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Category Archives: X-men
Meeting Loni, My Pen Pal of 16 Years
Do you remember when you were 13 years old? What made you happy back then? What influenced you? Who did you want to be by the time you were 30? Can you remember? I can only speak for myself, but I do remember being at that important age of pre-womanhood going through the motions of middle school and eventual high school drama. Most girls will say that middle school was the worst time of their life (and I guess I can agree with that) since girls are not usually the nicest in that time. Can you blame them though? Girls go from complete childhood fantasy and whimsy to pre-pubescent overdrive in a way of months sometimes. I’m glad to say I was a late bloomer and even then I did things my way.
In the summer of 1993, my parents took me to San Francisco for my mom’s college reunion. In the airport, I picked up my first comic book ever, X-men #23 to be exact. I had watched a few episodes of the new X-men: The Animated Series and kind of fell in love. This comic book made absolutely no sense to me when I read it (especially since this was the issue that Mr. Sinister foreshadowed an illegitimate sibling to Cyclops in a harsh Alaskan winter) but I was hooked. Luckily for me, my neighbor (who happened to be Filipino and the son of my mom’s best friend at the time) was also a comic book reader, so I was taken to the Comic Book Carnival in Broad Ripple. (Now it is located by Sakura). Needless to say, I became a regular comic-book reader after that. In January of 1994, the huge Jean Grey and Scott Summers wedding issue came out. Since Jean Grey was my favorite character, I just had to write a letter to the editor staff to tell them my opinions on this landmark issue. What possessed me to do that? I still to this day have no idea, but I can remember getting out a pencil and paper and writing my thoughts down and sending it to The House of Ideas.
Here is my letter to the editor:
“Dear X-Pressions,
What can I say? X-men #30 was marvelous, spectacular, and awesome!!! I’ve only recently become a comics collector, and this issue is definitely a great issue to have started with! The reason I started collecting X-men was because this book has women! I’m not saying that women are totally overlooked in today’s society but, in your books, women are some of the main characters!
I loved when Rogue flew up and caught the bouquet, and I thought it was great when Jean telekinetically lifted Professor X up and danced with him in the air! It’s wonderful that Jean and Scott finally got married – even though Scott seems like such a papa’s boy to me (and his father died such a long time ago).
If you ask me, I think Jean should have married Wolverine! I know for certain that Logan would protect his woman! Well, I gotta go. But, before I do, one question – who’s Lila Cheney?“
A few months later, my mom took me to the comic store to get my monthly allowance worth of comics, and I shuffled through my new X-men #33 to the back of the issue to see if my letter had been published. Seriously, what was I thinking? Back in those days, I’m sure Marvel had so many letters to the editors, so I was pretty cocky in assuming my letter would be published. Sure enough, my letter was published (along with my full name and address) with only a few editor changes (which includes the bit about Cyclops’ dad being dead. Duh, I knew that). I thought that was pretty impressive that my letter didn’t have to go through major editing. I guess my 12-year-old sass was enough for the editors to choose me. And I have never once admitted this before, but my name was published as “Jennifer” and the editor addressed me as “Jen” so from there on, I was going to be called Jen. Lame, I know, but oh so true! As months passed, I would get various letters from people in response to my opinions. Do you remember how awesome it was to get mail back in those days? I would run home from the bus and have stacks of letters sometimes. You’ve gotta remember that I was only 12 when this published and my age was not verified. I got A LOT of letters from men in jail. I’ll never forget reading one letter and asking my dad what one sentence meant. Needless to say, I was never allowed to open a letter from jail ever again. (gross sick weirdos!)
However, I did get a letter from a girl my age named Clare who lived in Van Nuys, CA. We wrote often, and I was able to meet her in the summer of 1995 when I went to UCLA for a softball camp. Before I went to the camp, I met up with her and we went to Disneyland together. A few years later while I was in high school, her father took her and her two brothers cross-country in an RV, and they stayed with us for a few days. We went and saw Mulan.
Although I already had an instant pen pal, I got one last letter a year after the publishing date. It was from a girl in Louisiana who was a year older than me. I had never met anyone from the South, so I was entranced. Look at this righteous piece of history:
May 16, 1995
Dear Jennifer,
Hello! You don’t know me, but I saw your letter in X-men #33 and decided to write to you. I hope I don’t annoy you too much! If I don’t, I’m lookin’ for someone to start a penpalship with, so maybe you could write me back or something.
I guess I should tell you my name and stuff, huh? Okay, my name is Loni, and I’m gonna be starting high school next year. I’m thirteen and have been collecting comic books for about a year now. My first book was X-men #33, but I was hesitant to write to you. I like to draw, write, listen to music, and of course collect comics. My two favorite characters are Gambit and Rogue.
Okay, I hope that’s enough to get started with. I know you’ve probably received tons of letters from other people already, and I’m sorry for not writing to you earlier, but I would be appreciative if you would try to write me back. Bye!
Sincerely,
Loni
So that is where it all began. The thing about pen pals is that sometimes life just gets in the way. Clare and I still wrote to each other, but Loni and I became fast and instant best friends. She would write me a letter almost every week, so we had more correspondence. Don’t get me wrong, I loved writing to Clare too, but it was very fresh to meet someone else living in a different world. Another huge difference between Loni and Clare was that Loni put a lot of effort in to every letter. She would draw beautiful images of X-men characters on the envelopes or in the letter itself. We would take Polaroids of ourselves and send them to each other. I used to have a wall devoted to all of our past pictures. I would talk to her not only about comics but boys as well. It was wonderful having a hidden ally who would listen to you and give you confidence without seeing each other. We had a long and fruitful correspondence from 1995 to around 1998 when Loni started applying for colleges. At this time, I still had two years until my graduation and I was working hard to get a softball scholarship. (To the left you can see a sample of her letter envelopes along with the box where I would store all of her letters.) Yup, I still have each one! Eventually, Loni and I stopped writing to each other once she went to LSU for college. After that, I went to Purdue, and life got in the way. (At the same time, Clare was at Mt. Holyoke and we would occasionally send each other postcards). My address would always change and I think her parents moved. Thanks to Facebook, I was able to re-connect with both pen pals later on down the line.
A few weeks ago, I talked to my friend Mary about her 30th birthday party. We worked out the details, and I was going to see her in Salt Lake City! (I will post more of that in a separate post soon!) Ironically, Loni had moved to SLC a few years ago after getting married. Her husband is now looking for a permanent position in genetics. (Seriously, they are destined to be together since he is like Professor X but with lots of hair and charm, haha!) They had their son, Colin, two years ago. So when I knew I was going to SLC, I had to meet her finally. After a lot of crazy Facebook messages and texts, we finally arranged a time and place to meet.
I was so flippin’ excited, I’m not gonna lie. Everyone has a bucket list and meeting Loni was definitely on there. I talked to my mom a few days before going out West, and she was like, “How is she going to recognize you since you’ve gained so much weight?” *sigh. ”Mom, this is the first time we’ve ever met so she has never seen me in person before.” She paused. ”Well, I hope she doesn’t think you’ve been lying to her. You used to be so thin.” Lord, I swear my mom thought I met up with her on Match.com or something ridiculous. Haha. Anyway, with a pep talk like that, how can you be nervous, ya know?
On Thursday (the day I arrived), Mary and I met Loni at Desert Edge, which is a bar close to her house. Mary and I got there first and I wore my special Tokidoki Rogue shirt in her honor. When we spotted each other, it was like electricity. We ran up and hugged (and I’m not much of a hugger but it was truly electric!) and it seemed like the planets aligned. We grabbed a table and talked for a very long time. It was wonderful. Loni and I would occasionally talk on the phone when she was at her grandparents house if memory serves, so I already knew her voice. Her Louisiana Southern drawl was still there but not nearly as much as before. I brought along a few presents for her like the new X-men: First Class Blu-ray along with a Cars 2 sticker book for little Colin. She was so adorable. I’m so glad she had a Blu-ray player! I also brought a few extra treats from the letter box. At one point, I got out the first letter she had ever written to me. It was hand written with amazing penmanship. The pencil is very faded, but there it was. She thought it was a hoot! Apparently her parents moved and threw all of my letters away. Since I am my mother’s daughter, I keep everything that has ever been important to me. Yes, I still have all the letters I sent to her since I saved them on a floppy disk. (**Sidenote, Matt and I tried to retrieve my letters from the disk when I got home. We tried to open it on my college PC, but the disks wouldn’t open. Sadness envelopes me. Does anyone know how to open them? Stupid technology becoming obsolete. Sigh.)
