The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit."

The above words begin the first Lord of the Rings movie in nearly a decade.  I had the privilege of seeing the film early thanks to my friend Stephen Davis' website, www.CollegeMovieReview.com, and I absolutely loved it!  I already can't wait to see it for a second and third time in theaters and it's not even out yet!

The original Lord of the Rings trilogy came out back when I was in high school.  They always premiered in December, and for three years I celebrated a new Christmas tradition: Listening to the LOTR soundtrack and then seeing the movie multiple times in theaters with family and friends.  The songs are written by Howard Shore, whose epic musical scores define the LOTR movie and place him second on my list of favorite movie composers, next to John Williams.  There's just no beating the Imperial March.

This time around, things were a little different as I first saw the movie with my friends (Johnny, Mel, Hannah, Kristi, and Stephen) and then bought the soundtrack, which, after all, only came out today.  I haven't listened to the whole thing yet but I currently have two favorite tracks:

The Misty Mountains: 

Song of the Lonely Mountain:

I must subconsciously like mountains or something...

Anyway, Bilbo Baggins has inspired me to go on my own unexpected journey...well I guess it wouldn't technically be unexpected if I were to plan it but whatever.  I'm not sure what all exactly this will entail but it's time for this hobbit to leave the comfort of his hobbit hole and go on an adventure!

The Big 12 Gang


After a disappointing end to the NBA season and not much better luck with all of the free agent stuff happening over the past few weeks (see previous article) I have already begun looking ahead to football season.  Oh, and the Olympics!  I'm pumped about the opening ceremonies on Friday!  But that's just a temporary high.  For now let's stick with football.  


I became a fan of NCAA football my freshman year at UT and was spoiled enough to have my first season with the Longhorns be the one that resulted in a Vince Young National Championship.  Ever since then, anything LESS than a trip to the National Championship I've considered a losing season in my book; stupid, I know but as I said I've been spoiled.


Fans of UT football know that the past two seasons haven't been pleasant ones for Texas.  They would also know that the Big 12 Conference has gone through some changes with a couple of teams leaving for "greener pastures" and a few new ones being added.  For awhile now, I've been meaning to write a short story about the Longhorns and their rivals in the Big 12.  I envisioned a spaghetti western theme since the Longhorns = Texas and serendipitously most of the Big 12 teams' mascots actually work quite nicely as characters in a wild west themed story.  I've scribbled down some plot lines about how in recent years, the city of Austin has been overrun by The Big 12 Gang and the city is in dire need of a new sheriff, the likes of Vince Young, Major Applewhite, etc..., to clean up the town!  Anyway, I never really got much beyond that but I thought that the next best thing would be to draw a picture capturing the climax of the story: Bevo cooly staring down The Big 12 Gang on the dirt paved streets of Austin; the current members of the gang glaring back at him, weapons drawn, and the former Big 12 posse members sitting, permanently benched, along the sides of the street.

(Click on image to enlarge)

My sister, Dana, is a phenomenal artist and I have actually been collaborating with her on this project.  She has purchased a nice canvas and is planning on painting her own version of the above picture, which should end up being a cross between the above and a Frederic Remington painting.  In other words, it's going to blow my picture away!  Until then, I hope the above picture will suffice, at least until football season begins.    

Someone Play With Dirk, Dammit!!!

It's an exciting time in the NBA right now!  There's a plethora (Shout out Three Amigos) of free agents, real talented guys who are available to the highest bidder.  Over the past few weeks, the Mavs have reportedly been very close to securing a number of these players, which would help ensure that next year's team have a real shot at the Finals.  Unfortunately, it would appear that all those rumors were false and NOBODY wants to play with the Mavs, including some of the organization's own!

I feel so sorry for Dirk and as an expression of the pain I'm currently feeling for him I drew up this little representation of the NBA schoolyard:

(Click on image to enlarge)

I'll give you a quick rundown of the playground.  There's Dirk on the right and behind him teammate, Jason Kidd, is tiptoeing away to go play with someone else.  Moving left, Jeremy Lin, briefly rumored to be interested in the Mavs, opted instead to play with the Rockets.  Beside him, Lamar Odom is playing house with Khloe Kardashian back in LA, this time for the Clippers instead of Lakers.  The Heat's Big 3 can be seen jump roping with their recently won NBA Finals trophy to the left.  Heading up, Nash, also briefly rumored to be heading back to the Mavs, has signed on with Kobe and the Lakers.  On the swing set, former Maverick, Jason Terry, AKA The Jet, will now be soaring beside Rondo and the Boston Celtics.  Below them, Deron Williams, who had been see-sawing between the Mavs and few other teams, has finally decided to stay in NJ with the Nets.  And finally, Dwight Howard, who the Mavs have talked about acquiring for a long time, is caught in the middle, currently desired by seemingly EVERY team in the NBA, which probably means he's not coming to Dallas.  

