The Life and Times of a College Student

2009-05-29T20:10:00.001-07:00

How to video

2009-05-05T13:49:00.000-07:00

2009-05-03T10:17:00.001-07:00

View Niagara Falls in a larger map

Bookstore PANO

2009-04-27T12:12:00.000-07:00

http://art.mercyhurst.edu/~bconnor/chris/cylpano-1/partial.html

2009-04-20T11:41:00.000-07:00

NYC

2009-04-19T11:24:00.001-07:00

A couple of weeks ago I had the oppurtunity to travel to New York City. It was a very interesting trip. I was traveling there to attend the National Broacasting Society annual national convention. On our way into the city we passed over the George Washington Bridge which was an amazing sight to behold. We also passed by a truck with a Teamsters sticker on the side and I was very tempted to stop and ask him if he actually knew where Jimmy Hoffa was buried. The next day I actually got to go and see the taping of the CBS Early Show. We had to leave the hotel at 5 am. It was till dark and I was still trying to wake up. Across the street from the studios, was the Plaza hotel which brought me back to watching Home Alone 2 and wondering if I would be able to find the Bird Lady in the park. The show was so much fun to watch however it was freezing and raining.

That day I also traveled to Time Square and to the theatre district. Now traveling off of the subway I saw something (well I heard it first) which made me laugh. It was a Peruvian Flute Band. The reason it made me laugh had to do with a South Park episode. Leaving the subway I actually headed for the theatre district because I wanted to see a show. So I got a ticket to see West Side Story. It was an amzing show despite the fact that i had to stand for the entire show. A t the show, I saw numerous celebrities inclusing Kelly Ripa, Spike Lee, Christie Brinkley, and former Governor Elliot Spitzer.

Traveling back from the show was very intersting. They told us that there would be a shuttle to pick us up at 74th and broadway. So I walked there thinking it would be alot easier than getting onto a subway. Apparently there is no stop at that street and there was no shuttle. So, I stood there for a while thinking how will get out of this city. Then, I decided to take a taxi, and 30 bucks later i was at the hotel. It was an interesting trip filled with thrills and adventures and I would love to go back because the city was amazing.

Panorama

2009-04-17T10:42:00.000-07:00

Here is a panorama of the Hirt building on the Mercyhurst College campus.

http://art.mercyhurst.edu/~bconnor/chris/cylpano/partial.html

Mercyhurst Map

2009-04-15T10:36:00.000-07:00

View Mercyhurst Map in a larger map

2009-04-06T10:28:00.001-07:00

2009-04-06T10:19:00.001-07:00

Presque Isle

2009-04-06T08:50:00.001-07:00

Presque Isle State park is considered to be one of the most beautiful places t visit. With one of the best sunsets in the world it is a marvel to behold its beauty and tranquility. My trip to Presque Isle actually started a few hours before with the final performance of the student produced musical, Sweet Charity, in which I took part in. After striking the set I set out to take pictures of the incredibly beautiful park. It was strting to get a little dark when we got to Presque isle. We started out at the monument. I got out of the car and started to walk toward the structure. It was very cold and I could feel the breeze off the water so I tried to move very quickly. It is an incredible thing to see and it really captures the feel for the Battle of lake Erie. The next thing we went to were the lighthouses. The lighthouse was hard to get to but I managed to make it there and get a picture. On the way out I saw a map of the isle carved in stone which i thought was pretty spectacular. I took a picture of that. After this since it was getting to close and pretty dark. I started to take pictures of the beauty of the isle ad the things I saw. Deer congregating, the tranquile waters, and just the beauty of this park. Sometimes it is just nice to drive through and notice the beauty that is in this world and to truly look at it for for a few minutes or even seconds.

Flip Video screencast

2009-04-01T12:39:00.001-07:00

2009-03-18T10:46:00.000-07:00

http://delicious.com/ccummi20

Social Bookmarking is a very interesting concept in this ever changing world we live in. It allows us to bookmark sites to one website and to always have those sites there. This is very convenient because as we change computers we can allow for our bookmarks and favorite sites to follow with us. Bookmarks normally stay on the computer you create them on and do not travel with you.