It was also funny to go back in time and talk about the past. She mentioned that she thought my high school boyfriend was a major jerk but she never wanted to tell me so (haha, boy, I should have listened to her). I did include a picture of her major high school crush (whom I nicknamed “The Dippery”) to surprise her and make her laugh. It is very interesting to re-live high school memories with someone who you didn’t actually go to high school with. At this point, I had two beers and was feeling pretty good. Loni invited Mary and me to visit her cute little house a few blocks up. We went in and met her husband and adorable son. He was so cute. I just wanted to pinch his little cheeks. We then went downstairs and had a few glasses of wine while talking some more. Eventually we got into talking about wigs somehow and Loni gave me a long pink wig that she hadn’t used for Halloween or her birthday.
I can’t even express how happy I was that night. Meeting someone special that you have waited for melts your heart a little, ya know? As we left, Loni and I embraced one last time, and I told her I’d write soon. I mean to keep that promise even if it’s a Facebook message or an actual letter like the old days. Now that her husband is looking for a new place to work, hopefully I can visit her again sometime down the line. As we left, Mary asked me if I thought she would be how I expected her to be. I replied, “absolutely!” It’s funny since when I was 13 years old, I always wanted to have a fun and fashionable life. I wanted to do something with English and Writing since I enjoy it (I work in publishing so this counts); I wanted to wear interesting clothes (nothing beats a red faux-leather jacket and muck luck hat with pink wig) and just be the same person I was back then. I really haven’t changed. Other than the fact I was a bit drunk after the beers and wine. I went straight to sleep and had wonderful dreams.
When I woke up on Friday, I was still wearing my Rogue shirt with the pink wig on top and my muck-luck hat. I’d say it was a perfect and proper Jen moment. I love you, Loni and can’t wait to see you again!
The End of Uncanny X-men…
…until next month anyway. As most of you know, I have been in love with X-men since 1993. It is hard being a comic book fan sometimes since the writers and higher-ups like to toy with my emotions (killing Jean Grey over and over) and continuity (like ending its longest running X-men book for a stupid re-boot). Uncanny X-men began in 1963 and has never ended even though other titles came out with new numbering. Over the last decade, the X-men franchise has become even more popular because of the various movies and cartoon shows. Eleven years ago, they “re-booted” the X-men story into “Ultimate X-men,” which had its moments of being cool and fun to read. Over the summer, the X-men went through “X-men: Schism” which tore the team into two separate entities. One team will be run by Cyclops, which will focus on keeping the mutant race afloat while fighting for their lives. The other team will be run by Wolverine, who decides to re-open the school for gifted youngsters in New York now called “The Jean Grey School For Higher Learning.”
Personally, I thought Schism was laughable. My comic reading buddy, Farmer, informed me that Marvel had planned this storyline for over 2 years. What? How? NO WAY. It was not very creative if you ask me. Let’s see shall we? Let’s create a new Hellfire Club consisting of 7-12 year old children who are the offspring of billionaire industrialists. The new Hellfire children attack a mutant museum opening where many X-men characters are visiting. This is where the schism happens between Cyclops (now a bona fide jerk character) and Wolverine (the best there is at what he does, and now schoolmaster? wha??) Wolverine thinks the young mutants should be learning how to use their powers like X-men do while Cyclops thinks the younglings should be going into battle. A new character named Idie is the catalyst since she is told to kill anything, which she does. She is a 14-year-old girl (drawn like a 30-year-old busty chick while the Hellfire bad kids are maybe only 2-4 years difference in age) who kills all the bad guys. I find it interesting that her name is Idie, which always looks like “I Die.” Anyway, that is what breaks the team apart. The best line of all Schism? Cyclops tells Wolverine that Jean never loved him and was frightened of him. I really hate what the writers did to Cyke.
Any who, that is your X-men lesson for the day. Uncanny X-men #544 is the finale issue (as of now) drawn by the controversial Greg Land. Personally, I enjoy Greg Land’s art even though it is very “pornface-ish” with tracing of magazines on almost every frame. I’m not an artist and never pretended to be. I like his art, sue me. The story follows Mr. Sinister chronicling the end of the Uncanny X-men while being reborn somehow.
The character depiction is what makes this book great. The first page begins with a throwback homage to Uncanny X-men #1 with new dialogue. The writing on this book was wonderful. Out of the remaining 5 original X-men, only 3 are depicted (since Angel is in deep in Uncanny X-force, which is the best Marvel book right now). Iceman is lovable. Beast is great. Cyclops is a jerk. I loved the splash page in the middle of the book the most. It depicts Cyke’s memories of his time with the X-men. Notice Nimrod made it in the image (and no pornface on him which I pointed out to my comic-loving boss). The book ends with the teams separating and going their separate ways.
I won’t lie and say I didn’t tear up a little. It was a melancholy book. I’m almost 30 and Uncanny X-men is ending! This came out in 1963 when I was an egg floating around in the Philippines somewhere. (True story, ha.)
So there you have it. I am excited for the new “It’s Coming” launch which somehow involves the Phoenix force. I know the title Uncanny X-men will reboot, and I will buy it, but it still frustrates me. I am also bummed that Jean Grey looks to still be dead. I’ve wasted most of my 20′s reading books without her.
Here’s to the next 544 issues. Excelsior!
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Review of “X-men: First Class”
The long-awaited hype is over! I’ve been waiting for a quality X-men movie since 2003. Let me bring you all back to that amazing night in May circa 2003. I was attending Purdue, and finals were finished! I was working at the local comic book store, and I was able to secure midnight passes for X2. All of my teenage dreams hit fruition in X2 since Jean Grey had sacrificed herself to save her teammates, and a Phoenix shadow was reflected in the water. Ever since that moment, I have waited for an amazing follow-up. With the release of Bryan Singer of the X-men franchise and the debacle of Brett Ratner – I knew that X3 would be a horror. I was right. Not only did the movie completely butcher the character of Jean Grey, but it also tore out my heart and stomped on it.
So yeah, a few months ago, I saw the leaked pictures of the mutant cast of X-men: First Class and was even more annoyed. The White Queen looked like the Tooth Fairy, and Beast looked ridiculous. That was months ago. Now there are many reviews out– and they are POSITIVE! This blew my mind since this movie looked destined to suck. Apparently there is a huge spoiler out in the reviews which I have blocked. I wanted to judge this with an open mind. (Biased, but blocked that is!) Before viewing, I will say I am most looking forward to seeing how they portray Charles + Magneto’s relationship. I am also interested in Moira MacTaggert, since I have always loved her. I do find it irritating that the only Original X-man who made this movie is Beast. Sure, we know that Iceman and Angel (the normal Warren version and not the Grant Morrison stupid character showcased) were in the earlier films as younger mutants. How can you have Havok instead of Cyclops? These are the thoughts plaguing me.
I channelled my early 20′s and got two tickets for the midnight showing. I picked up my kid brother, who is now 17, and ventured off to the midnight showing with other fanboys and girls. I was happy to see that there was an equal amount of male/female fandom. Charlie refused to be seen in public with me wearing my Jean Grey costume, so I wore my new X-men shirt instead.
When the movie began, I was shocked to see… hmm… the same scene from X-men. That’s right, Magneto manifesting as a kid. The main villain of the movie is Sebastian Shaw from the Hellfire Club, which is a decent choice I suppose. What is the point of the movie? Apparently thermonuclear war will create a race of mutants.
So here is what I am going to do; I am going to write a short list of why this movie is good and why this movie SUCKS. You be the judge for yourself.
The Good:
-Ummm… Michael Fassbender, Michael Fassbender, MICHAEL FASSBENDER!!! This movie should be re-named “This is Why Magneto is Awesome!” I haven’t seen any of his earlier work, (I need to see him in Jane Eyre), but wow, he is a gorgeous specimen of man. You see him speak French, German, Spanish, and you see him in a wetsuit looking absolutely eat-able. The ladies will enjoy Herr Lensherr. I sure did. He is the best part of the movie! The best special effect was at the beginning when he rips apart a yacht. I really hope he is the father of January Jones baby if she got knocked up by someone on this crew.
