Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off show Angel, have become a new obsession of mine. I started watching Buffy very skeptically, not expecting very much. I thought it would be a cheesy teen drama directed towards teen girls with a small element of horror. However, as I started watching it, I started realizing that the show was actually pretty entertaining. This opinion further developed and by the end of the second season I realized that it was an amazing show and that I was officially hooked into it. Lost will forever be my favorite show, but I am completely shocked to say that I think Buffy makes for a close second (especially if I can pair it with Angel). Nothing else (besides Lost) has connected with me emotionally like Buffy has. As a male, I'll admit I feel a little embarrassed to say this since I perceive the main audience for Buffy is female. But, why be embarrassed? Buffy is amazingly well done for a TV series and contains moments of absolute television magic.

I think the main thing that makes Buffy great is its characters. Joss Whedon has a way of making his characters very dynamic and complex and Buffy is chock full of incredible characters. This list includes Buffy, Willow, Xander, Giles, Anya, Spike and more and more. I feel like these characters are real people going through real problems. Even though the various monsters and magic are interesting, the characters are what make this show. The show isn't afraid to take these characters to different and dark places, and it is always fascinating to see how the characters will act in these situations.

Now, no show is completely perfect, and there are several weak episodes, but there is a level of consistency that is remarkable from season 2 to the very end. I watched the whole series recently for the first time, and I did it rather quickly. So, in a week or so, I'm going to start watching the whole series over again, hopefully getting even more depth out of the episodes. I'm especially interested in my new take on the first few seasons since I wasn't as convinced of Buffy's awesomeness the first time seeing those episodes. I actually already started watching the first season, but I have stopped since I'm trying to finish my first run-through of Angel (which is awesome in its own way).

My point of this blog post is to start what I think might be an interesting look into one of my favorite TV series of all time. As I go through the episodes again, I desire to comment on them in this blog. I'm not sure if I will go through every episode, or just the ones that stand out to me as excellent. The main thing I'm going to try to do as I go through Buffy again is keep track of the episodes that I especially love and make a definitive list of what my favorite episodes are in order. I love making lists, so this idea appeals to me. Also, it might give me even more appreciation for this awesome series. We'll see where this goes.

Relections on Lost (Part 1)

The final season of Lost starts a week from today, and I thought it would be fun to reflect on what has been my favorite show, and what I anticipate will always be my favorite show. There is so much to think about as we head into the big final season, and I figured the best idea would be to give my general impressions of each season and what I think are the significant parts that may prove to play a big role in the final season. So, without further ado, here is my discussion of season 1…

SEASON 1

I believe each season of Lost focuses on a particular theme. The theme of season 1 is The Castaways. The season focused mainly on the characters that found themselves on a mysterious island after a major plane crash. Flashbacks were used as a device to delve into the pasts of these characters to see what haunts them. Each character has their own personal demons that they must face on the island, and the first season is basically showing what these demons are and the castaways initial attempts to face these demons.

I think that one of the main purposes of the island is facing your demons. The island is a place of potential redemption for those that seek it. But, before this redemption can occur, the individual must get rid of their addictions and baggage from their past. The island can be a blank slate for those that choose it. You can let go of all the things that have weighed you down, and feel free to live a new life. However, for our castaways, this is easier said than done. Most of them hold on to their issues, not allowing themselves to partake of the redemption that the island holds for them.

Let’s look at some of these castaways and their own personal demons that haunt them. There is Jack, the leader of the castaways. His addiction stems from a desire to always fix everything. I believe that this comes from an early experience Jack had as a kid where his father told him he doesn’t have what it takes to be a hero because he can’t handle failure. These words haunt Jack throughout his life. He becomes obsessive about proving his father wrong and tries to become the hero. His role as leader of the castaways is proof of this, he is once again trying to be the hero, and whenever he fails, such as when Boone dies, he doesn’t handle it well, and starts obsessively wanting to fix things even though some things are just not fixable. He feels that revenge against John Locke is the way to fix the situation with Boone. Jack is even literally haunted by his father on the island as he keeps seeing a vision of him. This tendency of Jack’s I believe will be pivotal in the final season. In fact, in detonating the bomb, he was once again obsessively trying to fix all of the mistakes he made as leader, in this instance by making it so they never happened in the first place.

Kate’s addiction is running. She is always running from her problems instead of facing them. This is best shown by her running after killing her father instead of facing the consequence of jail. On the island, she has the perfect opportunity to stop running, face her problems, and have redemption. However, she still feels she has to run and even tries to get a place on the raft so she can once again run away. Sawyer is addicted to conning. He became the very man that he hated, the man Sawyer who was responsible for the deaths of his mother and father. He let his fixation on this con man consume him until he became a con man himself. He can’t let go of his anger at this man who ruined his life and his desire to get his revenge.

The bottom line is that every one of the castaways comes to the island with their own emotional baggage. The purpose of the island, I believe, is to get rid of this emotional baggage and live a life of freedom. These castaways were chosen for some reason to get a sort of second chance at life. They messed up in their pre-island life, but they can transcend their pre-island selves. The island is a place of reflection on those haunting pasts (thus, the flashbacks) and a place where you literally come face to face with those things that haunt you. You can either forfeit the opportunity and keep your emotional baggage, or you can accept it and receive the redemption that you seek. The story of John Locke is one in which he accepts this new chance for a brand new life. He gets the chance to be able to walk again, and he feels he has a real purpose now. Of course, it isn’t as easy as waking up and all of a sudden being able to walk- he has to face his own demons and he struggles with his issues, but he is truly trying to embrace the idea of redemption and new life.

The classic struggle between Jack and Locke, Man of Science vs. Man of Faith, is a huge symbol in Lost. They are the two approaches to using the island. The man of science relies on himself for change. He tries to become the hero, and struggles to give up any part of himself. The man of faith, however, lets the island guide and direct his path. He lets go of his own demons and becomes saved. I believe the dharma initiative and the others are a good characterization of science vs. faith as are the Man in Black and Jacob. The island does have scientific properties that can be tapped into, which I believe are of primary interest to the Dharma Initiative. However, there is also spiritual energy, the same that is able to heal Rose and Locke. If you truly become a man of faith, you can tap in to this spiritual energy and be healed and enlightened. If you doubt and rely on science or yourself, then you are left on your own. Locke’s legs give him trouble when he doubts. Ben ends up with cancer because he relied too much on his own abilities than the islands.

This is Jacob’s desire- to bring people to the island who are sick and to heal them. But, to be healed, they must have faith. These addictions and demons that the castaways bring to the island can be eradicated if they just put themselves aside and truly embrace the ability of the island to heal them. Jacob can’t heal them unless they fulfill their end of the bargain, which is why so many castaways continue to struggle even when they are on the island. Another component to this is the Man in Black who is the tempter. He is cynical and does not have the same faith in humanity as Jacob, so he tempts the castaways in order to keep them away from the healing that can be theirs. He is the smoke monster and takes forms of symbols and people that haunt the castaways and keep them away from the healing that could be theirs if they just had faith.

