Author Archive
Like Marvel? Have a Notebook, iPhone, iPod? Then check these out…
by Andrea on Mar.04, 2010, under Gadgets & Gear
While doing my morning web browsing, I came across a site that makes custom skins and covers for various techie devices that I thought I ‘d share with MTR’s illustrious readers…
The company is called GelaSkins (check out http://www.gelaskins.com/). Their newest collaboration is with Marvel — and they have made some pretty cool things to stick on your stuff. Who wouldn’t want Spidey to save their phone from unsightly scratches??
In addition to Marvel, they also have some stuff from Metal Gear Solid 4 (although that’s just for the iPod Touch and iPhone) and a Dark Horse Comics Collection, which includes the Dark Horse logo, Hellboy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Tim Burton’s Tragic Toys for Girls and Boys, amongst some others.
The best part — they use 3M “technology” for easy application and removal of the skins, so for klutzes like me, it may actually look good when I’m done.
Prices range from $14.95 for iPods and iPhones, $19.95 for Netbooks and $29.95 for most laptops and notebooks. Not every piece of artwork is available on every device though, so you need to see what they have.
Check some of them out below and hit up the Gelaskins’ website for the rest…
Click an image to enlarge
Smallville Absolute Justice — how was it?
by Andrea on Feb.09, 2010, under TV, TV Show Reviews
After weeks of story bits, some photos and a few not-so revealing promos, we finally got to watch Smallville’s two hour Absolute Justice episode. Here’s the recap.
We start off the episode with a baddie picking off old members of Justice Society of America. We see Chloe walking outside, leaving Clark a voicemail, when suddenly all the power in the area goes out. Chloe looks around and sees something glowing with electricity. Running over (because why would you run the other way), she finds a man wielding an energy rod. He introduces himself as Sylvester Pemberton (hello Star-Spangled Kid) and says that they’re both trying to put a team together. He knows all about Watchtower and notes that his friends did something like it first. While talking, Pemberton spidey-senses something bad and throws Chloe into a dumpster. He is attacked and ends up killed by someone that can shoot giant icicles. At the hospital, Clark meets a heartbroken Courtney Whitmore (aka Stargirl). Seeing his press pass, she refuses to speak to him as he tries to help her.
Never the one to not be a super sleuth,Chloe embarks on the path to digging up the truth about Pemberton, who, according to his arrest records that Clark later gets a hold of, was part of a gang of criminals. (We find out via an old highlight reel of footage these 12 people really didn’t do “criminal” things). Chloe had gotten a hold of Pemberton’s cellphone call log at the hospital, and they decide after seeing the footage and reviewing the log that they need to find a man named Wesley Dodds (aka Sandman). As it goes, by the time Clark gets to his home, dear Sandman is all holey and cold, and there is the “JSA” moniker scrawled in his blood nearby. Hmmmm, what the hell does JSA mean?? Nobody knows — but they will find out.
Meanwhile, Chloe and Oliver have tracked down one of the remaining criminals, Carter Hall (Hawkman). Clark goes to visit Hall, and we find out he is the keeper of a shut-down museum whose contents are bathed in sheets. We also find out he keeps a close eye on a crazy, mentally nutso Dr. Kent Nelson (Dr. Fate), (For observational purposes, let’s point out he keeps the Nabu mask in a bowling bag. I don’t know if this is always the case, but it’s odd.) Hall denies talking to either of the dead men, and says he refused Pemberton’s calls. Clark uses his x-ray vision on said bowling bag and sees a golden helmet inside. It turns on its own and faces Clark — eek. Carter tells Clark they have nothing more to say and Clark leaves. Once he’s gone, Nelson tells Carter that the voices want to help, but Carter says that they’ll have to help themselves. He clearly doesn’t want to be a hero again.
Oliver discovers that Pemberton’s energy rod is missing. He spots Courtney walking down the street, carrying the rod. He approaches her and wants the rod. She points it at him, but Oliver remonds her that two men have died and demands some answers. Nelson arrives out of nowhere and triggers the rod, saying they help themselves. Bam! Nelson and Courtney have disappeared.
