83rd Annual Academy Awards: Ryan calls it

Tonight's the night for Hollywood's brightest stars to come out and shine...Or so I'm told. All I know is I love movies and comparing my favorites from the previous year, which is why the Academy Awards have always held a special place in my heart.

Say what you will about awards shows in general, there's a great feeling that comes along with seeing one of your favorite stars or films get recognized for their achivements. Plus, the occasionally have something worthwhile to say when making their acceptance speeches. *fingers crossed for an F-16 reference*

Following are my predictions for this year's winners. While I did see the majority of films nominated this year, I unfortunately have to take a pass on such categories as Foreign Film, Documentary and Short Film. Otherwise, let's get to picking some winners.

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Reminder: The Walking Dead debuts Halloween night

Hey, knuckleheads. This is just your friendly reminder that The Walking Dead is set to premiere this week on AMC. For fans of zombie awesomeness, tune in Halloween night at 10 p.m. You should probably check your local listings, though, as these things tend to be in flux depending on where you live.

I can think of no better way to cap off your Halloween than to curl up on the couch with a show based on an award-winning comic and directed by the man responsible for The Shawshank Redemption.

As an added bonus, be sure to jump past the break to check out the wicked fan-made intro credits using panels from the comics.

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The Walking Dead hits AMC Oct. 31

The Walking Dead is one of those comics I missed in the beginning and, years later and nearly 100 issues late, I’ve had trouble getting myself to catch up on.

I know. I’m a sinner. Just about any comic fan you talk to these days will tell you it’s one of the best books going.

I plan on correcting my error someday soon but, if nothing else, I’ve learned from my mistake. The Walking Dead has been turned into a television series for AMC and, this time, I plan on being there from the beginning.

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Lost Finale- Echo calls it

Don’t worry. I’m not going to go into some epic rant about Lost and what it meant to me, and then analyze the finale down to the tiniest detail. Simply (and sadly) put, I wasn’t that kind of fan.

The fact is, I should have been on board with Lost from day one. Being the nerd I am, everything about the show screams “watch me.” I missed the first several episodes six years ago, though, and simply never took the time to jump on the bandwagon.

This January, however, I began to fix all of that. I ran through everything available in record time and, halfway through this sixth and final season, I was finally watching as it aired on television.

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Best of 2009!

It feels like I’ve taken in a lot of entertainment over the past 365 days. Despite that fact, I had some real trouble coming up with a few of these “best of 2009” selections.

In the end, I just sat down and wrote down the first thing that came to mind when asking myself, “what (fill in the blank) did I enjoy most this year?”

Keep in mind staticEchoes.com has an editorial staff of exactly one person and, as such, I still missed out on loads of games, movies, etc. this year From what I did get around to, though, the results follow.

Game
Uncharted 2: Among Thieves- This one, at least, was a no-brainer for me. Three months later and I still find myself returning to the single and multi-player modes of this gaming gem. Uncharted 2 had a fantastic story, top-notch gameplay and enough going on onscreen to warrant multiple playthroughs just to catch everything. Games don’t get much better than this.
Honorable mention- Demon’s Souls

Television Show-
Battlestar Galactica- Season 4.5 came to a close in early 2009, but this year marked the beginning, middle and end of the journey for yours truly. I finally invested in the entire series in boxset form and consider every penny money well spent. Season 4.5 was one of the best of all with a conclusion that literally left me weeping like a small child. Every episode of the series was of the highest quality, making BSG one of my favorite TV shows of all time. It’s that damn good.
Honorable mention- True Blood

Comic Book

Hotwire- Picking a favorite comic from the year was especially tough for two reasons. 1) Due to their size, I’m able to get through more comics in a year than anything else, making recalling many of them a real chore. 2) Despite the number of comics I got around to, many still sit on the backlog stack just waiting for my attention. Some of those, I’m sure, are absolutely fantastic. In the end, Hotwire-the story of a digitally enhanced super detective cutie who hunts down ghosts-got top honors for the simple fact, no matter what the backlog looked like, I always stuck Hotwire on top. I enjoyed the story so much, I refused to wait any longer than absolutely necessary to continue it.
Honorable Mention- The Boys

Album
Tom Waits: Glitter and Doom Live- I know I just reviewed this album a month or so ago, but I can’t seem to keep it out of my CD player for very long. My favorite musician of all time, I have yet to see Mr. Waits live in concert. Glitter and Doom, at least, gave me the opportunity to pretend I was actually there. Beautifully flawed, I can’t stop listening.
Honorable mention- Them Crooked Vultures

Check it out: Warehouse 13

I may not be happy with the name change, but I am pretty pleased with Syfy’s latest new show, Warehouse 13.

