The best of 2007 - The annual Dwainy nominations!

Remember me? I'm that guy who wrote a novel in a month and then took the next month off. I'm back one last time before the end of the year. I'll post the nominees today and the winners in early January. Remember, nominees and winners are determined not be by how good they are but by how much I arbitrarily liked them. If you don't like it, make your own irrelevant blog award.

Best New TV Show:
Chuck
Pushing Daisies
Reaper

Best Returning TV Show:
Bones
Grey's Anatomy
Lost

Biggest disappointment on TV this year:
Addison leaving Grey's for Private Practice
Dr. Sara's head in a box on Prison Break
Heroes season one finale and lackluster volume 2
Veronica Mars' cancellation

Best Movie I saw in the Theater:
Live Free or Die Hard
Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End
Superbad
Transformers

Best Movie I got from Netflix (might not be '07 films):
Alpha Dog
Bandidas
Dhoom 2
Fido
The Queen

Worst Movie I got from Netflix:
DOA: Dead or Alive
Idiocracy
I Know Who Killed Me
Irish American Ninja
Shooter

Best Album:
Amy Winehouse: "Back to Black"
Kanye West: "Graduation"
Modest Mouse: "We Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank"
Rilo Kiley: "Under the Blacklight"
Spoon: "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga"

Best Comics Series or Miniseries:
Astonishing X-Men
X-Factor
X-Men
World War Hulk

Best Comics Moment:
Black Bolt outed as a Skrull in Illuminati #5
Cyclops unleashed in Astonishing X-Men #23
Devil Dinosaur revealed as the mastermind in Nextwave #12
Hulk vs. The Sentry in WWH #5

Best Book I read:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
No Plot, No Problem! by Chris Baty
Stardust by Neil Gaiman
You Suck by Christopher Moore

Dude of the Year:
Brett Favre (Of the playoff-bound Green Bay Packers)
Bruce Willis (Die Hard 4, Grindhouse)
Michael Cera (Superbad, Juno)
Nathan Fillion (Drive, Waitress)

Dudette of the Year:
Aishwarya Rai (Dhoom 2)
Kristen Bell (Veronica Mars, Heroes)
Megan Fox (Transformers)
Yvonne Strzechowski (Chuck)

Who says you need 30 days to write a novel?

Because I just wrote one in 28 days! Thats right, my novel is finished. That means the story is done, and I reached 50,000 words! (50,989 to be exact). The novel is called "The Junk Whisperer" and should be available in Barnes and Noble in time to be a stocking stuffer! Or something like that.

Check out this cool logo thing I have now:

No, if you'll excuse me, I have champagne to drink and the further adventures of a neglected Lego pirate to consider.

Nanowrimo - Day 24

I just hit 40,000 words!

Less than 10,000 words to go in just over six days. I can practically smell the finish line.

Great shirt

While you read this blog post...

I'm in your base, stealing your flag!

Nanowrimo - Day 18

I wrote about 900 words this morning and then was almost completely waylaid by a trip to the pub to watch the Steelers game (grr guys, way to play down to another inferior opponent like the Jets).

Anyway, I'm a little under a day behind schedule, coming in at 28,581 words:

Words: 28,581
Target: 30,006
Difference: -1,425
Words to go: 21,419

PS: I hope to have some free time in the next day or so to work on Jibidy as well.

Nanowrimo - Half way there

Oh Oh - living on a prayer!

I just hit 25,000 words. Pretty exciting stuff. I still want to get about another 2,000 words written tonight, which will get me closer to being caught up with pace.

Quote of the day:
Steph: I know that typing speed does not correlate to creativity, duh.

Nanowrimo - Day 15

Half way there! Well, in terms of days, if not content.

Words: 22,798
Target: 25,000
Difference: -2,202
Words to go: 27,202

Writing music:
Breaking Up - Rilo Kiley
Dakota - Stereophonics
Under Pressure - Joss Stone
Jungle Love - Morris Day and Time

Nanowrimo - Day 11

Talk about a great weekend of football if your name is Dwain Smith (and mine is):

Penn State - win
Packers - win
Steelers - win

And on the other side:

Ohio State - loss
Michigan - loss
Notre Dame - loss
Florida State - loss
Miami - loss
Redskins - loss


Needless to say, writing is going more slowly than it should be:

Current word count: 15,038
Goal word count: 18,337
Difference: 3,299
Words to go: 34,962

I'm going to try and write a little more tonight, and then watch one of my netflix movies (I've had one for two weeks and two others for over a week)

Nanowrimo - Day 4

I've been able to successfully plug ahead, with a lot of help from my close friend Diet Dr. Pepper.

Current word count: 7,095
Goal word count: 6,668
Difference: +427
Words to go: 42,905

A couple songs on my writing playlist right now:

Paperback Writer - The Beatles (obviously)
Edit - Regina Spektor (something I'm not doing)
Melatonin - Silversun Pickups

I'm an idiot

For the last two days I've been using the wrong word count for nanonwrimo. Somewhere along the line I turned 50k words into 200k words. As I actually start writing I've noticed that the avg number of words needed to do a 200k word novel in 30 days seems like a lot. About 6700/day. But I'm not writing a 200k novel. So let me run those numbers again:

Current word count: 2,059
Goal word count: 3,334
Difference: 1,275
Words to go: 47,941

That makes me feel much better.