- The Magneto/Professor X relationship is heavily explored, and it is very enjoyable for all X-men fans. James McAvoy does a good job of channeling a young Xavier other than his huge British accent. (Well, Patrick Stewart is British too, so I guess it makes sense)
- Out of the “First Class” team, Banshee was perfectly cast and was great comedic relief. I loved his costume too. Great job on that.
The Ehh:
-I love Moira MacTaggert as a character, and her death is still one of my favorite issues ever. In this movie, they make Moira a CIA operative instead of a world-class geneticist. I liked her.
-The White Queen. One Word: Underwhelmed. She was sexy looking for sure, but she wasn’t nasty like Emma Frost. She didn’t have any witty or snarky one-liners. She does have a funny scene using her telepathic powers, which I enjoyed.
- Riptide is in this movie (for those that don’t know him, he is part of Sinister’s Marauder team). All I can say is he has fabulous hair and wears beautiful fur vests in Russia and fancy purple suits in Miami.
- Very heavy on the military. Granted, this movie takes place during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but still. You can tell that Bryan Singer loves him some history. I kept thinking of his last movie, Valkyrie, as the showed parts of Nazi Germany.
- The cameos. There are two cameos which I won’t ruin. There is no cameo of Stan Lee though nor is there an Easter egg scene at the end of the credits.
The Terrible:
You all know I am obsessed with X-men. I have been in love since I was 11 years old. I told my husband that I love the idea of X-men more than I do of him. Why? It is a story that we all can relate to: the story of being misunderstood and fighting for equality in a world that hates and fears you. The original X-men are such wonderful characters, that yes, I am upset that they didn’t include the best of the bunch.
- Dialogue. Some of the dialogue was just hard to listen to. Nothing as bad as “Do you know what happens when a toad is struck by lightning?” bad, but some of it made me cringe.
- Beast is completely mis-cast and ridiculous. He looked like Scott “Slim” Summers more than Hank “Beast” McCoy. When he turned into the Beast look, then he got even worse looking. I think the producers cast this kid for Cyclops and then decided, let’s make him into Beast but keep the character as a pussy as we have done in the earlier 3 movies.
-Speaking of Cyke, I don’t get why they used Havok instead of Cyclops. Makes no sense to me. I feel the producers hate the character of Cyclops. (And he happens to be the smarts of the team).
- The Angel girl is so stupid. Stupid, Stupid, Stupid. I am even more angry that Michael Fassbender is dating Zoe Kravitz in real life, but her character is non-sense. They needed a flying mutant. That is all.
- A character named Darwin is in this movie, which I didn’t even know about. Of course they choose terrible times to place him on the screen (especially when they were talking about slavery… nice editing folks). It’s like a bad horror movie. You know the black guy always dies first when there is a body count.
- Now my main complaint is Mystique. Her history is not well-known, but essentially, Mystique has always been a great bad guy. She was a lesbian when she first came on board even though it wasn’t truly announced. Most people know her character as the step-mom to Rogue from the comics and cartoon. In this movie, she is juxtaposed as Charles Xavier’s “foster” sister. What? WHAT? WHAT?!?! NO NO NO. Most of her dialogue is terrible. ”Mutant and Proud.” Ugh. Mystique shoots people with guns and takes no prisoners. She doesn’t have to say “Mutant and Proud” because she is mutant and proud. They also make her a sex-pot now since she is all over the male characters of the movie.
Ok, I didn’t love it, but I didn’t absolutely hate it.
Like I said, it should be called “This is Why Magneto is the Tits and why every other mutant other than Jean Grey is lower than me.” I know I’ll have to see it again with Matt, and I am interested to see what he thinks of it.
When he came in at 3 am, he noticed I was still awake. First thing he asked?
“Is it bad or just Jen Bad?”
According to the reviews, it must just be Jen Bad.
Whatever. Reviewers are idiots. It’s nowhere near as good as X2.
Shake, Wind & Roll
I’ve gotta say, I’ve had a pretty good week so far. Granted, it is only Wednesday, but I am easily pleased I suppose. I will say that I am sick and tired of all of this rain headed our way and what not. At least it is coming now and not this weekend. Yesterday was awesome since a) I discovered the best shirt website ever b) I won a Thor plush toy while playing the claw and c) I had dinner with my best friend, Timmy! We met at Maggiano’s and just hung out. I always love seeing Timmy in a restaurant since the same thing always happens. I always get there extremely early, and he is late because of traffic. Always! haha!
On a health related note, I have had some issues with food lately. My lactose intolerance has been multiplied, so I have really decreased my consumption of cheese. Yes, I know if you are lactose intolerant you are not supposed to eat dairy products since it makes you sick, but I need calcium. I’m just eating small doses and hoping I don’t get sick. (So much for ice cream, cheese, and most salad dressings. Grr). Anyway, I ordered a healthy pasta with asparagus + sun-dried tomatoes with very little cheese. It was on the menu to raise money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation. I’ll say this, taking cheese out of pasta is like taking an orgasm out of sex. Sorry Make-A-Wish kids, your menu sucks. Oh well, I guess it went to a good cause. Tim and I just sat around while I had a “snake martini” (which translates to a dirty martini with a shit ton of olives. Apparently I’m the only person on this planet who loves olives!) I got details on the NSM in Florida, and now we are leaving on Wednesday and coming back on Saturday. I am going to be so exhausted at Tim’s wedding, but I’ll buck up.
In other news, my health has improved. Pearson joined the Global Corporate Challenge, and I am participating. Basically we have a team of 7 (I am the team captain), and we have all received pedometers to track our daily progress. Our goal is to surpass 10,000 steps a day. Matt did the math and he said that could translate close to 5 miles a day. It’s been a lot of fun to track and see how much exercise is involved with regular daily activities like mowing the grass (4,000 steps!), walking Whiskey the long way (2,000) and walking around the building for a break (1,000). Sometimes I just get on our treadmill and walk while watching TV. I know most people do this, but I think treadmills are for running and not walking, but with rainy weather, you do what you need to! So far I’ve lost about 4 lbs. I know when we get to the dog days of summer I’ll lose more weight since I am always really active anyway. Plus I’ll sweat that out. I ordered two new swimsuits, and they look pretty good right now. Once my magnificent womanly hips thin out, they’ll look even better. I’m pretty lucky really, yeah I weigh a lot right now, but I carry the weight in weird sections. I just need to keep my activity level up. I know by cutting out dairy I’ll also lose weight and drastically improve my cholesterol. I talked to mom about what she used to feed me when I was growing up dairy-related. I can only do chocolate milk and cottage cheese without getting ill.
In other news, I might have to eat crow for all of my X-men: First Class bashing. A lot of reviews are in, and the movie is garnering 4 stars! What? The ace in the hole is Bryan Singer, so hopefully I am shocked and awed while watching. According to my comic book guy, there might be a screening for fans before the show. I am crossing my fingers. If not, I’m possibly going to do a midnight showing. I think the last midnight show I went to was X2 about 8 years ago. (I was working for X3 and am so glad I didn’t do that for that waste). Looking back, that night was pretty magical. I remember feeling so elated, overjoyed, and extremely emotional since I was crying at the end. I just remember Nikki sitting next to Spike in the theatre. Haha, ohhh memories!
This weekend will be amazing! It’s the Indianapolis 500, which means Indianapolis will be awesome! My mom surprised us by getting us tickets. I’m not sure if she is coming, but I kind of hope she does. Also Cory and her hubby will be in town to visit Emily and Dustin. They’ll be in the General Admission section. I hope I run into them. Well, I always run into Emily at events when drinking is involved, so I’m not too worried. Even if it is at the bathroom, haha! We are also having pictures taken on Memorial Day Monday of Whiskey and the house. I am praying the weather gods finally let in. This is the third time I’ve had to re-schedule due to insane rain.
In other news, I love L.A. Noire. Matt and I are playing it together as gum shoes. Totally recommended for anyone who liked GTA4.
