Thanksgiving's Getting Close

I've been neglecting the upcoming holiday so I'm surfing around looking for some Turkey-Day fun. I found this one on a site I used to frequent but ceased to publish new material a while back, TopFive.com.

The Top 15 Upcoming Thanksgiving-Themed Movies

15. To Kill A Walking Bird

14. My Best Friend's Dressing

13. Thighs Wide Shut

12. The Texas Coleslaw Massacre

11. Casserolablanca

10. The Fabulous Baster Boys

9. 12 Hungry Men

8. Silence of the Yams

7. For Love of The Game Hen

6. I Know What You Ate Last Winter

5. All the President's Menu

4. White Meat Can't Jump

3. When Harry Met Salad

2. The Story of U.S.

and the Number 1 Upcoming Thanksgiving-Themed Movie...

1. The Wing and I

and an old David Letterman Top 10 from 2001:

Top Ten Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Tips

10. To get turkey golden brown, use a high-grade shellac

9. Buy a wreath at K-Mart and tell everyone you made it yourself

8. Bite the head off of a live turkey

7. So nobody gets drowsy after dinner, liven up the stuffing with half a can of Folgers Crystals

6. Don't call the Butterball talk-line tonight, you may get a moron

5. Tired of turkey? Roast a raccoon

4. No time to bake homemade pies? Well then, you're a horrible, horrible person

3. Decorate your turkey with pinecones -- how do I come up with this crap?

2. Get the family as drunk as possible, as early as possible

1. To spice things up in the bedroom, dress up like pilgrims

and here's last year's Macy's Thanksgiving commercial with Billy Crystal and Robert DeNiro that's pretty cute:

Sunday Funnies

Turkey and Beer? You Betcha!

Do you honestly think the pilgrims had wine or milk or soda with their turkey? Chances are pretty strong that they matched it with ales. As for me, I've got my turkey, dressing and all the fixins just waiting on me and I'll be pairing it with a brown ale. Seems that the hoppier beers or the lighter, wheat stuff doesn't pair as well as say an Amber ale or brown ale. There are also some beers with cranberries that might mix in quite well or if you're having some chocolate dessert try a wonderful Lindeman's Framboise (raspberry) with it. Or of course, just replace dessert with a chocolate stout altogether.

So this site can help with recommendations: BeerAndTurkey.com

Here's a great Beer Advocate article with some ideas: Celebrating Beer With Thanksgiving

Here's another from the late, great Beer Hunter himself: Beer Hunter Thanksgiving

This one's from The Beer Site: Beer For Thanksgiving

Lastly, this one if from Blog About Beer: Don't Forget The Beer This Thanksgiving

If you don't feel like reading through those great and fun articles, there here are some suggestions courtesy of the Brewers Association:

* Traditional Turkey – Amber ale or a lager like Oktoberfest, brown ale or a strong golden ale like triple

* Smoked Turkey – a hoppy brown ale, Scotch ale or porter

* Ham – Weizen, wiezenbock, dubbel or dark lager

* Pumpkin pie – Spiced ale, winter warmer or old ale

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin 2 Tomorrow

Another weekend, another round of fights and I love it. Tonight is Strikeforce Challengers on Showtime (highlighted by Kim Couture vs. Kerry Vera) and tomorrow night is the UFC back on PPV with UFC 106: Ortiz vs Griffin.

Here's some videos and info for the UFC 106 show:

UFC 106: Ortiz vs. Griffin II
Date: Nov 21, 2009

MAIN CARD (Pay Per View)

* Forrest Griffin vs. Tito Ortiz
* Anthony Johnson vs. Josh Koscheck
* Phil Baroni vs. Amir Sadollah
* Luiz Cane vs. Antonio Rogerio Nogueira
* Paulo Thiago vs. Jacob Volkmann

PRELIMINARY CARD (Spike TV)

* Marcus Davis vs. Ben Saunders
* Kendall Grove vs. Jake Rosholt

Hello Friday!

Man, what an exhausting run it's been lately. I've recovered from the vacation and ensuing stack of work upon my return, at home and the office, and am a regular member of society again I feel. Good weekend coming up too, with tickets in hand for the Razorback game against Mississippi State tomorrow here in town. If you've never been to an SEC tailgating event, you ain't lived. Throw that in there with some deck partyin' and getting prepared for the Thanksgiving weekend coming up and it'll be another busy one.

I've been trying to catch up on some of this year's movies lately if you haven't noticed the reviews for Up, Paul Blart: Mall Cop and Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead. I honestly think Up is one of the best movies of the year. But there are still some big releases left, like The Lovely Bones, The Road, Avatar and Sherlock Holmes. There are also still some films from this year I've yet to catch so I'll try to stay on it for the remainder of the year. I'll be passing on the new Twilight movie and leave that one to the 15-year-old girls. I'm not a fan of the books and I thought the first film blew.

