Scranton Tomorrow and some local business owners are helping kick off "National Independents Week in Downtown Scranton July 1-7th.

For a list of events going on for the 4th of July weekend go to:

http://www.ilovescranton.com

Also, tonight is First Friday! For a list of events and maps got to:

http://www.firstfridayscranton.com

Looks like theres tons of events you shouldn't miss for the next few days in wonderful downtown Scranton.

There are great things happening downtown these days, all you need to do is show up and participate! I think as my future home, The Connell Building, continues to be rented out to the young homeless people of the area like myself, the downtown will expand in leaps and bounds and really show how wonderful Scranton can become. And just because the young people are taking over, thats no excuse for people of any age to participate in a good thing!

I hope I can write on this Blog more than once a month!!! I have been busy....with what...i still don't know....I have just as much time in a day as Einstein did.......so i have no excuses!!!






Lets begin!!



So.....is it just me....or does Elena Keegan kinda look like John Lovitz?????

























Hopefully she will not emulate the Lovitz character from Saturday Night Live when he is a compulsive lier!










In other exciting news....i saw a couple movies the last few days.......



One being Shutter Island!!!!!!









i give it.....a one thumb and a closed fist...out of a possible 5 thumbs up.



it wasn't bad......but I'm happy I red boxed it instead of going to the theatre!





Speaking of REDBOX......what an awesome idea!....this is what's going to put blockbuster out of business......not netflix and not streaming online......but redbox.....its super simple, super convenient, and super good!





did you know you could just go to http://www.redbox.com/, find where ya want to travel to to pick it up, search that particular redbox site, and reserve the movie so its there when you pick it up......and all for a buck a night!!! (well...a dollar 6 due to tax...but still not bad!)




i like it.....i enjoy a streamed movie every once in a while.....but sometimes the quality and random jerkings of the screen just make me angry! This way, if you part of the Blockbuster, Montage video, or Prime Time Video crowd....and your used to going to a place to pick a movie, watch it, and take it back afterwords or the very next day.....its only gonna cost you a buck....rather than the new prices of upwards to 5 bucks! I think its great, so check it out!



so....ya............Shutter Island.........Scorsase.........ya there were some definite Scorsese angles.....but i really think this was a slip for him......it was no Taxi Driver.....or Goodfellas.....or Raging Bull...or even The Departed..........but it definitely had thoughs Scorsese angles......and perfectly cues scores in the background........and one car was blown up...so that's got to count for something!




Well in "Shutter Island" Ted Daniels (Leonardo DiCaprio) leads a US Marshall two-some, paired with Chuck Aule (Mark Ruffalo..........also in Just Like Heaven....starring Reese Witherspoon....in which her chin was super annoying) to investigate a federal criminally insane mental institution of an inmate escape. During the investigation the Marshall's find that the prison administration isn't too eager to find the missing inmate. DiCaprio's character has constant flashbacks of World War 2 Nazi concentration camp liberation's and the alleged murder of his wife played by actress Michelle Williams by an arson.



Don't get me wrong....its kind of a cool plot....but as the movie goes on...you find that theres a couple of things that seem to be far fetched....and then just as soon as the movie comes to an end....you realize you should have rented something else instead.........like Total Recall starring Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone. Which i feel is a much better mind blitz movie! (i wish "Johnny Cabs" were real!)


on another note...i think i saw this Shutter Island character walking around in downtown Scranton last Wednesday.......I'm not even kidding









I also saw "The A-Team."





I give it......2 thumbs........but out of 10 thumbs....(so its really a one thumb on a 5 thumb scale....) I didn't love it....but i did hate it....




i say...."a miss" for Liam Neason....who plays Colonel Hannibal Smith.....and "a Hit" for Bradley Cooper who plays Faceman aka Lt. Templeton Peck. God he's hot!!! And I'm totally not gay at all! When i see a nice looking guy, I'm gonna tell ya about it! But he's no Dirk Benedict!!!



Do you remember that "Kate-a-pult???" a catapult for Kate Gosselyn.....to launch her into a picker patch or even the middle of the ocean or something.......well...lets take that catapult...and have a helicopter park it on the top of the empire state building......then tie up Mr Rampage, the guy who shitilly tries to play B.A. Baracus......and launch him.....into a nice crowded street in midtown Manhattan.....and ya know what....i really don't think too many people will care......



And the guy that plays Murdock...Sharlto Copley (what?) was "OK." What can I say....to play a mentally raving lunatic is a hard job......now ..is this guy trying to be Luke Wilson?........not the Luke Wilson that does the commercials now.......the actor Luke Wilson that was slightly skinner and had a smaller head............who knows.....but i got that vibe from him.....(seriously though...how about Luke Wilson's "Bloat Face???" Him and Val Kilmer...we need to find a cure!!!)







I'm really getting annoyed with the CGI crap..........what made the original A-Team a real treat was the cheesy mock car crashes and sudden unbelievable explosions.....this was alittle too non-far fetched....what ever the hell that means....





i did like that I caught Hannibal using an original chrome plated AK-47 that was used in the original show in one scene.....











