01 February 2011
26 January 2011
Hollywood Studios - Nov 2010
Hollywood Studios
The Great Movie Ride – twice. And both times my recording cut out so both are incomplete. Oh well.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – six times. Considering how terrifying I originally found this ride to be, I find it fascinating how relaxed I am on it now. I carried on a conversation with my buddy about a 'hidden extra' I spied from the top of the Tower and barely paid attention to the ride itself. I began posing for the camera, knowing when it would go off. It's not that I don't still love the ride; I just find it weird how my reaction has changed.
Rock n Roller Coaster – twice. Started posing for the camera on this one as well. Good coaster but there's always a line for it.
Walt Disney : One Man's Dream – once. It's been updated. There are new props on display and the scope has been expanded to feature more 'Legacy' material. Tron helmet, Rocketeer jetpack, extince EPCOT material, lots of neat stuff to see.
MuppetVision 3D – five times. Got to see the entire pre-show once, most of the pre-show another time, the last show/ride for my trip was MuppetVision, and, most importantly, slapped five with Sweetums! The film has been remastered and looks excellent! Love it!
25 January 2011
17 January 2011
EPCOT - November 2010
EPCOT
Spaceship Earth – twice. Only twice? I love this silly ride and I only rode it twice? Did perhaps the delay during our second ride through have anything to do with that? Did that five minutes or so spent stuck in the Matrix tunnel affect our urge to return? I will say yes.
The Living Seas – once. Short fun ride but it tends to be associated with a look in to the large, more interesting, aquarium and that can take some time. Once can therefore be enough.
Journey Into Imagination – twice. New to us. You ride through the Imagination Institute as Figment works to expand our view of our Imaginations beyond Dr. Nigel Channing's views on the subject. It's fun but it doesn't really say much. The message seems to be 'You use your imagination all the time and need to use it more' but it doesn't do that all too well. The song does cover a lot of these gaps but not enough. It's a good ride but seems to lack focus. Seeing Eric Idle as part of a Disney ride makes it worth visiting at least once.
Maelstrom – twice. Short neat ride. Love the backwards section and the drop. The North Sea room as perhaps gotten a bit too tame. Skipping the movie at the end = priceless.
Soarin' – once. Good ride but I still question if its worth waiting for as the lines are always so long, even on a 'quiet' day.
Gran Fiesta Tour – once. Now that I've seen Tres Caballeros for the first time since my youth, it's impressive to me how well this ride fits that film. I know there are those that complain about the characters having been added to this ride but their appearances and this ride fit together too well to not have them come together. And it's fun.
15 January 2011
Animal Kingdom - November 2010
Animal Kingdom
-Kilimarjaro Safaris – once. Once again watching animals 'in the wild'. Very enjoyable. I think this is one of the main reasons to attend this park.
-Kali River Rapids – once. You ride in a great tube (with seats) down a river with rapids and drops. It's a ride where you WILL get wet. You might get soaked. I got soaked. Cold water. I enjoyed the ride but don't look forward to riding it again.
-Everest – three times. Nothing new to report. Love it. Can't deal with the strobe effect near the end.
-Finding Nemo the Musical – once. Delightful. Had an angle on the stage that let me see backstage a bit. Loved that.
-Primeval Whirl – once. You ride through 'time' to the extinction of the dinosaurs. It's a 'kid ride' but it knocks you around rather roughly. Enjoyable but a bit mean.
-Dinosaur – twice. Mind the Carnotaurus!
-It's Tough to be a Bug – once. Fun show that I still feel I should catch more. Lots going on. Recommended.
12 January 2011
Universal Islands of Adventure - November 2010
Islands of Adventure
Hulk – 3 times. I finally cracked the Hulk banner! I was very nervous the first time through, standing in the queue, sitting in the car waiting for launch, and then when the car began to move? Wow! Three things helped me get to this step: riding Rock n Roller Coaster again to get used to Inversions (upside down), comparing the ride vehicle to other rides I'd survived so that I saw how much more secure you were in this ride, and then riding it for the first time at night so I didn't see the sky so much. Loved the ride. Generally after riding something like that for the first time, I exit somewhat shaken by the experience. Not this time; I exited exhilarated, loving it. I also exited a but wobbly. What I later figured out was that I tended to pull my head up off the headrest so that it got jostled in the turns. Yeah, don't do that.
Spider-Man – 3 times. I love this ride. I dunno that I have anything else to say.
Harry Potter – 4 times. The new ride in the new 'land'. I know very little about Potter but this ride was fascinating. There's a bench of four seats, all facing in the same direction so as to direct the 'camera' of the ride. You fly through set and video screens through a quick moving story. Props feel like they're directly atop you. The goal of the ride and the area was to step up Universal's cred, to make them more 'Disney' in their presentation. I think they succeeded.
