Michael's Most Awesome Blog of Doom

Grammy Roundup.

2010-01-31T23:28:00.001-05:00

As I don't feel like writing a review this is all the tweets i made tonight about the grammys.

1. Is it me or does it look like Taylor Swift has security up there guarding her from a potential Kanye visit? 4 minutes ago from web
2. And the best album of the year is. . . . .Taylor Swift. Let's hope Kanye's not here tonight to ruin that too. 6 minutes ago from web
3. Is Target sponsering the Grammy's? I've seen several Target commercials now... 10 minutes ago from web
4. Eminem just got DISSED. Wayne only hi-fived/hugged Drake. xD 12 minutes ago from web
5. Oh look at all the Teenage girls screaming at the song we can barely hear through all the censoring. 13 minutes ago from web
6. Why does it always censor right when Travis Barker is drumming onscreen? 14 minutes ago from web
7. Epic drums that was nvr heard by Grammy audiences was just done by Travis Barker Stupid rappers and their cussing I missed awesome drumming. 15 minutes ago from web
8. Eminem's the only good one on that stage. Drake and Wayne suck 17 minutes ago from web
9. God Lil Wayne stop cussing, my TV keeps silencing itself. I thought he was in jail anyway... 18 minutes ago from web
10. I feel sorry for the Blink 182 drummer who has to play with these two crap rap performers. 18 minutes ago from web
11. How many lifetime achievement awards are they giving out tonight? 20 minutes ago from web
12. That was one of the two best performances. Green Day wins though. 24 minutes ago from web
13. What on the wide green earth is going on on that stage. It's kinda catchy though. 27 minutes ago from web
14. or the Rev 28 minutes ago from web
15. RIP Les Paul. And wow they didn't show MJ. 29 minutes ago from web
16. In memorium time. You know who will be the last one up there. 31 minutes ago from web
17. Ask me anything http://formspring.me/mcj545 37 minutes ago from formspring.me
18. Ugh Maxwell. Overrated. 37 minutes ago from web
19. I love Spring Awakening. Lea Michelle is a good singer. Just saying. No. Pink deserved that award. Not Beyonce. 44 minutes ago from web
20. Staples center will never be the same ,, with Billie jumping and the Jackson kids selling 300,000 DVDs for their dad about 1 hour ago from web
21. Yuck, Dave Matthews Band are singing now. I dislike them. Highly. about 1 hour ago from web
22. "Mike P. stand strong in jail. 2 more years we'll get that burger king!" - Adam Sandler. about 1 hour ago from web
23. Adam, it's not Casual dress, hahaha about 1 hour ago from web
24. Ooh Adam Sandler's on now. about 1 hour ago from web
25. I guess this is an alright performance. about 1 hour ago from web
26. So he's singing Bridge Over Troubled Water in Cray? Well at least Andrea Bocelli is good. about 1 hour ago from web
27. Nooooo not the Haiti song! Ugh...i feel bad for them, but again sick of hearing about it. And to top it off, the song's not even in English. about 1 hour ago from web
28. I'm on a Boat should have won. not "Run Zis Town" about 1 hour ago from web
29. Hahaha, that little kid was soo cute about 1 hour ago from web
30. "Run Zis Town" I love these guys hahaha about 1 hour ago from web
31. I cannot understand them through their accents... about 1 hour ago from web
32. Ugh, now Bon Jovi are playing Living on a Prayer. I was hoping for It's My Life. about 1 hour ago from web
o Delete
33. Wow Bon Jove were just making a Jennifer Nettles sandwhich. about 1 hour ago from web
34. Bon Jovi sings You Can't Go Home, one of the most overplayed songs... and its still better than the past hour of the Grammy's. about 1 hour ago from web
35. Thank God. Some decent entertainment has taken the stage! We weren't born to follow. about 1 hour ago from web
o Delete
36. Sherryl Crow needs to stick to singing. about 1 hour ago from web
37. To Michael Jackson's daughter. Your part of the speech didn't make any sense. No offence. about 1 hour ago from web
38. Wow, Joe Jonas's glasses look stupid. about 2 hours ago from web
39. Damn, they have his kids up there accepting the award. That pisses me off, objectifying those kids even more. about 2 hours ago from web
40. Thank God that's over. about 2 hours ago from web
41. UGH THIS WORKS BETTER IF ONE HAS THE GLASSES! IM SO SICK OF THIS. about 2 hours ago from web
42. Ugh another Michael Jackson Tribute. This time in 3-D?! What the hell. I'm sick of tributes for him. about 2 hours ago from web
43. AND NOW THEY THEY'RE PLAYING YOU BELONG WITH ME LIKE A FOLK SONG. STEVIE NICKS GET THE FUCK OFF THAT STAGE. about 2 hours ago from web
44. WHY THE HELL IS STEVIE NICKS ON WITH TAYLOR SWIFT. THIS IS SHIT. about 2 hours ago from web
45. Taylor Swift is on. Meh not the biggest fan, better than the Zack Brown band. about 2 hours ago from web
46. Some Old Guy?! As if the Zack Daniels band coudln't get any worse... about 2 hours ago from web
47. Umm not Zack Brown Band again. Why are they destroying American the Beautiful? about 2 hours ago from web
48. YES!!! GREEN DAY JUST WON FOR BEST ROCK ALBUM WOO-HOO! about 2 hours ago from web
49. Billie Joe: "And now I'm gonna go have shots with Kings of Leon". That just made my night. about 2 hours ago from web
50. Wow, Katy Perry and Alice Cooper look eerily simmilar... about 2 hours ago from web
51. Ke dollar sign Ha just came on with the Beiber kid and told us to go vote for shit for Bon Jovi who won't perform for 46 more minutes... about 2 hours ago from web
52. The only reason I'm still listening is because Slash's guitar is amazing underneath the shit Jamie Foxx lyrics. about 2 hours ago from web
53. OK, Jamie Foxx is weird and that opera shit was complete nonsense. Oh and Slash, you're stupid to perform with Jamie Foxx. about 2 hours ago from web
54. UGH Kings of Leon just won for Use Somebody. I like them, but not that song! about 2 hours ago from web
55. Ugh Lady Antebellum has no stage presence. I am absolutely bored watching this. about 2 hours ago from web
56. will.i.am wants to be a hoe... ok then about 3 hours ago from web
o Delete
57. Holy shit Green Day and American Idiot are trending! about 3 hours ago from web
58. GREEN DAY JUST SANG WITH THE AMERICAN IDIOT CAST. IT WAS SOOO GOOD! about 3 hours ago from web
o Delete
59. Stephen Colbert got his iPad, fucking awesome. Love that guy. about 3 hours ago from web
60. It was sooo good. about 3 hours ago from web
61. Elton John and Lady GaGa just MURDERED THE GRAMMYS about 3 hours ago from web

[New Song] When You Want Me To

2009-12-19T22:26:00.001-05:00

This feels like
Riding your bike
For the first time

It's as if
A wish
Finally came true

All my life
I lied
And said I'm alright

And now
I feel somehow
Safe in the night

You were there
When I needed you
You cared
When no one else dared to
But now you're gone
And I feel like I betrayed you
Now I'll be there
When you want me to

The feeling I had
Made me feel glad
For the first time

And now it's gone
Like a bomb
Blew up the dead guy

Where'd you go
I don't know
Why this happened

And now
I feel somehow
Responsible for you

You were there
When I needed you
You cared
When no one else dared to
But now you're gone
And I feel like I betrayed you
Now I'll be there
When you want me to

'Cause you cared
Now I'll care
You're there
And I'm there
You are gone
And I'm gone
To find you

There you are
Sitting at the bar
Crying your eyes out

Here I am
I grab your hand
And kiss you

Your face lights up
It's like a crutch
Had been given to you

I'll hold you tight
Throughout the night
And forever

You were there
When I needed you
You cared
When no one else dared to
But now you're gone
And I feel like I betrayed you
Now I'll be there
When you want me to

An Interview with the Epic John Roecker

2009-10-22T15:40:00.004-04:00

Not much needs to be said except that, for those of you who don’t know, John Roecker is a director who has directed films such as “Live Freaky Die Freaky”, “Disease is Punishment”, and “Heart Like a Hand Grenade”. What follows is an email interview conducted with him.

Me: For starters, if you don't mind Id like to ask you a couple of silly questions.
John: I do mind thank you.

What's the first thing that comes to your mind when I say “Ice Cream Banana Phone’s Single?”
Being molested by a loved one

How many pickled peppers did Peter Piper pick?
I have no idea but I once poked Peter Piper with my prick. There is a sex scandal tape out there somewhere to prove it.

Why did Humpty Dumpty fall off the wall?
Because sometimes talking Eggs that wear crowns can be suicidal just like me and you.

What made Jack and Jill run down the hill?
Liberace with a chainsaw running after them comes to mind. He dies because of a watermelon diet he was on.

Which would you rather eat: a dead skunk or a human eyeball?
Depends if I could skull fuck the socket where the eyeball came from there by making me completely hungry to devour a human eyeball. Oh and if the skunk wants to watch me skull fuck then I would eat him also. I love an audience.

On to some more serious questions, is there any exciting news you'd like to share?
Yes, I have two projects that are coming out that I am very proud of. One is a series for the web and DVD called SVENGALI! Starring Tim Armstrong from RANCID and Mikey Brannon and ME! It is a detective show that will have every one of your orifices dripping with joy. Also I have a short called "They're All Out without you." It is a mini film of scenes cut from my Green Day film. It also stars Mikey Brannon as Jesus of Suburbia and Ashleigh Darkbloom as Whatshername. I am very proud of this and it makes me cry every time I watch it.

What made you want to be a filmmaker?
I always wanted to make films since I was a kid but thought it was impossible. I never had the confidence to make them until later when I lost lots of my friends and I said fuck it I am just going to make films. I never made films that had a home before hand. I just make them and hope they will come out. Looking at all of the thousands of film makers out there I consider myself lucky but if I hear the word "Indie Director" again I am going to vomit.

Are there any directors whose work you respect?
Oh god so many- I usually love directors before they have lots of money and have to use their imagination instead of a large bank roll. Danny Boyle is one of my favorites because each of his films are completely different then his others. I envy that. Not to say that I am a Johnny one note but he is incredible.

What were your favorite movies as a child? And now?
I loved Universal Horror Films. I would stay up all night to watch them the days before cable those movies would only play at 2 in the morning. They would be done when the sun came up and then I would go to school tired but inspired. I guess I always identified with monsters because I always felt like one. Movies I love right now "Martyrs" "The Fall" Perfume Story of a Murderer" once again too many to name but I will say this. Film is the only medium right now that is still going strong. Not so much for music and art.

How has the punk scene changed since you entered it?
Ha! Well, they sell records now. Punk music I thought was never going to be mainstream it seemed impossible so it was just a few chosen misfits that saw these bands play or buy their records. There are only a few new punk bands that I like the rest sounds like pop to me. Kind of like Country music. It is not Country it is Pop so hopefully one day there will be a wave of traditional punk bands that will emerge but I won’t hold my breath.

What gave you the inspiration to make Live Freaky Die Freaky?
I was thinking of doing a film about how people are so easily lead by religion without actually investigating it. It seems people spend more time test driving a car then they do about their faith. So it is basically my view on how religion is evil and can cause more harm then good. And Charlie Manson seemed the perfect way to get my over the top view across.

What was it like working with all the rock stars and Tim Armstrong in Live Freaky Die Freaky?
It is funny I never thought of Tim as a rock star but I guess he is in a way. What I love about Tim is he creates his own completion by helping out other artist. He has done it for so many and myself included words cannot express how much I owe him. And working with the other people was amazing. I look at it this way. Everyone in the film I respect on so many levels and when they were doing the film and loving it was the biggest praise I could get. So it didn't matter if the whole world thought of it as shit they loved it (or they were just saying that because they are afraid of me).

What was it like filming the Network DVD?
That was an amazing a spur of the moment show and shoot. Just got the cameras and shot one of the best shows I have ever seen. Also Warner legal department gave me lots of shit about legal visuals and I replaced them with hidden horrific things that would deem the concert film to be triple X rated. Some clever people have found some of them but Warners has not. It would be pulled from the shelves if they knew.

I know you probably get this question a lot and are sick of hearing it, but is there any chance of Heart like a Hand Grenade getting a DVD release? Is Warner being a pain in this process?
It will come out and I think sooner then later. I have been discussing it with Billie and I think the time is coming. I think with the release of the short is going to help it immensely because they both go together. I am so proud of HLAHG it will make them into legends. When you see them record, write, and perform you just cannot believe a band like this can exist.

Also, there were rumors that a 10th anniversary for American Idiot was being planned and it might include HLAHG. Any comment on that?
I think that is the worst idea I have ever heard. Green Day is not Fleetwood Mac.

On the Green Day related note, what can you tell us about your short “They're All Out Without You”? How closely does it follow the plotline of American Idiot?
Originally HLAHG was going to follow the band and also a couple who meet and fall in love at the same time as the album was being recorded. But it didn't work because of the length of the film. It killed me to cut it but I knew it had to go. So a little while back I discovered the footage and Dean and I cut it in one day and it made perfect sense. This is truly one of the best things I have ever done and like I told Billie no band except Green Day could ever have gotten away with it. Because it is honest and raw statement on love both good and bad. The characters is my interpretation of the people in the album and then some.

Do you think there's the possibility of Green Day ever asking you to direct one of their music videos? What would you say if they did?
No because I am not pretty enough. I would not do a video for them because I have already done what I can with them. If you use the same people things tend to get stale and you need to find fresh blood to get your creative juices going. But I feel fortunate enough to have been the only person to be with them in the studio and I did it for love and not money hear that Mr. Sam Bayer?

When/where did you meet Billie Joe?
God funny Billie and I were talking about that and we could not recall the day. It just seemed like we were both in each other's life and there was no beginning or end. I have a great memory and this amazes me that I do not remember. Funny last night I told Billie never to forget me and he said I would never forget you John I am like an elephant's graveyard. SO I take that as a good thing.