I think this dichotomy of faith vs. science is going to play a huge role in the final season. I think that the final season will be about redemption- the castaways finally facing their demons and becoming truly healed. The alternate reality that will be caused by the hydrogen bomb exploding will show the castaways that their lives were riddled with problems and those problems will only get worse as they are away from the island. The island is the true place of redemption, where they can deal with and conquer their problems and receive true redemption. The season will end with them either returning to the island to receive this redemption or somehow reversing the events that caused the alternate reality.

American Idol Season 8: Adam vs. Kris

I couldn't be happier about the fact that we have a Adam vs. Kris showdown for next weeks American Idol season finale. I think that the two best contestants of the competition made it to the end, which is awesome (except perhaps with the exception of Allison Iraheta). What is even more awesome to me is that Adam and Kris are very different musically, almost at two completely opposite ends of the spectrum. They have really put a unique stamp on American Idol that none of the previous contestants have done.

Kris Allen is the classic underdog story. He came into the top 13 almost by what seemed like a fluke. I thought he was one of the weaker contestants selected for the top 13. But, week after week, he proved why he was in the competition and continually improved. He is unique to American Idol because of his superb song arrangements that have really made the songs he has performed his own. He may not have the most technical voice, but he infuses his performances with heart and always gives an honest, soulful performance. Kris knows what music he wants to play as an artist and has been showing america this each week int the competition. The judges basically called it as a Danny vs. Adam finale from the beginning, but Kris was able to slowly break up that pre-ordained finale and has provided for an interesting variable in what could be considered a predictable season.

Adam Lambert is the best technical singer American Idol has ever had. He has never hit a bad note throughout the whole competiton. He is able to reach high notes that seem impossible, and then hold them. His voice does not even seem human sometimes because of the way he is able to use it. He is also the season's most polarizing contestant- you either love him or hate him. I think it would be hard for even the haters to deny Adam's awesome vocal ability. The qualities that turn people away from Adam are mainly his high, screechy vocals- which to his fans are more proof of how amazing his voice is. His greatest strength though, aside from his voice, is his stage presence. No matter what, he is always able to give entertaining performances and to push the envelope. Whether it be a haunting ballad or a rock anthem, Adam commands the stage and leaves the fans wanting more. For many this season became more about "what will Adam do next?" then the actual competition itself.

So, there you have it. Two of the most unique and gifted vocalists to ever grace the Idol stage are going head to head next Tuesday night. I am really excited to witness their final performances and see who gains the edge and wins the Idol crown. I am definitely rooting for Adam because he has had no missteps in the competition as far as I'm concerned, and he has truly impressed me with his incredible voice. But, if Kris Allen does win (which I think is very possible), I will be happy for him and will really cheer for the underdog breaking up the preordained final two and going on to win. I don't think I've ever been this pleased with both contestants for an American Idol finale (I have strongly supported Kelly, Clay, Fantasia, Blake and David Cook and not really liked their top two competitors). Good luck to both, and hopefully, despite who is actually named the winner, they both have successful careers, because they both deserve it.

My Take on American Idol Season 8

We have a top 8 in American Idol, and it is a fairly strong group this year with some definite standouts. In my mind, there are three really great contestants, all of whom I am rooting for this year. The first of these three is Kris Allen. He has really grown on me throughout the competition. When he made it into the top 13 I was a little skeptical and not sold at all on his vocals. Ever since, though, he has improved from week to week and established himself as a strong competitor. He has a clean voice and some talent at not only guitar, but piano as well. His standout performance for me was last weeks "Ain't No Sunshine". It was a brilliant arrangement and he made the most of it. He did not do so well this week, which I'm really hoping doesn't get him kicked off, because he really does have potential as a recording artist.

The next contestant I love is Allison Iraheta. She is brilliant and I absolutely love her voice. It has a very distinctive tone and she always sings brilliantly from week to week. She is also spunky and has a great carefree attitude that is refreshing in this competition. She is a rock singer who is really making her mark in the competition. I am sad that she has been in the bottom 3 a couple of times because she is really a lot better of a vocalist than most of the competitors in the competition. I really hope she continues to shine and can at least make it to the top 5.

But...the best contestant by far this year is Adam Lambert. There is just something special about him. He is a born performer that is extremely entertaining each time he is on that stage. He seems to go back and forth between crazy, rocking performances and soft, more restrained ballads. I love both sides. Some people criticize his vocals for being screechy, but I like those moments because they show how versatile his voice is. His best performance to date for me was last nights "Mad World". It was stunningly beautiful. A magical idol moment that does not happen often where a contestant truly defines him or herself as an artist. Simon even gave it a standing ovation, which in my memory has never happened. It may be my favorite idol performance ever, and Adam may be my favorite idol contestant ever (with strong competition from David Cook). The main reason I keep tuning in from week to week is to see what Adam does next.

The other contestants range from good to terrible. I really liked Danny Gokey at the beginning, but I find myself getting tired of him (similar to how I felt about David Archuleta last year). I found his voice unique and interesting at first, but after several performances, the novelty has worn off. I'm still waiting for a real breakout performance from him, and I don't feel like it has happened yet. I can't really get into Matt Giraud, even though he gets a lot of praise from the judges. He reminds me of Chris Richardson, who I also didn't care for. He just inserts way to many runs for my taste, which messes with the melody of the song. I really like his piano playing abilities and there are moments where I like his voice, but then he tries to hard to do all of these runs, and it just ruins it for me.

I liked Anoop at first, but he is proving to not be very consistent. It seems that he only does well when he tackles a ballad. Whenever he attempts a more upbeat song it falls flat and he isn't able to show off his personality. I don't think he can win this show just singing ballads, or become a successful recording artist only singing ballads. He needs to figure out how to make a more upbeat song work, or he won't be around much longer. I have never understood the appeal with Scott MacIntyre. I think he is a great person and I love his personality. He is perhaps the funniest of the idol contestants this year. But, his voice is just not on the same level as any of the others. His performances are very cheesy and there is nothing that stands out. Also, I think sometimes he tries to hard to hit a lot of big notes and they just end up falling flat. I hope that he is out of the competition soon.

And finally, there is Lil. Lil is the contestant who I have liked the least in the whole top 13. What is even more frustrating is she seems to be a favorite of the judges. To my ears, she has not given a good performance yet. She does not know how to make the right song choices, and seems to only be able to do copycat, kareoke performances. I also feel that she has a little bit of an attitude problem and I cringe everytime she starts to speak. She does have a voice, but she shouts the big notes and is flat for the other notes. I don't think there is much she can do that will make me change my opinion of her. If I were making the decisions, she would be the next to go followed closely by Scott. Then, we would have a real contest.

So, that is how I feel about the contestants this year. Tonight I have a big fear that Kris will be leaving, even though there are many other singers that I feel are worse than him. I think the bottom three will consist of Kris, Anoop and Scott. This will lead to Kris being the one with the lowest votes with his only hope as a judges save. I really hope I'm wrong. If it were my choice, the bottom three would be Lil, Scott and either Anoop or Matt with Lil going home, but I know that won't happen. Oh well. At least I know Adam is safe, and that has to mean something, right? I really hope Adam can win this whole thing, if not, America will have made a horrible error. Please, be smart, America!