But is this really helpful. I am not sure. I feel like it is just another cluttered website that really has no purpose. We are finding people based on what websites they visit. How much does this really tell us about the person. With sites like this I feel like it would be more productive to find a way to carry our bookmarks everywhere from computer to computer rather than have a website like a Facebook for bookmarking.

Sweet Charity

2009-03-17T12:21:00.000-07:00

Photo sharing is a very integral part of the world of communications and media in this day and age. it allows for starts to conversations that may not have been otherwise heard in the past. We are able to see what others are doing and find their interests and talk to people who have some of the same interests as ours possibly. People in photography or that field can get their pictures out there so that possible clients can more easily access the work and see if they want to hire them. Families can stay in contact and see what people are doing in the their lives.

However problems can emerge. it allows our lives to be out their for all to see. Anyone can search for us and see into our lives. If we rely to much much on it it can take away from the people who may not be able to use the computer like that but do really good work it seems to narrow the search.

Decay slideshow

2009-03-16T10:40:00.000-07:00

Urban Decay the correct size

2009-03-16T10:31:00.000-07:00

Adventure weekend continued

2009-03-16T09:14:00.001-07:00

Adventure Weekend

2009-03-15T15:23:00.000-07:00

This weekend I had a mission. If I so chose to accept it, I was suppose to go out and find decaying buildings and photograph them. The day started out very fun. At around two o'clock my roommate, my girlfriend, and myself set out to find these buildings. We traveled toward downtown Erie. We went through some pretty interesting neighborhoods. Most of the pictures I took were of what seemed to be old houses. Some of the pictures were of warehouses and other such places. But, overall it left a very interesting feeling. I felt as though at some point this area was a very bustling area. These warehouses and factories looked as though, they were very important to the area at a point in history. But, it seems to be a very important story to be told. It is a testament to the times. We moved away from these factories and industrial powerhouses and moved toward an earth friendly, environmentally sound time. As this is important it has taken away numerous industries. We have to emerge out and find a way to create these bustling places again because in the aftermath we have left them outdated and decaying.

As a side note the trip around Erie actually led to a road trip to Cleveland for some Swenson's hamburgers but that is a story for a later blog.

Mind map

2009-03-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

So Web 2.0 is a new and exciting world that we need to discover. It allows users to become invovled in creating there own material and information to publish on the web. Users are able to become so engrossed and emerged in this incredible new world of media. One of the pros I feel is that this is an amazing way to keep in touch with family around the United States and the world. Whether it be through facebook, a weekly blog letting people know what is happening in your world, or through uploading pictures to flickr or another picture site, we are able to stay connected even more than usual. This new world of Web 2.0 allows for better business practices. It shows that a business is up with the times and staying connected with the world. It also allows for them to make things easier and to stretch to a wider audience.

But it can cause issues. One story I can remember hearing was the one involving the young girl who had a myspace page and was befriended by a boy who she thought was cute. The boy began harrassing her and in turn the girl committed suicide. It turns out that the boy was actually one of her neighbors, a friends parent. it is hard to know who are really speaking to on the internet and this can cause problems with sexual predators or other such shady beings. One such problem with business is that it could come back to haunt them. Putting to much emphasis on this emerging market could lead down a slippery slope.

Jason Segel Dracula's Lament

2009-03-11T10:03:00.000-07:00

A short scene from Forgetting Sarah marshall where Jason Segel sings a song from his Dracula musical.

A New Class

2009-03-10T12:31:00.000-07:00

Hello and welcome to my blog. I have started writing again because a new class has started. This time it is a class entitled New Media. New media will allow us to get a look into what the future of the communications industry will bring to us. The industry is moving down a path toward more user generated material. As a society we all have the means and the technology to be a blogger or make wikis as well as create podcasts. Anyone today can be the journalist they may have always dreamed about.

Over this past break it was actually very uneventful. One of the things that I did was that I had a nice little birthday party for my grandma who turned 86 this year. I sat down and talked to her for a while because I was actually very interested in some of the stories that she had to tell about her and my grandpa during the time of World War II. One story that she told me was of something my grandpa did during D Day. My grandpa went over to Normandy a few days after the invasion took place. As he and his infantry were running up the hill he noticed some of them were not there. He ran back and grabbed the men and saved them from almost certain death. Another story I loved was that he actually had to go into hiding in France for a few months because he had lost his brigade.

