life, and a little more

Battlestar Galactica Season 4 Almost Here!!

Mar 31

metalman777Battlestar Galactica No Comments

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZaiHmjVpSU]

 It is actually kind of funny that I even watch BSG, much less love it as much as I do.  I’m a huge (read obsessed) fan of The Office.  So when Dwight is always ranting about Battle Star Galactica and Jim constantly teases him about it, I knew I had to check it out.  

I wasn’t sure what to expect.  I did not expect a show with wonderful depth of character, awesome special effects, and just an over arching theme of skullduggery and mystery.  To put it plainly, I have fallen in love with BSG just as much as I love The Office and Lost.

From the previews, it looks as though Season 4 is going to take us for a ride.  I can’t wait!!

Great Lost Easter Eggs from gspn.tv

Mar 24

metalman777Lost No Comments

Thanks to the guys at gspn.tv! They posted some great easter eggs from Meet Kevin Johnson that totally slipped by me!

Remember when Michael was in the hospital after his first suicide attempt? There was an older guy next to him. He looks suspisciously like Alvar Hanso!

guy in the hospital…

Alvar Hanso, founder of the Dharma Initiative.

Look at Michael’s new passport…see the ID number? Starts with HNSO! Now where did we see that before?

yup, on good ’ol Creepy Bug Eyed Ben’s passport too! Is there a connection between Ben and Hanso? Are Widmore and Ben working together?

One last thing, some eagle eyed viewer caught this screen shot of the shooter who killed Danielle and Karl.

Is that a Dharma Logo? I just can’t tell!

Easter 2008 Slideshow

Mar 24

metalman777family 2008, easter, family, pictures No Comments

[slideshow id=576460752331785257&w=426&h=320]

Music of 2008 (so far so great!)

Mar 22

metalman777music 2008, music, reviews No Comments

Just thought I’d list some of the new music that has been released this year!

Avanstasia’s The Scarecrow – top notch power metal.  Definitely a 5 outta 5 stars!

Wikipedia says of this album:  The album is one of a kind Experimental piece of music which features no guitars at all. Instead, it features lead solo bass guitars, rhythm bass guitars and actual bass guitars who play the bass’ parts, along with accompanying vocals and drums. Most notably, the album features the Bassinvaders rendition to Helloween’s popular song “Eagle Fly Free”.

Also, the album features a wide range of guest bassits who play the bass solos and add to the variety of the album. Those include Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big, Steve Vai), Rudy Sarzo (Dio, Quiet Riot), Jan S. Eckert (Masterplan), Tobias Exxel (Edguy), Marco Mendoza (Blue Murder, Whitesnake), Nibbs Carter (Saxon) and more

Pretty good album, but a little monotonous.  This power metal starts to sound the same after  a while.

Bay Area thrashers from the 80’s put out a superb album.  These thrasher vets sure show the youngin’s how it’s done!!

Power/Prog metallers Firewind deliver a very awesome new album.  Their cover of “Maniac” is super cool!

House of Lords has been around for long time, but these guys just get better with age.  Come To My Kingdom is  a very solid hard rock album that just doesn’t let up!

Former Savatage frontman Jon Oliva finishes his trilogy of albums in excellent fashion.  This is metal at its best.  Oliva’s voice is one of a kind!

80’s Japanese hair metal band Loudness sure has changed.  Gone is almost everything that was great!  Downtuned music that sounds like Korn! blech!

Black Tide is a young band that sure can play some metal!  Think of early Motley Crue meets early Iron Maiden and you have Black Tide.  Great stuff!

Paul Gilbert the guitar god is back and better than ever!  He totally shreds!

Pillar’s new album is just what the doctor ordered!  Driving guitar and poignant lyrics.  I can’t wait to see them in concert in 2 weeks!

I’ll admit I haven’t listened to this disc all the way, but what I have heard was impressive.  I absolutely love the cover art!

Another awesome slab ’o power metal! The guitar work on this album is exquisite!

Now this is metal done right.  Saint has been around a long time, so it is nice to see they haven’t lost their edge!

Former Billy Idol guitarist’s solo album.  This record shreds like you wouldn’t believe!  Steve Vai better watch out, as Steve Stevens is putting out an awesome instrumental album too!

Power metal perfection here.  I think this is a supergroup formed from some members of Helloween and Gamma Ray.  I could be wrong though.  I just know I love the music!

