...stuff...

Couple things:

1. Sam, I think your blog is broken. I can't access it. Please correct me if I'm wrong.
2. Why does no one comment on my blog?
3. I'm planning on posting my new story, tenatively titled More Than A Job. Check my last post for details. Suggestions for a new title are welcome.

Well, that's that. Short, sweet, and to the point(s?). Might post chapter 1 later tonight.

UPDATE: Sam's blog appears to be working again (if it was ever broken; my computer's a piece of ****). Disregard point #1.

Ready to try again...

In hindsight, Legacy of the Swan probably wasn't the best story to post on my blog. At the very least, it was a poor choice for a first story. I hadn't really thought out the entire storyline in advance, and I'll readily admit all the flashback sequences were confusing.

However, after much thought, I'm thinking about giving a blog-borne story another shot. This one's an idea that I've been toying with for a while now, and nerdjedi's English projects have inspired me to possibly post this story on the blog.

The story is a modern-day Cinderella, but with a major twist: "Prince Charming" is really a hitman hired by the Evil Stepmother to kill Cinderella!

Interested at all? Let me know.

Also, my offer still stands: you link your blog to mine, I'll link back.

Skip the Junkyard...

...and check this out!




From the British TV show Top Gear. This guy is having way too much fun!

An offer you can't refuse...

Okay, all ye readers who have blogs, listen up! I'd like to get more exposure for *Insert Title Here* so I'm going to make an offer;

If you put a link on your blog to my blog, I'll link back to you. Sound fair? Once you link, send me your blog's URL and I'll set up the return link as soon as I can.

Okey-dokey, then. (If I ever say that again, please throw something at me...)

UPDATE I fixed the link to Jen's blog. It works now.

Just Another Day at the Office

Inspired by Sam's post entitled Art Form. NOT A COPY!!!!

LONG POST WARNING!

----------

I sneak through the warehouse, careful not to make a sound. Somewhere in here, among the alternating neat rows of shelves and random piles of stuff, are a few people that my employer thinks need to be taken care of. My silenced Glock 10mm has been in my hand since I walked through the unlocked back door.

A noise off to my left instantly grabs my attention. A man's laughter. I raise my Glock and move slowly towards the end of the row of shelves and peer around the corner. There they are: a large, muscular, bald man; an older, thinner man with dark brown hair wearing an Armani jacket; another man, this one a blond, not much more than a teenager; and a young, very attractive woman-she reminds me a little of Lara Croft-wearing a black tank top. I've got the element of surprise, so I figure can take them all out before they know what hit them. Then baldy glances over towards me. We make eye contact, and from twenty feet away I can see his pupils dilate.

Oh crap.

Baldy lunges to his feet, knocking the table over onto a very surprised Blondie. His hand reaches into his jacket and reappears holding a massive revolver, which I recognize instantly as a Magnum Research BFR Long Cylinder. (MR claims the acronym stands for "Biggest, Finest Revolver," but everyone I know calls it by a slightly different name...) I dive behind the shelves as the massive revolver discharges, spitting an extremely large-caliber bullet (I don't even want to think how big it might be) towards my body. Fortunately for me, he misses wide. His second shot destroys the stereo receiver on the shelf above my head, showering me with electronic components. I decide I've had enough of Baldy's portable Howitzer and roll from behind my cover, double-tapping my Glock's trigger as I clear the shelves. Baldy doesn't even have time to react before his head is blown apart in a fountain of gore. Lara Croft screams at the gruesome sight. Yeah, 10mm hollowpoints do that.

By now, Blondie's gotten himself out from under the table and Armani's spotted me. Double trouble. I do a flying leap across the aisle, bullets from Blondie's submachine gun barely missing me. I land behind a pile of what look like old car mufflers, shift into a crouch, and return fire. Unfortunately, Blondie dodges my half-dozen shots and moves out of my line of sight. I shift targets, looking for Armani. That's when bullets start bouncing off the mufflers. I turn to see Armani charging me, a blazing pistol in each hand. I wheel around behind the pile until he stops firing, then duck out from behind cover. My four shots catch him square in the chest, ruining his thousand-dollar jacket. He falls forward, his pistols fly from his hands and land at my feet. Two gold-plated Browning 9mm Hi-Powers with ivory grips inlaid with gold, diamonds, and what looks like platinum. Who did this guy think he was, Castor Troy? I start to my feet, pause, and tuck the Brownings into my belt. What the heck, they look sweet.

