tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-137886982024-03-14T15:32:06.803+09:00The final cutMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.comBlogger1112125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-1117658909539937052012-10-07T02:12:00.001+09:002012-10-10T23:11:48.143+09:00cancer updateWell i am back @ TMC room 430 for the next step in the fight against cancer.
I have finished all of the chemo for this treatment and I am doing OK, just very tired right now. I feel like a train has just ran over me a lot. I am losing my hair a lot so my head will be bald soon. I have a lot of hats. so hopefully that will not be a problem for long.
in 2 more weeks we'll do more test to see how the blockage is doing, this will also tell the dr.s if the blockage is shrinking or we will have to stop the chemo treatment.
because the chemo isn't working on the cancer blockage.
I am feeling ok, just taking all of this cancer fighting one day at a time.
Please keep me in your prayers and lets beat this damn cancer......
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-52990471904537763562012-09-08T19:31:00.006+09:002012-09-08T19:31:43.941+09:00To my Son: Sean Patrick McStay<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
Dear <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Sean:</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Right now, I am feeling ok and I have strength right now, so
what I will be doing over the next few weeks is to a lot of people I will be
typing and speaking my good-bye words to my friends all over the world.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My son, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>no one knows
when the cancer will finally overtake me, hopefully it’s not for a long time
but, while I can and I have somewhat a functional brain, and a few loose
marbles in my head, I want to be able to say good-bye.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sean, Because of the divorce and other things, I know
absolutely not that much about you and, I have missed the last 14 years of your
life and as mine is fighting the cancer, this is the one thing that I wish that
I could change, but I can't. I remember that when we were trying to come up
with your name, no one liked my idea of Kordell, so I knew that you were going
to have an Irish last name and when I asked about Sean Patrick McStay, both sides
of the family liked that name.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I don’t know if you know this but we almost lost you the day
of your birth, your cord had gotten wrapped around your throat and for the
first week of your life I was really scared that you were going to die on us
but when we got you from the hospital, I was so happy that my little man was coming
home and that you looked very happy.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I also told your sister, I have tried to keep a really
positive attitude about the cancer fight and never try to let it get me down.
When your grandfather was fighting his battle with Agent Orange Exposure, he
told me, "Mike, either I will beat this cancer or I will go back home to
God." That is exactly my thought about what’s going on with me and my
fight.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I lived in South Korea and I would go to the baseball
games there, it would always make me sad when I would see the fathers and their
sons at these games, I so wanted you there with me so we could try and talk about
the game and what we thought about life and many things that parents try and teach
their children.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When I went to the film
festivals in Korea to over them, I was always hoping that either you or your sister
could have come along so I could have shown you why I love going to the movies.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But I realized that, also like your sister, when you finally
do meet that special someone and that you do fall in love, I will not be there
and I will not know what kind of a boyfriend, fiancé, Husband and father you
will be when it is your time to do this important job and it really hurts me,
inside, when I think about these things.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
From the little that I know about you, I know that you love
Jeff Dunham’s comedy; this is a trait that we both share together.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Also like I told your sister,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">It
really hurts me that I do not know that much about you and I want to so bad and
that is why I am stuck in what we call a catch-22.</span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">What this means is that I am damned
if I go one way and I am damned if I go the other way on a decision, or another
way of looking at it is this, I have a choice to make and I have 2 answers and
both are wrong and neither one is right and it really bothers me.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I so want to see you and Claudia right
now, to get to know you and try to talk and to understand how and why you both
think. But at the same time, I do not you 2 around me so that your last
memories of me is that of a man that is withering away and dying of cancer.
This is one of the reasons that I am glad to be living by myself right now, my
family sees me every few days and that don't have to watch it slowly get worse
with each passing day.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">This may not make sense to you but
my idea is that it’s a father who loves his kids and never wants to put them in
anything as hard as what I am going through right now. I have missed so much
and I will miss more about your 2 lives and now that is what bothers me the
most.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just as your sister had a song that I would sing her when
she needed to go to sleep as a baby, this is your song that I would sing to you.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rR45JW9buOo" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The songs title is:Nights are Forever Without You-England Dan and John Ford
Coley</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I still have no idea why this song worked on you, but it
did. So on your special day when you decide to become a husband, please play
this song, if God lets me, I will try and drop in every once in a while.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
When you were a baby, you were usually a very happy baby; you
just kind of went with the flow.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I remember that when you & your sister both needed a
nap, sometimes I was the favorite pillow and you both would want me to hold you
and then in about 2 minutes, you both would be sound asleep and it always
brought a smile to my face.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
My Son, I do not know how much time I have left but I would
like to be your facebook friend and just so we can talk or not talk about anything
you want to.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I have been playing this song a lot lately and it’s about a
man who is dying and he’s trying to say goodbye to the people that he loves.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/rhQ13geD2OA" width="560"></iframe></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The songs title is: Terry Jack’s- Seasons in the Sun.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span> </span>I have been thinking about you when I hear
this song. This is my little man and I so much do love him but I am not going
to be there when he grows up.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Sean, please remember this…Please Take care of yourself and
always remember…Well I know Jesus and I talk to God and I remember this from
when I was young; Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us: And the
greatest is love."</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Just please remember one thing about me, I am your father
and I will always love you, my son..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Love Dad.</div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-23787541888737378652012-09-04T01:23:00.003+09:002012-09-04T01:23:33.026+09:00Happy 16th Birthday Claudia Celine McStayDear Daughter:<br />
<br />
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Right now, I am feeling ok and I have strength right now, so
what I will be doing over the next few weeks is to a lot of people I will be
typing and speaking my good-bye words.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Claudia, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>no one
knows when the cancer will finally overtake me, hopefully it’s not for a long
time but, while I can and I have somewhat a functional brain, and a few loose
marbles in my head, I want to be able to say good-bye to you and to wish you a very happy 16th Birthday.</div>
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<br /></div>
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In a few weeks my daughter, you will turn 16 years old and as I look at that I know one huge thing about you. I know absolutely not that much about you and because of the divorce, I have missed the last 14 years of your life and as mine is fighting the cancer, this is the one thing that I wish that I could change, but I can't</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have tried to keep a really positive attitude about the cancer fight and never try to let it get me down. When your grandfather was fighting his battle with Agent Orange Exposure, he told me, "Mike, either I will beat this cancer or I will go back home to God." That is exactly my thought about whats going on with me and my fight.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It has been rarely that I have cried but when I have it has really bothered me..Please let me tell you the main example of it.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I went to the movies and saw the last Breaking Dawn, Twilight film and I was ok until one scene. It was when Bella was being walked down the aisle by her father to be married to Edward and as I was watching that, I just absolutely lost it and just started to cry and I didn't stop for a while. It had just hit me that on that special day when you find someone to love and become a wife to, I will not be there. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I will not know how you are as a wife, mom to your future family and it just really hurt. On the day that you were born the Dr. put you in my arms and the first thing I did was pray to God that please do not let me drop her! I also told you something that day..</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I said, "Hello, Claudia Celine McStay, I am your father Flynn Michael McStay and I will love you for the rest of your life. I am now telling you this right now! one day there will be a boy who you will want to marry and I will make this poor mans life a living hell and he will regret this choice. But just remember when I am doing this it will because that I love you very much and I hope you will one day understand why I am doing this." You just had your eyes closed and looked so cute when I gave you back to the Dr's. I think you knew who I was and that you were safe.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It really hurts me that I do not know that much about you and I want to so bad and that is whey I am stuck in what we call a catch-22.</div>
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What this means is that I am damned if i go one way and I am damned if I go the other way on a decision, or another way of looking at it is this, I have a choice to make and I have 2 answers and both are wrong and neither one is right and it really bothers me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I so want to see you and Sean right now, to get to know you and try to talk and to understand how and why you both think. But at the same time, I do not you 2 around me so that your last memories of me is that of a man that is withering away and dying of cancer. This is one of the reasons that I am glad to be living by myself right now, my family sees me every few days and that don't have to watch it slowly get worse with each passing day.</div>
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This may not make sense to you but my idea is that its a father who loves his kids and never wants to put them in anything as hard as what I am going through right now. I have missed so much and I will miss more about your 2 lives and now that is what bothers me the most.</div>
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When your special day happens I would like if if you would play this song on that day to remember me by..</div>
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The song is Todd Rundgren-Hello Its Me<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">.</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">The reason is that when you were little, you used to love it when I would sing you to sleep and when you and mom just were not in synch with each other, I would sing you this song and the majority of the time you went right to sleep. I still to this day have no idea why this one worked but it did.</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">When you were born, you were the first little girl that my side of the family had had in years, so you were immediately a spoiled princesses and you knew it and you ate it all up!!! I remember a lot of small things about you. How you love Blue Clues and that small puppy dog.</span></div>
