First Year of Zangz's Blog of Geekdom done and over with. On into a whole new year of lameness and self loathing!

Happy Friday to one and all!!! Welcome to another pathetic attempt at humor, creative writhing and cry for attention that is known as Zangz's Blog of Geekdom. Well, now that you're here you might as well stay a while and venture into my pathetic little realm of the absurd and unimpressive. I got a few Bock beers in my system to ensure a very interesting, if not horrorificly misspelled, blog entry. So, ground yourselves, 'cause here we go.....

I finally finished "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, The Sith Lords" on the Xbox. Overall, it was quite enjoyable. Not much of a difference than it's predecessor (Knights of the old Republic) when it comes to game play. But, that can be overlooked as it's still an epic entry into the Star Wars mythose. It took me a good month and a half to play through the entire game. I consider that a good thing. Designers need to immerse the player into the world they create. If the game is over within 7 or 8 hours, it's a bust. When it comes to RPG's, you want to delve into an epic experience. SW:KOTORII,TSL does just that. The gripes? Well, the story line is a bit more deep and convoluted than the first one. There's a bit of a plot twist, but you kind of see it coming early on. Whereas in the first game, the plot twist was a total mind-frack, whereas the one in II is a bit lame. Another gripe? Some of the planets you visited in the first game, you visit again in this game. I would have liked to have come upon a whole bunch of new and original planets rather than revisit familiar territory and the same settings. My friend, Mr Salty is playing it also and I think he feels the same way. I gotta go back and play the game as a Sith Lord and see if the game has even more to offer.

My last blog noted that the sequel to Elder Scrolls IV: Morrowind was released, Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion and how I will have to wait quite a while to be able to play it. Well, I ran into a guy who owns the liquor store where I puchase my favorite brews and as I was purchasingthe fomerly mentioned Bock beer that I'm currently consuming, I overheard him talking on his cell about how he's been playing Oblivion for the last three days straight. We'll refer to him as "Murry". Murry said he loved the game! He mentioned that it was a it more challenging than the Morrowind as it's much harder to get away with some of the stuff you could get away with in Morrowind. No more stealing from unattended boxes of barrels, as the law are quite astute at what you're doing, whether they are present at the scene of the crime or not. Again, you'll all have to wait a great while before you see any form of review of the game from my Blog of Geekdom as I'll have to wait quite awhile before I can purchase an Xbox 360 as well as the game itself. However, I would like to put into effect the official Zangz's Blog of Geekdom Xbox 360 Donation incentive. Anyone donating both and Xbox 360 as well as a copy of Elder Scrolls V: Oblivion to myself, Zangz will be eligible to have their names posted right here on my blog. I can't think of a better reward than to actually be a part of the Blog of Geekdom. It's something that both world leaders and forgotten gods wish for on a daily basis. So donate to the cause now!!!!!!!

Let's step away from the video game realm for a while and venture onto something else....

HEY! I ALMOST FORGOT! IT'S THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF MY BLOG OF GEEKDOM!!!!! HOLY FRELL!!!!!

Yep. One year exactly. Let's see where we were at back then.

• I was anticipating the release of Star Wars, Episode III: Revenge of the Sith and the onslaught of action figures from the movie that were about to hit the shelves of most of the noteworthy toy stores out there. In fact, I was offering the should of my first born son to get my geeky little paws on a General Grevous figure. Well I got it! So much for ever having a son.
  
• I was also jamming out to some Monster Magnet on my computer. They're still a great band. It's just that their lead vocalist has to drop the drug habit and stop overdosing so they can come out with a new album.
  
• I was also playing Fable on the Xbox. A very good, if not short, foray into the realms of counsel RPG's. Visually stunning, but not very long or epic. After you achieve the main quest there is very little for you to do. Not the greatest game if you've been playing Morrowind for the last 8 months.
• The Pope was about to buy the farm and of course I was being snarky about it. There goes my whole soul thing again.

Well, on to other stuff....

Last week's episode of Dr. Who was right up my alley as it involved Victorian England and the undead returning from the grave. I love that creepy, spooky stuff. This week's episode revolves around a UFO crashing in the Thames river. Not as intriguing to me as the undead of Victorian London, but I'm still looking forward to tonight's episode.

I actually taped the Sci-Fi Channel's Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King belive it or not. The Sci-Fi Channel isn't exactly the predesesor of high quality TV movie entertainment. In fact, a lot of their original movies are pretty unwatchable. About 90% of them are rip off's of the Alien movies while the other 10% are rip off's of massive insect festation movies that plagued us during the late '70's. I was truly hoping for something different when they tried to manifest a fantasy movie. Well, if you can ignore the fact that half of the cast can't act and that the effects are quite obviously CG'd, it's actually watchable. Keep in mind that it's based on old tales known as Ring of the Nibelungs that was about old Pagan gods and that the producers of the Sci-Fi Channel decided to focus mainly on the human story of it. It's good for a bit of a one time watch. Other than that, it's quite forgettable. Why did I even bother writing that????