The other night I saw "Grown-ups."










A Happy Madison production.........which is neither as good as Happy Gilmore nor Billy Madison........Even with its super all star cast!



you have Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, David Spade, Rob Schneider, Kevin James, Salma Hayek, Steve Buscemi, Colin Quinn, and Tim Meadows........What a SNL Reunion!!!...but really ....what a crap out!

There were a lot of good one liners in there, but some of them made me feel uncomfortable.....it was a strange movie....i think they were just looking for a real "feel good" family movie....


Whats cool is that these guys were the dream team "Slack Pack" in SNL's early 90's seasons....and this is really a true first everyone get together to make a really funny movie.....and they screwed it up.......maybe its because of the absence of Lorne Michaels direction.....who knows.....

And what a slap in the face to Chris Farley........Kevin James is no...and will never be.....Chris Farley.....the only person in history that can be Chris Farley is John Belushi.....and the only person in history that can be John Belushi was...... Chris Farley.....


They should have left the "fat funny guy who looks like hes going to have a heart attack" be a vacant spot..............if Chris Farley was alive and ended up in the same exact movie......i think it would have been great.........instead we had to focus on David Spade's super awkwardness as a heterosexual gay man womanizer with a drinking problem......pretty much just playing himself in this part...


I think the best actor in the movie was actress Salma Hayek....you really want to love her and hate her at the same time.......and a neat thing to do is slightly cross your eyes when your looking straight at her face................. Una-brow!!!

Hot Tub Time Machine movie review!!!

Go see Hot Tube Time Machine!!!!


As long as you know going that its going to be cheesy and requires no brain matter to understand or enjoy it............you'll absolutely love it!!!
I thought it was very funny and its over use of neon was Super Rad!



This movie has some really great stars in it:



John Cusack, Craig Robinson, Rob Corddry, Clark Duke, Chevy Chase, and Crispin Glover!!!

Crispin really made this movie. He plays a quarkie, one armed, chain saw tossing bell hop and ice carver, which he is rightfully cast for this part. Crispin's acting ability is way beyond anything that a normal actor would be able to produce......His list of work is very impressive from which his part as George McFly in the Back to the Future franchise really propelled him to fame. He has also played "The guy with the weird eye" in The People vs. Larry Flint, and was the voice of Grendel in the movie Beowulf. I think what he will be remembered for most is his 1987 interview on the David Letterman show. Was he on acid or what????? You decide:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4JpZWaXFc48

Somewhat newcomer Clark Duke (not related to Patty Duke) ( http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxDNppDhA6U) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qQTqKcojrVY) plays a real tag-along ass hole named Jacob........i really can't say much about him....he did have his bigger screen debut as a young party-goer in the movie Superbad...he had no lines...but they needed some hipster nerd glasses in the shots so he was a perfect fit........

Ya want to know who else was at the party in Superbad with Clark????? Scranton/Philly socialite: Katie McDermott!

I did a small investigation...and apparently Katie gets around!!!

Here she is with "The Weekend Show's" Patrice Wilding:

Here she is with Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Hank Baskett:

And here she is with Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino:

Shes famous!!!! Way to go Katie!

..........Where the hell was I????.........................

oh ya....Hot Tub Time Machine!! Funny Movie, Check it out! And if you hurry you can still check it out at Cinamark in Moosic, But caution!!! don't get attacked by BABIES!!!!

Spill Baby Spill!!!

This oil spillage in the Gulf of Mexico is truly a travesty. Not only does the oil pollute, but the clouds of toxic smoke protruding from the fires associated with it can not be good for the environment either. I am one for the drilling of our own natural resources in this country, but we need to do this carefully!!! I am happy to hear that BP is taking responsibility for this and is paying for much of the clean-up. In that sense they are a good company. Hopefully the oil will not reach land and can be 100% contained in the waters.
BP and other oil drilling companies lobby legislators to drill in special interest areas within the bounds of our country. And I feel, if we have the resources, why not use them. But we need to do it responsibly! Congress need to oversee their operations and heavily regulate them. The money will be there, there's not issue with that. From some of the news stations I have watched, if this particular rig was fitted with a special valve to prevent oil flowing into the ocean if the rig was to be destroyed...this disaster would not be.....That is very disheartening to hear since this clean up effort will likely be in the millions of dollars......when something that might have cost a few hundred of dollars might have prevented..........

I'll tell ya what, the citizens of Mexico are really pissed about all the pollution this disaster is creating for their shores......and it is sparking many protests:




Another thing that's really been bothering me that's been really on the low radar in the news lately....is that application to place a Casino near the historic Gettysburg Battleground in PA. They are looking to place this facility very close to the area where President Lincoln gave his famous Gettysburg address........I hope the State legislators do not give them permission to disrespect this solemn ground where many of our ancestors had perished for our county.

This is not what we want the area where Picket's Charge took place to look like on a Friday night!!!

I really miss the days when nuns roller skated around town........





Remember Skate-a-way!!!??? what a great place!!! If your really looking for a nice blast from the past and willing to drive to Wilkes-Barre (Blackman Street!), you can experience all the fun of the late 80's you want....especially when ya go on Saturday's...(its 80's night!)