Poor, lonely Dirk...

It's Ah-me, Mario!!!

One Christmas morning, many years ago, I received one of the greatest surprises of my life: A Super Nintendo game system!  We've all seen youtube videos of kids going berserk while opening presents on Christmas morning; well, imagine that times 1,000.  While I will admit that I have experienced equivalent levels of elation since then (on a number of occasions, thankfully) the memory of that morning is one that I will never forget.  I'll also never forget how later on that week, when my family finally returned home to El Paso after spending Christmas in Dallas with the grandparents, I discovered that Santa had taken my allowance (over $100) and left me a note explaining how the money had helped to pay for my Super Nintendo.  I was fuming!  Do you know how long it takes a kid to save over $100 dollars with a $2 weekly allowance?!?!  Not to mention the amount of discipline and self-control required not to blow it all on the latest Ninja Turtle or Bucky O'hare toy set first chance you get?!?

I eventually got over it (although you can probably tell I still bear a bit of a grudge towards the "fat man" from the North Pole) and played the one game I had for Super Nintendo all day, every day!  Or for at least 15 minutes a day.  Back then, my parents were weirdly strict and so 15 minutes was the best I could get most days.  Although, I found that if I'd wake up at 4:30AM on weekends and mute the television that I could occasionally get a whole hour or two of gameplay in sometimes.  Anyway, that one game was Super Mario World and I thought it was the greatest thing ever!  My brothers and I still enjoy playing it to this day!  And that's where I got the inspiration for my latest project!

For any n00bs out there, Mario is an Italian plumber who is constantly trying to rescue the Princess from the evil clutches of the koopa king, Bowser.  Bowser has a wide assortment of minions at his command but his most trusted lieutenants are his own children, the Koopalings.  In Super Mario World, there are 7 koopa kids, each one serving as the "boss" at the end of the game's 7 worlds.  Later on Nintendo added an 8th kid, Bowser's favorite child, Bowser Jr.  I decided, that it would be fun to create a project revolving around these video game villains and so I came up with the following:

Bowser and Family!!!

(Click on image to enlarge)

The wide shot makes it kinda difficult to view details so I'll take you through the bunch one by one.

Mario

Iggy Koopa

Morton Koopa Jr.

Lemmy Koopa

Ludwig Von Koopa

Roy Koopa

Wendy O. Koopa

Larry Koopa

Bowser Jr.

Bowser

I placed Bowser in his "Clown Car", which is what he rides around in when you fight him at the end of Super Mario World.  It looks like this in the game:

And one more shot, from the back!

So this is my tribute to the favorite game from my childhood (and, let's be honest, adulthood).  If I had to categorize the project I'd describe it as Post-WWII Expressionistic art since the increasing size of each koopa represents the growing challenge Mario faces as he progresses through the game.  It's definitely Avant-garde and some would say that there is even a bit of Dada-esque influence mixed in there.  You know, real deep stuff.

2012 NBA Finals: Street Fighter II Turbo


The quote and picture below pretty much sum up how I feel about the Heat making The Finals:

"I want the Heat out of commission.  I don't want them beat...OUT OF COMMISSION."

-Cobra Kai Master, The Karate Kid

Sweep Lebron's leg, Durant!  Sweep it!!!

NBA Finals

Heat vs. Thunder

My Prediction: Thunder in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO


It is down to the final four!  The dark shadow of the Miami Heat looms ever nearer to the Finals once again this year with the Celtics serving as the one remaining team barring their path in the East.  The Celtics success seems unlikely, however, given their performance in the playoffs this year.

The Heat's trip to the Finals seems inevitable at this point, meaning that the one hope for humanity lies in the West upon the shoulders of either the Spurs or the Thunder.  Now, talk about a great match-up!  Both teams are very similar in terms of playing ability and yet they couldn't be more different.  The Spurs are the older team, with players nearing the end of their careers.  However, they have years of EXPERIENCE playing together in tough playoff situations.  The Thunder are a YOUTHFUL team of young bucks, full of energy and endurance.  They, however, lack experience playing together as a team in the NBA.  The series is like something straight out of a John Wayne movie where the young cow picks a fight with the older bull for dominance of the herd.  In those movies, at least, the older cow always won...