Oliver gets Chloe and they track down Pemberton’s car from the parking tickets filed against it (that darn Chloe is crafty). Inside the old car, we see it is labeled “Star Rocket Racer.” They find his journal, which has intel on all of their real identities. Chloe figures that Courtney knows who they are as well. Back at the museum, we see Carter, Nelson and Courtney. Stargirl insists that they know who the killer is, and that they have to do something. Dodds and Pemberton are dead, and Carter needs to stop being emo and lead them again. She says she will go to another team if she has to, but Carter calls them amateurs. As Carter walks away, Courtney asks him what Shiera (his wife) would have done, which causes Carter to stop and think for a minute. He then reveals his funny Hawkman costume and mace, and goads Nelson into putting on the Nabu mask once again. This creates Dr. Fate’s insta-costume. I think Dr. Fate looked the best out of all of them.
Dr. Fate tracks down Chloe and Clark at the hospital morgue, where they are checking out the frost-bitten body of Sandman. Dr. Fate tells Chloe that her fate is much like his own. Huh? Like Dr. Fate, Chloe can see what everyone else is doing (as Watchtower, anyway) but her own fate, like his, is obscured. When Dr. Fate looks at Clark, he sees the Superman cape. (Woohoo!) He superhero-travels Clark back to the museum. When he comes to, Clark uncovers all the displays, revealing a that the museum was a front for the JSA Headquarters. It is filled with weapons, trinkets, and costumes. Showcases hold things like boxing gloves, a green lantern, a helmet with the wings of Mercury, a belt marked “Fair Play,” an hourglass, and various weaponry. Another case holds a woman’s hawk mask, cracked on the top. Clark recognizes the Last Supper portrait as the people in the files/reel he had looked at. Wow — these were not criminals, but heroes who were arrested and discredited in the public eye long ago!! GASP!
Whils Clark is poking around, in flies Hawkman. Doc Fate and Stargirl arrive next, and Dr. Fate says that Clark is very important, and different from the others. Hawkman doesn’t understand why. Stargirl explains that the Star Spangled Kid wanted to bring together the old and new heroes into a new team. Awkward tension. Green Arrow arrives, firing an arrow into the portrait of the JSA. Green Arrow says that the JSA are nothing but criminals. He and Christian-Bale Batman-voiced Hawkman are immediately at each other’s throats, and (yay) John Jones arrives and asks for everyone to work together peacefully. Clark warns that they’re not going anywhere as long as there is a killer on the loose.
Oh yeah - back to that killer-at-large. We find out that our frostbitten culprit is Cameron Mahkent, son of the comatose Joar Mahkent, known as Icicle. This whiney kid wants revenge because the JSA is responsible for his father’s condition. He has been recruited by Agent Amanda Waller — of an organization known as “Checkmate”. She’s the one who’s hunting down the former JSA members and using this dope as her pawn.
We also finally see Lois, who receives a package containing all the JSA’s criminal records, with a note that reads “The truth shall set you free.” (Note: Tess Mercer is also interested in this package.)
Back at the museum, Dr. Fate talks with Clark and explains that he sees everyone’s fate except for his own, and that seeing Clark’s future has given him hope. Clark will lead the new generation of heroes, like Hawkman led the JSA. When Clark notes that the Legion spoke similarly about his fate, Dr. Fate gives him some specifics and says he will one day triumph over Lex Luthor (wait — isn’t he dead?) He says Clark will help everyone embrace a new age. Lois then arrives at the museum, Clark runs away, and Dr. Fate lets her in. He greets her and Lois says that she’s looking for Carter Hall. He tells her that he knows her fate. He blabs about her being important to the “savior” and “the sentient power.” They will need each other. Okay, fine.
Looking for Icicle, John and Dr. Fate check out a nitrogen storage facility, since, after all that murder, the little cold bastard need to replenish his A/C reserve. When they sense him near, Fate sends John out into the abyss, revealing for a split second his true green Manhunter form. This also gives John his powers back. Surprise, surprise — Icicle then kills Dr. Fate, and takes the gloden helmet. Wow, the JSA are dropping like flies huh?