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<img alt="" height="293" id="yui_3_5_1_7_1346684547862_456" src="http://www.graphicsdb.com/data/media/486/blues_clues.jpg" style="height: 293px; width: 325px;" width="325" /></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">I also remember a visit to CiCi pizza when you were about 1.5 years old. The manager asked who you took after when you were eating pizza and made a huge mess and my entire family looked at me and you then looked at me and just smiled at me.. I couldn't say anything, you were so a part of me!!</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">You loved it when i would pick you up and dance and just twirl you around. You always gave me this big smile and I knew that we were both very happy.</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">A while back I read on your Facebook that one of your friends called you a "RedNeck" and I knew exactly who you got that from and when you explained it to me, I really brought a smile to my face.</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">I just mentioned these 3 things because if i mentioned everything I would never be able to end this note..</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">When the days comes that it is really starting to look bad for me, please keep on going with your life. I want you to still go to parties, dances, movies.. I want you to have fun. Please remember that. </span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">When that day comes that the cancer wins, please remember that you had a father who loved you very much and always will and If God lets me, I will drop by and check on you from time to time. </span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/yGEe_zpddNI" width="420"></iframe></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">I heard this video today and thought of you. Its a father wishing the best for his child as they leave to go on their path of life.</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">Just always remember, you will always be my little girl and your Daddy will always love you..</span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me"><br /></span></div>
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<span class="" dir="ltr" id="eow-title" title="todd rundgren - hello it's me">I love you and will and still do miss you..have a very Happy 16th Birthday.</span></div>
Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-19810401061424232292012-08-31T21:21:00.000+09:002012-08-31T21:21:08.031+09:00Why Eastwood Matters: Old School Star Reflects American Grit, Greatness<h1>
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A <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rCXiHkhARFw" target="_blank">scene </a>from this year's blockbuster "The Avengers:"</h2>
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<strong>Loki, the film's villain</strong>: I have an army</blockquote>
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<blockquote style="border: medium none; margin: 0px 0px 0px 40px; padding: 0px;">
<strong>Tony Stark AKA Iron Man</strong>: We have a Hulk.</blockquote>
<br />
The Democratic Party may have virtually every celebrity in its hip
pocket, including arguably the biggest star around, George Clooney.<br />
<br />
The GOP has Clint Eastwood.<br />
<br />
No contest.<br />
<br />
Eastwood is the so-called "mystery speaker" slated to address the GOP
faithful tonight during the final moments of the party's national
convention. His speech represents more than just a slight uptick in the
star power featured at the GOP convention.<br />
<br />
It's a nod to the grit and greatness of America from an actor who has epitomized both for more than 50 years.<br />
<br />
Today's stars may be younger, prettier and more commercially viable
than Eastwood. The acting legend is 82 and rarely appears on screen
these days - the upcoming "Trouble with the Curve" marks his first role
since 2008's "Gran Torino."<br />
<br />
Eastwood remains a legend for all the right reasons. His body of work
reflects the actor's hard work, sound instincts and ability to tap into
the national zeitgeist in a way few artists can.<br />
<br />
He embraced law and order to its extremes with the Dirty Harry film
series at a time when the country was roiled in the Vietnam War - and
its aftermath. After cementing his name with violent movies he examined
the nature of such actions with "Unforgiven," carefully reshaping his
screen persona without abandoning its essential decency.<br />
<br />
Even as his advancing years prevented him from playing the lead, his
prosperous directorial career ("Mystic River," "Million Dollar Baby")
kept his star white hot.<br />
<br />
And, most of all, Eastwood never talked down to his audience. The
longtime Republican didn't insult those who preferred a Bill Clinton or
Barack Obama. He never felt compelled to lecture his massive fan base or
use divisive language in interviews.<br />
<br />
He just kept on working. He still is.<br />
<br />
Tonight, Eastwood will use every ounce of his considerable gravitas
to make the case for Mitt Romney. It's hard to imagine a Clooney or even
Tom Hanks mustering a fraction of Eastwood's good will to make a
similar case for President Obama.<br />
<br />
<br />
<em>Follow Christian Toto on Twitter <a href="https://twitter.com/totomovies" target="_blank">@TotoMovies</a></em>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-56399992733727209062012-08-29T00:20:00.001+09:002012-08-31T21:21:28.696+09:00Hanwha Eagles Manager Quits...<table border="0" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="6" style="width: 468px;"><tbody>
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<tr><td align="center" class="style7" height="70"><u>Eagles manager resigns</u></td>
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Former Hanwha Eagles manager Han Dae-hwa holds a record of 147-218-2 in his three-year managerial career. / Yonhap</td></tr>
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By Kang Seung-woo<br />
<br />
<img align="right" hspace="5" src="http://img.koreatimes.co.kr/www/news/img/sports/KBO.jpg" />Even
a former big-league pitcher, a franchise slugger and Major
League-caliber southpaw were not enough to prevent Hanwha Eagles manager
Han Dae-hwa from quitting Tuesday .<br />
<br />
According to the Daejeon-based club, the 52-year-old tendered his
resignation Monday and assistant coach Han Yong-duk will serve as
interim manager for the remainder of the season from Tuesday. The Eagles
have 28 games left in the 2012 season.<br />
<br />
“I apologize to fans for our bad record,” Han said. “I have realized I
am not a competent manager. I knew it was only a matter of time before I
had to leave the team but it is too bad this had to happen during the
season.”<br />
<br />
Han was in the final year of a three-year contract.<br />
<br />
As of last week, the Eagles had the worst record in the Korea Baseball
Organization (KBO) at 39-64 with two draws, 22 games behind the
league-leading Samsung Lions and 15 games off fourth place, the lowest
slot for the playoffs.<br />
<br />
There was a bright outlook for the Eagles, which finished last in 2010
and tied for sixth in 2011, after adding former Major League hurler Park
Chan-ho and slugging first baseman Kim Tae-kyun to a roster that
included left-handed fireballer Ryu Hyun-jin, who is currently on the
big-league clubs’ radar.<br />
<br />
The 39-year-old Park has a 5-8 record with a 4.65 ERA and Kim is eyeing
becoming the first player in 30 years to hit .400 in the Korean league.
Ryu is also 5-8 with a seventh-best in the league 3.20 ERA.<br />
<br />
However, a sluggish offense, sixth in team batting average, and poor
performance from the bullpen have dashed the Eagles’ hopes of reaching
the postseason for the first time since 2007.<br />
<br />
Han was one of a few star players-turned-managers in the league.<br />
<br />
Known for his go-ahead, three-run home run against Japan in the final of
the Baseball World Cup in 1982, Han made his professional debut with
the OB Bears, the forerunner of the Doosan Bears, in 1983. But his
heyday was from 1986 to 1993 with the Haitai Tigers (now the Kia
Tigers), which won the Korean Series six times in that stretch. <br />
<br />
The third baseman also helped the LG Twins win the league championship
in 1994. The Daejeon native hung up his cleats in 1997 with 163 home
runs, 712 RBIs and a career batting average of .279. He also won eight
Golden Gloves.
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Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-52805436541466671952012-08-01T15:36:00.001+09:002012-08-01T15:36:27.664+09:00a class mate from the class of 1984 Denison High School.I JUST FOUND OUT TODAY.<br />
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Becky (Neasbitt) Wright (1965-2012)</h1>
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<li style="display: list-item;">"My thoughts and my prayers are with the family through this..."<div class="GuestBookCommentName">
- Mitzi Badgett Massie</div>
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<span id="ctl00_ctl00_ContentPlaceHolder1_ContentPlaceHolder1_ObitText" style="font-size: 14px;"><img align="left" border="0" hspace="10" src="http://mi-cache.legacy.com/legacy/images/Cobrands/heralddemocrat/Photos/293b25d1-3b81-40df-93a0-746c24f52830.jpg" valign="top" vspace="2" />Becky
Sue Wright, 46, went home to be with the Lord following a brief illness
Monday, June 18, 2012 at Texas Health Presbyterian-WNJ.<br /><br />Becky
was born December 27, 1965 in Denison, the daughter of Richard Neasbitt
and Vonceil (Hubbard) Neasbitt Stiles. She graduated from Denison High
School. Becky married John Wright. Her love of people led her to work
for many years as a certified nurse assistant. She was a member of Hyde
Park Baptist Church. Becky was a loving mother, grandmother, sister and
friend. She will be greatly missed by all who knew and loved her.<br /><br />Becky
is survived by her beloved family: husband, John Wright of Denison;
son, David Williamson, daughters, Dara Wright and Tatelyn Wright all of
Denison; grandchildren, Dylan, Elyse and Benjamin; mother and
stepfather, Jay and Vonceil Stiles of Celina, Texas; father and
stepmother, Richard and Sue Neasbitt of Corsicana, Texas; sister and
husband, Shelley Hill and husband, John of Denison; brother, Michael
Neasbitt and wife, Debbie of Denison.<br /><br />Funeral services will be
held at 1 p.m. Thursday, June 21, 2012 at Fisher Funeral Chapel with
Brother Jody Shires and Brother Cliff Lester officiating. Interment will
follow in Cedarlawn Memorial Park. Family visitation will be held from 6
to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 20, 2012 at Fisher Funeral Home.<br /><br />Pallbearers
will be John Wright, Michael Neasbitt, David Williamson, John Hill, Ken
Smith and Ron Smith. Honorary pallbearers will be Jacoby Melton, Joshua
Neasbitt, Scotty Neasbitt and Ty Perkins.<br /><br />In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to Serenity House, 150 Orange Street, Abilene, TX 79601.<br /><br />Condolences may be registered online at <a href="http://www.fisherfh.com/" target="_blank">www.fisherfh.com.</a></span>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-20496843208377699812012-07-29T22:54:00.000+09:002012-07-29T22:54:17.547+09:00One last ballgame for father and son By Evan GrantATLANTA — I took my father to a baseball game Friday. It was his last.
He is 87, dying from congestive heart failure and has been in the care of a hospice nurse for two months. We know what lies ahead shortly.
And yet, this is not a sad story.<br />
<br />
Not in the least.
Some 40 years ago, just down the block in what is now a parking lot, my dad introduced me to Major League Baseball. By taking my hand and walking with me on what was a perfect day — at least as far as I remember — into Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium, he opened a door to a world that has become my passion and my life.
I wanted to simply try and repay him by taking him to one game as a way of saying thanks.
It was going to be my Father's Day gift to him. Instead, it is about a gift he gave me.<br />
<br />
This whole idea arose during spring training. Dad, who celebrated his 50th wedding anniversary to my mother in December, was in and out of the hospital on a couple of occasions because of fluid retention and what we assume is the continual decline in his heart function. One morning, his doctor called me in Arizona.
"Evan, I think you should be prepared to lose your dad fairly soon," he said.
I thought I had been prepared already. He's been in congestive heart failure for 13 years. In 1998, I had rushed back to Atlanta when he took sick and seemed to be failing fast. During that time, Mom and I made burial plans. When I finally had to leave to return to Dallas, he was still in the hospital, pale and frail. I hugged him tight, really thinking it would be the last time I'd see him.
Somehow, he stabilized. Nearly a year later, a new cardiologist performed a second heart bypass on Dad with great results. But I knew then, the next episode would probably be the last.<br />
<br />
For 10 years, I'd been preparing myself.
Flood of memories
Then baseball had to get in the way. After the doctor's call, I wandered around the Rangers complex in Surprise, my head flooded with memories of Dad and I at sporting events. As a child, that was our bond. He liked sports, and I loved them.