There's a lot of good music out right now too and I've been swamped trying to take in all the new stuff I've gotten lately. I'm seeing Machine Head with Metallica in a few weeks so I've been trying take in a lot of their older stuff that I wasn't familiar with, plus plenty of Metallica, plus new CDs from Destrophy, Soil, Throwdown and Wolfmother to name but just a few. There are still new CDs from Nonpoint, Mudvayne, Lifehouse and Puddle of Mudd left to come this year as well. Great year for tunes.

I made it out to another beer dinner last night, this one at The Flying Saucer and brought to us by the fine folks at Merchant duVin Distributing (beer importers). It was another really good one. The speaker was their regional manager Robert Watts and the guy not only knew his beer very well but he knew the back stories and had been to Europe and all the locations to go along with the stories. When you've hung out with the monks who make Orval, you've got my undivided attention. Well, I say undivided, but I was sort of concentrating on the excellent meal of salad, soup, smoked salmon and a delicious chocolate dessert as well. All fantastic... but of course I'm there for the beer and they delivered on that promise too. Here's what we had:

* Samuel Smith Premium Lager (floral, all natural)
* Ayinger Brau-Weiss (classic Bavarian wheat)
* Orval Trappist Ale (complex Belgium)
* Samuel Smith Imperial Stout (opaque and excellent stout)
* Lindeman's Framboise Lambic (raspberry seasoned masterpiece)
* Lindeman's Gueuze Cuvee Rene (sort of a green apple sourness... not a fan)

Oh baby that's how you do a beer dinner right there! Seriously. It was very well organized and informative as they had some excellent handouts and we got a Samuel Smith take-home glass even. I'm looking forward to the next one already.

Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.

Boy Finds Own Real-Life E.T.

Movie Review: Wrong Turn 3

Wrong Turn 3: Left For Dead

Synopsis: Another group of people find themselves trapped in the backwoods of West Virginia, fighting for their lives against a group of vicious and horribly disfigured inbred cannibals.

I actually rather liked the first 2 Wrong Turn films. Although they were straight-to-DVD, I thought they were pretty well made, had lots of gore and were a lot of fun. It didn't take long to see that the 3rd film in the series took a "wrong turn." See what I did there!?!? Ha! Quite a few things that bring this one down, compared to it's previous inbred brethren.

First among them, it just looks so much cheaper. All the special effects pretty much suck. Even the gore scenes look like a SyFy original movie or something, with silly CGI blood mists and such. Bad. There's a scene where they're driving and the road outside the window even looks fake.

Next, the acting blows. There are a few exceptions but for the most part everybody is pretty bad. I like Louise Cliffe and Janet Montgomery, but that's about it and they don't get enough screen time. All the characters are a bit cardboard and over-the-top, but still the acting doesn't help anything. None of the characters they play are very likable anyway.

And there's not enough baddies in the woods. It's pretty much just one mutated freak this time out. Against a group of cons with guns? Sort of silly.

Lastly, there's not much of a story at all. I mean I realize it's just a silly horror film, but this bus get's overturned out in the hills and a dude tries to kill them. There ya go. Take The Hills Have Eyes and add Deliverance and start shooting your film.

OK, there is one more thing. The little ending after the ending has 2 major characters completely going against everything they've established about their characters for the last 90s minutes, and that sort of pissed me off. Exclamation point for a bad script I guess.

Oh well, it's got it's moments I guess and I laughed and cheered a couple of times but after the first 2 entries of this series I hoped for a lot more I guess. Don't make that mistake.

3.5/10

Switchfoot on Kimmel

Here's Switchfoot performing their song "Mess of Me" on Jimmy Kimmel Live last week. It's their latest single off of their new CD Hello Hurricane, which was just released. These guys have said they're actually working on or have worked on 4 albums worth of material and are releasing them one right after another. The next CD, Vice Verses, will be out next year.

And is it just me or does their drummer look like Keith Urban?

Movie Review: Paul Blart: Mall Cop

Synopsis: When a shopping mall is overtaken by a gang of organized crooks, it's up to the a mild-mannered, chubby security guard (Kevin James) to save the day and finally prove to everyone he's not just a loser.

I always liked the show King of Queens and think Kevin James plays a great, likable doofus, but I was a little disappointed that this film didn't deliver more laughs. It brings the funny occasionally, but a lot of it attempts for slapstick type humor and it's tough to sustain the laughs with that all the way through. Also, it's extremely predictable.

That's the bad, but is there any good? Well like I said it does have some funny moments, and kids will probably laugh a lot more at the silliness of it all than adults. And speaking of kids, they can actually watch this comedy because it's all good-natured type humor and never relies on filthiness like a lot more newer comedies do. James is good as usual, although I think he could have used some help and they didn't really surround him with anyone to play off of.

