Synthetic

"The writer breaks down how he uses doppleganger characters, as being two sides of the same coin. I never looked at it that way, but he is correct." 

I'm not sure how to directly quote words in status updates like you & Jules know how to do. But, that doppleganger component is definitely a trademark feature of Mann's film work. Cops, thiefs, & mercenaries don't usually have mutual respect for what the other one does. It's about being thorough, taking pride in your profession, & finding another guy on an equal footing that sees what most people don't even notice or respect about their craft even if the hero & villain are at opposite sides of the spectrum. It's a fine blurry line between cop & bankroller; good taxi samaritan & hired killer; money launderer & DEA enforcer. 

What fascinates about Mann is that he knows that there is evil & goodness in everybody & not everybody is a sinner or saint to their core. Anybody is capable of crossing over & becoming the very thing they fought against for yrs. Mann knows the world isn't black & white but very shades of grey. Drug dealers aren't all bad. They are family men, business men, & they value loyalty & profit above all else. 

There's a line in Miami Vice where Tubbs says to Crockett: "I will never doubt you. There's deep uncover & there's which end is up." Where is your head at right now partner? Crockett looks at him like he's about to fall & he's scared because he loves his money launderer mark. He doesn't know how to climb out, drop the act, or if he really wants to. The audience knows he could cross over & be a valuable cocaine asset if he decided to stop working for the LAPD right now. 

And even in Heat where DeNiro shakes Pacino's hand before he dies near those airport runways, both guys are sad & bummed out because they both respected how smart, savvy, & committed the other one was. Nothing else can satisfy that itch---Not money, not women, not domestication. 

"Mann is a genius, I really wish he was still making movies. His films are always prolific."

Absolutely right Bogie! Mann is a genius & you often have to see his films about 3 or 4 times to really comprehend how brilliant he truly is. Wait. Is Micheal really retired from filmmaking? Darn it. Maybe, he's just very selective about his projects & only directs pictures about once every 4 yrs or something. Mann has earned that right. To be picky about what films he puts his seal of approval on. He's right up there with Clint Eastwood in fame & clout to me meaning Mann can do whatever the hades he wants. 

I have to give you credit too Bogie because without your astute recommendation regarding James Caan I never would have seen "Thief" or appreciated the Tangerine Dream soundtrack. Thank you so much. I sincerely mean that no hyperbole or exaggeration there I swear. 

You're a very good next level music & film critic too. I'm not kidding. You know your stuff. 

 I read that review on how Mann treats women in his films as some sort of extension on male prowess, bravery, & masculinity. The implication being that women are only present to satisfy men's urges as central characters. I don't know if I agree with that conclusion personally. Here's why...

Let's look at DeNiro's love interest Eady played by Amy Brenneman in 'Heat.' She's a shy graphic designer originally from Minnesota who now works in an LA bookstore. She spots Bob reading a book about metals & fracturing them & she strikes about a conversation with him. He blows her off initially, then apologizes, & the 2 of them eventually sleep together. 

For the 1st time in life, Bob lets his guard down & sees the gentle sweetness in her. I think Eady appreciates Bob's reserved & quiet demeanor too which makes them a perfect match. Eventually, Bob tells Eady what he really does for a living & he gives her cash & the opportunity to stay or to leave him free & clear. He doesn't hit her, kill her, demean her, or humiliate her. He makes the decision completely hers & her's alone. 

Now, you will remember in his conversation with Pacino at the restaurant, DeNiro says he has a woman but he would abandon her in an instant if the heat go too intense & he was forced to run because Al was hot on his tail. 

DeNiro eventually does this very thing shooting a loose end guy who can ID him that the LAPD has flipped & put into protective custody forcing him to leave Eady alone in his car as Al chases him with a shotgun. 

I actually view Bob's abandonment of his girlfriend as a favor & kind gesture on his part. Bob doesn't want her to ruin her life by seeing her man get gunned down & become a criminal's widow. Bob wants her to have a chance at a clean, wholesome life away from bullets, explosions, & prison. Besides, Eady can probably get her bookstore job back on Monday anyway right considering she just resigned 1 day ago IMO. 