Are you getting sick of being asked questions about Green Day?
No I love the band. They are like my family and will always be part of my life. You have no idea how important my relationship is with Billie Joe. We are still part of each others life and it is a bond cemented in artistic and friendship. It would be like asking me do I get bored of breathing.

Out of any current musicians (by current I mean still making music or touring) which would you like to work with, and why?
White Stripes hands down. Brilliant music look and style. I would have said MUSE last year but that new record is like a pile of shit on an old Queen Record.

Do you have any new projects in the works; aside from “They're All Out Without You”?
Hey I told you Svengali and also a Documentary called Satan goes to Hollywood where my friend Lisa have compiled 300 films dealing with the devil, Satan worship possession, etc. It shows Hollywood's take of the dark side.

Do you have any idea, when, or if, a new Network CD will be out?
When I tell them to. Remember I am still their manager.

And one last question: If you could transport yourself to any time, past or future, what time would it be, and why?
It would be the year 1977 in Los Angeles during the summer and I would be with Mikey Brannon and Harlow Cuadra so I could show them how I lived my life and share it with them.

Thank you for giving up your time and doing this. I wish you all the best of luck with whatever the future holds for you.
Thanks Michael can we cuddle now.

2 Chapters From my Newest Story

2009-10-18T09:06:00.001-04:00

Epic
Chapter 1
Light. A blinding light. That’s all that greeted me when I opened my eyes. This place looked strange and unfamiliar, like something out of a strange child’s story. Pearly white gates with a ticket booth in front of them and a man dressed in all white standing in the booth.

As I stood up, my body seemed to be called to the booth. My brain didn’t want to go, but my body decided it was a great time to ignore the commands from the brain. The man inside the booth smiled at me as I approached him.

“Name?” He asked, looking down at a keyboard.

“I – don’t remember,” I replied, a foolish look emerging on my nervous face.

“I can’t help you if you don’t tell me your name,” The man said looking up. He examined me for a moment, studying my every feature. The exact length of my hair, the amount of inches my nose stuck out, the ridiculous slantedness of my teeth. He examined everything.

“What – what are you doing?” I asked, not quite sure what was going on.

“I was told to look out for you,” He replied, quietly and very solemnly.

“What?”

“Enter.” The man slowly exited the booth. He took me by the wrist and led me to the gate. He pulled a large golden key from inside his white robe. Slowly and carefully he stuck the key into the keyhole. Using all of his force, he turned the key clockwise until a loud click emerged from the lock. It fell to the ground as the man turned to me.

“Once you’re inside, go see the man upstairs,” He whispered to me as he ushered me inside.

The inside of heaven was nothing like I imagined. Sure, I had been fed those ridiculous stories as a kid. “Oh it’s gonna have golden paved roads with anything you could possibly think of. And there’s gonna be angels at every corner, dressed in all white, with long wings and golden halos.” Well to tell you the truth, I never believed in any of that. I just thought heaven would a bleak page of nothingness. Not alive, but not dead, wandering endlessly searching for some hope that was never even there.

Boy was I wrong.

Beyond the gates of pearl was exactly what the stories said. Golden roads, think Wizard of Oz golden. Everything was exactly like the stories were, except for the angels. There were no white robed men with halos. Instead there were men dressed in all black, leather jackets and slacks, leaning against the buildings. Think secret service mixed with a biker and you’ll get the angels.

The angel known as Gabriel made his way down the golden brick road, headed straight towards me. He stood at 6 feet even, had close-cut black hair. His wings stuck out of the leather jacket, folded-up, as if he was getting ready to fly. His face, while happy, looked tough, but fair. He didn’t look like the person you’d want to toy with.

“Ah, you’ve arrived,” He declared, opening his arms, expecting an embrace. It was a strange sight, I’ll admit. A man dressed in a leather jacket, with black slacks, heading towards you and wanting a hug. Not something you see everyday.

“Hi,” I said, unsure of what was going on. “Why is everybody greeting me like this?”

“You don’t know,” Gabriel asked, a puzzled look beginning to creep onto his gorgeous, flaw-free face.

“Know what?” I replied, confused as ever.

“No matter,” Gabriel exclaimed, the smile returning to his face. “You’ll find out soon enough.” He turned away from me. “Now, if you follow me, I’ll show you where to go.” I did as I was told. No use in angering angels. They’ve got to have some influence over the big man; I mean there’s thousands of them, and one of him. I just don’t wanna get banished from heaven so soon.

We followed the path of the golden road for what seemed like miles. On either side of the road, was what seemed like paradise. Every building and store you could possibly think of, houses that were as grand as the most expensive mansions, lined this grandiose street. But what stood in the middle of the “city” put everything else I’d seen today to shame.

A palace, taller than anything I’d ever seen, reaching as far as I could look up, covered with gold. Gabriel led me straight to the front door. It felt as though an aura of awesomeness surrounded the palace. It felt as though something extraordinary was about to happen in this place.

The inside was almost as grand as the outside. I say almost, simply because the lighting of the inside of the palace left something to be desired. But that put aside, the palace would have knocked me over, if I hadn’t known whose palace it was.

Why don’t you take a moment and guess. It’s alright, I’ll wait.

Yes, I was in the palace of the almighty God. You know, the being with the ability to destroy the entire human population with the wave of his hand? To answer your question, yes, I was scared beyond belief. But that didn’t matter, I was seeing him anyway.

Gabriel led me through several maze-like hallways. God does a good job of hiding himself in this palace, although I have no idea why. The central room of the palace brought an amazing amount of light. So amazing that it explains why the rest of the palace has an absence of light.

God was sitting in a large throne in the middle of the room. Directly in front of him was a large television screen. From where I was standing, I couldn’t see what He was watching. God saw Gabriel standing at the edge of the hallway.

“You may enter,” He said in a voice strangely calm for a being as great as He.

Gabriel slowly advanced towards God. He motioned for me to follow him. God stared at me with a smile.

“I see you brought him here,” God said quietly to Gabriel. “It’s about time.” He motioned for Gabriel to stand towards His right. That’s when I noticed it. If you read the bible, it will tell you that Jesus, God’s only son, is seated at the right hand of God, but today, there was an absence of the Son. But that was only the beginning of the strange things to come.

Chapter 2
God smiled as I made my way to the front of his throne.

“My son,” God began, “welcome to heaven. You couldn’t have arrived at a more crucial moment.”

“What do you mean crucial?” I asked, becoming more and more suspicious.

“Before I explain that, can I ask you a question?” God said, his look not changing. I nodded my head and he continued, “Do you remember how you were killed?”

If there was a mirror in front of me, I’m sure I would have seen a terrified reflection of my face staring back at me. The images of the recent events flashed back in my head. I was standing on a bare street. It was pitch-black dark and I had just stopped from running a great distance. Running from someone in particular. It was obviously not my lucky day. The guy caught up with me.

“You made a grave mistake by coming here, Jesse,” The masked man said. “It will be the last mistake you ever make!”

“NO!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as I dropped to the ground, my knees getting soaked as they landed in a puddle of dirty water lying in the middle of the road.

“And why should I give you any mercy? You’ve only brought my life hell!”

“Hell is something you’ll never know until you arrive there!” I yelled with an attempt to distract my attacker long enough for me to make a stunning getaway. It failed.

After the words left my mouth, the man lifted his masked head. I swear I heard a laugh come from the general area of his mouth as his finger, which had been lying on the trigger the entire time, ever-so-lightly let itself push the trigger down.

A large cylindrical bullet emerged from the barrel of the gun. It cut its way through the wet nighttime air and lodged itself into my head. I fell backwards into the puddle of water and blacked out.

“All I remember is getting shot, then waking up here,” I lied, not wanting to divulge the details of my death.

“Don’t think that just because you’re in heaven doesn’t mean I don’t know what you’re thinking, Jesse,” God reminded me with a smile.

“Alright,” I began, “even though I think you already know this, I’ll tell you what happened. Let’s see, where do I start? Well, I’d been in some serious crap by this point. Investigating friends because my employer told me to.”

“The police?” God asked, sounding genuinely interested.

“Yes, them,” I replied. My mind raced back to the moment I returned from my mission.

I walked into the squad room of my precinct. My captain was the first to greet me.

“Officer Crist, you look terrible,” He said.

“I know. This was a terrible idea,” I replied. “They’re mad at me. Threatened my life.”

“Then we’ll put a protective detail on you,” The captain offered.

“It won’t do any good,” I said, trying to make it as clear as possible. “You don’t know them as well as I do. They’ve done loads of research on us, they know every trick in the book, and some not even thought of yet.”

“There’s gotta be something we can do!” The captain argued. “We can issue a warrant for their arrests!”

“We can’t do that either,” I said grimly. “I didn’t get enough evidence to even get a search warrant.”

“Damn!” The captain swore as he slammed his hand onto the desk.

“The only thing we can do is try and hide and always be on the lookout,” I said as I left the conversation and went to my office.

I continued. “So my friends, you know, the ones I investigated, were very mad at me. The night after the investigation I walked out of the precinct and was jumped.” Again, the images ran themselves through my brain, this time bringing the pain with them.

I slung the door shut behind me and began to walk towards my car. My bed was calling my name, encouraging me to grace it with the presence of my body. I made it to my car when I heard him.

He attempted to surprise me, but little surprises me anymore. That’s when I felt the sharp pain of a knife piercing my side. I spun around and struck the man in the head. I bolted off to my right and ran out of the parking garage that my car was parked in. I ran until I reached a motorcycle.

I may be a cop, but that doesn’t mean I can’t engage in a few illegal activities, such as hotwiring a motorcycle in order to not die. I mean, come one, that shouldn’t be frowned on at all.

So I hotwired the bike and quickly rode out of the garage. I took the road and headed towards the east. I don’t know why, but I thought I’d be safe at the beach. My attacker was somehow faster than me.

Twenty minutes into my journey, I caught the first glimpse of his headlights in my mirror. He was rapidly gaining on me. He kept driving until he was right on top of my bumper. That’s when he suddenly pumped the gas and literally tried to run my bike over.

I was flung off of it and crashed into the road. It took me a minute to stand up. By that time, my attacker had exited his vehicle and had proceeded to point a gun at me. I ran again, continuing to the east. I was a better runner than my attacker was. But that didn’t matter; even all good runners get tired.

“So I ran, I stole a motorcycle and headed east. He caught me, knocked me off the bike, and shot me. And here I am,” I finished my story with a sigh.

“And you don’t think that possibly this could have all been planned?” God asked, hinting at something greater than me just pissing a couple of people off.

That was when something crashed through the side of the room.

Comparison Between Two Episodes of SVU, Rage and Persona

2009-09-09T14:56:00.000-04:00

Assignment: "Now I have a little assignment for you. if you want to do it, let me know. it will teach you alot. but it will require some work. I want you to list the differences in how Rage vs. our other shows are cut. give me specifics. if you are game send me your answers. I promise to give you an A. Then you can write a paper on this and impress the hell out of your teachers!!!!!!!!!!!!!!.......:)"

For this Assignment, you told me to compare Rage to any episode that you have edited. The other episode I chose was Persona from Season 10. Now, bear in mind, I haven't had much training with editing drama (as i'm only a ninth grader and didn't get into any film classes this year), more editing together news packages, etc, (I was on my middle school's tv program, won an award for being best cameraman and the teacher told me I was one of the better editors she'd come accros.) so I probably missed a few things that would be obvious to others.

Also, I may have written the same thing multiple times, just in different ways of saying it, I apologize in advance for it, I tend to not be able to remember what I've previously written in a list of items.

DIFFERENCES BETWEEN RAGE AND PERSONA
The length of the Teaser. Rage is significantly longer than Persona
Rage has lots of shots of the same people from different angles, whereas Persona is more pans and switching from person to person.
Persona is more like a procedural episode, Rage was more of an interrogation.
The shots when people are talking are more stable, the close-ups in Rage were a little more shaky, possibly for effect. During the interrogation scenes in Rage, some of the closeups were a little more shaky, more like it was being handheld, whereas in Persona it seems as though the camera is more securly held or on a rig.
Also, back on a normal time-frame. In Rage, a majority of the episode took place within a 24 hour time period, due to the fact that the suspect was being held without being arrested, they only had 24 hours to interrogate him. In Persona, it was taking place over a period of days/weeks.
The cuts to various people are done to show the faces of the people rather than just different angles of them. (In Rage, during the interrogation, in particular, the shots would switch to different angles of the perp's face or Stabler's face. In Persona, when the shots switch, it switches from a closeup on one character's face to another, or to a wider shot featuring multiple characters.
In Persona, zooms were used more often than in Rage. In Rage, it would cut to a closer shot, in Persona, the shot would subtly zoom in as the situation called for it.
Pans are effectively used in Persona to minimize on cutting, for example, when Benson is kneeling onto the floor to talk to Mia, rather than cut to someone else, or a widershot of Benson kneeling down, the camera simply follows her down. In Rage, when they moved, the shot would cut to a new one.
ONE SIMILARITY STORY WISE: Voice overs are used in both episodes, but simply for the advance of the story.
Rather than cut to a new shot when Benson walks to the door leading up to Mia's house, it pans with her as she walks, unlike in Rage, where it cut to a different angle when Stabler walked around.
Rather than cut to a new angle when somebody new walks into a rom, the camera pans around to reveal them, unlike in Rage, when the camera would cut to a new angle to show the new person.
In both episodes, the music really fits the scenes they are in.
In Persona, Caroline and her husband are being interrogated in different rooms, and the scenes cut between the two interogations. In Rage, it was one continuous interogation.
In Persona, the camera pans around Caroline as she's talking, in Rage, the camera would cut to different angles of the perp (whose name I can't remember) when he was talking.
In both episodes, the window is used to reflect the people talking into them. In Rage, when the perp is talking, it showed Benson, Stabler and the perp. In Persona, it showed Caroline and Benson when she was talking about the night she killed her husband in 1974.
In Persona, the shots didn't cut to different angles of people as they were speaking, the actors would turn, or the camera would pan, or it would just stay still. In Rage, the camera would cut to show profiles, or different shots of people who were talking, etc.
In Persona the courtroom is used, and in Rage its not. But that's not an editorial point, I just felt like pointing that out.
During convorsations in Persona, the shots don't jump as much as they do in Rage. For Rage, the shots were jumping from different angles to add to the episode. Normally, and that includes in Persona, the camera focuses on its focus and cuts when the story calls for it. (Or, the editor thinks the story calls for it)
In the courtroom, pans and cuts are used, depending on the situation. Sometimes pans are used when looking at the defendent, while cutting to look at Donnely.
In Persona, when Caroline and Mia are recounting their stories, the camera focuses on them, in Caroline's case, panning, in Mia's case staying still. In Rage, when the perp is recounting, the shots cut to different angles of him, mixed with shots of the detectives.
In both episodes, close-ups of the people's faces are used when trying to express extreme emotions, sadness or anger.