Back at The Daily Planet, Lois is going through old files. Amanda Waller comes up behind her and says that they’re classified files, and she left them for Lois. Lois wonders why she was chosen, and Waller says that Lois is good at being nosy and “embracing the truth”. She hands Lois a fancy-schmancy cell phone with a chess motif and says that they’ll be in touch. We also see that Waller also has some kind of history with Tess, as we see a sign of“Checkmate”- a White Queen chess piece - left on Tess’s desk. Ooooooo foreshadowy.
Icicle goes to see his comatose father and says that Doc Fate’s helmet will help him finish off the other heroes. He then takes his father’s hand, says that he’s ready, and then pulls the plug on his father’s respirator. Nice. Icicle jerkoff puts on the helmet, which glows red. Uh-oh.
Heartfelt conversation between Green Arrow and Hawkman about his wife, connections, love, friends, etc. They fly to the Watchtower where Chloe is, and in comes Clark and Stargirl. Blah blah blah — here is Icicle — ready to deep freeze everyone. Here comes the fight we have been waiting 2 hours and 35 minutes for. Icicle suspends Chloe within a choke-slamy ice field. All our heroes attack in a semi-cool barrage of comic fighting skills, but Fate’s helmet protects the blue shitbag against the brunt of them. Hawkman knocks him down, but Icicle throws out a blast that sends the good guys flying. F-A-I-L. He faces off with Stargirl, but Manhunter saves her by deflecting the next ice blast using his recovered powers. The heroes close in and Hawkman smashes the helmet loose with his mace, and we see him laying on the floor like there should be a chalk outline around him. Kind of a lame-o finish to the fight.
We then have all the heart-t0-heart talks at the end of the episode, which I really don’t care too much about. Yada. Yada. Yada. Clark should trust his team, they will make mistakes, keep trying. He does say that if Clark overcomes his own chains, he’ll soar higher than any of them. (Yes Clark — can you just fly already!!!) Chloe, Manhunter and Oliver have a cute family-type moment and go out for dinner.
Back at the Planet, another cute Lois-Clark moment where Lois tells Clark about her conversation with Dr. Fate. Clark asks if she believes in fate, and Lois says she believes in the fate you make happen. Nice.
Waller has somehow gotten Icicle, who is now holed up in a heated room. That must hurt. Conversation ensues, and she thanks him for bringing the JSA back into the spotlight. Waller tells him that he’s done what she needed him to do, as she’ll need the assembled heroes to survive the coming apocolypse (or should I write Apokolips.…Darkseid foreshadowing maybe? Just throwing it out there). Waller then shoots him dead, saying “Welcome to the Suicide Squad”. As she leaves the room, we see none other than Tess Mercer — in a suit bearing a ID tag much like Waller’s. Hello, Agent Mercer. Hmmm.…..
All in all, Absolute Justice was a nice way of bringing everyone together. I found it a little long, maybe since I am used to 44 minutes at a time. The costumes were a little campy, as was Hawkman’s flying. I did enjoy the banter between Hawkman and Green Arrow though. Stargirl’s mask was terrible - it looked like playdough stuck to her face.
Good news though: “Absolute Justice” attracted almost 2.8 million viewers, Smallville’s largest audience of the season. It also gave The CW its best Friday night in more than a year.
What do you guys think? Was this worth such a long “movie”? Leave comments below…
Supernatural: Where and when to catch up…
by Andrea on Feb.09, 2010, under TV
A while back, I wrote a post about one of my favorite shows, Supernatural, and why you should be watching it. I just came across a tidbit of information that I figured I’d pass along to those who are not yet caught up with this fantastic series (although I hope that my prodding made you Netflix or run out and get the DVD’s already).
TNT is now running old episodes every Monday through Friday at10 AM EST. So, eat your cereal with a side of Winchesters, or, set that DVR and catch up with Dean and Sam at a better time for you.
Additionally, TNT is broadcasting a Supernatural marathon on President’s Day, Monday, February 15th, from 10am-7pm. This marathon is ten of the best episodes back to back.
