The opening act for Miss Clarkson was the Graham Colton Band at the Cricket Arena in Charlotte, NC, July 24, 2005. Nothing special about GCB honestly and I think that a lot of the audience saw them as a lot different than Kelly Clarkson’s music. Both are rock-oriented though. GCB were fine, but nothing spectacular. They came right on at 7:30 and were off right at 8:00, which is perfect for an opening act.

Then Kelly came right out at 8:30. The set was pretty cool. There was a little part of the stage that jutted out into the middle of the audience. Several horizontal light bars that could change colors (kind of like those new Aqueous TVs) werea ll over the stage. The main lights spanned vertically up the stage on four diagonal towers covered with curtains. Then above that, were two flat panel screens that off and on showed Kelly’s eyes blinking, looking up, down, left and right. That was kind of weird.

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It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Kevin Smith and his films and humor in general. Take a look at any college dorm room’s video collection, and you’ll quickly see that I’m not alone.

Kevin Smith’s newest film, “Jersey Girl” represents the first departure from his Askewniverse flicks (”Clerks,” “Mallrats,” “Chasing Amy,” “Dogma” and “Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back”) and their colorful cast of Jersey characters that have become so popular on campuses. But Smith hasn’t gone too far away from what he knows. “Jersey Girl” is still has Smith’s flavor and is a great initial departure from his Askewniverse history.

The story centers around Ollie Trinke who has what he regards as the perfect life in New York City, working as a PR bigwig and married to the beautiful Gertrude Steiney, played by Affleck’s former real-life flame, Jennifer Lopez. Gertrude ends up getting pregnant and they prep for life with their first child. I don’t think I’m ruining it for anyone by telling you that Lopez’s character dies in the first 15 minutes of the film, due to complications during child birth.

Ollie is left having to juggle the loss of his beloved wife, and raise a child as a single parent, while trying to keep up with the demands of his job. He ends up moving back to Jersey with his father, played by George Carlin, and to his dismay, he has to quit his PR job and work locally in Jersey. The circumstances surrounding his change of vocations is amusing, but see the film to get the details there.

While back at home in Jersey, Affleck meets Maya, played by Liv Tyler, a local girl who works the mom and pop’s video store (ala “Clerks”). To no one’s surprise, they hit it off after Affleck gets over his initial locking out anyone but his deceased wife and a pseudo friendship with undertones of more ensues and it’s obvious where it’s going long before the movie ends.

Ollie Trinke struggles throughout the flick with dealing with the loss of his true love, and always being there for his daughter, Gertie. Gertie, played by big screen newcomer, Raquel Castro does a wonderful job in the movie and is not over the top cute or annoying, like a lot of Hollywood’s child actors. She does a good job of dealing with the range of emotions and situations in the movie.

A lot of people don’t like Affleck, but I think the guy is a competent actor and does a great job of portraying the Jersey single parent and widower. A nod also has to be given to George Carlin. His role is pretty serious and he does a great job playing the father aiding his son in being a father in his own right.

Kevin Smith has always been known for loading up his cast with personal friends and “Jersey Girl” continues the tradition. View Askew veterans Ben Affleck and George Carlin obviously have big roles, but others also pop up, such as Matt Damon and Jason Lee. It was funny though to look around the theater audience and realize that Jersey Girl had more of a broad audience, and most didn’t recognize the View Askew cameos; not that this is a bad thing though. Wider appeal means that more people will see it and aren’t as connected to the director. Regardless, it was a nice nod to fans who have seen his other five films.

It’s hard not to compare “Jersey Girl” to the other Kevin Smith flicks and on one hand, it’s its own beast that’s very different. It’s a little cutesy, but it’s still got that Smith flavor and humor to it. Rather than being a straight out comedy/adventure comedy like most of his previous endeavors, “Jersey Girl” is Smith’s second romantic comedy (”Chasing Amy” being the first). Smith says he doesn’t feel that “Jersey Girl” is all that much different than “Chasing Amy” and that they just swapped out the lesbian for a 7-year old. I tend to see the separation a little more substantial, but both are worthy of viewing. If you can get over Smith’s latest being a bit syrupy sweet, it’s a very enjoyable film worth checking out. “Jersey Girl” also has the added advantage in that it could give Kevin Smith a broader audience — great for us hardcore Kevin Smith fans for future movies.