Ranking Group 1 of The Top 36

What a terrible night for American Idol! I was really looking forward to the actual competition starting and getting to see the standouts in the large group of 32. So far, there is really only one standout for me: Danny Gokey. I have heard a lot of internet buzz that his performance last night was not as good as the judges made it out to be, and I agree to an extent. I think there have been way better performances at this stage of the competition in past seasons, but after such terrible performances one right after the other, I was ready to stand up and cheer Danny on. I think the judges felt much the same way. So, as will be the tradition from now on, I will rank the performers based on how I felt they did last night. So, here they are, starting with the worst:

Below Average:

12. Casey Carlson

Yuck. There is absolutely nothing I liked about her performance. She murdered a song by a great band, The Police, and tried to make up for it with weird facial ticks. I was not impressed at all, and I think she will be long gone once the results come out tonight.

11. Stevie Wright

Her performance was equally terrible as Casey's, but I feel that she is redeemed slightly by not covering such an iconic song. Performing a Taylor Swift song in a singing competition doesn't make much sense to me, and Stevie just proved that she is not mature enough of a performer to make it on this show. She was out of tune and out of place on that stage. Sorry, Stevie.

10. Steven Fowler

Why did this guy get another chance? He forgot the words and now he murdered a Michael Jackson classic. He never got into the song and it was just oddly off throughout the whole thing. I also hate people who use the excuse that they only feel comfortable performing with an instrument- then you probably shouldn't be on American Idol. Sorry, Steven!

9. Jackie Tohn

I don't know what rubbed me wrong during this performance, but I just couldn't stand it. Maybe it is because I hate Elvis and I hate "A Little Less Conversation" even more. But, song choice aside, I'm always bothered when contestants put singing to the side and focus on "Getting Paula on her feet". Paula is always on her feet, so that is not that great of a task to shoot for. But, her outfit was weird and I don't think she showcased her vocals well at all.

Average:

8. Brent Kieth

Just a very forgettable performance of a song I've never heard of called "Hicktown". I have a bias against Country singers, but I just don't think he did very well. Nothing about the performance stands out, it was just an average country bar performance. I don't think we'll be seeing any more of Brent.

7. Ann Marie Boskovich

I was holding out high hopes for her, and I think I enjoyed her performance more than the judges did. Her problem was that she tried to tackle a song that was too big for her. I remember "Natural Woman" being performed by Kelly Clarkson and she nailed it. This didn't have quite the same impact. There were some good notes, but overall a fairly bland performance.

6. Anoop Desai

Even more frustrating was Anoop's rather lackluster performance. I was really rooting for him, but his performance left me unexcited. I really hope to see more of him, but based on that performance, I don't know if he can be saved. It has to get better than that, dawg.

5. Michael Sarver

Another very average performance that doesn't really stand out in my mind. He is a likable guy and sang a well-liked, fun song, but it was just bland. He only places higher than Anoop because he met my expectations for him while Anoop didn't. There isn't much more to say here.

4. Tatiana Del Toro

It is physically painful to put her so high on my list. She was the most annoying contestant I've ever witnessed during Hollywood week and I was apalled that the judges let her through. But, she was much more subdued and managed to give a decent performance. I feel that she is desperate for fame, and this is her sneaky plan to weasel her way into the finals. I worry that she is secretly a genius and is going to somehow plot her way to the finals. I think I've gone a little far, but she did do better than expected.

Above Average:

3. Alexis Grace

I was not as big a fan of her performance as Simon was, but I do see a lot of potential. Out of all the girls, she was BY FAR the best. She definitely deserves to move on. I wish the judges wouldn't emphasize how she should "dirty herself up". If she is a talented singer, that is all that matters and she should just be herself. But, I think she has some soul and could be a good addition to the top 12.

2. Ricky Braddy

Who is this guy? I feel bad for Ricky because if he had more screen time during auditions and Hollywood week, he would have a much better chance of moving on to the top 12. He gave a great performance of "A Song For You", which was nailed by previous idol contestant Elliot Yamin. Ricky could be a dark horse, if only he could somehow make the first step to being in the top 12.

1. Danny Gokey

I thought he nailed "Hero" by Mariah Carey (which, by the way, is a song I usually dislike). I love the soul to his voice and how he transitions from a rock sound to a cleaner sound. There were also some great hard notes that I thought he hit perfectly. It wasn't too great, but it was good enough. I think this is a good strategy because you don't want to hit America with your best performance before you are even in the top 12 (I'm talking about you David Archuleta). He needs to start solidly and build up so that he has a strong fan base and the potential to win.

Predictions: Every week I will give my prediction of who will move on/be voted out. This week, I am going to stick with my ranking and predict that the three moving on are Danny, Alexis, and Ricky. I am most nervous about Ricky because of his lack of screen time before this performance and because he performed so early last night. I think numbers 8-12 on my list (Brent, Jackie, Steven, Stevie, and Casey) have absolutely no shot. Anoop could steal the third spot by being an early favorite. Tatiana could steal the third spot by surprising the public and having Vote for the Worst support. But, I'll stick to my guns and say that the three moving on are Danny, Alexis and Ricky.

The good news is that, depending on who makes it, Anoop and Ricky (and maybe Taitiana?) will probably get another chance during the wildcard round. But, yeah, interesting start to American Idol, and I sincerely hope it gets better from here.

A Note about upcoming shows to be reviewed...

In a little while, I will start writing posts about three new shows. The nature of these reviews will be different than the Heroes and Lost ones I've been doing, so I thought I would put up this quick note of how it will work.

I am going to start reviewing three reality shows: Survivor, Amazing Race, and Survivor. But, what I'll do each week for these shows is rank the contestants each week to show who I think is closest to winning the show. In the cases of Survivor and Amazing Race, I might wait a couple weeks to do this so I can get used to the characters and have a better idea of how to rank them.

In regards to American Idol, I will start recapping this upcoming week. There are 36 finalists at this point and they will perform in 3 groups of 12. Each night a group of 12 performs, I will give a recap of their performances and rank them according to who I think it most likely to move on to the next round. There will be 3 moving on from each group, and then the judges will choose three wildcard picks, leading up to our top 12. So, expect that Tuesday night or Wednesday morning. I like to have that up before the results come in so I can see how accurate my predictions happened to be.

So, that is the nature of some reviews that are coming up. I hope this makes sense- I look forward to talking about these shows and giving my insight to who I think has the best chances of winning each show. I love reality tv.

This Place Is Death (S5, E4)

Welcome to another fun Lost recap! This was yet another fascinating episode and I loved every minute of it! It started with Jin's experience in the "Rousseau Era". Jin goes on an adventure with Danielle Rousseau and her crew. They have a run in with the smoke monster, which ends up killing a woman traveling with them and then dragging a man down into the Others' temple. One of the greatest scenes was all of the adventurers grabbing onto this man who is being dragged by the smoke monster and then seeing his arm pop off as he is taken under. All of the other people in Rousseau's group decide to go in after this man, but Jin urges Danielle to not go with them because she is pregnant. As they are standing there waiting for the crew to return, another flash occurs and Jin is taken to a new time period.

