We all do this, usually in conversation where there's nothing left to talk about or when you're trying to determine if the new person you're seeing is worth having children with. I do this a lot. And my theory here is that if I put it out in the open once and for all then maybe I'll stop doing it and maybe put my thought power to better use. So, here we go...
Top 5 Films - The Obvious Choices
- The Exorcist (1973)
- The Shining (1980)
- The Godfather pt.1 (1972)
- Taxi Driver (1976)
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
Top 5 Films - The Obscure Choices (although in all honesty, these could be in the list above.)
- Rear Window (1954)
- Blade Runner (1982)
- Alien (1979)
- El Topo (1970)
- The Silence of the Lambs (1991)
Top 5 Least Favourite Films (ones I've watched in their entirety.)
- Killers (1996)
- Four Brothers (2005)
- The Forgotten (2004)
- Signs (2002)
- Saw IV (2007)
Top 5 Actors - The Obvious Choices (w/ favourite works)
- Al Pacino (The Godfather, The Panic in Needle Park, Insomnia.)
- Robert DeNiro (Taxi Driver, The Deer Hunter, Cape Fear, Casino)
- Marlon Brando (Apocalypse Now, A Streetcar Named Desire, Last Tango in Paris)
- Anthony Hopkins (The Elephant Man, The Silence of the Lambs, Red Dragon, Dracula)
- Jack Nicholson (The Shining, One Flew Over The Cuckoos Nest, The Witches of Eastwick)
Top 5 Actors - The Obscure Choices (w/ favourite works)
- John Hurt (The Elephant Man, Alien, The Proposition)
- Willem Dafoe (The Last Temptation of Christ, Platoon, Shadow of the Vampire, Animal Factory)
- Val Kilmer (Heat, Batman Forever, True Romance, The Doors, Wonderland)
- Benicio Del Toro (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Usual Suspects, Che)
- Jim Carrey (Man on the Moon, The Truman Show, Dumb and Dumber)
Top 5 Actresses (w/ favourite works)
- Jodie Foster (Taxi Driver, The Silence of the Lambs)
- Diane Keaton (Annie Hall, The Godfather, Manhattan)
- Meryl Streep (The Deer Hunter, Death Becomes Her, Manhattan)
- Charlize Theron (The Devil's Advocate, Monster)
- Michelle Pfeiffer (Scarface, What lies Beneath, White Oleander, Batman Returns)
Top 5 Film Soundtracks (w/ notable artists)
- Wonderland (2003) (Roxy Music, Terry Reid, Iggy and The Stooges)
- Casino (1995) (Otis Redding, The Rolling Stones, Mickey & Sylvia)
- High Fidelity (2000) (Bob Dylan, The 13th Floor Elevators, Elton John, Bruce Springsteen)
- The Crow (1994) (The Cure, The Violent Femmes, Stone Temple Pilots, Nine Inch Nails)
- Velvet Goldmine (1998) (Shudder To Think, Brian Eno, Placebo, The Venus in Furs)
Top 5 Directors - The Obvious Choices (w/ favourite works)
- Stanley Kubrick (The Shining, A Clockwork Orange, Lolita)
- Martin Scorsese (Taxi Driver, Casino, Goodfellas, Raging Bull)
- Alfred Hitchcock (Rear Window, North By North West, Vertigo, Rope, The Birds, Psycho)
- Francis Ford Coppola (The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, Dracula)
- Woody Allen (Annie Hall, Manhattan, Play It Again Sam, Love and Death, Everybody Says I Love You)
Top 5 Directors - The Obscure Choices (w/ favourite works) (again, any of these could fit in the list above)
- Oliver Stone (Natural Born Killers, Platoon, The Doors)
- Mel Brooks (Young Frankenstein, Blazing Saddles, History of the World pt.1, Spaceballs)
- David Lynch (The Elephant Man, Eraserhead, Twin Peaks)
- William Friedkin (The Exorcist, The French Connection)
- Michael Mann (Heat, Manhunter)
Top 5 Writers (w/ favourite works)
- Hunter S. Thompson (Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, The Rum Diary, plus various collections of letters)
- Charles Bukowski (Pulp, Hollywood, Post Office, Ham on Rye)
- William Peter Blatty (The Exorcist, Legion)
- H.P. Lovecraft (The Hound, The Whisperer in Darkness)
- Edgar Allen Poe (The Raven, Berenice, The Tell Tale Heart)
Top 5 Works of Fiction
- L'etranger (Albert Camus, 1942)
- Death in Venice (Thomas Mann, 1912)
- The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty, 1971)
- The Great Gatsby (F. Scott Fitzgerald, 1925)
- The Rum Diary (Hunter S. Thompson, written circa 1960, published 1998)
Top 5 Biographies/Autobiographies
- Brando: Songs My Mother Taught Me (Marlon Brando)
- Innocent When You Dream: Tom Waits: The Collected Interviews (Tom Waits & Mac Montandon)
- Scar Tissue (Anthony Kiedis)
- The Long, Hard Road Out Of Hell (Marilyn Manson & Neil Strauss)
- Hitman (Bret Hart)
Top 5 Recording Artists (w/ favourite works)
- Marilyn Manson (Holywood, Antichrist Superstar, Mechanical Animals)
- Placebo (Without You I'm Nothing, Black Market Music, Sleeping With Ghosts)
- Tom Waits (Small Change, Blue Valentine, Foreign Affairs)
- Mark Lanegan (Field Songs, Bubblegum, plus works with Isobel Campbell, Soulsavers and as The Gutter Twins with Greg Dulli)
- The Velvet Underground (The Velvet Underground & Nico, Loaded, White Light/White Heat)
Top 5 Computer Games
- The Warriors (Rockstar Toronto, 2005)
- Blade Runner (Westwood Studios, 1997)
- Shadow Fighter (Gremlin Interactive, 1994)
- Three Dirty Dwarves (Sega, 1996)
- Silent Hill (Konami/Team Silent, 1999)
Top 5 TV Shows
- The Big Bang Theory (2007 - present)
- South Park (1997 - present)
- Twin Peaks (1990 - 1991)
- The Sopranos (1999 - 2007)
- Family Guy (2005 - present)
Top 5 Places I've Visited
- Orlando, Florida
- Las Vegas, Nevada
- San Francisco, California
- Los Angeles, California
- St. Petersburg, Florida
Top 5 Places I'd Love To Visit
- New York City, New York
- Edmonton, Canada
- Port Antonio, Jamaica
- Chicago, Illinois
- Oakley Court, Windsor
And, finally...