This is the episode title list for the marathon: “Tall Tales”, “Hollywood Babylon”, “Folsom Prision Blues”, “Bad Day at Black Rock”, “Mystery Spot”, “Monster Movie”, “Yellow Fever”, “Criss Angel is a Douchebag”, “After School Special”, and “The Monster at the End of the Book”.
There are all good eposides, but I really liked “Mystery Spot”, “Yellow Fever” and “The Monster at the End of the Book”.
So again, add this show to your “Must Watch TV List”. You won’t be disappointed. Perhaps more incentive — Supernatural recently won a People’s Choice Award for “Favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy Show.
More Smallville photos for upcoming Absolute Justice
by Andrea on Feb.03, 2010, under TV
All photos are courtesy of Smallville’s Facebook page.
Smallville: Absolute Justice — New Trailer
by Andrea on Jan.28, 2010, under TV
As MTR’s resident TV wondergirl, I have been keeping you all up to date on the fastly approaching Smallville movie event. Today, I have a new trailer for you, which brings back J’onn J’onzz (Martian Manhunter) and Green Arrow, and features Hawkman, StarGirl and Doctor Fate.
Are you going to watch or set your DVR’s? Feast your eyes on the trailer and comment:
My Take On: Blue Mountain State
by Andrea on Jan.19, 2010, under TV, TV Show Reviews
As a woman, I pride myself on being able to hang “with the boys” in regards to my ability to watch stuff most girls won’t even consider. So, in keeping up with this, I decided to watch the premiere of Spike TV’s newest comedy “Blue Mountain State”. About five minutes in, all I could muster was “Wow”. I immediately likened it to the “Van Wilder” movies or “Varsity Blues” on crack. This show takes every college TV show and movie you have ever seen and bundles it into one half hour of nonstop sex, drinking and football. (I assume I have your attention now?)
Before I begin, a little background for those of you who live under a rock and haven’t seen Spike’s heavy promotion for Blue Mountain State. BMS follows three college freshmen who attend Blue Mountain State College. Two of the three are on the BMS football team ”The Goats” — Alex (Darin Brooks) and Craig (Sam Jones III, you may remember him as Pete from Smallville). Rounding out the three is the trusty sidekick/Alex’s BFF Sammy (Romanski) whose goal is to become the Goat’s mascot.
The show revolves around these guys adapting to college life while juggling football, (mostly) naked girls, team hazing and maybe (at some point) classes. We quickly meet some of the supporting characters, most importantly:
Team Captain and Linebacker Thad (Alan Ritchson): the oddest character on this show, and I cannot wait to see where they are going with him. He heads the hazing rituals, which is all “pretty gay” and is obviously the lead bad guy to our three newbies.
Craig’s gold-digging “B” of a girlfriend Denise (Gabrielle Dennis): easily the most annoying character to me, as you will all probably agree after watching. As her main goal is to get Craig to the NFL (to get that money, money, yeah, yeah), she has a no-sex policy with Craig, as “all the testosterone makes him play better.”
We also meet Coach Marty Daniels (Ed Marinaro) quickly, and he seems to have good one-liners that will be funny additions to the show. I wanted to see more of him, as the coaches usually have some of the best material in these kinds of shows.
Ok, now onto the short recap. We got two back to back episodes to sink our teeth into (or maybe I should say fingers – more later.) Episode 101 was entitled “It’s Called Hazing, Look It Up”. In this episode, we meet the characters and get to watch some funny hazing that includes shaving other teammates’ asses, and holding a book of teammates’ secrets without losing it under penalty of ass-whopping, and a Cookie Race – I won’t spoil that.
Episode 102 is called “Promise Ring”. When Craig loses the promise ring Denise gave him during a night out at a strip club, he goes on a hilarious search to find the ring, which he believes he lost in (yes, not a typo) a stripper before she learns that he lost it. Much hilarity ensues, and it culminates with a not-so-subtle “break-in”. I won’t ruin that either.
All in all, the show is a little over-the-top in terms of debauchery, but it is cable TV after all. While funny, there are some things I can live without personally, but I am sure a lot of you will love it just the way it is. I will probably give it a few more episodes before making a final judgment.
Side Note – I also really like the BMS theme song, which is ‘Hell Yeah’ by Rev Theory.
For now: here are some quotes to get you interested:
Coach Daniels: “Where do we come from? FROM OUR FATHERS BALLS!” “Champions know they came from their father’s balls.”
“Once upon a time, some weak pathetic pussy coined the phrase “Winning isn’t everything”. For most people in most situations, he was right. But I’m not one of those people and THIS is not one of those situations.”
Alex: “Your girlfriend sucks. She introduces you to accounting majors and then gives you shit for drinking a beer?”
“There is no way that girl is a virgin. Virgins don’t go to state college, man. Wake the fuck up!”
“Never date the strippers, you don’t take the painting from the museums”
You can catch Blue Mountain State Tuesdays on Spike TV at 10PM EST. Check your local listings, and find the first two episodes at http://www.spike.com/show/34560
Mid-Season TV Return Dates
by Andrea on Jan.13, 2010, under TV
Being the TV lover that I am, I figured I would share some of our favorite show’s mid-season return dates with you.
Thursday, Jan. 14
Community returns at 8PM on NBC — If you haven’t watched this comedy starring Joel McHale of “The Soup”, I HIGHLY recommend it.
Fringe is back at 9PM on FOX
Sunday, Jan. 17
The new show Human Target premieres at 8PM on FOX — This looks like a pretty cool show. I will definitely be checking it out.
24 has a 4-hour, 2-night premiere that starts at 9PM on FOX
Thursday, Jan. 21 is a big night for me personally — my DVR will be working overtime:
New CW hit show The Vampire Diaries is back at 8PM — Not as much of a chick show as you may think — give it a try.
Both Supernatural (CW) and The Office (NBC) return at 9PM
Burn Notice returns at 10PM on USA
Friday, Jan. 22nd
Smallville returns at 8PM on the CW (Also, the Absolute Justice TV Movie is February 5th.)
Wednesday, Jan. 27th
Psych is back at 10 PM on USA
Tuesday, Feb. 2nd
LOST comes back for it’s final season on at 9PM on ABC
Thursday, March 18th
FlashForward returns at 8 PM on ABC
Tuesday, March 30th
V finally returns at 10 PM on ABC — ABC had given us a few episodes to get into and then yanked it until March — bastards. Can’t wait to get back into it.
Also, perhaps of interest, the Dollhouse Series Finale is January 22nd at 9PM on FOX — I never watched this show, but it had a cult following that said it was good. If you were a part of that cult, I am sure this date is of interest to you.
If there are any other shows you are interested in knowing about, please let me know and I will do my best to get you a date.
Slightly off topic, I have read that things are looking positive for a 10th season of Smallville as well as a 6th season of Supernatural. Let’s see how this pans out, but I would be happy for both.
1st Impression: Smallville — Quick Teaser Promos
by Andrea on Jan.13, 2010, under TV
We are fastly approaching Smallville’s two-part Justice League episode entitled “Absolute Justice”, and the previews are in full swing on The CW. Take a look at what’s in store for our favorite residents of Metropolis…
I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how the Smallville writers pull this off. Anyone else? Catch the “Absolute Justice” episode on Friday, February 5, 2010, but don’t forget, new episodes return prior to that on January 22nd at 8 pm EST.
My Take On: Chuck (and why you should be watching)
by Andrea on Jan.12, 2010, under TV, TV Show Reviews
Oh Josh Schwartz, how I adore you. In 2007, the man behind “The O.C.” and “Gossip Girl” (yeah, yeah, I know) brought us a new show both men and women alike can obsess over. In case you have not yet become a resident of Buy-Moreia, let me give you a reason to change your TV zip code and catch you up.