This time he explores a camp and sees two dead bodies. Then he hears a man and woman talking and sees Danielle and her husband pointing guns at each other. The man is urging her to put down her gun and Danielle is freaking out that her husband has been infected by the smoke monster and is not her husband anymore. Her husband convinces her that he is still her husband and she starts lowering her gun...only for her husband to pull the trigger on his gun pointed at her! Luckily the gun doesn't work, and Danielle goes ahead and shoots her "husband". Danielle then sees Jin and assumes he has been infected too and starts shooting at him. Luckily, Jin is saved by another flash...but he ends up with another gun pointed at him.

This time, though, the holder of the gun is Sawyer, and when he sees that it is Jin in front of him, he is excited to see him and they embrace. It is a great scene showing how far their friendship has developed throughout the course of the show. The castaways then make their way with Jin to the Orchid where John is convinced he can leave the island and convince the oceanic 6 to come back. They get more rapid flashes as they go, and Charlotte starts losing it. She collapses and starts talking about memories that happened a long time ago as if they are occurring right then and there. One notable thing she says, though, is our episode's title. She tells Jin not to bring Sun back to the island because "This place is death!". The castaways leave Charlotte and Daniel behind and proceed to the Orchid, which disappears as they travel to a time period where it didn't exist (right after Juliet happily exclaims that they are lucky they are in a time period where the Orchid still exists).

In one of her crazy rants, Charlotte told Locke to go to the well, so that is where they go, and John proceeds to climb down the well. Jin gives him his wedding ring before he leaves and tells him to convince Sun not to come back to the island by telling her that a dead Jin washed upon the shore and this is his ring for proof. Locke swears that he won't bring Sun back and then climbs down the well. Another flash occurs and the well is gone for the castaways, leaving them wondering if John was able to get down there in time. We are able to see that Locke falls down the well when the flash occurs, and ends up breaking his leg upon impact. He is given instructions by Christian Shepperd that he was supposed to move the island, not Ben, so now he has to make up for that mistake by moving the island now. So, John has to get up all by himself and move the big wheel and we'll see where that leads him possibly in the next episode!

Also on the island, Charlotte can't handle the flashes any longer and ends up dying. But, before she does she tells Daniel that she used to live on the island with the Dharma Initiative. She says that a man told her she would die if she ever returned to the island, and that man looked a lot like our very own Daniel Faraday! Very interesting. Does this mean that a flash will lead Daniel to a Dharma Initiative past where he tells a young Charlotte not to come back to the island where she will die? Or, is there more to Daniel than we already know?

Off the island, Sun storms up to Ben with a gun and almost pulls the trigger until Ben tells her that Jin is still alive and he has proof. Ben then drives Sun and Jack to the place where he has this proof for Sun. After a dramatic stop of the car where Ben loses it a little bit as Sun and Jack are discussing which one will shoot Ben, they arrive at the church where Ms. Hawking is. Ben pulls out the wedding ring Jin gave Locke and gives it to Sun. Ben says that Jin gave it to Locke before Locke left the island- so now we know that Ben and Locke talked to each other when Locke got off the island. We also see Desmond, who has come to see Daniel's mother, who is the very same Ms. Hawking they are all there to see. They arrive and Ms. Hawking exclaims that Ben was supposed to get all of them in which Ben responds that this is the best he could do on short notice. Ms. Hawking says that it'll have to do, and that is where the episode ends, leaving us wanting more.

I love this show so much! I'm curious to see where Locke ends up after he moved the wheel on the island. I also want to see how Ben can get more oceanic sixers to join his cause and allow them to return to the island together. Also, I'm curious if Ben can return to the island himself. He said he couldn't since he moved the wheel...but now we find out he wasn't even supposed to do that in the first place. And, Locke moved the wheel too, but it is clear that he is not only allowed, but supposed to come back to the island. So, I'm sure many of these things will be answered in the next episode- I can't wait!

Trust and Blood (E2, V4)

I will keep this brief since I don't have much time to write it this week and it was more of a transition episode. We got to see a few important and interesting things, though. The fugitives came together and Matt started drawing the future again. Ando and Daphne came to save the day, but Daphne ended up getting killed in the process. So, now we have our little band of heroes which includes Matt, Hiro, Ando, Mohinder, and of course Peter. There is also Claire who is part of their cause, but stuck at home under her parents watchful eye. I have a feeling she will join their side soon enough.

Nathan is trying to round up these heroes because he feels they are dangerous. He captures Tracy and keeps her locked up. He is desperately trying to keep his secret of having an ability while trying to capture others with abilities. He also calls his Mom to try to get her support, but she isn't willing to give it.

We also got to see Sylar get a new apprentice who is a boy who can emit microwaves. Sylar held the boy's father hostage in order to try to get information about his own father. When the man tries to escape and attack Sylar, the boy instinctively melts his father which shows that he is now on Sylar's side. The boy also indicates that he knows where to find Sylar's father. So, it should be interesting to see how this dynamic works. I really like the direction this new volume is going in and am interested in seeing how the fugitives can bond together and overthrow Nathan and the government. It should be fun!

The Little Prince (S5, E4)

How can one show be so awesome? I absolutely loved this episode of Lost! We got to see more about the Oceanic 6 and their process of gathering to get ready to return to the island. It still seems like it is going to be a difficult process, but it doesn't seem quite as impossible. Ben is working his magic and I think he is going to get what he wants. We also got to see some more time travel, which allowed the viewer to look into more history of the island. So, let's get into this!

Regarding the oceanic six, the episode focused on Kate and her going to the lawyer who came to her in the first episode demanded a blood sample from her and Aaron to determine if Aaron was really her son. Kate left her son with Sun, which might not be the most safe move ever since Sun recieves a package with a gun and chocolates. And Sun's method of parenting is fattening the kid up with candy and setting them in front of a TV. But, anyways, Kate goes to the lawyer and wants to know who his client is. She says that she will allow them to take a blood sample as soon as she knows who the client is. The lawyer says he'll talk to his client, but the answer is no. Kate doesn't take no for an answer, so she waits in her car to follow the lawyer to his client. Kate is interrupted though by a frantic Jack who has discovered her address in the pocket of a man who tried to attack Sayid. They end up leaving together to follow the lawyer and are shocked to see the lawyer go to...Claire's mother!

Jack insists that he can talk sense to Claire's mother and get them to leave Aaron alone. What he discovers though, is that Claire's mother has no idea about Aaron and is actually sueing Oceanic for a completely unrelated reason. Who is the real client? Benjamin Linus, of course! The lawyer meets Ben in a garage and tells him that he can get Hurley cleared of charges so they can recruit him. Things are starting to come together. The oceanic six minus Hurley and plus Ben all meet up at the marina. Sun is watching from a distance with Aaron in the backseat contemplating storming up and shooting Ben for revenge. Kate is not happy with the idea that Jack is now on Ben's side and that Ben is the one who was trying to get Aaron. So, there are still a lot of issues to work out, but the oceanic six got one step closer in this episode. Good luck, Ben!