There was a Hawks game for which he'd prepped me with stories about "Pistol Pete" and his droopy socks. The Hawks played a championship-caliber Milwaukee team that night, but I can't remember what Lew Alcindor or Pete Maravich did.<br />
<br />
I only remember walking with my dad toward Alexander Memorial Coliseum.
There was a Falcons game against Chicago. Later, during a five-year "exile" in South Florida after jobs dried up in Atlanta, there was an NBA exhibition in which Artis Gilmore nearly ran over my mom. There was a trip to Yankees spring training when I somehow scored a baseball autographed by both Mickey Mantle and Whitey Ford. There was a time he indulged me with wrestling tickets to see the "American Dream" Dusty Rhodes in a "Bunkhouse Match," whatever that was. We never saw it, though, because I was ejected from the arena for tossing an empty Coke cup at bad guy Jos LeDuc.<br />
<br />
When I ask him at lunch Friday about his most vivid memory of us at a sporting event, he says: "Unfortunately, that wrestling match when you got ejected."
I got it: That wasn't very sportsmanlike.
And every year, there was a whole day trip to West Palm Beach to see my beloved Braves play a spring training game. Every spring, I found a game on the schedule that sounded exciting. We'd make plans and drive an hour — seemed like three or four at the time — from Fort Lauderdale to West Palm so I could hopefully see Phil Niekro and Jeff Burroughs and Brian Asselstine. Hey, it was the late 1970s, man.
Plan takes root
The conversation with the doctor wasn't nearly as depressing as it was inspiring.
I wanted one last chance to spend time at a sporting event with Dad.<br />
<br />
The Rangers schedule provided the slightest glimmer of hope. Father's Day weekend, they'd be in Atlanta, which meant so would I. I called my parents.
"Mom, if he makes it until June, I'm taking Daddy to a baseball game," I said.
First, she dismissed it. Then she, in her role of caretaker and guardian, explained all the logical reasons why it couldn't happen.
I didn't budge.
Her response: "Alevei!" It's Yiddish. Basically, it means: "we should be so lucky!"<br />
<br />
We were very lucky.
Dad began at-home hospice care in April. It is not a bad thing. The hospice people have reduced his medications dramatically. It may make it more difficult to prolong his life an extra couple of weeks or a month, but he is now more alert and energetic and he can, to some extent, enjoy what days remain.
For him, though, enjoyment these days is mostly a bingo game. Or an outing to Costco, his favorite store on the planet, to sample foods and drive the electric cart while picking up household supplies.
On Friday, when I see him for the first time in two months, he looks hunched over, but more steady on his legs than before. He hugs me close.
"Are you excited about tonight?" I say. "Because I am."
"I'm excited to be with my son."<br />
<br />
Game day
There are moments when I think this has become an exceptionally bad idea. He doesn't sound nearly as excited as I feel. His vision is so impaired now that when he squeezes lemon into his Diet Coke at lunch, he misses the glass by a couple of inches. His hearing is so impaired, he asks for repetition of almost every statement. If he can't see or hear, how can he enjoy the game?
On top of that, I realize you can't account for everything shortly after we leave their apartment. I think I've got everything covered: wheelchair, handicapped parking, covered seats, a portable oxygen tank and the hospice number in case anything goes wrong. But I forgot to pack an umbrella and as we head downtown through miserable Atlanta traffic late Friday afternoon, it starts raining. Hard.
Just before we arrive at Turner Field, the rain stops. A cool breeze is actually blowing instead of the humidity that enveloped as we left their apartment.
As I wheel him into the stadium, I feel almost the same as I did on that summer afternoon in 1971 when Dad walked me by the hand into the stadium. I feel like everybody's watching us. And I feel an intense pride.<br />
<br />
We take our seats behind home plate. I ask him what he can see, and he says only silhouettes of the players. He can hear the crowd noise, but not the P.A. announcer's lineups.
He asks how Scott Feldman, one of his favorites, is doing on rehab. When Michael Young comes to the plate he says, "he's a helluva hitter isn't he?" He asks how that "fella who left for Philadelphia is doing." I say "Cliff Lee? They hardly think about him."
I give him brief descriptions of plays, though a lot of time is spent in silence. He looks at a field he could see clearly 40 years ago. I look at my dad and see him as he was 40 years ago.<br />
<br />
Tradition takes hold
He wants peanuts, just as he always does at the ballpark. I'm a little worried they will frustrate him. Does he have the manual dexterity to crack them? Does he have the vision to separate shell from nut? Are they too salty for somebody whose body retains fluid like a sponge?
I get them anyway. He shells and pops them into his mouth like a pro. Nelson Cruz doubles to give the Rangers the lead.
"Cruz," he says, "he's a pretty fair hitter, isn't he?"
"Yep."
"Yep."
He goes back to popping peanuts.<br />
<br />
I go back to my brief descriptions of plays, leaning in ever closer so he can hear. An inning later, I instinctively lay my head on his shoulder, my arm wrapped around his shoulder. He is still popping peanuts.
By the fifth inning, Dad is checking his audible watch. When the inning is over, I ask him if he's ready to go.
"Yes," he says. "I think so."
On the way out, I notice a photo collage of Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium's history. We stroll by it. The first photo is an aerial shot of the stadium and tiny specks are crawling along the plaza toward the stadium. That image of us walking to the stadium for the first time flashes through my mind vividly all over again. Now, however, it is joined by a new one: Dad and I, together at his last game.<br />
<br />
I wheel him to the car. We listen to a couple of innings on the way back to the apartment.
I call mom to let her know we are heading back.
"How's he feel?" she says.
I repeat the question to my dad.
"A, number one," he shouts.
Mom and I laugh.
I take him home and hug and kiss them both.
"Son," he says, "thank you for taking me to the game."
No, Dad. Thank you.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<h3 class="posttitle">
<a href="http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/2012/06/08/sad-news-sheldon-grant-father-of-dmn-baseball-writer-evan-grant-died-last-night/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent Link to Sad News: Sheldon Grant, Father of <I>DMN</i> Baseball Writer Evan Grant, Died Last Night">Sad News: Sheldon Grant, Father of <i>DMN</i> Baseball Writer Evan Grant, Died Last Night</a></h3>
<div class="postmetadata_sub">
Posted on June 8th, 2012 11:09am by <a href="mailto:nancyn@dmagazine.com">Nancy Nichols</a> <br /><br />
<a href="http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/category/sports/" rel="category tag" title="View all posts in Sports"></a></div>
<div class="wp-caption alignright" id="attachment_66281" style="width: 310px;">
<img alt="GRANT0618" class="size-medium wp-image-66281" height="199" src="http://frontburner.dmagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/GRANT0618-300x199.jpg" title="GRANT0618" width="300" /><div class="wp-caption-text">
Evan
Grant with his father Sheldon at their last game together. Joey
Ivansco/Special Contributor. Photo courtesy of Dallas Morning News.</div>
</div>
<br />
Last June, <em>Dallas Morning News</em> baseball writer Evan Grant
took his ailing father to a baseball game in his hometown of Atlanta. At
that time, doctors didn’t think his father, Sheldon, would make it
through the month. <a href="http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/texas-rangers/headlines/20110618-son_s-pitch-to-ailing-dad-to-take-in-a-game-becomes-gift-for-both.ece" target="_blank">Grant wrote an emotional piece about his father</a> and their relationship to each other and to the game of baseball. (Warning: grab a tissue.)<br />
<br />
I’ve known Evan and his family for a long time. Sheldon was a gentle
man with a fighting spirit. When doctors told him he couldn’t do
something, he did it anyway. When they told him he had a year to live,
he lived five more.<br />
<br />
And then another.<br />
<br />
Evan was in San Francisco yesterday getting ready to cover the
Rangers game when he got a call from a nurse who said his father had
taken a turn for the worse. He jumped on a plane and flew to Atlanta. He
got to his father at 10PM last night. Evan and his mother, Rhoda, sat
by Sheldon’s bed sharing life stories. Sheldon gave up his fight at
4:15AM (CST). He was 88. I just re-read the piece Evan wrote last year
and it cleared my head of some of the silly things I think are important<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-68373059465322662692012-07-25T00:43:00.004+09:002012-07-25T00:43:57.265+09:00Movie Review: The Dark Knight Rises (IMAX)<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<br />
<h1>
</h1>
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I really had no idea what to expect with this film. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had managed to avoid reading all of the
reviews and didn’t want to go in disappointed with this film. As you might
remember, this is the film that I chose as the #1 film to see this summer and
after seeing it, I sure am glad that I chose this film as my #1. It isn’t good,
it’s that great.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Now what is known about this film is that it takes place 8
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as Gotham’s savior and “The Batman” had retired due to no more war. The film
introduces you to a man that is pure evil by the name of Bane and you can see
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You also see that Gordon will soon be forced out of office because,
even though he is a war hero,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Gotham is
no longer at war and when war comes, the hero inside him comes alive. But what
really helped the film along was the introduction of the policeman character of
John Blake, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt. Every time he was in the film, he
took each character that he interacted with to the next level. You knew that
this man was capable of great things but by the time the film ends, it was so
obvious that I couldn’t believe that I missed it.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And once again, this film needs to be seen in the IMAX
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the screen was just filled with the Batman and the demons that he comes though
and in the end he overcomes.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And when Catwoman (Anne Hathaway) comes into the film one is
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sure but she seemed happy with her decision.</div>
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<br /></div>
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All I can say is please see this film more that once just to
see if you have really seen all of what this film has to offer.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Grade: A+</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-50182028623794012212012-07-24T08:24:00.001+09:002012-07-24T08:29:00.915+09:00Movie Reviews: Ted, People Like Us, The Amazing Spider-Man, Ice Age 4 Ted<br />
<br />
Now I had no idea what to expect when I actually sat down and decided to watch this film. The previews had just looked really insulting and made me feel like I could lose about 50+ I.Q. points after I watched this film. Something interesting happened after the film was over, I actually liked it and the audience that I saw this film with loved it.<br />
<br />
The idea of the film was quite simple, a lonely little boy wants his teddy bear to be alive and some force grants him that wish and it is now 20+ years later and that teddy bear is still very active in this man’s life now.<br />
<br />
Now if you are a fan of the 1980’s film “Flash Gordon” than the 2nd half of the films will really make a lot more scenes then if you have no idea about the film. I had and the little jokes really worked for me and it really took the humor to another level that neither the audience nor I were expecting.<br />
<br />
Now if you’re a female and you think that this film will not work for you, then please remember that I saw this film with 5 ladies that were in their late 40’s and early 50’s and they were laughing louder and more than I was at this film.<br />
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If you get the chance please see it, if it comes to a Korean theater near you.<br />
<br />
Grade B+<br />
<br />
People Like Us<br />
<br />
Now, I really didn’t know about this film except that this film was somewhat based on a true story. But with film like this one is never sure what actually happened and what was made for this film. That is also about what I felt about the film.