Blondie and Lara have disappeared into the warehouse by now. Or at least they think they've disappeared; I hear what sounds like a chain rattling somewhere off to my right, so I head cautiously in that direction. My footsteps sound like thunder in the silence. I suddenly see a flash of movement out of the corner of my eye. I turn just as Blondie brings his Uzi around towards me. I fire three times until my Glock's slide locks back on an empty clip. Fortunately for me, the shots spooked Blondie into running for cover. I crouch behind a group of barrels and load a full magazine into the Glock. I can hear Blondie's feet pounding against the warehouse's concrete floor; he's running clear across the building. Good, he's not a threat right now. I stand, my eyes sweeping the warehouse for any sign of Lara.

Klak-KLAK!

Not good.

I turn around, and there's Lara, an M-60 braced against her hip. Her finger slides inside the trigger guard.

Definitely not good!

I dive backwards as tracer rounds tear through the space my body was occupying a nanosecond earlier. My head and shoulders impact the bottom of a pile of something hard with a thwak! I deperately roll left as Lara demolishes whatever it was I hit with her machine gun. I slide behind a row of shelves covered in large plastic cases, and a second later Lara's heavy .30 caliber bullets try to follow me. One of the cases falls on top of me, its latches popping open as it hits. I shove the case off of me, inadvertently opening the lid, and salvation falls into my lap. Actually, it's an HK416.

Going up against an M-60 with a pistol, even a 10mm pistol (which is more powerful than a .357 Magnum) presents me with a large problem, but the HK416 is a gas-operated, rotating bolt, selective-fire 5.56mm assault rifle capable of firing up to 900 rounds per minute. And mine's got a loaded grenade launcher clipped under the barrel. Problem solved.

I slam a magazine into the receiver, yank back the charging handle, and flick the safety over to full auto. Lara-I've begun thinking of her as "Lady Rambo"- stops firing for a second, and I make my move. I leap around the corner, bring the rifle up, and there's Lara waiting for me. We squeeze our triggers simultaneously, and I can feel her bullets whizzing past my body. Unfortunately for her, I don't miss, and Lara goes down hard; the better part of a 30-round clip having been emptied into her chest.

I drop the magazine out of the HK and reach down for another one when I hear a shout behind me. I turn around and see Blondie standing maybe 80 feet away, his Uzi leveled at me. He yells to put my gun down, and I move to comply, when I see the barrels marked flammable right behind Blondie. Oh, this is too good to be true! I quick drop into a forward somersault, grab my spent clip, and slam it back into the receiver. Blondie's already opened up with his Uzi, but he's shooting over my head. I use the spent mag as a handgrip, flip the launcher's safety off, and fire. The grenade actually passes between Blondie's legs before it hits a barrel and detonates. Blondie's body is instantly consumed by the resulting fireball. The shockwave knocks me off my feet a second later.

As I pick myself off the floor, I can hear distant sirens over the roar of the now-raging fire. Time to go. I put the HK416 back in it's case, lock the lid down, and sling the case over my shoulder. I sigh as I pass Armani's body on the way out the door. That definitely hadn't gone as planned. Oh, well. Just another day at the office.

Discovering YouTube, Why I Avoid Seafood, AND a A New Bond

Before I get started, I must inform you all that, due to reader apathy, I am putting LotS on semi-indefinite suspension. I'll continue writing it from time to time but I won't be posting new chapters on the blog, at least for a while.

Okay, now that that's been taken care of, to business:

I recently discovered the website known to the masses as YouTube. For those of you who have been living under a rock for the past few months (like myself), YouTube is a website where people post videos of, well, just about anything!

While I was on YouTube the other day, I found a video of my favorite Swedish Chef skit. (Yes, I admit it, I like the Muppets!) I apologize for the poor video quality, but it's still funny. (I think it is anyway) Enjoy:




This is why I don't eat lobsters! They're vicious!

Anyways, I also found the trailer for the new James Bond Movie, Casino Royale, which hits theatres on November 17. Okay, I know a lot of people think the new actor playing James Bond, Daniel Craig, is going to be awful, but personally, I think he's gonna ROCK! Why, you ask? Because he does two things in the first 25 seconds of the trailer-the trailer!-that neither Roger Moore nor Goerge Lazenby (he was in one bond movie in the 60s) never came close to doing! The first is beating the living **** out of a bad guy. As for the second, well, you're gonna have to watch the trailer:




DANG THAT MOVIE LOOKS AWESOME! Can't wait for November 17!