I think that's all she wrote for now. Until next time, onwards and upwards!

Zangz.

Idon'twannabemeIdon'twannabemeIdon'twannabeme......

Another Friday night and the Zangz is back. For the next few minutes I'll be pounding on the ol' computer keyboard, puking out the least important facts and news about the geek world. All the while anticipating this evening's future activities as the newest Episode of Dr. Who is aired while many bottles of Bergoff Dark are emptied down the gullet which will immediately be followed by locking myself in my bedroom, turning off the lights and uncontrollably crying for the next few hours as Type-O-Negative's song "I Don't Wanna Be Me" is played on a loop tape. It's another wondrous Friday night here in Zangz's Vault of Geekdom!

This may be a shorty since there's not a lot to expound about here in the Blog of Geekdom. There are, however a few nibbles and bites here and there......

Gary Oldman turned 48 this week and has confirmed he will, indeed, reprise his role as Sirius Black in the next Harry Potter film. Oldman has been one of my favorite actors and usually takes on incredible roles that fly under the radar. I'm hoping he'll have a bigger role in this one than in the last two.

Two of my favorite TV shows are moving right a long at warp speed. Both Lost and 24 have had some really great story lines and plot twists this season. Lost keeps us guessing at every turn while 24 has killed off more than a few of their major characters. "Sole Patch" Tony, the beautiful Michelle, "Special Edger" as well as a newer character this season (Played by Lord of the Rings graduate, Sean "Samwise" Astin) have all been killed off, wasted and bleedin' demised. When will the carnage end? I'm just hoping to God that Mini Skirt Mandy pops in this season.

Lucas and his cohorts are slowly moving forward with a live action Star Wars TV show. Producer Rick McCallum recently was heard saying that they are writing the series right now. It's supposedly going to take place between episodes III and IV and will revolve around a group of bounty hunters. It's also supposed to be slightly geared more to us adult SW fans with a tinge of darkness to it. Don't expect it to be on your TV set anytime before 2008 or 2009. Please, Lord, let this be on a cable station I have!!!!!

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (sequel to my all time favorite video RPG, Morrowind) just hit the shelves this week. It's designed to be played on the Xbox 360 as well as VERY powerful computers. It's getting rave reviews as being one of the best, open ended / sandbox gaming experiences of all time! There may be a few frame rate and loading situations that critics are griping about, but, all in all, this looks to be a game that may put the GTA games to shame when it comes to player imearsiveness. Sadly, I'll have to wait a few eons before I can afford a '360. Perhaps then the game will be on the greatest hits list and will be less than the $60 price tag the game carries.

Since it's been a slow geek week here in my Blog of Geekdom, I guess I'll have to bless you with yet another chapter of.......

ZANGZ'S BLOG OF GEEKDOM'S WEBSITE OF THE MOMENT

X-entertainment
Ever have a jones for that cereal, Saturday morning cartoon,candy or toy that you used to get immense pleasure out of when you were younger. Well look no further for that jones. It's right here at this website! You'll get a lump in your throat when you traverse through here and reminisce on many a pop culture memory.

I got to get going on my Dr. Who, Bergoff and crying for the evening. We'll talk later.

Zangz.

"V" for Vexcellent, Vawsome and Very Good!

Ok, let's shake off our post St. Patrick's day hangovers, throw up our green beer and then get straight to the nerdosity, shall we?

I went to go see "V for Vendetta" last night and was quite impressed. First, a brief back history. The movie is heavily based on a graphic novel (that's a "big comic book", for those of you not into the geek genres) written by famed comic scribe, Alan Moore, that came out in the early '80's. The story revolves around a not too distant London which is under the dictatorship of a right wing, conservative government. However, there is one masked, mysterious and ubertheatrical individual who takes on the government who calls himself "V".

The Sci-Fi, action, drama film is making waves in the media. Most reports and reviews are hearkening it as a frightening parallel of what the Bush administration is up to in our current times. The film is also posing questions about where vigilantism ends and terrorism begins. So, not only do we have a great action movie on our hands, but also something quite thought provoking to mess with our noodles.

Most of the time I'm quite turned off when Hollywood and its socially elite celebrities try and preach to me how I should manage my social ideals. I don't need the likes of George Clooney and others like him that earn more making one movie than I will ever see in a lifetime trying to tell me how I should think. Sorry, it ain't gunna happen! However, "V for Vendetta" is a bit different in the fact that not only does it make you think, it also has a very deep story that at one point gave me a bit of a lump in my throat. Admittedly there are a few messages that are thrown at you that are, indeed, blatant propaganda. But, it's Hollywood. What would you expect. Being a militant moderate who leans to the left, there were times that I could relate to and times that I was rolling my eyes a bit saying to myself, "C'mon! Could they be anymore blatant with this message? We get it, George Bush sucks! Can we move along to some more action and violence, please!"