It was a nice film to watch and it left the audience somewhat happy when they left the theater but once you left the theater, I soon forget that I had even watched this film.<br />
<br />
If just really didn’t work for me.
It’s a nice film but it just really brought nothing new to this type of film and it really felt like it was a TV-Lifetime movie on a bit of steroids. With a tad bit of better actors and a tad bit better story.<br />
<br />
If you like this type of story then please see the film when you can, but if you don’t like this type of film, then please pass on this one.<br />
<br />
Grade D<br />
<br />
The Amazing Spider-Man<br />
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<br />
Have you ever just had a bad feeling about a film and then you go see it and your idea of the film gets confirmed.<br />
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If you a reader of this column, I selected this film as the #1 film not to see this summer and after seeing it, I sure can’t think of a reason that anyone should go and see it.<br />
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As you know this is a relaunch of the recent Spiderman Trilogy that concluded a few years back. I thought that in this relaunch that they might try and do a few ideas differently but when I can watch the film and predict everything that was going to happen.<br />
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The film started to fail with me quick and fast.
I soon started to look at my watch and kept hopping that this film would end very fast. I will also say this I was in the minority of this opinion at the audience for this film. I really hated it while the majority f the audience I went with love it and the 2 people that I went with to see this film with, loved it.<br />
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If a relaunch offers nothing new, then why do it in the first place. It was just too easy to predict and I grew bored with it very fast. Please pass on this film.<br />
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Grade: D<br />
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Ice Age 4. Continental Drift<br />
<br />
Well this was a very simple film to watch and to review.
If you’re a fan of the first 3 then you’ll like this film. If you have a child that likes these types of cartoon films, then they will love this film also. (The film comes with a Maggie Simpson carton that the audience just seemed to love).<br />
<br />
The few kids that didn’t like this film hadn’t seen the first 3 but the majority of the audience loved this film and wanted a part 5 asap.<br />
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The film is just a rehash of other parts of this story with a few new characters added to the film. But for some reason the film worked. We were told some of the back stories of a few of the characters and when Scrat was in the film, the children just laughed out louder.<br />
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If you like kid’s films or you have kids to take this film to, and then you and they will have a good time watching this one.<br />
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Grade: BMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-83316747249414605982012-07-22T11:48:00.002+09:002012-07-22T11:48:56.646+09:00Cancer Update<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
Sad
news is that it is the beginning of the end,the cancer has advanced and
is now blocking my colon and causing some pain and my right kidney is
about 8 percent working now due to long term blockage that wasn't caught when I was in Korea.</div>
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</div>
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No one knows how much longer I have. I am in a new apartment and being treated by hospice, home nurses.. </div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
It started a few weeks ago when I ate some nuts, these really caused me a lot of pain the next day and I was driven to the VA Dallas ER and when the pet scan was completed, it was determined that I hate colon blockage and that my right kidney is almost non functional.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I spent about 2 weeks in the VA Hospital in Dallas and they told me a few things...</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
with this form of colon cancer, chemotherapy could actually make it worse and after my reaction to it in Korea, I am not doing anymore chemo.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
they can not do anymore surgeries on me due to the fact that they cant cure the cancer at all and they fear that after all of the surgeries that I've had that this could actually make it all worse with more surgeries.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
I have moved to my own apartment in Sherman so I can get hospice care and the nurses can take their time with me. I sure want a dog but with the illness that is no longer a viable option anymore.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
I have told my church and they will keep praying for me and help when they can.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
My spirit is high and the dr's commented that I am not negative with my feeling for this horrid cancer that I have.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
I have tried to find my daughter online so I could tell her the news but I never could so I emailed her the story of what's going on.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="fbChatMessage fsm direction_ltr" data-jsid="message">
Please keep me in your prayers and if anyone has an extra washing machine, I sure would like to have one at my new place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Please remember...<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">But I know Jesus and I talk to God</span> <span style="background-color: #ccccdd; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And I remember this from when I was young</span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ccccdd; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">Faith, hope and love are some good things He gave us</span> <span style="background-color: #ccccdd; color: black; display: inline ! important; float: none; font-family: Verdana,Arial; font-size: 13px; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: center; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">And the greatest is love</span></div>
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I am not angry with all that has come and all that will come.</div>
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Mike McStay</div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-71014544899971550852012-06-26T01:44:00.001+09:002012-06-26T01:44:59.116+09:00Movie Review: Seeking a Friend For The End of The World, Brave, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Piranha 3DD.Movie Review: Seeking a Friend For The End of The World, Brave, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, Piranha 3DD.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Seeking a Friend For The End of The World<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Seeking_a_Friend_for_the_End_of_the_World_Poster.jpg"><img alt="File:Seeking a Friend for the End of the World Poster.jpg" height="430" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/a/a7/Seeking_a_Friend_for_the_End_of_the_World_Poster.jpg" width="290" /></a><br />
<br />
It has been said in the past that we all must die. But how many of us can say that we have truly lived?<br />
<br />
As I was watching this film, this idea kept coming into my mind. For those who do not know the idea behind this film, it is simple: What if a huge meteor was going to strike the Earth in 3 weeks, and kill everyone on this planet? What would you do and how would you spend those last 3 weeks?<br />
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The idea of this film is that we see a man whose wife has left him and he is now alone for these 3 weeks. He meets this younger lady, who is as lost as he is and they decide to help him find a lost love from his past. The film takes a look at the people that they interact with during this time and they try to make scenes of the world that is slowly collapsing around them. <br />
<br />
I must admit that the idea of this film just sounded different and that it was worth a viewing at the movie and after it was over, I was glad that I went to see it.<br />
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In the film, they show you the riots, the interstructure collapsing, and the world wafting for the other shoe to drop. The films take a look at what is going around these people but doesn’t dumb it down enough to insult you as you’re watching this film. <br />
<br />
The film ends like you think it might. If this is the way the world ended for these 2, then they did all right.<br />
<br />
Grade: B<br />
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Brave<br />
<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Brave_Teaser_Poster.jpg"><img alt="File:Brave Teaser Poster.jpg" height="444" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/d/db/Brave_Teaser_Poster.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
Now with this new Pixar film, I was curious about the idea of this film. <br />
<br />
It shows how a daughter must grow up and become a Queen to her people. The idea of this one is that she really isn’t like her mother but more like her father, a warrior King. His is also the other idea of this film, the differences between a mom and a daughter, who both loves each other but weren’t exactly sure how to say it to each other.<br />
<br />
This film could really be a mother/daughter film for those of all ages and they can see how the other one thinks and why they think this way.<br />
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As with all cartoon films, when the twist happens in this one it forces both the mom and daughter to work together to try and solve their problems that now face them.<br />
<br />
The film will appeal more to the ladies then to the man but do not be afraid to take children to see this film. The kids in the audience I saw this with were smiling and laughing throughout the film.<br />
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It is a good film but not a great one and at times I really thought this film could have used a tighter edit. It is worth at least seeing it once at the movies.<br />
<br />
Grade: B<br />
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Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Abraham_Lincoln_-_Vampire_Hunter_Poster.jpg"><img alt="File:Abraham Lincoln - Vampire Hunter Poster.jpg" height="428" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/b/b9/Abraham_Lincoln_-_Vampire_Hunter_Poster.jpg" width="290" /></a><br />
I knew that I should have not and gone to see this movie. I just had the feeling that it was going to be a bad film and sad to say, I was right.<br />
<br />
I had heard of the book that this film was based on and it just never seemed to work for me. The 16th President of the USA was a part time vampire hunter. The idea just started off bad and the film just kept getting worse and worse as it went along.<br />
<br />
The film does tie in Abe with actually historical people to try and give it some type of a realistic story. But to see that the Battle of Gettysburg was almost lost due to vampires joining the Confederate States of America’s Army was just too much. After the film was over, I heard an USA teenager tell her friends that this was a true historical film.<br />
<br />
If you like killing vampire movies, then you might like this one. Foe everyone else, Please do not see this film.<br />
<br />
Grade: D<br />
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Piranha 3DD.<br />
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<a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Piranha-3dd-poster-2.jpg"><img alt="File:Piranha-3dd-poster-2.jpg" height="442" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/2/27/Piranha-3dd-poster-2.jpg" width="300" /></a><br />
<br />
I had heard that they were making a part 2 of the recent cult film Piranha and that it would be once again in 3D.<br />
<br />
But this time it was different because it was getting a very small release in the USA and it was going straight to PPV TV here in the USA. I knew that this film wasn’t going to be great, but at least the first one was cheesy fun to watch. The 2nd one wasn’t even that fun to watch, it was just bad acting on top of more bad acting without anything making sure that we did not care about this film nor anyone associated with it.<br />
<br />
The film just kept getting worse and worse and by the time it was over, I was cheering for the Piranha to kill everyone in this film, so it would be over.<br />
<br />
I have no idea if this film will ever play in South Korea, but if it does, DON’T WATCH IT! It is that bad of a film.<br />
<br />
Grade: F<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-70026630931768244922012-06-20T00:52:00.003+09:002012-06-20T00:56:55.778+09:00Rule 1 or 2, you're still wrong...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksl1mkvaLxE/T-ChOHrF6fI/AAAAAAAACqk/ALL_m1X8OPo/s1600/628x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="100" rca="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-Ksl1mkvaLxE/T-ChOHrF6fI/AAAAAAAACqk/ALL_m1X8OPo/s320/628x471.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-49375808008617397362012-06-18T23:41:00.000+09:002012-06-18T23:41:29.030+09:00Movie Reviews: Rock of Ages (IMAX), That’s My BoyMovie Reviews: Rock of Ages (IMAX), That’s My Boy<br />
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<br />
<br />
