestlers in the company are busy trafficking drugs or getting DUIs, Aries has been providing high-quality entertainment in and out of the ring.

So yeah, I’m watching TNA these days…but only to catch Austin Aries matches and promos. Screw Kurt Angle. A-Double is the one that’s that…damn…good.

Coffee Talk #395: Your Dream Dinner for Four

If you could have dinner with three people from the history of the world, who would be at your table? They can be game developers, actors, musicians, etc. It’s your dream dinner for four and I’d love to hear your…

Welcome to Coffee Talk! Let’s start off the day by discussing whatever is on your (nerd chic) mind. Every morning I’ll kick off a discussion and I’m counting on you to participate in it. If you’re not feelin’ my topic, feel free to start a chat with your fellow readers and see where it takes you. Whether you’re talking about videogames, rain ruining my U.S. Open (tennis) background noise, why my coffee beans are late (again), or dinner/drinks with two excellent people, Coffee Talk is the place to do it.

If you could have dinner with three people from the history of the world, who would be at your table? The only condition for this game is that the people you choose have to be real (this is mostly to prevent one of you from choosing He-Man or Bugs Bunny). They can be game developers, actors, musicians, etc. It’s your dream dinner for four and I’d love to hear your picks! Here are mine:

Muhammad Ali: “The Greatest” would headline my dream dinner. I’d choose the Ali that was banned from boxing and speaking out against the war in Vietnam. Ali was already an extraordinary athlete with unmatched speed for a heavyweight boxer, but his stance against the Vietnam War made him so much more. He lost three prime years of his career, but inspired so many people while he was away from boxing. He became more than just an athlete. He became an icon.

John Lennon: My feelings about Lennon are similar to my feelings about Ali. He was already a renowned performance artist and songwriter, but his post-Beatles activism made him so much more. I love that he used his fame to spread positive messages and to get people to think. I also love the continued to write great songs when doubters thought he was washed up. I’d love to have ’70s John Lennon at my dream dinner.

Steve Jobs: My last spot was a tough choice. As I mentioned to you last year, I’d love to have a one-on-one dinner with Nintendo’s Shigeru Miyamoto. For some reason, I’m being a stickler with my dinner-for-four scenario and am disqualifying Miyamoto because he would require a translator (sorry Bill!). The final spot goes to Apple’s Steve Jobs. This would be 2005 Jobs, fresh off his Stanford commencement speech. In addition to getting his thoughts on making products people are passionate about, I’d love to hear about how he felt about getting booted from Apple, elevating Pixar, and returning to make Apple better than ever.

So that’s my dream dinner for four. Now let me know who’s sitting at your table (please)!

Lady Gaga Goes Drag as Jo Calderone at MTV VMAs

Lady Gaga shocked the crowd at the MTV Video Music Awards by appearing and performing as her male alter ego, Jo Calderone. While I loved Gaga’s performance of “You and I”, mostly because it featured Queen guitarist Brian May, everyone seems to be fixated on the Calderone character instead of the music. Check it out below and let me know what you think (please)!

 

As for me, I love the song and the guitar playing. The Jo Calderone thing seems like another way of Gaga pushing buttons. I like what she was trying to do, but it seemed a little silly to me. Calderone looks like a member of The Jets from West Side Story. I was waiting for a medley of “When You’re a Jet” and “Somewhere“.

Details on David Foster’s Proposed Star Trek Series

Are you ready to boldly go where no man has gone before (on a weekly basis) again? If so then you might be interested in David Foster’s proposed Star Trek series. Unlike the excellent 2009 movie, Foster’s series is inline with the existing canon. He recently gave TrekWeb a ton of details on his ideas for the show. Here’s a sample:

The series concept is fully developed, subject to change of course, with a solid 5-7 year series plan, pilot script and a conceptualized finale that intends to define Star Trek for generations, extensive character bios, costume and ship/set designs, and more. This is a drastic departure from the typical 8-10 page treatment of the previously pitched Star Trek series ideas that have not included even a pilot script.

The series is set in the post-Voyager era, and is designed to return Star Trek to its original series roots in big and mighty ways, without disregarding the other series and movies. As Star Trek (2009) was an alternate timeline, it will not conflict with any canon there either. The co-creators are avid believers in Gene Roddenberry’s “positive view of the future” and intend to bring Star Trek back to its origins while moving forward with the timeline, integrating the best aspects of each of the previous series.

The series is highly energized with a much younger cast, and uses cutting-edge future technologies with newly envisioned special effects and designs. It includes Klingons, Ferengi, Andorians, Vulcans, Trill, and many more. The Klingons are getting very restless since the Praxis incident forced them to come to the peace tables, and are tired of having to rely on the Federation for support. The Ferengi have discovered a vast new resource that has propelled them towards instant riches and power beyond anything they have previously experienced.

I’m sold! How about you? Are you ready for another Star Trek television series?

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The Sad, Sad Tale of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair

Grantland has posted an outstanding article that chronicles the marital and financial difficulties of “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair. Shane Ryan covers more than 20 years of Flair’s life…and it’s depressing. Keep in mind that I’m a huge Ric Flair mark and consider him to be the greatest of all time, no matter what WWE says. Like most articles on Grantland — the Bill Simmons project that has quickly become one of my favorite sites — it’s a well-written piece, but a lot of the details made me wince.

I already knew some details of Flair’s marital problems, but I had no idea he was so stupid with his money. I was genuinely sad when I read that Flair used his old championship belts as collateral for loans. I was even sadder to learn that he used the Rolex watch that he received from Shawn Michaels — a gift to commemorate their outstanding match at WrestleMania XXIV — for the same purpose. I was at that match and the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony that featured Flair’s induction. The watch represented all the emotion from that weekend — which was supposed to be Flair’s “last” match — and it’s sad that Flair has been reduced to using it for collateral.

Anyway, I highly, highly recommend reading the whole article when you have a chance. If you do, please leave a comment here and let me know what you think!

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Matt Hardy Arrested for DWI, Fired From TNA

Guess who you won’t be seeing on Impact Wrestling anymore? Matt Hardy, that’s who! After being arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated, TNA announced that it has released Hardy. The wrestler was arrested on Sunday after wrapping his Corvette around a tree, an uncommon activity for sober people driving around on a summer afternoon. At the very least, his mug shot (courtesy of TMZ) makes him look like he was on something.

If Hardy is found to have been driving while intoxicated then he is one of the dumbest people in the history of North Carolina. Has he learned nothing from his friends and family?!? Most of you know that his brother, Jeff Hardy, has had numerous substance issues and is an accused drug trafficker. His best friend, Shane Helms (The Hurricane, Gregory Helms), was recently in a horrific motorcycle accident and is also being investigated for driving under the influence.

I’ve always liked Matt Hardy and I’m bummed to see what a wreck his life has become. What the hell is he doing?!? Perhaps he’s trying to outdo Jeff??? How do you guys and dolls feel about this incident?

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PlayStation 3 Getting NFL Sunday Ticket for $339.95

Sony Computer Entertainment America and DirecTV have announced that the popular NFL Sunday Ticket subscription package will be available on the PlayStation 3 for $339.95. The subscription will let gamers view every out-of-market NFL game. Considering that NFL football is the most popular sport in America, this is an enormous deal. Here’s more from Sony Computer Entertainment America senior vice president Philip Rosenberg:

At the start of the season, viewers who do not currently have access to DirecTV will be able to subscribe to NFL Sunday Ticket at the season price of $339.95. Existing DirecTV customers can access the service on their PS3 for an additional $50 and use the PS3 as an additional receiver for your home.

NFL Sunday Ticket is a DirecTV-exclusive sports package that offers:

  • Up to 14 NFL games every Sunday
  • Full HD for every football game
  • DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel

Like I said, this is a huge deal for the American market. With this announcement and the recent PlayStation 3 price cut, I wonder if any American consumers will use the PS3 as a way to compensate for DirecTV unavailability. $340 is a lot of money, but if you can’t get DirecTV then this is a reasonable option. Hell, if you can get DirecTV but don’t care about its programming packages then this can save you money in the long run.

Are any of you tempted by this deal? Imagine if the PS3 launched with this partnership? The console wars would have played out so differently in America. Also, where’s my Manchester City subscription package for real football?!? (Half-joke)

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[I wanted to post this story yesterday, but my crap web host decided to take the day off. Never use AnHosting.]

