50 Shades of Grey Too Sexy for R Rating...

According to the cast members of "50 Shades of Grey," being filmed now, the movie may be too sexy for an R rating. Which I guess is bad news for someone somewhere, since Universal Studios has already said they will not put out a NC-17 version of a movie based on a novel that's essentially a soft core porn BDSM story (and a literary travesty.)

I mean I think the main reason they are saying this is that it's going to be the only way for women to get their significant others to go sit and watch the movie. Seriously do you want to be the dude seen going into the screening of "50 Shades of Grey." There better be some really awesome sex in that movie to justify the embarrassment of being seen entering the theater. On top of that you have to sit through 120 minutes of some story about a woman finding her own femininity in sexual bondage and submission.... So yeah be sure to go see this movie or stay home and look at internet porn. I'm guessing either will be about the same in entertainment value.

Insane Clown Posse are officially the worst rap band ever...

According to GQ Magazine, the go to for all things hip hop, the Insane Clown Posse are the worst rappers of all time. I mean I don't know how much stock I would put into their ranking when it comes to hip hop but I'm going to have to say I may agree here. Not only does the Insane Clown Posse's music suck but they are kind of creepy and I think that's what sells their music. They have a strangle hold on a specfic target audience. Those confused young men who really don't know how to grasp their plunge into the testosterone filled adolescence that is young manhood, so they listen to bad rap music from white guy's dressed in clown makeup. Oh come on we all have done worse so lets take it easy on them.

Anyways, the Insane Clown Posse wasn't going to take this lying down though, their official comment went like this...

“Insane Clown Posse has been selling rap records, rocking rap stages and making rap money for over 20 years now. You can’t rack up all that rap success for this long and still be ‘the worst ever.’ GQ magazine should stick to what they know: Dressing preppy metrosexuals. Why don’t you say that to my face!”

Yeah man, say it to their face! 

So yeah, that's the stuff I have for you today. I know I'm sorry. I'll try and find some boobs or something to post later to make up for it.

Humble Bundle, get games and feel good about yourself while doing it!

I wanted to tell everyone about "Humble Bundle." They are a non-profit company that raises money by receiving donations from avid gamers and in exchange developers provide games. So this is how it works, lets say you go to Humble Bundle and see a group of games that you like and you are feeling generous, contrite or just greedy and decide to donate some money. Well you will always get some of the games listed but typically you have to donate a minimum amount to get all the games listed. The way you get your games is via digital format whether it's through Steam or direct download depends on the developer providing the game but so far Steam has always been an option for PC downloads. They also have quite a few Android bundles on their site to.

As you can tell I'm a big fan and typically I donate what I can to them and if I already have the Steam keys for the games I just wait and gift them as presents later to people. So check out Humblebundle.com and get on their email list if you are a gamer. You'll be getting some great games and helping some great causes as well.

humblebundle.com

Everything is About to Change!

So I am changing the format of my blog to be more a pit stop for men, rather than a blog about what TV shows tickle my fancy. I will be posting about TV shows still but also technology, video games, personal issues men important to us as well as pertinent entertainment news for men. I want to run the gambit because I see very few bloggers who are writing for men and the ones I see are simply writing about some T-N-A so I figured how about some substance instead?

I hope that both men and women reading the new format and that it's entertaining foremost but also informative. As always I appreciate any feedback you want to give.

Luther on BBCA and Netflix or Oh No! Not Another BBC Review!

I know what your saying, "This guy writes entirely too many blogs about British television." You might be right but I see so many great shows on the British airwaves that I feel this urge compelling me to spew out my diatribes of the great TV found across the pond.

Luther is another one of the British shows that has captured my attention, which to be honest is somewhat hard to do. I started watching it on a whim, after reading the somewhat bleak description given on Netflix. From the first episode it sunk it's hook into me and reeled me in with what was a a surprisingly short fight. I have so many TV shows I watch, it's hard to find another one I can invest time into but this one was worth it.

Luther is another cop show, and you are thinking, "gee whiz not another one of those." Don't hit the home button yet, let me finish! This one is different, it is a cop show that is shrouded in deep layers of gray. The subject matter is gritty, intelligent and fast paced. It keeps you on the edge of your seat and remains unpredictable. It's one of the few cop shows out there that takes a premise beaten sore and breathes fresh life into this often poorly done genre. It plays on the dark fascination we all have with serial killers and goes to the other end of the spectrum, how far can a man go to stop a monster when he is hemmed in by the fine letter of the law. What happens when he finds himself so divided that he start's to breaks down in the process?