That's all I've got for now. Later!

Should I Continue?

I can't think of any other way to say this, so I'll be blunt; I'm thinking about abandoning Legacy of the Swan.

I have a couple of reasons for considering this move;

1. I don't have any more completed chapters to post.
2. I think I've written myself into a corner halfway through Chapter 4.
3. I've developed a severe case of writer's block.
4. I've received relatively little feedback, and what I have received hasn't been all that positive.
5. I have other things I want to post on the blog, but I don't want to interrupt the story.
6. Blogger becomes very uncooperative when I try to format each chapter. (What I'm currently doing is writing each chapter in MS Word and copying it into Blogger, which I don't think Blogger likes.)

Okay, my question to you all is this; should I continue writing Legacy of the Swan, and if I do keep writing, is it okay if I post other things in between chapters?

BE HONEST WITH ME! Once I stop writing, It'll be for good, so ff you tell me to quit as a joke and I take you seriously, don't come crying to me saying you were kidding

LotS Chapter 3: Discovery OR Wakefield Park, Vietnam

Okay, before we get started, I've noticed that few people commented on Chapter 2, which leads me to believe that few people read Chapter 2. PLEASE READ CHAPTER 2 BEFORE YOU READ CHAPTER 3!!!

This is my last "pre-written" chapter, so I won't update again until I finish writing Chapter 4.

As before, constructive criticism is welcome, as are suggestions for future chapters and suggestions for a better title.

HEADS UP! THIS IS A LOOOOOONNNNG CHAPTER!

*NOTE* Blogger is giving me a lot of problems with formatting this chapter. I appoligize if it's confusing.

***

The standoff had ended peacefully after six hours. A desperate man had kidnapped his three children after loosing custody and barricaded himself in his apartment. Fortunately, the negotiators had been able to coax the man into giving up. Though none showed it, everyone on the SWAT team was relieved that they hadn’t had to storm the apartment; doing so might well have resulted in the death of at least one of the kids; their father had, at one point, stated that he’d sooner kill his kids than give them up. Thankfully, that had been nothing but an empty threat, and the children were all unhurt.

The SWAT members had stowed their gear in their respective vehicles and were gathered around Siegfried’s car, the blue 2005 Mustang GT that occasionally caused rumbles with the department's Internal Affairs Bureau.

"I still can’t believe you're planning to ask that woman to the Commissioner’s Ball!" Ben exclaimed. He’d been fixated on it ever since they left the coffee shop.

"Will you drop that already?" Siegfried said impatiently.

"I’m with Ben," Pedro Martinez, one of the Team snipers, said, "How you planning to get her to say yes?"

"Love at first sight," Ben replied with a chuckle.

"Yeah, right," another team member piped up, "she probably has a serious thing for men in uniform."

"Either that or she’s setting him up for something," John Barker, the team shotgunner, voiced.

"Well, that shouldn’t be a problem," Pedro said, "for Sig and his SIG." Pedro was referring to the .45 SIGARMS GSR pistol that Siegfried, along with the rest of the SWAT Team, carried as a sidearm. "Integral laser sight, Surefire weapon light, you can drive tacks with that thing!"

"Maybe you could, Mr. Marine Sniper," Siegfried shot back, "but us mere mortals don’t possess your superhuman shooting skills." Pedro had been a sniper in the Marine Corps for ten years and was considered the best shot on the police force.

"So anyway," Ben said, "you were going to tell us how you plan to get a woman who you just met to go to the Commissioner’s Ball with you."

"No, I wasn’t," Siegfried said, "and even if I was, I don’t have time; I have to get home and shower off before I meet Odette in the park."

"Yeah, yeah," Ben said as Siegfried climbed into the Mustang, "whatever."

"Right, whatever," Siegfried replied as he pulled out of his parking spot and headed home.

An hour later, Siegfried was showered, dressed, and on his way to Wakefield Park. He and Odette had agreed to meet by the lake at just after 8:00, but Siegfried decided that he should show up a little early to scope things out. While Wakefield Park was well lit at night and crime there wasn’t as common as you’d expect, it wasn’t totally unheard of either, so it was probably a good idea to make sure the area was safe before Odette arrived. Besides, being early would hopefully make a good impression, which never hurt a relationship.