On the island we got to see some more nosebleeds, meaning that the castaways are really starting to feel the effects of time travel. Miles and Juliet now join Charlotte as the nosebleeding three. The castaways took off for the Orchid so that Locke could leave the island like Ben did and convince the oceanic six to come back to stop all the time travelling craziness. They got to see a familiar moment from season 1 where the hatch lit up after Lockes despair over Boone's death. And Sawyer got a glimpse of Claire giving birth to Aaron with Kate playing doctor. This scene was important because it shows that Sawyer really misses and loves Kate, and it shows the beginning of Kate's involvement with Aaron. Another flash came, and the castaways ended up in more current times (although perhaps in the future) evidenced by their ravashed camp.

They find a boat on the shore and take it and start paddling to the orchid station. They end up getting shot at and are "saved" by another flash that sends them into a downpour and they quickly go to the shore. We then cut to another scene where a raft of people see a man out in the ocean laying on some wreakage. They bring him onto their raft, and we discover that it is Jin! He is not dead! The raft people bring him with them to the beach and start questioning him. They are talking in French, but switch to English when they find out that Jin speaks a little English. Big shocker: These people are Rousseau's crew! We see a very pregnant Danielle Rousseau talking to Jin. I am very curious to find out the backstory to these people.

So, that was an incredible episode and I can't wait to see the next episode! So, who do you think were in the boat shooting at the castaways? Could it be the oceanic six who have just come back to the island? Who will be next in having nosebleeds, and what does this mean for our beloved castaways? And what really happened to Rousseau's crew? Hopefully these questions will be answered soon. I can't wait!

A Clear and Present Danger (V4, E1)

Heroes is back! There have been a lot of complaints about the last volume and I agree with some of them. There were a lot of believablity issues, which are bound to pop up on a show that is so involved with time travel and varying superhuman abilities. But, the great thing about Heroes is you can put the previous volume on the shelf and have a fresh start in the new volume. Sure, there are many carryover elements from previous volumes, but the story at large is a whole different animal. Here are some things of interest from the epiosde that I noticed.

The episode was mainly structured around the main characters being hunted down for their abilities. The Heroes are trying to go back to their normal lives- Peter as a nurse, Mohinder as a cab driver, Matt as a cop. The problem is, Nathan has other plans for these Heroes- to lock them up and throw away the key. He feels they are dangerous and shouldn't live amongst the general public. He seems to forget, though, that he is one of these Heroes himself. For some reason, in his mind, even though he has a power he doesn't deserve the same fate as all the others with powers.

Before everyone got taken into custody, we got cool glimpses into their lives. We got to see Hiro take on a new role as the man behind the hero. Hiro lost his powers last volume, but he refuses to let his passion for saving the world die, so now his is living through his friend Ando who just recently acquired powers. It is a complete role reversal for the two and Hiro is taking it to the extreme by injecting them with tracking devices and having a whole computerized setup so Hiro can communicate with Ando from the home base. Ando is most excited, though, about the new motorcycle, which he takes out and ends up at a strip club much to Hiro's dissapointment. Ironically, the Heroes gatherers took Hiro (the one without powers) and not Ando (the one with powers). They must not know yet that Hiro has no ablilities and Ando does.

We get to see Mohinder try to dodge several agents trying to take him in. We discover that Mohinder still has his super strength, but must have gotten rid of the side affects. HRG is the one who manages to catch Mohinder and take him into custody. Peter made the dumbest move of the volume so far by voluntarily giving his brother a hug and then getting shocked immediately afterwards. I can't stand Nathan.

Matt discovers that he has a new calling as a prophet who can paint (or draw) the future. He gets tutored by African Isaac from the previous season. He is together with Daphne and trying to live his life without use of his powers. Daphne on the other hand is having a difficult time slowing down. Matt gets caught right after getting warned by Claire of the incoming danger.

So, there they were, our main characters were all knocked out and put on a plane. Claire managed to escape and became the hero of the situation, freeing Peter while they are in the air. Peter now needs to touch other people to gan their powers and staged a great fight by taking Mohinder's strength. Peter accidently took Tracy's power and ended up freezing a side of the plane causing it to break off and start sucking the Heroes out of the plane. Peter is hanging on for dear life and Claire discovers that her dad (HRG) is on the plane as well in the copilots chair. This is where the episode ends, and I'm excited to see where it goes.

But, this recap is not over yet, because there was one "Hero" that the agents couldn't capture. His name is Sylar. Sylar spent the episode trying to find out who his real parents are. He went to who he thought his father was, but the man ended up being his uncle who gave him the address to his real father's house. While at this address, Sylar was ambushed by numerous agents who managed to shoot him with tranquilizer darts and tie him down. But this wasn't enough to keep Sylar down. He used telekinesis and electricity to beat down all the agents and he demands to know information about why they are there. He does his famous trick by starting to cut open the head of one of the agents.

So, what will happen? Will Sylar be the only chance for the Heroes survival since he can't be captured, or will Ando and Daphne team up to save the day as the most unlikely pair ever? I'm excited to see what happens once the plane crashes. Will they land on a mysterious island and start skipping through time? I'm excited for the volume and am very hopeful with the direction it is taking.

Jughead (S5, E3)

This is the first truly brilliant episode of the season for me. I loved every minute of it and loved it even more as I continued to think about it. Perhaps the reason is that it is a Desmond episode, and those always tend to be my favorite. Whatever the reason is, I loved it. There are really two storylines here that were featured- Desmond finding Daniel's mum and the castaways experiences on the island. I'll start with the Desmond storyline.

If you remember, Desmond was told by Daniel that he needs to visit he mother in Oxford. So, Desmond goes to Oxford. We get a cool flashback that shows the birth of Desmond's son, which is nice to see since a big part of the previous season was Desmond and Penny's love for each other. Desmond goes back to the place where he had his conversation with Daniel in the past about time traveling rats. He is surprised to find that nobody at the University knows of a Daniel Faraday. So, Desmond sneaks into his lab and is discovered by a man who seems to know the reason why Daniel was fired. This leads to Desmond going to a girl who was a 'patient' of Daniel's. This girl is in a coma and only pops out of it occasionally, confused about what time period she is in. Her consciousness is traveling through time similar to Desmond's experience in "The Constant" last season.

Well, Desmond gets a good piece of information- Widmore funded Daniel's research for several years. So, Desmond storms into Widmore's office and demands to know the whereabouts of Daniel's mom. Widmore gives Desmond the information about Daniel's mom, who happens to be in Los Angeles. Could she be the very same Ms. Hawking shown at the end of the last episode? Widmore also urges Desmond to keep his daughter safe since, as we know, Ben is out to hunt her down and kill her. Desmond goes back to the boat with Penny and tries to lie about getting information, but Penny sees right through it. She knows that Desmond won't quit until he has completed his mission, so she vows to go with him (right to the same city that Ben is rounding up oceanic sixers- not good). We also get a cool little moment where we discover that Desmond and Penny have named their son Charlie, surely after the rock star islander who saved the rest of them by writing "Not Penny's Boat" before drowning. I hope he is named after this Charlie and not Charles Widmore...