The movies below are some of my favorite flicks. I‘m sure some will wholeheartedly agree with some of my picks, while others
will scoff at them. Either way, these are some of the flicks I‘ve watched more times than I can count. Here they are, in no real specific order:

Back to the Future

There is absolutely no doubt in my mind, nor anyone that knows me well that the Back to the Future Trilogy is at the top of my list of movies. Since I first got a DVD player, I‘ve eagerly awaited their release. Finally, on December 17, 2002 the trilogy will come to DVD chocked full of DVD extras. There are plenty of DVDs out there that I wonder why anyone would ever watch the feature-length film with commentary, nor sift through extras on the disc. But with the Back to the Future Trilogy, I can‘t wait for all that on the three disc set arriving mid-December!

I remember seeing Back to the Future on VHS right after it was released and just loved every aspect of it. I love the science fiction aspect of it — time travel and the flashy special effects of the DeLorean. "If you‘re gonna build a time machine out of a car, why not do it with some style?"

The original enthralled me and hooked me on what could be a lifelong love of sci-fi, time travel stories and the unique design of the short-lived stainless steel DeLorean. . I just love the gull-wing doors and the whole modified look of the Back to the Future time vehicle.

The first one was done right, all the way around. The comedic elements are great, the casting right-on and the sci-fi elements are first class. Man, I could go on forever about Back to the Future!

Back to the Future II

Back to the Future II is considered by many to be the bastard child of the trilogy — too confusing, too much running around, etc. I can see where people would have those complaints, but I don‘t share them. I love all three flicks, but have a great liking for portrayals of the future.

Back to the Future II does have one thing that always bugs me in portrayals of the future… they obviously are filmed in a given time and the technology of the future obviously reflects the filming time. For example, the futuristic cars were 90‘s Tauruses, Mustangs etc. with skirts added to the car. I understand why that has to happen, just a little thing that I always get a chuckle out of. Dark Angel was the same way — all the cars left over from the pre-pulse are all vehicles of the early 21st century — stuff like the Pontiac Aztek and the Audi TT.

But anyway, I love the whole idea of alternate timelines and seeing what could have been. The jumping between 2015, 1985 and 1955 is great, with Marty and Doc bumping into themselves in the past. Marty is seeing events that just happened to him just days before, even though the span in actual years they‘ve jumped is much greater. I honestly didn‘t think the movie was one bit confusing.

The hoverboard and flying DeLorean used throughout the movie are great, and will be things that even the casual watcher will remember for years to come.

This second of three films also introduces the history repeating itself that continues in each movie. You have similar situations in different eras. The skateboard chase through town square becomes a hoverboard chase, Marty‘s initial encounter with Griff in the Cafe 80‘s mirrors his meeting of the ‘55 Biff in Lou‘s Cafe 60 years early, etc. etc. A lot of the parallels between time are blatent, but the links between the films run deep — both in the truly obvious, to pretty obscure stuff.

Back to the Future III

I‘m not big at all on the old West, Westerns, etc., but Doc and Marty‘s adventure in the old west was cool in that you see Hill Valley from pretty much its humble beginnings. Even way back in 1885, the Statler family was in the transportation — selling/renting horses (in 1985, they have the Hill Valley Toyota dealership) and the Jones family was hauling manure, even when Hill Valley was just a single street.

It‘s cool that Doc and Marty are witnesses to the dedication of the clock tower, meaning they‘re present at both its birth and its electrifying demise at precisely 10:04pm some 70 years later.

Back to the Future III is unique in the trilogy as it is the one where Doc and Marty‘s rolls reverse — with Doc being the lovestruck one and Marty being the voice of reason.

The final of the three also has one of the most tragic moments in film history when a 1985 locomotive plows through the retrofitted DeLorean like tinfoil, leaving stainless scattered just outside of the new Hilldale development and the trademark license plate spinning occurs.

I‘m not a very big fan of the ending of the film, with the train engine. It ties everything together at the end, but I always thought it was kind of lame. All in all though, I love these movies. They‘ve stayed pretty timeless and I love them as much now as I did when I originally saw them back as an adolescent.

The Matrix

The Matrix was one of those movies I went into the theater knowing little about it. The whole idea of questioning what reality is truly is a concept I really like and like to consider. While this movie does have a huge number of goofs, it really was groundbreaking from a visual sense. I can‘t wait for the second and third installment. I just hope they live up to the original.