X-men: First Class
I really want to trust Bryan Singer. He did make the 2 best X-men incarnations out of the 4 that have been released (including my favorite movie ever X2), so yeah, I want to have faith in his vision. I try very hard not to spoil myself when it comes to X-men movies. I don’t read any of the spoiler pages or buy any of the Wizard magazines with the articles (unless they have lots of pictures of Hugh Jackman for my wall). After the disappointment of X3 (ugh, this still makes me boil), I have changed a bit of my tune and have been spoiled just so I know what to expect.
The first picture of X-men: First Class was posted on the internet, and it just made my stomach churn just a wee bit. As a lifelong X-men fan, I hate to say this but I have no desire whatsoever to see this movie.
From left to right: Michael Fassbender as Magneto, Rose Byrne as Moira MacTaggert, January Jones as Emma Frost, Jason Flemyng as Azazel, Nicholas Hoult as Beast, Lucas Till as Havok, Zoe Kravitz as Angel, Jennifer Lawrence as Mystique and James McAvoy as Professor Charles Xavier.
So who are these random characters? For those that don’t know, Moira MacTaggert is a Scottish scientist who was an old flame of Professor Xavier. I will assume in this movie she will be his love interest. Azazel is Nightcrawler’s father whereas Mystique is his mother. Havok is Cyclops’ younger brother (where is Cyke anyway?) and I have no idea what use he will have in this movie. Then there is “Angel” aka “Tempest” who is a recent character and is Z-list. I know that they are including her in this adaptation for the diversity factor since she doesn’t have cool powers whatsoever. I just don’t understand it. Yes, I am happy that Emma Frost is in this movie and is all slutty like the White Queen of ole, but she just looks like the Tooth Fairy to me.
Will you see X-men: First Class?
**Cocktail Party 2010**
It is a Purdue tradition that when it hits December, there needs to be a cocktail party. My old friends would throw a magnificent cocktail party where the only pre-requisites were that you dressed up in cocktail attire and you brought your own wine glass. It was always a lot of fun, and crazy stuff always managed to go down. The girls of Salisbury Street would have someone buy lots of booze for us since we were only 20 at the time. (Ahh to be illegal).
During 2002, I managed to have a pretty good time, and my boyfriend spilled the beans to my friends that he wanted to propose to me. When I found this out, I decided to make out with a pilot and spell his name backwards. Ha! In 2003, I was dating a new guy, and I was in the process of growing out my hair. (Bad decision!) It was a pretty good date considering that we went to the bars later and the new guy physically picked me up so I wouldn’t get cobblestones in my shoes as we left Harry’s parking lot. This was also the first time I discovered heated seats. So yes, cocktailin’ is a favorite of mine.
We had a successful party for Matt’s 30th birthday, so we knew round #2 would be good. I was a bit bummed out since my boy, Timmy, told us Dec. 18th was perfect for him, but then he couldn’t attend because he was having his family Christmas. A party without Timmy? Yikes! I wanted to cancel right then and there. I can’t do anything without him! We did have close to 20 people RSVP, so I was happy so many people wanted to join us.
Another reason why I think our parties are good is because a) I get Filipino catered food and b) we don’t scrimp on booze. Anything you wanted, we had it: scotch, gin, bourbon, whiskey, wine, beer, etc. Top shelf, bitches! I believe in an open bar.
I was a bit ambitious this year and bought two cocktail dresses that were one size too small. I have been working out and trying to eat better to lose some weight. Needless to say, this was stupid of me, and I looked a bit like a Christmas ham meets 3-months pregnant linebacker. Then I decided, “Screw it, it is my house and I don’t care.” So I put on my new red cocktail dress and attached the straps and applied some fire engine red lip stick. We had 2 stations. The hard alcohol was in the living room, and I made a martini station in the kitchen. My favorite drink is a grasshopper, so I bought the ingredients for that and added a candy cane to each drink.
When everyone started to arrive, I was shocked that everyone wanted grasshoppers. Usually people think they are weird since they are green. It was a great choice! I was so happy to see many of my Noblesville high school friends who were in town. Natalie came down to give Laura a bridal shower, so all the girls from that came! I was thrilled seeing Tiara and her husband Billy, meeting Laura’s fiancée, playing video games with Dana’s boyfriend, and of course chilling with Natalie and Emily. It was funny when old boy Oliver strolled in. Oliver also went to high school with us, but I wasn’t really friends with him then. We connected during the high school reunion, and Matt loves him. So the girls were loving having Oliver around for the party! (Plus Oliver brought homemade wine— AMAZING!)
Matt had a lot of friends come too! We had Gino and Brad come down from Ft Wayne with their dates. They are so much fun. They both play in a band together, so it was funny to me watching them play Rock Band on easy since they never played the game before. Hilarious! I also had a group of guys playing the old X-men arcade game with me. Since that game was originally Japanese, we heard some hilarious dialogue. As we were fighting Magneto at the end, he kept saying “DIE X-CHICKENS!” I believe he was supposed to say “X-men” and not “X-Chickens.” I couldn’t stop laughing.
Whiskey was a huge hit in his sweater vest. My girl, Ashley, from my old job came with her husband. They are so funny. Jordie tried to save Whiskey from eating a tooth pick, which was nice of him. Ashley also was trying to set up Roque with one of her single friends since he is newly on the market. I felt bad for Roque since Tim wasn’t there (our mutual friend between us) or Jeff (Matt’s mutual friend between them). Plus, there was only one single girl there to mingle with and not zillions. Oh well, I am glad we are now hanging out with him. He is an awesome guy!
I’d say the best cocktail dress of the night went to Emily in her beautiful blue dress, and the best male outfit went to her friend, Jeff. Oliver’s moustache always kills me, so I just can’t award it, haha. Dana was drunk of the night since she drank a rum and coke larger than her head. She then called her mom to be her designated driver and offered that service to all participants of the party. It was hilarious.
Overall, I am glad we have epic parties. I got so many e-mails and thank you’s on Sunday which really meant a lot to me. Also, I found it interesting that we had more booze at the end of the party than when we began. Everyone brought wine and mixers, (not needed or expected but WOO!) which was great. Gino and his girlfriend, Jen, spent the night (with Brad and Courtney in the hotel down the street), so we got lunch on Sunday afternoon together. Hopefully, we will get to hang out with them in Fort Wayne this weekend after all of the holiday festivities end. Matt was massively hung over, so we just took it easy on Sunday. I am really excited for the holiday parties this weekend. On Friday we will go to my Aunt Becky & Uncle Archie’s house to have Christmas Eve with my cousin’s children. On Christmas, I think we are just staying home to relax and enjoy the day. There is no need to rush around. I want to make a delicious dinner. On Sunday,we will most likely go to Fort Wayne to visit Matt’s family.
I love this time of year!
Wolverine & The X-men
The Wolverine & The X-men (WATX) cartoon came out at some point last year. I DVRed them, but then we moved, and I forgot to re-tape them. I have been renting these from Netflix, and man, I really loved the show. It begins with the X-men at the mansion just minding their own business. Wolverine is on his way out to leave the team for a bit, but then there is some kind of psychic attack that takes place that takes Professor X and Jean Grey. Of course, I was intrigued by the get-go. The art was modern and nice. Also, the characters on the roster were some of my favorites (Nightcrawler, Kitty Pryde, and Storm of course).
The show ran for 26 episodes, and there were about 3 major plot points. I got really interested at the end since Jean Grey was BACK and the Phoenix story line came into place. I just finished the series only to discover that the show was cancelled.
This totally bums me out since it is rare (rare nowadays) that there is GOOD X-men entertainment. Need I remind you of the travesty of X3 and Wolverine: Origins? I am hopeful that the next Wolverine movie will be kick-ass since it takes place in Japan when Wolverine was a samurai. (The downside? Two Words: Silver Samurai. Lamest character ever).
Overall, I would say that X-men: The Animated Series is still the touchstone that all X-men cartoons should be based. Even WATX steals shows that were already covered in the first series (obviously the Sentinels and Master Mold down to Storm being accosted by the Shadow King).
I am still bummed it is over. It was just getting interesting.
“I am fire and life incarnate! Now and forever — I am Phoenix!”