It was very interesting talking to my grandma and hearing these stories that I had never heard before about my grandpa because he never really talked about it. I think its because it was what he was trained to do and never really thought of it as heroic.

Rahm Emmanuel Chief of Staff

2008-11-10T16:03:00.000-08:00

So recently Rahm Emmanuel accepted the offer to be President Elect Barack Obama's Chief of Staff. But how much do we really know about the man. Right now in the Senate he is the fourth ranking Democrat in the House. He serves as the Representative in the 5th Congressional District in Illinois. He is a very influential member in the New Democratic Coalition and a big proponent of economic liberalization. The new Democratic Coalition was a group formed by members of the Senate and House who claim moderate and pro-business stance.

Emmanuel received a degree in Speech Communication from Saint Lawrence and Masters from Northwestern University. Emmanuel was a chief advisor in the Clinton administration from 1993 to 1998. He was assistant to political affairs and senior advisor on policy and strategy. In 1998, he left the White House to become an investment banker.

The year 2002, marked his first year in the House of Representatives. In 2006, he became the Democratic Congressional Committee Chairman. And, in 2008 he became the head of the Democratic Caucus. He serves on the Committee on Ways and Means. He tends to follow liberal views on social issues but falls in the center on economics. So, I felt I needed to learn more about him seeing he will have a very important role in the cabinet.

Comedy is back, Yes!

2008-11-09T09:22:00.000-08:00

Yes, I am one of those guys that like these adult type cartoon shows. South park, Family Guy, the Simpsons, and even Robot Chicken. So far this season these shows have not swayed that like. The new Season of South park I feel has gotten back to the humor and abbrasiveness that made the show so likeable. The first half of the season which aired last year I felt was stupid and really took away from the creativeness that Matt Stone and Trey Parker. The shows so far have been clever and very funny. They have even tackled current events which is very good. The last episode of South Park was probably one of the better ones that I have seen in a long time. It dealt with the issue of the Presidential Election. They took it a little further adding a little Ocean's Eleven flavor t the mix which made for a very enjoyable and extremely well developed episode with twists and turns that you did not always see coming. Some of the other episodes so far have been about the Bejing Olympics, a pandemic of giant fury gerbils (done in the form of the movie CLoverfield), and a show about Breast Cancer Awareness.

But, probably my favorite show to sit down and watch out of these would have to be Family Guy. The humor of this show lies in the ability to catch the references being made and they do make many. This season has definately not disappointed. The last episode that aired was a take on Home Alone, but also carried many other things, such as a spoof on the beginning of Back to the Future. My favorite scene was a moving rendition of the Bette Midler classic "The Rose" sung by the entire Griffin family. Another episode this year had Mort Goldman a local Jew being tossed back into Nazi Germany, which led to some issues. But, family Guy is a show I would recommend to anyone who loves to laugh. An upcoming episode which I am looking forward to is their second spoof of Star Wars this time to the movie The Empire Strikes Back entitled "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side".

A show that has come out of the woodwork this year is an interesting show on Comedy Central. This show is entitled Chocolate News. The show is one that has to be watched at a risk. It is very racy and sometimes hard to watch. However, the show is also extremely funny in some parts. David Alan Greer holds the show together and carries the cast. It deals with some very controversial issues as well, like in the episode they had a debate to end the "N" word. So the show is good in some aspects actually better than what I initially thought, but I am still not a huge fan.

Another note November 16 marks the second second Robot CHicken spoof of Star Wars as well, so watch out for that.

Democratic View part 2

2008-11-04T10:26:00.000-08:00

So the rally began with a bang. They had a high school band that played. The band had a very limited repertoire and repeated the same songs over again. The songs were a lot lower than they should be but, it did create a fun atmosphere. My favorite was their rendition of Europe's "The Final Countdown". The first big speaker of the day was Republican Congressman Phil English. he got the crowd going. He attacked his opponent and did not really say what he was going to do, but I expected that because most political speeches from either side are like that.