Title character Chuck Bartowski (played by Zachary Levi) is your average Geek Squad-type guy who unknowingly, on his birthday no less, opens up an email he will never forget. No, I don’t mean that cute surprised kitten or a Happy Birthday e-card. The email contains a message from his Stanford roomie– turned rogue CIA Agent Bryce Larkin. Upon hitting “open”, a Pandora’s Box of US government secrets is dumped into Chuck’s head via some laser beam supercomputer magic. (Let me add that this intel had been stolen by Larkin — hence the “rogue” part.) This database is called “The Intersect” – and now, thanks to Bryce, Chuck IS The Intersect. (The government’s only other copy of the Intersect was destroyed as a result of his thievery. Fail.)
The CIA and NSA learn that Chuck was the last person that Bryce contacted and want the intelligence returned to them, as they are unaware it’s in Chuck’s brain. The CIA sends Agent Sarah Walker (Yvonne Strahovski) to retrieve the Intersect, and the NSA sends Major John Casey (Adam Baldwin) to capture Chuck, as he “knows too much”. The two agents eventually cross paths and discover that Chuck is now the only version of the Intersect. The agencies decide Chuck must be protected at all costs, and assign both Sarah and Casey the task. So, now that Chuck’s brain holds all the cards, he must use the information in his head to help Agents Casey and Walker thwart assassins and terrorists, all while not being killed by the bad guys in the process. Fun times.
Obviously, Chuck-the-Spy (or Charles Carmichael as he likes to call himself on missions) must keep his new job a secret from family and friends, which makes for some funny situations. He continues his job as Nerd Herd Supervisor at the local Buy More (aka TV Best Buy), while Sarah poses as his girlfriend (hello, love interest) and takes a cover job at the Orange Orange next to the Buy More. Fantastically sarcastic Casey reluctantly becomes a part of the Buy More team as his cover. (Since I worked for Best Buy myself, I share his pain.) The basement of the Orange Orange is also their spy base (known as The Castle).
Let me not forget to mention the supporting characters that fill the show like Ellie and Devon, Chuck’s sister and her boyfriend, BFF Morgan, Buy More co-workers Jeffster and Buy More boss Big Mike, amongst others. I can honestly say they make wonderful filler for the rest of the hour, and would be terribly missed. You will end up loving all of them, as they each bring essential elements to the show.
Episodes revolve around various spy missions and the trouble-making blunders Chuck makes. (Hello, he’s not really a spy, what do you expect?)
Chuck is a fresh idea for a show. It has all I want in an hour of TV — comedy, action, drama, wit and sarcasm all bundled up in a nice little package. There is great continuity to the storylines, and the writing is super funny. Guest stars thus far have included: John Laroquette, Chevy Chase, Scott Bakula, Jordana Brewster and Rachel Bilson.
I am not going to give away any twists and turns, so I highly recommend getting the first and second seasons on DVD or Netflix. Chuck is a great show that is steadily gaining popularity, so hopefully it will be around for a long time. So catch up fast and don’t forget to watch the new episodes Monday nights at 8PM EST, so TPTB at NBC keep it on the air.
Update on Smallville’s Justice League goodie…
by Andrea on Nov.18, 2009, under TV
Some of you may have read my earlier post on Smallville’s upcoming 2-part Justice League themed episode. Word is that this is no longer the case — the CW has decided to make it a 2 hour MOVIE!!! The title for the flick?? Smallville: Absolute Justice. (It has a nice ring to it, huh?)
Additionally, the movie will debut yet another character known in the DC Universe — none other than Hawkman (yay)!
The actor that has signed on to play Hawkman is Michael Shanks — some of you may know him from Stargate SG-1, but I know him from his 4-episode arc as Victor on Burn Notice. Check out the first picture of our artificially-winged friend:

Nice pants guy…
FYI - The airdate for Smallville: Absolute Justice has been changed from January 29 , 2010 to February 5, 2010. (Boo.)
Lastly, I have also read that Pam Grier will be joining for multiple episodes playing the wonderfully bad Amanda Waller. (Hmmm..not too sure about that.) Yummy tidbit: Waller was ranked as IGN’s 60th Greatest Comic Book Villain of All Time in 2009. I’d say Grier has some cracked eggs to fill. What do you think??
Credit once again goes to Michael Ausiello for the scoops… http://ausiellofiles.ew.com






