I have to admit that I am totally addicted to this album.  Hard rockin’, well produced with great vocals!  I’ve listened to this album more than most of the other ones combined!

I’m  a little confused with this one.  I’ve read so many good reviews that other hard rock fans loved this album.  I just didn’t like it.  Maybe it will be one that has to grow on me.

Classic thrash metal is making a comeback and Warbringer is bringing it on.  I’ve only listened to it once or twice, but this is great work out music!

Yes! White Lion of 80’s hair metal fame is back!  I’ve been “wait”ing for this album forever!  I loved White Lion back in the day and this album is a good return to form.  It has some good hard rockin’ tunes, but just doesn’t capture the magic they once had!

Whitesnake is back too!  David Coverdale and Co. have been around for over 30 years and they bring all their experience to this record!  Good to Be Bad has that awesome bluesy rock feel that Whitesnake is famous for.

Albums still to come:

Dokken is “back for the attack” once again.  The samples I’ve heard sound really good! Can’t wait!  I love the cover art, as it reminds me of Back for the Attack album, which was my favortie Dokken record.

I have to admit that I’m a little worried about this album, as the title “Songs From The Sparkle Lounge” just makes me cringe.  But Def Leppard is the band that produced High ’n Dry and Pyromania (one of my all time favorite albums), so it should be good.

Who doesn’t love the Satch?  with this album, Paul Gilbert’s new album, and Steve Steven’s new album, it’s like the holy trinity of metal instrumentalists!

Meet Kevin Johnson (aka suicidal murderer boat smasher-upper)

Mar 21

metalman777Lost Kevin Johnson, Lost, Michael Dawson, tv No Comments

So, you tell me, what did you think of Lost last night? I was impressed and would give it a solid A. This is another episode to watch at least 2 or 3 more times!

Without further ado, let’s dive into some trivia and stuff we might have missed but Lostpedia didn’t.

Trivia

General

• Libby is the first non-original main cast member to reappear after leaving the show.
• Michael’s flashback is suggested to have taken place sometime between Days 68 (the day Michael and Walt leave the Island), as Michael is estranged from Walt since he revealed what he did on the island, and Day 82 (the day the Others leave the barracks), as Ben is shown at his barracks house.
  • Likewise, Tom’s appearances would seem to have been set between Day 74 and Day 80 as he was at the Hydra before Day 74 and at the Barracks on Day 80.
  • The Kahana left port in Fiji prior to Day 87 (the day Naomi arrived on the Island).
• Despite his mission to kill everyone on board, all the known deceased members on the Freighter thus far have not died because of Michael.

Production notes

• Charlotte, Daniel, Jack, Jin, Juliet, Kate, and Sun do not appear in this episode.
• Cynthia Watros is the first former cast member to return to the show as a guest star to not be credited as a “special” guest star.
• Kewalo Basin, the small commercial harbor in Kaka’ako, was transformed into the Port of Suva, Fiji’s largest port and gateway to its capital city for this episode.
• One of the few episodes of the series to take place almost completely in flashback. This is the longest flashback to date beating Flashes Before Your Eyes by just a few seconds.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The actor playing Walt is not Malcolm David Kelly

Recurring themes

• Michael said that he’s on the boat to die. (Life and Death)
• Michael tries to kill himself 5 times in the episode — once in a car accident, once in the alley with a gun, twice in his apartment with the gun, and once again on the freighter. (Life and Death) (Sacrifice) (Car accidents)
• A game show is on TV during Michael’s suicide attempt in his apartment. (Games)
• Ben told Michael that he can consider himself one of the good guys. (Good and bad people)
• Michael is on the boat to redeem himself. (Redemption)
• Sayid reveals Michael’s status as a “traitor” to Captain Gault. (Deceptions and cons) (Secrets)
• Ben needs Michael to get him a list of the people on the boat. (Lists)
• Karl and Rousseau are attacked and left for dead by unknown assailants. (Life and Death)
• Michael “sees” Libby twice. (Dreams and visions)
• Michael’s mother is upset with Michael for his behavior toward his son Walt. (Parent issues)
• Closeup of Michael’s eye as he wakes up in the hospital. (Eyes)
• Ben pretends to be Walt to get Michael on the phone on the freighter. (Deceptions and cons)
• The bomb Michael is given via a care package is a fake. (Deceptions and cons)
• Hinted at in “A Tale of Two Cities“, it is revealed that Tom is gay. (Relationships) (Secrets)