Not giving too much away about the plot and story, I felt that both Hugo Weaving (V) and Natalie Portman (V's young protege, Evie) put on fan-frellin'-tastic performances! I'm loving this Weaving guy more and more every time I see one of his flicks. I hope he continues to go the geek genre route with the films he chooses. He's becoming a fan favorite. To be able to put on a convincing performance while the whole time he's wearing a mask is pretty impressive. Miss Portman returns to the same energy she had way back when she was 14 years old and made "Leon: The Professional". Sadly, this energy was completely vacant during the Star Wars prequels when she took on the role of Padme Amidalla. But, you'll see that she gives her all in "V for Vendetta", and it really pays off wonderfully! An excellent performance!

The movie itself is an excellent cross-breed of futuristic Sci-Fi, action and drama that is mixed quite well for most of the movie. There are a few portions where the drama did lag on for a bit longer than it should have. Yet, there were also times where it made the film that much more important. The action is choreographed to sheer perfection! Would we expect anything less than the men that gave us the Matrix (Joel Silver and the Wachowski Bros.)? The few fight scenes were visual wonders. I just wish there were a few more to balance out the heavy handed drama and sociopolitical commentary.

All in all, this was my type of movie and I'll at some point or another I'll put into my DVD collection. But, then again I still have to get both Batman Begins and Sin City also. Guess I'm a cheap bastage!

Cripes. This is going to be a long one. Sorry folks, but there's a lot we have to catch up on. Next topic.....

Once I got home from the movie I had the great pleasure of watching Dr. Who on the Sci-Fi Channel. For those not of the geek breed, Dr. Who is an immensly popular, British TV series that has been running on and off for about 30+ years now. The Doctor, himself is a immortal time lord who travels from time to time, galaxy to galaxy and parallel universe to parallel universe solving intergalactic crimes and hunting down both alien and robotic baddies. The Doctor is also a being that can travel from body to body every so many years. Which helps out the show's writers and producers when an actor retires, leaves or gets too old for the role. Keep in mind this thing has gone on for more than three centuries. There have been more than a few actors who have taken on the role of Doctor Who.

I was first introduced to the series in the mid to late '80's when the local public station aired about 3 of them in a row on Sunday afternoons. This was during the Tom Baker period, where the actor portraying Dr. Who wore a long brown coat, fedora, long colorful scarf and a piece of celery pinned to his lapel. I never got deeply into it as many Dr. Who fanatics (called Whovians) are. But I did enjoy its grand stories and cheap effects. It was a very quirky, fun show. Sadly the local channel stopped airing them in the early 90's and haven't broadcast them since. Prigs!

However, they've re-invigorated the series in England and are now showing last years season on the Sci-Fi Channel. Last night was the first two episodes in the series. I have to admit that I really liked them. It lost a little of it's charm as the effects were far better than the endearing old, horrible effects of the original series. But the story, pace and cadence of the show was still present. The Doctor always pulls some unsuspecting, usually hot female earthling into his world of intergalactic craziness. The new shows are no exception as a beautiful blond, Rose gets put on the Whovian crazy train. She's both a fun character and quite nice on the ol' peepers. I think I'm gunna like Friday nights in Sci-Fi!

One last entry and I'll call it a day.....

Being a big Type-O-Negative fan, I was thrilled this week when the band FINALLY came out with some form of new material. The home video "Symphony for the Devil" was released and I've already enjoyed the mass majority of it. It combines live footage of a concert at a German Metal festival from several years back and intertwines it with candid (sometimes way to frellin' candid!) wacky, backstage highjinx. For the most part it's a great addition to my Type-O-Negative collection. However, how many shots of the band members' privates do I gotta see?

NOTE TO TYPE-O-NEGATIVE FROM MY BLOG OF GEEKDOM: Next time you make a video I could use more shots of Fuse TV's Juliya and less shots of keyboardist Josh Silver's junk!

I'm hoping they'll be a new album come this fall, but I won't hold my breath.

Jeeze, I haven't linked the frell out of one of my blogs like that in a long time. Hope you bastages appreciate it.

I gotta start to get ready for a Pirate themed B-day bash of a very good friend. Thus, ends a monstrously long Blog of Geekdom.

Until, next time...
Zangz.

More mindless drivel about lots of inane crap that few shall care about!

Here comes another fun filled journey into the world of geeky endeavourers, the genres of Sci-Fi - Fantasy - Horror, nerdy angst, absolute loneliness, a pit of desolation, self loathing and a desperate need for the smallest crumb of attention that is my blog.

