What Time Does Trick or Treat Start?

If Google treat us with Scooby Doo doodle which already passed. Time for us to do our trick or treat.

First let us know the origin of Trick or Treat, according to Wikipedia, the tradition started during the Middle ages. Trick or treat resembles the medieval practice when poor folk visit houses and ask for food prays for the dead in return. Today, trick or treat is very different and more enjoyable to children and adults too. Children asking for a treat would wear a costume and knocks door-to-door, if the house owner likes to treat, they'll give sweets, candies in particularly then the children would call it as treat and move to the next door.

What Time does trick or treat start? According to some, kids might go out around 5:00 pm as well as the older children might start at around 8:00 pm.

Today's Google Doodle : Scooby Doo

Happy Halloween! Google today tribute its doodle to very popular horror themed cartoon show Scooby Doo. Who wants some Scooby snacks? Well, Google didn't only created one Scooby Doo Google doodle but instead five. Unlike the Sesame Street Google Doodle which was featured in series for a week, Scooby Doo on the other hand uses a gallery styled image which have two navigation buttons that enable users to navigate back and forth among five images. When one reaches the last Scooby Doo Google doodle, he/she will be directed to Google search result about Halloween.

Below are the five Google doodle that features Scooby Doo characters.

Literature Review

I’m reading “Jane Eyre” at the moment and it’s annoying me a little. I read it at a very young age, but that was one of those ludicrously abridged Illustrated Classics, reading it for an English Lit class is way more taxing – that book is long. I’m not a huge fan of the Bronte’s – save for “Wuthering Heights” which I sort of worship, sort of. We just wrapped up “Pride & Prejudice” and the parallels between Austen’s narrative and Charlotte are a bit striking if you look at it in the right perspective, and then I came across this article which amused me. It seems many are not fond of Austen, Bronte included. I’m a Jane Austen apologist, but in her defence – no one can take such simple plots and turn them into brilliant ruminations like she. “Jane Eyre”? Not so much.  After the atrocity of “Robinson Crusoe” – I refuse to retract that statement, I loathed the book - Henry Fielding and Jane Austen were welcome distractions, but now we're on to Bronte and Charlotte and her fancifulness aren’t making me very pleased. Ah, school is bland – and then we’re doing “Paradise Lost” for Poetry – ugh, not a fan of Milton....

           

Speaking of aged 18th century lit, though, I had the weirdest experience last week. I went into a library, told the Librarian that I was looking for Caribbean plays. She’s there looking and turns to me, “Oliver Twist isn’t Caribbean, is it?” W! T! F!??????????????? It’s not Caribbean, it’s not even a freakin’ play! And from a librarian? And people wonder why I have no faith in humanity. Sigh.

            

What have you been reading lately? I hope it’s for pleasure, and not for school. Scholastic reading always ends up becoming tedious...

TV Week in Review: 24th – 28th October

I’ve been vaguely remiss about TV this week, case in point: I didn’t see all t he shows I review, I didn’t even see all the shows I watch and don’t review. The upside is, I think I’ve finally gotten a handle on my somewhat ridiculous schedule. So I’m back to annoying you regularly...I know you can't wait...

On to the TV

Desperate Housewives: “Let Me Entertain You”

In some ways this episode was a bit regressive, not plot-wise but tonally. The first thirty five minutes reminded me of the generally bland fifth season, and the little I watched of the sixth season. Still, there were moments of niceties that impressed. The concept of Rene and Gabrielle as friends works, though Vanessa Williams and Eva Longoria don’t seem as evenly matched as Williams and Marcia Cross were last week. The end result of Rene staying on the street was not unexpected, but it was a nice moment even if the nose job plot line seems ridiculous. Marcia Cross manages to be fairly amusing though her craziness with Keith’s libido was kind of silly. Of course with all the other plotlines turning really heavy we needed something light. Felicity Huffman does her best work of the season so far, her arc is an interesting one since her arguments against Tom’s mother are valid even if she’s doing something similar in her marriage. Sidling Tom’s mother with what looks like Alzheimer’s seems less than inspired, though. I called the Paul / Susan arc three minutes before it happened, and the denouement was the best moment of the episode – Teri Hatcher in particular sold it. That moment alone made up for a generally trite episode, I’m going to enjoy seeing where that goes.