Cultural references

• Kurt Vonnegut, author of Slaughterhouse Five, is mentioned as an answer on the game show Michael is watching. (Books)
• The Shining is a 1980 horror film directed by Stanley Kubrick, based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name. Minkowski remarks that Michael reminds him of the film’s main character, played by actor Jack Nicholson. (Movies and TV)
• Star Wars: Before his death, Karl says, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this.” This is a line that is spoken in every episode of Star Wars. (Movies and TV)
• Cass Elliot: The song playing in the car when Michael tries to kill himself is “It’s Getting Better” by Cass Elliot, who also recorded “Make Your Own Kind of Music“. (Music)
• The Hotel Earle is a fictional hotel which is a metaphysical manifestation of hell itself for an awkward, isolated New York City writer in the 1994 Coen Brothers film Barton Fink. (Movies and TV)
• Star Trek: The second sneak peak for this episode featured the “red alert” sound effect from Star Trek: The Next Generation as the freighter’s alarm. This was altered for the broadcast version. (Movies and TV)
• The Godfather: Miles Straume is eating, and offers Michael, an orange before getting on the freighter. Oranges are seen in each instalment of the Godfather trilogy before deaths or assassinations. (Movies and TV)
• Cars: In the flashback, Michael drives a green Dodge Aspen

Literary techniques

• Michael trades Jin‘s Rolex watch for a handgun with which to kill himself. On the island, Jin tried to kill Michael over the same watch. (Irony)
• Ben says that Charles Widmore is “without conscience.” (Irony)
• When Michael attempts his automotive suicide, an optimistic song is playing. (Irony)
• Tom tells Michael, “You still have work to do.” (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Michael is seen attempting to fix the engines, the same that he agreed to sabotage. (Irony)
• Ben calls Michael “one of the good guys”. (Regularly spoken phrases)
• Sayid turns in Michael because he works for Ben. In the future (as seen in “The Economist“), Sayid himself works for Ben. (Irony)
• Michael made terrible sacrifices to get Walt back from the Others, only to lose him again after telling him about killing Ana-Lucia and Libby. (Irony)
• Frank muses the idea of finding 815 survivors that are alive. He tells this to Michael. (Irony)
• The episode ends with Karl and Rousseau seriously wounded by gunfire but with their condition and the identity of the assailant(s) unknown. (Cliffhanger)

Storyline analysis

• Michael attempts to detonate a bomb in the engine room of Kahana with the goal of killing himself and everyone on board. (Crimes)

Episode references

• Before attempting suicide, Michael says “I’m sorry,” just like he did immediately before shooting Ana Lucia. (“Two for the Road“)
• Michael sells the watch that Jin gave him. (“House of the Rising Sun“) (“Exodus, Part 2“)
• Michael tells his mother that he wants to see Walt “because he’s my son. That is my right.”, just as he told Jack. (“The Hunting Party“)
• When Libby appears in Michael’s vision she is carrying blankets, just as she did when he shot her. (“Two for the Road“)
• Tom is revealed to be gay. Tom once remarked that Kate wasn’t his “type”. (“A Tale of Two Cities“)
• Walt is living with Michael’s mother. Before their plane took off, Michael called her to ask if she would take Walt. (“Exodus, Part 2“)
• When crew members nearly take a raft off the boat, Captain Gault reminds them of what happened to the last two men to do so, specifically calling out the late Minkowski. (“The Constant“)
• Ben calls Michael “one of the good guys”. Before he left the Island, Michael asked him who they were and Ben responded “We’re the good guys”. (“Live Together, Die Alone“)
• Michael guesses that Naomi is from Manchester, England. Charlie, also from Manchester, guessed that fact as well. (“Greatest Hits“)
• The bomb Michael is given has a button labeled “EXECUTE”, much like the computer in the Swan. (“Adrift“)

Unanswered questions

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Meet Kevin Johnson/Theories

Flashback

• How is Tom able to travel from the Island?
• How did Michael and Walt reach the United States after leaving the Island?
• How is the Island preventing Michael from killing himself?
• What was Ben’s intention when he gave Michael fake explosives?

On the Island

• Why does Ben feel the Temple is only for the Others?
• Who was shooting at Alex, Karl, and Rousseau?
• Are Karl and Rousseau dead?