Rock of Ages (IMAX)<a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Rock_of_ages_film_poster.jpg"><img alt="" height="318" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/b/b4/Rock_of_ages_film_poster.jpg/215px-Rock_of_ages_film_poster.jpg" width="215" /></a><br />
<br />
Now one of the things that I have liked about writing the movie reviews for the past 5+ years is that I get to show others why I either like or hate films. For these 2 films, I took one of my nephews along with me so he could see his first film in the IMAX format. After the film, he now loves this format.<br />
<br />
I knew that the film was based off of a very successful Broadway play. I also knew that the star of this film was Tom Cruise. The last thing that I knew about this film was that the music of this film was from my high school and college days from the 1980’s. This is what I was unsure about the most of this film. I had memories of all of these songs and I knew all of the words to these songs and I was wondering would my knowledge of the music really make me want to hate this film more because of their misuse in this film.<br />
<br />
So I really went into this film with not knowing anything about how the musical story or any of the characters and after it was over, I could not believe how much I really enjoyed this film.<br />
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The film opens up with a girl from Oklahoma getting on a bus and moving to Los Angeles. While she is on the bus ride, the bus passengers start up singing the Night Ranger song, “Sister Christian”. I was listening to their singing of this song and thinking, well this film has my attention, now what will they do with the rest of it.<br />
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I really liked the 3 sub stories of this film, The Alec Baldwin/ Russell Brand arc, and now I will never listen to a certain REO Speedwagon song the same way after their story. The young rockers story and how dark their love story goes throughout the film. The last arc was the Catherine Zeta-Jones character, (based on the 1980’s Tipper Gore anti-Rock crusade. )<br />
<br />
But the film will either work for you or fail for you with one thing; do you believe that Tom Cruise is the 1890’s rocker, Stacee Jaxx, whos' best friend is a monkey by the name of “Hey Man”? I wasn’t sure until I heard him do a great version of Bon Jovi’s, ‘”Wanted, Dead or Alive”. <br />
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After the film was over, I asked my nephew what he thought about it and he liked it. This 1980’s child loved it. I could not believe how much I liked this film and I will add this film to my Blu-Ray collection when it comes available. Please see it in the IMAX format if you can.<br />
<br />
Grade: A<br />
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<br />
That’s My Boy<a class="image" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:That%27s_My_Boy_poster.jpg"><img alt="" height="326" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/11/That%27s_My_Boy_poster.jpg/220px-That%27s_My_Boy_poster.jpg" width="220" /></a><br />
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<br />
<br />
Now I knew that this film had gotten some great publicity from when it was shown at one of Super Bowl 46’s many pre-parties. I also knew that after the failure of Adam Sandelers’s last film, “Jack and Jill” that he needed to do something very different. <br />
<br />
The idea of this film was different, What if a 13 year old male student had had a relationship with his teacher? What if this same relationship had produced a love-child who is given the legal name of Han Solo Burger? The scene in which the lover get caught was interesting, to say the least and then the film takes a look of what happens to the child-parent and to Han.<br />
<br />
I must admit the cameo of Rob Ryan, Coach of the American Football New York Jet’s, being a huge New England Patriots fan in this film and then calling their coach a genius just made the entire audience laugh a lot. He was playing the role of Adam’s lawyer and the whole scene just seemed to work for me.<br />
<br />
Now the rest of the film idea is that Adam hasn’t paid taxes in a long time and he must pay 41k$ in 4 days or he will go to jail. He soon sees his son’s photo in the paper and he has become successful and he will be getting married that weekend. He want to see if his son will give him the $ so he can stay out of jail.<br />
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The rest of the film just gets wilder and crazier and this will definitely not be a film that you can take little kids to see. This one is adults only.<br />
<br />
When the twist came that comes with this type of comedy film, it just made the audience a little squeamish. I really could not believe that the film went there and some people will this its funny but some will really turn against the film because of it. <br />
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I don’t know if this film will pay in Korea. Adam’s comedy, in the past, really hasn’t worked outside of the USA.<br />
<br />
My nephew loved it and I liked it but I am not sure that I will see this film ever again. <br />
<br />
Grade B<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-40002327627364362002012-06-12T04:21:00.003+09:002012-06-29T00:37:47.930+09:00Movie Reviews: Snow White and the Huntsman, Prometheus, Madagascar 3Movie Reviews: Snow White and the Huntsman, Prometheus, Madagascar 3 <br />
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Snow White and the Huntsman<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WVUgNw0BNXY/T9ZE5R_DoqI/AAAAAAAACqI/08rM64D8VRI/s1600/Snow-White-and-the-Huntsman-Promos-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-24106400-1235-1280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-WVUgNw0BNXY/T9ZE5R_DoqI/AAAAAAAACqI/08rM64D8VRI/s320/Snow-White-and-the-Huntsman-Promos-snow-white-and-the-huntsman-24106400-1235-1280.jpg" width="308" /></a></div>
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<br />
I really wasn’t sure what to think about this film when I first saw the preview. The only thing that I knew about it was that this was the one film that my daughter wanted to see this year. I was wondering, could this be the film that launches the post-Twilight career of Kristen Stewart. <br />
<br />
After I watched the film, I still am not sure of her as an actress. The idea of this film is very simple, it a twist of the classic “Snow White” story but this time we are given a broken huntsman, who regrets that he let his wife die. The story of the evil Queen, the dwarves and Snow White are still included in this film but by the end of the film, it was as if Snow White meets The Lord of the Rings. <br />
<br />
We are given epic film shots and we are told that this is an epic story of love and revenge but in the end it just left me flat. The film never really has an even pace and, at times, it seemed more like a greatest hits of past Snow White films and this film really offered anything new or any real reason to go see this new adaptation of this film. <br />
<br />
Please pass on this one.<br />
<br />
Grade: D+ <br />
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<br />
Prometheus<br />
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<a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u1XpvO52z1s/T9ZFEbltFFI/AAAAAAAACqQ/pBqFurcSmD0/s1600/Prometheus-movie.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-u1XpvO52z1s/T9ZFEbltFFI/AAAAAAAACqQ/pBqFurcSmD0/s320/Prometheus-movie.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
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<br />
For the early reviews of this film there seems to be 2 ideas of this film. One idea states that this is a great film that you will enjoy a lot. The 2nd idea of this film is that the background shots of this film are a perfect way to show how great 3D can be at the theaters, but the film itself is very empty. After watching this film, I found myself agreeing with the people that really didn’t like this film. <br />
<br />
The idea of this film really sounded interesting to me. What if they did a prequel of the “Alien “series with one of the original directors, Ridley Scott to add a new twist on this 1980’s classic. The previews looked good and I really wanted to like this film. So after the film was over. It just felt like it was a great eye candy in 3D but the plot and its execution just left me flat. <br />
<br />
For everything that new could be imagined, there really wasn’t that much new shown or any new ideas of how man maybe came to be. It just seemed like it was a bad TV movie script with 100 million $ going to the background of the film. I really wasn’t suspired by anything in this film and I knew who and how anyone could of and did die in this film.<br />
<br />
If I could see this coming why should anyone really want to waste their money by watching this film? I think that you should go out and see this film and see what camp you will fall into. As for this reviewer, I will pass on any future showings of this film<br />
<br />
Grade: C- <br />
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Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most Wanted<br />
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I did something for this film that I rarely do, I went and saw this kid’s film with a bunch of children and their parents in the audience. I really wanted to see this film but I also wanted to see what the target audience of this film and their families thought of this film.<br />
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I just really wanted to see a film through another set of eyes and why they either liked it or hated it. Now the film does take a few shots at the French and the Canadians and the kids really loved Sasha Barren Cohens character King Julien, every time he was in the film. <br />
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The audience I saw the film with really liked the Seal, voiced by Martian Short. When it came time for the Zebra polka dot dance, the kids really loved it. The audience I saw it with loved the fact that the film was in 3D and that the Circus scenes were excellent for the kids in 3D. <br />
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After the film was over, I listed to a lot of the kids talking to their friends and they all had smiled on their faces after the film was over, they loved it and the majority of the kids wanted to see it a few more times in 3D<br />
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For the kid in me and the adult that watched the film, it could have been a better film but it was a good film and if this is the last film of this series, then it ends on a good note. If they decide to have a part 4 and I can go see it, then I will Please go see this film with your kids or for the kid that still lives inside you. <br />
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Grade B+Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-28087157862500919022012-06-01T00:15:00.000+09:002012-06-01T00:15:37.361+09:00Movie Review: Battleship, Chernobyl Diaries, The Dictator, What to Expect When You’re Expecting,MIB3Battleship <br />
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Have you ever watched a film preview and thought to yourself that you should like this film but something just never seemed right about it and when you went to see the movie, you really didn’t like it but you really didn’t hate it? This gut feeling about this film is also why I gave this movie the #1 pick films not to see this summer. Then welcome to this film, “Battleship” <br />
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This film was based on a board game in which 2 players try and sink the others ships but this film sure didn’t look like that game and I had no idea why they named this movie after the game. The acting really wasn’t that great and the main star of the film, Liam Nielson, should have been in the film more than what he was. <br />
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The film should have worked and it should have been a blockbuster but it isn’t and I am never really sure why. It just didn’t click with me and left me with a mehn… <br />
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Later, near the end of the film, the reason why they named this film “Battleship” becomes clear and, I must admit, it was a nice moment for the military members in the audience. There is an extra scene at the end of the credits that can led to a possible part 2 of this film but based on the US rejection of this film at the box office, I don’t see a sequel happening for this series. <br />
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The film is worth at least one viewing but please, do not expect a lot. <br />
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Grade D+ <br />
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Chernobyl Diaries <br />
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The preview of this film had me a bit confused, was it a “Lost Footage” film or a basic horror film or a modern slasher with a twist? After seeing this film it was obvious that all associated with this film had no idea what to do with this film either. I picked this film as one of the top 10 films not to see this summer and after I watched this film, I am very sure that I made the correct choice with this film. <br />
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The idea of an extreme tour to an abandoned nuclear site just never sounded like a good idea for a horror film and when the films twist appears, I was thinking like this was a really bad idea and this was a joke of a film and when it was over, I really couldn’t believe that I had wasted $$ on seeing this film. <br />
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Please pass on this film at all cost. <br />
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Grade: F <br />