On the island, even more fascinating things are happening. To get more stabilization, this episode mainly takes place in the same time period on the island- the 1950s. The scientists- Daniel, Charlotte and Miles, get taken by the Others of the past and are delivered straight to Richard Alpert who looks exactly the same then as he does in present day. They discover that there is a hydrogen bomb on the island that is unstable and they need Daniel's smarts in order to disable it. So, Daniel is led to the bomb by someone he thinks is familiar (after declaring his love for Charlotte). I have strong suspicions that this girl pointing a gun at Daniel is none other than Daniel's mom- Ms. Hawking. Crazy, I know. Daniel tells the girl that they simply need to bury the bomb and it won't be a problem- evidenced by the fact that Daniel is still alive in the future on the island. Sawyer and Juliet also come up to save the day right before another flash of light comes.

Oh yeah, I should also mention that John Locke makes his way to the Other's camp and demands to speak with Richard Alpert. John gives Richard a compass and tells him to visit him in a couple of years after he is born. This explains "Cabin Fever" where young Locke gets a visit from Richard and is asked to identify which item is his from a selection of different items. The compass must have been the right choice, not the knife as little Locke chose. We also get a big piece of information when we discover that one of the others that led John to the others camp is none other than Charles Widmore! Charles Widmore was an other on the island! This causes the question, what happened that made Widmore come off the island? Is he under the same predicament as Ben?

The episode ends with Charlotte getting a severe nosebleed and fainting in Daniel's arms. She must be experiencing severe problems from time traveling so much- but it is odd that it doesn't seem to be affecting anyone else in the same way. Maybe they have altered something in the past that affects Charlotte and she is facing the results of it. This could be why she is starting to forget things like her Mother's maiden name. Maybe she is being wiped out of history because of something they've done. Who, knows! All I can say is that I'm pumped for the episodes to come and to recieve even more answers. Lost is the greatest show ever made. Hands down.

The Lie (S5, E2)

I was curious how the structure of Lost would change with this new season. For seasons 1-3, for the most part, each episode was centered around a single castaway and featured flashbacks giving insight into their pre-island past. In season 4, there was a mixture of Flashback episodes, and then Flash Forward episodes, but they were all still focused generally around a single character. So, how would season 5 structure its episodes? Would they simply drop the idea of character-centric episodes, or would they once again find a unique way to still focus in on a single character?

It seems the later is true, because this episode was clearly a Hurley episode. There was one flashback at the beginning which showed the oceanic 6 discussing their need to lie to the world about those they left behind. Hurley is obviously not in favor of lying, but has no one to back him up, not even Sayid, which causes him to have to go along with it. This obviously provided the key element to the episode- how Hurley deals with having to lie. Hurley has always been one of the more moral characters on Lost, so it makes sense that he deals with this quite differently than the other oceanic sixers. This episode involved Hurley carrying around Sayid and trying to fix him up after being shot by a dart in the previous episode. Hurley gets a visit from Ana Lucia, telling him to avoid running into cops and getting in trouble. And then Hurley goes to his dad for help with his current situation.

Their solution is to take Sayid to Jack to get fixed up. While this is happening, Hurley reaches his breaking point and spills out 4 seasons worth of information to his mom who simply says, "I don't understand it, but I believe you." Then Hurley is approached by Ben. Hurley has been told by Sayid that he should do the exact opposite of whatever Ben tells him. So, when Ben tells Hurley that he should come back to the island so he can stop lying, Hurley runs out and turns himself to the cops for his 4...I mean 3...murders. Now, things are that much trickier for Ben, since he needs to perform a prison break with Hurley to get him on board to returning to the island.

Meanwhile, Jack is able to save Sayid. On the island an annoying guy named Neal gets struck with a flaming arrow and dies (after complaining about there being no fire, very ironic!). And the islanders get caught by men with guns, until Locke comes with his knife throwing action and saves the day. Also at the end of the episode, we get another glimpse of Ms. Hawking, who was a sort of guide to Desmond when he had his first flash when the hatch exploded. She is working hard with various devices and computers, and Ben comes to visit her. Apparently they only have 70 hours to get back to the island or else "God help us all." This was a great episode that gave us insight into Hurley's dilemma since he has been back. It also gives a time frame for the 6 to get back to the island. Can Ben work his magic and somehow get the oceanic six together? Will them coming back fix the island so it stops hopping around through time? And, how did Locke die, and is he going to stay dead? Hopefully these questions and others will be answered soon. I'm excited!

Because You Left (Lost S5, E1)

On the Island, we get a introduction that features Pierre Chang, the man who is the focus of each Dharma Initiative training video. He is interrupted from making his latest video and is brought to the very same place that we saw Locke and Ben at last season: The Orchid. The workers there have been drilling holes in the wall, and their drill bits keep melting when they try to drill through. Pierre is given a sonar printout that reveals the "frozen donkey wheel" that Ben turned in last season to move the island behind the wall. Pierre demands they don't drill any further, or else doom will ensue. As he is walking away we see a man come walking the other way in a construction uniform, and it is none other than Daniel Faraday!....LOST....

I loved this first episode of the season because it set up the structure of the upcoming season- which is a distinct lack of structure. After Ben turned the big wheel, the castaways on the island jumped to a different time period before they ever came onto the island. Their camp was missing because it hadn't been built yet and Locke had a run in with none other than the heroin carrying plane that would end up being Boone's demise. But, there is more, the castaways at random times move to different time periods on the island without warning. There is a brilliant flash of white light and all of a sudden, they are in a different time period. This is a fascinating development because it allows for the viewer to get an interesting perspective on the history of the island. They can go back to the beginnings of the Dharma Initiative, and find out more back story about the mysterious others. I am very excited to see where this time travelling goes.

We got to see quite a few important things on the island in this particular episode. Locke got shot by past Ethan and had to be fixed up by a futuristic Richard Alpert. Richard gave Locke a compass and told him that he would have to die in order to get the Oceanic 6 back to the island- which is an important step to fixing their current predicament. Daniel Faraday became useful since he is the only one on the island who has any idea what is happening to them. After telling Sawyer that he can't change anything in the past and that it is useless to knock on Desmond's hatch door, he waits for Sawyer to leave and does it himself! Apparently, Desmond is special and is the only one that can help them. Daniel tells Desmond to find his mom in Oxford, and Desmond wakes up in the future and remembers this and knows he needs to help Daniel out.

As for the Oceanic 6, we got little glimpses of them that showed how bad off they are since leaving the island. Kate had to run off after being approached by an attorney who wanted to test to see if Aaron was really her son. Sun is out for revenge specifically against Ben who she feels is responsible for Ben's death, and she is allying with Charles Widmore to do it. Sayid has become a dangerous hit man and estranged from his boss, Benjamin Linus. Hurley is going back to being crazy and has had numerous encounters with dead people. Then we have Jack who is depressed over Locke's death and knows that it is important to go back to the island. Him and Ben are working together to try to gather up the oceanic six and somehow get them back to the island. But, because of the varying conditions of the oceanic 6 and their mistrust of Jack or Ben, it seems impossible for them to gain the trust of the other members of the oceanic 6. I can't wait to find out how Ben is able to manipulate this situation to his advantage.

Just a quick note...

I have changed my blogging technique a little, and I felt I should explain here what I did and the implications it has on the future of my blogs. This blog started as "Progressive Entertainment" and was a grab bag of basically everything I liked, no matter how related or unrelated they were. This made for a very confusing and crazy blog with one post being about the show Survivor, the next about an album I like, and then another about American Idol. It was getting a little crazy, I think, so I've seperated the main two subjects that were included in "Progressive Entertainment" into two new blogs.