He arrived at the park just before 7:45. A brief sweep of the area around the lake revealed it to be quiet and empty as usual; not many people frequented the park after dark. A cold chill brushed against the back of his neck, and with it, an odd feeling of deja vu clinging to him. Without warning, he heard a rhythmic swooping sound off to his right and turned to see a swan, probably the same swan he’d seen last night, glide gracefully into the clearing. As the bird circled lower and lower over the water, Siegfried’s uneasy feeling of deja vu grew stronger and stronger. As the swan prepared to set down on the lake’s glassy surface, a clock somewhere in the distance began to strike 8:00. The swan touched the water, and a blinding light engulfed the clearing...

His F-4 Phantom had been shot down three hours earlier, and he’d been running from the Viet Cong from the moment he landed. His .45 rested snugly in its holster, and the AK-47 he’d taken from that VC he’d shot earlier was cradled in his hands. He shook his head at the vile memory; the man-the boy-he’d killed had been no older than his kid brother back in Phoenix.

He’d been hunkered down by the side of this shallow pond for almost an hour now, waiting for the Huey to show up and pull him out. His heart skipped a beat every time the reeds rustled, afraid that the VC had found him. His flightsuit was soaked in water and sweat, the AK’s grips had grown slick in his moist hands.

A dull swooping sound suddenly filled the clearing, and his heart leapt at the thought that it might, just might, be the Huey. His hopes were shattered as he saw a large white bird glide over his head. At first, he thought it was just a crane, but as it turned to land on the pond, he realized it was actually a swan. He had just enough time to wonder what the hell a swan was doing in Vietnam when it touched down on the shallow water. At that instant, a bright light filled the clearing, and he panicked, fearing that either he or the swan had activated a VC booby trap. The light vanished, and as he looked back over the water, he dropped his rifle in shock...

"Siegfried?" Odette’s shocked whisper brought Siegfried back to the present.

"Hello, Odette," he said after a moment of stunned silence.

"You... you saw?" she asked after a moment’s hesitation.

"Yes," he replied, "everything."

"I... I think we should sit down," Odette said, indicating a nearby bench, "I think we need to talk."

"I think you’re right," Siegfried replied, the vision still fresh in his mind.

***

Well, that was (hopefully) a shocker! Betcha didn't see that one coming!

I know what you're all thinking; why does Odette transorm between a swan and a human? And what is with Siegfried's wierd visions? The answers are coming, dear reader, so stay tuned!

Legacy of the Swan: Chapter 2

Before I continue, I'd like to thank you all for your positive response to Chapter 1. This is actually the first story I've written that people have actually critiqued (the first one I've ever shown anyone), and I'm relieved to know that I can, in fact write!

This next chapter sidetracks a little bit from the story. It's main purpose is to give a little background information on Siegfried, as well as explain what the heck was happening in Chapter 1. Enjoy...

***

"You okay, Siegfried?" Ben asked, "You spaced out on me there for a minute."

"Uh, yeah, I'm fine," Siegfried replied.

"You sure?" Ben asked again, "You usually don't zone out like that."

"I'm positive," Siegfried assured him, "I was just thinking about this weird dream I had last night."

"You mean the one where you're standing in the locker room buck naked and everyone else on the team is wearing Hello Kitty BDUs?" It took Siegfried a full minute to bring his laughter under control.

"No," he said, wiping the tears from his eyes, "that was your dream, remember?"

"No way, Sig," Ben said, "You told the team about it at the bar that time you got rip-roarin' drunk."

"That was you who was drunk up to your eyeballs," Siegfried replied with a laugh, "No, you're the one who had that dream. You told us about it right before the Captain overheard you describing the one where you were in the forest with the his sister and then he..."

"Uh, well, ah... who's Odette?" Ben asked, desperate to change the subject.

"Who?" Siegfried asked, confused.

"You mentioned her name right at the end of your little vacation from reality," Ben said, "So, who is she?"

"I mentioned her name?" Siegfried asked.

"You did indeed," Ben asked, "She the girl you met in the park last night?"

"Yeah," Siegfried said, "yeah, she is."

"How'd you meet her again?"

"Okay," Siegfried sighed, "for the fifth time. I had just gotten off duty and was driving my car home from headquarters when I saw a swan flying in front of me, headed into Wakefield Park."

"Near that abandoned skyscraper." Ben interrupted.

"Right. Anyway, I thought that it'd make a good photo for my collection, so I pulled over, grabbed my camera out of the glove compartment..."

"I still can't believe you keep a camera in you car." Ben said.