Those were the major differences I noticed. Yes, I coupled in a few simmilarities with them, I just couldn't help it, I tend to jot down whatever pops in my head.

American Idiot: The Musical Plot Synopsis (Curtousy of Tripe from GDC)

2009-09-07T13:45:00.002-04:00

I, being an avid Green Day fan, have been rummaging through various Green Day forums since this past Friday (September the 4th) hoping to find an inkling relating to the plot of American Idiot: The Musical (which is a musical I will most likely never see, unless it comes to North Carolina or comes to DVD (or gets on the internet, but we're not going there.))

Anywho, this afternoon I was checking one of the forums when I came accross this post by Green Day Community member Tripe. It was a detailed plot synopsis of the musical. What follows is the part of her post that relates to the plot. All credit goes to her, and Spoilers Ahead!

The musical itself - really great! As you've probably read, the story follows
three friends - Johnny, Will, and Tunny - and their parallel stories as they
separate and come back together at the end. Johnny (Jesus) is the main
character; his life is kind of shitty with his mom and stepdad, Brad. All three
of them want to get out of what they feel is a dead end life.

Will's
girlfriend (Heather) is unexpectedly pregnant, so he finds his plans changed by
having to stay home with her. Tunny gets signed up for the army from the
"Favorite Son," one of my favorite performances, and presumably goes off to Iraq
or Afghanistan. Johnny heads for the big city and hooks up with St. Jimmy. St.
Jimmy is played by Tony Vincent in this show and I couldn't imagine a better
casting! Great singing voice and an absolutely mesmerizing performance. The
perfect combination of evil charisma.

Novacaine was one of the first
standout songs to me during the show. It was so well choreographed, especially
with three different things going on at once. We watched Tunny in the desert
with the army, dodging bullets from the enemy, Johnny beginning drug use with
the eager assistance of St Jimmy, and Will in a stupor on the couch, overwhelmed
with the responsibilities of a soon-to-be-arriving baby.

Things get
worse: Tunny gets injured in the Army, Johnny (who has met Whatsername by now)
gets more into drug use and starts mistreating the girl he loves/getting her
hooked on drugs, and Heather leaves Will, taking the baby, since he can't handle
fatherhood. (Too Much Too Soon, which is sung to Will as Heather decides to
leave him with the baby.) There is a very moving performance of Last Night on
Earth sung by St Jimmy, Johnny and Heather.

Johnny also sings a very
tender version of "When It's Time" to Whatsername - just playing the guitar and
singing solo, much the way Billie Joe sang it in concert. The performance notes
discuss this song and how it was a tune BJ wrote to Adrienne way back when they
first met when he was 19 years old. So it's been around for awhile. Very lovely
in performance.

One of the standout performances has to be Before the
Lobotomy going into Extraordinary Girl. Here, Tunny is in the hospital, injured
in battle, and an "angel" comes down to him. Both actors are on "Peter Pan'"
type flying apparatuses (I'm sure there is more of an official name for this,
sorry), and Tunny arises from his hospital cot and they fly through the very
tall stage set as they sing to each other. Really, really well done. The angel
later takes the form of a nurse who helped Tunny get better after his injuries.

Johnny, in the meantime, is living a life of dissolution and partying
with St. Jimmy. Whatsername finally has had enough, and she gets angry. What
follows is a female singing performance of Letterbomb that is excellent. Anger
and rage and female empowerment - loved it!

Will sits on the couch
"watching Spike TV" and realizes he misses his girlfriend and baby. Too late,
Heather reappears as a hottie in a black dress along with her new rock and roll
boyfriend. He sings the Tre Cool part in Homecoming and it is one of the truly
most enjoyable parts of the show. I admit to sneaking a peek at Tre during that
part of the show to see his reaction. He seemed to enjoy it hugely!

Johnny comes to his senses, ditches St. Jimmy (or is it just the St.
Jimmy part inside of him, hmmmm?) and decides to go home. Tunny is coming home
from the Army with a purple heart medal and a new Extraordinary Girl/girlfriend.
The three friends meet up for the ending of Homecoming, which is one of the most
powerful parts of the show. Standing ovation at this point and it wasn't even
the end.

The final song is Whatsername....where Johnny waxes poetic on
his lost relationship with his former love.

There are probably lots of
things I have forgotten. The musical allows the songs to tell the story, so your
attention is constantly moving from song to song with very little break to
contemplate. There is a tiny amount of dialogue from Johnny, but it's in the
form of a verbal letter he is writing to his mother at home. All the songs from
American Idiot are performed. Know Your Enemy, part of Before the Lobotomy, Last
Night on Earth,and 21 Guns were performed from 21CB. And Favorite Son, When It's
Time, and Too Much Too Soon were included.

So, I hope you enjoyed that synopsis, and I hope that you, like me, will be able to one day see this apparently great musical.

--Michael Out!

Update

2009-08-13T23:31:00.002-04:00

Hey,

I am noticing I don't update this thing much, so I am taking the time to do so. (I'm gonna make a vlog soon, so stay tuned...)

Been doing a lot with music, just writing loads and loads of songs. Wrote a good 10-15 in the past month alone. Sure they weren't all good or usable, I still wrote them. Completed a CD that's online, not very good, but I did it.

Finished a novel, that's taken me about a year, glad to finally be done with that. It was kind of getting boring, so I just decided to like kill everybody. It was fun.

Been writing a couple of webseries that I plan on producing/directing, whatever in the next year or so. I'm gonna have open casting calls soon, so stay tuned for that. (Hint any of you actors who live in North Carolina, that's for you!) And I've gotten 6 episodes written (About the length of a 42 minute TV show) and I have 72 more to write for the first season....I've got a lot of work to do.

Just wanted to update, I'll be posting more info about the webseries and my music and all that stuff really soon.

--Michael!

Short Story: To Kill A Traitor

2009-08-03T22:22:00.001-04:00

AUTHOR’S NOTE: This is a prologue to a web-show that I am currently working on, called, “The Pie Hole”. If you enjoy this, consider checking out the show. It will premiere sometime next year on my YouTube channel, http://www.youtube.com/hpootpfan100.

To Kill a Traitor

The sun set behind the house as he walked by, glasses glistening in the ever fading sunlight. He had one thought on his mind, and one alone: murder. In his defense, he had no choice. It was to kill or be killed. He chose the logical direction.

This put him in the unfortunate circumstance which he now found himself in. He was now just yards away from his targets: a 38 year old teacher and his wife. The reason was of no concern in the man’s opinion. “Kill the Eriksons,” The man whispered to himself as John Erikson walked out of his front door.

John immediately noticed him and called out, “Shawn, man what’s up? Do you know what time it is?”

“Late,” Shawn replied as he stuck his hand into his pocket.

“What’re you doing out here this late?”

“I have my reasons,” Shawn said, barely audible as he pulled he pulled his hand out of his pocket. In his hand was a pistol which he aimed at John.

“Why?” John asked, seeming to already know the answer.

“You left,” Shawn replied, putting his finger on top of the trigger.

“You know I had to!” John yelled back, fear creeping into the corners of his face. He began to back up incredibly slowly.

“The company doesn’t care. They want everyone dead,” Shawn told John grimly.

“Can’t we just forget about this?” John pleaded, looking around franticly for any escape.

“I’m sorry,” Shawn replied as he pulled the trigger. The bullet launched itself out of the gun moving as fast as possible.

To John, the bullet couldn’t come faster. He stood staring at Shawn for a moment before the bullet smashed into his forehead and blood spewed from the new hole. John’s last thought was imagining the reaction his wife would have after finding him dead. It wasn’t pretty.

Shawn stood there for a moment, contemplating what he had just done. He took the life of his only friend. He was a murderer just like the rest of them. As he walked to the front door to complete the other part of his mission he felt like he should be dead, instead of Shawn.

Shawn reached the door and hesitated for a moment before he flung the door open. Lisa Erikson was standing in the kitchen washing dishes. She turned her head in the door’s general direction as Shawn came in.

“John, is that you?” She yelled from the kitchen, unaware of the events that had just occurred outside her house.

Upon receiving no response, she continued, “Anything interesting in the mail?”

Shawn did the best imitation of John he could as he replied, “Nothing. Just some junk, that’s all.”

Lisa let out a sigh of relief. “That’s good,” She said. “I was worried they would find us.”

“Yeah…” Shawn trailed off. He slowly began to walk toward the kitchen, gun pointed ahead of him.

Lisa noticed it wasn’t John she was talking to as Shawn walked into the kitchen, gun still pointed ahead of him.

“What’re you doing here, Shawn?” Lisa asked quietly, so as to not disturb her sleeping 5 year old in his high-chair.

“Taking care of business,” Shawn replied, just as quietly.

“Where is John?”

“Where do you think he is?” Shawn asked in a taunting manner.

“Don’t play games with me,” Lisa whispered sharply. “You know I never liked you. I only tolerated you because you were John’s friend. That’s where our acquaintance ends.”

“That’ll make this all the easier,” Shawn replied darkly.

“So you’re gonna kill me?” Lisa yelled in a quiet tone, obviously getting angry at Shawn.

“I have no choice…” Shawn replied hesitantly.

“What about Brent?” Lisa asked referring to her slumbering son.

“He is no concern of mine,” Shawn said, never moving the gun from Lisa direction.

“Aren’t they worried that he’ll ‘no too much’?” Lisa asked, stalling for time.

“He’ll never remember anything from this night,” Shawn replied. “He’s too young.”

“They’ve thought of everything, haven’t they?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“Why did they send you?” Lisa asked, wondering intently about the company’s intentions.

“Probably because of the friendship between John and me,” Shawn replied.

Lisa didn’t wait another second. In the blink of an eye, she grabbed Brent from his highchair, startling him awake and burst out the door.

Shawn immediately began to follow her. Lisa was already in the middle of her backyard when Shawn stepped out of the door. She quickly looked around for any place to hide, before deciding to run into the woods that were behind her house.

Shawn began to open fire but missed Lisa every time. He began to run faster so he could catch up with Lisa.

Once entering the woods, Shawn found it harder to run fast. He dodged tree after tree still trying to keep up with Lisa who was a good 30 feet ahead of him barely visible from his point of view.

Lisa had her left hand covering Brent’s head and her right hand supporting him as she tried to continue running. To her thankfulness there was a clearing ahead.

Shawn was just mere feet behind Lisa as she ran into the clearing. He was just about to shoot her when she turned around to face him.

“Are you really gonna shoot me with my son in the way?” Lisa asked in a vain attempt to stall for time.

Shawn just walked slowly forward and yanked Brent out of Lisa’s hands.

“Of course not,” Shawn replied as he pulled the gun’s trigger. The bullet flung itself out of the barrel of the gun and lodged itself quickly into Lisa’s head. She fell to her knees and whispered her last words, “I love you, Brent.”

Shawn didn’t even wait to see Lisa finish her fall to the ground. He picked Brent up and began to quickly walk back to the house.

Dodging branches and other tree limbs, trying to keep Brent safe, it took Shawn only two minutes to get back to the Erikson’s house. He walked quickly into the house, left Brent in the living room and called the cops to the scene.

Upon completion of the call, he immediately exited, trying to get away from the scene as quickly as possible. He ran back into the woods when his cell phone rang.

“Hello?” Shawn asked, unaware of whom it was.

“Is it done?” The caller asked, in a monotone voice.

“Yes,” Shawn replied, aware that he needed to watch his words.

“I have another task for you. They live just two houses from where you just were. Kill the Watsons.”

“Yes, sir,” Shawn replied as he closed the phone. He turned his attention the back yard off to his left. He knew what he had to do: kill the Watsons. The company was turning him into an assassin, and he had no control.

Shawn walked briskly to his target destination not thinking about a thing. It took him just a minute to reach the house. He was standing on a brick patio outside a sliding screen door which led to the inside of the house. He knocked on the screen quietly which opened instantly. A man ushered Shawn in quickly then closed and locked the door.

“Man, am I glad to see you,” The man said quietly to Shawn.

“Likewise, Jacob,” Shawn replied, keeping his real purpose a secret.

“What brings you here tonight?” Jacob asked Shawn, with no suspicions.

“You know, just checking in,” Shawn replied, trying his hardest to conceal the truth.

“I’ve just been so uptight since Mary and I left the company,” Jacob continued as if Shawn had never spoken.

He led Shawn into his living room where Mary Watson was sitting on the couch holding a five year old child in her lap.

“Lucy’s getting old,” Shawn said to try and steer up a conversation.

“Yeah,” Mary began, “she’ll be starting school soon.”

“Wow,” Shawn replied, “school age already?”

“Yeah, unbelievable, ain’t it?” Jacob retorted with a laugh, ushering Shawn to sit in the vacant recliner.

“How is the company taking it?” Mary asked grimly, laying Lucy on the couch next to her.

“Not good, I’m afraid,” Shawn said, becoming quite nervous.

“I was afraid of that,” Jacob, who was not sitting in a recliner across from Shawn, muttered to himself.