The first is this blog, now called "So Many Shows". This blog will be about the various tv shows that I watch. I will give reviews and commentary about recent episodes of shows such as: American Idol, Survivor, Amazing Race, Lost, Heroes, and potentially others. I realize that these shows aren't all incredibly similar, but I feel that it'll make a lot more sense to have a blog about TV in general.

The other blog is "The Leviathan" and is now my music blog. On that blog I will mainly do reviews of current progressive rock albums and will occasionally spotlight what I consider to be classic prog albums. My 'main' blog is called "The Way Home" and is basically a journal of my life and progress working on my personal goals and so forth. I will provide a link to these blogs on the right side of the page. So, I hope this all makes sense and will lead to many interesting posts!

Apology About American Idol Auditions

It seems I got a little too excited at the beginning of the American Idol auditons and have not felt like writing about the auditions since the first two episodes. So, I'm sorry about not doing "People To Look Out For" for each audition episode. I feel that audition episodes don't really give an accurate showcase of these contestants, so I will start being much more consistent in my idol coverage once performance episodes start. So, there were many cool contestants and many terrible ones. I just am interested to see how it goes in the weeks to come. Hollywood week is always full of lots of delicious drama. Enjoy, humans!

American Idol: People To Watch Out For (Part 2)

I loved this episode- perhaps more than any other audition episode of American Idol ever. I think this is mainly due to the focus on good talent and uplifting stories. As I did last time, I will highlight those contestants that have caught my eye so far and may make it far in the competition.

Second Stop: Kansas City, Missouri

1. Lil Rounds

Yes, I must agree with everyone that she has probably given the best audition yet. She pulled at heartstrings by sharing her story about her family being affected by a twister. Idol usually likes to save the best for last during the audition episodes, and this was definitely the case here. I really have a strong feeling she'll be part of our top 12.

2. Von Smith

I was impressed when this guy took his place and simply belted out "Somewhere Over the Rainbow". Yes, it was overdone, but he made a significant statement- that he has a voice that not many others have. His vocal power is a strength that could end up a weakness if he overuses it. But, I think there may be potential here.

3. Asa Barnes

Asa was a very likeable guy who is a middle-school music director. He sang a Michael Jackson song and didn't turn it into a complete train wreck. It wasn't the best audition ever, but he proved that he does have significant potential in this competition. I hope for good things from him.

4. Jessica Furney

I loved her take on Janis Joplin and was very touched by the way she interacted with her 93 year old hearing impaired Grandma. I thought she had a lot of personality in her voice and a good tone. I look forward to seeing more out of her.

5. Danny Gokey

His was one of the more heartfelt moments of the episode. His wife died and it was an extremely difficult thing for him to deal with. That is why I felt like cheering for him when he tackled "I Heard It Through The Grapevine". I felt he had a lot of soul and once again a great personality. I really hope he can make it through Hollywood week.

I could probably mention a few more, but these 5 really are the standouts for me. I also wanted to give a brief mention about Jason Castro's brother, Michael. I loved Jason Castro last year (probably my second favorite contestant overall after David Cook) so I look forward to seeing what his brother can do. I wasn't able to tell much from his audition, which is why he isn't included above. I did like the fact that he had only started singing like 20 days ago in order to compete against his brother. There is nothing bertter than some healthy sibling competiton, right?

American Idol: People To Watch Out For (Part 1)

Welcome to American Idol!

During the auditions weeks, I'm going to try to not comment on the bad auditions (which I feel can be quite negative and humiliating) but instead point out people that caught my eye and who I think may have a bright future in American Idol. So, here goes!

First Stop: Phoenix, Arizona

1. Emily Hughes

I am a big fan of rockers, and she seemed to genuinely rock. She sang her heart out on Heart's Barricuda, and it was the first goosebump inducing moment of the season for me. I think she'll need a lot more dedication to the show if she wants to move forward too far, but I was very happy and felt she started off the season great.

2. Stevie Wright

I think she has great potential. She is young, beautiful and extremely talented. She gave a great rendition of "At Last" (not an easy song to sing) and I think she can go far. The only problem is that she needs to have some kind of edge that can separate her from the pack.

3. Alex Wagner-Trugman

I have a soft spot for nerds, and I think this guy fits that bill. Perhaps that is why I was such a big Clay Aiken and Chris Sligh fan (and didn't David Cook call himself the 'word nerd'?). Alex was very smart and calm during his audition and was surprisingly soulful. I'm not sure if he'll make it too far because he doesn't quite have that idol look, but you never know.

4. Scott MacIntyre

Scott gets the reward for the most tugging at one's heartstrings last night. Scott was the man with a vision impairment, and he proved that he does in fact have talent. I wasn't extremely impressed with his audition, but I do recognize that he has potential. I'm very interested to see how he does with Hollywood week.

And those are the four Arizonians that stood out to me. Stay tuned for part 2 when Idol goes to Kansas City!

My 100 Favorite Songs (at the moment)

I have spent a considerable amount of time trying to figure out what my top 100 favorite songs are. There were a lot of difficult choices made, and if I made the same list in a week, it would probably be completely different. I think that the 100 songs are all top choices, it is the ordering that proves difficult for me. But, anyways, here is the list!

