Why Do I Blog, SyFy’s Chupacabra vs. The Alamo, Ninja and Entertainment News, and Movie Trivia Answers

Sydney Aaliyah has been celebrating two years of blogging this month with guests discussing why they blog. Today, it is my turn. Thank you for asking, Sydney! Please join me at her site and discover why I blog. (Besides the usual fame, fortune, and a shot at Kate Beckinsale!)

Ninja News

Michael Di Gesu is looking for new books and authors for his A to Z Challenge theme! You know how his introductions rock, and for twenty-six days, he will rock twenty-six books. Visit his site or contact him directly at mculi AT aol DOT com.

The A to Z Challenge starts in one week!! I’m revealing my theme this Friday. It’s along the same idea as the past two years, but with a twist or two. Or three!

Misha Gericke’s manuscript for Doorways was accepted by Etopia Press. Congratulations, Misha!

Donna Weaving had some great examples of past perfect and how to use it.

And you can now add CassaStorm on Goodreads HERE!

The SyFy Saturday Night Craptastic

Saturday night while surfing the basketball games, I discovered yet another SyFy movie original. Opting to take a break from watching my brackets go up in flames, I tuned in to the first ten minutes of Chupacabra vs. The Alamo. These were my thoughts:

Vicious animal attack in drainage tunnel, lots of blood…. Wait, that’s not a chupacabra, that’s a Chihuahua with a skin condition.

No, not Erik Estrada! Guess the director had a photo of him with a donkey as well.

Estrada has a teenaged daughter. Crap, the dude is sixty-three – he should be playing her grandfather.

They green screened Erik Estrada riding his motorcycle through the desert. We’re talking 1970’s local weatherman quality green screen!

Estrada drives through the hot desert and arrives at the drainage tunnel… soaking wet? Wow, he was so hot he pitted out his leather jacket.

I’m done! They should’ve named this movie Erik Estrada vs. His Dignity.

Entertainment News

The Croods were number one at the box office with a domestic take of almost $45 million.

The NCAA March Madness saw several upsets this weekend, including favorite Gonzaga losing to Witchita State. We won’t even discuss my bracket at the moment.

G.I. Joe: Retaliation comes out this Friday – and it actually got a good review from Jo Blo’s site.

The Swedish metal band Soilwork recently released their ninth album – and took a leap of faith with a double album! Their last disc was ‘all right’ and I almost didn’t purchase this one. Glad I did – The Living Infinite is brilliant!

And they just released an updated and extended version of the trailer for World War Z at Jo Blo’s site view it HERE

Movie Trivia Answers!

1 – “If this is foreplay, I’m a dead man.” Cocoon - Jack (Steve Guttenburg)
2 – “The Fourth of July will no longer be known as an American holiday, but as the day when the world declared in one voice, ‘We will not go quietly into the night…’” Independence Day – The President (Bill Pullman)
3 – “His pattern indicates two-dimensional thinking.” Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – Spock (Leonard Nimoy)
4 – “Can I ask you a personal question? Have you ever retired a human by mistake?” Blade Runner – Rachel (Sean Young)
5 - “I just want to know that it’s really happening.” Close Encounters of the Third Kind – Roy Neary (Richard Dreyfuss)

Have a book suggestion for Michael? Catch any of the SyFy Craptastic? (My apologies if you did.) How are your brackets holding up? Seeing any movies soon? And how did you do on the trivia?

Don’t forget to visit Sydney Aaliyah!

Deja Vu Blogfest - A SyFy Classic!

DL Hammons of Cruising Altitude fame, along with several others, is hosting the Déjà vu Blogfest today!

Before I jump into the blogfest, just a reminder – this is the last weekend to vote in the The Movie 411 Awards! I’m up for Best Sci-Fi Blog and Best Blog Post for The Worst Movies Ever Blogfest and I’m not above groveling. Need help with Best Post!!! Don’t forget to vote for my buddies Cinemarvellous! iZombie! Melissa’s Imaginarium and MsMariah’s Space Blog-yssey

I did tie for Best Writing Blog over at A Peek at Karen’s World. Tied with Jennifer Hillier! Damn, I should’ve lost by a landslide. Jennifer is just so amazing.  Thanks, Karen!