"You want me to tell you this again nor not?" Siegfried exclaimed. At Ben's meek nod, he continued, "So like I was saying, I grabbed my camera, got out of the car, and jogged into the park. I thought the sawn was heading towards the small lake in the center of the park, but I lost it in the trees. When I got to the lake, the bird was nowhere in sight. Instead, the most beautiful woman I've ever seen is standing right at the water's edge. I walk over, say hello, we talk for a little while, I leave, end of story."

"You tell her you're a cop?" Ben asked.

"I was still in full uniform, so it was pretty obvious," Siegfried said.

"I know that, but did you tell her anyway?"

"Yeah, I did," Siegfried admitted with an embarrassed chuckle, "she laughed and said she would never have guessed. Anyway, she said she'd meet me in the park tonight when after my shift ends, around 8:00 or so. "

"Did you invite her to go to the Commissioner's Ball with you tomorrow night?" Ben asked.

"Not yet," Siegfried said with a chuckle, "but I'm planning to tonight." Ben started laughing.

"Good one, partner. You almost convinced me you were serious."

"I am serious," Siegfried insisted. Ben's laughter died abruptly.

"You mean you really did ask her?" Siegfried nodded. "Why? I mean, you just met her yesterday, man. Isn't this a little sudden?"

"Ben, do you believe in love at first sight?" Siegfried asked.

"Yeah, sure," Ben replied, "all the time. The feeling usually ends when I get a drink thrown in my face." At Siegfried's annoyed glare, he quickly continued, "Sorry. Uh, no, hasn't happened to me yet."

"It happened to me last night," Siegfried said, "I saw her and it felt like... I don't know how to describe it. Our eyes met, and it seemed like we'd known each other forever." At Ben's disbelieving look, Siegfried decided to quit while he was ahead. "Well, anyway, I'm still going to ask her tonight."

A sudden, insistent chirping cut off any further conversation. In unison, the pair pulled their pagers from their belts and glanced at the displays. Both saw the same message: S.W.A.T.

"Let's roll, partner," Siegfried said as he stood.

"Right behind you, Sig," Ben replied. The two police officers moved briskly towards the coffee shop door, their discussion forgotten.

***

As before, let me know what you think. Constructive critisizm and suggestions for future chapters are always welcome.

Introduction to Legacy of the Swan and Chapter 1

I've decided that I'm going to begin posting chapters of Legacy of the Swan despite a relative lack of (serious) feedback.

Just as a warning, to understand what's going on, you need some basic understanding of the plotline for Swan Lake. If you don't know squat about Swan Lake, click here for information.

And now, without further ado, Legacy of the Swan; Chapter 1

***

"I swear a vow of everlasting love and faithfulness to you, my beloved Odette."

Siegfried's words still echoed in his mind as he held his dying love in his arms. How could he have been so blind? How could he have let himself be fooled by Rothbart's treachery?

"I swear a vow of everlasting love and faithfulness..."

He could feel Odette's life slipping away, knew that it was his fault, knew that there was nothing he could do to save her. And yet he begged her to stay with him, begged her for her forgiveness.

"...a vow of everlasting love and faithfulness..."

Tears streamed from his eyes as he pleaded with her not to leave him. Too late. Odette took one final breath and slowly fell away from his embrace.

"...everlasting love and faithfulness..."

Gently, he laid her on the soft grass, his tears glistening in the moonlight. He knelt next to her body, weeping openly, until he had no more tears left to cry.

"...everlasting love..."

A burning rage slowly filled him. He rose to his feet and, drawing his sword, marched towards the ruined tower where Rothbart awaited him.

"...my beloved Odette."

The two combatants met in the tower doorway. No words were exchanged as their eyes locked. For a moment, they stared each other down silently.

"...Odette..."

Siegfried's cry of rage split the night as he charged the sorcerer. Their swords met in a blinding shower of sparks, Siegfried savagely driving Rothbart back into the tower. The wizard effortlessly blocked Siegfried's attacks, yet continued to allow the prince to drive him further back into the ruin.

"...a vow of everlasting love..."

Siegfried's attacks grew more and more desperate as he vainly attempted to breach Rothbart's defenses. Rothbart smiled wickedly as they fought, taunting the grief-stricken Siegfried.

"...love and faithfulness..."

At that moment, the sorcerer made his move. In one quick motion, he knocked aside Siegfried's sword, reversed his stance, and drove his sword through the prince's chest.

"...love..."

White-hot pain raced through Siegfried's body as he felt his strength leave him.

"...faithfulness..."

