America's Next Talk Show Guests

OK so it's Friday, and we all know what that means: America's Next Top Model!!!

I have to say, this cycle has possibly been the most all round frustrating. Sure, last cycle I was consistently infuriated by the judges decision to keep Jade every week (especially the week Molly Sue went - worst decision in ANTM history!), but I really feel like this cycle is worse. It seems like there are some girls there that the judges consider to have great "potential" to be models, and therefore keep giving them chances. Now I'm all for that, but really after 6 weeks competition, they should actually be giving great shots or going home.

Before I start my rant, I just have one question for you all to ponder:

How in the world is Jaeda still in the competition?

I'm not saying I totally disagree with all of the eliminations so far, least of all Christian & A.J. And yes I was extremely glad to see the last of Monique the Psycho. But they actually toyed with the idea of letting her stay, even though all her previous photos had been pathetic (throwing cell phone shot anyone?) and I do remember last cycle when Danielle was told by Jay that if she didn't do the photo shoot she would be going home. So let me get this straight; Danielle gets out from hospital and has to go for a trek through the jungle or she is eliminated, but Monique - who was genuinely sick too - gives up on doing a photo shoot on a moving runway and she gets sympathy and the option of being judged by her previous efforts??? Oh that's right, she had potential

Then there are the two models who should have gone home at least 3 times now; Jaeda and Eugena. I just don't get it... neither of them have done anything even remotely decent, yet every week we hear the same thing from the judges: "We see a girl who has the potential to be a model". Whoop-dee-do. Maybe they do - I mean, I'm sure not experienced with models or the fashion industry and I would think that Tyra, Nigel & J* know better, but when do they start accepting that these girls are useless and have the modeling ability of a Big Mac. And I'm not talking about one of those 'made for commercial-picture perfect' Big Macs, I'm talking about a 'fresh off the grill in the middle of rush hour and made by an acne prone-intellectually and hyngienically challenged teenager' Big Mac!

*(notice I don't include Twiggy there? Only thing she knows better than me is how cool it was to have a cameo in The Blues Brothers)

Last week was seriously the most infuriating episode since the infamous Molly Sue vs Jade decision. First of all, Brooke's pictures that week weren't that bad - I actually think her Romance Novel picture was kinda OK. Wasn't awesome, but not that bad. Then you look at Jaeda's - it was way too obvious that she was physically repulsed by Fabio, and it came through so strongly in her picture. Good professional conduct there. And then you have Eugena, whose picture I don't even remember - but I do remember that it was lame. But what drove it home for me, was that when we had the 'look back' at Brooke's shots from the series, some of them were actually really good. Most people will know that I have never been much of a fan of Brooke at all, but that little retrospective made me think "Hey, this girl has done some seriously cool shots. What have Jaeda and Eugena done?" The answer is NOTHING!

Except stink up my screen with their crying and moaning. Seriously, if I have to hear Jaeda cry about her hair one more time I'm going to fly to the States and slap her myself. You had a bad haircut - big deal. You moan for a week and get over it. Or wear a hat. Or accept the fact that you look like a man and become a drag queen; I don't care, just go home and get off my TV!

And then there is Anchal... this girl is like a dream come true for Tyra; wants to be a model, not white, and has such a lack of self-esteem that she needs support and to be constantly told she is good. And we all know that Tyra just wants to be Oprah, so what better way for her to show the world she cares by helping this needy little girl? Every week - no matter how bad her photo is - Tyra puts on her best caring voice and tells Anchal just how beautiful she is. I can't wait for the Tyra Banks Special where these two sit on the couch and discuss all of Anchal's image issues, and how she only managed to survive on ANTM because of all the love and support she got from Tyra.

And I was comforting myself with the hope that one of those three would be leaving tonight... but now I see that it is the whole 'story so far' episode, where we see all the stuff we've already seen and no one gets eliminated. Boring. But I've just been to the TV3 website, and it looks like May 11th could be a good episode to watch:

The Girl Who Breaks Down [PGR]
Fri 11-May 19:30
During an intense acting challenge, one model chastises the group while another reveals something traumatic in her past.


Oh yeah that sounds like good entertainment!

T.U.R.T.L.E. Power

Doesn't everyone just love the fact that I've started using pictures again?

If anyone knows me, they should also know that I don't like CGI. I have always preferred the art of animatronics (or Jim Henson's Creature Shop puppets) as I find they have much more character and imagination. It's what I hated so much about the Star Wars prequels; the use of CGI creatures just made everything sterile and lifeless. There was also terrible dialogue, ham acting and Jar Jar... but hey, I'm not here to bash Star Wars (at least not today). What was I saying? Oh that's right, apart from Lord of the Rings and The Matrix to some extent, I am usually totally put off by these so called "visual feasts" that film-makers prepare for us on their computers.