One Fish, Two Fish – twice. You climb into a fish that goes in circles and has controls to steer the fish up and down. There's a song that plays, telling you how to dodge the water that occasionally squirts from the fish surrounding the area. It's fun, especially if you have a kid with you and it's warm outside so getting blasted with a bit of water doesn't sound like such a bad thing.
The Cat in the Hat – twice. Action packed trip through the delightful Dr Seuss book. Still great fun.
Flight of the Hippogriff – once. The former 'The Last Unicorn' ride is repackaged as a Harry Potter ride. It's a fun coaster, sort of the Nuthouse Coaster/Barnstormer for the park. Enjoyable but not really worth the wait it has now for being Potterized.
Poseidon's Fury – once. A show that takes you deeper and deeper into a set of ruins while the show occurs around you. Long show but lots of fun. It's not every day you get to walk through a tunnel of water.
Seuss Trolley – once. Still simple fun on a 'railroad' in the sky while a story is told.
10 January 2011
Universal Studios - November 2010
Finally I reflect on my trip to theme parks in Florida from this past November.
Universal Studios
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast – once. Niko and I rode this by ourselves while the others did, well, other things. The ride is what it is; simple fun, nothing too wild apart from the chicken dance. What was interesting was the people sitting next to us in the row: a trainee and trainer ride operator. I heard quiet commentary on what were physical effects, what the current ride operator was doing right and wrong, etc. Loved that. Made me glad I left my camera in my pocket as Universal tend to be very serious about recording and pictures on the rides.
JAWS – once. We sat in the front row of the boat. I had the very left side of the boat so when JAWS went belly up it did so right in front of me. Out-standing.
Men in Black : Alien Attack – twice. We got different endings based on our average score. At least I think that's what did it. I'm not sure I ever noticed that before. We did earn our suit one time through. They still wiped our memory at the end. I think.
The Simpsons Ride – three times. It appears they've added a mark to the wall in the 'safety video' area to easily identify tall people and direct them to the front row so as to prevent them from being injured by the design of the ride vehicle. That's how we met the Tallest Irishman and found it was his first time on the ride. He laughed at all the right spots and got off the ride grinning madly. Good stuff.
ET Adventure – twice. They seem to have been having some issues with Botanicus in the entry queue as he wasn't active every day. We rode this almost as it opened one day and the fog sequences were delightfully thick.
Revenge of the Mummy – twice. The two trips through were nearly back-to-back as there was a child swap involved. We rode it, tagged in a different adult, and hopped back on almost immediately. Enjoyable ride but it feels shorter and shorter as I ride it.
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster – four times. I think that four times was in about 15 minutes. We rode it, Kara giggled madly, and we ran to get back on. Remembered/Found the bells in the queue that play a tune if you hit them all in sequence.
Terminator 2:3D – once. Entertaining show. Long as well; depending on how you queue for this it'll take 45mins to an hour to go through this. Wait until it's raining or you want to sit down for awhile before visiting this. Its good but the length is such that this isn't an everytime show for me.
Universal Studios
Jimmy Neutron's Nicktoon Blast – once. Niko and I rode this by ourselves while the others did, well, other things. The ride is what it is; simple fun, nothing too wild apart from the chicken dance. What was interesting was the people sitting next to us in the row: a trainee and trainer ride operator. I heard quiet commentary on what were physical effects, what the current ride operator was doing right and wrong, etc. Loved that. Made me glad I left my camera in my pocket as Universal tend to be very serious about recording and pictures on the rides.
JAWS – once. We sat in the front row of the boat. I had the very left side of the boat so when JAWS went belly up it did so right in front of me. Out-standing.
Men in Black : Alien Attack – twice. We got different endings based on our average score. At least I think that's what did it. I'm not sure I ever noticed that before. We did earn our suit one time through. They still wiped our memory at the end. I think.
The Simpsons Ride – three times. It appears they've added a mark to the wall in the 'safety video' area to easily identify tall people and direct them to the front row so as to prevent them from being injured by the design of the ride vehicle. That's how we met the Tallest Irishman and found it was his first time on the ride. He laughed at all the right spots and got off the ride grinning madly. Good stuff.
ET Adventure – twice. They seem to have been having some issues with Botanicus in the entry queue as he wasn't active every day. We rode this almost as it opened one day and the fog sequences were delightfully thick.
Revenge of the Mummy – twice. The two trips through were nearly back-to-back as there was a child swap involved. We rode it, tagged in a different adult, and hopped back on almost immediately. Enjoyable ride but it feels shorter and shorter as I ride it.
Woody Woodpecker's Nuthouse Coaster – four times. I think that four times was in about 15 minutes. We rode it, Kara giggled madly, and we ran to get back on. Remembered/Found the bells in the queue that play a tune if you hit them all in sequence.
