Greg Oden

Portland Trailblazers center Greg Oden, was offered 8.8 million to stay in Portland, basically he was put on a restricted free agency contract.  Oden is a former overall #1 draft pick in 2007; in who hasn't played since he was drafted, due to multiple injuries/surgeries.  With all his injuries, he is being compared the Trailblazers 1984 draft pick, big man Sam Bowie.

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The coming of the Brothers Barbarian!

Here's the premiere episode of a web-series written by and co-starring a former co-worker of mine, Ken Whitman. It also features fantasy artist Larry Elmore in what I assume is his screen debut... in a role where he's dressed (and barely dressed) like many of the characters he's painted over the years.



I'll have to see if I can get permission for a "ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters" tie-in! :)

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It's 65 years today....

... since the great H.G. Wells passed away. If you only know his work from "The Time Machine" and "War of the Worlds," I suggest you check out an eBook anthology I put together for NUELOW Games.

"From Dark Corners" contains a total of thirteen short stories, but the three by Wells are some of his best horror tales, with "Country of the Blind" probably being my favorite of everything by Wells that I've read. (The rest of the book is made up by stories from Arthur Conan Doyle, Robert E. Howard, Bram Stoker, and Clark Ashton Smith.)

I posted a 50% discount offer at Terror Titans, but that offer will work just as well here. Click here to buy your copy of "From Dark Corners" for just $1.25, and start reading today! (The discount is good through the first week of September.)

In order to get the book at a discounted rate (or at all), you'll need an account with one of Onebookshelf's websites--be it DrivethruHorror, DrivethruFantasy, or RPGNow.

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'Day of the Daleks' is a classic Doctor Who adventure

Doctor Who: Day of the Daleks (1972)
Starring: Jon Pertwee, Katy Manning, and Nicholas Courtney
Director: Paul Bernard
Rating: Seven of Ten Stars

On the eve of an international summit that hopes to stave off a war between China and the United States, time travelers arrive to assassinate the British delegate, claiming he is the cause of the inevitable war, and that it is his fault the evil Daleks enslave humanity in the future. With the TARDIS out of commission, the Doctor uses their primitive time travel technology to go forward in time to stop the Daleks from meddling in the present.

"The Day of the Daleks" is a film that was created by editing together four episodes of the long-running British television series. They combine seamlessly and present an interesting tale of cause and effect in time travel. It's a little more cerebral than most of the original "Doctor Who" storylines, but the pay-off is worth it.

The Daleks--and other time travelers in play in this episode--are almost as sinister as they got during the original run of the series; this is one of those story-lines that makes it clear why the Doctor has the fearsome reputation they like to play on in the revival of the show. Even better, it features Katy Manning as Jo Grant, one of my favorite of the Doctor's Companions.

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The kittens! Won't anyone save the kittens?!

A desperate cry sends a brave fireman plunging into a raging inferno where he comes face to face with a firewitch and her flaming minions, as the World of ROLF invades ours following a spell gone awry!

ROLF: The Fireman vs. The Firewitch is the latest supplement for L.L. Hundal & Steve Miller's comedy game ROLF!: The Rollplaying Game of Big Dumb Fighters. With the usual assortment of pre-generated characters and new game rules, it's just about the only fun you can have for 50 cents anymore.

Download your copy today!

(And if you don't know what ROLF! is, then you need to click here to get yourself a copy of the basic game. (It's the most fun you'll have for $1.50.)

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Now back to the good part!

Michael Bolton gets a guest shot with The Lonely Island for some cutting-edge hip-hop and reveals his true love in the process...



"Jack Sparrow" is included on The Lonely Island's second album of spectacularly goofy songs. Check it out. (And for more Jack Sparrow fun, come back on September 19 for our celebration of "Talk Like a Pirate Day"!)

"You complete me!"

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Celebrate the U.S. deciding to honor its obligations by stimulating the economy!

