Weekend events

Greetings:

It's that time again for another update on the weekend activities of the Oshkosh/Appleton areas and all that's in between!

I just want to remind all the Stephenie Meyer fans out there that her vampire love series has been made into the movie, "Twilight," which will be in theaters Nov. 21!

However, Regal Cinemas of Appleton isn't releasing any information on when they will start selling tickets and wouldn't say when they would be. As well as Marcus Theaters who aren't revealing when the showtimes will be for the film when it comes to our area. You can sign up for an alert e-mail as soon as the tickets go on sale by visiting Regal Cinemas Web site. Otherwise, just keep checking the sites to wait for updates!

To watch more trailers and view photos of Twilight, visit their Web site at http://www.twilightthemovie.com/.

Photo from www.geeksofdoom.com.






Thanks for reading! And feel free to leave me comments discussing the book or updates on tickets!

*~* Felicia *~*

Beatles' Music Coming to Video Games

MTV Networks and Harmonix (creators of "Rock Band") are creating a brand new video game, based solely on the Beatles! The game is being described as a "journey" through the band's career, from the Beatles' first album, Please Please Me, to their last, Abbey Road.

According to MonstersandCritics.com, "The game will mark the first time that the Beatles have sanctioned the use of their music in new media. Their songs are not even available over iTunes. The deal was struck after 17 months of negotiation and was supported by Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr as well as the widows of George Harrison and John Lennon".

Specific details on the game itself are being kept hush-hush, but the parties revealed that it is already in development and will be compatible with "Rock Band" instruments.

The game is scheduled to be released in late 2009. Click here to read the press release.

Isn't this exciting!?

~ j.

Comic book writer wants 8 hour Superman

A New Superman?
Comic book writer Mark Millar is pitching his idea for the next Superman movie. According to an article in Empire magazine:

Mark has been working closely with a ‘big-Hollywood action director’ – who he refuses to name at this stage – on a pitch for what he is calling the Magnum Opus of Superman stories. His idea is for an 8-hour saga, split into 3 films to be released a year apart, in a Lord of the Rings fashion. Although several other sources have reported similar conversations with Mark, he went into further detail, fleshing out the story arc a little more.

“It’s gonna be like Michael Corleone in the Godfather films, the entire story from beginning to end, you see where he starts, how he becomes who he becomes, and where that takes him. The Dark Knight showed you can take a comic book property and make a serious film, and I think the studios are ready to listen to bigger ideas now.”

For more, go here. What do you think of this idea?

- Josh

Tune In

So things are looking pretty scary for one of my favorite shows, Pushing Daisies. There's a few internet stories out there warning TV viewers about the possible cancellation of several shows. Pushing Daisies' ratings are down from last season. Here's the article from Entertainment Weekly Along with Pushing Daisies, other shows on ABC are taking a hit as well, including Private Practice and Dirty Sexy Money.

In other TV news, Obama will be airing his 30 minute infomercial tonight on all the major networks, EXCEPT ABC. ABC apparently declined initially, not wanting to break up it's hour long shows. Later they agreed to air the infomercial but the Obama campaign turned ABC down, stating they had already arranged for their airing. So with all the networks tied up tonight perhaps a few thousand will turn to ABC and help out the dwindling numbers. Lets hope so!

Perhaps Pushing Daisies needs a little touch from Ned to bring it back to life!

*Ainsley

Hey Everyone!

Some of you have sent us feedback regarding our posts and layout. We really appreciate your comments (and constructive criticism)! We just want to let you know that we hear you loud and clear and will be making some changes in the next couple of days.

Keep the comments and suggestion coming!

~ j.

Movie Sequels

It seems like sequels are the talk of Hollywood these days - Spiderman 4 and 5, Jurassic Park 4, Iron Man 2, and even another Indiana Jones (there's many more, trust me). It's often hard to top the original, unless it's a movie like as The Dark Knight that blows the first out of the water. I suppose writers think since we're most familiar with those characters, a sequel will sell.

This site lists some sequels announced this year, that it considers silly.

What do you think? Agree or disagree with that list? Or do you have any sequels you've heard that you find silly or want to show support for?

Speaking of sequels, this past weekend had High School Musical 3 and Saw V - movies for audiences that I don't fit into.

Off topic, Watchmen is one of the movies I'm looking forward to next year:

Free Dr. Pepper!

Dr Pepper confirmed that they will uphold their promise to give every American citizen a free soda if Guns N Roses released their eagerly awaited album, Chinese Democracy, before the end of 2008.