On a sad note, has anyone heard from Ellie Garrett? She was taking a short break to write, but Jeremy and I have both sent emails and she hasn’t responded!

The Debutante Ball: Feast of Debut Authors continues with stops at Joseph Beekman December 16 and Pendragon Innmen December 17. Then on Monday, it’s my turn. Lots of cool things to win!
 

And now on to the blogfest!

When DL announced the Déjà vu Blogfest, I knew instantly which post I wanted to select. My older followers will remember I’ve done play-by-plays of some of SyFy’s more craptastic movies, but none beat this cinematic marvel:

I give you - Sharktopus – A Play By Play. Enjoy!

My thoughts while watching Sharktopus, recorded by the minute. 

3 min – The “ding” of the elevator sounds just like my microwave oven chime. 

7 min – They didn’t waste any time with pesky details like plot or exposition. 

10 min – Roger Corman must have pictures of Eric Roberts with a donkey or something. 

13 min – Roberts isn’t even trying. I think he’s cold-reading the script from cue cards. 

15 min – Hot woman on beach – the movie is getting better. 

16 min – Oh wait, Sharktopus killed her. Movie sucks again. 

19 min – Not so attractive woman goes bungee jumping. I’m okay with her dying. 

30 min – Various shots of sun-soaked, bikini-clad hotties flashes across the screen. This should be the centerpiece of the film. 

37 min – Sharktopus attacks sunbathers. The CGI is so bad I find myself growing nostalgic for a guy in a big rubber suit. 

42 min – A man tells Roberts there’s something on TV he has to see. I’m pretty sure it’s not Sharktopus. 

44 min – The lead actress’s voice keeps shifting from British to American. She must’ve studied at the Kevin Costner Robin Hood School of Acting. 

51 min - Is there enough alcohol in the house to get through this movie? 

62 min – Pretty sure Roberts is drunk. Lucky bastard. 

64 min – They should rename “SyFy Saturday Night” to “SyFy Saturday Craptacular.” 

73 min – The upside to being eaten by Sharktopus: you don’t have to sit through the rest of Sharktopus. 

80 min – A pirate radio DJ mocks Sharktopus and is devoured. This is a life lesson, people! 

83 min – Sharktopus just pantsed some guy. That was… awkward. 

93 min – No really, Roberts is hammered. The guy was on a three-day bender shooting this film. 

98 min – The movie just morphed into a Puerto Vallarta travelogue. Or a bad Bollywood film. Not sure which. 

107 min – Roberts is killed by Sharktopus and there was much rejoicing. 

110 min – Our hero now intends to run over Sharktopus with a minivan. Hope he’s insured. 

122 min – Sharktopus is arrested on tax evasion charges. Movie over. 

Now you don't have to waste two hours of your life! You can thank me later... 

Visit Cruising Altitude for the list of participants.

Anyone else suffer through this craptastic film? Following the Debutante Ball: Feast of Debut Authors? Want to know what you can win here on Monday? Going to see Sherlock Holmes this weekend? Still wondering what the hell is a Sharktopus…?

A to Z Challenge - P - and SyFy's Latest!

For the A to Z Challenge, I am featuring some awesome bloggers. These individuals have offered so much support of my book, CassaStar, and me on my blogger journey. Of course, I’ll be keeping up with the world of movies, music, and pop culture stuff as well! Ninjas are just talented that way...


Patrick Tillett
Patrick is an accomplished photographer and poet, and often combines those two talents in his blog posts. He’s a very devoted blogger and commenter, and his reflective words will cause you to think. You rock, dude!

pk hrezo
PK is a fellow writer and international airline agent. I’m sure her profession feeds her ideas for cool characters! She posts informative writing tips and I always learn something from PK. She’s a super gal so go say hello!