Watch the CM Punk vs. Kevin Nash Confrontation on Raw

It was interesting to see CM Punk confront Kevin Nash on last night’s episode of Monday Night Raw. For those of you that aren’t up on the current storyline, Punk defeated John Cena on Sunday to retain the WWE Championship. Out of nowhere, Kevin Nash hit the ring and gave Punk a jackknife powerbomb. This opened the door for Alberto Del Rio to cash in his Money-in-the-Bank title shot to win the WWE Championship.

Punk was excellent last night, just as he’s been for the last few months. I was surprised that Nash was so flat. He’s usually great on the stick, but seemed a bit uncomfortable last night. It made me wonder if he got too used to the crowds at TNA (only a few hundred people) and forgot what it was like to work the mic in front of thousands.

The storyline is also…interesting. It looks like WWE is going with a , “Who done it?” plot. Nash got a text message from Triple H to pull a schmoz. I’m guessing that the message was sent from Hunter’s phone, but was sent by someone else. Stephanie McMahon is the obvious choice since she obviously has access to her husband’s phone. John Laurinaitis is another possibility. Either way my writing in the last two SmackDown vs. Raw games was much better. Ha!

Let me know what you think of CM Punk, Kevin Nash, and this current storyline when you have a chance. Who do you think sent the text message to Big Daddy Cool?

Three Reasons Why You Should Watch WWE SmackDown

CM Punk has been killing it on WWE Monday Night Raw and has been lauded for making the show the most interesting it’s been in a long, long time. All of the praise is deserved. Punk has been amazing on Raw and deserves credit for carrying the most compelling WWE angle of 2011. While most wrestling fans have their eyes on Raw, SmackDown has been quietly improving. WWE’s Friday show usually has the better wrestling, but lately it has been evolving into a unique and complete show. Here are three reasons why I’ve been marking out for SmackDown.

1) Bryan Danielson: A lot of you know that I’m a big Daniel Bryan fan and have been following his career since his Ring of Honor days. I believe that he’s currently the best mat wrestler in WWE and a phenomenal talent. While he has yet to find his groove on the mic in WWE, he has wrestled some fantastic matches that remind me of classic NWA bouts I loved in the ’80s and ’90s. He has a brilliant style that blends modern moves with old-school technique. I’m looking forward to seeing the build-up to his WrestleMania title shot.

2) WWE Divas That Can Wrestle: The Divas division has been a joke for far too long. That’s changing on SmackDown. They’re actually letting the ladies wrestle — a novel idea, hey?!? Two of my current favorites, AJ Lee and Nattie Neidhart, have taken advantage of their wrestling time, showing that WWE Divas can put on great matches. I love that SmackDown is showcasing women that can actually work a match. I especially love that AJ is getting airtime. She wrestles, plays videogames, and reads comics. All nerds should love and support her.

3) Sheamus vs. Mark Henry: I’m absolutely shocked that this angle is working. I’m amazed that Henry’s “monster” angle has made him the most interesting he has ever been in his career. I’m surprised that the fans took to Sheamus’ face turn so quickly. He was such a great heel and a fantastic villainous champion. The writers didn’t have much for him to do so they turned him face and the fans are loving it. If you had told me two months ago that monster Henry vs. face Sheamus would be a popular SmackDown angle then I would have called you nuts. Eventually, Henry will run out of steam and he’ll revert to the world’s strongest jobber. What’s really fun is watching Sheamus evolve. He has already proven that he can be a great heel and I’m curious to see if he can be a great face.

Raw is the flagship show and that’s never going to change, but don’t ignore SmackDown. There are great things happening on WWE’s “other” show.

Stephen Colbert Addresses Miles Morales Spider-Man

www.colbertnation.com

After our interesting discussion on Miles Morales, the multiracial Spider-Man in the Ultimate Marvel Universe, it was great watching Stephen Colbert attack the issue with faux indignation. Colbert was his typically hilarious self, but especially funny to comic-book nerds. I was thinking about one of our other discussion when he brought up the fact that Superman is an illegal alien. It’s fantastic stuff, but what else do you expect from Colbert?

Thanks to my bud Parisi for posting this!