Which brings us to TMNT
I first heard of production on this latest movie back in 2004, after I wrote a letter to TMNT creator Peter Laird (oh yes, how high did that raise my nerd points?), when Mr. Laird finally revealed that production was beginning on a new TMNT movie... completely done in CGI. I didn't know what to think. And to be honest, I still don't know what I thought at the time; I was obviously excited about the possibility of a new movie, but the idea of the turtles being completely computer generated made me very uneasy. In fact, I do believe these were my first words:

"Oh no..."

You see, I love the original movies; The Creature Shop did an amazing job with the turtle costumes (TMNT II was actually the last film Jim Henson worked on before his death), and while it didn't totally follow the cartoon at the time and the voices were different, they were still great to watch and a whole lot of fun. Plus, as I said before, 'puppets' have so much more character and also mean you can include them with real actors - because if there is one thing I hate most in CGI, it's humans. And the fight scenes were outstanding, because you had guys who were actually world-class martial artists in the costumes (and playing the Shredder), and to do the stuff they did while wearing those big rubber suits is an absolute credit to their abilities. Heck, there are just so many things I could go on and on about, like the soundtracks and the stories and the dialogue... So I guess what I'm trying to say is, the original Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movies are awesome in everyway

Except number 3. I'm pretty sure I'm the only person on the planet that likes it. And I'm OK with that

Back to the blog
TMNT 2007. I've just finished watching... and I still don't know what to think. I definitely have some gripes, but there were also some very cool things

First, the bad:
The Soundtrack. This is probably more because of my age and attachment to the original movies, but I when I think of TMNT movies, I think of Ya Kid K, Spunkadelic, MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. Jet have no place in the TMNT world... or any world, except some sort of amateur world where they sound more talented compared to the local snail farmers. And I like P.O.D., but I just felt like their song did not fit - right at that point, the movie really called for a big pumpin' MC Hammer song. And I really did miss John Du Prez's score this time around

April & Casey. Firstly, I think they were the only 2 characters I had a real problem with the animation (except for Splinter, but I'll get to him in a little while). They both looked so thin, which is stupid when Casey is supposed to big a big tough vigilante. Plus, they had new jobs that seemed like a lame excuse for getting them involved in the story.

Voice Casting. Now this was actually quite bad. Most of the Turtles were cast quite well - especially Michelangelo (they used Mikey Kelly who provided the voice for Michelangelo in the first 3 movies - he's fantastic. Kudos to the film-makers for bringing him back), Michael Clarke Duncan was pretty good, and Patrick Stewart was absolutely brilliant as always... but everyone else was just wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong, WRONG! And while he wasn't the worst (I'll get to that next), Laurence Fishburne as the narrator just confuses me in everyway; having a narrator in the first place was unnecessary, but if you're going to have one, why choose a guy who couldn't act his way off the gong show?

Message to Warner Bros.: The Matrix wasn't just him playing a role - he really is that bad!

And then there is Splinter... I don't know what or who developed this version, but who(what)ever it was must have been confused. Firstly, he looked like a squirrel. Now I know I've already said I have no real respect for CGI, but come on - is it really that hard to draw a rat that doesn't look like it's running across a frozen wasteland while battling with a nut? And as for his voice... I actually burst out laughing the first time he spoke. My sense of humour quickly faded into disgust, when I soon learnt that it wasn't just a moment thing. I wish I could explain it, but I can't; was like some bad American actor impersonating someone doing an offensive impersonation of an Asian man trying to speak English.

Wow this is getting really long

But all my TMNT nerd bitching standing, I must say it was a pretty cool movie. As far as storyline goes, they picked it up after the third movie a few years down the track. Was pretty full on, and really cool. Plus, I actually did enjoy the animation; although not as cool as animatronics, the Turtles looked pretty cool. Good action... enough funny quips to keep me entertained... and some little 'scary' moments too. But I think I probably most enjoyed it because of the acknowledgment of the previous movies. The relationship between Leonardo & Raphael was given the same treatment, without it seeming tired or old, and also getting Splinter in on the action was pretty cool too

If it seems like I'm just glossing over this, I'm now very tired and want to go to bed. Bit of a shame, as I spent most of the blog making fun of a movie that I actually enjoyed, but I just can't recall the cool things right now. Maybe I'll update this tomorrow when I'm thinking better

But yes on the whole I did enjoy it, but that's probably because I am huge TMNT mark - probably not the sort of movie you would enjoy if you weren't. But let's just get that clear before I run away. TMNT 2007 was pretty darn cool. I've used that word a lot. I must be tired.

In the end, none of it really matters, because (as I said earlier today) all of these movies are just here to fill in time before Transformers destroys everything in its path

Is This The Best Day EVER?