SyFy just announced their summer lineup HERE. On July 11, this science fiction geek will revel in a whole night of science fiction series! It kicks of with my favorite, Eureka, then it’s Warehouse 13, followed by the debut of a new series, Alphas.

And following their tradition of Saturday night craptastic flicks, they announced this gem for June 25 – Swamp Shark, staring Kristy Swanson and D.B. Sweeny. Mutant sharks in the Louisiana Bayous!

Yes, Swamp Shark has ‘sucks’ written all over it, but I’m willing to sacrifice my sanity and a couple hours of my life to do another play by play for my blogging friends. You can thank me by supplying Hot Tamales. Drinks might be needed as well…

Movie Review and Play-by-Play

For those of you who remember my Play-by-Play of Sharktopus, you are in for a treat!

We were unfortunate enough to have TWO Battle: LA movies this past weekend. I’m such a trooper, I decided to invest time into both flicks.

Battle: Los Angeles - in theaters now

Critics came down hard on this film and I’m not sure why. It’s not ID4, but it was worth the price of a movie ticket. It follows a platoon of marines during an alien invasion as they try to rescue civilians caught behind enemy lines in LA. It’s not terribly original, but the special effects and storyline are good. The action is rapid fire, gritty, and realistic. However, this is nearly its downfall, as there are few breathing moments, and filmed in shaky-cam, it’s exhausting. One aspect I particularly enjoyed was its respect for our servicemen and women. They are portrayed as smart. well-trained, heroic people who will die to defend our country. It won’t stay with you for long, but it’s far better than Skyline, and certainly better than this next film…

Battle of Los Angeles



A SyFy original! You know what that means – it’s time for a play-by-play:


9:01 Yes folks, that’s none other than 80’s star, Nia Peeples!

9:03 No character development or anything - LA is immediately attacked by a Juice Master. I wonder if that’s a hint for me to go make a mixed drink.

9:04 I think the F-16 pilot is talking to OnStar

9:08 Apparently the military base outside of LA is in worse shape than a third world country.

9:11 Could they have at least cleared the weeds and slapped on a coat of paint? At this point, they’re not even trying…

9:13 Apparently our military consists of eight guys. And the actors are creating their own sound effects.

9:14 It’s an alien invasion AND a time travel film. Two craptastic movies in one.

9:20 Someone references not being caught with their pants down. If only this WERE a porn film…

9:30 Apparently LA consists of seven houses in the desert. Who knew?

9:35 Is that an alien or a Hoover upright?

9:41 It’s painfully obvious the SyFy channel hates us.

9:43 Special effects courtesy of Atari Defender. (The original of course.)

9:49 Nia Peeples – Space Ninja.

That’s all I can take! Captain Ninja Alex must now become the night and make all of those responsible for this travesty suffer. Or at least apologize profusely…

Eureka!

Continuing the A-Z Challenge from Arlee at Tossing it Out, today is E - and Eureka!

Have you heard of a little show on the SyFy channel named "Eureka"? Well, if you haven't, it's time to update the NetFlix queue and check out the first three seasons. The show centers on U.S. Marshal Jack Carter (Colin Ferguson) who stumbles upon a remote town populated by geniuses, government secrets and amazing technology. Jack is tasked to become the new sheriff of Eureka and deals with a slew of killer tech, crazy scientists and the dark secrets of Global dynamics. This is a show with smart writing, witty humor and a great ensemble cast. Jack struggles with the dilemmas of the town and Zoe (Jordan Hinson), his rebellious teenage daughter. "Eureka" never takes itself too seriously and has a mission to entertain your socks off for an hour. If you enjoy adventurous, fun-spirited and funny science fiction, then I highly recommend this breath of fresh air. Get caught up on the first three seasons before season 4 begins Friday, July 9th at 9:00PM.

And I received two more awards!

First, the Picasso Award from Summer at And This Time Concentrate!

And the Prolific Blogger Award from Rayna at Coffee Rings Everywhere

Ladies, thank you so much. And I would like to echo Rayna's sentiments and pass both along to those of you participating in the A-Z Challenge. Arlee threw out the gauntlet and we have risen to the challenge!