view this week's issue in Adobe PDF version - Eujacksonville.com

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Man vs. Wild Survivorman survival of the fittest Man vs. Wild vs. Survivorman by rick graNt rickgrant01@comcast.net Spawned from the popularity of the long-running reality show Survivor, two experienced survivalists compete for viewers every week in some godforsaken wilderness with only their survival skills, a knife, and a canteen of water. Whereas naturalist and former British Special Forces soldier, Bear Grylls of Man Vs Wild is dropped into vast wilderness regions with a film crew, Les Shroud, from Canada, is also dropped into a wilderness region, but he films himself, which to me gives Les more credibility. The allure of these shows is based on viewers saying to themselves “what if” we end up lost in the woods without any provisions, what would we do? Of course, chances of that happening are slim to none, but it’s fun to speculate. I like to hike on well marked paths with my cell phone and plenty of water. Clearly, both Bear Grylls and Les Stroud are experienced survivalists who have advanced knowledge of where to find water in various regions, what indigenous plants are safe to eat, and what small creatures and insects are nutritious. In Bear Grylls’ show, Man Vs Wild, the film crew is unseen, which raises the possibility of Bear cheating. The crew could be carrying extra water, food, and other amenities to make Bear’s survival in the forest more comfortable. In fact, Bear has been criticized for staging some scenes near his hotel. So, next season, Bear’s show will include the film crew and regular people he is teaching to survive. This way, the scenes will be above reproach. More importantly, the show will be more interesting. Undeniably, Bear has the right stuff for hosting this show. Despite a bad back injury suffered in a parachuting accident on a Special Forces’ mission, Bear went on to climb Mount Everest. He was only 23 and the youngest person to reach the summit at that time (1998). In 2007, he was also the first person to fly a powered paraglider over the summit of Everest, ascending to 29,500 feet. In 2005, Bear took a group of young men to the Western Sahara Desert to undergo the French Foreign Legion’s basic training, which is considered the most brutal training of any armed forces in the world. My favorite Bear Grylls adventure was his survival deep in the Everglades, wading through alligator infested swamp water and eating insects and frogs. Bear made a camp in a tree with a fire to dry 14 january 17-23, 2008 | entertaining u newspaper out his feet, which are vulnerable to trench foot. Bear showed viewers that they could siphon the dirty swamp water through a T-shirt, boil it, and drink it. The endless swamp with its poisonous snakes and alligators is a foreboding place to be stranded. It’s impossible to get your bearings, but Bear showed viewers how to navigate this treacherous environment. One wonders, though, that when he yells “cut” he may say, “Hey, who’s got a beer,” to the crew. Frankly, I like both shows, and Bear knows his stuff, but by far, Les Shroud seems more rugged and authentic. By filming himself, his challenges are much more authentic. He is indeed alone, with no help from anyone. Of course, the show’s insurance policy insists that Les carry a satellite phone in case he gets injured, he can call for help. But that would be a last resort for this tough outdoors man. Les grew up in the wilderness of northern Canada, hunting and learning survival skills. Les writes, produces, and stars in his series. He even wrote and edited the theme music. Renowned as an outdoor adventurer, filmmaker, singer/songwriter, and naturalist, Les has 20 years of experience learning survival skills and producing films. He singlehandedly produced the pilot for Survivorman and pitched it to Discovery International/The Science Channel. They bought it on the spot. My favorite Les Shroud adventure was his trip to Alaska where he battled the brutal weather and there were only four hours of light per day. The salmon were running, but he had to stay clear of black and grizzly bears who feast on the yearly salmon run. Shroud built a shelter from rubbish and used items he found in the environment to help him survive, living off rats and other small creatures. Since Shroud is completely alone, his adventures are more intriguing. There is no hotel where he could have a cocktail, only the relentless bleakness of the wilderness. That is not to say that Bear Grylls’ show is not authentic, but he has corrected any doubts by including the film crew in the show. Ah yes, I can only imagine being lost in the wilderness. I might remember Bear’s or Les’ advice, but chances are I’m just not tough enough to survive for long. Man Vs Wild and Suvivorman are both on The Discovery Channel. Check local listings for times. surviving the winter writer’s strike online TV and TV extras by eriN tHurSby scopes1925@msn.com The writer’s strike has made well-scripted original shows harder to find on TV. News pundits predict that TV will soon be a sea of reality-TV and news magazine shows. That doesn’t mean that you have to be starved for good TV shows. Take the time to learn about your