Siegfried fell weakly to his knees as Rothbart's foul laughter filled the tower.

"...beloved..."

Another wave of indescribable pain lanced through him as Rothbart pulled the sword from his chest.

"...Odette..."

Rothbart drew the blade back in preparation for the final blow...

"...Odette..."

... and Siegfried knew he was about to die.

"...Odette..."

But he did not fear his death...

"...Odette..."

...he welcomed it, for without his love...

"...Odette..."

...his life had no purpose.

"...Odette..."

He whispered her name one last time...

"...Odette."

...as he felt Rothbart's blade bite into his neck, and knew the end had...

"Siegfried? You awake?" Siegfried blinked, the vision of Rothbart vanishing before him. Instead of a ruined tower, he found himself sitting at a table in a coffee shop, his partner, Ben Palmer, slouched in the chair across from him.

***

Well, what do you think? Like it? Hate it? Think it's exciting? Confusing? Please let me know!

Just as a note, I would like serious constructive criticism. Baseless trashing and pointless remarks are not appreciated.

One more thing: If anyone has a better idea for a title, lay it on me. I'm open to suggestions, both for the title and for future chapters.

Story Update

I've decided to post some details about my story in order to get better feedback from you guys.
(NOTE: I tried originally to include this as an edit of my previous post, but Blogger wasn't cooperate)

I haven't decided on a final title yet, but as of now it's tenatively titled Legacy of the Swan.

This is as much of a plot summary as I can give without letting anything major slip out;

After police officer Siegfried Bauer meets a seemingly ordinary woman in a park one night, a series of odd dreams, bizarre events, and hidden memories reveal an ancient legacy, a powerful love, a terrible curse, and a cycle of events that must be broken lest history be forced to repeat itself yet again.

Excited? Intrigued? The least bit curious? Please let me know.

I have to tell you that the story involves a series of flashbacks, but they will all (hopefully) make sense when integrated into the story. I know that some readers hate flashbacks and/or find them confusing, but they're essential if the story is to have the impact I want it to have.

FEEDBACK PLEASE
SERIOUS FEEDBACK ONLY! (this means you, nerdjedi!)

Question...

...if I started posting chapters of a story I'm writing, would you want to read it? I've got a work-in-progress going right now and want to get some feedback.

Also, any ideas for further stories would be greatly appreciated.

If you want to read a basic plot summary of the story I'm working on, let me know and I'll post one.

And...

THE QUOTES ARE BACK!

Truth is like the sun. You can shut it out for a time, but it ain't goin' away.

--Elvis Presley

HASTA LA VISTA, LECTORES!
*good bye, readers*

The...uh...results to my STAR WARS recast contest (or lack thereof)

Okay, my contest is over. Nobony really won, as San just re-submitted my sample list, and the other two submitters commented their entries anonymously...

So, without further ado, we have:

• Luke Skywalker: Elijah Wood
• Princes Leia: no entries
• Han Solo: Johnny Depp
• Lando Calrissian: no entries
• Obi-Wan Kenobi: Patrick Stewart
• Emperor Palpatine: no entries

and, as a bonus (thanks Jeff):

• Voice of Darth Vader: That Announcer Guy from the Movies

Well, that's it. I'm kinda disappointed by the lack of (serious) entries. I'll try again later.

I've given up on that ending quote thing because I'm too lazy to look for new quotes. Oh, well. Such is life...

READ THIS!

I gotta admit, I'm getting concerned over the lack of response to my Recasting Star Wars contest. All I've got are Humphrey Bogart playing Han Solo, and he's dead so that doesn't count, and Sam re-enacting the movies with puppets and doing the voices himself. This isn't what I expected at all. Here's a sample cast list:

• Luke Skywalker: Brandon Routh (Superman Returns)
• Princess Leia Organa: Katie Holmes
• Han Solo: Hugh Jackman
• Lando Calrissian: Laurence Fishburne
• Obi-Wan Kenobi: Michael Cane
• Emperor Palpatine: Ian McKellan

Okay, I hope that helps. CONTEST ENDS TOMORROW! Get the entries in, people.

Oblivion

This is a poster I cooked up for nerdjedi's first Movie Poster Contest on Multimedia of the Mind. It didn't win, much to my chargrin. It lost to Sam's Snakes in a Car poster. Not that I'm jealous or anything (okay, maybe I am. A little)...