Yes, yes, yes! Halloween is almost here, and I am super excited! I don’t have any party plans as of yet, but this will be the first year we’ll have Trick-or-Treaters come by the house. Last weekend, I went to Party City to look for favors for Gualdoni’s 30th birthday bash. They always have wall-to-wall decorations and costumes right before Halloween (plus they are super close to my house and nowadays that is half the battle). I am always looking for fun costumes to wear while cleaning the house or freaking out the neighbors. I found a PERFECT costume for me, which was the Lady GaGa Poker Face costume. I could wear my solar shields, and BOOM… perfect! Unfortunately, it was out of stock, so I couldn’t buy it. The wig was fantastic though, and I may just go back and buy that bad boy. I have been dieting hardcore, so I feel better than I probably look. Essentially, this is just a glorified swim suit. I wonder if I could wear it to the pool? Heck, I wonder if I could wear it while walking the dog.
Costumed freaks make me happy, I suppose. My favorite thing about Purdue was Breakfast Club, and I can recall getting my tuition check and buying my B-Club costumes first thing. Sure, some people would go to Goodwill and make things work, but not me. I wanted to make an entrance. I felt that if I stood out, I would get better service and all of campus would talk about me. One B-Club I wore an Asian hat, an asymmetrical Bacardi-O shirt, and a cape. The only good thing resulting in this travesty of a costume was an asymmetrical sunburn and fun pictures with the Hamburglar. (Damn, I was skinny. Depression diet, I miss you.)
My best costume is actually the most frightening. I went as my teenage hero, Xena: Warrior Princess. Sure, I looked feminine and awesome at the beginning of B-Club, but I turned quite mannish and hideous as the morning went on. Breanne went as Trinity from The Matrix, and Nikki borrowed my Bacardi-O shirt and went as a Bacardi-O girl. It didn’t help that on that very same Breakfast Club outing, some dude decided to wear the same exact costume as me. People kept coming up to me thinking I was him. Sure, its funny for the first 5 minutes. As the morning continued, I just wanted to curl up and die. Eventually, I threw away my precious Xena costume. So sad. I still don’t get how that guy fit into the dress part. It was so itchy. Today I have been looking for the best deals on the Lady GaGa costume when I saw….IT! It was as if my childhood/ teenage/ adult wishes and fantasies finally came true! That’s right! Marvel FINALLY released a Jean Grey/ Phoenix costume!!! Sure, it’s a combination of Jean’s Marvel Girl get-up with the iconic Phoenix spandex one-piece, but it is beautiful. Gold boots, phoenix emblem, gold gloves… SQUEE!!!!!! Now I am on the look-out for a beautiful red wig. Granted, I have nowhere to wear this amazing costume, so I guess I better start asking around for a Halloween party. Hell, I might just wear this EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF MY LIFE.
Seriously, I love Marvel. More and more every day.
Now time to go eat a planet. Ciao!
Saturday Morning Cartoons
Last night I did something nostalgic. I watched one of my old VHS tapes from my childhood. Sure, the quality wasn’t the greatest, but I tell ya, the entertaining factor is still there. Then I thought about it some more. When I think of my childhood, I can definitely think of “Saturday Morning Cartoons,” which I believe came into pop culture in the early 80′s. All of those Baby Boomers needed the kids to leave them alone for a few hours on Saturday morning. I remember fondly that time was ME TIME. (And come on, what is better than ME TIME?)
I then started to think about future cartoons. Are there still Saturday morning cartoons? Are they GOOD or are they crap made in Japan with squids as machines and robots? My guess is that the new cartoons are terrible and ridiculous. I have seen bits and pieces of Dora The Explorer and Bob The Builder, and let’s be frank, that is just crappy shit! So this is another reason I will prolong having children. Until there are good cartoons for them to watch, I just ain’t interested. Seriously.
I also found this fun link on Complex.com about The 50 Greatest Saturday Morning Cartoons - Sure, I agree with some of the choices. I did think this list lacked a real feminine touch, however. So here is my spin on the 15 Best Saturday Morning Cartoons. (Yes, I was originally trying for 10, but COME ON!) Come down memory lane with me….
15. Snorks (1984)
Sure, they looked like smurfs with snorkels on their heads, but they lived happily under the sea in Snorkland. When the Snork would get excited, their tube would make a sound and bubbles would go everywhere. (It’s true, kids love bubbles). My favorite was Daffney (of course the vain, snobby one) who was voiced by Nancy Cartwright, that’s right, the voice of Bart Simpson! I do fondly remember loving their theme song as well. What makes a fabulous cartoon? A fabulous theme song!
14. Wildfire (1986)
I feel as if I was the only girl who watched this show. Nobody else seems to remember it. The introduction was stellar and told the complete story in 30 seconds. Princess Sara was a baby in the kingdom of Dar-Shan. For some reason, the evil sorceress, Lady Diabolyn, wanted her gone. So this PURPLE TALKING HORSE named Wildfire grabbed the baby and took her to Earth until she was ready to take back Dar-shan. Ok, sure, it sounds a bit stupid now, but purple talking horses, amulets that bring you to other dimensions, a girl who wears a goofy black hat with blonde hair? Awesome.
13. Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990)
This was a BIG deal. HUGE. Sure, it was a one-time-only cartoon, but it was memorable. The late 80′s and early 90′s brought on the beginning of major anti-drug campaigns for young children. What better way to reach the kids? A CARTOON talking about drugs with their favorite characters! Genius! Michael is a teenager who begins to smoke pot and steal beer. His kid sister is afraid he is going to become a total loser, so she gets her favorite cartoons to straighten him out. Heck, he took her piggy bank! What a lousy big brother! Stealing your kid sister’s piggy bank!
12. Tiny Toon Adventures (1990)
Thank God for Steven Speilberg. He made characters for a new generation with ties to old favorites like Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, and so on. The show took place in Acme Acres and followed the exploits of Babs and Buster Bunny as they attend Acme Looniversity. The show steered away from the violence of earlier WB Looney Tunes cartoons (lame! Thanks 90′s!) but the characters were funny. I hated hated HATED Elmyra Duff.
11. Muppet Babies (1984)
For those familiar with The Muppets Take Manhattan, Muppet Babies was a spin-off of the thought, “What would have happened if Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy grew up together? The best part of this show was how each character every week would use their imaginations to teach a lesson. I will admit, after watching the episode where they cut pieces of cassette tapes apart and then magically tape them together to make one solid tape of fun music- I tried doing that at home. Needless to say, it doesn’t work. At all. Ha! Did you know that Uncle Joey from Full House was Animal? Whoa.
10. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (1988)
I was introduced to TMNT through Burger King of all places. I remember going there with my Dad and ordering a Kid’s Meal and receiving a free VHS tape with an episode on it. There were 4 tapes, and I begged my dad each week to take me so I could get the next tape. Voila! Everyone loved the 4 wise-crackin’ turtles from the sewers of NYC obsessed with martial arts and PIZZA. I remember making my mom order me an anchovy pizza once. Needless to say, I never ordered it again. My favorite was Donatello, hands down. (The smart ones always wear purple!) COWABUNGA!
9. Captain N: The Game Master (1989)
Nintendo was genius and made a cartoon to showcase all of their best characters! The story focused on Kevin, a regular kid who was an amazing video gamer, who gets sucked into Video Land to save the world. Princess Lana (love her… and the same actress voiced Jean Grey in X-men Evolution, double yes!) was a fun, female addition. The team consisted of Kevin, Princess Lana, Simon Belmont (Castlevania stud muffin, who is an annoying guy most of the time), the timid Kid Icarus, stodgy Mega Man, annoying Game Boy, and of course, Duke, the dog! The episodes would follow parts of the N Team on different video game worlds while fighting the evil Mother Brain. (Seriously, a brain can be a wonderful villain.) My favorite episodes included 2 of my favorite characters ever made, Link and Zelda, which brings me to #8….
8. The Legend of Zelda (1989)
In actuality, this was not aired on Saturday morning, but Friday afternoon. I used to run home so fast from school to watch The Super Mario Bros. Super Show because this would air then. For anyone who played video games in the 80′s, you knew your Link and Zelda. Link was the fun-loving, courageous hero, and Zelda was the snobby, uptight princess. A match made in TV heaven. Every episode I would tune in and wait for Zelda to FINALLY kiss Link. I tell you, Zelda was really mean to him. After all these years, I don’t know if they ever smooched. “Well excuuuuse me, princess!”