Robert looks at Amy Brenneman & his hand gesture toward the car tells her to remain in the car for her own safety. He loved her that much. Did he transfer any funds into her bank account to make her life easier? Who knows. Some critics might claim that DeNiro's bank robbery lifestyle turned Amy's bearings upside down, which might be considered selfish. However, Bob was trying to protect her from physical harm & incarceration as an accomplice since Pacino has no idea who Bob's woman is or what she even looks like. 

I wouldn't put MJ at my #1 at all...Maybe the best player of the 90's, but I don't think he was close to being as good as some of the others, let alone the GOAT... MJ had a lot of help too from Pippen and later Rodman, those Bulls teams always had decent benches. I'd take LeBron over him, as the all around player, and same for Kobe. As much as I liked Kobe, I never thought Kobe was the all around great player that LeBron is. The difference being leadership; LeBron truly has matured the past few years and plays to get everyone involved. Kobe used to drive me insane trying to take every single last shot. 

Kobe wouldn't have any of those first 3 championships without Shaq...The biggest mystery in recent sports is that we have no idea how many championships Kobe and Shaq could've won together. I was happy that last year, Kobe FINALLY realized how important Shaq was to him and made that comment that he wished he would have appreciated him more back in the day. Those two had no business hating each other for years. They should've been a duo, cause they were so perfect together in their primes. 

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Karl Malone was damn good too but like Marino no Championships. That is how many greats there have been as that is why I have LeBron at 10.

Shaq begged Karl Malone (and Gary Payton) to join the Lakers in 2003, and they did. I always felt sorry for Malone cause I think that was his last season; they got to the Finals and were stomped by the Pistons. Neither Malone or Payton ever won a ring in their careers but they made the Hall of Fame. 

Worth noting too - the NBA has changed a lot since a lot of these guys played. 

In Wilt's day, there was no 3 point line at all. it's amazing how much he dominated with no 3 pointers. 

The rule change in 2002 to allow zone defense has probably changed the game more than ever....A lot of people say the NBA is "soft" now and too easy, but I don't get where they come up with this. Zone defense has completely changed the game inside and out and rendered a lot of older offensive styles completely useless. It has made the game far more difficult for the super star players, and has pretty much led to the shooting game for teams like Golden State. 

Jordan himself was against the change of rules, saying that he wouldn't have had the career he had if he had to play with zone defenses back in his prime. 

A lot of the players really hate zone defense too. This is a great video if you wanted to see a thorough break down of how zone defense has changed the NBA inside and out. This is a really great video that shows the differences in defense, and it has a lot of stuff from players talking about how much they hate it. 

I think LeBron is a Beast and todays best but after watching Jordan, Magic, and Bird growing up I don't see him doing anything that those guys didn't/couldn't do and those guys stayed with the franchises that drafted them their whole career in their primes and won Championships. LeBron in a lot of peoples eyes is a Top 5 player of all-time and many have him ahead of Bird. There are some that rank him as the best ever but I just don't see it. The media today blows a lot of stuff out of proportion as soon as a player wins a Championship or 2, they want to label them the best ever. I watched Magic Johnson growing up and LeBron isn't better than him, Magic may be the best leader in sports history. He won the Championship in his Rookie season and won MVP of the Finals with Kareem injured. He dominated a whole decade when he had the Bird's Celtics to deal with, Doc's Sixers to deal with, Hakeem's Rockets to deal with, then the Bad Boy Pistons rolled around in the late 80's. Magic could beat you without even scoring by getting 15-20 Assists just setting up everyone. I just don't like how the media dismisses what players have done in the past on the spur of the moment because they want to hype up todays best. They do it with Curry too, Curry isn't even a Top 20 player of all-time but he won unanimous MVP last season. The media was ready to put Cam Newton in the Hall of Fame after last season and he stinks this year for example. Andrew Luck has been way better than him this season. When I look at LeBron and Bird, LeBron is the better athlete but doesn't have near the killer instinct Bird had and wasn't near the Shooter or Rebounder Bird was either. Bird was nasty too, he would take a person out if they drove they lane LOL.

