Lantern7

Watched the DVR. Same stuff as usual, including the president mucking things up again. Some more. Also, when watching Roy take R. Kelly and coverage about him to task, did anyone else get flashbacks to Chappelle’s Show and/or The Boondocks? Panda cams? Well, I follow a site dedicated to highlights from preserves in China. Fun stuff. Basically, those guys are nigh-invulnerable. They can fall down and they spring back up. And then there was the time a bunch of them mauled their nanny. I think she didn’t get help right away because the other workers were laughing so hard. Oh, and the DVR cut off even after I tacked on five minutes. So annoying. Saw it on the site . . . it’s the president talking about being in the White House on Christmas. Seriously, he’s okay with government workers being “suggested” to ask to barter their services? Hey, why not? 🙄 Good to have Trevor back. I think Sam Bee returns this Wednesday. Not sure when John Oliver comes back. ETA: Here’s “Piss On You” from Chappelle’s Show. Good times. Obviously NSFW. I’ll have to see if the remix video is online.

Here's what I got so far for topics. What do you guys think?

@Terrafamilia . ..does this help? Okay, so Mob sees his brother and the result of his rampage. Ritsu waves off Dimple, and it looks like it's going to be an all-out fight between brothers . . . except Mob uses understanding, then apologizes to the thugs Ritsu wrecked. They wake up, see Mob groveling, and basically make him grovel longer and harder. The the hooded ESPer comes in, looking for Ritsu. Actually, he's looking for Mob. That guy whups on the assholes (man, does Japan have free health insurance?) and tries to take Ritsu. Mob fights, things escalate, and Mob goes to 100%. The shit, it is on. Basically, Mob and the ESPer brawl, with lots of collateral damage and the gang members in awe. Just when Mob goes for the final blow, the ESPer maces him with a gas, putting our all-powerful protagonist out of commission. Yadda yadda yadda, the ESPer takes Ritsu. In the en, we find out he's with an organization called Claw. Yes, that is an ominous name, and they are officially the bad guys, looking to exploit ESPers. In addition to Ritsu, they also nabbed the jamokes from the guy that tried to recruit Ritsu. Oh and the gang members see Mob's jacket disintegrate, revealing a white t-shirt . . . and they conclude he's the Shadow Leader of his school. (Aside: is it a fact that Japanese kids are more organized about group structures, with secret leaders and anything? All I can hear is Satsuki Kiryuin from Kill la Kill shouting, "STUDENTS OF HONOJI ACADEMY!!!!!!!!!!" Good times) Meanwhile, Mob wakes up and see .. . erm . . . Blond Conehead Guy. You know, the guy whose hair got fucked up by Mob. Anyway, he found Mob after Dimple came to him. Being the loving big brother he is, Mob goes for the rescue mission, even after the beating he took. Oh, and Reigen uses spa treatments to rid a woman of ghosts. As big a fraud as he appears to be, I will give him credit for going all-in with it. I hope that was an accurate take of what I just saw.

Right now, the only thing I go to is a writers' meetup . . . which meets up sporadically at best. I know that retreating into the "safety" of the Internet doesn't help, but there's where most get-togethers are for me. I wanted to volunteer for a political campaign last year, but they wanted people to canvas, knock on doors, and make calls . . . and I didn't feel comfortable doing any of those things. Also, if I go to a group with meeting somebody on my mind, doesn't that defeat the purpose of going in the first place? And I'm not even talking primary motive. More like #3 or below, as in "It'll be great to contribute to this cause . . . and if I meet someone special? Bonus."

Reminder: nothing new tonight, unless you count the Tigtone pilot. Next week, the series starts with the first two episodes. Reruns of The Shivering Truth will air to fill the void left by The Venture Bros.; the finale of the latest season of that repeats tonight. Also, there looks to be two blocks on Sunday nights: Harvey Birdman: Attorney At Law at 8:30, Mike Tyson Mysteries at 9. They started tonight at the very beginning. BTW, did anyone else see Harvey Birdman: Attorney General? I don't think I asked that.

On the one hand, I wish that looking for the right woman wouldn't feel like applying for jobs online. On the other hand, the alternative is meeting people in person, and I don't feel confident doing that. Also, there's the feeling that most women probably wouldn't see me as anything more than a friend.

@Sandman87 . . . I'll have to do the math later. It's not that I'm that big a jerk about it, but I am curious. In regard to the previous episode and the zoom on Mr. Popo's eyes . . . do you think the DBS production people watch Dragon Ball Z Abridged at all? Because one of their trademarks was making Popo the sinister force that really runs things, and that was emphasized often by the closeup on those eyes. Also, it gives me a reason to show this.

He did. Remember? He got hopped up on the Maijin power (or whatever it was called), and that ended with him going kamikaze with Buu. And it worked . . .for about a minute. Then Buu reformed himself, while Vegeta's body turned to stone and shattered. Yes, Goku was basically an idiot in general in covering up the whole "Our universe gets destroyed if we lose" deal. And then he gets the idea . . . to recruit Frieza. If the next episode doesn't end with Beerus beating the snot out of Goku, it's going to be disappointing. Tat last shot with Frieza still hanging from his prison in hell (or HFIL) was pretty funny. Looks like the cutesy marching band took a break from tormenting him.