favorite shows online, or just catch up on shows you wish you’d watched from the start of the season. Because of my inability to actually catch any show regularly, I often find myself on the web, desperately trying to catch up with whatever show I’m interested in at the time. Slow connection or a spotty Internet video feed can lead to giving up for the season and just buying it later on DVD. During my Internet travels, I’ve found that the world of online TV extras has expanded considerably. Here’s what I’ve found so far: CBS (cbs.com) They’ve got full episodes from their various programs like Shark, How I Met your Mother, and all the CSI’s currently on the network. I never made it past the commercials for a web video of any show, so I wish you luck on that score. Looking at the show menu, I clicked on Numb3rs, because I thought that this show would be perfect for the web. When I got there it was pretty bare. There was an interesting section on “The Math Behind Numb3rs” but the web design was clumsy, with far too much scrolling involved. While it’s nice that CBS has something online, they aren’t the best network to ever buy a domain. The site isn’t as user friendly as other networks. ABC (abc.com) ABC is definitely a step up from CBS as far design is concerned. Check out the Ugly Betty site, in all its brightly-colored, eye-popping glory. You’ll have to have a Flash Player installed to view many of the videos and extras, but as long as you do, you should have a fun time on the site. In new shows Pushing Daisies is my pick. They also do pretty decently with Lost and Grey’s Anatomy, with a good amount of extras and a link so that you can buy merch. NBC (nbc.com) The most web savvy network of the big three is NBC. Even with a comedy series like My Name is Earl, they mange to come up with creative online hooks. Earl’s none-too-bright brother Randy even has his own soul-searching blog. Each show on the site has an easily accessible design. Thirteen episodes were completed before the strike struck. As far as I’m concerned, NBC’s Heroes is the king of online content. The writers and production people have done at least 11 episodes, so it will be a few weeks before they’re affected by the strike. In the meantime, explore the site! There’s plenty to see. You can catch up with the series by watching their video of past episodes (this season only) but that’s not what keeps people coming back to the site. There are links to websites of some of the “corporations” and businesses you’ll see on the show. Dummy sites for Primatech Paper, Yamagato Fellowship and the casino run by the shadowy Mr. Linderman can all be found. Some of them even contain secret “Easter Eggs.” Even characters (like Hanna aka Wireless) that have very little screentime on the actual show can take on a life of their own through the site’s online graphic novels. Through the graphic novels, you’ll learn about their back stories and you’ll get to see flashbacks in the lives of main characters. The Heroes series is great because not every detail and person is fully explained. It leaves viewers with questions, burning questions. Those viewers go to the site and often join the online community on the message boards, sounding their theories about character’s relationships with each other and their powers. There’s much more on the site, like Claire’s MySpace and behind-the-scenes blogs from creators. My favorite online extra has got to be the faux PBS series on Takezo Kensei. If you’re a fan of the series or if you want to know more, the NBC Heroes page is a terrific resource. Even once you explore it fully, you should keep coming back, because they add fresh content on a regular basis, and there are always discussions on the boards about the latest episode. CABLE OR SATELLITE ONLINE Maybe it’s because you pay extra, but most of the time shows on cable or satellite aren’t available in their entirety online. Here are just two worthy picks: The Daily Show on Comedy Central thedailyshow.com Unfortunately, I can’t watch The Daily Show in its entirety online (not legally anyway). This is sad because I can’t pay for a cable package with Comedy Central, and I love The Daily Show. I can, however, get a mini-fix by watching the shortened “highlights” from the show. I miss some of Jon Stewart’s lighthearted banter, but I get the meaty parts. Meerkat Manor on Animal Planet animal.discovery.com/fansites/meerkat/meerkat. html Meerkat Manor is one of the few satellite/cable TV shows online that you can watch in its entirety. Those that want to catch up with the meerkat saga can watch past episodes. If you need to sort out which family is which, there’s a “Meet the Meerkats” link you can click on. The characters of the show are grouped by family, and each family has a link to individual meerkat bios. There are also interactive games and quizzes, place to vote for your favorite meerkat, forums and chat rooms. You can adopt your own meekat, buy past seasons and meerkat merchandise. Whatever you do during the writer’s strike, don’t resort to lowering your standards. Check out shows you haven’t seen before or couldn’t fit into your schedule before by going online. By the time the strike is over you just might have an addiction to a show that’s new to you.