While a lot of the effects in this movie have been way overdone in action/adventure movies now, this visual styling was completely innovative and mind boggling when The Matrix was initially released theatrically.

The movie is a combination of Kung-Fu action, cyberpunk and sci-fi all mixed into an explosive and immersive movie. Even the soundtrack is rocking, with tracks from Rage Against the Machine, Rob Zombie, Manson, etc. and even a couple of techno instrumentals that fit into the whole scene of reality versus perceived reality.

This is another film that has yet to diminish in my eyes. I‘ve seen this movie countless times and the DVD is always one of the discs I use as a baseline when testing out new A/V equipment.

The Rainmaker

I’ve always been a big fan of courtroom films, from comedies like “My Cousin Vinny” to dramas like “A Civil Action.” But by far, my favorite courtroom film is the screen adapatation of John Grisham’s book, “The Rainmaker,” directed by rancis Ford Coppola.

Matt Damon does a great job as law student Rudy Baylor, trying fight for the little guy against the big bad evil insurance company defended by an always convincing bad guy, Jon Voight.

This is one of the first DVDs I snagged when I first bought a DVD player, and I’ve watched it multiple timeswith enjoyment never waning — all around good performances, interesting plot and a lot of enjoyment.

I’ve had my TiVo now for about four months. I was psyched from the day I got it setup, but wanted to wait to write a review until I made sure my love of this technology wasn’t because it was the newest gadget in my arsenal. Well, four months later, it’s still being used daily and makes me wonder how I ever watched television without one.
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The Worms series has been alive and exploding worms since the old 8-bit Nintendo.

The newest in the series from Team 17, Worms Armageddon, adds features and improves slightly on its most recent predecessor, Worms 2.

The game is a team vs. team game. While there is a one-player mode, it comes to its full potential in multi-player mode, either with several people hunched around one screen, mouse and keyboard, or via a Local Area Network (LAN) or an Internet server.

Teams consist of warrior worms that can be customized with names to your liking and even sound files. Our team members found sound schemes for everything from "The Simpsons" to "Pulp Fiction."

So rather than a missed shot resulting in a scolding from a worm with a high-pitched voice, you can hear Homer Simpson yelling "D’oh!"

Teams take turns trying to eliminate all of the worms not on their team. If you were a worm, how would you take out the enemies? Team 17 decided to give the worms 60 different choices, all with their own quirks, tricks and situational uses. The favorites on my team are the Holy Hand Grenade (paying a little homage to Monty Python), the banana bomb, which explodes and then distributes several clusters of volatile bananas. There’s also the Super Sheep, capable of bleating its little heart out before donning a cape and taking to the sky in an explosive kamikaze mission.

Sound weird? It is - but it was instantly addictive and fun to play with a group of people. The game builds on the old game Scorched Earth, in which opposing tanks fired at one another relentlessly with a plethora of weapons.

Most everything can be customized in the game, giving great and varied play. Players can build the landscapes and choose which and how many weapons to start with. There are so many options I’ve yet to totally tweak all the settings.

The game play is very similar to Worms 2. A few weapons have been added, while others areabsent. The biggest additions are improved graphics on each landscape and a couple of more powerful weapons.

Sadly, the multiple random cartoon intros that Worms 2 started up with are gone and they are sorely missed.

But side by side, Worms 2 and Worms Armageddon are pretty much the same game. Neither will disappoint you when you’re looking for a fun multiplayer game with a bit of a sense of humor and a lot of options.

Team 17
Rating: ages 11 and up
Requirements:
Pentium-100,
Windows 95/98,
32 MB RAM,
2x CD-ROM,
50 MB free hard drive space, 1 MB SVGA card,
16-bit sound card

Originally printed in the News & Observer and NandoNext.

Dark Angel was a great little show on Fox, created by T2’s James Cameron and starred the beautiful Jessica Alba as Max, a genetically enhanced soldier in a post-apocalyptic near future. The first season of the television show was great sci-fi / action. The second season stretched a little and my interest waned, as did others, as a third season never popped up.

The Dark Angel game, available on the PS2 and X-Box appeared on the market months after the series went defunct. It was most likely in development before plans to cancel the series took place and Sierra decided to still release it.