Terminator 2:3D – once. Entertaining show. Long as well; depending on how you queue for this it'll take 45mins to an hour to go through this. Wait until it's raining or you want to sit down for awhile before visiting this. Its good but the length is such that this isn't an everytime show for me.
04 January 2011
The Doctor's Daughter is also the Doctor's Fiance
If you haven't heard already, Doctor David Tennant has gotten himself engaged to the Doctor's (Peter Davison's) daughter Georgia Moffett. Hooray and Huzzah! Cheerful celebration is called for and such! Good for them. If the two minutes I spent with Peter Davison a dozen years ago are any indication of Georgia's nature then she must be very pleasant. If I'd have known he had just an attractive daughter I would have tried to make a better impression and would probably have failed.
Then it dawned on me that Doctor Who fan David Tennant would now have a life that was almost constantly a mini Doctor Who convention. Family functions will always have that Who-vibe. It feels like it would be the funny version of a SNL sketch.
David: (smirking as he slids up to Peter) Hullo... Dad.
Peter: David.
David: So... What was it like the first time you met the Daleks? (smirk becomes wide grin)
Peter: (sighs) You don't really feel like you're the Doctor until you face the Daleks. It was something important for the character to accomplish. (David squees with glee.) You ask me that every week.
David: (quickly as his breath escapes him) I know because it's just so cool!
Peter rolls his eyes and sighs again.
And Peter can answer any question about 'Time Crash' with 'you were there too!'
Do I sound jealous? Cause I probably am.
Then it dawned on me that Doctor Who fan David Tennant would now have a life that was almost constantly a mini Doctor Who convention. Family functions will always have that Who-vibe. It feels like it would be the funny version of a SNL sketch.
David: (smirking as he slids up to Peter) Hullo... Dad.
Peter: David.
David: So... What was it like the first time you met the Daleks? (smirk becomes wide grin)
Peter: (sighs) You don't really feel like you're the Doctor until you face the Daleks. It was something important for the character to accomplish. (David squees with glee.) You ask me that every week.
David: (quickly as his breath escapes him) I know because it's just so cool!
Peter rolls his eyes and sighs again.
And Peter can answer any question about 'Time Crash' with 'you were there too!'
Do I sound jealous? Cause I probably am.
03 January 2011
31 December 2010
A Quick Look at 2010
Just off the top of my head, this year I...
...got to see Frank Ferrante's brilliant re-creation of Groucho Marx.
...got to visit with Jim, Mark, and Kent again after far too long.
...got to go to theme parks in Florida again.
...started trying my hand at video blogging.
...got a temporary job, held it, and has a few more months to see if it will become permanent or not.
...watched some good TV and bad.
...watched some good movies, bad movies, and some good bad movies.
...added to the collections.
...wrote a lot but not as much as I wanted.
...watched a lot of baseball. Again. And loved it.
Was it a perfect year? Probably not. Could it have gone worse? Certainly. At a glance, I end the year satisfied and hungry for more.
Maybe 2011 will be the year I finish something in my written career. It would be about time.
Thanks for reading. See you next year!
...got to see Frank Ferrante's brilliant re-creation of Groucho Marx.
...got to visit with Jim, Mark, and Kent again after far too long.
...got to go to theme parks in Florida again.
...started trying my hand at video blogging.
...got a temporary job, held it, and has a few more months to see if it will become permanent or not.
...watched some good TV and bad.
...watched some good movies, bad movies, and some good bad movies.
...added to the collections.
...wrote a lot but not as much as I wanted.
...watched a lot of baseball. Again. And loved it.
Was it a perfect year? Probably not. Could it have gone worse? Certainly. At a glance, I end the year satisfied and hungry for more.
Maybe 2011 will be the year I finish something in my written career. It would be about time.
Thanks for reading. See you next year!
27 December 2010
25 December 2010
13 December 2010
Green Who?
'Character' (played by an actor normally known for his comedic roles) is known by those around him as having issues, he's not living up to his potential. When (someone) dies, he's thrust into a position of responsibility and suddenly has to decide what to make of himself. He decides to fight for good and wisecracks his way into a more responsible role in life, even if he hide this from normal people as part of his secret identity.
I know I've cut the stories from the trailer to their core but am I talking about Green Lantern or Green Hornet? I don't know either but it might explain my current lack of interest in both movies.
I know I've cut the stories from the trailer to their core but am I talking about Green Lantern or Green Hornet? I don't know either but it might explain my current lack of interest in both movies.
07 December 2010
05 December 2010
GLCW Blizzard Brawl VI – December 4th, 2010
I didn't take notes this year so it's possible I'll misremember something.