“What should we do?” Mary asked Shawn in a worried tone.

“I’m afraid, there’s nothing you can do,” Shawn answered as he pulled the gun out of his pocket and aimed it at Jacob.

“I’m afraid I’ve been sent to get rid of you,” Shawn began grimly. “I’ve already dealt with the Eriksons, and the company has sent me here now.”

“What about their boy, Brent, you know him and Lucy are good friends. What did you do with him?” Mary rambled, stalling for time.

“He’s alive, as Lucy will be when this is over,” Shawn replied. Without a second’s notice he pulled the gun’s trigger and Jacob flew backwards, dead. He moved his aim to Mary and shot her quickly too. She just leaned calmly over to her right and closed her eyes. Shawn walked over and picked Lucy up. He poked his head out the front door before continuing.

He walked briskly over to the Erikson’s house and flung the front door open. He set Lucy down in the living room and closed the door. Brent and Lucy stared at each other for a moment. Lucy walked slowly over to where Brent was sitting and sat next to him.

“Where is my mommy?” Brent asked Lucy, tears streaming down his face.

“I don’t know,” Lucy replied.

“Where’s you’re mommy?” Brent asked, with sincere concern.

“She went to sleep,” Lucy replied, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks as well. “I’m scared.”

“I’ll protect you!” Brent exclaimed, trying to cheer Lucy up. She leant over to Brent and kissed him innocently on the lips.

“Eww!” Brent yelled. “What was that for?!”

“I don’t know,” Lucy began. “It just felt right.”

The cops arrived an hour later. They walked into the front door and found Brent and Lucy asleep on the floor, holding each other’s hands.

The first cop turned to the second cop and said, “What do we do with them?”

“Split ‘em up,” The second cop replied. “They’re not related, they’ll forget about this anyway. It’s the best thing for them both.” The two cops picked up Brent and Lucy respectively and walked out the front door.

This was the last time Brent and Lucy saw each other for ten years.

New Song: Slice of Annoyance

2009-08-03T19:13:00.002-04:00

Slice of Annoyance
---------------------By: Michael Cook, Jr.
Don't cry
When there's nothing to cry about
Don't whine
When there's nothing to whine about
Don't come to me
When nothing's wrong
Don't pretend you're
Always alone

Here
Have a slice of your favorite
Misery and Hatred
Now get up to the podium
And speak your heart out to them
And know you're not alone
No you're not alone.

Sure you're torn to pieces
But no you're not useless
Just...Get up, Stand up, Smile on
And know that you're not alone

Here
Have a slice of your favorite
Misery and Hatred
Now get up to the podium
And speak your heart out to them
And know you're not alone
No you're not alone.

Don't sit there crying anymore
Get up and look around some more
'Cause you never know what you'll find
'Cause you'll never know what is right

Don't forget all that you've done
Don't loose sight of what you've become
Just remember that we're always here
Just remember there's nothing to fear.

Here
Have a slice of your favorite
Misery and Hatred
Now get up to the podium
And speak your heart out to them
And know you're not alone
Here
Have a slice of your favorite
Misery and Hatred
Now get up to the podium
And speak your heart out to them
And know you're not alone
No you're not alone.

Interview with Paul Wilson

2009-07-26T23:17:00.002-04:00

Hola.
It's 11:18 and I've finally finished my first book! WOO-HOO!
Taken me about a year to do, but it's done. Check it out here:

Also, my sister and I interviewed a local writer, who goes to our church, Paul Wilson. He is the author of The Cross And The Knifeblade and other books.
Note. My sister asked most of the questions, but I did ask the last one, so here you go:

Michael and Danielle: Is it easy or hard to get you book publsihed
Paul Wilson: Depends. If you go with publsihing house, difficult, if you independently publish, easier.

Michael and Danielle: When is your best writing mood?
Paul Wilson: Morning, after devotional.

Michael and Danielle: Who was an inspiration to you?
Paul Wilson: Robert Ludlum, Margret Marom

Michael and Danielle: How old were you when you started writing?
Paul Wilson: 53

Michael and Danielle: When did you realize you could make a living off of writing?
Paul Wilson: (Laughs) I haven't yet.

Michael and Danielle: Do your characters live in your head?
Paul Wilson: Yes.

Michael and Danielle: How old were you when you knew you wanted to be a writer?
Paul Wilson: 43

Michael and Danielle: Which do you write? Fiction or Nonfiction?
Paul Wilson: Fiction, non-fiction, people can sue you...

Michael and Danielle: Do you write on a computer or by hand?
Paul Wilson: Computer.

Michael and Danielle: Who is your favorite author?
Paul Wilson: Um...Margret Morom.

Michael and Danielle: Any writing tips?
Paul Wilson: Make sure you know how to write!

Alice In Wonderland (SPOILERS AHOY)

2009-07-24T15:40:00.002-04:00

You know it all.
Here's a detailed summary of the script draft floating around.

At a garden party, Hamish proposes to Alice. Scared of the proposal, she rushes away and falls down the rabbit hole. She sees a tiny door and drinks a potion which makes her shrink. She goes through the door and ends up ends up in "Underland," the real name for Wonderland.

Once she's in Underland, it's revealed that she was brought there by the White Rabbit because of a scroll which predicted that she would be the one to slay the Red Queen's champion beast, the Jabberwocky. The red queen is a hateful ruler who uses animals as slaves/servants and takes off the heads of anyone who dares to make her angry. Alice doesn't believe she could ever slay the Jabberwocky and wants to go home. Meanwhile, the Red Queen gets news of Alice's arrival and sends a bloodhound and the Knave of Hearts to find her and behead her.

As Alice talks with the Dormouse, a creature of the Red Queen's (called Bandersnatch) swoops in and wounds Alice, cutting her arm badly. Dormouse manages to pluck out the Bandersnatch's eye and keep it as a souvenir. Alice gets away and encounters the Cheshire Cat, who has an odd talent of being able to disappear and re-appear in different places with his head separate from his body. The Cheshire Cat tells Alice that the Hare and the Mad Hatter can help her. He takes her to see them and they interrupt the tea party.

At the tea party, the bloodhound and the Knave of Hearts show up sniffing around for Alice. The Mad Hatter quickly forces Alice to drink a potion, shrinking her to three inches tall. He stuffs her into a teapot before the Knave can see her. The bloodhound catches a new scent and rushes off with the Knave following behind.

The Mad Hatter tells Alice about the backstory of the Red Queen and the White Queen. There was a huge massacre and the Red Queen took all ruling power, banishing her sister (the White Queen) to live in another land. The Hatter is very bitter about this and swears that he will do everything in his power to bring down the Red Queen. He says that the only way to bring down the Red Queen is for Alice to slay her beast, the Jabberwocky. However, Alice isn't sure that she's capable of slaying a creature of that magnitude. The Hatter tells Alice to go see Absolem, the caterpillar. He's wise and might have the answers she needs.

Alice goes looking for the caterpillar and ends up in a field of giant mushrooms. It's there that she encounters Absolem, the hookah-smoking caterpillar. Absolem reminds Alice that she has been here before, she just doesn't remember it. Suddenly, all the memories come flooding back to her. Alice wants to know how she can get home and Absolem tells her that she can only leave by doing what she's supposed to do -- slay the Jabberwocky.

Alice leaves the mushroom forest just in time to spy the Knave of Hearts dragging the Mad Hatter to the Red Queen's castle. They plan to imprison him and torture him until he confesses Alice's whereabouts.

Alice sneaks into the Red Queen's courtyard where everyone plays croquet. Alice is horrified to see that the croquet ball is actually a hedgehog that's been rolled up and tied by its feet. The mallet is a flamingo, also tied up. Alice encounters the White Rabbit, who gives her a bite of cake and makes her grow large again. The Red Queen sees Alice, but doesn't recognize her now that she's older. She's impressed by Alice's large head and decides to make her the new "favorite."

In the castle, Alice finds herself in an uncomfortable situation when the Knave of Hearts tries to kiss her. The kiss is seen by Lady Long Ears, who relays the information to the Red Queen. Clearly, the Red Queen is jealous (it appears she's in love with the Knave) and immediately demands "off with her head." Alice is taken to the court room where she reveals that all of the Red Queen's courtiers are phonies who wear fake prosthetics (fake noses, chins, ears, etc.) to impress the queen. This starts a bit of an uproar and Alice is able to sneak out without being noticed.

Alice sneaks down to the dungeon and tries to rescue the Hatter, but she fails in her effort. The Hatter tells Alice that she can find the sword to slay the Jabberwocky by following the White Rabbit. He touches her cheek and they have a tender moment before Alice leaves. Alice is nervous as the White Rabbit leads her to the stable holding the Bandersnatch -- the same beast that cut her arm earlier in the script. She realizes that the beast is guarding the sword. Alice rushes away to find the Dormouse, who still has the Bandersnatch's eye as a souvenir. Dormouse gives it to Alice and then Alice gives it to the Bandersnatch as a peace offering. The beast is thankful and licks Alice's wound clean, taking out all the infection. Alice grabs the key from around the beast's neck and uses it to unlock the chest which holds the sword.

Meanwhile, the Red Queen decides to behead the Mad Hatter. He's taken to the beheading platform, but just before the blade comes down, his head disappears. It is revealed that the Mad Hatter had actually escaped and it was the Cheshire Cat wearing his hat who was taken to the gallows. Clever trick. The Mad Hatter appears and urges all the servants to stand and battle the Red Queen. The crowd of angry servants cheer wildly. The queen's face flushes red with crimson anger and she releases a giant bird to kill her disobeying servants.

Meanwhile, Alice goes to see the White Queen, who tells her that she can only slay the Jabberwocky if she truly believes it's possible. Alice isn't sure if she can really do it. Suddenly, the Mad Hatter arrives with all the others (the Dormouse and the White Rabbit, etc.) to celebrate Alice as their champion. Alice is relieved to see the Hatter alive and they share an emotional reunion. However, she's nervous about battling the Jabberwocky and rushes away into a garden...

Once in the garden, Alice encounters the caterpillar. She is curious about why he's hanging upside down, and he tells her that he's "transforming." Alice is confused and the caterpillar tells her that perhaps they will meet again in another life. He disappears and Alice goes back to the White Queen.

The Red Queen arrives and the stage is set for battle. The White Queen has her warrior -- Alice. The Red Queen calls her warrior -- the Jabberwocky. At first, Alice is terrified by the size of the beast and thinks it's impossible for her to kill him, but then she recalls a time when her her dad told her that he "believes as many as six impossible things before breakfast." This gives her the confidence she needs to do battle, and she uses the sword to cut out the Jabberwocky's tongue and then chop off its head, killing it instantly. In this scene, Alice is described as having blood lust and she even cries out "OFF WITH YOUR HEAD!" as she swings the sword.

Everyone cheers. The Red Queen loses her crown and the White Queen banishes her to live in a foreign land forever. The Knave of Hearts is banished to live there as well, but he begs to be killed because he doesn't want to live with the Red Queen.

The White Queen puts a drop of the Jabberwocky's blood into a vial and hands it to Alice. Reluctant, Alice realizes that drinking the blood is her only way home. The Mad Hatter begs her not to drink it; he doesn't want her to leave. Everyone wants her to stay. The Hatter abruptly kisses Alice and whispers into her ear, but she drinks the vial of blood and bids farewell anyway.

Suddenly, Alice blacks out and finds herself at the top of the rabbit hole again. She's confused, dirty, and seems to have no memory of what just happened. She goes back to the garden party where Hamish is waiting for an answer to his marriage proposal. Alice tells him that she cannot marry him because he's not the right man for her. The script closes with Alice standing by the shore, watching a ship sail away on its maiden voyage. As she stares into the distance, a beautiful monarch butterfly lands on Alice's shoulder and she says, "Hello, Absolem" with a knowing smile on her face. The caterpillar has transformed.

THE END.

--Michael

Webseries

2009-07-21T20:31:00.002-04:00

Hey,

I am working on several webshows right now, and I'm asking if anybody who reads this blog wants to help me with one of them.

The premise of the one in question is that two teens, Brent and Lucy, they are dating and totally unrelated. Their parents were killed when they were both the age of 5. They were ushered into foster care. They find out who killed their parents, a company called the Pie Hole. They also find out that their foster father is a member of the Pie Hole.

If you wanna find out more info, or you want to help me write this series, please contact me, as I would love your help.

Have a nice day,
Michael

A Very Potter Musical

2009-07-20T00:12:00.002-04:00

Best. Musical. Ever.

It's all 7 Harry Potter books, the first five movies, Dumbledore being gay, some Quirrel/Voldermort love and ZEFFRON!

A Very Potter Musical is one of the funniest things I have seen ever. It = an epic win!

Check it out: http://www.youtube.com/starkidpotter

It's amazing.