The album will be released November 23rd. You can even see a countdown on their page!

"We never thought this day would come," the brand's VP of marketing, Tony Jacobs, said. "But now that it's here all we can say is: The Dr Pepper's on us."

If you want your free soda here's what do to:

Go to DrPepper.com on November 23rd and register for a coupon redeemable for a 20-ounce bottle. Note that the coupon will only be available for the first 24 hours of Chinese Democracy's release!!!

~ j.

Weekend events in your area

So, it's the weekend and you've finished your homework or got out of work a little early, and are now looking for something exciting to do. Well, hello! It's nearly Halloween, which means there are tons of exciting haunted houses to visit!

Here are a few Halloween activities to look forward to in the Appleton/Oshkosh areas:



Two haunted houses in one: A Theater of Lost Souls and A Theater of the Absurd (under black light) will be at the Sunnyview Expo Center, 500 E. County Trunk Y, Oshkosh. These haunted houses are available Oct. 24 to 25, 29 to 31, from 7 to 11:30 p.m. and also on Nov. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. The cost is $13 for one haunted house or $18 for two. Visit their Web site or call (920) 731-8555.



Visit EAA AirVenture Meuseum's Haunted Hangar tours from 5:30 to 9 p.m. Oct. 30 to 31. The cost is free for EAA members and ages 5 and under, or $5 for non-members. Reservations for this event are recommended.

But if you don't want to wait until Oct. 30, you can attend Slightly Haunted Hangar instead on Oct. 25 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for ages 5 and under. The cost is $8.75 for adults, $6.75 for kids and free for children 5 and under.

You can find EAA on U.S. 41 and State 44 in Oshkosh. For more information, please visit their Web site or call (920) 426-6880.


The Grand Opera House, at 100 High Ave. in Oshkosh, will be hosting its third annual Halloween Hauntfest starting at 7 p.m. on Oct. 31. The cost is $8. This event will show the two films, "Little Shop of Horrors" and "Sweeney Todd," followed by a flashlight tour of the old Opera house. Food will also be available for purchase. For more information, visit their Web site or call (866) 964-7263.


The Haunted Woods, at 17 Floral Drive in Kimberly, will open at dusk on Oct. 24 to 26, 29 to 31, and again on Nov. 1. There is no cost, but donations for charity and area sports teams are appreciated. For more information, contact Vicki at (920) 574-6983.


And, of course, the Burial Chamber in Neenah (500 N. Lake St.) starting Oct. 24 to 25, 31 from 7 to 11:30 p.m. and again on Nov. 1 from 7 to 10 p.m. There will be four attractions featured, including Adrenaline Haunted House, Insanity Haunted House, Phobia Haunted Woods and The Last Ride Burial Simulators. All of these events will be offered on all days. The cost is $5 to $12 per attraction with package rates available. For more information on each of the separate attractions, visit their Web site or call (920) 727-4669.



Those are just a few of the haunted houses available around the Fox Cities. For more haunted houses, please visit www.postcrescent.com. Click under Entertainment> Entertainment Home> Guide to Valley's haunted happenings.

Thanks for reading!
*~*Felicia*~*

Happy Haunting!

Blast from the Past

OK, maybe the not so distant past, but guess who's back? Back again? That's right. It's Slim Shady.. or Eminem.. or whatever you call him..

As some of you may already know, after over three years of being out of the limelight Eminem is releasing a new album entitled "Relapse". A release date has not yet been set, but you can listen to one of the singles, "I Need a Relapse" here.

But what you may not know is that he is also speaking out to his fans through a memoir. In The Way I Am, Eminem discusses the depression he faced after the 2006 death of his best friend, Proof, what's next in his life, his past and what's up with his dyed blond hair. The book was released on Tuesday.

While we're at it, the Beastie Boys are also making a comeback. While promoting their Get Out and Vote! tour (dates and locations here), the boys are also working on an album. Group member Adam Horovitz told Billboard magazine what fans can expect:

"We hope to have it out sometime next year. It's a lot of vocals, a lot of words -- very wordy. And it's political, depending on what you call political. You know, if toilet talk and fart jokes are political, which they can be, in that sense yeah, very."

However, don't expect to hear any of the new stuff on the Get Out and Vote! tour. Horovitz said, "It's always weird when you play the new songs that people don't know. Anytime we play new songs, it always seems like a brick."