Day two of nanowrimo

Current word count: 2,059
Goal word count: 13,400
Difference: 11,341
Words to go: 197,941

Wow. I know, only two days have gone by, but I am more than a little behind already. I have nothing planned for this weekend but writing (ok writing and watching football - but I can do both of those at the same time), so I hope to be at at least 25,000 words by Sunday night. So far, what I've written actually looks like it doesn't suck!

21 min into NaNoWriMo

And I'm already behind! Word count: 0 (count em!) words.

Just over a day until NaNoWriMo!

That's National Novel Writing Month for the uninformed. I'm going to attempt to write a novel from scratch (scratch as in I don't even have a topic yet) in the month of November. I'll be giving updates of my progress here, and while I hope to keep posting Jibidys over the next month, don't be surprised if there are some delays.

Two more Jibidys

Could this be the end of Howard the Android?

Jibidy 84
Jibidy 85

Posting this solely for Matt

Predalien:

http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/news/2007-10-25-aliens-predator_N.htm

Some random thoughts as I watch the Steelers game

--We've got about a million years to pass; I have no idea how we are down by 7 points (6 min to go in the 4th)
--Clive Barker's Nightbreed is worth renting just to watch the theatrical trailer. "This time, they're the good guys!"
--The much touted Heather Graham/Bridget Moynihan kiss is NOT a good enough reason to rent Gray Matters.
--Why isn't mac and cheese served more often as a deep fried entree on a stick?

I felt so guilty I posted a new Jibidy

It's been hard for me to finish this next issue, because I've known this moment had to come since I plotted out Jibidy's return (circa issue 50).

Jibidy issue 83 - "Where we're going, we don't need roads"

In space!

I know that I've been slacking. This should make up for it:


Also: Ennui

Yo ho - ow!

While Howard and Billy try to defuse the cross-time thingamajig, let's not forget that the Consultant (none other than Tommy, the old stock boy at Sketchy Shoes!) is ready to skewer Jibidy's crew if he doesn't hand over the artifact:

Captain Jibidy 82

Newsflash! Chuck and Reaper are the same show.

Are you interested in a genre show about a classic underachiever turned hero? NBC and the CW hope you are. I have now seen the first eps of both Chuck and Reaper and they really are basically the same show. I kind of liked both, didn't love either. Which do I watch? I don't have room in my busy tv schedule, so I figured I'd throw them head-to-head as see what happens.

Main character:

• Chuck: This guy reminds me way to much of Jimmy Fallon. I don't like Jimmy Fallon. At least this Zachary Levi guy can finish a scene without cracking up.
• Reaper: Hey! It's that Guy from the Loop! I kinda liked that show. What's Sarah Mason doing these days?
  

Edge: Reaper

Genre convention/pitch:

• Chuck: Remember Marshall from Alias? Let's make him less smart, put him a big box store, and team him with a hot chick and have them fight terrorists together.
• Reaper: Remember Xander from Buffy? Lose the slayer and make him save demons by himself (while working in a big box store).

Demons > Terrorists. Plus a ghostbusters-like device (this week it was a dirt devil) to take down demons is much cooler than lots of flashy pictures edited together quickly.
Edge: Reaper

Big Box Store:

• Chuck: Our hero is a member of the Nerd Herd at a Best Buy-clone.
• Reaper: The Work Bench - which I thought was like Home Depot (and the CW describes as a home improvement store) but I thought I saw a big enough variety of stuff (TV's, first aid stuff, fire extinguishers) that you'd almost have to go to Target or Walmart to find together. Get your bland store identity together CW!

Edge: Chuck

Female Lead:

• Chuck: Yvonne Strzechowski may be the hottest person on TV right now. Plus, Sarah Lancaster is great as Chuck's sis.
  
• Reaper: Isn't that the girl from Stick It? Oh yeah, and Heroes. I definitely recognized her from Heroes, not a movie about gymnasts.

Edge: Chuck

Abrasive Sidekick:

• Chuck: Like Seth Green, but less funny
• Reaper: Like Kevin Smith, but on network TV

Edge: Reaper

Antagonist:

• Chuck: Adam Baldwin as a take-no-prisoners NSA assassin. Jayne from Firefly, but all dressed up and licensed by the government to kick ass.
• Reaper: I didn't think anything could top Adam Baldwin, but Ray Wise as the friendly, chicken-fried steak lovin' devil? We'll call it a draw.

Edge: Tie

Other Stuff:

• Chuck: From the OC guy. Boo. But on a real network (NBC) that hopes it will feed of of Heroes' popularity.
• Reaper: From Kevin Smith. Yay! But on the network (CW) that canceled Veronica Mars (Bastards).