--Michael

Late Night Revalations

2009-07-19T00:51:00.002-04:00

Ok, let me do this quick, since i am supposed to be asleep ;)

I was playing facebook uno earlier, it sucked.
Facebook Scrabble, on the other hand, is awesomely amazing.
twitter rox!
hp6 was awesome!
my googletalk thingy that tells me i have a new email is being annoying. it says i have mail, and i don't...
my best friends are on facebook at riduclous hours of the night ;)
blogging is fun
a very potter musical rox

anything else?
leave a comment
bye
--michael

Recap of today

2009-07-16T21:34:00.002-04:00

so today was the last day of vbs, i tweeted until a thunderstorm forced me off the computer, so here is a recap of what happened (some were stuff i wanted to tweet but couldn't):

8:30: I arrived at my mom's work and began tweeting.
8:30-9:00: I mentioned that my band's album is available at http://chemicalrise.blogspot.com/
9:30-10:00: I decided to go to youtube, but youtube wouldn't load on my computer. :(
10:30: I finally got on youtube and was watching JK Rowling: A Year in the Life. I also read up on the emmy nominations
11:30: Ate lunch and talked about maybe seeing hp6 tomorrow
12:30: Ate a snack and began writing a new episode of my miniseries, The Pie Hole.
1:30-2:00: Ate a piece of cake
3:15: left my mom's work on my way home.
3:30: my iPod wouldn't work. threw it to the back of the car
4:15: arrived home and fixed my iPod.
4:30: left for church for final day of VBS
4:45: arrived at church, hung out with friends for a few.
5:00: ate dinner and began preparing for skit
5:15: went off with my friend and walked around and threw a ball, ya know, funstuff.
5:35: went into the sanctuary for opening skit and music time.
5:50: left sanctuary because music got loud.
6:15: first skit sessions started
6:35: first skit ended, i messed up majorly, it was ok tho.
6:37: second skit time.
6:57: second skit ended, i did a lot better. saw a spider as well
6:59: third skit. kids really started to notice the spider
7:19: third skit ended, i got better, also killed the spider for shawn.
7:21: fourth skit. no spider, kids paid attention
7:41: fourth skit ended, it was all good.
7:43: fifth and final skit...YAY!
8:03: end of skits. fifth skit went well. Skit was slightly deppressing though, but it was all good.
8:15: finished helping move things back to their places, and began walking with my friend.
8:37: got some hotdogs and continued walked
8:45: got some more hotdogs and went home
9:05: got home
NOW: writing a blog...duh!

so, my day was packed. it was a good 1 though. still gotta finish that ep of my webseries. tomorrow: nothing planned till about 7. yay relaxation.

so until then,
--Michael

VBS and tomorrow

2009-07-15T22:09:00.002-04:00

Tonight's VBS was interesting. I got my feet washed 5 different times. TIMES 4 AND 5 WERE COLD... --glares at one of the actors-- but all in all it was quite fun.

Tomorrow, I play another disciple, idk which one. Also, I am gonna be tweeting on my twitter, http://www.twitter.com/mcj545 all throughout the day leading up to when I leave to go to VBS, I unfortunately cannot tweet at VBS, as I have no phone, but I will write a detailed blog. So follow me and tune (is that the word, i guess read) in.

--Michael

Current Song: "Infected" By Alexa Vega
Current Mood: Tired.

Final New Song Of The Day

2009-07-15T15:14:00.001-04:00

The Gun’s Barrel
-------By: Michael Cook, Jr.

The tip there
Feels so warm there
Feels so freaking bare
Don’t what’s in there

That barrel there
Shoots the bullet there
The murderous tool from there
It flies in someone’s hair

Pick up the gun
Aim at someone
Pull the trigger
Stand back and laugh
You won’t be daff
The gun’s barrel
Is like a carol
Telling you to go
Have some fun

Walk out the door
Get the gun off the floor
Keep it in your hand
And let the fun begin

Walk up to her
Pull the trigger
Stand back and watch now
And she takes her bow

Pick up the gun
Aim at someone
Pull the trigger
Stand back and laugh
You won’t be daff
The gun’s barrel
Is like a carol
Telling you to go
Have some fun

The guns your friend
Not your foe
Point it up
And shoot the doe
Don’t be afraid
Of what you don’t know
Don’t look back
And let go…

Walk out the door
Get the gun off the floor
Keep it in your hand
And let the fun begin

Pick up the gun
Aim at someone
Pull the trigger
Stand back and laugh
You won’t be daff
The gun’s barrel
Is like a carol
Telling you to go
Have some fun

A Second New Song

2009-07-15T14:46:00.001-04:00

Why
--------Michael Cook, Jr.
Everywhere I look
Darkness lies around.
Everywhere I walk
I always go down.
Even when I cry
Nothing better comes ‘round

Why
Was I so dumb
Why
Am I so alone
Why
Must I sit here
Everyday
Only to fear
Why
Do I hurt so much
Why
Do I care so much
Why
Should I even try
When all is destined to die

People all around me
Look down at me
They frown at me
And walk away
Like I’m some kinda ashstray

No matter what I do
I’m always kind of blue
And even when I try
I know I’m gonna die

So
Why
Was I so dumb
Why
Am I so alone
Why
Must I sit here
Everyday
Only to fear
Why
Do I hurt so much
Why
Do I care so much
Why
Should I even try
When all is destined to die

SO
WHY!
Are we all to die
Can we even try
Or is it all decided

Why
Should we even try
When we all die
’Cause its decided we don’t matter

And even now
I’m going crazy now
I don’t know what to do
’Cause I’m so blue

I think I’m crazy now
I think I’m crazy now
I think I’m hazy now
’Cause I’m so crazy now…

Why
Was I so dumb
Why
Am I so alone
Why
Must I sit here
Everyday
Only to fear
Why
Do I hurt so much
Why
Do I care so much
Why
Should I even try
When all is destined to die

New Song

2009-07-15T14:35:00.001-04:00

I wrote a new song. READ IT AND WEEP!

Missing You
--------------------Michael Cook, Jr.
On the floor
Forever more
Never moving
Never breathing
All because
I decided
To aim a gun at me

Now the world is a darker place
And I’m filled with my own disgrace
And there ain’t nothing anyone can do

’Cause I’m
Missing you
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been blue
I now regret
That move
’Cause now you
Can’t move
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been missing you

Your body’s in a bag
In the back of some old cab
On your way to where you lay
In the old, old cemetery

Now the world is a darker place
And I’m filled with my own disgrace
And there ain’t nothing anyone can do

’Cause I’m
Missing you
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been blue
I now regret
That move
’Cause now you
Can’t move
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been missing you

Without you
There’s no light
There’s no hope
There’s no chance
For me at all
There’s no love
There’s no smiles
Without YOU!

Now the world is a darker place
And I’m filled with my own disgrace
And there ain’t nothing anyone can do

’Cause I’m
Missing you
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been blue
I now regret
That move
’Cause now you
Can’t move
Ever since that gun went off
I’ve been missing you

Today...

2009-07-15T14:20:00.002-04:00

So, I'm bored. At my mom's work doing nothing. I made a Harper's Island video. Harry Potter 6 came out today. I can't wait to see it. Looks really good. Some1 tell me if its good.

Anyway, as I said last night, my feet are going to be washed 5 different times tonight for VBS. Should be interesting. I can't wait to hear the reactions... xD

Anywho, anybody with a topic they want me to talk about should leave a comment on this blog, and I might make a blog about that topic.

--Michael

Current Mood: Bored
Current Song: "Animal I Have Become" By Three Days Grace

VBS Tomorrow...

2009-07-14T22:14:00.000-04:00

I just found out that I get to have my feet washed 5 times by the person who is playing Jesus. Very interesting...but hey! At least it's someone else washing my feet! Hahahaha!

Anywho, tonight went really well, me and my 2 lines xD
It was fun, I had fun, hopefully tomorrow won't be killer hot.

Peace out
--Michael

VBS

2009-07-14T15:14:00.002-04:00

So tonight is VBS: Day 3
I am a Pharisee in the story of Jesus and the Pharisee (I Haven't read the script, so I'm not even sure what that means ;) ) I have somewhere around 2-3 lines I think, so its not a hard part.

Anywho, expect more daily blog updates.
--Michael. (I hope you enjoyed my Harper's Island blogs. They took me a LONG TIME to compile.)

Current Mood: Decent
Current Song: The Killers- "Somebody Told Me"

Final Harper's Island Q&A

2009-07-14T14:13:00.000-04:00

As some of you may be aware, CBS has shown the finale of their mini-series, Harper’s Island, and now that it’s over, Christopher Gorham (Henry, the Killer) and Elaine Cassidy (Abby) had a chat on Fancast to answer some fan questions. Here are my Questions to Elaine and Christopher. (Some of them weren’t asked by me, but I was planning on asking them. The moderator only let a few questions per person through. But all of these questions were questions that I had planned on asking myself. Since someone else did, I’ll put the answers here.)

Who Did Henry Kill?
Chris - I am not sure if I remember all of them at one point I knew all of them - Cousin Ben - the priest, Malcolm, Richard with the Harpoon.

What was it like working with Callum (Wakefield)?
Elaine - I only really had one scene with him and that is being in the Sheriff's station - I really enjoyed that scene and he is a great guy to work with. I thought he did a really great job at playing Wakefield. He came in so late and a lot of it was off the cuff but his instincts were spot on
Chris - it was great. We got along really well. Considering he is my dad I didn't have that many scenes with him - the most we had was the scene I killed him. He brought a completely different energy to the set which was fantastic. He is a really talented actor and we needed him to make that part work

Did Henry make those calls?
Chris - No, Wakefield made those calls.
Elaine - And who put the newspaper clipping up on Abby's mirror?
Chris - I choose to believe that Wakefield did that. That is where Henry draws the line he wouldn't want to scare.

Did Henry kill Marty?
Chris-no Wakefield killed Uncle Marty - Henry was busy with Trish at the time, but Henry did close the pool cover on Trish in the pool. That is why he was there so fast.
Elaine - did he want to kill her or scare her
Chris - probably just to scare her

Do you know who was in Wakefield’s grave? And who was lighting the candles? Was it Henry?
Chris - it was set up that Wakefield's grave was some place on the island where kids would go and tell spooky stories - but we don't know who was buried

Did JD know the truth before he died?
Chris - JD was killed when he was 'cause he had those pages from the diary - he knew too much. He had found out that I was probably Wakefield's kid. I like to think that in episode 4 or 5 when he tells JD I don't want to see you again was his way to try and get him to leave and go away. JD was innocent in all of this and Henry didn’t want to kill him but had to

What was the mood on set like when you two filmed the finale?
Chris - I don't know how you describe it. We were having a good time but we weren't really goofing around. We were in it and working hard.
Elaine - we only had 7 days to film it so it was all business
Chris - but very satisfying.

Would either of you survive a real Harper’s Island?
Elaine – no
Chris - she is not giving herself enough credit. I might make it if there was craft.

Did you know about Wakefield being one of the killers before he appeared in the episode?
Chris - Elaine was pretty sure he was involved from the beginning but I didn't know until they told me all of the secrets
Elaine - I think I found out for sure from the script

Who did you think was going to survive the show that didn't? Who did you think wouldn't survive that did?
Elaine - I didn't think Jimmy was going to survive.
Chris - I never for a second thought Shea or Madison would survive or any for that matter. I thought everyone was going to go and pretty much everyone did.

What was your reaction when you found out you were the killer?
Chris - I was excited and a little nervous but mostly excited. I had a hard time falling asleep that night.

In the end, a part of me wanted Abby kiss Henry before he died, just so he could die happy. Did either of you have that kind of pity for him?
Elaine - he killed everyone she loved!!
Chris - come on a little kiss wouldn't have hurt. Just a fact that you are asking that question means that we did a good job so thank you. But Elaine is right - he didn't deserve it.

How hard was it saying goodbye to your friends after you had gone through this process?
Elaine - if you were really good friends with them it wasn't a permanent good bye. It was a short job so it would have been harder if it was a series set over 5 years and it wasn't a shock 'cause we knew it would happen
Chris - I think the hardest one was Sean (Booth) ‘cause he went so early on and we were all going to be there. When Lucy went it was so early on that we hadn't gelled yet but Sean had become a part of the group so we felt bad for him.

Who was Henry aiming to shoot at the church when John Wakefield said "finish it!"?
Chris - he shot Jimmy. There is actually footage of him shooting Jimmy in the back but Jimmy was far enough away that we didn't kill him. We have footage of all of that being filmed. Maybe on the DVD!

If, for whatever reasons, you didn’t watch Harper’s Island when it was on, you can watch it now on http://www.cbs.com/harpers or on Youtube. And the DVD comes out September 8, 2009. It will have loads and loads of bonus features, so buy that!
Thanks for reading this.

Harper's Island Blog

2009-07-07T11:53:00.002-04:00

Harper's Island: the talk of CBS right now. In the season of re-runs this 13 episode mini-series has emerged and has become a hit on the internet. While ratings pushed CBS to move the show to Saturday nights, dubbed as the graveyard night, that has not put a stop to the fan kingdom that is growing behind this show.
What most people want to know is, WHO IS THE KILLER?
While I don't have the asnwer to that question, I do have some answers to some of the other questions. I had the opportunity to ask the producer, Karim Zreik and some of the Harper's Island recently dead victims, via the online chat, some questions. Below are their answers:

My Questions to Adam Campbell (Cal)
Me: Were you happy with your death?
Adam Campbell: I thought it was a brillant death scene and I love the fact that we died heroically.

My Questions to Cameron Richardson (Chole)
Me: Were you happy with your death?
Cameron Richardson: Yes I was very, very happy - it was a very original death and it was a joy for me. We died for love.

My Questions to Jim Beaver (Sheriff Mills)
Me: Who do you think the killer is?
Jim Beaver: I don't have any idea. It is a mystery to you guys and to me
Me: Who did the sheriff bury in Wakefield's Grave?
Jim Beaver: His agent. I have no idea - they didn't tell me that either.

