WWE Elimination Chamber 2011

Since I started with the news let me continue with more… Sports news. Though many don't consider Pro Wrestling as a sport. It's Entertainment.

The WWE Elimination Chamber Pay Per View happened last 20th of February 2011. This event is part of the Road to Wrestlemania. Below are the results and highlights of this event:

- Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston - Alberto Del Rio wins by submission

- Smack Down Elimination Chamber for World Heavyweight Championship - Participants are Kane, Drew McIntyre, Wade Barrett, Big Show, Rey Mystrio, and Edge. Big Show eliminated Wade Barrett. Kane eliminated Big Show. Kane eliminated Drew McIntyre. Edge eliminated Kane. Last two participants were Rey Mysterio and Edge. Edge gives Rey Mysterio a spear in mid-air. Thus, winning the elimination chamber match and retaining the World Heavyweight Championship.

After the match, Alberto Del Rio did a number on Edge but Christian came in to the rescue and beat down Alberto Del Rio. As retribution for himself, Edge delivered a spear to Alberto Del Rio.

- Santino Marella & Vladimir Koslov vs. Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel for WWE Tag Team Championship - Heath & Justin win via pin fall as new Champions

- The Miz vs. Jerry The King Lawler for WWE Championship - The Miz wins via pin fall retaining the WWE Championship.

- RAW Elimination Chamber - Participants are Randy Orton, John Morrison, CM Punk, John Cena, King Sheamus, and R-Truth. The initial elimination of CM Punk was revoked by the anonymous RAW General Manager. CM Punk is then reinstated in the match. King Sheamus eliminates R-Truth. CM Punk eliminates Randy Orton. John Morrison eliminates King Sheamus. CM Punk eliminates John Morrison. The last two participants were John Cena and CM Punk. John Cena wins via pin fall after delivering the Attitude Adjustment to CM Punk on the steel floor for the #1 contender slot for WWE Championship.

WWE Elimination Chamber also featured the introduction of Trish Stratus as a trainer on WWE's Tough Enough. Also, the re-hiring of Kely Kely to Smack Down.

EDSA at 25 and Prescription Condoms

Today, the people of the Philippines celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the EDSA People Power revolution. Twenty five years ago today, the Marcos regime was overthrown ushering in the age of democracy for the Filipino.

Being on night shift, I got off work at six this morning. When I arrived at my usual bus stop, most of EDSA-Ortigas has already been closed off. That, of course, includes my usual bus stop. That means that the preparations have started the night before.

Come afternoon (of course I was asleep most of the day), on my way to work, I was able to see at least what was left of EDSA-Ortigas after the morning activities. The same sections were still closed off from traffic. There are still quite a number of people around the ESDA Shrine and most of them were wearing yellow. I guess the celebration would continue well into the night until the day is over.

One thing is for sure. Tomorrow morning, the street cleaners will have a very busy day. There are going to be tons of garbage and refuse left along that section of EDSA.

On a lighter note.

Those who are against the Reproductive Health Bill, you may rejoice. There is a new Barangay Ordinance being enforced at Ayala, Alabang. The ordinance states that, one may not purchase a condom from any establishment without a prescription from a licensed physician. The aim of this ordinance is to stop the use of contraceptives or to limit its use.

Of course, this is just a Barangay Ordinance. So if you are from Ayala, Alabang, you can just go to Festival Mall and get your condom since it's out of the barangay's jurisdiction.

Yes, people. Sometimes I do a little news, too.

Bloody Movies

Two movies are up for review and their commonality: revenge, killing, and a lot of spattering blood.

First up we have, The Warrior's Way. This movie stars Jang Dong Gun (he's also the guy from The Promise), Kate Bosworth, and Geoffrey Rush (Captain Barbossa). You'd think that the main character would be from Japan but, no. Story. About the greatest swordsman in the whole world and his refusal to kill the last of his enemy's kind, a very cute baby (kawaii!). It's a three-group fight; people from a circus town against the Colonel's gun-armed posse against a guild of assassins from the orient. Spoiler Alert! The circus people win. Yay! There's revenge tossed in there, too. Visuals. Pretty good visuals. Could be a good 3D movie but I think they didn't make it to be one. Gotta love the sword fights. Very quick. Its cinematography reminds me of the Japanese films Goemon and Casshern (live-action movie). Recommendations. Action aplenty. I'd recommend it to an anyone who loves great action.

