Getting Burned

Getting Burned

Just as many season ending episodes for the regular season finish airing and you're starting to feel like you have nothing left to watch just remember that summer is here. Yes, sure. You could go outside and actually enjoy the longer days (longest day being June 21st), but just remember Summer Burn Notice is here and really, that's the best Burn Notice.

It's basically not summer if I can't have Psych, Burn Notice and Royal Pains. Oh USA, you make summer awesome. You and bikini's. I don't even care that Monk is over because I never cared for Monk. It was dead weight to me and while it's true that Burn Notice is shallow, it's still entertaining. It's really the perfect popcorn show and for summer time, that fits the need perfectly.



So yes, I'm so excited that I'm sure Michael Westin is happy to dance for the occasion. So why don't you join me and take in the awesomeness that is Burn Notice. It's really the show that highlights how fun and enjoyable USA can be. And while you already know that season 4 of Burn Notice begins tonight, you may not know that Burn Notice has now been officially renewed for two additional seasons. That's right, you can count on Seasons 5 & 6 appearing on USA in 2011 and 2012!

This means we have more Burn Notice episodes coming up than we've already had aired! Isn't that some amazing news? This also means that the Florida filming department will have at least a couple more years of production to pay for their local workers. This is all even more information to dance about, So can we get a little dance Fiona?



So where are we in the show? In case you missed the marathon that USA was showing all of today and don't know where we last left off on burn notice, it's here:

International fugitive Simon is loose and Michael's on the run from the FBI for his role in Simon’s escape. When Simon confronts Michael and threatens to blow up a Miami Beach hotel, Michael must call on his friends and an old enemy to help him avoid disaster and put Simon back in the dark hole where he belongs.

And so we return to night with Burn Notice: The Prisoner Edition! But you know what, with good news like all this and the excitement that the new season is here, there has to come some bad news along with it.

Fox has decided not to release the third season of "Burn Notice" on Blu-ray according to the official press release for the upcoming DVD release on June 1st.

The move isn't surprising. Though one of cable's best reviewed and most popular shows over on the USA Network, the show is shot on Super 16mm (aside from the Miami flyover shots) rather than in HD which accounts for a rather grainy image. As a result the difference in quality between the broadcast SD and HD versions is less noticeable than most other shows.

Fox then shot itself in the foot by releasing a Blu-ray with one of the worst-reviewed video transfers in the format's history and charging $20 more for it over the DVD version. It thus came as no surprise that sales of the Blu-ray proved disappointing.

The show now joins the likes of "Prison Break," "Nip/Tuck," "Damages" and "Rescue Me" which all started to release seasons on Blu-ray and then stopped after poor sales.

It makes sense. I thought that season 2's Blu-ray was pretty piss poor in video quality. I wasn't complaining about the price because I get employee discounts, but still, this does make my collection seem a little odd. I have season 1 on DVD, season 2 on Blu-ray and now season 3 will have to be on DVD as well? Oh well.



I look forward to this new episode wave of episodes. Yes, that's right. 8 episodes. That's how USA works. They order 16 episode seasons and then show 8, take a couple of months of a break and the come back for winter break. They're there when all the other networks abandon us for the vacation time. For that, I thank you USA. You make watching TV a pleasure.

Toy Story 2 Was Ok

Toy Story 2 Was Ok

The story is told like an urban legend at this point. Someone is in the bathroom of some truck stop, seedy bar or even the local high school doing their business on the porcelain seat and you

Stuff like;
For a good time, call 867‒5309
Your momma sucked cocks
Meet here at 1am on May 4th 2010 - if you dare
Steve Holt!

But among those crudely scrolled upon literature is one graffiti you really can't explain. Something so out of nowhere and so non-committal that you'll have to wonder about it.


Toy Story 2 was OK!!

This can't be true, can it? Why would someone be bored enough to tag that against the wall? I mean, it's not cutting edge. It sure as hell doesn't offend anyone. In fact, it's not even much of an opinion. You mean to tell me that Toy Story 2 was just okay? That's it? There's not much passion behind that.