Are you guys as pumped as I am for these guys to return!?!?! Yeah.. that's what I thought.

~j.

Wednesday Revamped

Notice anything different? Well you should. For starters the design of our blog has been given a facelift leaving it refreshed and revived. No longer will food be a topic of interest, but instead has been replaced by the addictive culture of television. Personally I think it adds to the cohesiveness of our blogging goal, so I hope you enjoy this new change. Don't be afraid of the change, it'll be fun.

So...I really have no time to watch TV shows religiously but I certainly try. Thanks to DVR I'm able to catch up on my favorite shows when I've missed them because of work, school or studying (ick). There are few shows I follow but the ones I do I am obsessed. My top favorites are: The Office, Pushing Daisies, Mad Men and Project Runway (now over).

The Office. Need I saw more? This seriously is my favorite show of all time. I own all the seasons, catch the reruns (occassionally) on TBS and watch it every Thursday night at 8 p.m. If I can't be there to watch, like tomorrow night, I'm sure to find it online or record it ahead of time.

Last week's episodes left me tingling with happiness. If you haven't watched it yet and care not to be spoiled stop reading now.

Michael was disappointed when Jan failed to call him for the birth of her baby girl, Astrid.
Pam and Jim were experiencing some long distance relationship issues including the lack of enthusiasm or understanding of each other's days. Personally, I've been there. I thought it was true how difficult long distant relationships can be. After the initial adjustment that they're gone, you find yourself struggling to keep up with each others lives and feeling a little bit left out of their day-to-day experiences. So the end with them both calling each other at the same time but just seconds of reaching one another, they both leave optimistic messages that they'll overcome whatever rut they've fallen into. Think Pam will give up school and move back to Pennsylvania?

And who wasn't shouting with excitement when Michael FINALLY got over crazy Jan and asked Holly out? I know I was. Jan doesn't want to be with Michael and forbids him from ever dating Holly? Really? Crazy? A bit. Here's the highlight.



The Office is on tonight at 8 p.m. with an all new episode.

To end I leave you with a question and hopefully you all respond. What's your favorite TV show/shows this season?

Movie Mania Tuesdays

Enjoy "Shaun of the Dead" or "Hot Fuzz"? Then you might like reading this article about actor Simon Pegg.

Simon Pegg has started to become one of my favorite actors, especially when he teams up with director Edgar Wright and Nick Frost. They just might be the best comic duo I've seen since Danny Glover and Mel Gibson were in the Leathal Weapons movies. Wright, Pegg, and Frost are working on the third Blood and Icecream movie "The World's End." Maybe after I see that one (and "Paul," the road-trip movie Pegg and Frost are doing, I can make a final decision if they're one of the elite duos.

But enough with my fan ranting. Today the Incredible Hulk comes out on DVD. While it would be my third favorite comic book movie of the summer, it still was a pretty good movie. Better than the 2003 Hulk? Well, I'd need to watch that one again to get a better idea but I'd say the new one is better.

To finish, I'll leave you with a trailer for Valkyrie -

Will this be good or bad for Cruise's career? Feel free to comment.

Time to rehydrate with the Monday Sports Hangover

We're nearing the halfway point of the 2008 NFL season, and only one thing can be proved without a reasonable doubt - this is a truly bizarre season.

I think the main reason for this is the fact that there are a lot of bad teams this year. I mean, a lot. The one remaining undefeated team, the 6-0 Tennessee Titans, have Kerry Collins as their starting quarterback. Kerry Collins. I made fun of the New York Giants eight years ago when they went to the Super Bowl with Kerry Collins as their quarterback. Eight years later he's under center for the best team in the NFL. I will never be able to figure out anything. Ever.

(Of course, I made fun of Vikings fans even more when they lost in the NFC Championship to that Giants team by a score of 41-0, and I still have the Sports Illustrated to commemorate that spectacular occasion. Yet, I digress.)

But the especially weird thing with this season is that even the teams with only 1 or 2 losses thusfar don't even seem to be that good.

The New York Giants are 5-1, but lost to the wildly inconsistent but generally pathetic Cleveland Browns on Monday Night Football last week. Also, I'm still not convinced that Eli Manning is anything more than an above average quarterback with a very good offense.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are 5-1, but already have had their top 2 running backs go down with an injury in addition to injury problems on their offensive line. Any team with a solid pass rush can beat the Steelers.