External links

• ABC Primetime Grid

A Repost of Dan Kimball's blog on Saint Patrick

Mar 17

metalman777Christianity, history No Comments

I love Dan Kimball and he posted a really good blog on Saint Patrick yesterday.  I thought I’d repost it today, St. Paddy’s Day:

“I am wrapping up preparation for the sermon tomorrow, which is the last week of our evangelism series. We are concluding it with several baptisms. As it is St. Patrick’s Day on Monday, I also am going to briefly touch on St. Patrick because his life is an example of what we are teaching about. Not the totally fictitious St. Patrick and the leprechauns, 4-leaf clovers and green beer and all that. But what we know of the historical St. Patrick.

Two of my missionary heroes are Hudson Taylor (China) and St. Patrick (Ireland). The reason is that they understood the need to contextualize how you go about church and mission in different cultures. I also am reminded that they both were criticized by their “home” base of Britain (in both these cases in totally different time periods). But they got criticism for changing how they went about “church”, how they adapted their ministry even their dress and look if needed, to proclaim and teach the gospel catered to a specific culture.

I was just re-reading tonight the book “The Celtic Way of Evangelism” by George Hunter, which was a very influential book in my life several years ago. There are some who have disagreements with the author’s take on the Celt’s (as there is a variety of time periods and complexities in their history, so it is hard to say in a generic form “The Celts”). But never-the-less, it is a great and inspiring book. I will simply put a few quotes here from the book in memory and honor of the ministry of St. Patrick.

Patrick was kidnapped by the Irish at age 16 and became a slave for many years. He eventually escaped and went back to Britain. But then he ended up going back to the very people in Ireland he escaped from to share Jesus and proclaim the gospel. But he didn’t do in normal ways. He did set up formal biblical training and education but so much was done relationally and creatively.

We can get fearful of being rejected or that people won’t like us when they know we are Christians. But look at this description of the people Patrick went back to:

“…. stripped before battle and rushed their enemy naked, carrying sword and shield but wearing only sandals and torc…  while howling.” (page 19)

Patrick got to understand those he was trying to reach:

“..Patrick understood the people and their language, their issues, and their ways…When you understand the people, you will often know what to say and do, and how. When the people know the Christians understand them, they infer that maybe the High God understands them too.” (pages 19-20)

“After years of reflection on how the Irish might be reached, he moved into mission….employing parable, story, poetry, song, visual symbols, visual arts and perhaps drama to engage the Celtic people’s remarkable imaginations. Often, we think, Patrick would receive the people’s questions and then speak to those questions collectively.” (page 21)

“They did not rely upon preaching alone to communicate the fullness of Christianity.” (page 74)

The results:

“They baptized many thousands, probably tens of thousands. Patrick’s mission planted about 700 churches. Within his lifetime, 30 to 40 (or more) of Ireland’s 150 tribes became substantially Christian.” (page 23)

The criticism that followed from the British and Roman church leaders (sounds like some similar criticism of today):

“One would naturally assume that the British Church which ordained Patrick and sent him to Ireland, would continue to affirm his mission and celebrate its achievements. This was far from the case. The British leaders had expectations that he was to be administer to local churches and care for faithful Christians. The British leaders were offended and angered that Patrick was spending priority time with “pagans”, “sinners” and “barbarians”. (pages 23-24)

“The Roman church leaders repeatedly criticized the Celtic wing for not doing church the “Roman way”…..the hairstyle of the Celtics contrasted with the “tonsure” of the Romans. In hairstyle matter, and many others, Celtic Christianity had adapted to the people’s culture; the Romans wanted Roman cultural forms imposed on all churches and people’s – a policy that was alien to the Celtic movement’s genius.  The driving issues was control. That is why it was so important to the Romans for everyone to do church the “Roman way.” (pages 40-41).

Despite the criticism, the type of people this missionary venture produced:

“They were devoted, compassionate, sold-out citizens of Heaven. They relied, through “prayer without ceasing” upon the Triune God’s providence and power. They would do anything they could to help other people find The Way.” (page 76)

I pray that as a church, we become devoted, compassionate….  and we would also do anything we can to help others find The Way, The Truth, and the Life.” ………….Amen. ”

If anyone can get the chance to read Kimball’s books, I highly recommend them!

The Like Jesus But Not the Church.  Awesome book.  Gives a good insight into the culture at large and how they view Christians.

The Emerging Church.  This book was very crucial to me last year and really helped me understand a lot of things about myself and my place as the Church.

Emerging Worship.  Changing up the traditional Church service isn’t a bad thing! This book has many ideas to make Church more organic and community oriented.