Beginning of the Show Chatter:
A Proclamation from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is read, praising promoter Dave Herro.
Dave acknowledges we tend to boo ring announcer Jeff Lynne but defends his friend for all the good he's done in the past for GLCW and getting Blizzard Brawl off the ground six years ago. Dave calls him 'Capable' Jeff Lynne.
Armando Alejandro Estrada returns, reminds us that he retired last Blizzard Brawl, and then informs us that he's here to unretire. Somehow he refrains from making a Brett Farve joke. He promises something big later in the show in his regained position as Commissioner.
This all took time but doesn't last forever. It didn't feel as long as some opens in the past.
Match One: Trios Match – Dysfunction, Tony Scarponi (sp?), and Chase McCoy vs 'El Vato' Jose Guerrero, Billy Goat, and El Grande Something or Other
Dysfunction, Tony, and Chase come out playing three distinct heels: Dysfunction loud and obnoxious, Tony quiet and dismissive, and Chase intense with outbursts of anger.
'El Vato', looking a bit out of shape, had a problem or two with some moves, but generally did fine, mostly playing Ricky Morton (spent time as a face being beat up by the bad guys during a tag match). 'Billy Goat', wore a goat mask and worked that gimmick but butting his head into people and such. I guessed it was local worker Bobby Valentino and was later told I was right. He also played Ricky Morton for awhile. I thought he was the best worker on his team. El Grande Whatever was just a fat guy in a mask.
Hot fun opener to get the crowd going and it worked. All three faces pinned the heels at once.
Match Two: Matt Longtime vs Scotty Too Hotty
Crowd, as normal, are pro-Scotty. We, as normal, were pro-Longtime. Our 'Heel Corner' fully fired up at this point as the guys around us turned out to have a similar attitude to us. We also discovered that a dozen kids does not equal One Herman. A rest hold spot ran longer than it may have been planned for as these kids started cheering for Scotty and our Mr. Herman shouted over them, killing the growing face heat and silencing the kids. After a minute or two the crowd realized they needed to cheer for Scotty in order for things to progress and did. While I missed seeing it, apparently Scotty grabbed Longtime's tights to get the win.
Scotty celebrated the win with the owner's son Kal who'd accompanied him to the ring but Longtime returned for revenge. He knocked Scotty down to the ring and began to chase Kal. We chanted 'Hurt the Kid' which just felt wrong and clearly would have been anywhere but in wrestling. Scotty recovered to save him and was able to dance and pose with Kal.
Match Three: Ego Fantastico vs Silas Young vs the Hurricane
Silas played a grumpy heel, doing his best to not participate at first so Hurricane could mock him. Ego (announced as being from Mexico City, Wisconsin, also wearing a mask) and Hurricane were faces but willing to wrestle each other. Ego over-rotated on a couple of his flips but these were minor flubs in an excellent match. Hot match filled with good spots and a decent story. I wish I had more to say about this match but it just clicked and worked. My Best Match of the Night.
Brief Hall of Fame moment:
Daemon Nelson gave a little speech inducting them into the PWR (Pro Wrestling Report) Hall of Fame. He kept dragging the crowd into his thoughts as if he spoke for us all. He didn't say 'I think we'd all agree...' but rather 'all of us here say...' or words more to that effect. While I like Demolition a lot and think they're a great tag-team but 'Best Ever' is a bit of a stretch. I quickly rattled off a half-dozen tag-teams that I'd declare as better in some way, no offense meant to Demolition. I also thought taking the opportunity to complain about the state of tag-team wrestling in a company that Demolition hasn't worked for in nearly 20 years was similarly pointless to me. Still, it was Daemon's moment to say what he wanted.
Match Four: Tag-Team Championship Match: Demolition (champ) vs the Urban Assault Team w/manager Angel Armoni vs Electric Eric Freedom and Psychotic Someone or Other w/ manager Joey Eastman vs 'The Dream Team' Brutus Beefcake and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine
I might have the managers associated with the wrong teams. Greg Valentine needed some help getting into the ring. Brother Bruti had a ring in each nipple. The match was announced as a 'fatal four way' which should mean that the first pinfall would win the match but it played out as an elimination match. The Urban Assault Team was eliminated by Demolition. Freedom and Psychotic were eliminated by Zodiac and Hammer. The Demos then pinned Disciple and Valentine to retain their belts. This was a good fun match, if busy, especially considering the average age in the ring was probably about 50.
Intermission.
During intermission our Mr. Herman discovered that an old high school chum is a promoter on the South Side. While we talked to him, Angel Armoni approached to say hi and we got to interact with him. Funny guy.