The Buffalo Bills might be the best 5-1 team, but I have a hard time being impressed by wins against Seattle (absolutely terrible) Jacksonville (too injured to block anyone) Oakland (Enough said.) St. Louis (intriguingly terrible) and San Diego, who was stuck in a trap game on the way to London for next week's matchup against New Orleans.

In addition to this, many preseason favorites such as the Cowboys, Vikings, Patriots, Colts and Jaguars are grossly underperforming and opening the door for teams that might not have thought to be in contention in 2008 such as the Cardinals, Buccaneers, Bears, Falcons and to a certain extent, the Packers.

Just a weird season all around. If anyone can make any sense of this year, I'd like to know.


But speaking of the Packers, how 'bout that win on Sunday!! The Pack took care of business at home against a good team and can go into the bye week with some swagger. That's what playoff teams do. Of course, the Pack somehow have one of the toughest schedules the rest of the way with games against Tennessee, AT Minnesota, Carolina, Chicago (twice) and Jacksonville. I'm including Jax as a tough game for the Packers because a) it's on the road, and I don't trust Rodgers on the road yet and b) any team that can run the ball consistently has a fighting chance against the Pack. Those two things (along with the injury to Big Al Harris) are my biggest problem with the Packers right now. I don't trust Rodgers on the road and I don't trust our run defense. The run defense can be worked on over the bye week, but Rodgers has to step up in big road games (NOT just in Detroit) to be taken seriously by the Green Bay faithful.

As always, comments, questions, links and other random interactive things are not only appreciated, but encouraged.

[Side note: I added a Widget for my favorite sports columnist, ESPN's Sports Guy, Bill Simmons. It will be updated whenever he writes a new column and you can get it right on the Daily Dose. Following sports without reading Simmons' columns is like following politics without watching The Daily Show and The Colbert Report - impossible. Always good for a healthy dose of level-headed American sanity and endless comic relief from this fast-paced insane world of ours. Check it out.]

Time to rehydrate with the Monday Sports Hangover

And just like that, it's all over.

Exactly one week after the most thrilling victory of my life as a Brewer fan, the dream 2008 season came to an abrupt end Sunday afternoon in Miller Park. And to be honest, I knew it was over after the first at-bat when Jimmy Rollins sent Jeff Bleeping Suppan's meatball into the right field seats.

(Quick side note: I'll be FedEx-ing a turd sandwich to the residence of Mr. Suppan, who couldn't have been worse in a do-or-die situation on Sunday. Just a dismal performance from a guy making $10 million per year. At least Eric Gagne was nice enough to donate a ton of money to charity and buy 5,000 tickets for Brewer fans after he stunk up the joint this season. Suppan simply gave away the season in a matter of 3 innings. Is there any way we can cut this guy?)

9 innings later, watching longtime Brewer Geoff Jenkins celebrate with the Phillies on the field at Miller Park was especially devastating.

But it has been said all season that this is a team that lives and dies by the long ball. Clearly, we see now how easily the Crew can be derailed if they aren't hitting home runs. But not only were they not hitting home runs, with the exception of JJ Hardy and Ryan Braun, they couldn't hit much of anything.

However, I don't think you can blame any one player or any managerial decision for losing that series. The young, inexperienced up-and-coming Brewers got beat by the October-tested Phillies, who seemed to have an answer for everything the Crew threw at them. The better team won, and that team was the Philadelphia Phillies. Congratulations to (gulp...) the Phillies and their fans. Good luck trying to stop Manny Ramirez and the LA Dodgers. You'll need it.

Things seem dismal now, but there isn't another team that I would have rather been cheering for with my heart and soul since April. It has been a rollercoaster season, but that sweet taste of October baseball was redemption enough. Over the past few days, I've questioned whether or not its really worth it to follow a baseball team through the 162-game season. Following a baseball team is different from following any other professional sports team. I'd say of the 162 games this year, I've probably watched 80 of them in their entirety, and bits and pieces of at least 40 more. I even got to see a few games at Miller Park, including CC Sabathia's first start against the Rockies. That's a significant chunk of my life over the past six months dedicated to a baseball team, which in retrospect seems a bit silly. But I wouldn't have had it any other way. I love baseball. My family raised me to love baseball. And for the first time since I was pulling for Robin Yount and Paul Molitor in my early years as a Brewer fan, I got to see competitive baseball in September and October. And I'm satisfied with that.