Sure it's dumb but it knows that and never really tries to be more than that. I never found it boring and although I'll probably forget it rather quickly, it sustained my interest for 90 minutes just fine. Don't expect too much and this goofy, action-comedy might be alright for you. I didn't roll in the floor laughing but I did stay awake the whole time.

* Bonus... for fellow KISS fans, Blart rocks out to Detroit Rock City while playing a Guitar Hero game of sorts. I added 1/2 a point to my rating for this.

5.5/10

WEC 44: Brown vs Aldo Is Tonight!

I'm always geeked for MMA fights that aren't on pay-per-view, but tonight's WEC card has me a bit extra geeked. Or super geeked? Ultra geeked? Whatever. I'm ready.

I've really grown to like Mike Brown in his 4 WEC fights. I mean the dude knocked out Urijah Faber in the 1st round to take the belt, then subbed Leonard Garcia in the 1st round in his first title defense before beating Urijah via decision in their rematch. How's that for making a mark? The only thing people still seem to point to is that Urijah was injured early in the rematch and Mike didn't finish him. Jeez, what does this guy have to do to prove himself? Well, if he beats badass Jose Aldo that should do just fine I do believe, but that's easier said than done.

All Jose Aldo has done in his 5 WEC fights is TKO 5 different dudes. The total time of his last 2 fights is just 1:47, and that's versus Cub Swanson and Chris Mickle... no pushovers by any means. I can barely get my beer open in 1:47! Well, depending on what number I'm on.

So do yourself a favor and tune in for this war. And don't blink, it might not last long. There are some great fights on the undercard as well so tune in early. Here's a primer with some videos to get your blood pumping.

WEC 44: Brown vs Aldo
Location: Las Vegas @ Palms Casino Resort
Broadcast: Versus

Main Card:

* Champ Mike Brown vs. Jose Aldo (for WEC featherweight title)
* Manny Gamburyan vs. Leonard Garcia
* Karen Darabedyan vs. Rob McCullough
* Danny Castillo vs. Shane Roller

Manny Gamburyan vs Leonard Garcia Pre Fight Interview


Rob McCullough vs. Karen Darabedyan Pre Fight Interview


Bring it on!

Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions

Obama's Home Teleprompter Malfunctions During Family Dinner

Take A Little Ride

Here's Puddle of Mudd's bizarre new video for their song "Spaceship." It's the lead single from their upcoming new album "Vol. 4: Songs In The Key Of Love & Hate," due out December 8th.

Movie Review: Up

Synopsis: By tying thousands of balloon to his home, 78-year-old Carl Fredricksen sets out to fulfill his lifelong dream to see the wilds of South America. Right after lifting off, however, he learns he isn't alone on his journey, since Russell, a wilderness explorer 70 years his junior, has inadvertently become a stowaway on the trip. Danger and adventure await.

Occasionally, these animated Pixar films will get bashed for not having a good story or any depth beyond pop-culture humor and potty jokes. Up is one of their exceptions. There is still plenty for the kids to enjoy and laugh at, but it's also got a heart and a message. It's a great adventure tale, well told and beautifully animated.

Sure, it's a story about a guy tying enough helium balloons to his house to fly off to South America... but then again it's not that at all. It's about love, loss and sense of purpose. It's about chasing a dream. Be warned, the first 20 minutes or so are very touching and very sad at the same time. Little kids might need some explainin' when it's done. Remember when Bambi's momma died? Yeah, that.

But one of the great things about this film is that it doesn't get all bogged down with the sadness. Seconds later it's back to the laughs, then there's action, and then it's very touching again. It's a fun, exhausting ride. There are great characters as you would expect from a Pixar film, like Dug the dog that nobody could help but love, Kevin a wacky mama bird and a whole slew of misguided "talking" dogs. There's a lot of excitement and almost as much imagination as it has heart. This is how you tell stories... to all ages. One of my favorite movies of the year.

Squirrel!

9.5/10

Of Idols, Zombies and Vultures

If you like idols (Billy or American), killing zombies and vultures (the crooked kind) then this is your day for new releases. It's a small list, but it's got a nice variety. Check it out:

Kris Allen ~ s/t CD (American Idol season 8 winner)

Billy Idol ~ "In Super Overdrive: Billy Idol Live" DVD

Them Crooked Vultures ~ s/t CD (Josh Homme, Dave Grohl, John Paul Jones)

50 Cent ~ "Before I Self-Destruct" CD

Star Trek DVD (reviewed here)

Assassin's Creed II Video Game (X360)

Left 4 Dead 2 Video Game (X360)

This game completely makes me with I had an Xbox, the first one to do so. Check out the awesome trailer for this, with Clutch's song Electric Worry rockin' in the background:

Rolling On The Music City Highway

My Fall Tour 2009 kept on rolling this past week as I and a friend made a little jaunt across part of the state of Tennessee for some fun, sun, food, music and beer. It was an excellent time as usual. Next stop on the tour... Vegas. But let's have a looksee at this past week first shall we?