Match Five: Ladies Championship Match: Traci Brooks vs ODB vs Sarena vs Mike Some Radio Guy (champ)
Mike Some Radio Guy makes sexist remarks and brings out an actual lady wrestler (Something Cruz I think) to represent him in the match. Women wrestling over a women's belt; what a concept! Traci and ODB get eliminated. Some Radio Guy returns to take over, directing his representative to go make him a sandwich while he takes care of business. She slugs him low and leaves him. Sarena spears him and gets the pin. She has an emotional moment over the belt upon receiving it. Nice match with good action and some comedy but not as comedic as some previous GLCW Ladies matches.
Match Six: GLCW Heavyweight Championship: Rhino vs Al Snow (champ)
Armando Alejandro Estrada appears to announce himself the number 1 contender to the belt. Rhino attacks Al Snow outside the ring with a chair before the match, laying him out. Al gets rolled into the ring and Estrada forces the referee to start the match and count the fall. He does and Rhino wins.
This is where the show gets derailed. Small things can add up and make a mess of good intentions. While the crowd was confused by this turn of events, Rhino grabs a microphone and says... something. The mic doesn't work and, even though we weren't that far back, I couldn't hear a thing he said. We began chanting 'What?' trying to get his attention but it didn't work. No one explains what happened but a minute or so later Al manages to roll Rhino up and Al is announced as the winner of the second fall. The match continues.
The match continues well enough but I got the feeling that the crowd is still largely lost and confused. Al manages to win the match and 'Capable' Jeff Lynne announces the end of the second fall again before quickly and unclimatically announcing the match is over and Al won. The combination of the confusion with this mistake triggered a rather energetic from the crowd, at least from our section. We immediately and lustily booed.
Estrada attacks Al, knocking him out, pins him, and becomes Champ. This is one step too far. Security and Medical personnel come out to check on Al and carry him from the ring. When we should have been applauding Al or concerned for him, we were too busy griping about the way things didn't come together. We were disappointed.
Match Seven: Mr. Anderson vs Matt Hardy
Ken Anderson comes to the ring wearing an Aaron Rodgers Packer jersey (earlier he was wearing a Clay Matthews throwback jersey) and explains he can't wrestle, blaming it on his current employers and not a recent chairshot to the head that went wrong and left him with a concussion. He removes his jersey to reveal a referee shirt. The crowd warms to the local boy coming home.
Match Seven: Shawn Davari vs Matt Hardy
Davari comes out with a rant that quickly gets the crowd hating him. Matt Hardy is easily the face once he emerges. The match is about to start but Davari grabs the microphone in order to ask Anderson to call things down the middle. He calls upon various pieces of wrestling continuity referencing how the Hardy Boys have caused him grief in the past. All this is starting to go a little long and then Matt and Shawn start having a crowd cheer off, pointing to different parts of the crowd to get a reaction from them. While the crowd generally reacts positively to Matt as opposed to Shawn, there is a moment where the cheers fade and one loud boo follows them, to the amusement of Mr. Anderson.
All this goes on for a bit long. Once the match actually starts, Davari and Hardy brawl in the crowd on the other side of the ring, making it impossible for us to see what's going on. Around this time we notice that it's already after 11, which seems late for one of these shows, and most of the children have been taken home, no doubt due to the lateness of the hour. By the time the match returns to the ring, it's too late for our section of the crowd, perhaps the entire crowd as most of the match continues in a weird, tired quiet with the occasional outburst. Matt Hardy ends up with the win. He calls Mr. Anderson to the ring to finish out the show as this is his turf. Ken talks a bit more and then the show is over, round about 11:30.
It was a really good show with great moments up until the last couple matches. The problems with the title match as well as Estrada 'stealing' the title did feel like a drain on the crowd that never completely faded. In general, the crowd seemed to die partway through the main event, but I'm not sure how much of that opinion is due to our section, and especially our group, going 'eh' after the stalling and the talking and the brawling we couldn't see. We expected better of the main event and the combination of issues during the title match derailed it. It was a great show that just stumbled severely enough at the end to make you walk out with a sour taste in your mouth.
There was no announcement of the next card which I thought was odd.
Beginning of the Show Chatter:
A Proclamation from Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett is read, praising promoter Dave Herro.
Dave acknowledges we tend to boo ring announcer Jeff Lynne but defends his friend for all the good he's done in the past for GLCW and getting Blizzard Brawl off the ground six years ago. Dave calls him 'Capable' Jeff Lynne.
Armando Alejandro Estrada returns, reminds us that he retired last Blizzard Brawl, and then informs us that he's here to unretire. Somehow he refrains from making a Brett Farve joke. He promises something big later in the show in his regained position as Commissioner.
This all took time but doesn't last forever. It didn't feel as long as some opens in the past.