Tomato Rating: Six tomatoes.

Next up is, Faster. This movie stars Dwayne Johnson (a.k.a. The Rock), Oliver Jackson-Cohen, and Billy Bob Thornton (in case you didn't know, he's Jolie's ex). Story. The Driver (Johnson) is out for revenge. Killing those who had anything to do with his brother's death. With the tag line, 'Justice is Swift, Revenge is Faster," he does the job in 1, 2, … 5 days after his release from prison. All kills are in-your-face, up-close-and-personal. Reminds me of the movie Taken (stars Liam Neeson). Visuals. Typical of your American action movie with very little slow-motion effects. Recommendations. Action fans, go see it. The Rock fans, go see it. Billy Bob fans, yeah, see it.

Tomato Rating: Six tomatoes.

There you go. Two movies filled with action, killing, and blood. Enjoy the spatter.

Fantastic Four #587

I just finished reading Fantastic Four issue #587. I read it for one reason, the death of Johnny Storm a.k.a. The Human Torch. Yes, this is where the Human Torch, made his (as the comic book says) last stand against a horde of invading bugs. What can I say. I'm a sucker for big comic book events, Legion Quest (the death of Xavier), the Onslaught saga, Civil War, Secret Invasion, etc. (Sorry Batman and Superman, I'm not much of a DC fan.)

I was expecting an all-out, going-out-with-a-bang end for Johnny since he can go supernova. In fact, why didn't he go supernova? He would have taken out a whole lot of those invading bugs. Anyway, seeing Ben Grimm shed a tear for old Johnny was the touchy part. I guess seeing Johnny getting swarmed-in was too much. I say The Human Torch deserved a more fitting last stand than being overrun by bugs. They should have killed off some ordinary bystander. That way, the ordinary bystander would have become a hero in his own way. I mean come on. The task is basically just flicking a switch that happens to be on the other side of the shield.

In conclusion, Johnny Storm's death came short to a super-hero death. But then again, there were many super-hero deaths in the Secret Invasion saga that most of them are just whimpers.

On another note, I hear Spider-Man's joining the Four. He was once a member of The New Fantastic Four together with Ghost Rider, Hulk, and Wolverine. Nuff said.

Season of the Witch

There is something about working and watching a movie that seems to be a pattern for me. Before going to work (I'm on night shift that time and was hoping that my work schedule would get cancelled and it did), I opted to go to the mall and watch a movie. That day's target movie was Season of the Witch.

Season of the Witch stars Nicolas Cage (you probably know him very well) and Ron Perlman (Hellboy) as two deserter Templar Knights assigned with the task of bringing an accused witch to the holy monks to be tried and stripped of her powers. Nuff said. We don't want to give away too much of the story.

Visuals. The costumes were nicely done and were perfect for the setting. The special effects were pretty much decent. Story. Pretty standard and linear. Very predictable. One thing's for sure, it's not a witch they're up against. Overall. This movie made the attempt of making an Action / Adventure / Fantasy / Suspense / Horror with a touch of Lord of the Rings and a dab of futile humor. Recommendations. If you're a Cage fan then you might want to see this movie. If not, then don't bother. But I do think that the masses would love the effects, simplicity, and no-brainer story.

Tomato rating: Eleven tomatoes.

The Green Hornet

After work, I went straight to the mall, got myself a ticket and watched The Green Hornet, the hero that poses as a villain.

Green Hornet was originally a radio program back in the 1930's. I never knew that before today when the movie credits started showing; "Based on the Radio Program." What I did know was that there was a TV series and Bruce Lee starred as Kato. I used to watch that show when I was a boy.