I'm Zangz, and I welcome you to my little smidgen of the world wide web.

It's been a while so here we go.....

I think it's a safe bet that we may not see a new Indiana Jones movie until 2008. Spielberg has already said that he won't be shooting anything in 2006. So they'll probably shoot in 2007 and then release in late 2007 or summer of 2008. I bet when this puppy comes out a bunch of us will pull a full Star Wars sized geek-out and end up waiting in line at midnight again. They better get on it. It's not like Ford, Spielberg or Lucas are getting any younger. What does it take to get these guys busy on this thing. Apparently there is a script, but God knows when we'll see some serious work being done on this thing. Time is money, let's get going!

Next on the agenda, I've found myself enthralled with the Xbox version of the video game RPG "Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic II, The Sith Lords" as of late. I'm well into it and I find it more than parallel with the first game. So I'm quite enjoying it, but I don't see much progress from the former game to this sequel. I enjoy the game play, so I'm not that bothered by it. But it would have been nice to see far better graphics and a few more significant game play advances than the first game had. But still, I'm enjoying it a great deal. I have heard rumors that the PC version of the game cuts off some of the quests towards the end of the game due to the release date being rushed. I'm hoping that the Xbox version isn't plagued by the same problem.

I've also re-started "The Elder Scrolls II: Morrowind" on the Xbox. Since my old Xbox that died had 8 months worth of the game saved on it, I decided, "What the frell, I'll start all over with a totally new character". It's not like I'm gunna be playing the sequel, "Oblivion" on a Xbox 360 anytime soon. I need to win the frackin' lottery, dude.

I'm reading John Shirley's John Constintine novel, War Lord right now. It's pretty good so far. After I'm done with it I'll get to the third book in the Damphire series, Sister of the Dead. Of course there will be reviews that will bore your sox off that shall follow.

Can you believethat I'm already getting a jones for Halloween. I found myself searching the web for Haunted House sites and having a pang of hunger for the smell of dying leaves and the vision of a blood red, harvest moon. Good lord, I need a Halloween fix.

Hey, I attended my first same sex commitment ceremony last weekend. How progressive am I? It was a lot of fun and there was a lot of female eye candy. The two guys getting married had about 90 brides maids and all were very fetching (and attached, gosh darnit!). Ya know, I never intended the Blog of Geekdom to be a leftist propaganda source, but even the most homophobic retard has to admit to the fact that those in the gay community have to pay taxes, just like the rest of us. Don't you think that they should have the same rights that the rest of us do in this country. It's so sad that we're still trying to progress past this horrible state of puritanical stupidity that forces us back into the times of the dark ages where people were still being burned at the stake and the god police ruled with an iron hand.

Speaking of the god police and puritanical times, you all need to go out and see "V for Vendetta" next weekend!!! If the movie is true to the Alan Moore graphic novel that it is based on, it will kick some major frellin' butt!!! It will also have a very timely message! The fact that actor Hugo Weaving is playing "V" is enough reason for us geeks to throng to the theaters to see it. His Agent Smith from The Matrix and king of the elves in the Lord of the Rings trilogy was short of brilliant. I won't go too far into the story line of "V", but it takes place in the not too distant future where London is ruled by a fascist government. There seems to be one mysterious vigilante who is giving the government a run for their money. If it follows the graphic novel closely, there's gunna be one hell of a twist midway through the movie that will burn your noodles. Rumor has it that movie critics love the film, yet author of the graphic novel (and modern day mage) Alan Moore hates the final outcome. He may still be a bit sore with what Hollywood did with his "League of Extrodinary Gentlemen". Admittedly, they botched that one up a bit.

My weekend plans involve some very old friends I haven't seen in a while, a Admirals hockey game and a session of Star Wars role playing game run by Mad Mario. Then the next weekend involves "V for Vendetta", St. Patrick' day and a Pirate themed b-day party. So I'm loaded full of geeky hapiness to hide away the immense lonliness and self hatred. Yippeeeee!

To end this edition of my blog, I will feature something I haven't done in quite a while. Here's another version of....

ZANGZ'S WEBSITE OF THE MOMENT

Gotham Public Works
A lot of those of us wrapped up into the genres that make up the worlds of the fantastic have an interest in costuming. Many of the Sci-Fi and Fantasy conventions around the country feature costume contests where many a fan with the gift of the sewing needle come forth in a battle for the creative. Here you will find a group that have an incredible talent of recreating many of the costumes from the Batman mythose. Plus the movies, comic books and cartoon shows are represented here. And aren't the female leads quite fetching? So check it out if you have the time. These people spent loads of time putting this all together and it really paid off.

That's all for now. Check back again soon. God knows I'm quite lonely.

Zangz.