Anyways, the movie is called Stargate: Oblivion (duh). I actually made this before Tim announced his contest, having just discovered the wonder of Flickr Photo Toys, but decided that it would make a great entry. But nerdjedi was looking for a funny poster, and mine didn't cut the mustard.

Anyways, the movie (if it was ever made) would take place about five years from now, so about Season 15 for SG-1 and Season 8 for Atlantis. The Stargate Program is now public knowledge. Humanity is slowly but surely colonizing the Milky Way and Pegasus Galaxies The Goa'uld, Wraith, Replicators, Ori, and whatever other aiens the SGC may have fought have all been defeated, the original SG-1 team has been permanetly disbanded, all is right with the universe. That is, until a race of powerfu, ruthless aliens (unnamed at this point) from an unknown galaxy invade the Pegasus Galaxy and begin a sweeping conquest towards Earth. And that's all I have figured out right now (Maybe there could be a sequal?)

I was going to announce another contest, this one relating to movie posters, when I remembered that my computer has a thing about email attachments (when I try to open one, my computer freezes up), so I guess that won't happen until my email starts working again, or until I get a new computer (January...)

Well, that's all I got right now. Comment in your Star Wars recasting entries PLEASE! (All I've got right now is Humphry Bogart to play Han Solo) and let me know what you think of the poster.

The Chair Broke AKA Remaking a Movie

I gotta admit, the response to my last post (or lack thereof) was underwhelming. This probably had to do with the fact that everyone was insanely busy yesterday (except me. I gotta find a job), but still...

Okay, I really don't have all that much right now (I might add stuff later), so I'm gonna try something on you guys that I've been mulling over for a while.

If George Lucas (all hail the Flanneled One!) walked up to you and said that he wanted you to remake the original Star Wars Trilogy, who would you cast, and in what role?

Da Rules:

You have to cast the following characters:

• Luke Skywalker
• Princess Leia Organa
• Han Solo
• Lando Calrissian
• Obi-Wan Kenobi
• Emperor Palpatine

One more thing; Anyone who had a role in the Prequal Trilogy can't be cast. So no Hayden Christensen, no Natalie Portman, no Ewan McGreggor, no Liam Neeson(Qui-gon Jinn), no Christopher Lee (Count Dooku), no Ian McDiarmid (Palpatine), and no Kiera Knightley (Sabé, AKA The Decoy Queen in Ep. I)

Besides that, It's all up to you guys. Comment your suggestions. I'll create a Master Cast List on, oh, let's say Wednesday.

Well, that's all for now. Later!

The Chair Is Against The Wall

The title for this post is actually a quote from one of my all-time favorite movies, Red Dawn. Which, by extreme coincidence (or lack thereof) is what this post is about.

The background to the story is as follows (as quoted from the opening title cards):

1983: Soviet Union suffers worst wheat harvest in 55 years... Labor and food riots in Poland. Soviet troops invade... Cuba and Nicaragua reach troop strength goals of 500,000. El Salvador and Honduras fall... Greens Party gains control of West German Parliament. Demands withdrawal of nuclear weapons from European soil... Mexico plunged into revolution... NATO dissolves. United States stands alone.

(So, basically, The USSR is plunged into famine, most of Central America falls to Communism, NATO is disbanded, it's just the USA vs. the USSR.)

The movie starts in mid-September 1984 at the high school in the town of Calumet, Colorado. Everything seems normal, until the students notice the Paratroopers landing on their football field. What they are witnessing is the opening blow in a joint Russian/Cuban/Nicaraguan invasion of the United States of America. As World War III erupts around them, eight students manage to escape into the mountains. After a month of hiding, the kids are discovered by a trio of Soviet officers, whom they kill. In retribution for the deaths, the Soviet Commander has the students' families executed. Adopting the name of their high school's football team, the Wolverines, the kids launch their own privare guerilla war against the Communist invaders.

I know, I know, this sounds really cheesy, but it's actually a very good film. It's pretty realisticand the characters (both the good guys and bad guys) are all three-dimensional. It also shows the true horrors of war and doesn't try to glorify the conflict at all.

What I like about this movie is that the protagonists (The Wolverines) don't start out with a macho "Let's kill us some Commies!" attitude. Their only goal at first is to escape, then avoic, the Russians. After they take out the three Russian soliders, again, they don't go "Well, that was easy. Let's get us some more!" Instead, they start fighting after their families are slaughtered. They're don't begin fighting because they want to, they start fighting because-in their minds-they have to. Over the course of the film, the group of scared school kids transforms into a hardened band of guerilla fighters. Likewise, the battle-hardened Nicaraguan commander in charge of the area around Calumet slowly becomes disgusted with the war, wanting only for his tour of duty to end so he can go home to his family. In short, this isn't just a war movie, it's also a sort-of character study.