Edge: Chuck

Hmmm. 3-3 eh? I guess I'll have to check out the seocnd episodes of each show and return to this dilemma next week.

Real Donkey Kong looks like a lot of fun.

This looks amazing.

Arrrrr! And other piratical stuff!

Ruth: By the way, was that a definite no back there?
Frederic: Ruth, I don't want to hurt your feelings, but tell me honestly. Now, compared to other women, are you beautiful?
Ruth: Oh, I've been told so.
Frederic: Ah, but lately?
Ruth: Yes, by Sam. 'Course, he was drunk.

Happy TLAPD! That's Talk Like A Pirate for you heathens. Have I been doing anything piratical? I did hang a pirate flag in my office. And had several rum drinks after work. And watched the pirate movie this evening. I have a little crush on Kristy MacNichol now. Despite her mullet.

In honor of the day (and because it is that time of the week) I've posted a new Jibidy:

Captain Jibidy Issue 81.

The Pirate King: It's a beach party and I'm Frankie Avalon.
Bosn'n: And I'm Annette Funicello.

The Dragon has passed

"The Wheel of Time turns, and Ages come and pass, leaving memories that become legend. Legend fades to myth, and even myth is long forgotten when the Age that gave it birth comes again. In one Age, called the Third Age by some, an Age yet to come, an Age long past, a wind rose.... The wind was not the beginning. There are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel of time."

But it was an end.

I'm sure I'm only one of thousands who are posting that this week, as we all mourn the death of Robert Jordan. In an industry where world-building is a mark of your craft, Jordan created a world more real and vibrant than any other I've ever seen. His stories were complicated to the point of infuriating - but he was a major creative force that inspired me to start writing fantasy. I was lucky enough to meet him a few years ago, and he was probably the only author to ever have to give a pronunciation lesson at a book signing. Hopefully someday we'll know what your endgame was for Rand, Perrin, and Mat. Until then, thanks.

Who is the consultant?

Find out here:

Captain Jibidy Issue 80!

Pirates > Robots

Jibidy just went head to head with a giant killer robot lab assistant. Pete, Lou and the crew broke out of their viking prison. And the consultant looms ever closer:

Captain Jibidy 79

My 500th post!

I'll have a new issue of Jibidy up on Friday, but in the meantime, enjoy this hint of things to come:

Wordiest. Jibidy. Ever.

There's a lot going on here, but after a month off I figured that I should get the plot (plot?) moving.

For those who don't remember:

• Howard and Jake managed to get into the fortress where Jibidy is being held. And by get in, I mean they were captured by the vikings that seem to populate the castle.
• Scared of the sadistic Consultant (he just showed up, btw), the mad scientist set Jibidy loose in return for help with an escape plan.
• The heretofore innocuous lab assistant didn't much like that and has morphed into a massive killer mech. He plans on blowing Jibidy to smithereens.
  

Jibidy 78! - Lots of Loud Explosions!

Holy Cow! Where did I go for a month?

Yeah, I know it's been over a month since I last added my ruminations to this digital repository. What have I been doing? Well, I'll tell you.

• I spent a week in lovely Bethany Beach DE, mostly being terrorized by my future nieces.
• Been busy at work - went sailing during our national sales meeting. Someone was dumb enough to let me steer:
• I've caught a couple good films, notably Superbad. I've also got a new obsession with the Bollywood blockbuster Dhoom 2. Check it out if you haven't seen it yet.
• Last weekend was the 5th annual Smith Pirate Party! The event was another big hit, with all kinds of piratical behavior going on:

• Incidentally, if anyone is interested in the shirt above, you can buy it here.
  
• It's football season again! Penn State got off to a great start (I know, I know, it was FIU). Michigan is already out of the title hunt with a loss to App State, and Notre Dame's loss to GT yesterday gives me a bit of confidence about the big ND/PSU rematch next week. Still haven't decided what to do about it yet.
• I'm working on the next batch of Jibidys - so hopefully they will be live soon.
• Happy Labor Day!
  

Transformer Noises!

I tried to onomatopoeia the sound but it just came out cheechoochoochachee:

Captain Jibidy Issue 77

He can stay and guard the base!

Of all the Autobots to survive...

Maybe the best Youtube videos ever:

More Jibidy

This time with real Jibidy (and maybe some Spongebob):

Captain Jibidy 76

A bunch of random cool stuff

Here's a roundup of a few links over the past couple weeks that you may not have seen yet:

www.Zudacomics.com - DC's newest foray into webcomics. Not sure if Jibidy could work with something like this.

www.someecomics.com - a great online greeting card website. For when you really want to tell someone that they aren't too good for online dating or it's been too long since we threw up on each other.

Some really great fake magazine covers: Pirate Life! Thomas Today Buddha Monthly

A Moment on Earth Mosaic - really neat photomosaic - Mom sent this to me today.

Mentos Intern - certainly an interesting summer job.

More Jib-jib-Jibidy

How are our heroes going to get out of this one?

Captain Jibidy 75

Robots blowing stuff up!