Well, our so-called leaders here in the States kinda-sorta did something about addressing the economic issues facing the United States of American, and they FINALLY got around to doing their Constitutionally mandated duties and made sure that all of the financial obligations of the Federal government will be met.

At least for a little while longer, since no serious effort was undertaken to address the more serious long-term problems.

But, I suggest you all out there celebrate by stimulating the economy and buying an eBook from NUELOW Games... I'd REQUIRE you to do so, but then I'd have to be a President, a member of Congress, or perhaps a character in "Alice in Blunderland."

Although written over 100 years ago, the jokes in "Alice in Blunderland" are distressingly fresh. John Kendrick Bangs might as well have been poking fun at today's political leaders, right down to how they deal with debt and government spending in the perfect town created by the Mad Hatter.

This PDF-format book--ideal for reading on laptops and iPads--is going to be on sale for $0.99 for the rest of this week. Check it out... you'll get a great read, and you'll help the U.S. economy by giving my distributor and I a few pennies!

Click here to see all the currently available eBooks and roleplaying game products currently avaliable from NUELOW Games. (It amuses me to no end that our current best-seller is a Christmas release. :D )

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'Cowboys and Aliens' is smart and lots of fun!

Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
Starring: Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell, and Adam Beach
Director: Jon Favreau
Rating: Nine of Ten Stars

When an aliens start terrorizing an isolated area of the American Southwest in the 1870s, outlaws, cattle-ranchers, settlers, and Apache Indians join together with a mysterious woman (Wilde) and an amnesiac who has somehow gotten his hands on one of the alien devices (Craig) to defeat them before they conquer Earth.

"Cowboys & Aliens" is an action-packed genre-bending mix of Western and Sci-Fi as a landscape populated with Western archetypes becomes the setting for an epic adventure tale told through one of the smartest scripts I've witnessed in years.

Although this is a movie that's primarily about aliens blowing the hell out of cowboys and visa-versa, a lot of thought and care went into just about every character that appears on screen that's not just part of the background. Even minor supporting characters get little touches that give them more depth and life than some main characters in recent allegedly character-driven movies--including one of the alien invaders. And the actors all rise to the level of this superior material, with not a single bad performance among them.

The most remarkable character and performance in the picture is given by Harrison Ford. His Colonel Dolarhyde starts out as the stereotypical, psychotically evil ex-Army officer cattle-rancher strong man, but by the time the film is over, he is completely transformed into a sympathetic character who is the most fully developed of all of them.

Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde are basically, well, Daniel Craig and Olivia Wilde. Both characters that they play are of such a nature that their physical appearances are very important, and both of them are perfectly cast in their roles... Craig for his craggy, weather-worn looks and Wilde for her ability to seem mysterious by just standing around. The fact that neither one of them was the first choice to play those parts is a sign that the Movie Gods were watching out for this film. They're both so perfect I can't imagine this film being as good if they hadn't been in it.

"Cowboys & Indians" deserves to be counted among this years best movies, whether measured by quality or box office receipts. I highly recommend going to see it, even if you're a stingy bastard like me who goes to matinee screenings. This is the kind of movie that Hollywood needs to make more of..

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The Adventures of Captain Jack

I am depressed at being an American today, because it seems we have retards in charge of our nation.

With our co-called leaders in Washington doing their level best to obliterate what's left of the American economy and our financial dealings with the rest of the world, I felt the need to postr some upbeat songs with equally bright and upbeat videos.

There are some of the best songs and videos from the great Captain Jack, one of the 1990s premiere Euro-pop performers. I've arranged them so the videos tell a little story (well, in my mind anyway), but if you only watch one of them, check out the "Iko-Iko" cover.

(Captain Jack could probably do a better job at leading this country than any of the chuckle-heads and empty suits currently wasting oxygen in Washington, D.C.)

Help us, Captain Jack. You're our only hope!