Saving for later, I want to see this film.

Make sure the version you watch is the 'Final Cut' version from 2007, and not the original theatrical edition from 1982.

There are major differences between the two, the 'Final Cut' is more of what Ridley Scott wanted the film to be, where the theatrical version was heavily tampered with from the studios and is somewhat censored, and some things in it don't make sense. Blade Runner is a strange film that was tampered with for censorship and editing. 

The Final Cut version cleans it up though.

Harrison Ford's best film IMO...and a definite must watch in the Sci Fi genre, since it has so many elements of class war and modern themes that easily translate with how society is today. 

Another point on Blade Runner if you do watch it; it's a movie that is written in a way that the viewer has to come to their own conclusions about certain things. It's not a definite "good guys/bad guys" film....Ridley Scott has said before, it's a film where the viewer can come to their own conclusions and theories...This is why nerds on the internet can go off about the movie for hours on end discussing it on forums with wild theories and analysis. 

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I'm having problems with my nose and throat. I think I may be getting sick. 

I got a bit of a cold now. I think I caught it from going to get the blood test. It's mostly sneezing and being stuffed up. I will live but man lately it's one thing after another. 

Thank Jehu for highlighter and under eye concealer!!!!

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You're welcome!!!! We need something to make us laugh in dark times. Give me a few days and I will get you some new photos of them too. Wish I could get a photo of one of the cats with my dogs. Be hard to do, they don't lay up together on the couch or bed. 

Your cats are the best! You got lucky with these gems. Do not forget, when the initial litter was out this year early......I immediately picked out the little white one. 

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Monkey don't sleep in the bed oddly. He likes to sleep behind the television in a little corner. I have no idea why...He's weird. 

My cat wasn't a bed sleeper either. She preferred to sleep "near you" on like something else, a chair or whatever. And she liked towels a lot to sleep on.

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We need something to make us laugh in dark times

 

And now Luck has a concussion and well thats just sad. I knew he might get hurt this year too.

Sadly I was looking forward to this game vs. the Steelers at home to see Thanksgiving night and it's the backup preparing now.

Wait, Luck ISN'T playing tomorrow against the Steelers? 

Oh god, you are so screwed. Just our luck. And I WANTED the Colts to win this game, cause it's the perfect time to deliver a killshot to the Steelers and end us of getting them in the playoffs. 

Ugh, you were right. The back up with the Lord of the Rings sounding name is going to start. 

Damn this sucks. 

Wow, 3 pt game now.

Heading to sleep soon, good game even though sadly the Saints lost. 

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And for some reason Cam Newton now dies his facial hair blonde at the tips.

There's already threads on Saints Report with the usual I HATE CAM NEWTON rants from Saints fans that are more concerned about a black quarterback dancing rather than the fact we let him beat us. 

I like Mr. Crowley for the way it's arranged on guitar. It's a fairly complicated song, and the solo is really unique cause of how layered out it is. I am not big on Ozzy stuff, but I always respected Randy Rhoads incredibly, cause he was a guitar genius. 

Max Norman the producer for those albums, once said that Rhoads would layer his own solos in the studio by himself with no help, and he had never seen another guitar player as smart as him in the studio. Most solos in metal a lot of times are done on "takes" and crafted together, but not the solos on the Ozzy albums with Rhoads. They're layered out into 3 separate tracks of guitars, and he often is using two different guitars when he does this (his tremolo equipped V and the Les Paul)  

This kid I talk to is trying to nail the "Les Paul tone" he had, and I had to explain to him how all that is layered out and that's why the guitar tone changes a bit in the solos, and that's not always a Les Paul what you're hearing on the record. 

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Last thing tonight, I saw Jerry Jones on tv and he is GLOWING. The man is positively in old rich white male euphoria with this win streak and his new prized baby QB.

Jerry Jones is the arch-type, rich white owner, with an ego, I can't stand him. 

