Expanded Thoughts or: How I Learned To Stop Procrastinating And Love The Blog

I'm working on a couple of ideas for full-length posts, but until I stop and write them, you'll just have to deal with another stupendous edition of Expanded Thoughts, with MadChops! Shall we? (We shall.)

—This diet is doing good things. I'm eating healthier and smarter, I'm losing weight, and I'm feeling good. Wednesday marked 10 lbs. loss since my official start date (13.5-15.5 lbs. since the unofficial). Thanksgiving scares me though. So does the pizza party that's just been planned for the Friday after. This is where I up the exercise and control how much I eat.

—The Green Lantern trailer leaked. I'll link to it/embed it once there's a high quality version available sometime this weekend. I'm glad we're seeing it so early, because if this was closer to release, I'd be worried. CG is a blessing and a curse and you really see that here, particularly at the end. On the other side, Kilowog looked awesome. So did Abin Sur, Sinestro, and Hector Hammond. Still looking forward to this in big ways.

And here it is! I couldn't imbed it, so the link goes to Quicktime's site, which has several HD versions: http://trailers.apple.com/trailers/wb/greenlantern/

—That wasn't the only trailer to come out this week. We finally got a look at Jon Favreau's secretive Cowboys and Aliens. In case those words don't get you excited, let me introduce a few more: James Bond. Han Solo. Olivia Wilde. Cowboys. Aliens. Favreau does amazing things with genres that could just as easily cheese out. But when you take the story seriously, like with Iron Man, you can get great results. Jon, I've added this to my anticipated movies.

—You probably thought that after Cowboys and Aliens, I was done with trailer talk. You were, as it turns out, totally wrong. Because you see, the red band trailer for David Gordon Green's Your Highness came out a day or so ago. In case you have no idea, it's about James Franco and Danny McBride in the middle ages. They may or may not be stoned. Also, supreme-crush Zooey Deschanel as Franco's wife-to-be and Natalie Portman as a badass not afraid to show off her ass. To me, it looks as funny and nonsensical as Pineapple Express, which I loved.



—I'm re-reading Jurassic Park. But this time it's with the critical, editorial eye I developed the last few years at UNCW. Don't get me wrong, I adore the book and love the story, but it would take months to cut out all the superfluous words, monologues, and get the dialogue into something that resembles the way people communicate with each other.  All the references to dinosaurs as lizards, too, and their flicking tongues (they're a type of reptile, but not the type you're familiar with). It's still a blast to read, flaws and all. If only I could watch Return of the Jedi and The Last Crusade with the same mentality.

—Glee is at its finest when it is dealing with the students. When they have the A storyline, the show kicks ass. See last week's episode. When the teachers have the A storyline, I get annoyed. See this week's episode. And I sure as hell can't understand why every single song on this episode had a teacher singing with the students. This is not a show about an eclectic group singing a musical. It's about a high school glee club. The adults should rarely, if ever, be singing with the kids in performances. The adult cast is full of great support characters, but their issues should not be the forefront unless it directly affects the glee club. Yeesh.

—Comic Book Movie News Time! Denis Leary is the latest edition to Marc Webb's Spider-Man movie, in the role of Gwen Stacy's father, Capt. Stacy. Tom Hardy has been cast in Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Rises, but we don't have any idea as to who he'll play. Maybe Dr. Hugo Strange, maybe Croc. Maybe neither. There's also two female roles open: one to play a love interest, and the other a villain. Darron Aronofsky's The Wolverine will begin shooting in April of next year. I stand firm that I will not purchase another ticket for a FOX-produced comic book movie.

—I'm done saying anything after you sneeze. There's plenty of origins for "God bless you" after a sneeze and not a one makes any singular type of sense. Some think it originated during the plague and sneezing was a symptom. Could be people thought your soul was escaping and the devil might've found a way into you. Either way, it's old, archaic, and to me, foolishly outdated as a tradition. Sneezing is something our body does. It's extraordinary in its unextraordinarily commonness. So don't think me rude when I say nothing after you sneeze. Just think me crotchety and grumpy about traditions no one thinks to examine.

—I have to say it again: Community is one of the best comedies on TV right now. There's no excuse not to watch it. Old Chevy Chase as a racist? Yes please. Donald Glover on a regular basis? Heck yes. Alison Brie in the occasional cleavage revealing sweater? Say no more! It's also uproarious and well-written. But that's minor in comparison to Alison Brie's cleavage.

—Freddie Mercury was the last great front man. He may very well be the best. Do you think there's one better? Let me know, because I'd love to hear a case for someone else.

—Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 1 came out. I didn't see it at midnight. This breaks my heart in terrible ways. I'm hoping for a Sunday showing. But it may have to wait until after work Monday. I need some nerds up here.