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Linda Christian dead at 87

I just heard that actress Linda Christian, the true first Bond Girl, passed away last Friday, July 22, after a battle with cancer. (Christian appeared with Barry Nelson and Peter Lorre in the 1954 version of "Casino Royale," giving one of the best performances of her career.)

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Gaza film-makers decry Hamas censorship

From Reuters....

Four years into Islamist Hamas rule, cultural censors are fraying the already threadbare local movie industry. Culture Ministry director Mustafa al-Sawaf is quick to crack down on content that does not conform to Hamas edicts."

It's hard to get outraged, because their friends and neighbors (and possibly even these filmmakers themselves) elected these Hamas freaks to be their oppressors.

And Jimmy Carter says Hamas are great guys, so that's that.

(Yes... there is much sarcasm above. Jimmy Carter remains a prick of the highest order. And my guess is that many of the poor Palestinians were motivated to cast ballots for Hamas by the same impulse that drove many Americans to vote for Obama--they wanted anyone but the people that were in charge at the time. At least we didn't end up with a pack of psychopaths holding the reins of government.)

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Even terrorists are suffering in the global economic downturn

Oh, the pain of the global economic crunch. Today, Jerusalem Post Online reports that the terrorist group chosen by election to lead the Palestinians haven't been making payroll.

Hamas also faces financial crunch

In other news, the Guardian reports that al-Qaida In Iraq has dropped all pretenses of being anything but a collection of psychopathic criminal thugs as they launch a fund-raising drive to solve their need for cash and turn to their sick admirers. Gotta pay for those male prostitutes after all. (Actually, cutting back on male prostitutes might solve some of Hamas's financial woes, too.)

Al-Qaida in Iraq explores new ventures in fundraising drive

Illo by Randy Pollack

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Amy Winehouse dead at 27

I wouldn't know an Amy Winehouse song if it jumped up and bit me--I was only vaguely aware of her existence through entertainment feature headlines and Eminem mocking her in a song a year or two ago. But it's always a shame when someone young and apparently talented passes away... doubly so when it appears to be from something as avoidable as drug and alcohol abuse, something Winehouse did a lot of by all accounts.

It might also be that she was hounded to death by the cruelty of "fans"--her deterioration was chronicled on the Internet with posted videos and pictures.

A cause of death had not been announced at the time of this writing, but police stated she was pronounced dead at her home in Camden Square, having expired before the ambulance arrived on the scene.

The 27-year-old Winehouse was a five-time Grammy winner whose second album, "Back to Black", rocketed her and her mix of pop and jazz to global fame. The drugs, the drink, and a range of health and personal problems, cut that fame short.

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Completed Collection: Psychotic Connections

This set features three horror movies on a single disk. The films are united by a shared theme of psycho killers and psychic phenomenon (or, at least, the appearance of psychic phenomenon). The quality varies widely with "Gothic" being the only picture here that is truly worthwhile (and even it might not be to the liking of many dedicated horror fans).

Click on the titles of the included movies to read reviews of each.

Psychotic Connections: 4/10 Overall Rating
Chiller (1985) 3/10
Gothic (1986) (7/10)
Maniac (1934) 3/10





When I got my copy of this set several years ago, I paid $3.95. That price is far closer to the right one than the present going rate. "Gothic" is the only worthwhile film here--aside from the curiosity value that "Maniac" has for those with an interest in the horror genre--and it's available in other, far more worthwhile collections.

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Gosh... I can't imagine who might be behind it

Oslo explosion: seven dead, dozens injured after bomb blasts blast - Telegraph

Maybe the Basques have moved northward to Norway. Or maybe some retired IRA guy decided to set off a few bombs for old times sake. Or maybe American neo-Nazis are upset because the Norwegians haven't been upholding the Viking traditions firmly enough.

I mean.... it couldn't possibly be friends of these guys, could it?

After all, Islam is a peaceful religion.