Wait till Dallas loses again though, he is going to be on the sidelines going nuts...I watched some old Cowboys games from 1992 over the summer, and he was even on the sidelines going nuts back then when they had close losses. No wonder Jimmy Johnson left, he probably put up with so much crap from him. 

I hate to say this but Dallas IS due to reach another SB. They're long overdue. Historically, they have never went a drought like this, but no way would I pick them to win it. They probably could take advantage of a weak NFC team but their defense would be their death for a deep playoff run, and I'm not a firm believer in a rookie QB winning it all.

I think Kurt Warner is the only "first year" QB to ever win a Super Bowl and I would not even say that, cause he played 4 or 5 years in the arena league and was quite experienced at 29 years old. 

Well I didn't want to get into it, but this is the brand you have to buy at the mall or order online. It's more pricey but it's the best option for money when it comes to higher end products. And it's all 100% fragrance free.

http://www.clinique.com/

Clinique is love.  I splurge sometimes on it.

You cannot buy this in a store unless it's a department store.

But, at that link you can get all kinds of free gifts too.

This is Christmas stuff kinda worthy gifts.

Ok I will stop.  

I always get a lot of Axe and shaving cream for Christmas. I can't complain, still have razor sets that have been good since last Christmas, just with a routine maintenance. 

I need some hair cutting scissors for Christmas this year, probably going to ask for that from one of my relatives so I can cut my own hair. 

Yeah you can cut your hair but be careful since you want it even in the back and stuff too. Maybe get some help from your mom or sister.

I gotta run, time to sleep soon.

Onto game 7 we go......*gulp* This is a beat down tonight at the moment.

Good night!

I will listen to those tomorrow during the games.

Kansas City Chiefs song today.

Well gee, no wonder NFL ratings are down. Who wants to watch the Jags-Titans throw down? 

Lakers have a brutal schedule of road games but they could be OK...They looked like a completely different team last night. They haven't passed the ball around like that in years. This could be the resurrection of the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, at least I hope. I greatly miss seeing that kind of effort and all around team work with an LA team. It's what we get from watching LeBron these days and the assist stats he puts up. 

No problem Southwest, I forgot one picture though. The bottom of the ring has 7 jewels, white and red showcasing the 7 series (red in wins, white in losses). Absolutely beautiful rings, they really put a lot of work into it. 

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Well gee, no wonder NFL ratings are down. Who wants to watch the Jags-Titans throw down? 

AFC South games are the bomb........

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Lakers have a brutal schedule of road games but they could be OK...They looked like a completely different team last night. They haven't passed the ball around like that in years. This could be the resurrection of the Showtime Lakers of the 80's, at least I hope. I greatly miss seeing that kind of effort and all around team work with an LA team. It's what we get from watching LeBron these days and the assist stats he puts up. 

Lets slow down.  But yes I admit to dreaming big too.

Ohhhhhhhhh boy, I've got a migraine tonight after reading.  My brain needs a break to recharge it's batteries. 

I didn't touch the NFL game. One look at who was playing and that was enough for me. I hope the NBA ratings blow the NFL out the water. Would be hilarious 

Happy you feel better.

Heading off for the night. Good news all around and soon we get some LEBRON.

Whoa Jules, that poster with Brock OZ & that Twilight Star is so identical that it's Halloween creepy. LOL! 

Bogie, 

I'm glad to hear that your teeth are no longer causing you any pain & discomfort my friend. 

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I do have to say, the Saints do not have the same mentality from 2011,

Thats an understatement.......lmao 

The Saints though often seem cursed on defense like we are with the Colts at times. Although we tend to have a few "good" players who we live and die off of and then we hope the rest around them can play at a level above high school.

Our special teams though have rocked lately. The Saints special teams cost them the win vs. the Giants.

@Bogie, I give you guys credit for winning the SB. You guys made the big plays to beat us plain and simple. Picked Peyton off to seal it. You deserved it.

Mickey Loomis has been the Saints GM for the past 16 years, and they've only had a decent defense in 4 of those years. That's 1/4th of his entire term. 