Match One: Trios Match – Dysfunction, Tony Scarponi (sp?), and Chase McCoy vs 'El Vato' Jose Guerrero, Billy Goat, and El Grande Something or Other
Dysfunction, Tony, and Chase come out playing three distinct heels: Dysfunction loud and obnoxious, Tony quiet and dismissive, and Chase intense with outbursts of anger.
'El Vato', looking a bit out of shape, had a problem or two with some moves, but generally did fine, mostly playing Ricky Morton (spent time as a face being beat up by the bad guys during a tag match). 'Billy Goat', wore a goat mask and worked that gimmick but butting his head into people and such. I guessed it was local worker Bobby Valentino and was later told I was right. He also played Ricky Morton for awhile. I thought he was the best worker on his team. El Grande Whatever was just a fat guy in a mask.
Hot fun opener to get the crowd going and it worked. All three faces pinned the heels at once.
Match Two: Matt Longtime vs Scotty Too Hotty
Crowd, as normal, are pro-Scotty. We, as normal, were pro-Longtime. Our 'Heel Corner' fully fired up at this point as the guys around us turned out to have a similar attitude to us. We also discovered that a dozen kids does not equal One Herman. A rest hold spot ran longer than it may have been planned for as these kids started cheering for Scotty and our Mr. Herman shouted over them, killing the growing face heat and silencing the kids. After a minute or two the crowd realized they needed to cheer for Scotty in order for things to progress and did. While I missed seeing it, apparently Scotty grabbed Longtime's tights to get the win.
Scotty celebrated the win with the owner's son Kal who'd accompanied him to the ring but Longtime returned for revenge. He knocked Scotty down to the ring and began to chase Kal. We chanted 'Hurt the Kid' which just felt wrong and clearly would have been anywhere but in wrestling. Scotty recovered to save him and was able to dance and pose with Kal.
Match Three: Ego Fantastico vs Silas Young vs the Hurricane
Silas played a grumpy heel, doing his best to not participate at first so Hurricane could mock him. Ego (announced as being from Mexico City, Wisconsin, also wearing a mask) and Hurricane were faces but willing to wrestle each other. Ego over-rotated on a couple of his flips but these were minor flubs in an excellent match. Hot match filled with good spots and a decent story. I wish I had more to say about this match but it just clicked and worked. My Best Match of the Night.
Brief Hall of Fame moment:
Daemon Nelson gave a little speech inducting them into the PWR (Pro Wrestling Report) Hall of Fame. He kept dragging the crowd into his thoughts as if he spoke for us all. He didn't say 'I think we'd all agree...' but rather 'all of us here say...' or words more to that effect. While I like Demolition a lot and think they're a great tag-team but 'Best Ever' is a bit of a stretch. I quickly rattled off a half-dozen tag-teams that I'd declare as better in some way, no offense meant to Demolition. I also thought taking the opportunity to complain about the state of tag-team wrestling in a company that Demolition hasn't worked for in nearly 20 years was similarly pointless to me. Still, it was Daemon's moment to say what he wanted.
Match Four: Tag-Team Championship Match: Demolition (champ) vs the Urban Assault Team w/manager Angel Armoni vs Electric Eric Freedom and Psychotic Someone or Other w/ manager Joey Eastman vs 'The Dream Team' Brutus Beefcake and Greg 'The Hammer' Valentine
I might have the managers associated with the wrong teams. Greg Valentine needed some help getting into the ring. Brother Bruti had a ring in each nipple. The match was announced as a 'fatal four way' which should mean that the first pinfall would win the match but it played out as an elimination match. The Urban Assault Team was eliminated by Demolition. Freedom and Psychotic were eliminated by Zodiac and Hammer. The Demos then pinned Disciple and Valentine to retain their belts. This was a good fun match, if busy, especially considering the average age in the ring was probably about 50.
Intermission.
During intermission our Mr. Herman discovered that an old high school chum is a promoter on the South Side. While we talked to him, Angel Armoni approached to say hi and we got to interact with him. Funny guy.
Match Five: Ladies Championship Match: Traci Brooks vs ODB vs Sarena vs Mike Some Radio Guy (champ)
Mike Some Radio Guy makes sexist remarks and brings out an actual lady wrestler (Something Cruz I think) to represent him in the match. Women wrestling over a women's belt; what a concept! Traci and ODB get eliminated. Some Radio Guy returns to take over, directing his representative to go make him a sandwich while he takes care of business. She slugs him low and leaves him. Sarena spears him and gets the pin. She has an emotional moment over the belt upon receiving it. Nice match with good action and some comedy but not as comedic as some previous GLCW Ladies matches.
Match Six: GLCW Heavyweight Championship: Rhino vs Al Snow (champ)
Armando Alejandro Estrada appears to announce himself the number 1 contender to the belt. Rhino attacks Al Snow outside the ring with a chair before the match, laying him out. Al gets rolled into the ring and Estrada forces the referee to start the match and count the fall. He does and Rhino wins.