I've seen more emotion put to fast food combo meals. It sounds like something you would tell your friend who just happens to ask if you've ever seen Toy Story. "Yeah, I guess it's alright." so totally nonchalant. But is this really true?



Toy Story was one of those early Pixar films. When they could do no wrong. Well.. that's to say that they still can do no wrong. The film was all about a lost childhood. Or at least the evolution of a person through the toys they cherished and played with and how they could grow apart from them. To say that it was just OK seems like it's underselling the whole concept of it. Just OKAY?!?! JUST OKAY!?!?!?!?!?!?! FUCK, COME ON MAN!!

Well, okay, I guess it is. But it's so much more than just okay. If you're not crying by the end of Toy Story or the end of Toy Story 2, then you're human scum. You have no heart. Your childhood was clearly destroyed by Lucas and you just no longer need a heart, you soulless person.



It's so true that it has become some sort of internet cliche by now. Chances are if you've seen it at a restroom stall in the past year or so it's there because someone else saw something like this on the internet through their friends and they just felt like passing on an internet meme. Of course, this may not actually reflect how they REALLY feel about Toy Story 2. Maybe the dude who said that Toy Story 2 was Ok was just saying that because he felt that Toy Story 2 did not live up to the hype that Toy Story 1 left.

I humbly disagree. Toy Story 2 had Jessie. How could you NOT like a red headed cowgirl? I mean, she was all sorts of rednecked and what not. She had that sass to carry the film alone. And then you had the collector dude. Maybe it's just that I'm used to dealing with those nerdy collector types, but that really made me relate to the whole collectablity factor of your childhood beloved items.



This week also saw the release of Toy Story 1+2 release on Bluray. Which in itself is great news as all the Pixar flicks so far released on Bluray have been amazingly good looking. You know what's also good to do? Save a ton of money and now you can!

This week, well, namely today is your last chance to save major bucks on both of these Bluray dvds. How do you do it? Here's your definitive information on how to save at least $30 bucks on these two films.



First you have to sign up for an account at Disney Movie Rewards. When you log in, input the following two UPC's where it says "Enter Code":

786936294507
786936294521

This will give you access to print a $10 coupon for each Toy Story Blu-Rays. That's $30 total savings when combined with the $10 discount retailers are offering for buying both movies together.

So if you buy at:
-Toys R Us, you pay $14
-Target, you pay $16
-Best Buy, you pay $20



If you want to give it a shot, you can also try using both $5 coupons available here. If you are successful, you will pay $4 at TRU, $6 at Target or $10 at BB. (Note that you are most likely to have success with this at Target since they have a record of accepting multiple coupons, re: Up and Monsters Inc a few months back)

Obviously TRU is the best deal here, and made even better by the fact that you get a voucher for $15 off any other Disney Blu-Ray if you pre-order both TS Blu-Rays. If you decide to use this voucher for The Princess and the Frog, you can also take advantage of two other coupons available for this title - a $10 coupon (expires this Sunday) and a $5 coupon.



But you see, the absolute best case scenario? You get Toy Story, Toy Story 2 and The Princess and the Frog for $4 + tax at Toys R Us. Hey, stranger things have happened. But you know you can at least save a ton of bucks on two films that will make you remember your childhood. This alone should be reason enough to go out to target and try to get these deals.

What are you waiting for? Go out and print them up right now and be a consumer! BUY BUY BUY!!

Ten Years Not Talking About It - Fight Club

Ten Years Not Talking About It - Fight Club

It's a little tough to think that it has actually been ten years since Fight Club was released in theaters, but it has been. And because of that, we now get a shiny blu ray disc for the 10th anniversary.

Much like the DVD release, that mocks you with a fake FBI logo, this Blu ray mocks you with 'Never Been Kissed' DVD menu for enough time that it makes you second guess if there wasn't an error at the printing presses for this blu ray. But don't get to stressed out, it will soon pass and get you to that fight club goodness.

The picture alone is worth the upgrade from DVD to Blu ray. Compare the following images and I dare you to tell me that you aren't noticing the difference enough to pick up this newer version?














And if that wasn't enough to sell you on double dipping, take a look at the extras!