I'm just going to call it a purgatorial time loop like one of those articles on that site called it. 

We know ahead of time the defense is going to suck too...and now I get why. That article broke it down how hiring Rob Ryan was like an alternate universe version of Gregg Williams. Same thing for Dennis Allen, he was here in 2009...and nothing has changed. Our players are still undisciplined and draw pass interference and personal foul penalties as they push receivers down before the ball is even thrown. 

If you want a laugh, just look at this

http://www.nola.com/saints/index.ssf/2016/10/saints_different_opinions_on_c.html#incart_river_index

That's our players, literally whining about the refs on a legal catch. A CATCH, and they're looking for some excuse...

Saints fans can say what they want about Harper, Jenkins, Porter, all those old players we used to have; but those guys didn't run to the media and blame the refs after close losses. They accepted it and moved on...our guys, were brought up in a toxic environment and it clearly shows with lack of veteran leadership when they run to the media and blame the refs after every loss. 

I'd LOVE to see Tampa win the NFC South. Jameis Winston IMO is going to be a better QB than Cam Newton in a few years. He's a more accurate passer who don't overly rely on the #1 target. 

I've seen this script before with the Saints losing a bunch of very close games that were arguably winnable. The next thing coming is the blow out. Oh yes, we're going to spanked in one of the next few games. Atlanta too. You keep losing nail biters like that, you eventually get a game where you are flat out beaten down. 

This SNF game sucks but I am dreading Seattle next week. If they are shut out here, watch them turn around and take all their rage out on the Saints on the road in our dome. Saints fans saying "we got this" are like LSU fans screaming "we want Bama!" 

So happy we have so much optimism about our teams.

From that same blog, this is gold...

http://www.blackandgoldreview.com/2015/11/09/how-good-sean-paytons-terrible-saints-defenses-have-made-opposing-quarterbacks-every-year-ranked

What old Hall of Fame QB will the Saints 2016 defense be compared to with passer rating? 

This part though 

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Question: Who would throw for more yards against the 2015 Saints secondary, Wax Montana or Broadcaster Marino?

Also, all jokes aside, that break down about 2008 is pretty accurate...We had a decent secondary that year and finished 8-8. That year is often very overlooked, but that was where our secondary got better leading into 2009. 

And this part...

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You know, this one isn’t so bad. The Saints’ defense wasn’t that terrible in 2006. It was streaky, pairing nice performances with bad ones, and that’s a performance style that makes Cam a good fit. The Saints held up pretty well until teams started targeting the aged version of Fred Thomas and Josh Bullocks, the original Payton-era disappointing free safety.

Shout out to Fred Thomas; proof that before 2006, we did have some decent defensive players. 

But even funnier, Josh Bollocks...There you go, proof we've had Jason David type disappointing safeties going all the way back to 2006.  Every year we have one of those guys. This year it's Jarius Byrd. Last year it was Browner, before that; Patrick Robinson. 

I am going to sleep soon, oh God I am up late tonight.

I will reply to all this tomorrow but I desperately need to get into the NBA more again with news. I just read about the Lakers recently a bit and how Ingram is adjusting to the pace of the NBA and has improved recently after a very slow preseason start and how Russell is taking over big time. Some Lakers fans said just in the last few preseason games Ingram looked to "get it" more since it does take time to adjust to the NBA pace and quickness.

Curry won't have the same type of season again probably because well......they only got one basketball on the court at once for that team.  Too many shooters IMO.......where is the versatility?

Sorry about your tooth but if this is another one VERY sorry. OMG.......well maybe you should rinse with warm water with some salt in it too. That is what I did after I had my wisdom teeth out and it helped. Warm water and salt btw can loosen up a bad tooth if you want it to come out. It's like how warm water in the shower/bath softens up skin......

I'm back.......been doing a lot the last few days with work stuff. Kinda irritable lately so ignore me too lol.

Guess we have to pull for Cleveland for the second time this year now. And luckily Cleveland has homefield advantage for the world series.