Episode four airs tonight and I for one will be planted firmly in front of my television to see how this interesting new series plays out.
If you haven’t read up on it yet, or missed the first three episodes, Warehouse 13 is about two secret service agents who get recruited by a top secret branch of the government that goes around and finds objects that are negatively affecting the world around them. A hair pin once belonging to a jealous queen, for instance, might be driving a woman to kill those who try to keep her from the people she loves.

Agents Mika and Peter join Artie, a long-time member of Warehouse 13 (a literal warehouse where billions of artifacts, pieces of art and what-have-yous are stored) in locating these objects and “neutralizing” them with some sweet gizmos.

The show offers some interesting historical tidbits and it’s neat to hear the story behind each object and why it’s causing people or things to act the way they are.

The cast is small, but great. Artie, played by Saul Rubinek, is eccentric and full of quirks. Mika, played by the sometimes overacting Joanne Kelly, operates by the books while Peter, played by Eddie McClintock, prefers to wing it. Not exactly original, but hey, it works. As Artie describes them, Mica looks while Peter leaps.

Considering all the conspiracy jibba-jabba and the paranormal aspects of the cases, it’s not unfair to compare Warehouse 13 to The X-Files. With witty dialogue and co-stars that lovingly rib each other at every turn, W13 also has a distinctive Bones feel.

I hate to keep using the word “neat,” but that’s exactly what pops into my head several times per episode. The ideas are fresh and the characters are surprisingly distinctive for being so early in the show’s run.

Give it a look on Syfy on Tuesday nights and let me know what you think. As for me, I’ll be visiting Warehouse 13 as long as the doors are open and the contents intriguing.

Syfy...Really?

What the hell Sci-Fi? It’s taken a couple weeks for this to bother me enough to write about it, but seriously, a name change? And not just that, but you went with Syfy?

And then you say it’s to shed your “nerdy image?”

Imagine, if you will, a guy named Chris. Chris is the biggest nerd you know. He plays computer games, reads funny books and speaks four versions of Klingon.

So, one day, Chris informs you his name is now Bloodstar. Or, to make the analogy a bit more accurate, he informs you his name is still Chris, but now he spells it Krys.

He still lives in his mother’s basement. He still collects action figures. And he still sleeps in a Star Wars sleeping bag when he comes over to your place for a sleepover. Has his name change, in any way, altered how “nerdy” you think he is? Of course not.

Dammit Syfy, you ARE the nerdy channel. You still show all the same campy, terrible horror movies and broadcast all the programs with aliens, robots and squiggily things.

This isn’t a complaint. I love the channel. But how can you expect a name change (especially one so half-assed) to affect viewers’ perception of you?

There’s a channel for women. There’s a channel or ten for sports and music. There’s a do-it-yourself channel, for crying out loud. YOU are the nerdy channel.

I’m not going to start a petition or anything to get the name changed back. So long as you keep showing the same type of programming, it doesn’t really matter what you call yourself. But why take yourself too seriously, especially when ninety percent of your programming involves things exploding out of other things and then going on a killing rampage.

As for you, Cartoon Network, you’re suspect. There are like six shows in your lineup now that aren’t even cartoons. You’re not Nickelodeon. You’re Cartoon-freaking-Network. People tune in to watch *gasp* cartoons.

Fix this problem or I’ll send Syfy to take you down. He can do it, you know. Haven’t you heard? He’s not nerdy anymore.

Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire: Watch it.