My Questions to Ben Cotton (Shane)
Me: How did you like working on Harper's Island?
Ben Cotton: Loved it! Couldn't have designed a better experience
Me: Were you happy with the way your character died?
Ben Cotton: I was really glad about the way Shane went out too.. Thanks Dan Shotz! (Dan wrote this one)

Questions to Karim Zreik, the co-executive producer of Harper's Island (A few of the questions were other fan's questions that I was planning on asking Karim)
Me: How did you come to produce Harper's Island?
Karim Zreik: Jon Turteltaub, Dan Shotz & I form Junction Ent, where we develop & produce shows for CBS. HI was an idea we had and wanted to do.
Me: Is Lucy supposed to be on the CBS game?
Karim Zreik: Lucy is not suppoed to be on the game, probably an error.
Me: Are all characters that have died are actually dead?
Karim Zreik: Yes, everyone who has died is dead. no one coming back from dead.
Me: Is Booth really dead?
Karim Zreik: Booth is dead. Done. Kaput. Gone. Bye-Bye. No fakeys.Booth is dead. Booth is not the killer. Unless someone went in and re-edited the last 3 episodes, which is unlikely. D-E-A-D.
Me: Is the killer(s) one of the main 25 characters?
Karim Zreik: The main killer is one of the main 25.
Me: Does this rule still apply to the killer: 1/3 will be shocked, 1/3 will say i knew it and 1/3 will say who's that?
Karim Zreik: Same rule applies.
Me: Is that journal really Wakfield's?
Karim Zreik: That journal is definitely Wakefield's. No forgery. I don't know if you are able to read any of it on screen, but it's his.
Me: Production wise, was the entire Wakefield journal actually written? Like from page 1 to the back?
Karim Zreik: Not all of it, but a good chunk.
Me: I noticed Marty had an FBI-like gun...any possibility he's part of the FBI?
Karim Zreik: We discussed Marty possibility being a cop of some sort, but didn't go with it. Not necessary for his storyline.
Me: Are you allowed to reveal the names of Episdoes 12 & 13? Controversy: Bzzt & Gasp or Gasp & Sigh
Karim Zreik: Gasp & Sigh
Me: What was it like filming the emotional scene at the end of Episode 11? (By the way: It was very heartwrenching. The music and editing were incredible)
Karim Zreik: That scene was incredible. My producing partner, Dan Shotz, wrote that ep. He will be "guest blogging" this week. Very emotional.
Me: Also, can you tell me any tidbits about the finale?
Karim Zreik: Spoilers for Ep 12: More than 1 death & less than 4, and tons of Wakefield backstory revealed. Final 2 min of show will shock you. We will reveal Wakefield's kid in ep 12. Also, the police station plays a huge role in ep 12. Big. Huge. Big Big. There's a really really really good twist at the end of ep 12. And all will be explained in ep 13. We'll be explaining everything in both dialogue & a little flashback. Put them together and you have "awesomeness". The killing of the sheriff will be discussed thoroughly in ep 12. It will be discussed as to how & why some of the characters were killed when they were. The reason for Uncle Marty having the $$ will be revealed in ep 13.
Me: In the orginal Preview for Harpers island There is a moment where someone screams behind Abby? is that footage cut and lost???
Karim Zreik: I love that shot. We used that in our 15 min Pilot Presentation. No relevance at all, just a cool shot used for scares.
Me: Will the 15 min pilot presentation be included on the dvd?
Karim Zreik: It will not be on dvd. It was shot with different cast members, etc.
Me: What ever happened to all the locals?
Karim Zreik: On the show we do play up the fact that is is off season and most locals have left. We tried to keep everything desolate.
Me: How will this 1/3 rule will apply to the killer out of the 25 since there's too little of them to forget about?
Karim Zreik: Here's what I know: killer is 1 of the main 25, 5 folks are knocked off in ep 11, killer may or may not have an accomplice, may be survivors. You have seen the killer and the killer is still alive.
Me: I know! It's gotta be Muffin! She has no alibi!
Karim Zreik: She went home in the suitcase of Chris Gorham
Me: Oh darn! Well, thanks and I'm looking forward to finding the real killer!

Tune into CBS at 9PM EDT Saturday July 11, 2009 to find out all the answers.

The Breakdown is near

2009-03-24T17:30:00.002-04:00

Today the track titles of Green Day's new album 21st Century breakdown were revealed through a magazine article. This proves that the Breakdown is near!

Here they are (The descriptions are quotes from Billie and Mike):

Act 1: Heroes and Cons
1. 21st Century Breakdown
Billie Joe Armstrong: "That goes from a song about where I come from to what it's like to be in this era, financially. It represents and underdog spirit."

2. Know Your Enemy
BJA: "It's a rallying song. It's about liberating yourself from a lot of bullshit that you see on TV."

3. ¡Viva La Gloria!
BJA: "It's like, the older you get the more you becom detached from the naivety you had when you were growing up. How do you keep that spark?"

4. Before The Lobotomy
BJA: "It's about how self-destructive behaviour can overshadow parts of your ambition: there's this shiny red button you just want to push."

5. Christian's Inferno
BJA: "I don't know if I was just having a bad morning but it's that nagry feeling of despair that I guess a lot of people can relate to."

6. Last Night On Earth
BJA: "Christian's Inferno is like a subway ride to hell and you kind of end up in outer space with this."
Mike Dirnt: "It's the most unapologetic love song."

Act 2: Charlatans and Saints
7. March Of The Dogs
BJA: "It's inspired by Bill Maher's [documentary] Religulous. It's about the hypocrisy of religion. I think any good Christian would have some doubts about religion."

8. Peacemaker
BJA: "It's a song about how someone can be so vengeful that it's almost sexually driven."
MD: "It's also got a kinda cool Gypsy carnival feel."

9. Last Of The American Girls
BJA: "I started writing it for my wife, but there's elements of Hurrican Katrina and [pro-eyeling protesters] Critical Mass. It adds those elements to one character who has this left-wing strength.

10. ¿Viva La Gloria?
BJA: "It's about a woman with a heavy drug problem. ¡Viva La Gloria! is about a person who has a vision, but this is a person who's distorting that vision with drugs and self-destruction."

11. Restless Heart Syndrome
BJA: "It's about pharmaccuticals. A lot of people become junkies if they get the right prescription."

Act 3: Horseshoes and Handgrenades
12. Horseshoes And Handgrenades
BJA: "Oh God. You read the lyrics to that one? I'm not sure about that song yet." [Sighs apologetically]

13. Drama Queen
BJA: "It's about obsession with celebrity and watching people self-destruct. A lot of Americans have a tabloid addiction. Am I guilty of that? Yeah."

14. Static Age
BJA: "I love old punk flyers. You'd see things like crucificion of Mickey Mouse: two things that aren't supposed to go together. That's kind of what the song is about. The music almost Springsteenish.

15. 21 Guns
BJA: "It brings up 21st Century Breakdown in a lot of ways, and the 21-gun salute for someone that's fallen, but done in an arena rock'n'roll sort of way."

16. American Eulogy
BJA: "That's two songs in one: one called either Mass Hysteria or This Riot Sucks, and the other, Modern World. IT swirls all the information that's going on in the record around in an emotional blender. At the end it's going to sould like a wall of TV screens. It's sensory overload."

17. See The Light
BJA: "This record is like the way American culture is right now, where a different week is a different crisis depending on where you're getting your news from, but there's also this feeling of hope that goes throught the record. Life, I guess. And it ends up with See The Light."

New Green Day Song

2009-02-20T18:17:00.002-05:00

Hey guys
sorry for not posting in so long
But anyways
Recently, a demo of Green Day's new song 21st Century Breakdown from their new album, with the same title, due out in may, appeared on the internet.
Now, I have tried my best to transcribe the lyrics from the song. Please realize that there are probably a lot of errors, and a couple of spots where I couldn't even understand Billie. IF you have heard the demo and have any comments/improvements, please leave a comment.

without further ado
here are my transcribed

21st Century Breakdown
Born Into Nixon
I was raised in hell
(INDISTINCT)
Well, they teased as well
The last one born
The first one to run
My dad was blind
But its blinder Inside

My generation is zero
I never made it as a working class hero

21st Century Breakdown
I once was lost but was never was found
I think I'm losing what's left of my mind
To the 20th Century deadline

I was made of poison and blood
And the nation is what i understood
From mexico to the berlin wall
Homeland security can kill us all

My generation is zero
I never made it as a working class hero

21st Century Breakdown
I once was lost but was never was found
I think I'm losing what's left of my mind
To the 20th Century deadline

We are the cause of the class of the dead
Born in the era of humility
We are the desperate in the decline
Raised by the basterds of 1969

My day is now
Im the long lost son
Born on the fourth of july
Raised in the barnyards Heros and Cons
Who left me for dead or a live
Where is the war thats inside my head
Then questions and results and lies

Breaking my back till im back or im dead
(INDISTINCT)

I am an agent
A Worker of God
A debt to the status quo
The stars have my hands
And I wish you were there
Its all that i have to show
Im taking a load on my sanity
One (indistinct) my soul

Well I am exempt from the tragedy
On the 21st century poll

Praising the day
The freedom to obey
IS the song that strangles me
Well don't cross the line

Dream America Dream
I can't even see
From rainstorms till dawn

Oh bleed America bleed
Believe what you need
From heros on cons

So yeah

Songs galore

2008-11-30T15:19:00.001-05:00

Two new songs. Yeah
Idk why I wrote either of them. But yeah
ENJOY!

Would You Care
----------------------By: Michael Cook

If you saw me
And I had cuts on my wrist
would you hug me
Or call me a piece of s- - -

If I told you
That I was depressed
Would you car for me
Or would you cause me more stress

Would you love me?
Would you help me?
Would you stop me?
Or would you even care?

If you found out
I was getting high
Would you take the drugs from me
Or would you leave my side?

If you found out
I was gonna commit suicide
Would you stop me
Or would you leave my side?

Would you love me?
Would you help me?
Would you stop me?
Or would you even care?

(Guitar Solo)

Do you even care?
Would you really dare?
To stop me from doing
Something that would ruin my life?

When the night falls
And the stars are up
And you saw me there
Hanging from the cieling dead
Would you miss me
Or would you wipe me out of your head?!

Would you love me?
Would you help me?
Would you stop me?
Or would you even care?

Would you love me?
Would you help me?
Would you stop me?
Or would you even care?

Make a Change
-----------------------By: Michael Cook, Jr.
The world we live in today
Is not a place where we can play
There's pollution and crime
Every where we go
No where is safe
Shootings and murder
Fill this place
Why can't it be safe?
Nuclear power and coal mining
Our only energy sources
Why can't it be clean?

We need to
All pitch in
To save our planet
Look at the polar bears
Their homes are melting
We need to stop crime
Innocent people are dying
At the Hands of others
Everybody must agree
We need to make a change

Now you must be thinking
I'm a nutcase
Thinkin' we can save the world
But small things
Make a big difference
Even a kid can help
A dying planet

We need to
All pitch in
To save our planet
Look at the polar bears
Their homes are melting
We need to stop crime
Innocent people are dying
At the Hands of others
Everybody must agree
We need to make a change

Now we don't have the answers
But I know we can all
Help stop crime and
we'll find that cure to cancer
If we all help
It can all be done

We need to
All pitch in
To save our planet
Look at the polar bears
Their homes are melting
We need to stop crime
Innocent people are dying
At the Hands of others
Everybody must agree
We need to make a change

Now
Everybody needs to help
The earth needs us
She can't wait any longer
The earth needs us
NOW!
Come on every body!

We need to
All pitch in
To save our planet
Look at the polar bears
Their homes are melting
We need to stop crime
Innocent people are dying
At the Hands of others
Everybody must agree
We need to make a change

A New Song

2008-11-23T13:24:00.000-05:00

I was in a bad mood today, so I decided to write a song.
And here it is

What I Did To You

----------------------Michael Cook, Jr.

You don't listen
You never will
You don't care
I know you don't
And I don't see how
This can keep on going
Every day and
Never get boring

I talk to you
You brush me off
Like I'm not even
There
I'm so confused about
What you want me to do
About it

Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way

You used to talk
To me like we were cool
Now you look at me
And walk away
Could you just end it
Or do I have to do it
For you
Just tell me
What SHOULD I DO?!

Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way

To make you this waaay

I see you there
And I walk up to you
And you give me a hug
And you say

"Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way"

"Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way"

And now it's all better
Cuz we fixed it together
Now we're so happy
All cuz we said this
Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way
Please tell me
What I did wrong
Please help me
Fix all the problems
I wish I knew
God, I'm so confused
I wish I knew
What I did to you
To make you this way

But whatevs, I feel better now
I hope y'all liked reading my anger
I've noticed I write good songs when I'm pissed.
So...yeah

Michael

A Review of Half-Blood Prince!!!!!

2008-09-07T11:03:00.000-04:00

I found this on The Leaky Cauldron:

Today I got to see the test screening of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It took place in Chicago at the AMC River East. It was a secret screening, no one in the audience was supposed to know before hand what they were seeing. I was one of only a small handful who already knew what we would be seeing, but I was sworn to secrecy. It was truly the hardest secret I ever had to keep.
It was not entirely complete, however aside from a few blue screens in the background, and one or two special effects missing, it was barely noticeable.