[B-]

Dexter: “First Blood”

This is probably the weakest effort from Dexter this season. Structurally the episode was well done, but the execution was a bit too generic for the generally atypical way in which Dexter goes. Batista’s dilemma gets even more interesting, though it was embarrassing the way he completely misread everything about his wife. It was a bit of an obvious end to the arc, though I’m not convinced that the situation is over. Quinn and Deb really do manage to work, despite Quinn’s general boorishness. It’s going to be intense seeing how his plans to trace Dexter turn out. Deb’s work on the beheadings was probably the best handled storyline of the night, though there were some striking undertones of something amiss with the mother of the attempted-murder victim. Dexter had to focus on Harrison’s potential violent tendencies and the semi-deterioration of Lumen. Hall puts in good work, especially in that scene where he realises that he was about to kill the wrong man but Lumen’s arc didn’t work as well as before. The fact that I’m still unsure as to where they’re planning on taking the character probably makes me uncertain about her continued presence, even if I like seeing Julia Stiles turn in good work. The fact that the episode goes for some obvious moments, unlike Dexter usually shifts it more to a lower grade. But, overall, it’s a strong episode – all things considered – just not as a riveting as what we usually get from Dexter.

[B/B+]

Glee: “The Rocky Horror Glee Show”

 

  When “Time Warp” ended and the credits began to roll the first thing that I thought was, “Thank God Puck’s coming back next week”, even though it wasn’t the absence of Mark Salling that prevented the episode from soaring. Rocky Horror aside there was a kind of paradigm shift in tonight’s episode that didn’t work. Glee is at its best when it manages to balance the adults-acting-as-children storylines with their children-acting-as-adults storylines. The Will/Emma/Carl triangle could work, but being the A-plot against the generally bland body issues of Sam/Finn just doesn’t resonate. And after all the character development in “Duets” it just seemed sort of weird. I’m not the biggest fan of The Rocky Horror Picture Show so I really could care less about the theme (or is it I couldn’t care less?) Shankman doesn’t do anything fascinating with the direction, the pacing seems sedate for an episode that’s supposed to be all about the freakish – well, in theory. Still, Jayma Mays continues to be brilliant even if it’s kind of ridiculous that she went that wild with “Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me”. Ah well. On that note though, how brilliant was Rachel’s fake acting? Lea Michele’s kind of brilliant. And damn, Amber Reilly killed “Sweet Transvestite”! And the return of Sue’s Corner? That’s my favourite Sue related event, even more than the diary diatribes – so the episode wasn’t without good tidbits.

[B/B-]

Parenthood: “Seven Names”

 

Each time I watch Parenthood I’m acutely aware that it probably never will become a big hit. Parenthood is created on such a small scale it’s easy to find it meandering and bland, but it just works for me. This episode is a key example, with five arcs to examine the issues faced by each of the characters were nothing new – generic even, but the writing and the acting turn it into television worth watching. Last week I admitted I wasn’t thrilled about the idea of them ending the episode before Jasmine replied to Crosby’s proposal, but I should have known that this is not the kind of show that leaves you with a cliff-hanger like that only to renege on the idea. I’m still not altogether enthused about Dax Shephard as an actor, but he’s fine here and Joy Bryant seems like so much fun. I’m looking forward to their couple dynamic. Sarah and her daughter faced a typical issue, the divide between mother and daughter. The tearful confrontation between the two doesn’t hit home as precisely as it should. I don’t love Mae Whitman in this register, but it works and Lauren Graham is back to turning in good work. Adam’s dilemma with the laying offs was another standard, but Krause steps up and turns in a good performance nonetheless. One thing Parenthood should get credit for is its casting. I’m constantly amazed by how on point they are with that, in some ways Sarah Ramos is like a mini-version of Monica Potter and she does a nice job in this episode. She’s probably my favourite of the teens on the show. Of course Joel and Julia take the best-arc honours, even though their struggle of job/family is not a new one. The confrontation between Jaegar and Christensen was the strongest moment of the show and everything including the unoriginal “Why are you and daddy fighting?” from their daighter works. Parenthood works brilliantly, even when it seems as if it shouldn’t.

[B+]

Modern Family: “Halloween”

 

This episode of Modern Family works brilliantly, but not for the reasons you’d think. If you pay attention you’d notice that the Halloween theatrics are just a smokescreen for all the idiosyncrasies of our characters and like any ensemble show (like Glee or The Office) things are brightest when we get all our characters together, and better yet see characters who don’t usually interact having conversations. The three arcs work well on their own: there’s the language barrier with Gloria and Jay, Cameron’s embarrassing Spiderman incident and the Dunphy’s and their marriage. Like Parenthood the issues being presented are not riveting on their own, but it’s their delivery that turns the show into something to admire. Of the single storylines Jesse Tyler Ferguson completely delivers on the craziness of being Spiderman, but when the episode comes down to the final ten minutes it all shifts – everyone’s great but Ty Burrell and Sofia Vergara in particular shine. I’m a fan of Sarah Hyland, so I missed her inane wit but the episode was altogether a success and proof that Jose’s right, it's a good show. Damn him and his astute judgement.

[A-]

Grey’s Anatomy: “These Arms of Mine”

Most of you might know that I have an unwavering bond with Grey’s Anatomy. I don’t love it as much, but after six years I’ve become really invested. I still don’t know if it’ll ever return to the brilliance of Season Three but this episode worked in ways that episodes (other than the last season finale) hasn’t for some time. It’s ironic that it works so well, because it’s so different from the norm. Two weeks ago 30 Rock took a brave step with their live episode, I wasn’t a fan – but it was brave. This week Grey’s Anatomy doesn’t go live, but they go for the illusion of real time and works excellently. The major arc is a man getting arm transplants, as journalists examine Seattle Grace Hospital three months after the killings. I’ll always say that Grey’s Anatomy thrives for having standout performances (especially from Sandra Oh and Chandra Wilson, perennial Emmy nominees) but this episode works where no one takes control of the episode, but everyone contributes to a decisively ensemble natured episode. I did learn that Eric Danes really has little talent, but he didn’t spoil the episode. Chandra Wilson and Justin Chambers do particularly good work with their arcs, and Mandy Moore returns for a well timed guest spot. It’s anyone’s guess what’s going to happen with Cristina and her continued aversion to surgery, but it’s handled better this episode than before. I’m worried about the idea of Jessica Capshaw and (especially) Sara Ramirez leaving the hospital....but we’ll see where that goes.

[A-]

I missed The Office and Community this week, although seeing as how I’ve lost interest in the latter – I’m not sure that’s a bad thing. Were they any good?

Things that had me going hmmmm

• Is it just me or was Cory Monteith at his best in “Damn It, Janet” – almost as if playing someone other than Finn Hudson makes him more tolerable. Weird...
• The Dunphy’s Corpse Bride and groom costumes? How brilliant was that?
• Doesn’t that Baldwin on Parenthood exude an air of scumbag entitlement...in short, doesn’t he seem like a douche? I’m not sure if it’s the character or him...
• Would a six year old boy care if his unmarried parents decide to get hitched? I’m not sure but Jabar’s lack of reaction to the wedding was hilarious.
• Justin Chambers singing for that patient? That was kind of nice, even though his singing sucks.

Standouts

Ty Burrell in Modern Family A- his subtle humour may be easy to ignore, but he does outstanding work this episode

Sam Jaegar in Parenthood B+ for managing to turn the mundane into great character moments

Michael C. Hall in Dexter B+ mostly for selling that breakdown, but really he grounds the episode with his uncertainty

Sofa Vergara in Modern Family B+ easily the strongest work I’ve seen her turn in since I started watching, pure delight

Chandra Wilson in Grey’s Anatomy B/B+ the episode is so contructed she doesnt get much time on screen, but boy does she sell those final 60 seconds...

Jayma Mays in Glee B/B+ for pulling of “Touch-a-Touch-a-Touch Me” even when the staging didn’t make any sense

              

What impressed you on TV this past week?

Lindsay Lohan Dead? Hoax!

Yes! Lindsay Lohan dead is another viral trending topic over the Internet today and yet it's hoax.

Well, the only thing that's true with that fake news or rumor is that it's definitely not true. Do I have to say more?

Here are some of my posts regarding to celebrities who has been killed by rumors. Don't get confused they are all alive and well.

Bill Cosby Dead

Justin Bieber Dead?

Taylor Swift Dead?

Is it true that Pants on the Ground guy dead?

Mel Gibson Dead. Of course NOT!

 Meanwhile, aside from Lindsay Lohan dead, there was also a 3-way s*x tape that has been buzzing at Facebook in the past couple of days.According to TMZ , 

We're told Lindsay just became aware of a Facebook page teasing, "Lindsey [sic] Lohan Just Leaked Having a THREEWAY on Camera."

A message on the page continues, "Don't ask how i got this ... NO ONE ELSE HAS SEEN THIS VIDEO."

But sources close to Lindsay tell us the actress is adamant that no 3-way sex tape exists. Sorry guys .. and some ladies.

We're also told the link may just be a virus -- so click at your own risk. 

Well, Hollywood gossips and celebrity rumors never stop.

The Joneses | Review

This film is so fucking awesome.. I just wished it ended better.

So remember how a few months back I loved a movie called Daybreakers for it's original concept but was let down by a conventional, less inspiring ending? Well that's how I feel about them Joneses here. Don't get me wrong, this is still a pretty amazing movie, it just wasn't good enough.

So the film is about Joneses, a seemingly perfect, happy, upscale family who moves into a suburban neighborhood and slowly begins to have an effect on the community. They drive the latest cars, they have the latest gadgets, the wear the trendiest clothes and soon after, the neighbors start to follow their trend. But the Joneses ain't no ordinary family. They're a group of actors hired by an advertising company to pose as a happy family to influence people to buy their lifestyle. And let the wacky insueeeee!

I love the concept of this film. I love it. I love it. I love it. The film completely eviscerates the American dream Arthur Miller style, evoking the emptiness and loneliness of a life built solely on consumerism. And you watch this and laugh at how stupid these people are for being so easily influenced by the Joneses but the truth is we are all like that. I admit it, I buy shit I don't need cause a cool dude with a hot chick has them to.

David Duchovny is back baby! Damn I miss his X-Files days. Duchovny plays the charming newcomer to the family struggling internally with his ethics and increasing infatuation with his boss Demi Moore. I love Duchovny's style of comedy, very Ty Burrel-like, choosing to play out his funny scenes in subtle awkward, yet charming performances that will catch a lot of people off-guard. Demi Moore was fantastic in this. Not since The Hunchback of Notre Dame has she had a character that is both the hot cocktease and the woman in control. While I did prefer Duchovny to her, she was excellently cast to be his "love interest".

The Jones kids weren't that awesome. Amber Heard and Ben Hollingsworth were kinda typecast to be one-dimensional characters who only know how to subliminally sell luxury products. But they were given a lot to do in the film, they just didn't take full opportunity of it. By the way, Amber Heard gets stark ass naked in this and it was heaven.

But The Joneses gets derailed midway when the writers decided they weren't going to continue with the satirical ruse of the movie and opted it to end in the cliche Hollywood love story archetype. It was really disappointing seeing how this movie ended because The Joneses could have been so so so much better than this.

The Joneses isn't a bad film, but it isn't a great film either when it so easily could have been. But it's a film you gotta watch, it's still hella funny, original and has a great message of consumerism. Ending still sucked shit though.

RATING: 6/10

A dose of Bob Ong Quotes

Bob Ong, who is he? Bob Ong or Roberto Ong is just one of the typical book author here in Philippines but writes in conversational Filipino. In his write ups, he created humorous and reflective depictions of life as a Filipino.

I first saw his book Bakit Baligtad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino? ()  few years ago but never had a chance to read it so I just asked my friend how have the book what's all about the it. Friend simply replied it's all about reality in life particularly us (Filipino) but in so humorous way.The book actual tel about good and of course bad side of being Filipino.

In Goodreads.com, a book reviewer was quoted about his book Bakit Baligtad Magbasa ng Libro ang mga Pilipino?:

"Filipinos really patronize Bob Ong's works because, while most of his books may have an element of comedy in them, this is presented in a manner that replicates Filipino culture and traditions. This is likely the reason why his first book - and those that followed it, can be considered true Pinoy classics."

Anyway, why did I came up with this Bob Ong Quotes post? Actually, Ark approached me earlier and told how bout posting about Bob Ong quotes since one of the hottest searches today. Why not? Below is the graph within 30 days of the keyword Bob Ong quotes.

Not really bad at all.

So much for that SEO stuff about Bob Ong quotes. Anyway, here's one of Bob's quote that I have found over the Internet.

Mangarap ka at abutin mo. Wag mong sisihin ang sira mong pamilya, palpak mong syota, pilay mong tuta, o mga lumilipad na ipis. Kung may pagkukulang sa’yo mga magulang mo, pwde kang manisi at maging rebelde. Tumigil ka sa pag-aaral, mag-asawa ka, mag-drugs ka, magpakulay ka ng buhok sa kili-kili. Sa banding huli, ikaw din ang biktima. Rebeldeng walang napatunayan at bait sa sarili.

If we translate the said quote,  Dream and achieve it. Don't blame your broken family, your dumb boyfriend/girlfriend, sprained dog or flying cockroach. If your parents have shortcomings on you, you can blame them and be rebel. Stop going to school, get married, use drugs, dye your underarm hairs. In the end, you're the victim. A rebel who have not proven anything and insane.

Ooops that's nose bleeding for me!


Moral lesson of the quote : Perhaps one's dream should not have any hindrance in achieving it. Blaming someone or anyone else will not bring anything at all to you.

Whew! That's really a great Bob Ong quotes and to be honest I belong to a broken family and I should say that's it's really true. If I kept on blaming my parents with what they did, perhaps I haven't finished any degree in college or perhaps I won't be blogging or learned anything about computer at all. Final words, go get to work to achieve your dreams, not later or tomorrow but today!

P.S. I'm thinking of posting a series of Bob Ong quotes here. Sort of reflection and assessment post for me once a month. That's it for today.

Ready for Halloween? Shrek Halloween special

You ready for this year's trick and treat? There are lot of things we can do in the coming Halloween special. TV shows will be bombarded with scary shows documentaries and other related stuff. Guess, it's really human's nature to scare themselves.

Well, there are shows that were not really meant to scare us but perhaps make us laugh instead. Shrek, the ogre who didn't failed to make us laugh with his quad-logy of Shrek movies will broadcast a Halloween special on NBC.

NBC will be broadcasting 'Scared Shrekless' and 'Community' a Shrek Halloween Special at 8:00 to 9:00 while ABC will have 'It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown' at the same time slot.

Here's other network shows at the same time.

CBS: 'The Big Bang Theory' and 'S--! My Dad Says'
CW: 'The Vampire Diaries'
FOX: World Series -- Game Two
PBS: 'This Old House Hour'

It's your choice now what to watch. Enjoy!

THE DARK KNIGHT RISES

The follow-up to the phenom of The Dark Knight finally has a name! MTV reported that Christopher Nolan's third and final Batman film will be called The Dark Knight Rises. I'm not so crazy about the title but I can care less as long as Nolan delivers a finale that does justice to this amazing series.

Oh and Nolan also said in the interview that The Riddler will not be appearing in the film, so Daniel-Day Lewis can kiss his blockbuster dreams goodbye but I'm still hoping for Philip Seymour Hoffman as The Penguin or maybe Black Mask or Killer Croc.

The Dark Knight Rises is slated for a 2012 release. At least we can watch something worthwhile before the world ends.

Time Traveler Caught On Film: 1928 Cell Phone? Doubtful!

One of the hottest searches keyword today is Time Traveler Caught On Film, very fascinating yet needs to be proven.

George Clarke the man who posted the video of alleged Time Traveler caught on a film using a device in communicating. Clarke, a extremely passionate by the work of the famous actor and director would like to prove that there are images and a video that show Charlie Chaplin had predicted the invention mobile phone in 1928!

How could that happened? From what I saw in the video, I simply don't believed it. Although, if proven, it will surely be remarkable discovery. Imagine, an invention long believed to be invented in 1979 was already invented 50 years earlier. Well, let's see in the next coming days the result of this speculated time traveler caught on film.

Watch the said video below. The video happened during Charlie Chaplin premiere in 1928. Check out around 6:15 of the video.

MacGrubber | Review

This movie is ridiculous. This movie is stupid. And for those two reasons, MacGruber was wonderful!

MacGruber is pretty much Inspector Gadget if it was directed by Jason Freidberg and Aaron Seltzer. I mean this movie is so dumb, so brainless, so fucking lame... that after the film ended I found myself surprisingly loving this film. Huh... weird.

MacGruber is based on the SNL character with Will Forte returning as MacGruber along with Kristen Wig and Ryan Phillipe. So it's about MacGruber, a Zohan-type military expert that retires from his job after his wife was killed by Val Kilmer at their wedding but is beckoned to return to stop him from acquiring codes to a nuclear warhead.

Really, this movie shouldn't be that good, but it was. This is one of those films that are simply critic proof because they know they are making a movie that has a retard as a main character and were written by the lame SNL writers and they make no apology for it. This movie had me bawling in laughter, the grotesque, crude humor that I always shy away from were actually done well. What the fuck am I saying??!!!

I was never a big fan of SNL, their content really started becoming lame bordering on the embarrassing since John Belushi kicked it, but I gotta say, the same lame dialog and slapstick actually work in this. Will Forte as MacGruber will start out as overwhelmingly annoying and unlikable in the beginning of the film but like Sheldon Cooper and Barney Stinson, his character will eventually win you over for his style. Retarded. But style anyway.

The best performance in this was actually Kristen Wig to be honest. While Will Forte was set on being the loud, outlandish, over the top retarded freak, Kristen Wig brings the funny in her trademark subtle, awkward charm. There's a scene in a coffee shop where she's just whispering to the barrister with a face I can't describe and it was the funniest thing I've seen all week. She is one of those actors that I am loving more and more as her filmography grows and I can't wait to see her carry her own movie one day.

Ryan Phillipe I didn't care for so much, his character really got lost under the brilliance of Kristen Wig and loudness of Forte's performance. There wasn't anything bad about it, there just wasn't anything memorable that I can take away from. Phillipe has really hit rock bottom man. He was in Cruel Intentions, Gosford Park, Crash and he was bangin Reese Witherspoon. Now he's a sidekick to a retard SNL actor. This was why Owen Wilson tried to kill himself Ryan. Just giving you the heads up.

With the string of horrid movies we've had this year, it's nice to finally have something that doesn't have to be taken seriously and something to have a lough out loud fun time with. Totally recommended!

RATING: 7/10

Feeling Like...

...hopefully I'll be out of it soon...

Boston Celtics won over Miami Heat, 88-80

What should I do? Should I keep my mouthpiece in my mouth? 
James' tweeted.  Image source :  @jose3030

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat, one of the most anticipated match in NBA for this year's playoffs as Dwyane Wade said : "I think the NBA did an unbelievable job of picking a great first game," 

Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat ended the first quarter with a score of MIA : 9 and BOS:16, showed how Miami dominates the first quarter. The entire game was entirely dominated by Boston from the beginning until the end with 88-80 scorecard. Ray Allen leads the Celtics and scored 11 points while Rajon Rondo with only two points but eight assists.

It seems like three superstar players Lebron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh didn't complement or the tandem didn't turned out well. I'm pretty sure Miami Heat's first game it's not the kind of game the three will play in the entire season. I'll expect more than that in the next coming game. The team should really work hard on their offensive strategy.

As Shaquille O'neal joined Boston Celtics, the team somehow gained a huge contribution from the veteran center player. I'm glad Shaq deal at least worked out well.

Shaquille Oneal coming out. Image source: NBA.com

As a fan of Boston Celtics, I'm very glad they won their very first game as this will show if they can make it to the finals once again.