Like every movie, this one has it's faults. First, the Russians stay pretty dumb for a little too long. Secondly, the special effects are not too great, even for 1984 (the film was shot on a really low budget), and the acting (and to some, the plot) is, well, no one here would have earned an Oscar for Red Dawn unless Hell froze over.

I won't give away too much of the plot, but I will say that this movie doesn't have a very happy ending. I'm not the most emotional person on the planet, but as many times as I've seen the film, the ending still moves me to tears.

Despite it's relative anonymity, Red Dawn actually served as a major launchpad for a number of well-known actors, including Patrick Swayze, Charlie Sheen, C. Thomas Howell, and Jennifer Grey. An interseting bit of movie trivia; Swayze and Grey would costar together three years later in the famous chick-flick Dirty Dancing.

If I ever get around to starting a paintball or an airsoft team, I'm gonna name it "The Wolverines" after this movie. Yes, I love Red Dawn that much. Plus, "WOLVERINES!" makes one heck of a battle cry. That's one of my favorite moments from this movie; Matt Eckert(Charlie Sheen) standing atop a cliff, AK-47 held high, letting the Soviets know who just kicked their butts.

If at all you're interested in this movie, you can get it on DVD at Blockbuster. I highly recommend it.

The main reason I love Red Dawn is that it makes me think; If I were in those kids' shoes, could I have done what they did? Could I pick up a gun and defend my country from invasion? Or would I just stand there, scared stiff as a board, while the USA fell around me? I'd like to think I'd do the former, but I really don't know.

Ask yourself this question; If you looked out you window and saw the Chinese or the Iranians, or even the North Koreans landing in your backyard, what would you do? Surrender and submit to their rule? Or go down hard with a rifle in your hands, defending your freedom? You don't have to comment what you decide. Quite frankly, I don't give a hoot. Just think about it.

I leave you with this quotation from Theodore Roosevelt, an edited version of which appears on a statue in the film's opening shots:

Far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure... than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much, because they live in a gray twilight that knows not victory nor defeat.

FIRST POST! Part 2

Okay, hello again, it's me, Jedi_Raptor07 (Well, duh! Who else would it be?) with an important update.

First off, since I started this blog kinda late last night, I didn't really have a chance to think things through (I was really tired), so I'm gonna add some things.

First off, I'd like to thank nerdjedi for his help with setting up this blog. I knew absolutely nothing about blogging when I started (and still know practically zip), so I'd like to thank nerdjedi for the assistance he gave me last night and any help he might (and probably will have to) give in the future.

Secondly, I'm canceling the "Name the Blog" contest I mentioned in Part 1. Or it's at least going on hold for a while. I've decided that I like *Insert Title Here* as the blog title and I don't want to change it right away. I also want the blog to develop its own personality before I change the name, so the name reflects the nature of the blog. (I hope that made sense to you, because it left me pretty confused.)

Third, I decided that I am going to, when possible, end each post with a quote of some kind. It might be meaningful, it might be funny, I might just think it sounds cool. So, here's my first ending quote:

One way or another, we all fight for the things we believe in. Doesn't that give us some common ground?

-from The Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy

FIRST POST!

Um... Hello there. If you're reating this, than I'm assuming that you have nothing better to do than check out this blog. nerdjedi says that I'm known for being brutally honest, so I'll lay it to you straight; if you're reading this you must be either really bored or really messed up. I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and assume the former, though if you came from Multimedia of the Mind the latter is a good possiblility. Moving on...

Like the title says, this is my first post on this blog. In fact, it's my first post ever. Wait, no never mind. I've done guest posts on M.o.t.M. and The Irrelivance of the Universe. But this is my first post on my first blog. nerdjedi says I should say "w00t" here, so "w00t!"


Although I pride myself on being creative, I couldn't think of an approprate title for this blog, so I called it "Insert Title Here." I know, real original. So, what I'd like you tocome up with a title for me. Comment your suggestions.

This blog really isn't about anything in particular. When I come up with an idea, feel like ranting, need to vent my frustrations, or if I'm just plain old bored out of my skull, I'll update with whatever's on my mind. So I warn you, reader, turn back now.










Fine, then. Don't say I didn't warn you.