Four commentaries:
• Director David Fincher
• Fincher and actors Brad Pitt, Edward Norton and Helena Bonham Carter
• Novelist Chuck Palahniuk and screenwriter Jim Uhls
• Crew (Alex McDowell, Jeff Cronenweth, Michael Kaplan and Kevin Haug)

Featurettes:
• Flogging Fight Club - Guys Choice Award (9:58 in HD!)
• A Hit in the Ear: Ren Klyce and the Sound Design of Fight Club (5:44 in HD!)
• Insomniac Mode: I Am Jack's Search Index viewing option
• Seven deleted and alternate scenes
• Welcome to Fight Club • Angel Faces Beating • The Crash • Tyler's Goodbye • Work: Production; Visual Effects; On Location Publicity Material • 12 TV spots • Trailers (including the 8 Rules of Fight Club) • 2 PSA's • Promotional and art galleries Internet spots

I don't know about you, but I was all over this. And I suppose some disclosure that I get a pay check from the distribution company for other services, I suppose I'm being biased here, but let's put it this way, for a good couple of years I would toss this movie on in the background while I did my daily stuff. So I have literally seen this film hundreds of times. Never gets old.



The release of this Blu ray got me thinking, why don't we have a project mayhem now? The whole goal of Tyler's plan was to cripple the credit card institutions to give everyone a clean slate. While they were doing it just to fuck with the status quo, you have to stop and think for a second that they have a point. The current economic clement is ripe for a Project Mayhem to come into place and fuck around with the system which, much like our fathers, don't really like us. In fact, they hate us.

Did you see the report that Credit Cards are hiking up rates on your account based on the most bullshit of reasons just so they can sneak it in before the new credit card restriction laws take into effect next year:

If you're one of the millions of Americans holding a credit card, this isn't necessarily news: Credit-card issuers are hiking interest rates, penalties and fees in full force ahead of stringent new laws that take effect in February.

In fact, some 400 credit cards from the nation's 12 largest bank issuers -- accounting for 90% of the $889 billion in outstanding consumer revolving credit in September -- are still using most of the same tactics that the Federal Reserve has called "unfair or deceptive" and that will be outlawed in fewer than four months, according to a new report from the Pew Health Group's Safe Credit Cards Project.

"Until the law takes effect we're seeing that all the major credit-card issuers on the bank side are continuing to engage in these unfair and deceptive practices," said Nick Bourke, project manager of the Safe Credit Card Project. "The numbers of unfair and deceptive practices have grown and in some cases are worse."

If this isn't reason why you shouldn't be sad that after the movie ends that the movie's ending didn't come true, then I don't know what to tell you. There seriously hasn't been a more deserving plan for Project Mayhem.



You can't tell me that with credit card companies increasing your interest rates based on you being a High Risk card holder because you used your card at a bar, that they don't deserve to get blown the fuck away. Much like any Panda that won't fuck to save its species, it deserves to get a bullet placed in between its eyes.

Then you have Goldman Sachs.. if that name alone doesn't want you to hit someone as hard as you can, then I don't think you've been paying much attention to the news and our current economic situation. But it seems that they're trying to better their image. As you see, they're giving back $500 Million and Apology from Goldman Sachs.

How much good will can an apology — and half a billion dollars — buy? A lot, Goldman Sachs is hoping.

A little more than a week after Goldman’s chairman and chief executive drew fire for saying the Wall Street giant was “doing God’s work,” the bank said Tuesday that it would spend $500 million — or about 3 percent of the $16.7 billion it has so far set aside to pay its employees this year — to help thousands of small businesses recover from the recession.

At the same time, the executive, Lloyd C. Blankfein, also showed a bit of humility, acknowledging at a conference in New York that Goldman had made mistakes, and that it was sorry. “We participated in things that were clearly wrong and have reason to regret,” he said. “We apologize.”

It was the clearest public statement of regret yet from Goldman, and a few hours later, as if to underscore that apology, the bank said that it was working with its largest shareholder, the billionaire investor Warren E. Buffett, to help 10,000 small businesses. The bank will offer them business and management education, mentoring and access to capital.

Oh, so in order to retain the top, top talent here at Goldman, we are required to pay them scads of money. I assure you, these are top men, who we have had for years now. Some of them led the way in creating innovative investment products in 2002 through 2007!