netscapades by brenton crozier 2008 Election – Meet the Candidates Edition The Internet is an unparalleled tool for amassing information. With virtual libraries, newspapers, articles, essays and opinions at your fingertips, everyone can take just a few minutes a day to become more informed voters. I realize not everyone has the time to read up on the candidates to properly equip themselves with the knowledge needed to make a good decision come voting day, so I took it upon myself to gather information about the leading candidates. This way you can feel good about your decision. I don’t have the space to discuss the fringe candidates, but was sure to include the major players. Make your vote count and remember people, knowledge is power or something like that. www.zod2008.com Kneel before Zod! General Zod is back and demanding your vote and complete allegiance. He is planning to restore our dignity and make us servants worthy of his rule. I noticed that he conveniently left the little Superman incident from the 80s off his site! Zod’s site is comprehensive and contains a personal letter stating why he is running (complete domination), campaign news like his demand for $142 million in tribute, an Ask the General section and his platform. Some of his platforms include, “I do not take orders, I give them,” and “Your freedom will be expanded to give your money and lives to me.” I don’t know, I was all about Walken, but Zod’s sounding pretty good. His candor and vicious conviction really strike a chord with me. www.walken2008.com You may know that he finds bear suits funny, but where does he stand on the issues? Ha, who cares? The only thing that you need to know is how great it would be to listen to Christopher Walken deliver anything. That is a State of the Union address that I would tune in for. Can you imagine? “Ladies and gentleman, the President of the United States, Christopher Walken!” Then he would come out and say something like, “People, people, you got me all wrong here.” Can’t a boy dream? www.specialfarm.net/macgyver2008.html Macgyver has the hair, sweet leather jacket and mad skills to make a bomb with fingernail clippers, chewing gum and 7-UP. He’s this cycle’s “smart choice.” Part of his platform includes Swiss Army knives for every child and he will single-handedly bring the War on Terror to an end, armed only with some household goods. I like him, but am suspicious about his ties to the paperclip industry lobbyists. www.voicesfromspirit.com/president.htm www.jackbauerforpresident2008.com Jack Bauer is a man that loves his country and will cross the line for it—all within a 24-hour time period! Bold, patriotic, brave, loyal and courageous, Jack will bring an end to terrorism and restore world peace, but just don’t ask him how. Apparently, this presidential hopeful has a sense of humor as displayed in the Jack Bauer joke section of his site. User submitted hilarity ensues with such quips as, “Jack Bauer could strangle you with a cordless phone,” and “On the 7 th day, God rested. Then Jack Bauer took over.” You could have 8 years of these types of highcaliber jokes. This is the sleeper candidate of the cycle. Internationally known psychic Gerald Polley, has been channeling messages from The Kingdom of God (Heaven) for many years and is “dedicated to helping all The Forces of Good to keep the Earth going.” He’s looking for some sponsors for his incredible ads and has a hot new logo (designed posthumously by Jackson Pollock). This guy is on the rise! To spend a few hours laughing, check out his campaign commercials at youtube.com/presidentialelection. I only hope to inform you, not influence you. I’ve done my part to perpetuate the democratic process with the most comprehensive, resourceful and trustworthy source of information—the Internet. videogames the most notable games of 2007 by Norm stovall normstovall@gmail.com Part 1 There were TONS of great games released in 2007, in fact way too many to go over in one month. In light of this, I’ve gathered and updated reviews from my personal favorites. Be sure to check back next time for part 2 of my opinionated list of gaming greatness. Skate. For Xbox 360, PS3 I don’t often consider games that don’t feature epic storylines, Pulitzer quality writing and amazing visuals to be worthy of a perfect score, but as a lifetime skateboarder and enthusiast of videogames, I really feel that EA hit the nail on the head with this one. Embracing the most legitimate and true aspects of modern skateboarding, Ea’s Skate is not only an accurate simulation, but also a great casual game to play with the most innovative, natural control scheme ever. In addition to the gameplay being fantastic, the ability to save and share photos and replays that you can edit in game makes owning this game a no-brainer for skateboarders who play video games. Though navigating online can be a bit cumbersome due to the use of EA