I don't think Romo is going to replace him at this time. I am wishing Romo well though, knowing the back injuries he's had. Hope he don't have problems when he gets older, back problems tend to linger. 

He's great. But, he don't compare to my Alex Smith at all.

As 1 of the premier Cowboys haters on the Forum, even I have to admit that Dak is legit & Tony Romo's days in Dallas are numbered. 

Dak is a leader & makes his teammates play better. Hades, I even like the kid. It was cool to see him & Brett Favre share a moment yesterday too. 

You must be feeling better.  

Thats cute though.

Somewhat, yes. I just got done watching a movie not that long ago. 

And this guy got Doom music to play on a printer 

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It's like me always trying to make Alex Smith happen when it can't happen. But, I still try to make it happen.

 

But, I would rather be an Alex Smith apologist then an Adam Lambert fan.

Alex Smith needs Jim Harbaugh or some other awesome QB friendly coach that can work their magic on him and take advantage of his skill set. I like Andy Reid, but Smith is just not a QB that Reid can work with. Reid needs someone like McNabb or Vick who has a strong arm and is mobile in the pocket, Smith has neither of these things. 

Adam Lambert on the other hand, needs some awesome producer. And that's assuming, he can let his ego go for a sessions and actually listen to a producer that tells him that he sings out of key and is way off tempo with his screaming nonsense. Oh yeah, and the producer is probably going to tell him to knock it off with the bad, cheesy covers. Doubt he would listen to that either. 

 I just compared the two, blame it on the meds for my last surgery 

Seriously speaking though, Alex Smith does deserve a bit of empathy cause Harbaugh knew what he was doing with him. I like Andy Reid as a coach, but it's pretty clear that Smith is not his type of QB. 

Reid likes QB's with cannon arms and mobility in the pocket. It's not going to happen, but if it was possible, I think Reid's new QB would be Dak Prescott. He has the pocket awareness and mobility that Reid preferred out of his QB's, and he has a canon arm. Reid would work wonders with him. 

LOL I had forgotten about this status.  

I can't believe somehow I am comparing Alex Smith to Lambert or did and you went off on it too.  

Alex Smith is better though. Sadly yes with Harbaugh.......he had a MUCH better shot since Jim Harbaugh is the God of football coaching.  

I hope you are recovering smoothly from surgery nicely Bogie. Hang in there my friend. 

Tecmo Superbowl which came out in 1991 is my favorite football game on Nintendo. It was the 2nd Tecmo game. That game had all the teams and full rosters where you could play seasons and the Computer AI was Great as well. I used to get with a couple of other friends and we would pick bad teams and play whole seasons over a whole weekend. The Colts and Patriots both stunk on that game so they were always fun teams to pick back then. Bills and Giants were awesome! I was the Bills and went undefeated with them one season and won the SB but it wasn't easy, the computer gave me fits during that Playoff run. Oilers were really Good too with Moon on that game. It was basically the 1990 teams so it was the season Bills/Giants made the SB. I went undefeated with the Oilers as well at 16-0 but lost in the Playoffs.

I don't think i could blow your ears out, since all of my recording stuff is leveled around 70%.

Many metal guitar players make the mistake of just turning everything up loud, loud, loud...that's not how to get that solid metal tone. It's more about evening things out. Loudness don't always drown out poor quality, and more often times than not, it amplifies existing noise (pedals plugged in, effects) 

No need to worry. my compressors are set, and I keep everything leveled out so it's not super duper loud. 

You work volume control well, some just want to make it LOUD LOUD LOUD since thats like super duper uber cool.

I do like metal, but I swear a full Motley Crue show was VERY harsh. Those guys must have been so insane in their prime.

Hey Bogie, speaking of your Saints, I watched "Rebirth Of New Orleans" on NFL Timeline from my DVR tonight. It was very good. 

http://www.nfl.com/photoessays/0ap3000000707006

I feel so sorry for all the Louisiana citizens who lost loved ones, homes, everything they own, & those that never got a chance to return to their birthplace & the center of jazz after Hurricane Katrina. 

I hope your cat is okay with no serious medical complications my friend & thanks for your R & B selection. I liked it. 