Being such a big fan of various forms of entertainment, the one shiny thing I often allow myself to overlook is television. What with all the video console games and funny books I have stacked up and waiting for my attention, the boob tube takes a back seat when it comes to what precious little free time I have.

Don't get me wrong. I love a good television show as much as the next guy. I just don't want my life to revert back to those days when I knew what day of the week it was based on what must-see set of shows I had written in stone upon my calendar for that evening.

That being said, I think I'll be clearing 30 minutes of my Thursday nights for a while to see where the new Comedy Central show Krod Mandoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire will take me.

I tuned in for the hour-long premiere last week and found myself chuckling through the whole damn show. It was as humorous as the title is redundant.

Sure, some of the gags are a miss and the homophobia dances between good-natured and annoyingly fratish, but the vast majority of Krod was a huge breath of fresh air.

Giving a great big middle finger to the likes of Legend of the Seeker, which can take itself a bit too seriously, Krod comes off as a mix between the classic Hercules series and something Monty Python might cook up. The humor is a sweet mix of American and British and it works surprisingly well.

The story is torn straight from every epic fantasy adventure ever written, but there's a clever heart beating under the surface, taking stereotypes and turning them on their side in order to draw genuine laughs. The characters, too, are tops. From their witty dialogue to their great facial expressions, all have something unique to offer and all are fun to watch.

If you get a chance, check it out Thursday nights at 10 p.m. And be sure to let me know what you think. I'm curious to see how many people are watching.

The 81st Academy Awards: Echo calls the Oscars

I get out to see quite a few movies, but I missed out on some biggies this year. Milk. Frost/Nixon. Even Slumdog Millionaire went by without me finding the time to get to a theater.

Despite this fact, I'm going to predict the big five Oscar categories as though I've seen all these films and know what the hell I'm talking about.

Best actor: This one's a toughie. Seeing as how I've seen all the movies that came out this year (some twice), I think I know an underdog success story when I see one coming. As such, Mickey Rourke will be taking home the golden statue for The Wrestler. His competition this year are a bunch of politicians and people interviewing politicians. Nobody wants to see a politician win. Give the big prize to a wrestler, though, and you might get some serious flexing or a mighty "Oh yeah!" thrown out during the acceptance speech.

Best supporting actor: Heath Ledger for his role as The Joker in The Dark Knight. I hate that Ledger's untimely death will most likely be a factor in the academy's decision, but Ledger deserves an award for this performance. He did a phenomenal job and created a character that will be remembered for years to come.

Best actress: Kate Winslet for The Reader. If anyone can make a movie about reading interesting, they deserve an award. The End.

Best supporting actress: Taraji P Henson for The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. I loved Henson's portrayal of an accidental mother with a heart of gold. I also may have missed all the other films with nominees for this category. But that's neither here nor there.

Best Picture: Slumdog Millionaire. No, I haven't seen it. But with the amount of buzz built up behind this thing, I'll literally eat my hat*** if Slumdog doesn't take home the big prize.

Well, there you have it. My completely baseless predictions. You had better hurry and get those bets in. These are a sure thing, kiddies.

(***Will not actually eat his hat. It was a figure of speech, just like "You can't go wrong with John Leguizamo*****)

(*****You literally can't go wrong with John Leguizamo. The guy is dynamite.)

Spike Video Game Awards 2008: Echo calls it

Spike have announced their nominations for the 2008 Video Game Awards and this year’s competition is as steep as everyone knew it would be.

Since I completely spaced on the latest UFC predictions (GF is still a sad panda about Couture losing), I figure I can give my predictions to this instead. There are 20-something categories in all, but I’m just going to cherry pick a few and give my thoughts. Here we go:

Game of the Year:
Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Grand Theft Auto IV
Metal Gear Solid 4
Little Big Planet
Yowza. Maybe I should have started with an easier one. All of these games are deserving, but Little Big Planet gets my nod. I felt MGS4, for instance, was a better “game,” but LBP is one of those titles that could quite literally change the industry forever. Like the original Mario Bros., Final Fantasy VII and Halo, future gamers could likely divide games into two categories: those that came before LBP, and those that came after.