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A lot of my focus and enjoyment from the PS2 thus far has been through sports and driving games (and always will be), but I’ve always had a thing for the iron eagles of the sky and really loved the 80’s flick, Top Gun. While Top Gun: Combat Zones does not have a thing to do with the Top Gun movie, besides the F-14s and dogfighting, it does share the delight of flying the not-so friendly skies.

The game is split into three eras, a Vietnam-era, Desert Storm and a near-present Middle-East skirmish. Each of the eras have a series of training missions that must be completed before tackling the real combat missions. The training missions seemed to fall into one of two categories: ones that could easily completed in one or two tries, and ones that got tedious, taking uncountable attempts to successful accomplish. These training missions do really prepare you for the enemies you’ll face.

Top Gun: Combat Zones is not a straight fighter sim though, it really leans toward being an arcade fighter, but that’s just fine in my book. The controls are pretty simple to master and turning seems pretty realistic to the actual fighters’ movement through the skies. For example, just as real naval aviators do, to really turn the F-14 efficiently, the plane has to be put nearly on its side to execute quick turns. The buttons are laid out nicely for the default control setup and after the first couple training missions, maneuvering the aircraft becomes second nature.

One of the cool facets of the game, which is also one of the reasons the game isn’t considered a true simulation is the fact that points are throughout. While success of your mission ultimately rests on whether you destroy your targets, score is being kept throughout the game for much more than just the number of bogeys you blow out of the sky. Your score is greatly enhanced by dare devil maneuvers, such as low-altitude flying, soaring under obstacles such as bridges, cranes, etc. and having close brushes with obstacles. While we’re not talking, edge-of-your-seat excitement, the bonus scoring is a nice touch and essential to get the highest rankings for missions.

Missions consist of two main types — dog fighting and bombing missions. The dog fighting can be extremely tough and frustrating. Locating enemies in the sky is difficult, as the radar is two dimensional, while the sky is obviously a three dimensional plane. It’s really tough to visually identify the planes, and can become really frustrating. The fighters I’ve encountered thus far tend to keep a fairly high altitude. Often, bogeys can be located a little easier by ascending a few thousand feet.

The bombing runs also are not without their share of frustration, as these are usually the missions that have to be done over and over again. Your aircraft can take a fair amount of damage (honestly a lot more than a jet could handle in real-life conditions), but all the missions are timed. During the first two eras of missions, failures most often come from time expiration, rather than the plane being shot down. The bombing runs consist of multiple targets, meaning you will have to criss-cross your fighter over a section of land countless times to succeed and move on to the next training or wartime skirmish. One hint is to take your first pass or two to destroy anti-aircraft batteries and tanks. This allows you to concentrate on locating and lining up bombing targets on subsequent passes. Quicker missions, withless damage to your aircraft also translates to bigger bonus points upon mission completion.

The graphics are pretty nice overall, and the sense of flying is decently realistic. The land-based graphics, such as the mountains, canyons, bridges and buildings look nice, as do the explosions that take out those structures.

I love the replays, the close-ups and different angles look like they came right out of the Top Gun movie. My only complaint is that a lot of the camera angles are way too shaky. It seems the developers were going for realism with their fighter-mounted camera views, but I’d gladly sacrifice a bit of realism for a steady shot of my F-14 cutting through the air at supersonic speeds. Why shoot for total realism here, when I get extra points for putting my aircraft at risk by soaring under a rock formation?

This game isn’t mind blowing or a must-have for your Playstation 2 library, but it is decent fun and a game that you can sit down and play, without investing major time. The game is definitely a welcome addition to my collection, providing a change of pace from some of my other games that require major time investment to progress.

I have yet to play Ace Combat 4, but it is supposed to be even better than Top Gun: Combat Zones, so you might want to rent that one prior to this. If the store happens to be out of AC4 copies, Top Gun is still worthy of checking out.

The Simpsons Road Rage sounded like a great concept for the die-hard Simpsons freak. The concept is sound, but in practice, it’s amusing and fun initially, but very swiftly becomes monotonous and lacks any real challenge or fun.

The premise of the game is billionaire Montgomery Burns has taken over Springfield’s mass transit system with a fleet of nuclear busses, that have exorbitant fares. The citizens strike back, using their personal vehicles to taxi others around the city to earn enough money to buy the mass transit system back.

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