My updated movie list (a note: I retired Pan's Labyrinth, as a friend mentioned it was theoretically a 2006 movie - I just happened to see it Jan 2 or something. This will allow for some action/movement at the top of the list)

1. Hot Fuzz (new #1!)
   
2. Pirates III (new to list)
   
3. Transformers (new to list)
   
4. 300
   
5. Grindhouse
6. Knocked Up (new to list)
   
7. Live Free or Die Hard (new to list)
   
8. Black Snake Moan
9. The Host
10. Spider-Man 3
11. Zodiac
12. Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Guy (new to list)
    
13. Shrek 3
14. Ghost Rider (sadly still at the bottom)

Still on the list to see this summer: Harry Potter 5, Ocean's 13, Bourne Supremacy, Stardust, Superbad

Happy 7.7.7! Your present? A new Jibidy

I wonder how the plan with the Trojan Penguin is going:

Captain Jibidy 74

New Jibidy

Sorry for the long delay between issues - but here is the next chapter of the epic "Rescue of Jibidy":

Jibidy Issue 73

The TV Season: A Report Card

New Shows (either to tv or just me):

Heroes - I waited and waited for this show to be the show I wanted it to be all season long as it built toward a monumental end that I just didn't find at all monumental. I really hope it relies less on its serialized nature and focus on telling good stories in the world it has built next season. C+
Studio 60 - this was the little show that couldn't. I think it got better and better as almost every episode passed and Sorkin's preaching really played well with me (as it didn't in West Wing), but it was never able to create and maintain the kind of momentum it needed to survive. B+
Veronica Mars - this was new to me. I watched seasons 1 and 2 over the summer and got hooked. It's bittersweet to start watching a show that I think was probably doomed from the start of the season. At the very least, it got me hooked on my number 1 crush, Kristen Bell. A-

Returning Faves:

24 - Where do you go after detonating a nuclear bomb during the season premiere? The writers of 24 struggled to answer that question over and over and at one point even rebooted the series with a lame Chinese subplot. Powers Boothe as VP Daniels sweated intensity and was maybe the real reason I kept watching. C-
Grey's Anatomy - I really liked a lot about this season. There were a couple things I didn't (George/Izzie for example) but I still really enjoy the interplay of these immensely fragile and imperfect characters. I thought the season finale was particularly great. B
Lost -Best show on tv, bar none. The show started slowly but really picked up pace and never let up. I can't say enough good things about it. A
Prison Break- I didn't know how this show would reinvent itself outside of the walls of Fox River (I mean, what show needs to reinvent itself in year 2?) But William Fichtner made this over the top thrill ride beat 24 at its own game. B
Sopranos - say what you want about the now infamous series finale, Sopranos managed to do in its last season what it did during its entire run - keep people talking. Was it disjointed? Yes? Gimmicky? Yes. But it continued to capture the human psyche better than anything else on tv. B-

Others:
Dancing With the Stars - My guilty pleasure gets better and better with each season!
Blade the Series - I still miss this. When will it come out on DVD?
Entourage - Still loving it.
Scrubs - Completely tired of it. I think syndication killed this show for me.

Busy Beaver

Sorry for the lack of updates - it's been raining a lot. Yeah, that's my excuse. Seriously - I had no plans last night and tonight but to write by the pool and both nights I've gotten caught in the rain. We even lost power tonight!





Went up to the mountains last weekend for a father-son fishing weekend. I fished for about 5 minutes and managed to catch a rock. Lot of fun though - nice to hang with the fam, eat food cooked over the fire and play a lot of cards and as always with my cousins, an unorthodox game of Risk. I also saw a really ugly amish baby and a sign that said "Mini Donkey 4 Sale" I wanted to stop and see just how mini it was. I guess like this. Beware the bad midi music.




Saw this crazy picture of a house with a tunnel through it today. More pics there.

Been really into the Danish band called the Breakers. You might have heard their song"Tried So Hard". And if you haven't yet, check out the Amy Whinehouse/Ghostface Killah version of "I'm No Good".

Sopranos finally ended and most people either think the finally was brilliant or stupid. I udnerstand why Chase did what he did (and it does work as a finale), but I still think of it as a betrayal to the fans who've followed this show despite massive delays for close to ten years. You're on notice Lindelof/Cuse! Now that the tv season is officially over, look for my tv season report card here soon.

Not new but still funny: Washington, Washington

If you don't have anything to do tomorrow at 6PM be sure to check out the last night of Tiny Ninja Theater at the Kennedy Center's Millenium Stage. It's a free (and hilarious) take on Romeo and Juliet

Trojan what?

Jibidy Issue 72

The rescuers are en route!

But will they find Jibidy before it's too late?

Jibidy 71!

In related news - be Captain Jibidy's friend on Myspace:

http://www.myspace.com/capnjibidy

Summer movie madness!

I know, we're like two-three weeks into the summer movie season, but it's not too late for me to let you know what you need to see, and what movies should cause you to run fleeing from the cineplex.