They even have the mushroom chairs!!!!!! Remember thoughs???
My shins still have bruises on them from smashing off the corners because i really didn't know how to stop!! i couldn't find any pictures so I had Officer Jones work up a nice Police Sketch!








And remember!!!!!! There's no discrimination when it comes to roller skating!!!

Even Robots can do it!!!!

Joe Biden's coming home!!!!!

Joe Biden's coming back to Scranton!!!! Well.....actually Avoca.....

Apparently the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre Airport (located in neither Scranton nor Wilkes-Barre)
is so awesome....there really is no reason to leave it. Its the destination itself! To tell ya the truth....they have spent so much money on the thing.....it should be!

I cut out a picture of Joe Biden that was in The Times Leader Wednesday.........ya think he will sign it for me??????





He must love Female Student Athletes!

I'm sure he will sign it.....even thought he kinda looks like an angry ape..........
Politicians usually sign anything....just as long as you give them a pen and something to write on.......
remember when Sarah Palin signed some lady's baby???????



that baby loved it!!!!

I would keep babies away from Politicians though.......sometimes they get hungry!!!

Movie Review!!! (Pirate Radio)

So, I checked out "Pirate Radio" (or "The Boat That Rocked," depending on what country you watched it in....) last night...and it was alot better than I thought it was going to be.....








I give it ......7 thumbs up....(pretty descent....enjoyed it, didn't feel like a waste of time.......not over the top....but good...)


I missed it in the movie theaters, but rediscovered it again at blockbuster (which is slowly turning into "gut-buster" if i don't stop buying snacks....). My "Dan" pick of Pirate Radio beat out Whip It (pronounced WHHHHHHhhhhhip it) and some other movie starring Kevin Spacey (..........he's Gay....right??)........most likely...i will watch Whip It starring Ellen Page (Juno, X-Men 3, and Smart People) eventually......but remain picking up the Kevin Spacey movie (on the cover he's laying on a beach chair face down with bottles of booze around him (sounds like my kind of flick!)) about 45 more times...and will never watch it....i literally carry it around the store.....and unfortunately for the Blockbuster workers....place it down right next to where ever I find the replacement movie.....usually on the other side of the store.


I'll tell ya what, Pirate Radio has a super fantastic score! I recommend you buy the score and not the soundtrack ...because often they will skimp on the good songs and fill the CD with really "cheap to obtain" songs so they can make a quick buck on the movie name "recognisablity" alone....(is that a word???).....the score for this one should have the songs as well as the lyrics.......but if they don't....this would be an awesome CD to bring to your neighbors karaoke night!!!! (karaoke is Japanese for, "get super drunk...and you'll believe your a great singer as long as you have a microphone or something that looks like a microphone in your hands to sing into.........like a large screw or spoon......")





I feel this movie will appeal to young and old. These days i think alot of kids are finding artists from the mid 60's are still as hip and with it today as they were back then. Emo and Hipster kids have obtained of influence from this era as well as the 70's, and 80's. I actually chuckled alittle because alot of the male costumes probably could have been bought in stores on the lower east side in Manhattan.......but the female wear was definitely well researched and required a little creative savvy.... (Mod wear??????)




For the most part....this movie was "loosely" based on true times when artists like, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles, The Kinks, The Turtles, The Who, The Beach Boy's...and alot of other great bands with a "The" title, were banned from actual accredited radio stations.........but pretty much 99% of the movie was made up in the minds of its writers.........it was just inspired by the lives and times of the crazy people of the 60's.....when drugs were new and totally safe......and drinking all day long was totally accepted....



I was actually excited that I was watching a dramatized version of history here.....but don't believe for one moment that this movie based on true events.......the only thing that was true about this movie was that these songs played in the movie were from the mid 60's....and there was a such thing as pirate radio.....but there is no such historical instance of a boat being launched for this purpose....which basically is the whole premise of the movie.....i kinda felt that this movie is a big lie........but after calming down a big....pretty much all movies are a big lie.....and apparently...i love being lied to...



Now, I think the movie was totally historically accurate on what a bunch of bastard pricks the British government was during this time.......they knew the people loved this music....why censor it.......because it wasn't Jazz?????.........so what if the F-word was thrown out a few times........




Newcomer British actor Charlie Rowe, was "so so"....as the lead actor that gets kicked out of school and his mother send him to live on the Pirate Radio boat in the middle of the North Sea to live with his God Father, "Quintin" (played by Bill Nighy who also starred as rocker Billy Mack in the movie "Love Actually.") who runs this radio broadcasting operation. He meets all the round the clock radio personalities.....one of which might be his actual long lost father........




The movie deals with life at sea with the different 60's persona's coming together for a common cause.... "Free Radio for All!!!"


Obviously there are some personality conflicts...."the butting of heads, " but in the end they all remain friends as the piece of shit boat breaks down and sinks in the North Sea.........



They end up getting rescued by non other, Their beloved fans of the Pirate Radio Station!.....



I think a better ending would have been if they all drowned and had been martyrs of the cause.....but that's just me......