nation for online play as opposed to plain-old Xbox live, when it works well, it really is a great experience. Racing down hills, performing technical tricks, and just cruising around and carving pools is all part of the total package, and the replayability of the game lasts way beyond the moment that your achievements are earned and the career mode is finished. Virtua Fighter 5 Online For Xbox 360 It is my opinion that Virtua Fighter 5 is the single best thing to happen to the Xbox 360 so far. Sure, I am biased toward fighting games, and the series has always been a part of my favorites list, but I really do think the game is that good. The game runs like a champ both online and off, and I rarely see any kind of noticeable lag in online matches, which is pretty much the most amazing accomplishment ever, as far as I’m concerned. I’ve never had online matches run as clean as they do with this game. The gameplay is smooth and deliberate, and using the training tools provided in the Dojo mode can really help you improve your game. As of today, there have been 3 item packs available to download online, giving your character extra items and accessories to wear. With the amount of effort put into balancing the game and perfecting even the smallest of details, VF5 is sure to impress. If you are a fan of 3d fighting games, don’t miss this one, because they certainly don’t get any better than this. Super Mario Galaxy For Nintendo Wii With subtle use of the Wii motion controls and classic Mario gameplay, this one really is a lot of fun. The graphics are vivid and really do push the power of the Wii in a good way. The Wii might not be the graphical powerhouse that the other next-gen consoles are, but Super Mario Galaxy really does look great. The environments you explore are completely unique. While running around small planets and jumping and launching yourself from one to the other can be a little dizzying at first, it really will pull you in and have you addicted. The music in the game is as dramatic and inspired as ever, and there are even nods to the classic Mario games with familiar tunes updated with a symphonic beauty that you’ll have to hear to understand. Though the game may appear outwardly candy-coated and too cute to be worth your while, the content within is not only engaging and fun; it’s also revolutionary. Contra 4 For Nintendo DS As a true sequel to the side-scrolling NES and arcade games that launched the series into fame, Contra 4 stays true to the formula and is as challenging as ever. But let me reiterate- this game is HARD. Not hard like “Man, all these levels are gonna take a long time to play through”, but more like “OH MY GOD IF I DIE FROM ANOTHER STUPID RANDOM THING I’M GONNA BASH A HOLE IN THE WALL.” But even in light of this, it’s a game that really teaches you classic gaming skills such as pattern recognition and reaction timing. As far as the atmosphere of the game, the colors are vivid, the action is constant, and your characters are total badasses who are obviously on some futuristic steroids of some kind. Which is cool, because when you are hitching a ride by hanging on a rocket launching itself into space while shooting at bad guys, you pretty much aren’t taking any crap from anybody. With plenty of unlockables such as older games in the series like Super C and Probotector, Contra 4 is the perfect thing for nostalgic gamers in need of an adrenaline rush on the go. Unreal tournament 3 For PS3 and Windows XP/Vista Finally, a PS3 game that delivers what first-person shooter fans deserve to have on the console—An action game that not only looks great, but plays great too. Unreal tournament 3 won’t disappoint, it provides great competition for the PS3’s much lauded Resistance: Fall of Man, one of 2006’s mega hits. With the ability to use either a keyboard and mouse or a PS3 controller to play the game, and the option of importing usercreated content in the game (such as new maps, skins for characters), UT3 is a definite standout. eujacksonville.com | january 17-23, 2008 15
Page 1 and 2: JACKSONVILLE 2008 winter movie prev
Page 3 and 4: table of contents feature 2008 Wint
Page 5 and 6: monday january 21 Florida Forever B
Page 7 and 8: february 22 nd be kind rewind Jerry
Page 9 and 10: perfect popcorn cinema Cloverfield
Page 11 and 12: a problem for the ages The Savages
Page 13: holy high rollers First Sunday by r
Page 17 and 18: ound room with its warm tones. Ther
Page 19 and 20: this is how they communicate interv
Page 21 and 22: no labels needed interview with ind
Page 23 and 24: music for a message interview with
Page 25 and 26: a local spotlight interview with Ci
Page 27 and 28: dancing with the stars a television
Page 29 and 30: the dead guy Hippodrome Theatre Rev
Page 31: Random thoughts from a cluttered mi

view this week's issue in Adobe PDF version - Eujacksonville.com

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?