The next speaker was a hometown favorite former Governor of Pennsylvania and Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge. The crowd gave him a huge applause and the man introduced the person who everyone was their to see. Governor Palin took the stage with here daughter and husband. Her first point was to introduce her husband, who she referred to as the First "Dude" of Alaska. She made some comments about the election, mentioned Obama being a Socialist and our good friend Joe the Plumber. I won't go into detail.

The one statement that really threw me was when she said that McCain has served this country. Now I know she was referring to his military service but, I feel people use this term loosely. the word served can be used in other terms. Has Obama not served the people of Chicago, working to help the underprivileged? Has he not served Illinois in the Senate for the past three years. So, to say that he has not served this country is insane. I am grateful and thank him for his service in the military. He has done many things. But, to say that Obama has done nothing really gets to me. There are many definitions of the word, and we have to remember that. Obama has served the state of Illinois, the city of Chicago, and the United States.

The Erie Republican rally: A Democratic View Pt. 1

2008-10-30T19:15:00.000-07:00

So I had an interesting experience today. I made a venture to the Sarah Palin Rally at the Bayfront Convention Center. Now normally this would not be interesting, but I have already voted for Obama and am as staunch a liberal as you will meet. I like to think though that I listen to the issues during an election. Actually i do admit I have voted for a Republican in the past. So, this experience I took as an opportunity to grow. But, I digress.

You may be asking how did I end up at the rally. A few of my roomates are members of the Young Republicans here on campus so they had tickets. There happened though this morning to be a few extra. So I said I would go. hey how many times do you get to see a vice presidential candidate speak. For me that would be never. So the adventure began at 12:30 this afternoon. We entered a number of cars and headed towards the rendezvous point. When we got there, we were not sure if we were in the right place. There was one other car but, they looked a little shady like they were about to make a drug deal. Finally, the shuttle came to get us. It turned out that the people in the car were actually selling pins and other merchandise. so the journey began to the Convention center.

We reached our destination and entered into the building. Each of us was forced to go through metal detectors and empty out our pockets. One of roommates was actually frisked by a secret service agent. Finally we made it through and entered into the vast room were the rally would be held. When we arrived, there were not many people in the room. But, soon the room was filled and the program started...

Sarah Palin on SNL?

2008-10-22T08:01:00.000-07:00

So, I myself am a huge fan of Saturday Night Live, and have been for as long as I can remember. Recently the show however has seen a drop in ratings and really the show just has had a lack of something that made the show great. So this past Saturday, the shows creator Lorne Michaels brought on Vice presidential nominee Sarah Palin. This was probably do to the fact that Tina Fey has been doing impressions of her (and seeing them both on the same show at the same time, an incredible job).

She was part of the opening scene with her watching as Tina does a mock press conference and she is discussing things with Lorne. She makes a comment about not being able to do the 30 Rock sketch she wrote. Also featured were Mark Wahlberg and Alec Baldwin. She also appeared during The Weekend Update section where a pregnant Amy Poehler did a rap about her. She held her own and did a great job.

But, this brings me to a question that has perplexed me, why? In an election where the economy has been falling apart, there are still too many people without health care, and were in a war we can't seem to get out of, why are they taking time to do these things. It may be so they can reach a younger audience, it may be another way to get their name out their, I don't know it could also be to show they are with the times, but their are more pressing matters. I am not just saying this about Palin she just happens to be the most recent. The election has seemed like a long high school election. Who is more popular, who can make the other feel worse about themselves? For the next few weeks I want to hear about the issues and quit seeing them attack one another or even appear on talk shows, because their is no need.

to see Governor Palin on SNL you can go to NBC website or hulu.com

'Crusoe' hits television

2008-10-18T13:08:00.000-07:00

A man shipwrecked on an island. The only one that survived the fateful voyage. He has to learn to adapt and to live in this new land. But, he is left with the memories of home. This is the life of Robinson Crusoe a man immortalized in the novel by Daniel Dafoe in 1894. NBC has made a 13 week series of the story. The show begins with him already on the island, and continues from there.