7. Captain Planet (1990)
I was a total environmentalist when I was a kid. I wanted to have my own compost pile (seriously?!), I would cut all of the soda can plastic holders so fish wouldn’t die in them, and I would always, always, ALWAYS Recycle. I am glad that I still do most of these things (have thought about a compost pile but they really smell ya know…) The series focuses on 5 average Environmentalists : Kwame from Africa (Earth), Wheeler from U.S. (Fire), Linka from Russia (Wind), Gi from Asia (Water), and Ma-Ti from S. America (Heart). With their powers combined… they create Captain Planet. Sure, it was a bit hokey, but c’mon, it had Whoopi Goldberg as Gaia! Mother Earth! I dig that! I was OBSESSED with these action figures. I actually wrote a letter to the company asking where I could buy them since they were so hard to find. Yes, I was a loser. GO PLANET!
6. Inspector Gadget (1983)
Inspector Gadget is the only cyborg/robot on my list. Sure, he was a bumbling idiot of a detective, but that is why he had his awesome niece, Penny, assisting him. Penny also had the help of her dog, Brain. This show was revolutionary in the terms of using a “computer book” as something that can be taken everywhere to formulate plots and find things. Penny was the greatest thing from this show. She was cute, smart, and a detective with MAD skills. (ha ha, MAD, get it?) Inspector Gadget’s main foe was the evil Dr. Claw, who was never revealed (until a TERRIBLE VIDEO GAME ruined the imagination for all kids everywhere… do not Google it, you will be disappointed!!) Also, this theme song still gets stuck in my head and I am 28 years old!!
5. Garfield & Friends (1988)
Garfield was created by Jim Davis, who lives in Muncie, IN (which is about 40 minutes away from where I live) so this was very popular as you can bet. Garfield, everyone’s favorite fat, opinionated, lasagna loving cat, would only want to eat or sleep. His owner, Jon, would always have to deal with Garfield’s shenanigans. Because of Odie and Garfield, I knew from a very young age that cats and dogs should never live together. As for the flip side, I liked the addition of the farm friends (Orson the Pig and Egg were my favorites! Seriously, a character in an Egg?? GREAT TV!)
4. She-Ra: The Princess of Power (1985)
Yes, She-ra was created to entice young girls in for merchandising. This is a fact. Well, it definitely worked! I loved He-Man, and I was thrilled when I saw “Secrets of the Sword” with the introduction of Prince Adam’s long-lost twin, Adora. Adora lived in a more ethereal world, (more girly!) and had a horse, which turned into a flying unicorn! What girl wouldn’t love that? Also, she had a sword and could FIGHT, but then had the ability to heal. I think the greatest part of this cartoon was the fact that almost all characters were female and strong. The males were portrayed as stupid and weak. I loved that about it. I also want to thank Mattel for creating some of the best female action figures of all time. They had hair! Loved them!
3. Jem & The Holograms (1985)
Jem. Oh Jem. I fucking loved this cartoon. Like more than life itself. Yesterday, I was watching my tape of Jem cartoons. This cartoon was IT. Jem & The Holograms focused on 4 women who were life-long best friends (Aja and Shana) and sisters. Jerrica Benton and her sister, Kimber, inherited their father’s Hologram machine, poetically named Synergy. They were in charge of an Orphanage for young girls called Starlight House. When the evil Eric Raymond tried to steal Starlight House away, the girls formed a band with Jerrica’s alter ego, Jem. Not only were they fabulous singers, movie stars, and celebrities, but they were detectives as well. They even helped the president in one episode! Eventually, a 5th member was added (Raya). This cartoon showcased to my knowledge the first diverse female cast. None of them were the same, which was great. It showed insane fashion, and had wonderful, catchy music. I can imagine myself sitting in a room with Lady Gaga in 1985, loving this show. Also, this show had lessons such as acceptance, volunteerism, and foster care. It was so much more than a cartoon. I still have every episode on tape.
2. Thundercats (1985)
“Thunder…Thunder…Thundercats… HO!” Best tagline ever. Who knew a bunch of human cats could be so endearing and likewise, awesome? While fleeing from their planet, Thundera, (how very Superman of them) the refugees: Jaga (the head honcho,) Lion-O (the prince and destined ruler), Panthro (captain and overall badass), Cheetara (sex with a stick), Tigra (wise shaman), WilyKit & WilyCat (twin annoying bitches!) and Snarf (comedic relief) are headed towards a planet they can rule while safeguarding the Eye of Thundera. The Eye is imbedded in the hilt of the Sword of Omens. Eventually, they land on Third Earth (after Jaga dies! Sadness!) to fight the Mutants of Plun-Darr and the evil Mumm-ra. Sure, this cartoon was aimed more at boys, but Cheetara was great. Looking back, she’s a bit on the wimpy side since she always gets tired, but she was the one holding everything together. The show progressed wonderfully while adding 3 new characters late in the run and even better villains. I’m excited for this re-boot! This would be a great reason to have children.
1. X-men: The Animated Series (1992)
Like you had any doubt that this wouldn’t be #1? Come on! This show revolutionized my mediocre life! This show saved me from the adolescence I was doomed to have. This opened my world to the amazing comic book series that now takes a lot of time in my life. In fact, you better expect that said future children WILL be named after characters from this universe (I already picked Charlie’s middle name after Wolverine… c’mon people, I’m obsessed). It all started for me on Halloween 1992. X-men was great because it covered mature material and topics like the Holocaust, prejudice, racism, intolerance, Christianity, hell, even AIDS. What made it great was that the stories from the comics were essentially told in the best medium possible. It changed my life.
Well there you have it. Cartoons. God Bless ‘em!
Oh, Second Coming!
Ok, this is a complete and total comic book post. I am trying to outline my theory on what will be happening soon with the X-men, and this is the way my mind works. Outline using chronology, see what is in front of you, and then look for red herrings and patterns.
Also, try to follow this and put this on for size.
A long time ago, a man named Scott Summers (Cyclops) fell in love with a 
woman, Jean Grey (Phoenix). Unfortunately, Jean Grey piloted a space shuttle back to Earth and was about to die due to radiation poisoning. When this was about to happen, she called out to God, and a GODDESS arrived named the Phoenix. (Well not really a Goddess, but a cosmic force of good and evil is too long to type). So this Phoenix cosmic force takes over Jean’s essence and impersonates her. (The real Jean Grey is now sleeping in a cocoon healing from radiation burn at the bottom of Jamaica Bay).
So Cyclops has his lady back. Oh, but then she becomes Evil and eats a planet and shit goes bananas, oh and her humanity makes her commit suicide. Shit man. So Cyclops goes to his grandparents place in ALASKA to re-cooperate. As he is healing from losing his lady-love, he meets a woman who incidentally looks EXACTLY like his dead lady-love. Her name is Madelyne Pryor and she happens to be a pilot for his grandparents airlines. So in true whirlwind romance form, Cyclops woos her and they get hitched. Then she gets knocked up. Yay!
Well, then baby Nathan/Cable is born. Oh and that whirlwind marriage really 
didn’t matriculate into a good marriage. So Cyke and Maddie are on the outs. And OH YES, Jean Grey comes back to life saying, “Hey bitches, where you been?” So Cyke abandons his wife and son (Father of the Year, I tell you) and goes back with his lady-love. Now then, crazy Maddie talks to a demon and decides if she can’t be with Cyke, then nobody can- and she wants to sacrifice her baby to open up Limbo onto Earth. (Ghostbusters Meets X-men, nuff said). Oh and that uncanny resemblance to Jean Grey? Oh, it’s because she is actually her CLONE AND EXACT DUPLICATE. She was made by a baddie named Mr. Sinister. That little cosmic Phoenix force decided to wake up the clone and make a baby. See, even cosmic entities want to have sex. So Maddie dies and now Jean and Cyke and Baby Cable are happily ever after… right?
No of course not! Baby Cable is infected with a techno-organic virus, which means that he is going to die unless he is put into the future. So that’s what Cyke does (Father of the Year #2!) – sends his kid off to boarding school, aka apocalyptic future of doom. Well, Baby Cable comes back an old man who can control the techno organic virus and is pretty much a gun-toting bad ass. Cyke puts a ring on it, (technically Jean proposed) and boom- get hitched. On their honeymoon, they decide to skip Bali and instead raise Baby Cable in apocalyptic future while teaching him to control his powers.
