Why do people hate Michael Bay? I hear a lot of that. Is it because his movies are filled with so much cheese? Because even if you do hate him, you have to admit he makes good action flicks and the visual style he uses to shoot is pretty damn cool. No…?
I saw the second Transformers movie recently and last weekend I finally got around to watching ‘Bad Boys II’. I really enjoyed both movies, but again: Because of the eye candy. Yes, those types of movies have some really cheesy stuff in it, but the action, the way the film looks, and the special effects will always be a treat for me.
That doesn’t mean I don’t like ‘good’ movies as well. I do, but I also really like eye candy. It’s the reason the first purchase I made when I left my full time job a while back was a 50 inch plasma TV. That tv is my wife.
One of the best things to watch in HD? The Discovery channels “Planet Earth” series. Hot damn that looks good!
So yeah, I’ll watch cheesy shows like Smallville because of the way it’s shot and how well they use lighting. I also enjoyed the short-lived series “Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip” because they really knew how to make it visually entertaining. The series itself was pretty crappy, but if you didn’t bother to watch the final 3 episodes, let me tell you that they left the cheese behind and really gave a good hard effort to the writing. The show ended on such a good note, that the few fans of the show wished they had made that kind of effort from the get-go.
So yeah, I’m capable of enjoying a good movie like “To Kill a Mockingbird” (by the way, thanks, Tristan), but I’m also capable of watching a ‘bad’ movie like Transformers more so because of the eye candy than anything else. For those movies, I’d gladly set my brain age to the age of 12 and enjoy the shit out of a movie.
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Jesse, my ‘Felt’ puppet was asked to be part of an independent film last week! The lovely Danielle Uhlarik wrote it and invited him to be in the film and he gladly accepted. I can’t wait to see film. Here he is on set.

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I started working out again. Ouch. My body almost punched me in the face for not warning it ahead of time. Since I don’t belong to a gym anymore I went old school and am working out from home on my days off. So my dogs have been laughing at me sweat while they run around me trying to get in my way.
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I finally got to go to the new Horshoe casino last week. It was an impromptu trip that friend Tristan quickly put together for her birthday. So friends Jason, Alex, and myself happily obliged. (Ok. it took a little hagling) But it was fun and it helped Tristan kick off her birthday weekend, which I understand was quite fun.
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It was niece’s bday on the 11th! I wish I could have seen her, but she was out celebrating. So intsead I headed to the south side to see and hang out with my friend Rafi and his family. There was a block party going on and Rafi also decided to have a little something for his wonderful daughter, Cecilia, whose birthday was a couple of days before.
It’s always a treat seeing and hanging out with his family. I miss that gang.
Rafi bought a pinata for Ceci and as soon as that sucker came out, every kid on the block flocked over and got in line for a chance to take a whack at the thing.
I’ve been a part of several pinata sacrifices both as a kid and as an adult, and it wasn’t until watching kids whack this thing on this day that I realized that my people have a sick sense of humor. They should call DCFS on all of us.
If you’ve never been to one of these pinata lynchings, the kids are basically made to look like mentally ill kittens sniffing and clawing at some invisible floating cat nip.
See, an already sugar-high child is blindfolded, given a stick, spun several times, and then told to begin swinging wildly at an object that is constantly in motion. All this while surrrounded by a crowd of kids eager to get their hands on any piece of candy that flies out of the wounded pinata. These kids are so eager that no matter how many times you yell at them to get back as a blinfolded kid swings away with a stick, they ignore you and actually get closer in anticipation of a motherload of sugar.
Every kid in line gets a few whacks at the poor pinata until finally someone hits it hard enough and it explodes in a rain of candy. As soon as this happens, the crowd surrounding the stick wielding child RUSHES and DIVES toward the middle in hopes obtaining the most candy.
It’s like watching 20 tiny linebackers with no helmets or pads that have been told that the person that comes away with the football makes the team. It’s a scary sight.
Yet despite the risk of injuries to the tiny sugar-addicts, the parents encourage their kids to be part of this madness year after year, party after party.
In the end, some kids are crying, some are happy, and some are off to the sides taking pictures holding up parts of the pinata carcass. Sick little bastards.
So go ahead and pin the tail on the donkey, we’ll be over here creating tiny lunatics that will stop at nothing to get their hands on some sweet-ass candy.

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It’s been a busy week. I’ve been on a week-long gig where I essentially sold my soul a little. But hey, it pays for the Miller Lites and that equals Party Time. Kishhhhhhh!