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The Dictator <br />
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Now when a film begins with a notice that this film is being dedicated to Kim Jong-il, I knew that this could be a very interesting film. The previews looked funny and I put this film on the top 10 films to see this summer, I really wanted to see this film and after it was over, I really don’t want to see anymore films made by Sasha Barron Cohen. <br />
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I went into this film really wanting to like it but as the film went on, it just got worse and worse and by half way into this film, I kept looking at my watch to see when this film would be over. I thought this film was going to be a great comedy but instead of laughing at the film, I kept cringing on how bad this film actually was. <br />
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After the film was over, I overheard a few fans of Sasha from his Ali G days, really complain about this film and how they also wasted their money with this film. <br />
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The idea of an insane dictator sounded great but when it came to the execution of the films acting, it just never worked. What could have been a great idea for a great comedy, collapsed by the end of this film. <br />
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If you’re a fan of Sasha then you should see this film and see if he did a good job on this film. If you’re not, then you might want to pass on this film. <br />
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Grade: D- <br />
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What to Expect When You’re Expecting <br />
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Lately, when you made a huge cast of actor’s together to try and tell a common story either they really work or they are really bad and sad to say this film just never worked for this male viewer. The majority of the audience I went to see this film were 18-30 year old females and they seemed to really like this film while the few males in this audience really couldn’t believe that anyone would ever want to watch this film. <br />
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With an ensemble cast sometimes, there are stories that never should have been a part of the film. The Jennifer Lopez and Cameron Diaz parts in this film just never seemed to work for me because I never believed their roles in this film and it just seemed like the director wanted their stories to be the main ones when it’s clear that they should have not even been in this film. <br />
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The real stars of this film were “The Dude’s” led by Chris Rock, every time they were on this film; it seemed that the rest of the film was going to be great. Every scene that they were not in seemed to suffer for it. <br />
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If you like “Chick Flicks” then you should go and maybe you’ll like this one. If you’re not, then please pass on this film at all cost. <br />
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Grade C- <br />
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Men In Black 3 <br />
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Now I have never really been a huge fan of this series and the only reason that I recommended the film this summer was because of the great audience reaction for the trailer. I wanted to see the film because, The Flight of the Conchord’s Jemaine Clement, was going to be the main villain of the film. <br />
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I really wasn’t expecting much in this film and this film doesn’t need to be seen in the 3-D Format because it really didn’t add that much to the film experience over the 2-D Format. <br />
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But saying that, I was really surprised by how much I actually liked this film. It told a great story of “K”’s background and you do discover what really made him go dark and when the twist comes it really made the audience look at “K” very different. <br />
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I must admit that I wouldn’t mind seeing a part 4 of this film to see how much of a change “K” had gone through and what other secrets of the universe this character has to share with the audience. <br />
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If you like a decent si-fi story or are a fan of this series then it will definitely not be a waste of your time or $$$. <br />
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Grade: BMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-85204300891880839502012-05-16T00:22:00.001+09:002012-05-16T00:33:45.588+09:00Movie Reviews: Think like a Man, The Avengers and Dark ShadowsThink like a Man: Act Like a Lady <br />
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The first film to be reviewed was from a Steve Harvey book by the same title. With this film we are introduced to a group of male friends and see why they haven’t committed to any lady and the girls are wondering why. The girls are then introduced to this book and then they try and get the upper hand in their relationships and then the film begins. <br />
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The film is definitely a romantic comedy with Kevin Hart being the lynch pin that ties all of the male characters together along with the needed comedy relief. But that was the main problem of this film also, he was in parts of this film that never really made sense and sometimes when he is trying to be funny he takes over the scenes and the audience can lose the love story idea of this film. <br />
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The film never really offers anything new and sad to say by the end of this film, I kept looking at my watch to see when it would be time for this film to be over. I guess the idea of the film was ok but by the end of the film, I wanted never to see anymore of these characters in this film or a possible sequel to this film. Please give this film a pass and do not see it at the local cinema. <br />
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Grade D <br />
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The Avengers. <br />
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Captain America giving an order to the Hulk..”Hulk:Smash” and the audience goes into wild applause mode.<br />
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This was the first summer blockbuster attempt of the summer of 2012 and it proves that Marvel Studios had an idea of what they were trying to do with this franchise because the audience was really into this film when I went to watch it. <br />
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The idea of this film was a rather simple one, the villain, Loki” from the Thor movie has returned to the planet Earth to try take over the planet and please play close attention to his “Freedom” speech in Germany. The audience loved what happened next to him. Then an Army of super heroes are called to duty to try and stop the forces of evil against the planet Earth. <br />
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What was really surprising to me was the fact that the Hulk seemed to have the best lines or quotes of the film, There was a scene of the film where the Hulk has an, “I’m Rick James Bitch, Moment in the film and if you’re a fan of the Dave Chappelle show then the moment will be very clear to you. When this happened in the film, the audience started to cheer and applaud very loudly. If you are looking for a great start to the summer films then please see this film in the IMAX format because the audience really preferred it in this way. The film is definitely worth at least one viewing. Please see it when you can. <br />
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Please remember that there is an extra scene 1.5 minutes into the credits that you’ll love if you’re a fan of the comic book <br />
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Grade B+ <br />
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Dark Shadows <br />
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I had this film in the top 10 films to see this summer and this was the hardest one to decide where to put on this list because of the back story of this film. <br />
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For those who do not know anything about this film, it is based off of a 1966-71 American Soap Opera that was shown on American Television channel ABC. It was a story about a vampire and was and still is a very different idea for a daily Soap Opera. <br />
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When I went to the movies to do my review of this film, I was surprised that the majority of the audience were people that had seen the show back when it was on TV. After the film was over I asked a few of them what they thought about it and they liked it for the following reasons. A few people told me that they loved the TV show and that this film had brought back great memories of it from their childhood. <br />
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One lady wondered why a character from the show wasn’t in the movie and her daughter liked the film but couldn’t believe that her mother and her aunt used to run home from school to watch this TV show. The film has the usual quirkiness of a Tim Burton-Johnny Depp film and this might hurt the film to a few people. <br />
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I vaguely remember it being on TV and I was too young to have any idea about the show. If you are a fan of Depp or Burton then I think that you might like this film, if you loved the TV show then you should go and see the film and make the decision yourself whether or not you like the film. As for me, I have seen the film once and that is enough for me and there were no added scenes at the end of this film so once the credits roll it’s safe to leave the film. <br />
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The film was really hurt by a bad cut of this film and it just never really worked for me because I never really cared what happened to anyone in this film nor would I want to see an implied part 2 to this film. <br />
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Grade C-Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-72521642832569277792012-05-01T00:01:00.000+09:002012-05-01T00:13:25.177+09:00Summer 2012 top 10 films to watch and not watch!SUMMER 2012: 10 movies that you should see and 10 that you will not want to see.<br />
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Now with each summer, Hollywood decides to let loose their blockbusters and this year will be no different. With this list these are the 10 films that I am recommending that you see and the 10 that you should avoid at all cost.<br />
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I am giving the USA date release of these films and I do not know the Korean release date of these films yet.<br />
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The 10 films you should see this summer.<br />
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1. The Dark Knight Rises-July 20th<br />
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The Film is set 8 years after “The Dark Knight”. Gotham City is at peace and happy. Bruce Wayne is still suffering the side effects of the battle with the Joker and the fall of Harvey Dent. All that I know is that Catwoman and Bane are unleashed in this film and if you can see it in IMAX, Then this would be a film to try and see at your local GCV IMAX. <br />
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2. The Avengers-May 4 USA release date April 26th Korean Release Date<br />
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In this film we are shown, Iron Man, Thor, Captain America, Hawkeye, Black Widow with team leader Nick Fury attempt to form “The Avengers” to save Earth from Loki’s invasion. The previews have looked great and under Joss Whedon’s direction, this could be a huge hit at the world-wide box-office. The film will also be shown in the IMAX format. There is an extra scene at the end of the credits.<br />
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3. Prometheus- June 8th<br />
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The people behind this film really haven’t said much about it at the time of me writing this preview. What I do know is that it’s supposed to be a prequel of the 1980’s film “Alien’ and that if you’re a fan of that film that you will really like the last 12 minutes of this film. Every time that the preview has shown when I am at the theater, the audience really has seemed into it. I hope that this film plays like Alien and not the junk Alien vs. Predator that we have seen the past few years.<br />
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4. Rock of Ages- June 15th<br />
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All I really know about this film is that it is based on a Broadway musical and that Tom Cruise is the 80’s rock star of this film. I have no idea why, but it just sounded interesting to me. This just looks very different that anything Cruise has tried in a while and I think that he can pull this one off. It should, at least, make for a very interesting day at the movies when you see this one.<br />
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5. Paranorman – August 17th<br />
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What if all of your friends in a small town were the dead ones and that’s because only you can talk to them? Then you have to save your town because it’s under attack by zombies, it could be John Hughes meets John Carpenter for teen agers and it just sounds interesting to me and I think that it is worth at least one viewing at the theater for it. <br />