Years Pass… Cyke then cheats on Lady Love Jean (Husband of the Y
ear now, good grief CYKE!) so Jean says, “Fuck it, I’m going to sacrifice myself and get a stroke and die so you can live with your adulteress whore.” And now Jean is dead and Cyclops is boning the headmistress of Whoredom (who liked to wear Jean’s clothes. What a total bitch!)
So now you are up to speed in the Summers/Grey clan of misanthrope/heroes.
Keeping all of the characters in mind… try this on for size now. This latest X-book crossover has taken 5 years to come to fruition. After The House of M debacle of Scarlet Witch muttering under her breath, “No more Mutants,” the X-men books have been a crazy jumble. I won’t lie, I kind of liked the direction as mutants being endangered species, but I have never agreed with many mutants losing their powers. I wish it meant that no more mutant babies were being born.
Anyway, the X-writers decide to have a three-part event starring the Mutant Messiah, Hope. So when Hope is born, Cerebro (the mutant detective device) explodes since it registers an Omega-Level mutant. This is crazy since this baby is the first mutant born since Scarlet Witch’s hex. The next interesting point is that the baby is found in an abandoned hospital in ALASKA. Remember this for later, ok?
The X-men find the baby and name her Hope. When Cyke holds her, he is reminded how he is a sucky father since he gets flash backs of sending Cable into the future and how his awesome wife died. It turns out that Bishop, the time-travelling crazy X-man from the future, predicts that Hope is a chaos bringer and is the cause of many HUMAN deaths in the future. So with this in mind, he wants to kill her. Sounds logical. Cable decides “I need progeny” and takes Baby Hope into the future to teach her survival and make her a bad-ass with a gun too.
So now Hope is a teenager but doesn’t have much of a purpose. Is she a Messiah or just a red herring? Ironically, she too is a dead-ringer for Jean Grey/Madelyne Pryor with flaming red hair and green eyes. Hmmpf. Plus, that cosmic entity known as the Phoenix? It went on holiday right before she came back. Interesting. Cyke isn’t overtly happy to see his son, Cable, or his “grand-daughter” in essence, Hope.
So lots of crazy-shit fighting goes on. Cable has to go to the future and kill a bunch of robots. Nightcrawler dies (*tear.. bye bye!) while Hope is being protected by Rogue. Turns out, when Rogue touched her, she was somehow healed in her brain of all the crazy minds and Strain-88 that caused her the inability to control her powers. Now she can control what she takes, what what, ha! Cyke gets pissed that Rogue let Hope out to fight and then pretty much Scarlet-letters her. Whatev, Cyke. Meanwhile, Hope still has not manifested her actual powers- but in no particular order has had red flashy eyes like Cyke, and has had Phoenix-like birds in her retina. (Ouchies?)
Now BOOM Cable comes back in a portal and Hope is praying for his 
survival. Instead she sees him, her father figure, on fire since that same techno-organic virus that has hindered him through his life has now taken over his body. It was the only way. Then he explodes and seemingly dies. Overall, the Messiah is pissed. The Sentinels killed her Dad. So shit goes bananas again, and she kills the Sentinel with Cable’s lifeless hand.
The team has a bonfire for their fallen and wounded comrades, where Hope eloquently speaks about her “Father.” Crazy bitch Emma Frost is watching Hope from a distance. At that precise moment, she sees that crazy cosmic Phoenix force and what appears to be Jean Grey in Hope’s body grinning at her. She then remembers a memory of Jean freeing her from a mind illusion. So the bitch does what she does best, and that is run to a man to say, “Oh shit!” Cyke is at Cerebro and all of a sudden there are 5 new mutant births on the map, and it looks like Hope has enabled that mutants are now able to be born again.
Ok, so wtf does this mean to you, my faithful reader? Could it be that Jean Grey is resurrected into this new character of Hope? Does this mean that Mr. Sinister could have somehow made a female child offspring of Jean & Cyke and hatched her later? Or is it all coincidence? Did the Phoenix put Jean’s essence onto a hopeless baby?
In the aftermath of Second Coming, Hope will go to Alaska to try to find her roots and her actual name. I am hoping this shit will be remedied, but knowing Marvel, this will take years. Of all the places for the Mutant Messiah to be born, it had to be Alaska. Can the House of Ideas impress me? I fucking hope so. I have invested a lot of money into those bastards, and all they do is kill off my favorite character (MORE THAN ONCE!) on paper AND on-screen via the abomination of X3. It is Jean Grey’s schtick to rise from the dead. It’s like my husband says, “They will bring her back once comic book sales decline again.” I just really don’t want to wait that long.
It also appears that the next few issues will focus on The 5 Lights — the new mutants born after Hope’s manifestation. Will Hope be leading them? Will they be good mutants? Will they be evil? Perhaps both?
Overall, I just want Jean Grey back. C’mon Joe Quesada. I will stop saying mean things about you on the internet. Just bring my girl back!
Notice if you put all of the pictures together, you will see the Phoenix Raptor in the fiery background. OH HURRY UP AND GET RESOLVED! I CAN’T TAKE THIS ANYMORE!
LADY GAGA CONCERT
Weekend Statistics:
Dirty Martinis: 2
Cosmopolitans: 1
Sex On The Beach: 1
Champagne: 1
Beer: 2
As everyone knows, I am a HUGE, HUGE Lady GaGa fan, and I was so happy that I was able to get tickets to her show. I went downtown to my hotel at the Hyatt Regency and waited for Rowsey to get there. Rowsey used to work with me at my old job, and we were SUPER excited! Our rented room wasn’t that great since the toilet wasn’t flushing (eww) and there was no fan in there, but whatever, it was $90! I’ll take that deal! We decided we would go eat at the bar and then get ready for the show. I had made two sets of Solar Shield GaGa Fame glasses for both of us. While we were at the bar, we got started on some cosmos and then moved up to a dirty martini. We got pretty buttered up, (at least I did) and then these 3 people came up to us and asked if we were going to GaGa too. It was a set of twins (boys) and a girl. They ended up buying some champagne and shared with us. That was super nice. At that point, I knew I had to stop drinking or else I would be peeing all through the concert. That would be no good. Those twins were wearing so much cologne, I was sure GaGa would smell them from miles away. Eeek.
We went back to our room and started getting ready. Rowsey is a master at make-up, and she made me hooker ready! Woo! I also straightened my hair for an extra oompf! We took a cab and went straight to Conseco Fieldhouse for the show!
There were a bunch of people waiting outside Conseco taking pictures. I got a lot of positive reviews of my glasses, which was cool. There were some definite interesting concoctions. Dudes wearing platform boots and garter belts. Chicks wearing skin-tight pantyhose and lycra. Yes, some girl even wore the Caution tape and ONLY the caution tape. Wha! Girl, all you need is a stray breeze and it is over! Ha! I’m glad I was comfortable. The shoes started off great but of course as the show went on, my feet were KILLING ME. We were up high in section 207, but luckily our seats were in Row 4 and on the aisle! I thought our seats were great compared to other people I’ve talked to.
I missed the opening act of Semi-Precious Weapons (which was a smart choice) and GaGa took the stage at precisely 9 PM. The show started off with an awesome light show and GAGA! I have come to conclude that I was MEANT to love Lady GaGa. What do you mean? First of all, she’s talented and she specializes in crazy dance, pop music which is my favorite. Then I realized that she must have watched the same television shows as me as a kid. Sure, everyone says she is a crazy, unique dresser, but look people, Jem and the Holograms was probably her favorite show. The clothes in that show is pretty crazy, then add in some face make-up. Yup. Then as I watched her sing, dance, and writhe on the ground, “shit, she looks like a 90′s X-men character.“
And my personal favorite outfit from the concert: Lady GaGa does the JUGERNAUT! Can’t you see Lady GaGa screaming, “I’m the Juggernaut, Bitch!” Lol. Seriously, what the fuck is with this outfit? All you can do is laugh.