Best Multi-player:
Call of Duty- World at War
Gears of War 2
Left 4 Dead
Resistance 2
If there’s any justice in this world, the award will go to Left 4 Dead or Res 2. Not knocking the other two nominees, but Left and Resistance went well out of their way to bring something new to the multi-player table.

Best PS3 Game:
GTA IV
Little Big Planet
Metal Gear Solid 4
Resistance 2
It’s short and the online is flawed, but MGS4 got emotional reactions out of me several times. The story is great, the characters are amazing and the gameplay, though quick, is top shelf. I loved this damn game so, so much.

Best Wii Game:
Boom Blox
No More Heroes
Super Smash Brothers Brawl
Wii Fit
Wii Fit? I mean, really? Maybe a win from No More Heroes will turn more gamers onto one of the few quality titles the system has going for it.

Best 360 Game:
Fable 2
Gears of War 2
Fallout 3
Grand Theft Auto IV
Why is this even a category? Gears 2 is going to win. Just give em the thing. (Not griping. The time I’ve spent with the title was pleeeenty of fun.)

Best Graphics:
Fallout 3
Gears of War 2
Little Big Planet
Metal Gear Solid 4
This one is surprisingly tricky. Fallout won’t get it, but Gears 2 looked great. For those who actually pay attention, LBP’s graphics are also ridiculously good. The game that made me drop my jaw the most, though, is MGS4. Visually mind-blowing.

Best Handheld Game:
Castlevania- Order of Ecclesia
God of War: Chains of Olympus
Patapon
Professor Layton and the Curious Village
Though Prof. Layton might provide a surprise upset (yay Level 5!), God of War on the PSP made me question the limitations of portable gaming. When you can cram all the action, story, sound, graphics and gameplay of a console game into the palm of your hands, you’ve managed to impress me.

Well, that’s it for my predictions. To see the full list of nominees and make some guesses of your own, visit Spike.com and remember to watch the show’s airing on Dec. 14.

Heroes: Season Three begins

Consider this your friendly reminder to tune in for the two-hour season premiere of Heroes tonight on Fox. Check your local listings, yadda-yadda-yadda.

I was a fan of season one, but season two lacked focus and clarity. Add to that a shortened run thanks to the writer's strike and a garbled ending and you had a pretty poop follow-up to a rather entertaining new show.

So, don't go in with hopes set too high, boys and girls, and we should be in for a fun ride.

Here's hoping the crew still has access to some of that magic that made Heroes so compelling and enjoyable in the first place.

Check it out: Fringe

I don't do many T.V. posts on staticEchoes.com because most T.V. is poop. (This statement does not include the likes of Weeds. We love Weeds. We love Weeds so, so much.)

However, being a huge X-Phile, I decided to throw hazard to the wind and give Fringe, often compared to the nine-season juggernaut, a chance. I'm one of the sad few who has yet to get Lost, so jumping in from the beginning of a new series sounded like a winning idea. Especially when the new series comes from J.J. Abrams.

I wanted Fringe to be terrible. If it were terrible, that would mean I don't have to dedicate an hour of my time to being planted square in front of the T.V., no matter what, period, every Tuesday night in order to catch the latest episode.

Unfortunately (fortunately, for most folks), Fringe was pretty dang entertaining. The pilot's story was strong, the acting was great and the script is more or less flawless.

My only complaint is, even at an hour and forty minutes, the introduction felt a little rushed. As the week's pass I'm sure I won't care, but don't expect to get eased into the world with this one. You're given a set-up, then a whooole bunch of stuff gets thrown at you as the show hits the ground running. It's easy to follow and easy to believe (as easy to believe as metal arms, teleportation and time travel can be to believe), though, so there's no fear of becoming lost. (You see what I did there?)

Anyway, damnitalltohell, I plan on sticking with Fringe for a while. So long as the show stays on par with the pilot episode, viewers should be in for a great ride.