I am a huge fan of Ginny and Harry so I will start with them. There is a lot more Ginny than ever before. She nearly equaled Ron for screen time. We first see her at the Burrow when Harry arrives outside and the first thing he sees is her reading through the window. Harry Just stands there for a moment, gazing up at her. Although she is dating Dean Thomas she never looks happy with him, except when she is snogging him at The Three Broomsticks. She was on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. But the only game we saw was from the Felix Felicis chapter when Ron believes Harry has slipped him the potion. During Christmas at the Burrow, Ginny and Harry wind up on the stairs alone and start to lean into each other to kiss, when the attack on the Burrow interrupts them.
The Burrow does not burn down, but it is surrounded by a ring of fire conjured by Bellatrix. Harry, seeing Bellatrix, runs after her, and Ginny runs after him, right into Greyback. But Harry comes to the rescue and the two of them stand in a very high growing cornfield fending off attacks from the deatheaters. Lupin and Tonks come to the rescue, but that is I believe the last we see of them. There is no Tonks and Lupin relationship and although Tonks’ hair is brown there is no notice taken or any explanation given.
Tom Felton did a fantastic job in this film. Draco character remains true to the book, he even stamps on Harry’s nose. But, sadly, we never get the pleasure of seeing Crabb and Goyle disguised as girls. In fact, they are hardly in this movie. The Sectumsempra scene was really good, even without moaning Myrtle. As Harry and Draco throw spells at each other poor Nigel sits frozen on one of the toilets. Snape runs in shortly and McGonagall is in the doorway after Harry cast the spell (Draco never yells Crucio) and he does do a cure his wounds with a spell that sounds almost like song. But he does not use legilimency on Harry, who runs straight out of the bathroom to McGonagall. In the next scene Hermione and Ginny band together and tell Harry to hide the potions book so not even Harry can find it. Ginny takes Harry to the room of Requirement, and makes him close his eyes while she hides the book. Then she kisses him briefly. By the time he opens his eyes she has vanished.
There was definitely tension between Ron and Hermione. In the very beginning at the Burrow, Ron cleans off a bit of toothpaste from Hermione’s cheek. Later in Slughorn’s class she describes what she smells in the love potion and trails off with “spearmint toothpaste…” Lavender is quite nauseating and although she never gives Ron a necklace she does something equally as vomit worthy, steaming up a window on the Hogwarts Express with her breath and drawing a heart with “R + L” inside it. His relationship ends when he is unconscious and moaning Hermione’s name after being poisoned. He remains confused about why it ended but very relieved.
The kid who played young Tom Riddle was Brilliant. His voice and demeanor raised the hairs on the back of my neck. There is no mention of the Gaunts, but the scene in Slughorn’s office is there. Dumbledore however is truly surprised to learn that Riddle made 7 Horcruxes. It is in that scene that he realizes the ring is a Horcrux. He realizes what it was because when harry handles it briefly he moved his head like Voldemort.
We do get to hear Hagrid and Slughorn singing about Odo the Hero, and Harry is funny and a few lines where true to the book while under the influence of Felix Felicis. There is no Professor Trelawney, or the Dursleys. No Kreacher (no mention of inheriting Grimmauld Place whatsoever) or Dobby, or Bill and Fleur. There are no scenes with the Minister of Magic, and I don’t believe they even mentioned Fudge was sacked (though I may have missed it).
Oh and most sadly of all, no description from Luna about the dangers of the Rotfang Conspiracy. Nor does she commentate the Quidditch match. Luna’s role was very small, but she does have the lion hat and she is the one to find Harry on the train under the invisibility cloak with the help of her Spectrespecs.
Weasleys’ Wizard Wheezes was awesome!!! I only wish it were a real store. Unfortunately no U-No-Poo sign, but it was still a sight to see.
The scene with Harry and Snape at the end was the least finished of the movie; the background was mostly screens and lights and occasionally a sound persons head. It was very close to the book, though I thought Snape could have been stronger and angrier, when Harry called him a coward. His some of his last words to Harry are “You may have your mother’s eyes but you are as dim as your father!”

And now for the Cave scene.
Dumbledore meets Harry at the top of the Astronomy tower and they apparate to outside the cave. As they are leaving Harry is surprised that that they can apparate from within the Hogwarts grounds, and Dumbledore says something along the lines of “That’s the beauty of being headmaster.”

The scene they apparate to, despite being slightly unfinished was nonetheless absolutely breathtaking. Cliffs and huge waves dominate the scene. Dumbledore finds their way to the anti-chamber and slits his hand (for you star trek fans – he does it in a Klingon way – straight across the inside of his hand). The wall crumbles away and Dumbledore explains to Harry that Voldemort would have set up defenses around the Horcrux.

The cave is very different than what I had pictured and than all the fan art I have seen, but still a chilling and amazing sight. It reminded me a bit of a normal cave mixed with the ice crystal place Superman goes to in one of his movies. The whole cave is a vast formation of huge crystals, jagged and rough, jutting out from the ceiling walls and floor.

They make their way to the water and Dumbledore cautions Harry not to touch it and he starts to raise the boat with magic. Then he has Harry reel it in with a very heavy long chain.
The island is a formation of crystals as is the basin. Now the only really cheesy and unspectacular thing about this whole scene is that they use a large white clam shell partially imbedded in a small rock to scoop up the potion. In my opinion it looked rather silly. Dumbledore tell Harry to force him to drink the potion and Gambon once again does a slightly better than usual job being forced to drink the potion.
At one point towards the end you can very softly hear Dumbledore mumble something like “please don’t hurt them, it’s all my fault.” But it was almost inaudible and I doubt anyone who has not read the book caught the line at all. Then after the last scoop is drunk, Gambon kind of goes back to his rather poor, unresearched acting and says with far too much strength. “Harry, Water.”
But first Harry goes back to the Basin and recovers the locket and in the background we can hear Dumbledore saying “Harry, water” getting slightly weaker each time he says it. Harry attempts to fill the basin with water the aguamenti charm, but can not get the scoop the water up with that silly shell. After trying several times and Dumbledore starting to collapse he goes to the lake to fill it there.
Suddenly the light that was emanating from the island with the basin goes out, and Harry lights his wand (most unfortunately with the non-existent spell luminous-maximus, or whatever it was he used in the beginning of the third movie), and slowly reaches down to scoop up the lake water. The moment he touches it a hand reaches out and grabs Harry’s wrist. The whole audience jumped in fear. Harry tries to fend off the inferi with all the spells we hear him try in the books. But in the end he is pulled down into the water.
Before I go on I must say the Inferi scene was one of the most spectacular of this movie. They looked a bit like the newer version of the Dementor, but much more human shaped and brownish. I fear I am not describing them well, because they were truly a scary site to see. The camera angles captured the scene of Harry trying hopelessly to defend himself and Dumbledore from them as they clambered onto the island from all different angles and the sheer number of them eventually overwhelms Harry and he is pulled down deep into the lake.
While Harry is underwater the view we have is from below him looking up and we can see the whole island from below as well. Suddenly the Inferi holding Harry releases him and he swims up to a surface covered in ferocious flame. The “ring of fire” Dumbledore conjures is an unbelievable sight, far more than I think anyone pictured in the books, but incredibly spectacular. Harry and Dumbledore climb back in the boat and the scene then cuts to Harry helping Dumbledore through the cave.
The every so anticipated lines of (I am paraphrasing) “Don’t worry sir, I’ll get us back” and Dumbledore replying “I am not worried, I am with you” are said. Executed very well by Radcliffe though rather poorly in my opinion by Gambon who clearly does not know the significant emotional value we fans know those lines have.
They then apparate back to the top of the astronomy tower. There is no dark mark in the sky. But as Dumbledore says he needs Severus not Madame Pomfrey they hear a commotion and Dumbledore orders Harry to go and hide and not come out or interfere. A command the book Harry would never have followed, but that the movie Harry would obey. Harry goes underneath the wooden floor of the tower where Dumbledore is standing where he can see everything through large gaps between the wood slates. Draco arrives and Tom does a brilliant job as a boy trying to be fierce and terrified at the same time. Some lines from the book are rather butchered by Dumbledore saying things like “Draco, you are not an assassin.” Then the Death Eaters arrive all in masks except Bellatrix and Greyback. Bellatrix urges Draco to do it though his wand lowers slightly.
Meanwhile under the floor Harry who is watching terrified with his wand at the ready is sneaked up on by Snape, whose wand is also out and puts his finger to his lips to make sure Harry stays quiet. My description does not quite capture that scene well enough, but I was surprised to find my heart ripping, perhaps because I knew what was going to happen when Snape appeared there. Snape quietly appears above, and Dumbledore, with far too much strength says “Severus Please.”
And Snape does the Avada Kadavra, and Bellatrix is ecstatic. The scene with Dumbledore being lifted into the air was unfortunately unfinished because we see him up in the air and then apparently falling down the side of the tower, but there was no motion yet. He is stationary in both scenes. I am sure more special effects will be added later. Then Bellatrix casts the Dark Mark (another amazing updated special effect with a black smoke skull and snake tongue). The Deatheaters all run out, destroying a bit of the castle in a euphoric tantrum along the way. There is no battle inside Hogwarts and the only one to chase them is Harry.
There was no Amycus or Alecto anywhere I could see. Oh, and there is no Rosmerta either. Forgot to mention that before.
Anyway, the Deatheaters set Hagrid’s hut on fire and the scene I already described happens between Harry and Snape. Harry then returns to find the whole school gathered around Dumbledore’s body, McGonagall in the front completely stunned and silent. Harry kneels down at Dumbledore’s side, brushes a hair out of his face and finds the locket, but does not open it. Clutching the locket He starts to cry and Ginny goes and holds him also crying. Then following McGonagall’s lead, everyone lights there wand (I think they all murmur something in unison but I can’t remember what) and slowly raise them as one in the air. Final shot of that scene is from above with all the lighted wands surrounding the tower, Dumbledore, Harry and Ginny.

As a huge fan of the books I have found myself getting more and more disappointed by all the changes in the movies and especially in Michael Gambon’s portrayal of Dumbledore who is my favorite character. That being said I was really pleasantly surprised by this movie. Many of the changes were actually entertaining and Gambon has improved enough to be tolerable. It was so much better than Order of the Phoenix. Overall I really enjoyed this movie and can not wait to see it again.

So... the movie seems AWESOME!
TTYL

Stuff

2008-09-03T18:30:00.000-04:00

I have another blog with a friend, so, check it out if ur bored.
http://wwwtechrules.blogspot.com/

TTYL

Bye!
Go check it out!
School sux, as usual!

Ok... one more thing

2008-08-23T22:11:00.002-04:00

Being the blonde (idk if that's how u spell that word) dummy that I Am, I just now noticed how old that picture of me is in the blog header.

Like spring of 2007.

Wow.

Ok, that's it.

Michael

TBS 2008

2008-08-23T21:16:00.000-04:00

Ok,

I know I've been talking about it a lot this week, but three-fouth's of it is done. TBS (Teen BIble School) 2008. So, I've got a lot to talk/rant/exclaim about!

Ok, rant time!
We made these "peace" bracelets, NOT VERY PEACFUL! I kept freaking dropping all the beads. Took me like an hour to make the stupid thing. I'm giving it away to one of my friends, whose name shall remain hidden for his/her, dang-it, what's

Exclaim time!
One of our pasters had a wonderful testimony about how he became aquainted with Christ, and that was really touching and sad.
Um, we had a pray for the schools walk, that was fun, we walked around a bunch of trees and prayed for the schools that were taped to the trees. so that was fun.

We had a pool party last night, and that was INCREDIBLE

So I think that's it with my usual ranting/raving that i usually do in these kind of blogs.
So, thanks for reading this
Michael

My review of Star Wars: The Clone Wars

2008-08-20T11:48:00.001-04:00

Star Wars: The Clone Wars: the mildly anticipated new TV Series has premeired with a theatrical movie. Now, the plot is pretty good, but the animation and voices could have been better.

The characters' hair looked like it had been painted on, some of the voices were pretty bad, but over all, it was a fairly enjoyable movie.

The basic plot is that Jabba the Hutt's infant son has been larva-knapped and the Jedi have to save him. Meanwhile, Count Dooku has tricked Jabba into thinking that the Jedi were the ones who had kidnapped his son.

Then throw in the evil assasin Assaj Ventress, and Anakin's new padawan Asoka. And you've got yourself a pretty good cast of characters.

And of course, we can't forget the Seperatist Droids, who have some funny lines, or the Rebublic Army.

All in all, I give the movie a 2.75 out of 5 stars. You should only see it if, A) You are a child, or B) You are a very good Star Wars fan.

Talking with one of my friends

2008-08-19T19:53:00.000-04:00

i was talking to my friend, and he has a twin brother, and they both were yelling in the phone, and i couldnt tell who was whom, cuz they sounded a like.

so it was funny

I was like, WHO IS YELLING AT ME?!
I CAN'T TELL!

lol,

good thing they wont read this...

Oh, lord, here they go again!

TTYL,
Michael

NOW I'M GONNA KILL HOLLYWOOD RECORDS!

2008-08-15T23:34:00.002-04:00

ARG!

AS if the news that HP6 is being released later didn't piss me off enough, I found out that the new Queen album is coming out at the END of October instead of the middle!

Yes I know it's not that big of a difference. It's just UBER annoying, that's all.

I just felt like ranting again.

TTYL,

Michael

MY story's fictionpress

2008-08-15T23:28:00.000-04:00

I made my story a fictionpress.com story!
So now, I'll blog about if I've released any more chapters, and you can simply go there to read them!
I have written Chapter 2-4 of Part 1.
Here they are:
Chapter 2: Tail
Chapter 3: Captured
Chapter 4: Escape... or not?

Remember, drop a review on fictionpress or right here!

TTYL,
Michael

A Sneak Peak at my New Story!

2008-08-14T20:55:00.000-04:00

Hey all of you blog readers! I just wanted to thank you all for reading my blog. And to present you with the first two chapters of my new story (which will be on fictionpress.com soon.) It is called The Adventures of Agent X and is set in 2050. Read to find out more!

The Adventures of Agent X
By: Michael Cook, Jr.

Prologue

"I have been having these dreams," the boy began, "in these dreams, I see a man and he holds the power to save the world from the ever-growing darkness. But he chooses not to do anything. And the world dies."

"What do you mean 'dies'?" The psychiatrist asked.

"When the man doesn't help the world," the boy began as he dragged his finger across his neck, "the world burns up and explodes, 'cause the bad guys have hurt the world."

"Bad guys?"

"Yeah, they call themselves Planet Killers."

"Planet killers? How did they hurt the world?" The Psychiatrist asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," the boy began, "they've destroyed the four poles that keep the world running."

"Poles?"

"Yeah."

After the boy returned to the waiting room, the psychiatrist brought his parents into her office.

"Well," the psychiatrist began, "I think he has been having visions."

"Visions?" The father began angrily. "Like psychic nutcase visions?!"

"Well, not exactly. You see, he is predicting the end of the world."

And though I didn't know it at the time, I was the man in my dreams.

Now of course, I have to proove my vision wrong. I have to do whatever it takes to destroy the plantet killers before they destroy the planet.

My name is Agent X and I'm gonna change the future

Part 1: Quest

Chapter 1: Assignment

The year is 2050. The world is already half-way covered with darkness. The planet killers run amok through out the major cities of the world. Only a few of these great cities are still actually up-and-running.

Bejing: The first city to go. Destroyed in 2008 during the 21st annual Summer Olympics. During this time, Bejing was already having some problems, but about half-way through the 21st Annual Summer Olympics, the city imploded in itself taking out all of China in the progress.