In the book, it gives the story of how he made it to the island first. The show sort of does this by using a very "Lost-esque" technique. They utilize flashbacks. The show begins with pirates landing on the island and forcing Crusoe to show them where the gold is hidden based on a map tattooed on the back of an individual. Not wanting to give that much away some things ensue which lead to the pirates leaving and Crusoe still being stuck on the island with his trustee sidekick, Friday (because that was the day they met).

The show is very interesting and well thought out. It is a little slow at some points but makes up for it with all of Robin's gadgets that he makes, especially the treehouse. The treehouse makes up for everything the show lacks because it is that amazing. The flashbacks add to the tension and leave questions that sort of lead you to come back. You want to see what his life was like and how he came to be on the island. The show is worth the watch although the time of the show is troublesome. It airs Friday's at 9pm on NBC.

A trip back to Middle School

2008-10-15T18:10:00.000-07:00

I myself am a big musical theater and well theater in general fan. One of my favorite lyricist and composers is a man by the name of Jason Robert Brown. He has written such big hits as Parade, which won Tony's for Best Book and Score, and Songs for a New World, as well as a little musical hit The Last Five Years. But, this time around the man has decided to take a different route and write a musical geared toward the younger generation.

This new musical is entitled 13. It tells the story of a young Jewish boy who lives in New York City and is forced to move to Indiana after his parents split and divorce. So now he is forced to make new friends in a place he is new, and to top it all off his bar mitzvah is coming up. All he hopes is that his parents will be able to come together for this one day to make it perfect. The cast is all teenagers and the band the same. It is suppose to be very high energy and is receiving praise from critics.

The music for the show is a mix of rock and other types to be geared at this "tween" audience. The music is spectacular especially the title song which is a high octane hit. The show is probably not for the real young because there are some suggestive aspects. But, as far as the music the show show should be very good and might become a hit in the future. It seems though in the past few years we have seen a trend of the younger generation getting on stage. With Spring Awakening the entire cast being younger than twenty and now this show.

Also, browsing the Internet came across another musical that actually did not last very long but from watching some videos looks like it was great. It was called "High Fidelity" the musical based on the movie of the same name. It deals with relationships and alot of top 5 lists. The music is a blend because the main characters work in a record store, so it ranges but is definitely a must hear the music is awesome.

Here are two videos one from Thirteen and one from High Fidelity, both taken from Broadway on Broadway.

"Appaloosa" brings us back, While 'Eleventh Hour' surprises

2008-10-14T18:11:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I went to see the movie Appaloosa and the movie was actually a really nice take back to Westerns. The movie brings us back to a western like Unforgiven, the Academy Award winner by Clint Eastwood. It was written, produced, directed and starred Ed Harris. The movie has bright spots. The acting is amazing, especially Jeremy Irons as the bad guy. The rest of the cast seems to flow together and really bring life to the movie. But, their is one glaring annoying point and that is Renee Zellweger. She does not capture the character and I think does not fit the part.

The movie brings in humor and the violence a western has, and molds them into a working piece. Ed Harris does an incredible job and you could see some acting nods from the movie come Oscar time from Harris, Irons, or even Viggo Mortensen.

The Eleventh Hour is an interesting new show that airs on CBS. The show brings a doctor who is a biologist into to help on complex cases with the help of a female FBI agent. It feels a lot like the show Fringe but, there is a different aspect to the show. The acting is quite spot on and it is a remake of a British show. The characters weave together nicely and the relationship between the two main characters adds for a amazing show. The show airs on Thursdays and I highly recommend it. On another note Heroes has really disappointed me this season the acting is quite sparce and the plot is a little flat. But, hopefully it will continue to build to a climax.

Media and Politics

2008-10-06T16:27:00.000-07:00

The media has had a major part in politics and elections for man years. I remember one of the stories I heard about the 1960 election. During the debates (the first to be aired on television), the people watching at home on TV thought that kennedy had the better debate, but those listening on the radio believed that Nixon was better. The media has a way of manipulating and forming our views. We get our information about people from media. But, what exactly is the media giving us?