So this is the fabled Trickle Down Economics I've been looking for all these years.. Don't they know, you just have to give main street a dollar or two and then they'll shut up. They get so agitated if you try to ignore them.



It's no doubt that bailing them out we litterally accomplished nothing. Not because of their own greed, but because there was really nothin to accomplish by doing so. Maybe a ton of rich people would have lost a lot of money. That's about it.

there's still this news story that just makes you want to blow these folks up with their own fat:

(Reuters) New York: Having inoculated its employees with H1N1 vaccine dosages usurped from pregnant women and children, Goldman Sachs has increased its vigilance against the contagious virus by banning employee contact with spare change.

An internal memo outlines steps staff should take to avoid becoming ill, starting with the eradication of the potentially infected currency that may have lodged itself under the seats of their automobiles. The hazardous materials are being collected and sent to Small Business for disposal.

The memo also advised employees to "resist the urge to open your own car door; let your driver do it."

Yes. I mean, seriously.. what the fuck is that shit? It sort of makes me think that my Ikea shopping days weren't anything to be ashamed for when you have people like this who can't handle pocket change or opening their doors.

Are these men procreating? How much of a good father figure will they be if they can't teach the basics, such as opening a door without fear to their children? I suppose they are. Let's take a look at people like this total douche bag

SILVER SPRING, Md. -- Paul Joegriner hasn't worked since March 2008, when he was laid off from his $200,000-a-year job as chief executive officer of a small bank. But you wouldn't know it by appearances.

His wife, Marzena, shuttles their two young children to private school every morning. The family recently vacationed in Virginia Beach, Va., and likes to dine on Porterhouse steaks. Since losing his job, Mr. Joegriner, 44 years old, has had several offers. He's turned each down in hopes of landing a position comparable to what he held before.

The family's lifestyle over the past year and a half has been propped up by a $200,000 severance package and another $100,000 in savings -- funds the family has burned through rapidly. By Mr. Joegriner's own calculations, the family will be out of money in six months if he doesn't find work.

"It will be D-Day," he says. "But on the outside, no one has any idea that we're in trouble."

Mr. Joegriner is a member of what might be called the severance economy -- unemployed Americans who use severance pay and savings to maintain their lifestyles. Many lost their jobs in 2007 and 2008, and thought they'd soon find work. Now, they're getting desperate. Last week, lawmakers passed a bill extending unemployment benefits up to 20 weeks. Unemployment benefits, which typically last about 26 weeks, were expected to run out for 1.3 million people by the end of the year, according to the National Employment Law Project.

All of this is happening as the long-term jobless rate hits its highest point on record. More than a third of those who are out of work have been looking for more than six months, making this category of unemployed the biggest since the Bureau of Labor Statistics began tracking it in 1948.

Overall, companies have been eliminating or trimming severance packages. For those who do receive severance, the median pay allotted is 12.5 weeks' salary, down from 21.8 weeks a decade ago, according to outplacement firm Challenger, Gray & Christmas

Awww. poor guy. He has to get his coffee at 7-11.. such a terrible heartbreaking story for the poor suited man... Let's take a look at some of the quotes again:

"Since losing his job, Mr. Joegriner, 44 years old, has had several offers. He's turned each down in hopes of landing a position comparable to what he held before."

How about this gem

Rough times have even moved him to contemplate seasonal employment this winter, "a stopgap job," while he continues his executive job search. "Maybe something at night stocking shelves," he says. "That way people wouldn't have to see me."

He should try dumpster diving.

he should sell his kids into prostitution, at least his dignity will be saved and he won't have to... ugh... stock shelves.

CFO!? BUT THAT'S LIKE BEING A -bag boy- AT THE GROCERY STORE!

"There is an end date when that severance is going to run out," says Ellen Turf, chief executive of the National Association of Personal Financial Advisors. "At that point, the only life preserver is unemployment or getting another job....It's an awful situation."

Fuck off with your life preserver and your summer home and strine green stripe paterns, I say never be complete, I say stop being perfect, I say let.. lets evolve, le the chips fall where they may. Only after disaster can we be resurrected.

the kids still go to private school -- for now..