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6. Snow White and the Huntsman-June 1st <br />
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Now this could be a huge hit or a huge miss but I am going with a hit on this film. My daughter told me that this was a film that she wanted to see this summer and I think that a lot of young ladies will want to see it also. I do wonder that can she continue with her post-Twilight career and this film will be the first major step towards it.<br />
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7. The Dictator- May 16th <br />
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Now if you’ve followed my past reviews of Sacha Baron Cohen, I am not a huge fan of his past acting roles. So I was surprised that I was laughing at the trailer of this film. On the surface it looks like a satire of USA policy against the War on Terror and of an Arab Leader for life. I think that this will be worth at least one viewing at the movie theater. I have no idea if this film will ever make it to a theater in SK due to the prior limited releases or straight to DVD release of his prior films.<br />
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8 .Dark Shadows-May 11th <br />
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Now I have no idea how many people will remember that this film is based on a late 1960’s to early 70’s USA Soap Opera. This could really hurt or help this film. The idea of Johnny Depp as a campy vampire just sounds interesting. If the film translates with the audience then it will be a hit, if not this could be a huge failure.<br />
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9. Brave- June 22nd <br />
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Will the warrior princess idea work for Pixar? The recent trend of these films has proven that they are barely box office hits or huge misses. So far every audience that I have seen this preview with, the audience has had a favorable reaction to it. If you are a fan of Pixar, then you might want to see this film.<br />
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10. That’s My Boy- June 15th<br />
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Now will this film be a hit or is the film that will start the decline of Adam Sandler’s career. His last film “Jack and Jill” was a huge disappointment and swept the “Razzies”. The only reason I am saying that this film should be seen, if it play in Korea, is that a sneak preview was given during the Super Bowl’s parties and received a lot of good buzz. With Adam and Andy Samberg together in a film, this could really be a great comedy.<br />
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Now for the 10 films that you should pass on at all cost for this summer<br />
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1. Battleship- May 18th<br />
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Have you ever had the feeling that before you see a movie that it just is going to be bad? Every time that I have seen a trailer or a clip from this movie, it just looks like a huge train wreck of a film. The film had had an early release in a few countries and the critics who have seen this film already have really not liked it. <br />
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2. GI Joe: Retaliation- June 29th<br />
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Now I really hated the first film and now they have killed off or didn’t recast a lot of the major players from the first one? So what was the purpose of the first one and the people that were killed off here are still alive in the comic book. I really cannot see this film being a huge hit and this film should really make made any real fan of GI Joe.<br />
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3. Spider Man- July 3rd<br />
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Now I have no idea why a re-launch of this film was needed. To me the only reason was that Sony was going to lose the right to this character and they decided to make more films in this series. They have made 3 recent Spiderman films and I really can’t not see a reason to make any more. Now with this film we get so see a younger version of Peter Parker with the villain now a teacher that was shown not to be a monster in the first 3 films.<br />
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4. Ted- July 13th<br />
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So what we have here is a child making a wish that his teddy bear could become alive. Then the wish is granted and then the voice of this teddy bear is Peter Griffin? I really couldn’t believe that I was watching this preview and someone thought that this was funny. I didn’t laugh once at this preview and neither did the majority of the audience I was with. <br />
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5. Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter- June 22nd<br />
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Now I have had mixed reactions to the films director’s Timur Bekmambetov’s past films. So I really didn’t know what to think of this film when I first saw the film poster for it. When I saw the preview clip for this film, it just looked like a bad nightmare while on a serious drug. It just looked like a very bad idea of a film pitch and should not have been made.<br />
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6. The Bourne Legacy- August 3rd<br />
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Now we have another Bourne film and in this film, we are without the Bourne character in it? So why are they trying to make another franchise of this film without the main star? The last 2 film adaptations were bad enough and now that are trying to do this? It looks like an attempt to make another film just based on the name and the film audience deserves more than just that idea.<br />
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7. Total Recall-August 3rd<br />
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Now once again we have another film remake and once again I really can’t see a reason why. Has Hollywood not realized the majority of these films have been huge failures and that they need new ideas and not trying to re-launch old Arnold Schwarzenegger films into the 2010’s? The preview looked awful and it sure didn’t make me want to go see this film.<br />
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8. What to Expect When You’re Expecting-May18th<br />
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Now this looks like many different people trying to have kids and how people should deal with it and how they’re dealing with it. It just has the look of another huge film that is trying to cram too many stories and sub-plots into one film. The preview just didn’t look interesting nor did myself and the majority of the audience just stayed quiet during this preview.<br />
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9. Chernobyl Diaries-May25th<br />
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Once again we have another “Found Footage” film and once again I am wondering why? The only reason that I can think of is that they are trying to recapture the magic of, “The Blair Witch Project”. The film idea is that we have 6 teen trying to have fun and they soon will have to pay a price for it by unknown forces. There is nothing really new in this film and once again, I have no idea why the film was made in the first place.<br />
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10. Step Up Revolution- July 27th<br />
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Once again we have another sequel and once again I have no idea why. The last film in this series have been heavy on dancing and lite on plot and acting and I see no reason why this film will be any different.<br />
<br />Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-44442566549733324742012-04-27T01:40:00.000+09:002012-04-27T01:46:00.276+09:00Yankees 3 Rangers 7<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Well I went and saw the Yankees live yesterday at the ballpark and of course they lose...I was told that I was also shown on TV last night as well...I had a great view of the Napoli HR and the Ranger just looked that good last night.. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Rangers beat Yankees 7-3 for 6th series win in row </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">By STEPHEN HAWKINS AP Sports Writer </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Adrian Beltre hit a long home run and had a pair of RBI singles as the Texas Rangers beat the New York Yankees 7-3 Wednesday night, winning their sixth consecutive series to start a season for the first time in franchise history. Mike Napoli and Mitch Moreland also homered for the two-time defending AL champion Rangers (15-4), who have the best record in the majors. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Texas was ahead to stay after Beltre led off the second against Phil Hughes (1-3) with his third homer, a 441-foot drive that landed high on the grassy hill in straightaway center field. Beltre's first run-scoring single came an inning later when Texas added three more runs. Rookie left-hander Robbie Ross (4-0) struck out two while working 2 2-3 perfect innings in relief of spot starter Scott Feldman. After Elvis Andrus' RBI groundout in the third, Josh Hamilton was hit near his right knee by a pitch. Beltre then singled to right before Michael Young's double made it 4-0. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Hughes was gone after hitting the next batter, though the inside pitch only skimmed the wind-blown jersey of Nelson Cruz, who didn't seem to realize what had happened until home plate umpire Brian Runge stepped out and pointed toward first base. The Rangers have won 12 consecutive regular season series overall, dating back to last year. New York had won six road games in a row after their 7-4 victory in the series opener at Texas. But the Yankees have now lost consecutive games for the first time since getting swept in three games at Tampa Bay to start the season. Derek Jeter had two more hits, extending his hitting streak to 16 games. He raised his average to .420 and his majors-leading hits total to 34. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">Napoli led off the fourth with his seventh homer. That came off David Phelps, who gave up a leadoff shot to Moreland two innings later before Beltre had another RBI single. Raul Ibanez drove in two runs for the Yankees, including a solo homer that landed deep in the second deck of seats in right field off Neftali Feliz to start the seventh. Feliz, the closer-turned-No. 5 starter, pitched an inning of relief since the Rangers are skipping his turn in the rotation since his scheduled day to pitch was Thursday. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">It was the first relief appearance for Feliz since his blown save in Game 6 of the World Series, when Texas was twice within a strike of a championship-clinching victory before losing. Texas led 4-0 after 2 2-3 innings against Hughes, whose season ERA increased from 6.75 to 7.88. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">The big right-hander allowed five hits, struck out two and then hit two batters in his last inning. Hughes had allowed only three hits in 15 1-3 scoreless innings his previous three regular-season appearances against Texas - all at Rangers Ballpark. His first major league victory came there in May 2007, when he threw 6 1-3 scoreless innings in his second major league start. But there were also those two AL championship series games in Texas since, when Hughes allowed 11 runs in 8 2-3 innings to lose both in 2010. </span></div>
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<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Georgia", "serif";">NOTES: Andy Pettitte, the 39-year-old LHP working on a comeback to the Yankees rotation after a year hiatus, allowed three earned runs and seven singles in five-plus innings for Double-A Trenton. He threw 59 of 81 pitches for strikes. ... Yankees RHP Michael Pineda will miss the entire season because of a tear in the labrum of his right shoulder. He will have arthroscopic surgery Tuesday. ... All three games against the Yankees were sellouts. The Rangers have already sold every reserved seat for all three games this weekend against the Rays</span></div>Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-53529221801404446372012-04-26T02:03:00.002+09:002012-04-26T02:03:17.480+09:00bombs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IFle5XDgqrI/T5guOvY9GBI/AAAAAAAACoY/_WjqJIOX8OA/s1600/628x471.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:right; float:right; margin-left:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="122" width="400" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-IFle5XDgqrI/T5guOvY9GBI/AAAAAAAACoY/_WjqJIOX8OA/s400/628x471.jpg" /></a></div>