The show manages to bring about an impossible amount of tension because the cast is so strong. The characters here are flawed and far from perfect. They find themselves thrust in to intense situations, where they have to decide just where they can draw the line. Then you catch them walking that line, like a tight-rope walker with acrophobia. Afraid of what might happen if they fall on either side.

So take a look and tell me what you think. The seasons are relatively short and easy to fill into a couple evenings if you marathon it or something you can treat yourself over the course of a few weeks.

Why aren't you watching Doctor Who?

Doctor Who is probably a show you've heard someone talking about or read about some where. You also probably associated it, well in America at least, with those same geeks that speak Klingon, quote Yoda and whine about how Fox killed Firefly. Though there is probably some truth to that assumption you would be missing one of the greatest sci-fi shows ever aired if you didn't take the time to watch it.

Now that Netflix has put up the first 6 seasons of the new Doctor Who you have the chance to see why this show, that has aired since the 1960's, is still counted as a national treasure in the United Kingdom. It has a simple principle to it, take a little bit of time travel and mix it in with a dash of space opera and then add in that one ingredient that makes it what it is, the human element.

Doctor Who takes television to a level you wont see in America, the CGI (the fancy graphics we all love) is excellent, the acting superior and the script on any given episode will rival any blockbuster sci-fi movie out there. Yet still I can count on one hand the amount of American's who have taken the plunge and watched this fantastic show.

Each show takes a wild and thourghly absurd premise and turns it into a journey where we suspend our doubt's and disbelief's to let ourselves get lost in the story. A story driven by the main character, "The Doctor," who is as complex a character as any you've ever seen. The Doctor is an amalgamation of Captain Kirk, Yoda, Han Solo and Gandalf all rolled into one man (well Timelord), who's almost human, except for his two hearts. I often think of the two hearts as a metaphor for a man who feels more than most and at the same time has seen more pain than most. That emotional attachment and distance is what draws you into the deep affection the fans of the show feel for this often changing character.

You see there are several incarnations of The Doctor, each time he has died he is regenerated into a new body, which not only look different but also have different personalities, but the same underlying idiosyncrasies. To do this and make it believable, they manage to bring in actors that the fans learn to love, even though you often hear the fans bemoan how they killed, "The Doctor," it doesn't take long before they are once again cheering for their new protagonist. Yet The Doctor would be nothing with out a stellar cast that make up his companions.

The Companions are what round out The Doctor. They follow him around, mere mortals, who thrust in the often surreal and astounding universe they never knew existed become the Yin to his Yang. The Doctor, it could be argued, is only as human as those companions he takes with him. As you go through each season you see an assortment of men and women accompany him and add all the personality and subplots that make a space-opera so engrossing. Each one you start rooting for as much as The Doctor himself and in doing so you find yourself caring about them. All their insecurities and doubts, are pushed aside as they succumb to the same overwhelming wanderlust that drives The Doctor from episode to episode.

So with that being said, I ask you, "Why aren't you watching Doctor Who?" It's on Netflix and BBC America in the United States and it's one show that anyone who loves Sci-Fi or adventure needs to watch, because at it's heart it's one of the few shows that really is something the whole family can watch. Something that is an oddity in the United Kingdom, where so many of the drama's are targeted at the adult crowd, this show manages to still be family friendly.

So take the time and watch a few episodes, season 1 starts off slow but as you get into season 2 things really light up and if you are still watching by then, you will be like me, complaining that we have to wait too long for the next season of Doctor Who to air in America. I hope you take my advice and I'm sure you will enjoy your travels with The Doctor.

America Lacks Intelligent Programming...

I'm coming to the realization that American TV is generally not all that intelligent and the few shows that are, Pushing Daisies, Firefly, Terriers to name a few, hit the floor within two seasons. I have been watching a lot more UK television lately and I have to say that I am impressed. There is a level of intelligence that you don't see on American TV.

Why is this? Cause honestly, beyond the stereotype, I don't think Americans are stupid. I mean most of the Americans I turn on to UK TV shows love them. I have yet to see anyone say they hate Misfit's or Peep Show but for some reason we don't see show's like that on any of the big networks.

It's not to say that there aren't some intelligent shows on American airwaves, Dexter and Justified are smart well written shows that consistently deliver, I'm just saying that a large majority of programming is stupid. You don't realize it until you watch shows that force you to pay attention or get lost.

So are we just so acclimated to stupid sitcoms and dramas that we don't care? I think part of it is that seasons for most shows in America are 24 episodes long and in some case the writers are going for quantity over quality. Most UK shows are only 6 to 10 episodes long at the most. That leaves a lot of time for writing each season, which allows for a higher quality programming.

It's not to say American television isn't popular in the UK, in fact most of my UK readers constantly remind me of how good TV is in America which makes me ask one other question? Is this just a case of the grass being greener?