2008 Summer Movie Posters and Trailers

Mar 15

metalman777movies 2008, movies No Comments

[CLICK HERE TO SEE 2009 MOVIE POSTERS AND TRAILERS]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=WaIR9dAZRR0]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=vhgzIM-9lfA]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=pC96tIhLDN0]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=k6d1M6FprKs]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=FtBU2yNludY]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=SDrAl9LfHRg]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=T78xuWTck8o]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=MQyYPP9zR7M]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=VqzYukVDqy4]

[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=Dn0uSgHNEHQ]

Ji Yeon, where’s you're daddy?

Mar 14

metalman777Lost No Comments

So, what did everyone think of last night’s Lost? I liked it, but then I feel like they ripped me off by playing a dirty trick with Jin’s “flashback”. I’m glad they finally revealed Michael as Ben’s man on the boat. Hurley was rockin’ that suit pretty good and Jin is dead….what the crap man?!!

So, once again, here is some trivia and other stuff from Lostpedia.com.

Trivia

General

• Several hints are given to underline the fact that Jin’s flashes are actually flashbacks:

• The shopkeeper implies that the year in question is the year of the Dragon, and according to the Chinese calendar was 2000. This may suggest that Jin and Sun were married in that year.
• Jin uses an old cellphone.

• Nikki’s death scene in her show, “Expose,” appears briefly on television in Sun’s flashforward.
• Jin’s tombstone has the date September 22, 2004 on it, the day of the crash. This implies that the Oceanic 6 have told the world that he died in the crash.
  

  Jin’s Tombstone

• Sun claims early in the episode that it’s been 3 days since Sayid and Desmond left the Island (The scene at night when they are discussing baby names). The next morning, Sayid says the same thing to Desmond, suggesting that Sayid and Desmond lost a day during their trip from the island to the freighter.

Production notes

• Ben, Claire, Locke, Miles, and Sawyer do not appear in this episode.
• Michael reappears in the series for the first time since “Live Together, Die Alone“, a span of 28 episodes.
• This episode is unique in that it features for the first time both flashbacks (from Jin’s perspective) and flashforwards (from Sun’s perspective).
• This is Jin and Sun’s only centric episode where they do not appear together in any off island scenes.
• The scene at the Korean toystore was shot at the “Toys N Joys” store on Waialae Ave in Kaimuki.

Bloopers and continuity errors

• The first scene of Jin in the toy store shows items on the back shelf from the shows Ben 10 & Power Rangers: Operation Overdrive. Ben 10 did not begin airing until 2007. Operation Overdrive did not begin airing until 2007.
• When Sun wakes Jin to tell him that Jack and Kate have returned, he is wearing a light blue shirt. In the next scene when the two confront Kate, the shirt is red.
• In Jin’s flashback, the establishing shot of the korean city disappears in later scenes.

Recurring themes

..tr> ..table>

• Jin buys two Panda dolls. (Animals) (Black and White)
• Sun gives birth. (Children)
• Sun takes her newborn baby to Jin’s grave. (Life and Death)
• Bernard tells Jin that they are the good guys. (Good and bad people)
• Jin and Sun deal with the fact that she cheated on him. (Relationship Issues)
• Michael is on the boat, using the name Kevin Johnson. (Secrets) (Deceptions and cons)
• On the Kahana, Regina jumps overboard with a chain tied around her body, killing herself. The captain doesn’t want anyone to try to save her because of the risk of more people being killed. (Life and Death)
• Desmond discovers that Charles Widmore sent the freighter. (Character connections)
• We see the old Jin in the flashback, while on the island Jin says he is not that man anymore. (Good and bad people) (Rebirth)
• Sun has Nikki’s show on. (Character connections)
• The license plate of the taxi stolen from Jin is 2359.(Numbers)

Cultural references

• Captain Gault: is a fictional sea captain created by English writer William Hope Hodgson. A captain for hire – Gault is a morally ambiguous and mysterious character. A collection of his stories can be found in the book Captain Gault, Being the Exceedingly Private Log of a Sea-Captain, published in 1917. (Literary works)
• Atlas Shrugged: Alternately the name of the Kahana’s captain may be a reference to a character in Ayn Rand’s 1957 novel, which is a story about the producers, the movers and shakers in society who decide go on strike because they are not appreciated by the masses, and create a separate utopian world, a “village” hidden from view from people, planes and the world. (Literary works)
• Survivors of the Chancellor: Regina was reading this novel by Jules Verne. The story is about the final voyage of a British sailing vessel, the Chancellor, told from the perspective of one of its passengers (in the form of a diary). (Literary works)
• Dragon (zodiac): The shopkeeper claims that a child born in the Year of the Dragon brings good luck. (Religions and ideologies)