many days I feel like this after watching some very bad films.....Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-6832603378575786422012-04-26T02:01:00.001+09:002012-04-26T02:01:56.154+09:00New pet scan datedue to more insurance bs..the new date is now.. may 7th..will report abck when i learn the resultsMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-20288449540459249762012-04-16T04:41:00.001+09:002012-04-16T04:42:30.573+09:00Pet SCAN UPDATE<br /><br />The new date is the 23rd of April and I will get the results on the 30th.. I will post on facebook and here the results..Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-75776889174514472012012-04-16T04:36:00.002+09:002012-04-16T04:40:53.379+09:00BIFF 2011…..Film Review: The Raid: Redemption<br /><br />One of the things that I really dislike about the American film audience is that the majority of their film viewing audience has, in the past, refused to see a film that isn’t in English or requires a film to have subtitles.<br /><br />As I have stated in the past in prior reviews I was once in this group but it took one great film “7 Samurai” to change my opinion about that. <a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q7jASQDu1pQ/T4sj0_avd7I/AAAAAAAACoI/Q-mQuaGJRWo/s1600/The-Raid-Redemption-poster_event_main.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 271px; height: 400px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-q7jASQDu1pQ/T4sj0_avd7I/AAAAAAAACoI/Q-mQuaGJRWo/s400/The-Raid-Redemption-poster_event_main.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731714344042854322" /></a><br /> <br /><br />If you are the kind that refuses to watch any non-English film, then you will miss one heck of a film here in this one. The other film festivals that have shown this film have reported that this was a huge crowd pleaser and that the audiences have given it more than 10 minutes of applause after it was over.<br /><br />Due to my health issues, I was unable to attend the Busan International Film Festival last year and this was the one film that I wanted to see and this was the one film that I recommended for the film festival viewer to see and after watching it, I made the right call.<br /><br />Now remember, this film is in Indonesian and in Korea it will have Korean subtitles, so you may want to wait for a DVD copy or try and see where they will have English Subtitles.<br /><br />The idea of this film is a very simple one, 20 Indonesian special police are sent to a drug lord’s main headquarters to try and arrest him but with each floor the job becomes more dangerous. This idea has been used before in more than a few straight to DVD films in the past but this one was different because unlike the prior versions of this one, there wasn’t much filler.<br /><br />You have about a 3-4 minute set up in this film and then it’s, “Let the bodies hit the floor” and the game is on. I saw this with a small audience and they were really into this film and I soon realized that this film was different; it was giving you and entire look at this raid and why it was going down the way it was. When the usual twist happens in this type of film, I can say that I sure didn’t see that one coming.<br /><br />I really haven’t given too many spoilers on this film because it needs to be seen without any but I will say this about it, this film has an action sequence that compares to “Oldboy” and it was that good. Please see this film when you get the chance and there will be a part 2 of this film and I wanted to see that as soon as this film was over. I also want this film in my Blu-Ray collection ASAP!!!<br /><br />Grade A+Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-42041870913909569902012-04-16T04:25:00.003+09:002012-04-16T04:36:18.165+09:00Film Review: Salmon Fishing in the Yemen & American Reunion<br /><br />Now I saw these 2 films back to back so one could say that I had a very interesting day at the movies but I can say that I liked both of these but for very different reasons.<br /><br />Salmon Fishing in the Yemen<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-XdSbasboU/T4shxsccaZI/AAAAAAAACnw/DIszOA3XE-Y/s1600/salmon_fishing_in_the_yemen_ver2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731712088386857362" border="0" alt="" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-m-XdSbasboU/T4shxsccaZI/AAAAAAAACnw/DIszOA3XE-Y/s400/salmon_fishing_in_the_yemen_ver2.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />Now I hadn’t heard much about this film until I saw the preview and for some reason it just looked interesting to me. The idea was an interesting one also. What if someone had the idea to put salmon into the Yemen and let them live in a manmade river?<br /><br />The rest of the film is about the fish and the people that are needed to make this idea either work or fail. The film is really hindered by a few love stories that are intertwined that really slowed the pace of this interesting idea and the film rally didn’t need the love stories to be considered a good film.<br /><br />The film is worth at least one viewing and I think that you’ll enjoy watching with someone special. Please see it when you get the chance.<br /><br />Grade: B<br /><br />American Reunion<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXbnYfyJzVI/T4sh9xNqX9I/AAAAAAAACn8/4hpTq1lXaoc/s1600/american-reunion.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 400px; FLOAT: right; HEIGHT: 271px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5731712295825465298" border="0" alt="" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-rXbnYfyJzVI/T4sh9xNqX9I/AAAAAAAACn8/4hpTq1lXaoc/s400/american-reunion.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br />Now I have no idea why I have liked the last 3 films in this series and I really didn’t have much hope of anything happening funny in this film that wasn’t show in the movie trailers for this film.<br /><br />The only reason that I think that I have liked these films is that they have allowed these characters to try and grow up as we the movie viewer has also. Like the film we have loved, lost, gotten married, had a few children or just never really wanted to grow up. We see all of this in this film and that is what I think made this from a really bad idea into a film that is worth at least one viewing if it plays in Korea.<br /><br />This film basically deals with the 13th reunion of the class of 1999 and we have seen these actors grow up and try and become adults. A few people in the audience after the film were having talks about how they dealt life their lives after high school and college and how they are dealing with the same problems that the actors faced in this role.<br /><br />Once again, the film is stolen by Jim’s dad and every time he’s in this film, it just got funnier and funnier and please hang around a few moments after the credits begin to see how his part of this film ended. The audience was laughing a lot during that scene.<br /><br />Please watch it when you can and I think that you’ll be glad that you did.<br /><br />Grade: BMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-16357447139940483252012-03-26T04:21:00.003+09:002012-03-26T04:30:05.629+09:00Film Review: The Hunger Games<br /><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3rfCgbUNDI/T29xHQtWzVI/AAAAAAAACnk/TQq51lf_d5c/s1600/the-hunger-games.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 270px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 400px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5723918020969418066" border="0" alt="" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-B3rfCgbUNDI/T29xHQtWzVI/AAAAAAAACnk/TQq51lf_d5c/s400/the-hunger-games.jpg" /></a><br /><br />Living overseas for the past few years, you can miss out on a book series. If the people that you trust to tell you about good books never tell you about a book, then there is a good chance that you won’t read the book.<br /><br />I had no idea what “The Hunger Games” were about until I saw a preview for the film. While I was watching the preview, I thought that it was a total rip-off of the 2000 Japanese film “Battle Royale”.<br /><br />Now as a film critic, sometimes I feel the need to explain to you why or what baggage I bring to a film before I tell you about it and in this case, I thought that it would be needed.<br /><br />If you a long time reader of my reviews, you will remember a few years ago when I listed my all time favorite films and in that list I included<a href="http://socius.or.kr/2008/12/21/all-time-favorite-films-12-battle-royaleoldboy/">“Battle Royale"</a>. So when I stated to do research about the film “The Hunger Games” before I went to watch it I wanted to see how much of the Royale story was included in this film.<br /><br />So this review is being written by a huge fan of the film “Battle Royal” and a person who has not read any of the books associated with this series.<br /><br />Now I went and saw this film on a Friday afternoon and to my amazement there were about 300 people waiting in line for this film. There were a lot of kids between the age of 12-18 in line with their parents and the students were on spring break and the few that I asked had told me that they had read the book, had never heard of Battle Royale and were on spring break and that they really loved the books and wanted to see the film.<br /><br />I really went into this film thinking that this is a PG-13 of “Battle Royale” aimed right at the fans of the “Twilight” series and after I saw the film, it did not thing to change my mind about my previous idea. The Author of the book, Susan Collins, claims that she had never heard of BR and that it was just a coincidence all of the similarities of her book and the BR story.<br /><br />If you have seen BR and you love the film, then you should not watch this film and avoid it at all cost. If you saw BR, then you saw the killing and how brutal is was when 24 teen-agers kill each other. I kept looking at the death scenes herein this film and thinking how clean and how fake all of killing looked, and to get the PG-13 and the American Teen audience, it had to be that way.<br /><br />The film takes about 1 hour to get the idea and plot set up before THG starts and when it does, the teens in my audience became quiet and really focused into the film. After the film was over, the majority of the teens that I talked to wanted part 2 and 3 of this series to be in the theaters ASAP. They loved the movie and I hated it.<br /><br />Now readers the next part is up to you, do you see THG when it opens in Korea in 04/12 or do you give it a pass? My recommendation is this…<br /><br />If you liked the Harry Potter and Twilight Series then you should go and see this film. If you have also read the books then I feel that you should also go and see the film because I think that you’ll like it because the teens in my audience did and they left the theater wanting more. If you’re a fan of BR, then please pass on this film for the reasons that I have earlier stated in this review.<br /><br />There were no extra scenes at the end of the credits and the teens that stayed for the end of the credits were disappointed by it. I really haven’t said much about what happens in the film in this review, I feel that you should watch it spoiler free and make your own call about that.<br /><br />Good luck with your choice and please let me know what you think of this film.<br /><br />Grade D-…Pathetic Rip-Off of Battle Royale…..Mikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-13788698.post-50733569761604269982012-03-12T03:38:00.001+09:002012-03-12T03:40:08.456+09:00Cancer update<br /><br />Well it has been a few months since I have given an update and now it is time for one.<br /><br />On March 27th I will have a pet-scan to take a closer look at the cancer. With all of the cat-scans that I took in Korea, there never was a good look at the cancer. So this will be about a 1 hour scan that will be able to tell how far the cancer has advanced. When I know what is going on I will let everyone know asap.<br /><br />I have found a nice little church here in Texas but I must be honest I still miss the Church in Daejeon that helped me out a lot my last few months in Korea.<br /><br />I have learned that the cancer pills that I took in Korea have great results with Asian bodies but with the Western anatomy the pills just don’t seem to work. SO if anyone else in Korea has the cancer please take the chemo if you’re a westerner. IF your child is a western/Asian combination and they have cancer, there are no studies on which is the best cancer drug.<br /><br />Now I am taking a drug called Xeloda, it is a chemo pill that doesn’t have the side effect that the chemo had on me at Eulji Hospital. So far I haven’t had any bad reactions to the medicine.<br /><br />I was able to get me a 1994 Black El Dorado Caddy car for my drive to doctor appointments and I love the car. It is real comfortable and I was able to get a nice little HD radio for the car and to hear AM stations sound like an FM station is just weird.<br /><br />I have to resubmit the disability paperwork to SSN on the 15th. The reason it was turned down the first time was that I didn’t have any income in the USA from 2005-2011. So I found out that I needed the actual Korean Income Tax paperwork and since Woosong had mine from 2006-2011, this should hopefully take care of this problem. I will keep you up with this as it progresses.<br /><br />To be honest right now I am stuck, I am getting 456.00 a month for partial ssn and 104 a month in food stamps and I am on Medicare right now but if I get a job It can only be part time because if I make too much $$ then I lose it all. I really hate this cancer and the fact that right now I cannot work. I am so used to always working and now that I can’t it is kind of weird.<br /><br />Now I was able to get 4 tickets to the Texas Ranger games this season and I will so miss the HANWHA baseball crew that I saw so many games with in the past. April 25th vs YANKEES (I know big surprise) MAY 26th vs Toronto (Will miss my Canadian friends so much during this game) Aug 10th vs Detroit (To see the Prince) and Sunday the 30th of September LA Angels (Playoffs maybe?)<br /><br />It was weird not to be at Woosong getting ready for the Spring semester but sometimes life just throws you a curve.<br /><br />I once again want to thank everyone who helped out and gave their time and talents for my goodbye party at the Yellow Taxi. Whenever I still think of that night it always brings a smile to my face.<br /><br />Take care everyone and more details to follow.. MikeMikehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08871704676578174000noreply@blogger.com1