Well, it's at least the best start to a day in a long time



Firstly, the big news; Christina Aguilera is confirmed to play in Auckland on July 11th. Even better, I hadn't yet booked my tickets for New Plymouth so I am able to make the slight detour and be there for the concert which I will not miss! Awesome news

Secondly, though not quite as cool... Guns'n Roses have also confirmed an Auckland concert. Alas, this concert is 2 weeks before Christina so I don't really think I will be able to make it... but it's really the principle of the matter

And then thirdly, my MySpace blog reader count just hit 1000. Thanks to everyone who reads my constant babble - makes me feel good somedays. And I must say it looked quite pretty seeing all those zeros... however, I'm sure that will change once I post this blog

OK so the big thing to take from this is Christina's concert. You would be fools to miss it - fools I tell you! Come May 2nd, I will be online getting the best possible tickets I can get. So you basically have until then to organise yourself into a state of going, because I'm sure it will sell out, being her first concert in New Zealand. I mean, when I lived in Melbourne she sold out 3 nights in a row!!! So yeah, get off your butts and get ready to see Christina Aguilera in concert - July 11th Vector Arena, Auckland NZ. It is going to be fantastic

Logan On Holiday part 2

OK so my plan to write every couple of days was thwarted; the internet connection at my Mother's home proved to be slower than a stone tied to a brick in a field while watching paint dry on a sloth. I seriously don't know how she lives with it - very glad I never moved there.

So the holiday is over now and I am back on my own computer with a weird desire to blog about nothing... where did we leave off? Tuesday was my Mother's birthday and we went out for dinner to some cafe on the outskirts of Wairoa. Not a bad meal (I had mushroom pasta for those that care, and was very tasty despite the white wine cheese sauce that upset my stomach). Then Wednesday was another good day scanning photos - finished them actually. All 1900 of them!!! Some are good... some are terrible... some make me laugh like you wouldn't believe. And a lot made me remember just how much fun Steve always had. Darn I do miss him.

Anyways I don't actually really want to talk about my holiday much - I'm sure if anyone wants to actually know anything about it, you can ask me. But I have to tell you that I raided my old collection of board games and found a few that need to be played, one being an old game called Nightmare. For those unfamiliar with the game, it was one of the original board games where you watched a video at the same time; there is a 60 minute time limit, and on screen the 'Game Keeper' likes to interrupt and give you tasks which can help or hurt you. I remember playing it once on my own, and it's really a game that needs a good amount of people (up to 6 players). We have an add on game too (with a different video and cards) that I'm fairly sure was only played once... jeepers, sounds like I'm selling it on Trademe... anyways, I'm thinking it would be great to get some sort of game going on at least one of them if anyone is keen. Perhaps a birthday event in a couple of weeks???

Well that's it really. And like all my travels in the last 4 months, it's disappointing to be back in Christchurch. Not that I'm trying to whinge and say Christchurch sucks or anything... more like I would like just one trip where I get some darn sleep (again, if anyone cares just ask me why I didn't get much sleep this time). But I have a found a new love for Mum's farm and the animals - Rochelle and I even named a cow! I think I will be heading back there sometime later this year...

Oh and I did fit in a few episodes of Miami Vice, including possibly the saddest episode ever. But that is for another blog

And now Logan goes to bed - another boring blog down. Really wish I could find the energy to write something of interest here, but I have to say I'm filled with a scarily uneasy feeling tonight...

Logan On Holiday part 1

Well for those who don't know, I'm currently taking some time off and am staying at my mother's home out in the middle of nowhere. And first up I have to apologise to anyone who was hoping for a personal comment on their myspace; I'm using possibly the slowest interent connection in the world so I really can't be bothered going from site to site to comment you all, so therefore the power of the blog will have to suffice for now.

OK so as I said, I'm on my mother's farm until Easter Sunday and I gotta say I'm already pretty relaxed. Didn't realise just how long it has been since I played cricket; got bored yesterday afternoon while scanning negatives, and went out to do some bowling... I totally regret not videoing it, because it must have looked very funny. Couldn't throw a ball straight if you paid me!!! Maybe next summer we should make a little social team or something where we play every so often in a park or something... just an idea for those who want to laugh at Logan's complete lack of sporting ability.

Other than that, my purpose down here is to work on the thousands of family photos that nhow require attention. And that has been fun, finding old pics of us kids. I would upload some, but as I said the interenet connection is super slow. Seriously, I'm pretty sure starving kids in Africa could get a faster connection using some sand

All right I did start this blog with a purpose... but it escapes me right now. I'll write again when my brain is working. But for now, I will resume scanning and sorting photos

And Happy Birthday to my Mum!