• Karma: Bernard talks to Jin about Karma. (Religions and ideologies)

Literary techniques

• This is the first episode where we see both flashbacks (Jin) and flashforwards (Sun). (Flashbacks) (Flashforwards)
• The audience is led to believe that they are seeing flashforwards of both Jin and Sun, only to find out that Jin’s is a flashback, and in that in the future, he is in fact dead. (Mindf*ck)

Storyline analysis

• Juliet tells Jin that Sun had an affair. (Relationships)
• Sun assures Jin the baby she’s carrying is his. (Relationships)

Episode references

• The Korean-dubbed episode of “Exposé” that Nikki guest starred in can be seen in the background of Sun’s apartment. (“Exposé“)
• Juliet reveals Sun’s affair to Jin. (“The Glass Ballerina“), (“One of Us“)
• Juliet tells Sun what happens to pregnant women on the Island. (“One of Us“), (“The Other Woman“)
• Bernard tells Jin of Rose’s sickness and recovery. (“S.O.S.“)
• Bernard calls Locke a murderer. (“Through the Looking Glass“)
• Kate promises to give Jin and Sun plenty of time before she tells Jack, just as her father did for her. (“What Kate Did“)
• The blood on the wall in Sayid and Desmond’s room mirrors Radzinsky’s blood in the Hatch and Michael is called on to clean up blood just as he did in the hatch. (“Live Together, Die Alone“)

Unanswered questions

..tr> ..table>

For fan theories about these unanswered questions, see: Ji Yeon/Theories

General

• Exactly who are the Oceanic Six?
• Who funded the fake Oceanic 815 crash?

On the Freighter

• Where did Frank go with the helicopter?
• What was the nature of Regina’s condition?
• Whose blood was on the wall of Desmond and Sayid’s new room?
• How did Michael come to be part of the ships crew, less than a month after he left the island?
  • Where is Walt?
  • Why is Michael going by the name Kevin Johnson?
• Why were Sayid and Desmond warned not to trust the captain?
  • Is the captain telling the truth about the ship?
• How will the rescue of the Oceanic 6 be explained since the world believes all 324 passengers of 815 are dead?

Flashforward

• Why does the tombstone indicate that Jin died on the date of the crash, September 22, 2004?
• Is Jin actually dead, and if so what are the circumstances of Jin’s death?
• Why is Hurley so glad to hear no one else would be joining he and Sun?

Saint's "Crime Scene Earth" finally released!

Mar 12

metalman777music metal, music, saint No Comments

Saint’s Crime Scene Earth finally arrived in the mail yesterday!!  Woo Hoo!!

Ok, I can hear some of you saying “Who the heck is Saint and why should I care if they released a new album?”  Let me enlighten you:  Saint is a metal band that formed around 1982 and has been melting faces ever since.  I have been listening to their music since 1989 when I found their record “Time’s End” in the local Christian bookstore.  

Since Judas Priest was “taboo” to listen to as a young Christian, Saint was the perfect alternative.  Heavy, crunchy guitars with Josh Kramer sounding a lot like Rob Halford; that was the absolute best!

Saint has been releasing albums every couple of years, with the last album being “The Mark“, which was released in 2005.  2008 brings us another metal classic in Crime Scene Earth.  Nine new tracks, and one cover tune of Judas Priest’s Invader!  Every song is pure metal and is awesome.  This is a must have for any metal fan!

The cover art is definitely not the best or most creative I’ve ever seen.  The inside jacket picture of the band really doesn’t do them justice (makes ‘em look really, really old).  But if you are a fan of the music, I guess that really doesn’t matter much.

The Other Woman

Mar 08

metalman777Lost No Comments

Maybe it is because last week’s episode, “The Constant”, was so awesome, but this new episode of Lost (entitled “The Other Woman”) really didn’t do much for me….Maybe I need to watch it again and my opinion will change, I don’t know.

I was excited when I heard that someone from Juliet’s past confronts her….until we find out that character is a brand new character we’ve never met before! I thought I was ripped off!! The whole kissing scene between Jack and Juliet felt forced. And then we find out Lewis and Farraday are good guys? huh? And we still don’t know who’s on the boat. I know it is probably Michael, but I’d like to find out soon!