This 2011 movie adaptation stars Seth Rogen as Britt Reid/Green Hornet, Jay Chou as Kato (a.k.a. Kato), and Cameron Diaz as Lenore Case. For those who think Chou looks kinda familiar, he played Takumi Fujiwara in the live action movie of Initial D.

Now on to the ratings. Visuals. This movie has a 3D and a non-3D version (I saw the non-3D). It probably looked nice in 3D but the non-3D is nice enough to look at. Story. There were some pretty good conflicts going around. Plus, the villain tries hard enough to become more villainous. Overall. For a GP movie, this one's pretty action-packed with quite a few surprises, and it has a lot of funny moments. Recommendations. See it on 3D if you want to but the non-3D will still have the same story. It's great for the masses and is a good movie to watch with the whole family. Since, there have been quite a lot of changes to the characters over the past 70 or so years, a little "nowadays" change wouldn't hurt.

Tomato rating: One tomato. Now cue the theme.

With or Without Ophiuchus, I'm still a Piscean

Ophiuchus (or some would call it Serpentarius) some might say is the 13th Zodiac sign. Though not really 13th in order, it goes between Scorpio and Sagittarius. This caused a lot of hype in the horoscope-believing community. Especially those who are hard core horoscope believers.

Astronomer, Park Kunkle, said that the shifting of the Earth's axis caused a shift in the stars alignment. This caused the sun to go through Ophiuchus like it does the original 12 constellations.(click here for the article from The Epoch Times)

It's a good thing that we have GPS nowadays. If not, navigators using star positions would probably get lost.

According to Dailyhoroscope.com, Ophiuchus has been there for a long time as a constellation and not a zodiac sign and that the Zodiac signs are based on the four seasons with a beginning, middle, and end. (click here for the complete article)

Do take note that astronomy and astrology are entirely different. Even the horoscope practicing world is divided; those who follow the constellations and those who divide the seasons. Though there are some horoscope practitioners that would gladly make use of the new Zodiac sign, there are still purists that wouldn't.

But then again, this is just concerning the Western Zodiac. The change in constellations will probably never affect the Eastern Zodiac that, like the Western, has 12 signs. Adding a 13th would cause a lot of confusion since the cycle goes through 12 years. Eastern Zodiac is based on Chinese astronomy and follows a 60-year cycle that does not coincide with the modern calendar.

For the sake of imagination, if there would be a 13th sign in the Eastern Zodiac, what would it be? A cat, there already is one, the tiger. A bear perhaps? But a bear is not very eastern. I know. A panda. Mind you, a panda is not a bear. Year of the Panda. Sounds about right.

New Year, New Bill... Not Really

What better way to kick off the new year (a very late kick-off) than the bill on the additional tax on cigarettes. Ah, yes. I can't wait for the cigarette prices to sky rocket so the average wage smoker (or the poor smoker) would have to spend more in order to get a fix.

According to the newspaper article I read last year. The bill will take effect roughly around early 2011 or January 2011. I'm not sure on the exact date but I sure hope it happens soon. It will add about Php 30.00 to a pack of cigarettes. So if a pack costs Php 30, with the bill, it'll be Php 60 a pack. Your 1.50 per stick would now cost you double. How wonderful. I say, it should add more than 30, say 90 or 100. That would be most excellent. That should get the attention of a lot of smokers from the middle-class down to the below-poverty-line group. The higher class peeps probably wouldn't mind. Besides, most of them don't usually smoke with the common masses.

Seriously, a higher price tag on cigarettes will never eradicate smoking. But it will (hopefully) discourage smoking for those who earn very little or just enough, or discourage those who would like to take up smoking as a hobby. Especially those who smoke like it's okay for everyone to inhale their mouth farts. For example, chain smokers, or those who smoke while walking, loitering, or practically anywhere even if the sign says "NO SMOKING" or on the public vehicles. Those are the people who I want to suffer. Yes. Suffer. If you people want to smoke then go spend some more. Burn your money and pockets for all I care, you mouth farting freaks.