We got to Tunica, Mississippi on Tuesday night, and for those of you who don't know, it's a town just south of Memphis where there are about 10 rather large casinos now pretty much just sitting on some farmland. It's sort of like a redneck version of Vegas. And trust me on this, if you go on a Tuesday night, it's a very redneck version of Vegas. We went to Sam's Town on this evening because they had some cheap rooms and we were just stopping in for the night. Neither of us are big gamblers but we had fun playing a few slots (I always have to play Wheel of Fortune), video poker and drinking beer. The good news about not being big gamblers is I never lose a lot of money, but only seldom do I win much either. It was fun way to start. You do get free beer also so it can even out if you drink enough. The bad news is that it's mostly crappy beer. I still tried to get my money's worth.

We were up fairly early and after cutting back through Memphis, we were on Music City Highway and headed towards Nashville. It's been a few years since I was in Nashville but it's a fun city with a lot of great music history and plenty of honky tonks and karaoke bars. Seems like every street corner has a wannabe country star, and there's a lot of talent there to be sure. We sat in a bar called Big Shotz watching some acoustic performers and everybody that played was at a high level of talent. I could probably wander around in the touristy section of town with all the pubs and watch people play for a week without getting bored with it. We hit the famous Wildhorse Saloon, Big River Brewery, Doc Holliday's, Buckwild Saloon, McFaddens Irish Pub and spent quite a bit of time in a joint called Beer Sellar, which has a killer selection of beer. Anyplace where I can get a Stone Arrogant Bastard on tap is a good place. Unfortunately, I perhaps had a few too many of this high gravity brew on the first night there.

On Wednesday night, we went to The Cannery to see Queensryche and Lita Ford. Queensryche started with a lot of tracks off the Rage For Order album and they sounded and looked really good. Geoff Tate can still wail and the band was very tight. Lita Ford came out and the QR guys backed here while she disappointingly played only 2 songs from her latest CD and then Geoff joined her for "Close My Eyes Forever," which was killer. Not sure why she's even on the bill with them if she's only playing 3 songs, but hell if that's all she's going to do how about "Kiss Me Deadly" or "Hungry" or "Gotta Let Go" or "Dressed To Kill"? Big letdown for me. But Queensryche didn't let me down and played a good bit of their catalog with all the hits. That's the first time I've seen them in over a decade and I'd see them again this weekend if they were around. Highly recommended.



On Thursday night we made our way to the legendary Ryman Auditorium and watched the Eli Young Band, Jack Ingram and Gary Allan. I was excited to see the Ryman finally. It's a beautiful old building and just oozing country music history. Being old though it's also got some obstructed views (our seats) and not enough restrooms our concession stands. Oh well, take the good with the bad. Eli Young and company was really good, Jack Ingram was awesome as usual (I've seen him perform many times) and Gary Allan was a guy who I only knew 4 or 5 songs by, but he was a fantastic performer. The place was packed and the crowd was really down with the show so it was a cool experience. Jack summed it up best when at the end of his set he jumped up on a speaker box and said to his band "We just played the Ryman ya'll!" and they started high fiving and hugging.

I highly recommend a great beer store just south of Nashville where I went and stocked up on great stuff, Stone River Total Beverages in Murfreesboro. They had a whole boatload of beer I can't get around here and I had to force myself to leave the store with just $100 worth in my cart. It could have gotten ugly in there. Too bad I didn't win big at Tunica.

Friday we made the trip down Music City Highway again back to Memphis and went straight to Graceland. I hadn't been there in a decade probably and it was great to see it all again. I'm not a huge fan of Elvis, but I do have my share of his movies and music and am very familiar with him. This just in... Graceland is still as tacky as it ever was. Hey I know it's preserved like it was back in the day but damned if the jungle room and all the shag carpet on the walls and floor etc are just too much. I love that place though. All the gold and platinum records, paraphernalia and everything from the phenomenal career that nobody will every duplicate is something everyone who loves music should see. From the excessive airplanes to all the automobiles from the movies to the gift shops... it's more Elvis than should allowed, and it's awesome. I really enjoyed getting back there and I guess I'll visit again in another decade.





We went from there to downtown Memphis and had a few beer at The Flying Saucer, Beale Street Tap Room and Bardog before having an excellent dinner at McEwens on Monroe. If you're looking for a great place to eat in downtown Memphis add this place to the list. We went back towards Beale Street and stopped in a for a brew at a sports bar but decided to shut it down from a long, but awesome, week of fun.

Next stop... Las Vegas.

Default is a Little Too Late

Here's Default's music video for "Little Too Late" from their latest album Comes And Goes. Pretty standard Default song... good vocals, a bit sappy but catchy... I like it.