The Golden Globes- Lamefest 2008

Well, the Golden Globes came and went and nobody seems to be the wiser. Thanks to the Writers Guild strike, what used to be yet another excuse for all the glittering celebs to don borrowed Gucci was turned into a press conference of sorts complete with bad editing and utterly unnecessary frills. If you're going to half-ass it, at least half-ass it well. Gimme the list and the winner. I don't need all the extra jibba-jabba.

One thing I've noticed over the past couple years is the fact small Hollywood is shining brighter than ever. Low budget films are drawing some serious talent these days, not because it's the "in" thing, but rather it's the only place to turn for story-driven works that aren't crappy sequels or remakes.

Unfortunately, I have not seen this year's best picture winner Atonement. It's on my to-do list, just not very high up. Alls I know is, it had better be a damn fine film to best No Country For Old Men and There Will Be Blood at the same time. Given how much I love those two films, I have a feeling Atonement getting the Golden Globe has set my expectations of the movie far too high. It looks like a particularly good war-time romance, but nothing I haven't seen in one form or another multiple times. Obviously, I'll reserve such judgment until AFTER I actually get to see the thing.

I'm not a huge fan of the Globes, so I'll continue my shameless man-love for Daniel Day-Lewis and Javier Bardem for just a moment more and be done with it. Yes, there were tons of awards, but none were given out to anyone I care about so much as these two in 2007.

I was afraid, given Bardem's large role in No Country For Old Men as Anton, my favorite silenced-shotgun carrying psycho, he would be up against Day-Lewis' Daniel Plainview from There Will Be Blood for the best actor nod. Flip a freaking coin. (Get it!?) They were both unstoppable. Thankfully, however, Day-Lewis was up for best actor (win!) and Bardem took home the shiny spherical statue for supporting actor. Woot!

For the full list of results, feel free to click here and give em a gander. Otherwise, if anyone has seen Atonement, I'd love to hear your opinion. Is it really THAT good?

American Gladiators, hell's-freaking-yeah

I think it's safe to say one of God's greatest gifts to all mankind, if you ignore Jesus, unconditional forgiveness and all that jazz, has got to be American Gladiators. Coming in at a close second is Hulk Hogan.

This being the case, I have to ask, why aren't you watching the new American Gladiators!?

For those who didn't know, many television shows have suffered thanks to the ongoing Screenwriters Guild strike. Without writers to build these shows, many have had to resort to reruns or cutting seasons short in order to make up for the lack of new content. The U.S. being the TV-oriented culture it is, the upiddy-ups have had to come up with some creative tactics to keep couch potatoes planted firmly in their seats. One answer to the problem is reality TV and, it just so happens, American Gladiators fits the bill perfectly.

Debuting this week on NBC, this new iteration of the legendary program picks up right where the original left off some 13 years ago. Thankfully, hosts Hulk Hogan and Laila Ali keep the jibba-jabba to a minimum and let the action do most of the talking. The cheesy interviews, though appropriate for this particular show, are mercifully kept nice and short.

With a new cast of behemoth Gladiators to trounce many-a Joe and Jill Average, revamped versions of old competitions like Joust and The Eliminator, and several new and creative events thrown into the mix, the 2008 version of AG feels like a breath of fresh air blended smoothly with plenty of nostalgia.

The biggest difference I've noticed is the physical demands of the new show. Maybe I just don't recall the old days as well as I'd like to think, but if memory serves correct, these guys hit a hell of a lot harder and throw far more caution to the wind than in AG Classic. Several events now have competitors wearing little neck braces "just in case." Also, The Eliminator now lives up to its name. IF competitors cross the finish line, they usually look two steps from death's door when they do so. I'm all for this. If there's anything I hate worse than a reality television show, it's a "reality" television show that is anything but. This actually feels like a genuine competition.

The new show won't win everyone over but, for me, this is shaping up to be a lot of fun. As a bonus for those who, like me, don't like watching all that much TV, there are only eight episodes total. Not including last night's two-hour premiere and tonight's new episode, that only leaves five week's of commitment to being in front of the flickering box at 8 p.m. on Mondays. If nothing else, it's a guilty pleasure distraction that effortlessly put a smile on my face. As such, I think I'll be joining Titan, Hellga and the rest of the gang for the next month of mayhem.