A ghost story tied to the "killer licking the hand like a dog" urban legend? As Hirohiko Araki might put it: "Why the fuck not?!? Oh, and OH MY GAAAAAAAAAAWWWWWWDDDDD!!!!!!" Basically, Rohan ropes Koichi into playing tour guide to his old home town, not really getting that if you deconstruct someone and violate them, they're not going to be too eager to help out. But since Koichi is Koichi, we wind up with the guys meeting a girl who was killed sixteen years ago. Her dog's with her as well. Yes, he's also dead. Yes, I still think Araki has issues with canines in general. Anyway, Koichi and Rohan (is there any other character Vic Mignoga voices that sounds like that?) end up going through the whole Morpheus/"Don't Look Back At What's Following You" ordeal, with Rohan saving Koichi by taking his eyesight after he gets fooled. Oh, and it turns out young Reimi Sugimoto had died saving a four-year-old Rohan, so he's probably going into the quest to find the killer. Oh, and we meet what might be the Big Bad of Diamond is Unbreakable . . . a blonde guy named Kira who talks to a woman as they drive to a rendezvous. Expect, oops, it's her detached forearm and hand, the same kind of thing we've seen a few times already. In other news, Heaven's Door comes out as an odd-looking short man, similar to Rohan's manga protagonist. Nice-looking Stand. What do you think? ETA: I stumbled into this on Facebook. Thoughts?

Anybody out there? Maybe going to conventions?

@SeanC . . . I meant being larger than life. I think the first variation on the "traditional" Aquaman was the mid-Nineties "harpoon in the stump" version that was in a few iterations of Justice League (the animated series, obviously). The BatB was just a gigantic ham. I wouldn't use that term for Momoa, but he did bring a bit of cheese to the role.

Any word if there will be a new season coming up?

AVClub did a brief write-up on this low-budget take on Cowboy Bebop. If this makes it to TV, it'll probably pale to the anime. That's not too harsh, right?

Reminder: schedule change goes into effect tonight.

Who's ready for Puppy Bowl XV?!? Oh, and I heard something about football teams playing each other that night. I think Maroon 5 is playing the halftime show or something. Here is the starting lineup, and we also have a clip on YouTube. And just for laughs, here's a poster I made after the writers' strike in 2008, based off that year's Puppy Bowl. Remember that? Poor guys were in that corner for most of the "game."

This week, no. Next week? I believe so. And Trevor will have lots of material to work with.

Penny Arcade leans into the “How can Aquaman be popular?” curve. ETA: Readers suggest comic characters teaming with Aquaman for artists to draw. I think my fave is the one with what might be the entire collection of Aquaman incarnations. Shit, I forgot he had a TV pilot with Mercy Reef. I can't forget the Smallville version. "Wet and ready, bro!!!" Just made for that show, you guys. ETA2: Do you think the Momoa version was inspired in any way by John DiMaggio's take on the character in Batman: The Brave and the Bold? In terms of being larger than life?

Yeah . . . most of the line of Batman books focused on "No Man's Land" back in 1999, when the idea of the end of the world (re: Y2K) wasn't farfetched. The main stories have been collected in trade paperbacks.

(Purifiers Stronghold) John: Let me get it through your skull. There is a group of mutants called the Inner Circle. They have deep pockets, and that's why you've never heard of them . . . as opposed to the Underground, where our current sources of communication are tin cans attached by string. Jace: And you expect me to believe Lorna Dane and Andrew Strucker left your group to join this . . . "Inner Circle"? John: Look, if you give me an hour, I can go over how that happened. I can write it out. Or I could just tell you once my head stops ringing. Jace: Okay. I'm gonna go out there and think about what you said. Maybe have some calming tea with the Purifiers. (an hour later) Jace: (fucking furious) THERE IS NO INNER CIRCLE!!!! John: . . . aaaaaaaaaaaand you're being an asshole again. What happened? Jace: Your friends are blowing shit up out there . . . and Lorna Dane and Andrew Strucker are with them. You lied to me!!! John: Okay . . . maybe Lorna and Andy went rogue to help rescue me. Maybe the gang decided to squash beefs because of me. Did you ever thi- Jace: (cocks shotgun) John: And now I'm going to listen to you bitch while you fill me with buckshot. Am I right? Did I develop a secondary mutation of predicting the future? Jace: (firing into John's manly chest) I LOST EVERYTHING BECAUSE OF MUTANTS!!!!! My girl, my job, my wife . . . John: You know, I hope your daughter comes back from the dead in the season finale to ell you what a one-dimensional asshole you've become. Jace: (fires) John: (slumping) It's between . . . between yooooooou and Andy . . . about who's more pathetic . . . . . . and we're back to Fox's less entertaining comic-based show. Once again, you get a sense that the people running things care, but I don't think it's enough. Or maybe they need to go with the "Why The Fuck Not?" approach that's worked so well for Gotham and Legends of Tomorrow. But if things end at the second season with zero hopes for renewal or resolutions (re: Timeless), would we really miss it? Anyone hoping Reed chokes out and disintegrates Andy? He is such a little punk bitch.