Top 5 Consumables I'd Request Before Being Put To Death
- A large bottle of Chivas Regal
- A case of chilled Miller GD
- A pack of Marlboro 100 Reds
- A Kobi steak, rare
- A whole baked Vanilla Cheesecake
Tuesday, 19 July 2011
Tuesday, 3 May 2011
TNA, WWE and general observations on the Pro Wrestling world.
There's few who would argue - and even fewer who would argue convincingly - that professional wrestling is still hitting the heights it once did; that it's on-par with the rule-breaking, R-Rated 'Attitude' Era, and captivating even the non-wrestling fans around the world, like the World Wrestling Federation did in the 80s with Hulkamania.
If you wish, you can blame the internet and the access to insider knowledge, blame Vince McMahon's decision to remove the very word 'wrestling' from anything related to the WWE product, you could even go so far as to blame the ever-growing popularity of the "real" sport of Mixed Martial Arts. Whatever the reason, let's always try to remember that what we're being fed now is not all that professional wrestling has to offer us; there's always fresh talent on the horizon. OVW and other developmental territories, or "farms", are churning out competitor after competitor just itching to make their debut on our TV screens... and I'm sure there's a percentage of them who don't just want to use it as a stepping stone on their way to Hollywood. BURN!!
Let's not fool ourselves, TNA are suffering a fate worse than the WWE's, and I won't argue with a guy who says the whole company is one big sinking ship. However, TNA were once rivaling WWE and were even surpassing them in terms of sheer talent. They had wrestlers who honestly believed they were pushing a greater product than the other franchises, and that echoed the cry of ECW in the Paul Heyman years. Those wrestlers believed that ECW was producing a superior product than the WWE and WCW (albeit, on a smaller budget) and many wrestling fans, including myself, would agree. If this is sounding all too familiar then you may have read Chris Jericho's Undisputed where he states, in a nutshell, that the talent in TNA can not see past the WWE and recognise their own abilities and opportunities.
TNA are hardly doing themselves any favours; in a two hour episode of iMPACT! we're maybe seeing 4 actual matches, none of which actually seem to end by submission or pinfall, but usually by DQ due to interference. We're then given about an hour of Hogan's embarrassing mic skills, Karen Angle screeching incessantly, and these personal backstage vignettes with Sting/RVD/Mr. Anderson. Meanwhile, there's a locker room full of talent just waiting and waiting and waiting...
What really bothers me though, is that TNA are basically saying to their fans "We'll give you a real show... on pay-per-view." The weekly house shows are simply becoming storyline builders; laying the foundation for the upcoming PPV, which is fine, that's how the wrestling game works. But what they have to remember is that if they're not showcasing their talent on a weekly basis then no one is going to bother tuning in for the Lockdowns or Victory Roads. Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett or whoever is pulling the strings behind the curtain needs to realise that iMPACT! is their bread and butter, and without it their company and their employees are going to lose money, lose talent, and, ultimately, lose their jobs.
Up North, as they say, the WWE has some problems of their own. It's not talent related; if anything, their talent base is looking better than it has done in years. It's not financial either; I think it's safe to say that Vince McMahon never needs to worry about that. It's a marketing problem, I suppose, or a moral one, if you feel strongly enough about it. The decision by Vince McMahon to abolish the term 'wrestling' from the company name, and to forbid his employees from uttering the cursed term at all, is beyond ridiculous, and stating that WWE doesn't stand for anything, is more idiotic than anything; he could have at least suggested an alternative. However, I don't imagine that this will be a problem for long, I expect Vince will soon reinvent the company under a whole new name, logo etc. This wouldn't bother me a fraction as much, were it not for the rich history of the WWE, WWF, WWWF etc.