Same here, hope the cat will be okay. 

The legend of Jim Bob Cooter is for real..........

If I married him I could be Jules Cooter.  

Ok I am done here and going back to the thread.

Okay before I sleep, my song of the night since the Pats are witches.

Cutler is day to day or week to week whatever with a hand injury now. Purple/Prince 2006 Bears curse.........

Irsay has no right owning that guitar. Period. Should be in the Prince shrine museum that they're setting up near Paisley Park studios....

Didn't know about that new museum you speak of. Sounds interesting.

Star Trek is far more technical and complicated than Star Wars ever could be. 

Most Sci Fi material tends to be a bit complicated since a lot of the writers tend to focus on sociological factors besides science. 

Star Wars really is just fantasy with a coat of space paint over it. All the stories and the characters have their parallels to various mythologies and it's not a coincidence why you see biblical sounding names in Star Wars, and stuff that looks like it's from mythologies. Since a lot of mythologies and old tales have meanings that are easy to relate to, the same goes for what is in Star Wars' context with a lot of the characters. 

Star Trek is really complicated and is kinda hard to get into at first, and it's far more politically thought out than Star Wars ever was. In Star Wars, you have good and evil. Star Trek is a lot more branched out besides simple black and white good/evil themes. To put it simple; had the Empire or the Sith been in Star Trek, it would have been far more thought out and explained what their ideology and goals are, besides THEY'RE EVIL BAD GUYS. 

Another big Sci Fi series but I have not sat down with it is Battlestar Galactica. Not as complex as Star Trek but still complex. I almost began watching this recently after I realized that Edward James Olmos gets to play Lt. Castillo in space, and managed to get some Emmy nominations. 

My allergy ridden brain just fried but I gave you a like.

Bogie, 

I do agree that JJ Abrams deserves considerable credit for paying homage to the original trilogies saga [the folklore mystique of the original 1977 classic] while at the same time promoting a new female heroine to pull in a greater number of women fans to give this version of Star Wars a twist with some new teeth or fangs to it. 

The difference between Star Wars & Star Trek as feature film franchises regarding the most contemporary versions recently released as trilogies is this: Star Wars appeals to pirates, smugglers, pilots, & a Messiah myth thru the Force to reinforce the notion a poverty stricken individual or rebellious person who came from nothing can achieve greatness courtesy of an innate gift. 

Star Trek, on the other hand, canters to scientists & military families in a space aged Air Force built on tradition, reputation, repetition, following orders in the interest of structure for the greater good i.e. 'the Borg' beehive mentality; & honoring your family name thru yrs of service for your country or StarFleet. Freelance behavior is frowned upon because this desire for independence or self recognition runs counterproductive to 'the needs of the many, the few, or the one.' No one is born with a special power to hone & harness here. The only to survive & achieve success is to accomplish tasks as a group or trusted unit operating on all cylinders especially during a moment of crisis or impending calamity. 

Star Trek is more jargon based too as opposed to Star Wars which revolves around a supernatural energy called 'the Force' that only a chosen few possess like a magical strand of DNA. Star Trek is all about structure, heirarchy, chain of command, & no defiance vs Star Wars which perpetuates controlling your emotions & feelings by almost becoming a deity or larger than life invincible leader yourself. 

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2663403-cleveland-cavaliers-fan-honors-nba-finals-comeback-with-3-1-lead-license-plate

I love that.

That is a very tasteful championship ring Bogie. I agree 100% 

Great scavenger hunt find on that West Coast plate Jules! 

The Lakers back to back rings from 2009 and 2010 are some of my favorite ring designs ever. 

Saints have an awesome color rush now, lets hope you guys get a pass rush soon too.  

I am not sure I love the Colts color rush as much......some teams just have it better.

Not sure but those look like fun.

Just great, sitting here following the Saints in a tied game and the Chiefs in a tied game.

Nervous........

And the Raiders just took the one point lead. Sigh. So sad.

CHIEFS!!!!!!!! What a monster comeback win.

Maybe we got something here.