So yes, the show was phenomenal. My favorite part had to be when I saw this vision of a man dancing by himself to Boys Boys Boys. OF COURSE I HAD TO DANCE WITH HIM! So there I was, grinding next to his black tank top wearing gay Adonis. He was adorable! He knew that the after-party was at Talbot Street (a popular gay dance club where there are lots of drag shows) and after a dance off to Telephone, we parted. Good-bye, Gay Boyfriend!!
At the end of the night, GaGa ended with Bad Romance, and we were off to the hotel. I was exhausted, and I knew I had to get to work early in the morning and be presentable. Rowsey went out with our other Ashley bud from work to go dancing. My feet had it, and I was out for the night. I was happy to get a night’s rest at a hotel without Whiskey burrowed under me. In typical girl’s night out form, she returned to our hotel with a bag of Steak and Shake and the clock at 3 AM. Overall, GaGa was wonderful and fantastic. I can’t wait to see her again!
On Friday, I made it to work in one piece, and had lunch with Nikki. She returned from her vacation with Ike, so we went to our favorite sushi joint. On Saturday, Gualdoni and I had a Dr. Falda day and hung out with him all night. We went to see Inception, which was FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! Then we went to dinner at Houlihan’s and came back to our place for watching Black Dynamite and The Road. Lord, we should have Black Dynamite play nonstop at our house. ”Dr. Wu and his kung-fu treachery!” Indeed!
If you want to see the pictures of the Lady Gaga show, follow my link here! Lady GaGa Flickr Album
AMERICA!
ahhh Americana! I absolutely love July 4th, and I’ll even say it is most definitely my favorite holiday! Hell, it seems like FOREVER since I’ve had a real substantial update on things going on. Right now, Gualdoni is working 2nd shift (which is from 2pm-11pm) and then he has an hour drive commute back home. Technically, I don’t see him unless I stay up to talk to him for a few golden moments. It isn’t so bad since I have had a lot of things going on at home and with friends. First of all, my parents got a new puppy on Father’s Day. We got him from the paper, and he is a Miniature Australian Shepherd. Charlie’s 1st real dog, and the dog adores him. His name is Brody, and he is very lovable. He doesn’t sleep in Charlie’s bed but will instead sleep in the bathroom above the vent. 
Crazy little guy.On top of that, I have been spending a lot of time with my old friend, Emily. She is going through a divorce, so every Tuesday each week, I cook her a nice homemade dinner. I should say “attempt” since I fucked up tacos last week, (which I know I will never, EVER live down. Jesus, even inept Breanne can make tacos. I am ashamed). It has been nice having someone else to have fun with. Other than that, I have been a real homebody (just like I like to be) and bring Whiskey to my parents or have Brody come over here to run in our backyard. Whiskey likes Brody for the most part, but he is a big bully.
Totally unrelated, but I have become majorly obsessed once again with X-men statues. I blame my comic book guy, Pete, for getting me re-hooked on these small Marvel figurines made from lead. They come from England, and they are nice display pieces. They remind me of the old X-men board game I used to have as a child. I’ll never forget painting all of the figures. (This was back when I was obsessed with becoming a toy maker… ummm I can’t paint within lines to begin with so this was a short-term obsession.) I did get a STEAL for 2 X-men statue busts of Jean Grey and Wolverine for under $25. I am a little sad I had to sell my previous 2 favorite Phoenix statues, but I remember how badly I needed the money. Maybe I’ll buy them again soon without the stigma of “statue-buying-lust.”
As for the 4th, Gualdoni and I went to Tim & Molly’s house on the 3rd for a fun night filled with games, drinking, and great food! I don’t know what it is about Tim’s house, but I ALWAYS fall asleep there. I must be really comfortable or something, ha. On the actual 4th, we didn’t have any plans, so we invited my parents over. I made my famous potato salad, and Gualdoni grilled. My parents love his food, especially Charlie. Brody and Whiskey played around in the backyard too. When it got dark, we did Charlie’s amateur fireworks and were delighted when people at our neighboring pool started doing the BIG illegal fireworks. Then, our other neighbors did other huge fireworks in the lot behind our house. We never have to go see fireworks ever again. It was wonderful. The only bad part? While we were lighting our “finale,” Gualdoni stumbled backwards and landed in our crazy rosebush. He was eviscerated by many a thorn. I couldn’t help him since the fireworks were going off right next to his face. Eek! He was ok thank goodness!
As for the rest of the summer, I am going to Tom Petty this weekend, and I hope I get to see Christian. I haven’t seen him in years. He was always one of my best friends in college. We went through a lot together back then. He always had my back. As for NEXT WEEK, we’ve got LADY GAGA which will be FUCKING EPIC. I have my outfit ready, and now I just need to break in my shoes. I got a cheap hotel deal on Hotwire.com, so I am super ready to be GAGAed! I also hope to see Nikki some point next week while she is here. I won’t hold my breath though since she is now an Aunt. Oh well, I would love to get her on the phone regardless.
After that, I’ve got Chicago the last week in July and Boston the second week of August. This summer has been the best in a very long time.
My Lady Gaga costume from Just Dance
Song of the Moment: V.V. Brown – Shark In The Water
The Second Coming of What??
With getting married, moving into a new house, and other countless excuses – I have left one of my favorite past times in the dust. Every few weeks, I go to the comic store to pick up the new stash. I usually just bag them and put them in a pile. Well, I noticed my stack was growing considerably larger as the minute passed by… and dammit, what else do I have to do but read them? On Friday, I arranged all of the comics on my bed and just devoured them. Turns out, I had read about half of them, but another read won’t hurt.
I started with X-men: Endangered Species and finally caught up with Second Coming.
Things I’m Happy About:
-I love Psylocke - regular or ninja- overall, I love her character even though she has always been the “hot” minor telepath.
-Glad that they finally gave Rogue a little bit more direction by getting her mind wiped and taking care of her own powers. She was always made as the tragic one since her power is instinctual more than choice. I think this is a great new twist to her. I know my friend, Loni, would have loved reading about this type of power 10 years ago.
-The use of Asteroid M as Utopia was smart. Why couldn’t I come up with that?
The Eh:
- So Magneto comes back like he always does every 5 years or so. Everyone but Professor X pretty much welcomes him with open arms. UMMMM last time he was around, he kind of killed Jean Grey — remember?? Cyclops don’t care… come here, Mags, let’s hug this bitch out! Whatever!!! Fucking White Queen.. I swear.
(The good of this scenario is the fact they brought Kitty Pryde back. NOW I remember why I stopped reading… they kept getting rid of the characters I liked… her especially)
-Xavier can walk again. For now.
-Gambit used to be a lot cooler. So what if he lead the Marauders down into the tunnels A LONG TIME AGO. Let it go people.
The Blah:
-I really hate that Beast looks retarded. This really bothers me.
- WTF is Jean Grey already?
- So the Phoenix force left the Stepford Cuckoos right before the “Chosen One” Hope comes back from the timestream. And Hope ironically has red hair and no mutant power yet. Geee, I feel the Phoenix Force is just going to go in her, make her manifest, and ooh second coming of mutantkind or Phoenix. Pick one.
Anyway, I was thrilled to get everything caught up. I feel so much better about my life when I get back to the essence of me. My girly office room is now painted, and I’ve gotta get some furniture in there. Pete (my comic book guy) has shown me these newer metal figurines that are all the rage. I have a bad feeling about those…
I re-connected with my first pen pal of yore, Clare on Facebook the other day. She is a crazy cat, and I definitely enjoy a little bit of Clare in my life!
Last night, Gualdoni and I went on a nice date night. We watched a taping of The Legacy of Star Wars on the History channel first. I tell ya, George Lucas drove me nuts with the prequel trilogy, but after watching that show, it really proved that yes, the guy knows his stuff with mythology. I felt a little stupid for not seeing some of the OBVIOUS allegories/observations like the pod race in Ep. I as a type of Colosseum/Gladiator diversion since the fall of the Republic is coming, etc. George, you should have set everything up rather than written SUCH TERRIBLE DIALOGUE. It is still sad to see a seemingly pregnant woman getting buried. That is just so depressing even though it’s also a diversion.
We went and finally saw Alice in Wonderland. Personally, I don’t really get into all that is Johnny Depp… especially when he looks like Elijah Wood. Alice had my nose and she was a dead ringer for my cousin’s daughter. I kept thinking of her as I watched. Weird.
Anyway, I think I have geeked out enough on this post.