I found out the season premiere was tonight around 7:35. I'm sad this is the final season. Minimum, it'll keep us sated until Legends of Tomorrow comes back. In the meantime, we can speculate on stuff . . . like when somebody will kill Edward the Bulldog and eat him. Hey, there probably aren't any cows in Gotham City, and this is Gotham, where everything goes to shit. It happens in the most awesome way, though. Did Tabitha have a near-death experience in the past? I thought the rule was you can die once and come back. Basic Spider-Man/Family Guy "Everyone gets one" rules. I don't think her death was needed. Seriously, Barbara was over-the-top as it was, especially with the hair. Now she's sans her bestie, she probably forgot about Selina, and the only company she has are the Dark Amazon crew of lady warriors. That ain't gonna end well. Did anyone see the chopper and not think it was going to get blown up? Couldn't Bruce set up a remote-control system? Nope, some poor schlub dies, and four factions fight for the cargo. Also, it appears that minor factions like the Low Boyz are operating under The Warriors rules, in terms of outfit themes. That makes this season more watchable. Do you wish to bet we'll have some variation of Baseball Furies? I missed Oswald. He's OTT, but he's oddly easy to sympathize with. I don't know about his right hand guy, though. I would have though he would have swam to the mainland. He must love eating (figurative) shit all day every day. And now Oswald has a Bulldog! Who's probably going to end up as food! Everyone else was on point . . . Jim, Bruce, Alfred, Harvey, and a Riddler that is cracking up. @Chaos Theory reminded me that Leslie is still out there. Goodness knows what she's doing in No Man's Land. ETA: Rewatching the copter scene. Totally forgot Oswald's crew has at least one crew with his portrait on it. I live on Staten Island, and I haven't taken the train to the ferry in a while. Outside one stop, you can see a garage of vehicles from the show. I should go there soon. Am I sad for thinking that?

I wouldn’t even know where to begin with that. Is that a college elective these days? Health Ed in high school? Do I need a Cosmo Kramer to take the pics? 🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤷‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🙄🙄🙄

Good episode, but once again, I'm neither overwhelmed or underwhelmed. I'm just . . . whelmed. Bonus Suck: we have to wait 365 days to see if Chibnall can learn from his first season. Or maybe he'll bail out. I'm not actively wishing for that. All I want is for something a little better than 2018. Seriously, this past season has shown an interesting paradox. Chibnall clearly wanted to steer away from the "End Of Everything You Can Imagine" stories, but most of what we got felt . . . small. "Resolution" is a good example . . . it's a good one-off featuring a Dalek, it's not a direct copy of "Dalek" from 2005, but one wonders if there should have been more stakes than Ryan's dad hanging from the TARDIS into the void (or whatever) with a really cranky alien on his back. Have I ever brought up absolute values in this form? Basically, this season's episode probably have a lower absolute value than any of the "modern" seasons . . . and that means there's less envelope-pushing in either a positive or negative direction. We don't have "Dalek," "Doomsday," "The Stolen Earth" or any other great stories . . . but we didn't get "Daleks in Manhattan" or "Inside the Dalek," either. I reckon most of the conflict doesn't occur in the stories these days, but within the fandom itself, which is a shame. "Resolution" was good. Once again, not a direct copy of "Dalek," and no asshole begging for his petard to be hoisted. A drone comes back to life, takes over a woman's body (and thankfully didn't research hentai stories), and seeks to signal its pals. Yes, it probably didn't know about the numerous Dalek invasions in the past (that being the key word if you ignore stuff set in the future), but it still made for some tension. And we got a lot of fatalities of people who clearly underestimated it. And Jodie got to be a badass. You know, when I think about it, maybe the show is parallel to Christmas itself, in the sense that we don't get the rush we did when we first watched. *sigh* I'm straw-grasping here. And I'm trying to figure out how UNIT went under in the span of a few years. Pretty mean of the writers to mention Kate and leave us hanging. Well, not as bad if Osgood had been brought up. If we get a meeting of her and Thirteen, it has to be epic.

Let's kick off 2019 right!!! Jojo's Bizarre Adventure: Diamond is Unbreakable (based off this video. Traumatic animated stuff) Jojo's Bizarre Adventure (Phantom Blood and Stardust Crusaders) (based off this video) Dumbo (which I probably won't be watching in a theater)

Let me guess . . . you're nowhere near the New York City area. Me, I figure size would come up in the third date. Maybe the second. Seriously, I'm probably like a Tolkien novel: hundreds of pages before things get interesting. It does get discouraging, when a woman likes my profile, and she doesn't really have any words about herself.

In case you didn't hear, IBO is back on the Toonami schedule. It will be ending that block on Saturday nights at 4:30 a.m.