Let's start with the already outs:

• Spider-Man 3: I loved a lot about this movie. Was it too melodramatic? Yeah. Was there way to much shoved into it? Absolutely. But I think most of it was necessary - and I think it ultimately works - maybe more than it should
• Shrek 3: Saw this last night. I think it might be better than 2 - slightly less pop culture references and a little more straight comedy. Once again, the supporting cast shines (Gingerbread Man's life flashing before his eyes might be the best scene of the series so far). Another at least worth watching.

Let's see how they compare to everything else I've seen this year:

1. Pan's Labyrinth
2. Hot Fuzz
3. Grindhouse
4. 300
5. Black Snake Moan
6. The Host
7. Spider-Man 3
8. Zodiac
9. Shrek 3
10. Ghost Rider

Now onto the must sees for the summer:

• Pirates 3: surprise! I'm telling you to go see a pirate movie. No explanation needed, thinks this landlocked scalawag. (this friday!)
• Knocked Up: According to friend's who've already seen it, it's like Nine Months, but funny. (June 1)
• Transformers: These will not be the Autobots and the Decepticons of your childhood, but Michael "boom boom" Bay sure knows how to blow stuff up, and that will work to his advantage for once. (July 4)
• Fantastic Four 2: It'll be better than the original, I promise. Plus the villain is a big purple cloud! (June 15)
• Harry Potter and the something of the something: Unlike the rest of the nerd world, I have no idea what's going to happen in this movie. (July 13)
• Stardust: Matthew Vaughn (Layer Cake) directs this Neil Gaiman story. And DeNiro's a pirate. (Aug 10)
• Superbad: My prediction for comedy fo the summer. Starring Michael Cera! (George Michael from Arrested Development (Aug 17)

Probably sees:

• Oceans 13: Loved the first, hated the second. Maybe Clooney and co. can get there groove back. (June 8)
• Live Free or Die Hard: Bruce Willis must save New Hampshire in this pg-13 outing. That probably means no "yippie kay yay" for you. (June 27)
• Ratatouille: the new Pixar outing, from the creator of the Incredibles. (June 29)
• Bourne Ultimatum: Opposite of Oceans, I hated the first but loved the second. Hopefully the third is even better. (Aug 3)

Run!

• I now pronounce you Chuck and Larry: Don't be fooled by the trailer! Jessica Biel in her underwear is not worth suffering through Adam Sandler and Kevin James pretending to be a gay couple. (July 20)
• The Simpsons: Remember when they were relevant? (July 27)
• Rush Hour 3: Vinnie Jones joins the cast. Will he say 'I'm the Juggernaut bitch?' If so, I'm in. (Aug 10)
• Good Luck Chuck: Dane Cook tries not to have sex with Jessica Alba. What you saw the trailer and it looked pretty funny? Sigh. Yeah, me to. I'll probably go. But no Chuck and Larry! (Aug 24)
• Others: Hostel 2, DOA: Dead or Alive, Nancy Drew, License to Wed, I'm sure there are plenty others.

You should be able to see trailers for any of these at: http://www.apple.com/trailers/

What every mother would want on her special day!

This week in Jibidy we see what Bob and Marlo have been up to (the answer - not much):

Captain Jibidy 70

Happy Mother's Day!

A trifecta of Jibidys

In honor of Spidey 3, and because I found no easy way to make them stand-alone issues, I present three new installments of everyone's favorite Lego pirate:

Captain Jibidy 67
Captain Jibidy 68
Captain Jibidy 69

Be forewarned - there's a body count! (Of well, one, at least)

Spidey Sense Tingling

In anticipation of seeing Spidey 3 today, here's the current ranking of movies for the year:

1. Pan's Labyrinth
2. Hot Fuzz
3. Grindhouse
4. 300
5. Black Snake Moan
6. The Host
7. Zodiac
8. Ghost Rider

That's where they went!

With all these new additions to the cast, who could forget the original crew?

Jibidy Issue 66

My day in weblinks

Lunch at California Tortilla: http://californiatortilla.com
-I had a free salad coupon!

NFL Draft on ESPN: http://espn.go.com/
-The Steelers will sack Brady Quinn many times in the future.

Putt Putt @ Upton Hill: http://www.nvrpa.org/uptonhill.html
-Four holes-in-one and still +4 for the day? That's a shame.

Margaritas and dinner w/Erin @ Mango Mike's: http://www.mangomikes.com/Pages/m2pg.html
-I need to figure out how to make black bean hummus.

Evening art viewing @Artomatic: http://www.artomatic.org/
-two really cool artists to check out: Chris Bishop (http://www.chrisbishop.com/) and Steve Strawn (www.splutphoto.com)

Relaxing with some St. George Beer: http://www.stgeorgebrewingco.com/

All in all, not a bad day.

New Jibidy sometime this week

In the meantime, here's a cute picture of me as a little kid:

Who, or what, is Billy Fang?

I had some server issues earlier, but everything is back and humming along - so here are two more issues:

Jibidy 64
Jibidy 65

One more piece to the puzzle

Captain Jibidy - Issue 63

He is Risen

I went out of town for a few days to see the family - new Jibidy should be up by tomorrow night.