Hollywood: Destroyed in 2015 during the Sundance film festival. Durning this time, Hollywood was going through a tough time at the begining of 2015. All of the writers had quit and were striking, half of the actors who lived in the area had suffered deaths from serious and uncurable diseases that scientists had never encounterd before. By July of 2015, Hollywood was about to destroy itself, when the whole city burst into flames taking out all of California and the surrounding states.

London: The most influential city to go. Destroyed in 2020 during the Christmas season. You see, London held the deeds to about a quarter of the countries in the world. When London was destroyed, so were a quarter of the cities in the world.

Paris: Destroyed in 2035. Paris was, probably, the hardest city for the Planet Killers to destroy. Paris pretty much kept to themselves. What caused the destruction of Paris was when the Eifel Tower collapsed on September 14, 2035. Shortly thereafter, the citizens went insane and started attacking each other, until by December 15 the whole city was destroyed. And with the most influential city in France destroyed, the whole country soon followed suit. By February of 2036, all of Europe was gone.

Toyko: Nearly destroyed. By 2050, only a quarter of the city was destroyed. This is where I am stationed.

As I said earlier, my name is Agent X. Though that is not my real name. My real name is Leonard Exess. I joined the ranks of the Agents as soon as I graduated High School (which was about the time that Hollywood was destroyed.)

The Agents are an organization dedicated to saving the world from the Imminent destruction. They stationed me in Tokyo, Japan in 2045. I have helped destroy 50 Planet Killers to date.

But that is less than a quarter of the planet killers in Tokyo. My job is no where near done.

The Planet Killers are aliens who travel from planet to planet destroying the four poles of every planet. Why do they do this? I don't know.

The poles are four sections of the world that keep the world running. They are: Hollywood, Lodon, Beijing, and Tokyo. As you now know, the Planet Killers have destroyed three out of the four poles. IF they destroy the final pole, the world will come to an end and will implode inside itself.

So why do the Planet Killers destroy as many cities as possible? For the fun of it. That's what's so depressing about capturing the Planet Killers. They have no motive.

But today I got an exciting new assignment.

I walked into my quarters at The Agent's HQ in Tokyo when the screen on my 12 foot ceiling to floor computer moniter went blank.

Then, with no warning, the face of my superior, Agent Sheeba, appeared on the screen.

"Agent X," she began, "I have a new exciting assignment for you!"

"Really?!" I asked with genuine excitement.

"Yeah, I want you to find the head Planet Killer."

A smile krept across my face as I said, "Aweso--". Then I realized what she had told me to do. "What?"

"That was a simple command," she replied with a hint of annoyance. "I want you to find the leader of the Planet Killers. Rumor has it that he is in Tokyo. And he's looking for you."

"Me?" I asked while a shiver traveld down my spine at full speed. "Why me?"

"That we do not know," She answered. "But, we want you to find him before he finds you."

I hope you enjoyed those two chapters!
TTYL,

Michael

I'M GOING TO KILL WARNER BROTHERS!

2008-08-14T17:11:00.000-04:00

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT WARNER BROTHERS IS PUSHING THE 6th HARRY POTTER MOVIE'S RELEASE DATE FROM NOVEMBER 2008 TO JULY 2009!

THAT'S BULL CRAP!
Here is the press release copyright marketwatch.com

BURBANK, Calif., Aug 14, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Warner Bros. Pictures today announced that it has moved back the release date of "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" to Summer 2009. The sixth installment of the blockbuster Harry Potter franchise will now open day-and-date domestically and in the major international markets on July 17, 2009. The announcement was made by Alan Horn, President and Chief Operating Officer, Warner Bros.

In making the announcement, Mr. Horn stated, "Our reasons for shifting 'Half-Blood Prince' to summer are twofold: we know the summer season is an ideal window for a family tent pole release, as proven by the success of our last Harry Potter film, which is the second-highest grossing film in the franchise, behind only the first installment. Additionally, like every other studio, we are still feeling the repercussions of the writers' strike, which impacted the readiness of scripts for other films--changing the competitive landscape for 2009 and offering new windows of opportunity that we wanted to take advantage of. We agreed the best strategy was to move 'Half-Blood Prince' to July, where it perfectly fills the gap for a major tent pole release for mid-summer."

Jeff Robinov, President of Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group, confirmed, "The release date change does not alter the production schedule for this or future Harry Potter films. Post-production on 'Half-Blood Prince' was completed on time, and the studio's release plans for the two-part 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows' will not be affected by this change. We know Harry Potter fans are eagerly anticipating seeing the final chapters unfold onscreen. In fact, the good news for them is that the gap will now be shortened between 'Half-Blood Prince' and the first part of 'Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.'"

Commenting on the release date change for "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," David Heyman, the producer of all the Harry Potter films, offered, "When Jeff Robinov explained the rationale behind moving the release date of 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince' to July 2009, it was immediately apparent that this offered us the potential to reach the widest possible audience. I am extremely proud of this latest film and of the work of David Yates and our incomparable cast; I believe we have developed and pushed the series further still. We are all looking forward to sharing it with Harry Potter fans around the world, even if we have to wait just a bit longer."

David Yates, the director of both "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix" and "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" and who will also helm "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows," added, "It has been a joy to work on 'Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.' Dan, Rupert and Emma and all our returning young cast continue to blossom, and our new cast members bring fresh color and life to Hogwarts. Even as we put the finishing touches on this latest film, we are already beginning preparations on the final two films--we start filming in February--and I am excited to bring this remarkable series to the exciting and moving conclusion its loyal fans deserve."

In "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince," Voldemort is tightening his grip on both the Muggle and wizarding worlds and Hogwarts is no longer the safe haven it once was. Harry suspects that dangers may even lie within the castle, but Dumbledore is more intent upon preparing him for the final battle that he knows is fast approaching. Meanwhile, the students are under attack from a very different adversary as teenage hormones rage across the ramparts. Love is in the air, but tragedy lies ahead and Hogwarts may never be the same again.

Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Heyday Films production, "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." David Yates, who directed last year's summer blockbuster "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix," returns to direct "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." David Heyman and David Barron are the producers, with Lionel Wigram serving as executive producer. Steve Kloves wrote the screenplay, based on the book by J.K. Rowling.

Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson are reprising their roles as young wizards Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger. The film also stars Jim Broadbent, Helena Bonham Carter, Robbie Coltrane, Warwick Davis, Michael Gambon, Alan Rickman, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, David Thewlis and Julie Walters. The cast also features David Bradley, Jessie Cave, Frank Dillane, Tom Felton, Matthew Lewis, Evanna Lynch, Helen McCrory, Natalia Tena, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, and Bonnie Wright.

"Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince" will be released by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

SOURCE: Warner Bros. Pictures

Domestic Contact:

Susan Fleishman, 818-954-1919

susan.fleishman@warnerbros.com

International Contacts:

Jayne Trotman, 020 7984 5222

jayne.trotman@warnerbros.com

Desiree Finnegan, 818-954-3397

desiree.finnegan@warnerbros.com

Head of Harry Potter Production Publicity:

Vanessa Davies, 011-44-192-368-5131

vanessa@hpfilms.co.uk

ARGH!

TTYL,
Michael

Late night blogging.

2008-08-14T00:54:00.002-04:00

Hmm...

I doubt I should be on the computer this late. ;)

But I just wanted to blog.
So here's a little bit about myself.
As some of you know, I'm in a band. It's called Chemical Rise. And we're working on an album. For more information go to the Chemical Rise Blog.
And also, I just finished watching a bunch of Queen music videos.
I love that band.
And I love the style of music videos from the '70's and '80's.

I'll post more awesome blogs soon.

TTYL
Michael

New Queen Album

2008-08-13T17:55:00.003-04:00

PRESS RELEASE: "THE COSMOS ROCKS"

"THE COSMOS ROCKS”
QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS FIRST STUDIO ALBUM
EMI/Parlophone Release September 15

“Our teachers were The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, blues & soul…”

The first thing you notice about The Cosmos Rocks, the much anticipated first album from rock legends Queen + Paul Rodgers is “all tracks written by Queen and Paul Rodgers”…”produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor” (indicating that between them they played all instruments, including bass - Paul and Brian swapping duties - in case you were going to ask). This is obviously not a case of Rodgers lightly stepping in to fill a vocal gap, as some might have been drawn to assume would be the case when the three of them got into the studio together.

No, this is a full bodied, group endeavour: May, Rodgers and Taylor in a totally democratic union, even down to equally sharing the credits. The album’s dedication to legendary Queen front man 'Freddie Mercury,' (you’ll also see thanks credits to John Deacon and Paul Kossoff) shows the band mates still feel his presence strongly enough to dedicate this entirely new work to him, nearly 13 years on from Queen’s last studio album.

You also wonder how Rodgers who takes control as main vocalist on all thirteen tracks here feels about his work being dedicated to the man whose fans still worship at the altar of the pre-Mercury demise Queen.

But then thinking about it, it doesn’t seem quite so strange. Brian May and Roger Taylor have, after all, never shied from acknowledging the mighty presence Mercury provided to the band on stage and the wonders of his extraordinary creativity in the studio. Mostly, they acknowledge how even today, they still miss ‘dear Fred’.

In the case of Rodgers, he can stand assured in the fact that Mercury always rated him as one of the best rock voices of his time. It is public record that Mercury would make a point of dropping into the Marquee or any number of other London venues when Rodgers was performing with his band Free. Mercury often in his past acknowledged Free’s Fire and Water as one of the albums to most influence Queen. On top of this, Rodgers has now played enough sold-out and wildly received dates as Queen + Paul Rodgers to know that it works, and that the acceptance is there. You only had to be there at last month’s Nelson Mandela 90th birthday concert to feel the heat from the audience to the band’s blinding set.

It all makes perfect sense when you get the opportunity to see what the band have to say about the sessions:

“We went in and played, every day, and ALL kinds of things happened, little bits of chemistry happening between us. It’s good, organic music.

“There's a lot of guitar orchestras and some of our old trademarks, but at the core of it you'll hear the three of us playing. People really, truly playing together in the studio - you don't get that much these days. But, you will get it on their new album.

“Do they still call them 'albums'? I don't even know. But this is really, we believe, an Album in the old sense of the word - something you can put on and listen to all the way through, and it takes you on a journey ... the subjects and moods in it are widely spaced - but nevertheless, a challenge to the listener to put his day on hold for an hour or so, be drawn in, make connections, and experience something new.

“These days it has seemed to us that few people have this in mind - CD's by large tend to be a collection of songs, often produced by different teams, assembled in random sequence - with the idea that folks will shuffle the order on their iPods anyway. Of course you always have that option! But our teachers were the Beatles, Hendrix, blues + soul and ... you know where we’re going with this. “

The Cosmos Rocks was recorded and mixed at Taylor’s The Priory studio between November 2007 and August 2008, and co-produced and engineered by Joshua J Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson. It marks the first album of newly recorded material from Queen + Paul Rodgers since they first set out on the road in 2005, and the first Queen studio album since 1995.

A first single from the album, “C-lebrity” is released September 8 in enhanced CD, 7”, and digital formats. Versions contain exclusive performances of Queen + Paul Rodgers live performances of “Show Must Go On” and “Fire and Water” filmed during Q + PR’s 2005 Japanese tour.

The track, according to Roger Taylor – and seemingly much in keeping with many on The Cosmos Rocks – is the writers’ skew on the times in which we live: " ’C-lebrity’ is really a comment on the current concept of fame - success and all that goes with it. Getting your face on TV is enough - talent doesn't really enter into the equation. ‘Celebrity’ is an overused and devalued word today. I think the song shows we have lost none of the humour of Queen!”

Other tracks on The Cosmos Rocks include "Cosmos Rockin’”, "Time To Shine”, "Still Burnin'” (a mission statement of why artists are compelled to create), "Small”,"“Warboys”, "We Believe”, "Call Me”, "Voodoo”, "Some Things That Glitter”, "Through The Night”, "Say It's Not True” (a new version of the track donated to Nelson Mandela’s 46664 HIV Aids campaign), and "Surf's Up, School's Out”.

The album is released in three physical formats: standard CD, deluxe package which includes additional DVD featuring 15 highlight performances by Queen + Paul Rodgers from the band’s Super Live in Japan concert recorded live at Saitama Super Arena, Tokyo on 27th October 2005, along with double gate-fold vinyl release. The album will also have a special digital release including bonus tracks.

Coinciding with the release of The Cosmos Rocks, Queen + Paul Rodgers embark on a 33-date Europe and Northern Eurasia tour beginning mid-September. The tour reaches the UK on October 10 with 11 dates including two at London 02 and the tour’s final date at Wembley Arena on November 8.

Queen + Paul Rodgers
The Cosmos Rocks

Released world excluding North America September 15, 2008

Track listing:
1. Cosmos Rockin' (4:10)
2. Time To Shine (4:23)
3. Still Burnin' (4:04)
4. Small (4:39)
5. Warboys (3:18)
6. We Believe (6:08)
7. Call Me (2:59)
8. Voodoo (4:27)
9. Some Things That Glitter (4:03)
10. C-lebrity (3:38)
11. Through The Night (4:54)
12. Say It's Not True (4:00)
13. Surf's Up . . . School's Out ! (5:38)
14. small reprise (2:05)

Produced and performed by Brian May, Paul Rodgers and Roger Taylor
Co-produced and engineered by
Joshua J Macrae, Justin Shirley-Smith and Kris Fredriksson
All tracks written by Queen + Paul Rodgers
Extra backing vocals on C-lebrity: Taylor Hawkins courtesy of RCA Records

This album is dedicated to Freddie Mercury

www.queenpluspaulrodgers.com
www.queenonline.com
http://www.paulrodgers.com/

Welcome

2008-08-13T17:49:00.002-04:00

This is my blog.
I will discuss bloggy things on it.

Bloggy...
That's a funny word...

Anyway,
This is MY BLOG, not my band's blog, but, MY BLOG!

More stuff soon,
Michael