Anyways, I’m heading to Lostpedia.com to find some information for you guys:

• Juliet’s flashbacks fill in gaps between her previous flashback episode, One of Us.
• One of Harper’s diplomas has a Hanso Foundation symbol.
• This is the third time we’ve seen the crash of flight 815 from the Barracks‘ point of view, each time adding new footage or information. (“A Tale of Two Cities“) (“One of Us“)
• After the countdown, the computer screen has the following text:

..>..>

• The title of this episode has a double meaning, in that Juliet is both “the other woman” whom Goodwin is seeing, while also being a woman who was one of the Others.

Production notes

• Desmond, Michael, Miles and Sayid do not appear in this episode.
• Ethan, played by William Mapother, is mentioned but not seen, despite the fact that he’s present when the Others’ witness the Plane Crash. This scene is edited to include glances between Juliet, Goodwin and Harper as Ben sends them on their missions to seek the survivors.
• The scenes of The Tempest Station were shot at the WOII-bunkers on the south side of Kualoa Ranch.

Bloopers and continuity errors

When Daniel Faraday is trying to neutralize the gas, the timer displays and audio messages do not correspond with the actual time passing in those scenes. This is most blatantly evident when the display on the computer screen shows that 20 seconds are left, and then it takes at least 17 seconds (including lots of dialogue) until a recorded audio message announces that there are still 10 seconds left. This is not necessarily an error; in fact this device is used very frequently in scenes involving countdowns in action films.

Recurring themes

..>..>

• Sawyer and Hurley were playing horseshoes. (Games)
• Ben refers to Zack and Emma while talking to Juliet. (Children)
• Locke is seen cutting up a dead rabbit and then giving it to Ben to eat. (Animals)
• Ben knew that Goodwin would be killed when he sent him to the crash site of the tail section. (Character secrets)
• Goodwin and Juliet were seeing each other in secret. (Character secrets)
• Ben tells Locke the safe combination: 36 15 28. (The Numbers)
  • 36 – 28 = 8 (The Numbers)
• Juliet is seen as “the other woman” coming between two people, first Goodwin and Harper, then Jack and Kate. (Relationship Issues)
• Jack and Juliet are searcing for Daniel and Charlotte in the rain. (Rain)
• Ben says Zack and Emma were taken because they were on the list. Juliet says that now they have everyone from the tail section that is on the list. (Lists)
• Ben tells Locke about leadership. (Leadership)
• Black and white stones are seen in Harper’s office. (Black and white)
• Ben gives a up his “last bargining chip” to be free. (Secrets)(Cons)

Cultural references

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• VALIS: Once again, this Philip K. Dick novel is seen, as Ben is reading it while imprisoned by Locke. (Literary works)
• Boston Red Sox: Ben opens a secret locker and pulls out a tape entitled “Red Sox“. When Locke asks him about it, Ben explains he taped the footage of Widmore over the game. (Games)
• The Tempest: The name of the DHARMA station comes from the play written by William Shakespeare, which was first published in 1623. It tells the story of the sorcerer Prospero and his daughter Miranda, who are stranded on a mysterious desert island that has mystical properties. Prospero raises a storm, or tempest, which causes a passing ship containing his enemies to run aground. Using magic, spirits and a man-beast creature named Caliban, he separates and manipulate the survivors of the wreck for his own purposes. The play ends with Prospero restored to his former glory. (Literary works)
  • Tempest is also the name of an 3-Dimensional arcade game produced by Atari in 1981. (Games)

Other works with similar content

• Bible: King David sends Bathsheba’s husband, Uriah the Hittite, into battle so “that he might be struck down, and die” just as Ben sent Juliet’s lover, Goodwin, in harms way for an extended period of time among the tail section survivors to die. (Literary works)
• Empty Cradle: The name of Harper Stanhope could be a reference to the book Empty Cradle by Karen Harper. In it, a woman wanting a baby heads to a fertility clinic in New Mexico run by a Dr. Stanhope, a feminist embryologist who is stealing the eggs of her patients and using them in experiments with drugs that can cause birth defects. (Literary works)
• To Kill A Mockingbird: The name Harper may be a reference to Harper Lee, who wrote “To Kill A Mockingbird”

Literary techniques

Harper tells Juliet that Ben is “exactly where he wants to be”, echoing Miles’s comments to Kate in “Eggtown”. (