Today it seems that the media is more and more fascinated with scandal and personality rather than what the issues are. What I mean is that media tends to focus on what celebrity is endorsing who and turn away from important topics. But, I think it is the world we live in. As a society we are intrigued by reality shows and celebrities lives and the media is attempting to play to this. Also politicians have seen this and play to it also. The negative ads and fighting with each other take away from them telling us what exactly they will do for us.

Don't get me wrong it is not everyone, but we focus too much on it and sometimes let the important stories slip by the wayside. This election has truly brought this out. Even as Tina Fey mocks Sarah Palin, the media has had a field day with it.

"An American Carol" a different Type of Comedy

2008-10-05T11:06:00.000-07:00

Sitting in this movie theater waiting for this movie to begin I could not help thinking to myself, what will this movie bring. The previews set up some of the movie but, it leaves a little for imgination of what the plot could bring. Also after seeing the preview, I was not expecting much out of the movie. It looked like another farse comedy with Kevin Farley taking on a role, and attempting to be his brother. However when the movie ended, I found myself saying that it really wasn't that bad of a movie.

The movie was directed and written by David Zucker who penned the classic Airplane! and the two most recent installments of the Scary Movie franchise. It stars Kevin Farley, Kelsey Grammer, and cameos by Jon Voight and Dennis Hopper. The reason I call it a different type of comedy because it is really a right wing conservative comedy. The movie focuses on Farley who plays an obvious mock of Michael Moore, aptly named Michael Malone. It is basically a play on the famous Dickens story A Christmas Carol, however in this installment they are trying to get him to love America. The "Marley" of the story is actually JFK, his idle. The ghost that leads him most of the way is Grammer playing General George S. Patton.

So, the movie moves along with his nephew being a military man and wanting to invite him over for a barbeque on the fourth of July. I should also mention that Malone wants to end the Fourth of July. It has its moments where the humor gets a little risky( like placing the ACLU as flesh eating zombies) but, the humor carries and is actually very clever. But, the thing that impressed me the most was the ending to the movie. It brought the story full circle and had a great message about patriotism. Did I agree with everything in the movie, no. But, the message really hits home and especially at this time. It is a great patritic if sometimes extremely biased movie, but one that should be seen, because it really is a decent comedy.

'True Blood' rocks; 'Reading' falls short

2008-09-27T20:43:00.000-07:00

One of the brand new shows that sees its placement on HBO is the new series 'True Blood'. The show is created by Alan Ball, who created the HBO staple Six Feet Under and was the director behind the movie American Beauty for which he won an Oscar. The show is very unique. The show follows a young waitress who has the power to read people's thoughts and her relationship with a 173 year old vampire. There are also people trying to steal vampire's blood because it will cause humans to feel healthy. There is a new drink going around called Tru Blood which is a synthetic of real blood. It is pretty raunchy. There are very graphic sex scenes involving vampires and humans. That sort of takes away from the story but is a key component. The show keeps your attention and is really intriguing. Anna Paquin who plays the waitress does a really good job at playing the sometimes naive Sookie. It is a worthwhile show to check out and a detour from normal television viewing.

I just back from watching the movie 'Burn after Reading' and for me it disappointed. The Cohen brothers coming off of the great 'No Country for Old Men' really let down with this sometimes quirky comedy. The movie is a tangled mess and really hard to explain. There is too much going on and the plot never really develops. The only really funny scenes are the ones involving JK Simmons as the head of the CIA. John Malcovich does a decent job as the alcoholic Osbourne Cox. While George Clooney and Brad Pitt, fall short and are kind of annoying after about ten minutes of viewing. The dialogue is average and rather bland while the plot never goes anywhere. Hopefully the Cohen brothers will come back next time with a worthwhile movie, but the movie maybe is worth a watch once.

New Shows and Old Shows

2008-09-26T18:41:00.000-07:00

So the fall television season is now in full bloom. The old shows are trying to keep viewers while the new shows are fighting to gain viewers. The Office and Heroes both had very good premiere episodes while some surprise old shows did very well. Supernatural a Sci-FI esque show on the CW shocked and actually brought in some fairly big numbers for the channel.