Thanks for the memories, Crew. We'll get back at 'em next year.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Badgers choked away a win at Camp Randall against Ohio State and the Packers improbably lost to a rookie quarterback in Lambeau. Of course, I didn't get to watch the Packer game due to the pure evil of Time Warner and the Fox Valley FOX station, but I'll wait a few days before the anger over that eventually manifests itself once I process the end of this Brewer season. But I will say this, I am genuinely terrified of what Wisconsin residents might do if they can't watch the Packers on Sundays. I wouldn't be surprised if people rioted like it was 1995.

Also, continuing with the Wisconsin Sports Apocalypse of October 5, 2008 - my fantasy football team suffered its first loss of the season.

A FEW QUESTIONS

Should the Brewers bring back interim manager Dale Sveum for next season?

What should be done with dead weight like Bill Hall, Rickie Weeks, Guillermo Mota, David Riske and Jeff Suppan?

Should the Brewers pick up options for Mike Cameron and Salomon Torres?

Are fans dumb enough to believe that CC Sabathia can be signed to a long term deal when deep-pocket teams like the Yankees and Mets missed the playoffs and will probably start a spending spree of epic proportions?

What the hell happened to Corey Hart?


One more thing...

The silver lining on this cloud of a weekend? The Chicago Cubs getting pummeled by the LA Dodgers. At this point, cheering for the Cubs is like supporting the Bush Administration - blind allegiance to miserable, epic failure.

Music, Music and more Music!

Hey everyone! I decided to start out this post with a little nostalgia, courtesy of Rolling Stone.

This week, in 1968, the Top 10 Singles were:

1. The Beatles - "Hey Jude"
2. Jeannie C. Riley - "Harper Valley P.T.A."
3. The Rascals - "People Got to Be Free"
4. Deep Purple - "Hush"
5. The Crazy World of Arthur Brown - "Fire"
6. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 - "The Fool on the Hill"
7. 1910 Fruitgum Company - "1,2,3 Red Light"
8. The Bee Gees - "I've Got to Get a Message to You"
9. The O'Kaysions - "Girl Watcher"
10. Clarence Carter - "Slip Away"

And this week, in 1988, the Top 10 Albums were:

1. Guns n' Roses - Appetite for Destruction
2. Def Leppard - Hysteria
3. Tracy Chapman - Tracy Chapman
4. Cocktail - Soundtrack
5. Steve Winwood - Roll With It
6. D.J. Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince - He's the D.J., I'm the Rapper
7. George Michael - Faith
8. Bobby McFerrin - Simple Pleasures
9. INXS - Kick
10. Van Halen - OU812

Now who misses the '80's!? If those CD's don't impress you, maybe some of the new releases coming out October 7th will. Rise Against will release Appeal to Reason, Michelle Williams is back with Unexpected and Sarah McLachlan is releaseing a Best Of album entitled Closer. Perhaps the biggest release will be Oasis with Dig Out Your Soul. The UK Times Online had this to say about the album:

"A sensational opening volley of new Noel Gallagher songs establishes a standard it can’t quite sustain. But for the main part, Oasis’s first album in over three years comes close".

Click here to read a review of each song.

After their split in 2004, Phish is reuniting in March for a three-night run at the Hampton Coliseum in Virginia. They will preform March 6-8. This will be their first gig since their farewell show in Coventry, Vermont, over four years ago! According to their web site, there will be additional touring activity from guitarist/vocalist Trey Anastasio, bassist Mike Gordon, keyboardist Page McConnell and drummer Jon Fishman throughout 2009.

Finally, Fall Out Boy will release their fifth album, Folie a Deux, on November 4th. This is the same day as the U.S. presidential election! Check out the video for their first single from the album:



Thoughts??

~j.

p.s. - GO BREWERS!!

Brewer Beer Dip

Now that the Brewers are playing their first playoff game today, I thought I'd give you an easy and cheap recipe that will be tasty to eat while watching the game. Of course this recipe is great to take to parties too so even if you're not a Brewers fan you can enjoy this tasty dip!

Beer Dip
Yields: 3-1/2 cups
Ingredients:
2 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese softened
1/3 cup beer or non-alcoholic beer
1 envelope package of ranch salad dressing mix, like Hidden Valley Ranch (it's in powder form)
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded cheddar cheese
Pretzels or crackers (pretzels are best)

In a large mixing bowl combine cream cheese, beer and ranch mix. Beat until smooth and creamy. Stir in cheese.

Serve with pretzels!

It's easy, cheap and best of all delicious! Enjoy this at parties or at home!

GO BREWERS!