100. Paradigm Shift- Liquid Tension Experiment
99. Life In Motion- The Flower Kings
98. The Wind and the Rain- Neal Morse
97. I Move- Izz
96. Oh My God- It Bites
95. Hereafter- Spock’s Beard
94. Garden Of Dreams- The Flower Kings
93. And The Druids Turn To Stone- Ayreon
92. The City Of The Sun- Kevin Gilbert
91. Chicken Farmer Song- The Flower Kings
90. In Darkest Dreams- The Tangent
89. Golden Slumbers- The Beatles
88. Mother Superior- Coheed And Cambria
87. Clocks- Coldplay
86. Walking On The Wind- Spock’s Beard
85. Trains- Porcupine Tree
84. When- Salem Hill
83. The Music That Died Alone- The Tangent
82. Send A Message From The Heart- Karmakanic
81. The Good Don’t Last- Spock’s Beard
80. Bohemian Rhapsody- Queen
79. Viva La Vida- Coldplay
78. Hallelujah- Jeff Buckley
77. Dear Dead Days- Frost*
76. Inside His Presence- Neal Morse
75. We Spin The World- Moon Safari
74. When The Water Breaks- Liquid Tension Experiment
73. Solitary Soul- Spock’s Beard
72. We All Need Some Light- Transatlantic
71. The Glass Prison- Dream Theater
70. Imagine- John Lennon
69. Cradle To The Grave- Neal Morse
68. Methuselah’s Children- Moon Safari
67. The Garden- Unitopia
66. The Temple Of The Living God- Neal Morse
65. Love Is The Only Answer- The Flower Kings
64. Help Me/The Spirit And The Flesh- Neal Morse
63. As The World- Echolyn
62. Dance On A Volcano- Genesis
61. Day For Night- Spock’s Beard
60. My River Flows- Izz
59. Love Supreme- The Flower Kings
58. Crumble- Phideaux
57. Stairway To Heaven- Led Zeppelin
56. This Is England- It Bites
55. Long Time Suffering- Spock’s Beard
54. Fatal Tragedy- Dream Theater
53. Here Comes The Sun- The Beatles
52. The Conflict- Neal Morse
51. Proclamation- Gentle Giant
50. Heart Of The Sunrise- Yes
49. Beyond This Life- Dream Theater
48. Goliath- The Mars Volta
47. Other Half Of The Sky- Moon Safari
46. Black Light Machine- Frost*
45. Late Night Salvation- Izz
44. One For The Vine- Genesis
43. June- Spock’s Beard
42. In A Glass House- Gentle Giant
41. Take The Time- Dream Theater
40. Awaken- Yes
39. Mei- Echolyn
38. Iter Impius- Pain of Salvation
37. Thick As A Brick- Jethro Tull
36. Firth Of Fifth- Genesis
35. Coming Like Light- Izz
34. One More Time- The Flower Kings
33. Learning To Live- Dream Theater
32. The Gates Of Delirium- Yes
31. Lifeline- Neal Morse
30. Blackest Eyes- Porcupine Tree
29. In The Fire- Neal Morse
28. In The Presence Of Enemies- Dream Theater
27. Isis and Osiris- Ayreon
26. Deafening Silence- Izz
25. The Conclusion- Neal Morse
24. In Earnest- The Tangent
23. The Light- Spock’s Beard
22. Free Hand- Gentle Giant
21. The Sixth Extinction- Ayreon
20. The Doorway- Spock’s Beard
19. Wasted Life- Neal Morse
18. Milliontown- Frost*
17. Octavarium- Dream Theater
16. Supper’s Ready- Genesis
15. Duel With The Devil- Transatlantic
14. Oh, To Feel Him- Neal Morse
13. Close To The Edge- Yes
12. Bridge Across Forever- Transatlantic
11. Stardust We Are- The Flower Kings
10. At The End Of The Day- Spock’s Beard
9. So Many Roads- Neal Morse
8. All Of The Above- Transatlantic
7. The Truth Will Set You Free- The Flower Kings
6. The Creation- Neal Morse
5. Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence- Dream Theater
4. The Great Nothing- Spock’s Beard
3. Monsters and Men- The Flower Kings
2. The Door- Neal Morse
1. Stranger In Your Soul- Transatlantic

Operation Fake Idol 2

Another week has passed, and we got another great episode of Survivor. Corinne was the victim this week, but she made sure to try a last ditch effort to stay in the game that seemed rather brilliant considering the desperate situation she was in. The mastermind behind the plan was actually Bob who made another fake idol with a very different purpose this time around. Instead of humiliating the next jury member, Bob used the idol to "scare" the solid Fang alliance into break apart. His plan was to make sure either him or Corinne wins individual immunity (which he did). Then, he would tell Kenny that he found the mysterious idol that Marcus threw in the ocean and was giving it to Corinne and blindsiding Matty. The potential consequence of this would be Kenny and Crystal hopping into an alliance with them to get rid of Matty instead of Corinne.

The plan was great, but Kenny did something that crashed all of Corinne's hopes of staying in the game. He told Crystal to still vote against Corinne forcing her to play the idol, and blindsiding a big threat (Matty) in one move. Sinec Corinne didn't really have an idol, Crystal's insurance vote ended up costing her the game. This move may have hurt Kenny more than anyone, and it'll be interesting to see next week how his fellow alliance members view his voting off one of their own.

6. Bob

Bob is standing on Shaky ground right now. He is all alone without any alliance members to turn to. His plan with the fake idol was great, but it seems to have come too late in the game. His only hope at this point is to win all of the remaining immunity challenges. If he can do this, and take two very hated Fang members to the end, his old alliance members would more than likely vote for him. So, he just has to work his butt off winning challenges or he will be the next to go.

5. Matty

This episode showed that there is concern on the tribe with Matty staying in the game. Matty is a huge threat for winning challenges. Bob is really his only competition when it comes to strength in a challenge. Seeing how eager Kenny and Crystal were in blindsiding him shows that there is some thinking in the tribe of getting rid of him. He needs to win challenges as well or else he won't make it to the finals.

4. Kenny

Kenny is a lot lower this week than last week because I think he made a big blunder this week. By voting for Matty, his alliance is going to be suspicious of his loyalty. When approaching the finals, the remaining contestants won't want to keep around someone they can't trust. Kenny needs to explain himself in such a way that the others forgive him and he regains his position in the game.

3. Crystal

Crystal was smart by being the one to still vote for Corinne, so she won't be in as much trouble as Kenny, but she still considered switching alliances, which may be viewed as shady by the rest of the tribemates. Crystal is also very weak and not likely to win anymore challenges, so she needs to make sure she is part of the majority alliance.

2. Susie

Susie is playing smart by staying in the background and not making waves. There are a lot of people that don't like her on the Jury and she isn't considered one of the smartest strategizers, so her chances of winning aren't great, but I think she will make the finals just by being non-threatening.

1. Sugar

Sugar has played a very interesting game. Right now not only is she one of the main leaders in her alliance, but she also has a hidden immunity idol in her pocket. She seems to have a lot of say in her alliance and I have a feeling she'll be there in the finals as well. The jury hates her (especially Randy and Corinne) so it might be difficult to get votes, but maybe she'll win by default by being against weaker competitors. I think the winner is going to come down to who is the lesser evil, so she'll have to try to satisfy this demand.

Perfect 10 Series: Frost*- Experiments In Mass Appeal

In the previous edition of the perfect 10 series, I talked about a beautiful album by a band called Moon Safari. This time, the album if by a band named Frost* and in my opinion is almost flawless. Every song is its own little masterpiece and I get extremely excited at the start of each track as I go through the album. I feel it is a good sign when it is too hard to determine a favorite track from an album and I have to conclude that my favorite track is whichever one I'm currently listening to.

I love the bombastic nature of this album. Many of the songs switch between quiet, serene passages to loud, fast extravaganzas that catches the listener off guard. A good example of this is the title track that begins the album. You start with a very nice, peaceful melody accompanied by acoustic guitars, and then, bam! you are hit full force with a very loud, powerful piece. This contrast is brillant and makes the album that much more exciting.

I don't know what to say except that every track is brilliant in its own way. Particularly, I love Pocket Sun and the crazy drum part that I still have a hard time wrapping my head around. I love the beauty of Saline, especially the string section at the end. Dear Dead Days is fantastic, everything I love about Prog wrapped up in a nice 6 minute package. It is just incredible and leads right into the next fantastic song, Falling Down. I have to also say that You/I is my favorite 1 minute song- it is just haunting beauty personified.

Another of my favorite tracks is Wonderland, which I feel is closest to their other album, Milliontown (even with a reference to the album included). I love the piano lines and the beautiful singing. Also great are the other tracks, Welcome to Nowhere and Toys, which are just tons of fun. This album has it all- incredible beauty, breathtaking soundscapes, and impeccable musicianship. I just grin from ear to ear through the whole thing. I only have one criticism- it is way too short! The album goes by so fast, but I enjoy every second of it. I think Frost* just increased several positions on my favorite artist list. Well done, mates!