Heroes started the season with the third volume of the show entitled Villains. In the episode Hiro Nakamura found himself battling someone who may be able to match his ability to manipulate time. Peter comes back from the future to stop his brother Nathan from telling the world about them but by shooting him he causes the future to alter. Sylar attacks the ward where they keep the dangerous "heroes" and frees them before being caught himself.

In the first episode of The Office, the company is in a battle to see which branch can lose the most weight. Angela and Dwight continue their affair with only Phyllis knowing about it. Pam starts taking design classes in New York City, while Jim tries to face not having her around. And a surprise ending including a cast member coming back to the Office. Michael continued his efforts to date Holly.

Some new shows really started out very well. The best so far is the FOX hit Fringe. Fringe is being created and produced by JJ Abrams who have made the shows Lost, Alias, and the X-Files. The show focuses on a detective who is called in to investigate weird occurrences. She is helped by a doctor who worked on cases such as these earlier in his career before being put in a mental institute. His son helps an extremely intelligent kid who has gotten into some trouble. Joshua Jackson of Dawson's Creek fame plays the son and really brings humor to the show. Fringe is very X-Files esque show which really captures the audience and holds in attention.

Some other New shows that are doing well are 90210 on The CW and a show that may be a surprise is Crusoe based on the book. Old shows that start soon which are worthwhile are Chuck and Pushing Daisies. It will be interesting to see what will happen after the messiness that was last year with the writers strike. There are few new shows and some shows from last year that barely made the grade, cruised into the season to fill slots.

episodes of fringe can be viewed on fox.com/fringe

The real Issue

2008-09-24T19:34:00.000-07:00

What is the real issue in this election year? Is it the economy. Nowadays the economy is collapsing. More and more companies are falling apart and going into bankruptcy. AIG and other major companies are asking for a government bailout. It began with Freddie Mac and Sallie Mae. Also the housing market is in shambles. The government has had to bailout some major companies and even more are being put on the table.

This is a major issue but I think the biggest issue is this idea of bipartisan politics. So much these days we hear the words Red America and Blue America we have become so much ingrained with what party we belong to rather than the country we come from. Actually the founders spoke out against political parties saying in Federalist Paper number 10 that factions would be the end of the country. I wouldn't go that far. We need factions to get both sides of stories so there is not one party at the head. But to allow them to split our country so much and the government so much that some things could not be passed is a problem. If we first do not accomplish this than the economic problem will still fester like a sore.

We are one country and so we need a leader who can reach over party lines to do this. I am not saying who I think would be best because frankly I see problems with both candidates but that is what we need for the future not looking at oh the Democrats are in charge or the Republicans. We are one country and need to look at it like that. We can't look down at one another because they are in a different party but try to understand where they are coming from. Look at both sides of a story. It is not Red America or Blue America, we are not the North or the South, we are all citizens of the United States of America.

" Liberty is to faction as air is to fire, an ailment without which it easily expires."- James Madison.

A story about bailout talks. http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/09/24/campaign.wrap/index.html

First post

2008-09-04T15:02:00.000-07:00

This is my first post. I hope to write about numerous things dealing with school and entertainment, but also giving some views into the upcoming election and takes on some of the issues.

This first blog I want to write about a phenomenon that happened last fall. This would be the rise of the online hot that was Dr. Horrible's Sing Along Blog. The show started as a project just for actor's to do during the writers strike. It was created by Joss Whedon, creator of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and the short lived cult hit that was Firefly. It stars Neil Patrick Harris of Doogie Houser fame and How I met your Mother star.

The actor's were paid nothing and thought this would be a fun little project the first day it was online the website crashed because there were so many hits. The show can now be downloaded on Itunes and will be on DVD very soon.

Alright the show was about this villain Dr. Horrible and his quest to join the Evil League of Evil. However he falls in love in the process and must choose. It is a musical and the songs are modern and very clever and well done. The show was so popular that they even had a panel at Comic-Con. The show can still be viewed on HULU and is a must watch for everyone.

My next blog I hope will be a review of the pilot episode of Fringe a new series from J.J. Abrams, the creator of Lost, Alias, Felicity, and the movie Cloverfield.

Thanks.