Oh dear god. Wont someone think of the children? FUCK THE CHILDREN. Let them go to public school and actually get a real world education. Let them learn by the edge of the shank that they shouldn't be privileged brats expecting the world at their finer tips and that they need to work hard, tooth and nail, to dig themselves out of the shit false luxury life that you painted in their pretty little brains and continue to do so by not living within your god damn means.

Here's the quote that I got from the piece of shit douche bag:

"I've got two kids to feed man, I can't take the risk of working at a place that isn't going to cut me a fat check and send me on my merry way after they catch me getting a blow job from Big Sally from accounts receivable in the company car."

Doesn't he realize that McDonalds is hiring. Hell, they just opened one in Gitmo that they are looking for a manager to run it

MIAMI - Out of work and willing to relocate? McDonald's is advertising for an assistant manager for its sole franchise in Cuba - serving up burgers and fries that sometimes feed detainees at the prison camps at Guantanamo Bay.

The help wanted ad popped up recently at the McVirginia.com careers Web site featuring the Golden Arches, a headline "Find a Career (at) McDonald's" and this enticement: "Enjoy the perks."

It didn't specify salary but said, "Candidates must have restaurant management experience, possess a valid United States passport and be willing to relocate to Cuba."

Other incentives include half your rent paid and, potentially, tax-free status for year-round residents.

So this douche bag surly deserves a Tyler Durden gun placed in his privileged $300k face. With a gun barrel between your teeth, you speak only in vowels. I'm sure this pussy will still be bitching about having only a 300k severance check.



I realize the economy is in the shitter right now, but that's certainly no reason to bullshit your life away doing the every day same ol' bullshit. How about bettering yourself. In some cases it's giving you a reason to go out and find a new job. In others it's going out and getting a better education so you can be in a place you want to be with an education you can be proud of. You have to ask yourself, ARE YOU DOING WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO IN LIFE?

For most people the answer is NO.

In these times when you're forced to sink or swim you have to slap your face and realize that this is your one chance. Without a job that cut you back, you have the ability to go for something else or, like this asshole, just sit on your ass and pass blame on everything else.

This asshole is now running out of money. Instead of living some luxury life in the status quo that he was, he should have been working to improve himself. What ends up happening though is that only when he's so close to the edge that he's about to fall does he start appreciating what he actually had. All those little things. And even then, he doesn't humble himself to take a lower paying job or sacrifice and take those out of state jobs. FUCK HIM. If this was a situation from Fight Club, they would have painted the walls read with his blood.



Like a monkey, ready to be shot into space. Space monkey! Ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. This douche was not one of them. He is not a unique snow flake. He is the same decaying organic matter as everything else. Only, the others are actually trying to improve their life. They go out and get education or just get another job to make the ends meet. For them, Tomorrow will be the most beautiful day of their lfie. Their breakfast will taste better than any meal they ever had and it's all because they are actually pushed and react to the changes and grow as people.

We are here 10 years later and by all means, Planet Starbucks has not come to pass thankfully. But the lessons and rebellious spirit that was planted in Fight Club towards society has only grown more every day when seeing these stories. Pick up a copy of the Wall Street Journal if you want to literally get filled with rage towards those who let the things they own, end up owning them.



I see in fight club the strongest and smartest men who've ever lived. I see all this potential, and I see squandering. god damn it, an entire generation pumping gas, waiting tables; slaves with white collars. Advertising has us chasing cars and clothes, working jobs we hate so we can buy shit we don't need. We're the middle children of history, man. No purpose or place. We have no Great War. No Great Depression. Our Great War's a spiritual war... and I wouldn't count that lame "war on terror" bullshit as one. Our Great Depression is our lives.... and our economy. We've all been raised on television to believe that one day we'd all be millionaires, and movie gods, and rock stars. But we won't. And we're slowly learning that fact.

And with that, I just did about four pieces into one really long blog. So how about you go out and buy Fight Club on Bluray and get that inner pissed off spirit again so we can finally make some god damn changes with our society. It's been clear that we've been towing the company line for far too long now.