It's that time of the year again

You know what the easter bunny is doing the other 364 days a year? Kicking Ass!

The Easter Bunny Hates You

Not an April Fool - More Jibidy

This week on Captain Jibidy - Team Super Pirate does some group bonding and we check in with the good captain:

Issue 61 - Happy Hours
Issue 62 -La La Land

Plus! Some issues from the vault:

Issue 18: PETA Just Called (First appearance of Percy the Drunk Parrot)
Issue 24: Taller Tales (First appaearance of the Klepto Yeti)

My new fave picture

Kristen Bell gets her copy of Captain America #25 signed by Ed Brubaker:

Weird Internet Video Roundup

Evolution of a Beard - this guy took a picture of himself every few hours for weeks while he grew a better beard than mine.

Mario Done in Legos - two of my favorite things! But is that a flute? And since when were there guys with swords in Mario?

Super Kim - another Mario mod video, but with everyone's favorite North Korean dictator. Ignore and Continue!

No time to talk

Jibidy issue 60

Enjoy!

Is it true that there's a point on a man's head where if you shoot it, it will blow up?

Sorry, no new Jibidy until later this weekend - instead I was lucky enough to see an early screening of Hot Fuzz - the new movie from the makers of Shaun of the Dead - it even included some Q and A with the creators - Edgar Wright, Simon Pegg, and Nick Frost!

Highlights:

--Seeing Die Hard on the big screen beforehand
--Edgar Wright: "I guess you could say he beat the living daylights out of Timothy Dalton. I'm not going to pretend I just made that joke up"
--Giant nerd after getting a dvd autographed: "Do you have the plastic bag ready? Sweet ass!"

Like there was a chance I wasn't going to post this

Pirates 3 Trailer - here

In related news, I have now seen six films this year. Time to update the list:

1. Pan's Labyrinth
2. 300
3. Black Snake Moan
4. The Host (Gwoemul)
5. Zodiac
6. Ghost Rider

As promised

Another brand spanking issue of Jibidy:

Issue 59

I was also reminded that yesterday was St Patrick's day (being on a self-imposed booze exile, I missed it) - I did a Irish episode a few years back:

Captain Jibidy isn't Irish

Another classic Jibidy!

The first appearance of Jake Venture:

Issue Nine: Jumping off Point

Look for a new issue tonight!

Another face from the past returns

In two new issues of Captain Jibidy:

Issue 57
Issue 58

Enjoy!

I have now seen 5 movies this year...

So I can start the "Dwain ranks the movies he's seen in 2007" list (for lack of a good name).

1. Pan's Labyrinth
2. 300
3. Black Snake Moan
4. Zodiac
5. Ghost Rider

Operation: Super Pirate Begins!

What is Howard up to? What is Operation: Super Pirate? It starts here:

Issue 55
Issue 56

And a classic Jibidy pick:

Issue 6 - Romantic Interlude (the first appearance of Howard the Android)

Cap on Colbert

Double Dose of Jibidy

Want some answers to the weirder-than-usual happenings in Captain Jibidy? Look no further than the next two (count 'em) installments!

Issue 53
Issue 54

More on Monday!

Fallen (Fictional) Soldier - UPDATED!

As most people have read by now, Steve Rogers, the fictional character known for over 50 years as Captain America was shot and killed by an agent of his arch foe, the Red Skull. There’s been a ton of media coverage of the event:

Shocking event for Captain America (CNN)

Pow! Thwack! Captain America dead at 89 (AFP via Yahoo)

Iconic superhero Captain America shot dead – maybe (Reuters via Yahoo)

Interview with Cap writer Ed Brubaker here (Newsarama)

Jeph Loeb on the fallout – Fallen Son (Newsarama)

How long until he’ll be back? There used to be a time when a few comic deaths meant something. I mean, sure, we all expect Jean Grey, Psylocke, and Magneto to die and come back every year or two. But in a comic environment where Captain Marvel and Colossus return, when Jason Todd and Bucky are alive and badass, in a world where an alternate Uncle Ben is wandering around, and Hawkeye stays dead for about six months, you know it won’t be long before Cap is back (especially because they are working on a Captain America movie).

So what should Marvel do with mantle of Captain America? In 1993, DC comics killed off Superman and replaced him with four knockoff copies until the real man of steel returned:

The Man of Steel: John Henry Irons was an ironworker and ex-weapons designer for the military who wears a suit of armor and wields a hammer. He did not claim to actually be Superman, but rather to represent the spirit of Superman and continue his legacy. Any else think that Iron Man/Tony Stark is game for this?

The Man of Tomorrow, also called the Cyborg Superman, arrived with augmented Kryptonian technology. He was scientifically proven to be Superman but claims amnesia in explanation to his part-mechanical nature. The cyborg Supes was basically a Deathlok rip-off, so why not let Deathlok be the new Cap?

The Metropolis Kid, who hated being called Superboy, is a reckless teenage clone of Superman. They cloned Thor, why not clone Cap? Call him Kid America, or something lame like that. Plus there’d be the inevitable run-in with Patriot of the Young Avengers.