This is where the show gets derailed. Small things can add up and make a mess of good intentions. While the crowd was confused by this turn of events, Rhino grabs a microphone and says... something. The mic doesn't work and, even though we weren't that far back, I couldn't hear a thing he said. We began chanting 'What?' trying to get his attention but it didn't work. No one explains what happened but a minute or so later Al manages to roll Rhino up and Al is announced as the winner of the second fall. The match continues.
The match continues well enough but I got the feeling that the crowd is still largely lost and confused. Al manages to win the match and 'Capable' Jeff Lynne announces the end of the second fall again before quickly and unclimatically announcing the match is over and Al won. The combination of the confusion with this mistake triggered a rather energetic from the crowd, at least from our section. We immediately and lustily booed.
Estrada attacks Al, knocking him out, pins him, and becomes Champ. This is one step too far. Security and Medical personnel come out to check on Al and carry him from the ring. When we should have been applauding Al or concerned for him, we were too busy griping about the way things didn't come together. We were disappointed.
Match Seven: Mr. Anderson vs Matt Hardy
Ken Anderson comes to the ring wearing an Aaron Rodgers Packer jersey (earlier he was wearing a Clay Matthews throwback jersey) and explains he can't wrestle, blaming it on his current employers and not a recent chairshot to the head that went wrong and left him with a concussion. He removes his jersey to reveal a referee shirt. The crowd warms to the local boy coming home.
Match Seven: Shawn Davari vs Matt Hardy
Davari comes out with a rant that quickly gets the crowd hating him. Matt Hardy is easily the face once he emerges. The match is about to start but Davari grabs the microphone in order to ask Anderson to call things down the middle. He calls upon various pieces of wrestling continuity referencing how the Hardy Boys have caused him grief in the past. All this is starting to go a little long and then Matt and Shawn start having a crowd cheer off, pointing to different parts of the crowd to get a reaction from them. While the crowd generally reacts positively to Matt as opposed to Shawn, there is a moment where the cheers fade and one loud boo follows them, to the amusement of Mr. Anderson.
All this goes on for a bit long. Once the match actually starts, Davari and Hardy brawl in the crowd on the other side of the ring, making it impossible for us to see what's going on. Around this time we notice that it's already after 11, which seems late for one of these shows, and most of the children have been taken home, no doubt due to the lateness of the hour. By the time the match returns to the ring, it's too late for our section of the crowd, perhaps the entire crowd as most of the match continues in a weird, tired quiet with the occasional outburst. Matt Hardy ends up with the win. He calls Mr. Anderson to the ring to finish out the show as this is his turf. Ken talks a bit more and then the show is over, round about 11:30.
It was a really good show with great moments up until the last couple matches. The problems with the title match as well as Estrada 'stealing' the title did feel like a drain on the crowd that never completely faded. In general, the crowd seemed to die partway through the main event, but I'm not sure how much of that opinion is due to our section, and especially our group, going 'eh' after the stalling and the talking and the brawling we couldn't see. We expected better of the main event and the combination of issues during the title match derailed it. It was a great show that just stumbled severely enough at the end to make you walk out with a sour taste in your mouth.
There was no announcement of the next card which I thought was odd.
28 November 2010
25 November 2010
'What is Gum?'
I am reasonably comfortable with my skills and where their limits lie. My inability to update this blog on a more consistent basis is a fine display of those limits. It is very possible that I am too modest regarding these skills. On many occasions I've told a story or pitched a movie or worked out some wrestling booking and been told how I should be working more professionally in some of those venues. While perhaps true, I generally demure from such comments. I know I'm not up to that speed. If put in that setting, I might get up to that speed but I don't know that would be so.
My week in Florida reminded me of that lack of 'speed'. It made me feel like I've lost a step. Normally speaking, I'm the abnormal one. I'm the one that's 'playing'. This can cause some frustration in others and I've had to become more 'serious', especially in the workplace.
Then I go to Disney where everyone plays. You don't really think about it but the Cast Members, even those 'just' funneling you in and out of a ride, are always one. In fact some of the best rides are the ones where the Cast Members add a little something; whether that be a Pirate 'accent' or loudly smacking a wall during a quiet moment at the Haunted Mansion. I was chatting with 'Muppet Labs Technicians' at the MuppetVision 3D show and they even stayed in character when we were talking normally. It managed to throw me off. They were doing my 'thing' back at me.
I got thrown in deep early on in my trip. Most of the characters you meet are silent as they wear costumes that prevent speech. Mickey and Donald and such communicate via gestures. The human characters don't have that impediment and are eager to interact with you, give you a moment.