It's bad enough that they had to re-write history when they lost the legal rights to the WWF name to a bunch of hippies, but now they're basically spitting on their long-standing titles, their Hall of Fame, the very thing that bought Vince McMahon his many homes, cars and private jets. Basically, what he's saying to wrestling now - whether he means to or not - is "thanks, but I've met someone else." To his credit, it doesn't look as though McMahon has let the high quality of his entertainment slide (Wrestlemania aside) but it's still early days, so we'll wait and see.
What did make me think, though, was when I read that CM Punk rejected a new contract from the WWE. Sure, he's not in the top-flight right now and, personally, I think tying him to the Nexus is dragging him down, but he's more successful now - in certain aspects - than he was in the Indy circuits. He's traded the uncertainty of a job and a paycheck for a regular wage and hectic work schedule, which many wrestlers cite as the real killer of professional wrestling. Whatever Punk's reasons may be, I honestly believe that dropping the term 'wrestling' from the company altogether will discourage wrestlers - true wrestlers, like Punk - from joining, in the fears that it may reflect badly on them in the eyes of the smaller promotions and hardcore fans. But, at the end of the day, Vince McMahon's the one counting his millions and I'm sitting at home watching last night's RAW on YouTube. Touchè, Vince.
Let's not fool ourselves, TNA are suffering a fate worse than the WWE's, and I won't argue with a guy who says the whole company is one big sinking ship. However, TNA were once rivaling WWE and were even surpassing them in terms of sheer talent. They had wrestlers who honestly believed they were pushing a greater product than the other franchises, and that echoed the cry of ECW in the Paul Heyman years. Those wrestlers believed that ECW was producing a superior product than the WWE and WCW (albeit, on a smaller budget) and many wrestling fans, including myself, would agree. If this is sounding all too familiar then you may have read Chris Jericho's Undisputed where he states, in a nutshell, that the talent in TNA can not see past the WWE and recognise their own abilities and opportunities.
TNA are hardly doing themselves any favours; in a two hour episode of iMPACT! we're maybe seeing 4 actual matches, none of which actually seem to end by submission or pinfall, but usually by DQ due to interference. We're then given about an hour of Hogan's embarrassing mic skills, Karen Angle screeching incessantly, and these personal backstage vignettes with Sting/RVD/Mr. Anderson. Meanwhile, there's a locker room full of talent just waiting and waiting and waiting...
What really bothers me though, is that TNA are basically saying to their fans "We'll give you a real show... on pay-per-view." The weekly house shows are simply becoming storyline builders; laying the foundation for the upcoming PPV, which is fine, that's how the wrestling game works. But what they have to remember is that if they're not showcasing their talent on a weekly basis then no one is going to bother tuning in for the Lockdowns or Victory Roads. Dixie Carter, Jeff Jarrett or whoever is pulling the strings behind the curtain needs to realise that iMPACT! is their bread and butter, and without it their company and their employees are going to lose money, lose talent, and, ultimately, lose their jobs.
Up North, as they say, the WWE has some problems of their own. It's not talent related; if anything, their talent base is looking better than it has done in years. It's not financial either; I think it's safe to say that Vince McMahon never needs to worry about that. It's a marketing problem, I suppose, or a moral one, if you feel strongly enough about it. The decision by Vince McMahon to abolish the term 'wrestling' from the company name, and to forbid his employees from uttering the cursed term at all, is beyond ridiculous, and stating that WWE doesn't stand for anything, is more idiotic than anything; he could have at least suggested an alternative. However, I don't imagine that this will be a problem for long, I expect Vince will soon reinvent the company under a whole new name, logo etc. This wouldn't bother me a fraction as much, were it not for the rich history of the WWE, WWF, WWWF etc.
It's bad enough that they had to re-write history when they lost the legal rights to the WWF name to a bunch of hippies, but now they're basically spitting on their long-standing titles, their Hall of Fame, the very thing that bought Vince McMahon his many homes, cars and private jets. Basically, what he's saying to wrestling now - whether he means to or not - is "thanks, but I've met someone else." To his credit, it doesn't look as though McMahon has let the high quality of his entertainment slide (Wrestlemania aside) but it's still early days, so we'll wait and see.
What did make me think, though, was when I read that CM Punk rejected a new contract from the WWE. Sure, he's not in the top-flight right now and, personally, I think tying him to the Nexus is dragging him down, but he's more successful now - in certain aspects - than he was in the Indy circuits. He's traded the uncertainty of a job and a paycheck for a regular wage and hectic work schedule, which many wrestlers cite as the real killer of professional wrestling. Whatever Punk's reasons may be, I honestly believe that dropping the term 'wrestling' from the company altogether will discourage wrestlers - true wrestlers, like Punk - from joining, in the fears that it may reflect badly on them in the eyes of the smaller promotions and hardcore fans. But, at the end of the day, Vince McMahon's the one counting his millions and I'm sitting at home watching last night's RAW on YouTube. Touchè, Vince.
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