The Last Son of Krypton was a visored, energy-powered alien who dealt with criminals lethally. He claims to have memories as the original Superman’s but his emotional distance makes Lois uncertain. We know that the Punisher looks up to Cap in a weird hero-worship sort of way, and didn’t he pick up Cap’s shield at the end of Civil War?

Update: Some commentary from Jeff:

"Ah, very nice, but you’re missing out on one vital piece of information:

The Cyborg Superman was originally the mock Reed Richards back when DC was ripping on the Fantastic Four. Ergo, I see Marvel’s plan as it truly will be:

Mr. Fantastic commits suicide over the guilt he feels for being responsible for Goliath’s death. However he is rebuilt Million Dollar Man style by SHIELD. He then goes crazy, and with the help of Thanos (standing in for Mongol in Marvel continuity) is responsible for the destruction of oh let’s say Hank Pym’s home town (which will lead to him going crazy and killing millions of people in a future mega crossover event that will destroy all comic continuity) and is only stopped when the original Cap is reborn ( in some weird Antarctic crystal birthing chamber that makes absolutely no sense) and destroys him.

And if we can throw in Doomsday for any reason at all, that’ll work too."

Who needs Doomsday when you have Clor, I say?

Sad News

"The Dr Dremo and Taco Bell property has been sold to Elm St Development. Plans call for 141 residential units and 34,685 sf of ground floor retail.

After 6 years of holding on year by year, Dr Dremo's closing date is final. The developer hopes to receive the last of their construction permits between Feb and Apr '08, with demolition to start immediately after the last permit is obtained. Dr Dremo's will close it's doors at the current location between Feb and Apr '08."

more info here

In the meantime, keep heading to Dremo's - it's one of the best bars in the area.

Real Ultimate Britney

"Hi, this site is all about Britney Spears, REAL BRITNEY SPEARS. This site is awesome. My name is Sean and I can't stop thinking about Britney Spears. This chick is cool; and by cool, I mean totally sweet.

Facts:

1. Britney Spears is a mammal .
2. Britney Spears fights ALL the time.
3. The purpose of Britney Speakrs is to flip out and kill people."

More here

Still on a roll

Next issue of Captain Jibidy is online:
Captain Jibidy Issue 52

More new Jibidy

As promised - the next installment of Captain Jibidy:

Captain Jibidy Issue 51

An even better comment!

"The new Jibidy is kinda creepy, i'm not gonna lie. So let me guess .. the predator is going to appear in the next one and do his thing right? That would make the comic an instant classic" --my little brother.

What people are saying about new Jibidy...

"It's good you have a hobby, Dwain" --Chris O'Brien, Mayor of Shirlington

"Bout damn time Mr. Whedon." --Jeff Snow (I can only assume his comparison to Joss Whedon has to do with quality and not schedule management)

"I have been waiting for this to come and it has finally come!!! I can't wait to read that new installment or maybe I'll start with all the old ones first :)" --anonymous White House staffer.

"Oh, there are more? I must confess, I haven't read the first one yet" --Steph Grow, cofounder, www.eavesdropdc.com

New Issue of Captain Jibidy

Holy Cow! - After almost 18 months of promises - a new issue of Captain Jibidy arrives at ahoy-matey.com. Just like in the real world, some time has passed for Jibidy and his crew, and some changes have occured in the Cap'n's life.

New Jibidy Here! New Jibidy Here!

More to come soon!

Best song title I've heard in awhile

"Got Ma Nuts from a Hippie" by the Fratellis. Plus, the song is actually really good, and the band name is great (wonderful Goonies reference.)

5 Reasons why you should go see Ghost Rider in the theater

1. Flaming skulls
2. Eva Mendes - specifically her cleavage - I think director Mark Stephen Johnson has a crush on her breasts, judging from the amount of screen time they get. No complaints here.
3. Flaming motorcycles
4. Flaming chains
5. Assorted other flaming things

Do you need more?

Beer beer beer

Some friends and I discovered (not that it was missing several people tell me) a great wine emporium called Total Wine. They have a gigantic selection of wines and a bunch of locations in VA (some in MD and DE too I think). You can check out their website here.

Anyways, I'm not big wine person, but they sell beer by the singles as well, so I've been able to sample a bunch of different kinds of beers w/o having to pay top dollar at the Brickskellar.

Today's beer: Fix 1864. Apparently it is the traditional beer of Greece (though it is brewed in Wilkes-Barre, PA - that was kind of disappointing). It's a pretty malty lager, overall and ok taste - nothing super special. 3 out of 5 stars.

Previous beers:

Mississippi Mud: A delicious black and tan, and it comes in a really cool bottle (packaging is very important to me. 4 out of 5 stars.

Acme California Brown Ale: another yummy dark beer. 5 out of 5 stars. Rivals Dr Dremos' James Brown Ale. Hit Me!