So, if you're one of those who are really affected, then too bad for you. I suggest you stock up on smokes while they're cheap. If you're not, then good for you (whether you're a non-smoker or you can still afford a smoke even if it's a USD a pop).

Planet Zombie 3: Zombie Wars

Like I said before, pretty much anyone can win against a one-on-one fight against a zombie. How about if it were like a war. Horde against horde. Which side will win?

Humans Vs. Zombies. Hands down zombies. The zombies can easily outnumber the human population. When a human dies, it becomes a zombie and so on. But of course if you base it on the different movies and games, it's pretty much a tie.

Elves Vs. Zombies. Are we talking about the Lord of the Rings elves or the War Craft Elves? I guess they're pretty much the same when it comes to marksmanship. Elves have come a long way in marksmanship skills. From making toys (for Santa) to shooting down foes with pinpoint accuracy from miles away. As long as the zombies don't come from an unlimited source, the elves might win.

Vampires Vs. Zombies. Though both of these creatures are of the undead, both have a way of being 'killed.' It is unfortunate that even if the vampire has the advantage of speed, strength, and intelligence, it has a lot more weaknesses than the average zombie. And there are a lot more ways to kill a vampire than there is a zombie. If the battle would last well into the morning then it would spell the end of the Nosferatu.

Werewolves Vs. Zombies. Like the vampire, the werewolf has the advantage of speed, strength, and intelligence. However, unlike the vampire, the werewolf is a living, breathing monster. Which means it is prone to getting zombified. Judges? Zombies win.

Wizards/Witches Vs. Zombies. Really now. These magic users don't even have the need to lay a finger on a filthy undead. They could just turn all zombies into harmless little rabbits. I think that would be, in a way, cheating.

Robots Vs. Zombies. I would have to go with robots here. Robots are on an entirely different undead level. Zombies can't even bite through a powered down robot much less a fully armed and fully functional robot. Zombies might not even feel the presence of a robot since a robot is not alive in the first place. Just think Terminators vs. Zombies and you get the idea.

Aliens Vs. Zombies. I guess the winner of this war is open for debate. It would depend on what kind of alien species are involved in battle. If the aliens are anything like humans then we pretty much know how the battle ends. However, if the aliens are anything like the, Zerg (from Star Craft), then it's goodbye zombies.

Super Heroes (or Super Villains) Vs. Zombies. The only documented event where this happened is the Marvel Zombies arc of Marvel. Here, almost all heroes and villains have become infected and have become zombies. Including those in other planets. Of course the zombie strain in this story is also the 'super' kind so you can't really argue the outcome. Plus, the heroes and villains that were infected kept their super powers and abilities in tact making them super zombies.

Plants Vs. Zombies. I don't know the plants win but for some reason they do. This war is well supported by just one game. Unless of course you're playing Endless, then the true essence of a zombie horde on a feeding frenzy has befallen you.

Nuff said.

TRON Legacy

I remember seeing TRON when I was just a little boy. Back then, its visual effects were amazing. I guess it was one of the best Science Fiction films of its time.

Earlier, I had the chance to see TRON Legacy. And just in time too, before all the MMFF films get on the big screen (Whew!). After almost three decades, the sequel to TRON has come. The movie stars Jeff Bridges, Garret Hedlund, and Olivia Wilde. Like the original TRON movie, Tron isn't the lead character. I wonder why the movie is titled after him. On with the details. Visuals. Both 2D and 3D versions look great but is better in 3D with all the special effects; shattering. Story. The story is quite linear and you can pretty much predict the outcome. But you can't argue with a Disney production for being such. It doesn't offer much to the occult following of the original movie either. Still, it's very entertaining. Overall tomato rating: Seven tomatoes.

Before the movie started, I had the chance to see previews of the up coming movies for 2011 and I'm pretty psyched to see them; Thor, Transformers 3, The Green Hornet, Red Riding Hood (pretty much like what they did to Snow White long ago), Real Steel, and the return of Captain Jack Sparrow.