On my first day of the trip, we were heading for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride when we saw Ariel was at the Meet and Greet spot in Adventureland. As we had a six year old girl with us and the line wasn't long, we stopped. As Ariel is a pretty red headed girl, I also got in line. In an effort to not take too much of her time and trying to not be too creepy, my pal and I decided to approach her together. I expected to say hi, make a joke about Neptune or something undersea, get my picture taken and move on. That's not what she had in mind.
“What are you chewing?” she asked me as I approached.
“Gum,” I answered, suddenly backpedaling because I didn't know if I could chew gum in the presence of royalty. She was totally confused by my declaration and it led me to showing her the wad of gum within my mouth, which really had to be a bad idea when interacting with a Princess.
Her face crinkled up at this sight. “Did it look like that when you put it in your mouth?” I assured her that it looked better beforehand when it was still a stick of gum. “A stick?” Despite my gestures, it became clear to me that our concepts of the word 'stick' were not the same. “Why?” she questioned. I pointed to the fact that it made my breath minty. This was also lost on her. “Are you going to swallow it?” she wondered. I offered to do so but explained that this wasn't the normal procedure.
By this point, she was totally confused. “You put a stick in your mouth to make your breath minty but you don't eat it?” She turned to my buddy standing behind her, adding “No offense but you humans are weird.”
Then we politely linked arms and took a picture together.
I was on the defensive the entire time. I kept up, essentially playing the straight man, but never took control of the situation and turned it back to her, asking her about life under the sea. I didn't think of it quickly enough.
I wasn't ready. I've lost a step. Or perhaps I never had the step.
I also think she's awesome and have a crush on her. Me like a pretty redheaded girl that messed with me so successfully? No shock there.
My week in Florida reminded me of that lack of 'speed'. It made me feel like I've lost a step. Normally speaking, I'm the abnormal one. I'm the one that's 'playing'. This can cause some frustration in others and I've had to become more 'serious', especially in the workplace.
Then I go to Disney where everyone plays. You don't really think about it but the Cast Members, even those 'just' funneling you in and out of a ride, are always one. In fact some of the best rides are the ones where the Cast Members add a little something; whether that be a Pirate 'accent' or loudly smacking a wall during a quiet moment at the Haunted Mansion. I was chatting with 'Muppet Labs Technicians' at the MuppetVision 3D show and they even stayed in character when we were talking normally. It managed to throw me off. They were doing my 'thing' back at me.
I got thrown in deep early on in my trip. Most of the characters you meet are silent as they wear costumes that prevent speech. Mickey and Donald and such communicate via gestures. The human characters don't have that impediment and are eager to interact with you, give you a moment.
On my first day of the trip, we were heading for the Pirates of the Caribbean ride when we saw Ariel was at the Meet and Greet spot in Adventureland. As we had a six year old girl with us and the line wasn't long, we stopped. As Ariel is a pretty red headed girl, I also got in line. In an effort to not take too much of her time and trying to not be too creepy, my pal and I decided to approach her together. I expected to say hi, make a joke about Neptune or something undersea, get my picture taken and move on. That's not what she had in mind.
“What are you chewing?” she asked me as I approached.
“Gum,” I answered, suddenly backpedaling because I didn't know if I could chew gum in the presence of royalty. She was totally confused by my declaration and it led me to showing her the wad of gum within my mouth, which really had to be a bad idea when interacting with a Princess.
Her face crinkled up at this sight. “Did it look like that when you put it in your mouth?” I assured her that it looked better beforehand when it was still a stick of gum. “A stick?” Despite my gestures, it became clear to me that our concepts of the word 'stick' were not the same. “Why?” she questioned. I pointed to the fact that it made my breath minty. This was also lost on her. “Are you going to swallow it?” she wondered. I offered to do so but explained that this wasn't the normal procedure.
By this point, she was totally confused. “You put a stick in your mouth to make your breath minty but you don't eat it?” She turned to my buddy standing behind her, adding “No offense but you humans are weird.”
Then we politely linked arms and took a picture together.
I was on the defensive the entire time. I kept up, essentially playing the straight man, but never took control of the situation and turned it back to her, asking her about life under the sea. I didn't think of it quickly enough.
I wasn't ready. I've lost a step. Or perhaps I never had the step.
I also think she's awesome and have a crush on her. Me like a pretty redheaded girl that messed with me so successfully? No shock there.
16 November 2010
Rule No 1
If you're planning a trip to theme parks, get some exercise before you go and make sure you have some comfortable shoes. I hadn't been walking enough and apparently hadn't broken these shoes in properly. Massive blisters. Very unpleasant.
Beyond that, great time so far. Have tried new stuff and it's panning out. This is a Good Thing.
Beyond that, great time so far. Have tried new stuff and it's panning out. This is a Good Thing.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)