Creepy

http://annanicolesmithdies.com/: THE OFFICIAL ANNA NICOLE SMITH DIES WEBSITE: U R NOT FORGOTTEN may angels guide u on ur path to heaven to see ur son and that old dude u killed (their crappy text, not mine)

Check it out if you wanna hear a jazz midi version of "All by Myself".

Recent Netflix Returns

Yellowbeard: Man, I remembered Monty Python (at least Chapman, Cleese, and Idle) and Cheech and Chong, but forgot that Peter Boyle and Marty Feldman were also in this amazing pirate film. "Stop pissing on the hedges! They're imported!" 4 out of 5 stars.

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes: This was not the movie I remembered. Turns out I was remembering the sequel, so now I have to rent that. This is really pretty bad (most purposefully so). 2 out of 5 stars.

Kinky Boots: fun British comedy - the same kind of make you feel good about yourself movie as the Full Monty. Chiwetel Ejiofor is fantastic. 3 out of 5 stars.

One of the more important holidays of the year.

While the Bears and Colts are two teams I generally dislike - Super Bowl Sunday is generally one of my favorite days of the year. Food, beer and football? Perfecto - what could make it better? Pirates, of course.

(I know - I'm recycling old comics - I can't help that my stuff has timeless appeal)

Intelligence Test

Proof I'm a genius:

Intelligence Test

Recent Netflix Returns

Cool World: This movie would be amazing if it was made today. A neat noir companion to Who Framed Roger Rabbit. 3 out of 5 stars

Lucky Number Slevin: I really enjoyed this film - turned out to be a fluffy revenge flick, but it was enjoyable. Josh Hartnett was at his least annoying and Lucy Liu was super adorable. 3 out of 5 stars

Bandidas: Why was this direct to video? This could have been a blockbuster hit! Salma and Penelope are super hot and really funny, plus there's some really good action scenes. I don't see a single downside. Dwight Yoakam as the villain, or Steve Zahn playing the straight guy? They worked. 4 out of 5 stars.

Quote of the Day

From Grey's: "So you're together but you don't talk to each other. Wish I could find that in a woman." - Alex

New Booty Mix

Party Ben's posted a great new hour long mashup on his site - www.partyben.com. Star Wars music fans should especially check out.

Help Me Party Ben Kenobi, You're Our Only Hope...

Pirates > Vampires

"I have to say, if it was going to be something supernatural, I was hoping for a vampire, because they're a doddle. Stakes, garlic, holy water, true faith, sunlight, fire ... I'm not sure there's anything that doesn't kill a vampire."

--The Pirate Captain, in The Pirates! In an Adventures with Communists

Jack Bauer Ate A Man

24 Things You Need To Know About The New Season of 24 (Best Week Ever)

My favorites:

18. After watching all 4 playoff football games this weekend and seeing that John Mellancamp “this is ourrrrr country” Chevy ad approximately 6,531 times, I have to admit that it doesn’t feel right watching Jack Bauer ride around in anything other than a Chevy truck. This has to be fixed immediately.
19. Least Surprising Stat Of The Night: CTU is 0-1 with setting up a perimeter so far this season. This brings their lifetime mark to 0-219.20. Why couldn’t this show be named 18? Coming up with 24 observations is a pain in the ass.

Recent Netflix Returns

Ultraviolet - Milla is so hot I was able to sit through the whole movie - she's sufficiently badass too. But the story was nonexistent, and a lot of the cgi was bad. The end was laughable, but in a good way. Without spoiling anything - imagine the one thing that can make a swordfight cooler - swords on fire for no apparent reason. 2 out of 5 stars

The Office Special - I'm really glad I finally got around to watching this. Very funny and ultimately sweet too, which I wasn't expecting. 4 out of 5 stars

Wonderfalls: The Complete Series - truly ambitious television. Everything about this show was excellent. So of course FOX cancelled it. I'm going to create my own TV show just for Caroline Dhavernas. 5 out of 5 stars

Shut Up And Kiss Me - I've been known to pick some bad movies in the past, but this is a new low. It stars the gorgeous Krista Allen, but even she can save one of the most retarded movies I've ever seen. 1 out of 5 stars

I heart Netflix

It's my new obsession. More to come.

Best of 2006

I hate how people always do their best of lists before the year is over. What happens if something really good comes out Dec 31st? What if some of us are pretty lazy? Anyways, here are my best ofs for 2006:

Best Movie: Superman Returns - you know it must be good if a Marvel zombie picks it in a year with an (even mediocre) X-Men movie.
Honorable Mentions: Pirates 2, Thank You For Smoking, Borat

Best New Show: Heroes
Honorable Mentions: Studio 60, Blade: The Series (RIP)

Best Returning TV Show: Lost
Honorable Mentions: Grey's Anatomy, 24

Best Album: Scissor Sisters "Ta Dah"
Honorable Mentions: Wreckers "Stand Still, Look Pretty", Gnarls Barkley "St. Elsewhere"

Best Comic: Nextwave: Agents of H.A.T.E.
Honorable Mentions: Astonishing X-Men, Fables, Runaways

I'd write fun reasons, but you won't read them.