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Tennessee Thursday: Rep. G.A. Hardaway

In the "great" state of Tennessee, they enacted a law on July 1 that makes it a punishable offense to publish material online that might cause "emotional distress" in those who view it. In other words, if you're in Tennessee, putting up ANY picture that could cause ANYONE any upset can land you legal trouble. I hope you folks down there share the disdain of the 1st and 14th Amendments to the United States Constitution that your elected representatives and governor have. Only a tiny minority of the assembly voted against it.

This series of posts is devoted to spotlighting the "lawmakers" who drafted and passed this outrageous law, as well as providing samples of things that may be illegal in the state where the leaders delude themselves into thinking they are "America At Its Best."

I'm hoping the citizens of Tennessee will live up to its slogan and that enough of them become aware of what sort of ignorant clods they have in the legislature to vote them out of office.

Postings That May Be Illegal in Tennessee #4

Jesus and Mo

If you are offended or otherwise emotionally distressed by the above cartoon and its portrayal of the Prophet Mohammad (may peas be upon him) as a videogame-playing, booze-guzzling ignoramus, please contact the subject of today's profile. I'm sure he'll be happy to offer assistance in soothing your hurt feelings. (Just don't ask him for legal advice.)




Tennessee "Lawmaker" Profile #4: Rep. G.A. Hardaway

G.A. Hardaway is a real estate investor who has turned to politics as a Decomcrat, and he was elected to his seat in the Tennessee legislature in 2008 and he was re-appointed in 2010 when he "ran" unopposed. In addition to serving on the House Consumer & Employee Affairs Committee, House Commerce Committee, and the House General Sub-committee of Consumer & Employee Affairs, Hardaway hols leadership positions and/or is active in a number of community groups and organizations, including the Africa in April Festival, the Rainbow PUSH Coalition, Herendon #10 Masonic Lodge, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, the NAACP, the Shelby Council Juvenile Court Advisory Council, and many, many others.

It's no surprise that one so busy as Rep. Hardaway can't be bothered with actually knowing the framework within which he should be making law.

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Something cute for iPods to wear

Now, I'm of course much too manly to buy and use this or any of the other iPod/iPhone cozies or cases that Lyssa offers for sale through Zonderling Designs. But darnit if they aren't cuuuuuute! (Click here to see more of them.)

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Completed Collection: Icons of Adventure

This four movie set presents two pirate movies and two "Yellow Peril"-type thrillers made by good old Hammer Films in the 1960s and distributed in the United States by Columbia Pictures. Each is a lot fun, with "The Stranglers of Bombay" and "The Devil-ship Pirates" being down-right excellent. Even the bonus features (previews, a funky animated short, and the first chapter of the "Adventures of Captain Kidd" matinee serial are worth checking out.)

Christopher Lee fans will be particularly interested in this set, as he stars in three out of the four movies.

Click on the titles to read full reviews at the Cinema Steve blogs, and click on the Amazon.com link at the bottom of this post for more information on the set in general.

Icons of Adventure: 7/10 Stars Overall Rating
The Devil-ship Pirates: 7/10
Pirates of Blood River: 7/10
The Stranglers of Bombay: 7/10
The Terror of the Tongs: 6/10

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The Completed Collections

I tend to pick through the many DVD multi-packs I own the way others go through boxes of fancy chocolates: I watch a movie here, watch a movie there... but the end result is that sometimes it takes me forever to finish a given set. Sometimes I never do, because one or more discs go missing in the pit that is my office.

This new series of posts will be a catalog of the DVD multi-packs I've actually managed to watch every movie in. It may not be much of an achievement, but I take my ego-boosts where I can find them! (Plus, it may save someone from buying a dog of a collection.)

Eventually, this post will be an index the posts indexes the reviews in the completed set. Each link here will provide a rating for the set generated by averaging the films in it.

The Completed Collections Index
Icons of Adventure (Adventure Period Films from Hammer in the 1960s): 7/10 Stars

Psychotic Connections (Horror Films from the 1980s and 1930s): 4/10 Stars

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