Eastern Conference


Heat vs. Celtics
My prediction: Heat in 4

(Click on image to enlarge)

Western Conference

Spurs vs. Thunder

My prediction: Spurs in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO


Well, the Mavs were swept by the Thunder in the first round of the playoffs.  On the one hand it was frustrating, especially since three out of the four games really could've gone either way, but at the same time I am relieved to see this tumultuous season finally come to an end!


This year will be remembered as the first time in which Dirk began to show his age; his shots just weren't where they have been in previous seasons.  The good news is that he and his shooting coach are using the off-season to completely readjust his game in order to optimize his on-court performance in response to the physical wear and tear, which accompanies a player of his age.  With that in mind, I am confident that Dirk won't be leaving the spotlight anytime soon!


Of course, this year was marred by the pathetic performance of Lamar Odom.  Odom, who seemed more interested in the amount of airtime he received on the E! network than on ESPN this year, was an utter disappointment and really threw a wrench in the Mav's season.  The Mav's traded away valuable ballplayers in order to procure Odom, with the expectation that he was worth the money and was going to deliver the goods!  I understand that he had personal issues at the beginning of the season but the effort that he put forth, or lack thereof, was inexcusable and the way he behaved when he finally left the team was classless and disgusting to any fan of the game, Maverick or not.  


So with the Mavs out of the playoff picture, I have decided to root for the Spurs.  I must admit that I have a lot of respect for a team that can keep the same core group of players together for so long, especially in this day and age where teams seem to swap players every other week.  The Mavs are certainly guilty of this to some degree but are nowhere as bad as the Heat.  Really, at this point I'm not rooting for any team, I'm just rooting against the Heat.  Someone had better beat them!


Here are the match-ups for Round Two:


Eastern Conference


Pacers vs. Heat
My prediction: Heat in 4

(Click on image to enlarge)

76ers vs. Celtics

My prediction: 76ers in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

Western Conference

Lakers vs. Thunder

My prediction: Thunder in 6

(Click on image to enlarge)

Clippers vs. Spurs

My prediction: Spurs in 5

(Click on image to enlarge)

2012 NBA PLAYOFFS: STREET FIGHTER II TURBO

After a shortened regular season, we have arrived at the NBA Playoffs!

Although many sports fans may disagree with me, the defending champion Dallas Mavericks have as good a shot as any team this postseason.  They've had a topsy turvy year and had to deal with all that Lamar Odom crap but as long as they can bring their A Game then I think they've got the talent to win it all, AGAIN!

There has been no single team that really stood out or dominated league play this year, despite what ESPN and Sports Center would have you believe about the Thunder and Heat.  This was due in part to the compressed regular season schedule, which saw teams playing 3 games in 3 days straight, never really allowing them to catch their breaths.  After all that craziness, the normality of the playoffs will undoubtedly be a pleasant respite from the crammed action of this past season!

The playoffs are certain to be full of excitement and so without further ado here are the match-ups for the first round of the 2012 NBA Playoffs!

Eastern Conference

Philadelphia 76ers vs. Chicago Bulls
My Prediction: Bulls in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

Atlanta Hawks vs. Boston Celtics

My Prediction: Celtics in 6 

(Click image to enlarge)

Orlando Magic vs. Indiana Pacers

My Prediction: Magic in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

New York Knicks vs. Miami Heat

My Prediction: Heat in 5

(Click image to enlarge)

Western Conference

San Antonio Spurs vs. Utah Jazz

My Prediction: Spurs in 4

(Click image to enlarge)

LA Clippers vs. Memphis Grizzlies

My Prediction: Clippers in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

Denver Nuggets vs. LA Lakers

My Prediction: Lakers in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

Dallas Mavericks vs. Oklahoma City Thunder

My Prediction: Mavs in 6

(Click image to enlarge)

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: CHAMPIONS

Congratulations to this year's winner of Poke'madness, the Kentucky Wildcats!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: CHAMPIONSHIP

We are down to the final two teams competing for the National Championship in this year's Poke'madness Tournament!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: FINAL FOUR

Here are the Final Four match-ups!

POKE'MADNESS 2012!!!: ELITE EIGHT

Here are the Elite Eight match-ups!

THE SOUTH:

THE WEST:

THE EAST:

THE MIDWEST: