Saying Goodbye to Battlestar Galactica

Tonight, the series finale of the smartest show on television aired, Battlestar Galactica. It's not a show I talk about much, and it took the season 1 set of DVDs to get me hooked in, but after watching that first season of mayhem I was instantly hooked.

The show was a re-imagined version of its 1978 counterpart. It takes place in a far off universe where society lives amongst twelve colonies. After an attack by a robotic race known as the Cylons, created by the humans themselves, the people were forced to board any spaceship available. The main set piece being the Battlestar Galactica, run by their military leader Commander Adama (Edward James Olmos).

The show was definitely a hard sell. It aired on the Sci-fi network, a channel that most aren't even aware of, and at first glance looks like any other sci-fi show; space funerals, unknown technology, awkward languages, and so on. But the show rose high above everyones expectations, and quickly gained critical acclaim among many mainstream publications (ala TV Guide, Entertainment Weekly, etc).

The reason for its fame being the incredible crew behind it. Created and developed by David Eick and Ronald D. Moore, the show took on so many themes on such vastly deep levels. They dealt with maturity, love, race, humanity, politics, the struggle of society, and that's just the beginning. The way they integrated all of these themes into this universe was truly masterful. Supported by a stellar cast, featuring Edward James Olmos, Mary McDonnell, Katee Sackhoff, Jamie Bamber, James Callis, Tricia Helfer, Grace Park, and so many more, you instantly found a piece of yourself in all of these characters; witnessing their many triumphs as well as their unique personal flaws.


This show first aired around 2003, a time when my love for television really began with shows like Lost, House, Grey's and so on. It's really something else to follow a show from beginning to end. I got to follow the lives of these characters for five years, watching their individual struggles take place, and then to witness their last moments on screen, truly remarkable.

I remember going to Comic Con year after year, attending the Battlestar panels, being surrounded by so many dedicated fans, who also fell in love with the characters and the brilliant storytelling. This is why I love television, and why I want to be a part of something as epic as this. A combination of magnificent storytelling, the unity of an enormous crew all working for the same goal, and the adoration of so many people worldwide, really what more could you ask for. So to everyone involved in the creation of Battlestar Galactica, I congratulate you on a job well done, and I look forward to seeing more work like this in the future. A piece like this will go down in television history as one of the most emotionally powerful artistic works ever created, so as I raise my glass, I'm sure many will join me in saying, "so say we all."

President-elect Obama

Back when this blog was still a little toddler, I mentioned in an old post the prospects of a Presidential wannabe named Barack Obama, comparing him to as "if Tiger Woods ran for office."

Over a year later, I find myself owing the man an apology. Tiger Woods may be filthy rich and a great athlete, but after putting them side by side - Tiger Woods really ain't shit standing next to Obama; Now arguably the most powerful man in the world and who I'm pleased to say is the 44th President of the United States.

While you may not agree on his foreign policy plans or his ideas on universal healthcare reform, there's no denying he brings a glitz and glamor to the Presidency that previously, for many years now, was defunct of any style.

Of course, many former presidents brought their own personal charm to the administration, and no disrespect to them - But after 8 years of living with a President (Bush), whose coolest moment was probably dodging a pair of shoes being thrown at him, Obama's beginning of a new Camelot definitely becomes a refreshing makeover.

His current status as the coolest kat on the planet was solidified during his inauguration, as Obama, the young, charismatic, community organizer from Chicago, danced with his wife in elegant fashion, all while Beyonce serenaded them with his classy song choice of "At Last."

Even in his college years, Obama was apparently still one of the coolest kids in the room.

Time to make 2009 a great year.

[Time]

[New York Times]

Feeling inadequate all of a sudden...

That's the last time I complain about a "tweaked ankle".

Credit: With Leather

Cool Kids in Training!

Join Team Cacho!
Join Team DonDon!

RE: Carlsbad Shmarlsbad

Contrary to popular belief, the guys at coolkidsroom can do more than sit on their asses and rant about social affairs and fast food… O.k., maybe that does pretty much sum us up, but this weekend will change all that.

On Saturday morning, you’ll find cool kids and friends among a crowd running in the San Diego County NAMI Walks 2008 event.

That’s right, we’re running the city. Approximately 3.1 miles worth. Yes, three miles does sound fucking far, but Lance has proven more than capable of covering such a distance, and of course, its all for a good cause – NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) works to support those individuals and their families affected by mental illnesses through research and raising awareness.

To spice thing up competitively, we’re splitting up into two teams; Team DonDon vs. the evil Team Cacho. The team with the lowest combined times will be deemed victorious and superior to the other. Let the best team win!

Despite being the underdog, Team DonDon features several renowned all-star runners to help even out the scale:

Judd Judd.

The "newest" contributor to coolkidsroom, Judd recently turned down an invitation from Team China to run for them in the upcoming Summer Olympics. Rather, the notion of destroying Team Cacho proved to appealing of an offer to pass up. Some say Judd has even ran non-stop across the entire Oklahoma countryside while bare-foot.

“Lanthce doesenth sthand a chantsce againsthh us!”

Thunderdome.

Also running for Team DonDon is R-Kwan, aka the Thunderdome himself. Always a force to be reckoned with, his lightning speed is as legendary as his nickname. Even in his younger years, the Thunderdome’s trademark bowl-cut could always be seen leading the pack during P.E. class.

(R-Kwan was unavailable for comment.)

The stakes are high, and so will my run time be. Nevertheless…

“I SEE PRIDE! I SEE POWA! I SEE A BADASS MOTHA, WHO WONT TAKE NO CRAP OFF NOBODY!!” – The Cool Kids from Cool Runnings


Join Team Cacho!
Join Team DonDon!

Because Chinese Girls can become Men too

With one more final left to go, I’ve found it increasingly difficult to remain focused, especially with lingering thoughts of how awful I performed on my previous tests. Luckily, I’ve found the perfect remedy to alleviate all my depressing thoughts, designed around a fail-proof plan of watching several enlightening youtube videos.

My first source of inspiration is a no brainer; most of you probably watch it right before leaving the house to kick some ass in whatever. If not, it consists of watching Lance’s old post of Jean Claude Van Damme’s classic speech in the movie Street Fighter, which is arguably one of the “Greatest Moments in Cinematic History.” I watch it at a modest 5 or so times in a row, until I start shaking my head like the Indian soldier, and feel so pumped up that I throw my fist up at the end too. I’d watch it a few more times, but my adrenaline rush is usually at its peak by then so I tend to take it easy after that.

Next, I watch an assortment of Steven Seagal action clips, such as this one in the movie “Out for Justice” where he single-handily, TAKES OUT THE TRASH!!



Steven Seagal is fucking awesome. Not only does he display some handy shotgun work, and blasts someone’s leg off, but on top of that, he makes short work of a fat guy with just one fucking judo kick to the gut. While this clip doesn’t really pertain to finals, and probably has absolutely no inspirational value whatsoever unless you too, are out for some street justice, I still think its pretty badass nonetheless.

If Van Damme and Steven Seagal isn’t enough to pump me up and get me back to studying, I resort to another well-known source of motivation, inspired by the recent Disney theme.

From Disney’s Mulan: “I’ll make a man out of you!”



Thanks to the historical accuracy of Mulan, I now know how it feels to be a Chinese recruit back in the day; and it must’ve really sucked, with such absurd standards just to get through boot camp. Shooting 3 apples in mid-air with a bow while still hitting the target – Getting stoned while balancing a bucket of water on your head – Dodging a hail of flaming arrows - Having to break a stone slab – Are you fucking serious?? But hey, if this is what Mulan had to go through, there’s no reason for me to give up on studying, finals, or just school in general for that matter. If a young Chinese women can transform into a dude overnight, I too, can do the same… and perform well on my last test.

Just Get Up And Go

To: Ray, Adonis, Lance
From: Nazer
Re: BAROCK the peoples champ OBAMA

Yeah I'd be down for doing the sort of "person of the month/day/week" thing. It'd give us more to write about, and it'd be cool to see what each writer throws to the table, perspective is key.

So I just got back from a concert/clinic held at my school by Bobby McFerrin. He is a ten-time Grammy Award winner who has made so many innovations in the vocal world. He's well educated in all areas of music, ranging from classical, to jazz, and much more.

Punk Ass Bitch (PAB): "WtF MayN, cLaSiCaL and JaaZZZJZ???? ThAz OLd PeepZ MuZIK."

I guess he's right in a way, classical composers and jazz originated way back when, but all the music you hear today is influenced from those previous ideas, and if you automatically brush something off just because it doesn't fit into your everyday routine, then that's just ignorance.

Anyways, the night began with him sitting in a chair with a microphone, and then he began to sing. His vocal range is ridiculous, and not only can he hit notes as high as the sky and deep as the ocean, but the pitch is absolutely on point. He added a ton of rhythm to his performance, and if you think youtube beat-boxing videos are dope then you have to see this.

After that he took a lot of questions from the students, providing a lot of insightful information on technique and different styles of learning, but he was also to show examples right on the spot. He had volunteers come up and sing along with him, which was one of the most impressive aspects of the entire night because everything he sang during those sessions was improvised, right from the heart and mind.

To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure if I was going to go to this or not. I mean I've heard his music before and everything, but seeing everything right in my face, and all the improvisation being so organic was really something unmatched. When he'd sing everyone in the crowd would join along, probably a Berklee thing. I'm glad I got on my feet and went to this.

He made a point saying that you can learn something from every single type of music. Every individual has a voice, and if you take the time to listen, then you can really find something amazing. So what I'm stressing is go out listen to something new. Turn off the T-pain for a minute and just grab a random CD in your house and just give it a listen. But most of all, go see live music. It doesn't have to be a stadium wide concert or anything, but even just going to a local venue to hear someone play is a truly unique experience. There's talent everywhere in this world, so do yourself a favor and expose yourself to it.

And Then He Was Like, And Then She Was Like...

To: Lance
From: Nazer
Re: It's your LEAP DAY LINK DUMP

Yeah, I haven't made a post in a while, but then after thinking about it, the reason (for me at least) for starting this blog was to just write about shit that I thought people should know about, and with school and other activities piling up I felt that my time was better spent on other things. You made a Megan Fox post earlier and mentioned something about the quality of the site, but in my opinion fuck it, just write about whatever the hell you want, it's better then having no updates for a week.

Anyways, I've been spending my free time finishing up House season 3, and in an episode where Foreman declares his resignation from the hospital (NOT spoilers because this crap plays on the commercials), a song plays at the end by Brett Dennen called "Ain't No Reason." That song has been playing over and over again in my room, and I think my neighbors are annoyed, but whatever.

I picked up Patapon for the PSP and it's a pretty entertaining game with style elements that make it unique to the system, and it was only $20, so if you have a PSP (Martino, Floyd) go pick it up.

Since Brawl is coming out next week, I've been pressuring myself to finish Mario Galaxy. Yeah yeah it's a sick game, but that camera angle makes me dizzy and I get weirded out when I press up and he runs down so I don't play it that much.

After leaving the gym this morning, I saw a girl who looked about my age walking down the city streets with a blind man's cane, you know those white fold up ones with the red reflector on the bottom, and I thought damn, here I am always worrying about my eyesight while this strong individual is out making things happen, pretty uplifting.

Time to eat some cereal and figure out what to do today. I haven't heard much about SD in a while, how's everyone doing?

I know, the letter to other writers thing was totally ripped off inspired by Kotaku, but hey it's a good idea, and posts like these are always enjoyable.