Thoughts on Blogs and a Rebirth Review

There was an interesting article in this past week's New York Time's Magazine about the damaging effects that blogs can have.Reading the horror stories of people who got fired from jobs or broke up with their signifigant others because of what was posted to their blogs really makes you wantto be careful with what you say or do on these things. Just the other day I was perusing some "recently updated blogs" on Blogspot.com's site and came across some unbelievably explicit stuff. Of course, who knows whether these things are even real and legitimate anymore. I've noticed that sites like Blogspot are already overrun with blogs that are in actuality not-so-cleverly-disguised ads. Even the ones that seem like personal journals often have an air of fiction around them, and that's not by accident. There's been lots of articles lately about so called stealth marketing campaigns where companies employ people to subtlely promote their products in ordinary conversation, be it in person or via the internet. One article I read (I think in the NY Times, not sure though) talked about a man sent to local bars flanked by beautiful women by a beer company. The man would order that company's brand of beer and in doing so make an impression on the other patrons. That's just one example, but I have a feeling that this is the new wave of advertising. All of us have experienced the annoyance of being IM'd by SexyMeg28, opening this intriguing-seeming IM, and finding it to be (gasp!) nothing but an ad for some sleazy porn site. Now imagine this phenomena seeping into real life, and the you open up a whole dystopian can of worms, where every conversation you have is potentially nothing more than a cleverly planned ruse in the name of cheap advertising. But yeah, wasn't I talking about blogs here? Basically, this blog is not intended as any kind of personal diary. Not that I have much interesting stuff to talk about right now anyway, but you really do have to be careful what you let slip into your writing. With an open forum like a blog, it really can be tempting to let lose and write down everything (and in some people's cases, EVERYTHING) that's on your mind, even when you didn't intend to. That being said, the great thing about the internet is the wealth of opinions and information that are now out there for all to view. Depending on various factors, I may try to change or evolve this blog into something more focused, but for now I am just going to keep it pretty free-flowing and flexible. I am going to continue to try to share my ideas and interests, but with the internet you really do have to be your own editor. I love the fact that I can go onto a site like Aint It Cool News and read people's opinions of a movie minutes after they have seen it, but by the same token half the fun of doing those opinions is that they are rambling, from the gut, and definitely not holding anything back. As I've learned from my experience in journalism, however, sometimes, it really is best to hold back, especially when the world is your forum. Or, you can start a Live Journal and express your daily feelings to the world through crappy song lyrics. Not that there's anything wrong with that.

RANDOM THOUGHTS:

- Watched the movie Labrynth on DVD the other day, which I had never seen before but had wanted to see for a while since I love anything by Muppet-master Jim Henson. Though it was made in the early 80's, the creature effects in this are still amazing today. Otherwise, I was a little disappointed and a little weirded out by the trippy plot and strange acting by David Bowie. I probably would have loved this movie if I saw it as a kid, though it also probably would have given me nightmares. I'd still recommend anyone check this out though, if only for the amazingly detailed and complex Jim Henson creations. Still, it ranks a distant third for me behind The Goonies and The Neverending Story in terms of crazy 80's kids' adventure movies.

- I'm liking this year's Celtics team. They are improving a lot from the beginning of the season and Gary Payton seems to be happy to be on the team despite their so-so record. Ricky Davis is becoming a breakout talent, and Mark Blount has a lot of potential. Paul Pierce still has a lot of weight to carry, but they could be a wild card if they make it into the playoffs, which considering how pathetic the Eastern conference is, shouldn't be an impossible task.

POP-CULTURE SHOCK:

- Danny's Comic Pick of the Week:
Green Lantern Rebirth #3

Read it if you like: grand space-opera like Star Wars, classic superhero adventures, tales of redemption

Logline Summary: Hal Jordan, the greatest Green Lantern of all, betrayed his allies and became a murderer. But what if his actions weren't the result of his own will, but of a malevalent outside force? This is the story of Hal Jordan's return to the side of good and his battles with the demons that caused his controversial fall from grace.

What's the deal with this comic? Well, about ten years ago DC Comics secided to shake up all their major characters. Superman died, Batman broke his back and was replaced, etc. The sales were huge thanks to a large speculator market, and few of the major iconic characters were left untoched. But the most controversial change was made to Hal Jordan, aka Green Lantern. After his hometown, Coast City was destroyed, and thus many of his friends and family killed, Hal went mad with power and tried to rebuild the city and resurrect its inhabitants with his power-ring. The Guardians, the alien who created the ring, intervened, and Hal, enraged at this, went crazy and killed the Guardians and many of the other heroes in the Green Lantern Corps. Fans were deeply divided over this story, which also saw the introduction of a newer, hipper Green Lantern, Kyle Rayner. For ten years, the Hal vs. Kyle debates raged. Now, Geoff Johns, one of DC's best writers, has the task of bringing back Hal and exonerating him of his crimes. Obviously many problems stand in the way of doing this, such as the fact that Hal is currently dead. He died saving the world in a story called Final Night a few years back, and then, in an effort to atone for his sins from beyond the grave, merged with a ghostly, do-gooding spirit called The Spectre. So Geoff Johns had a heck of a task in front of him, and years worth of continuity standing in his way. But Rebirth has delivered. It is a great story, first and foremost, and it has found clever ways of bringing back Hal, exonerating him, yet still respecting Kyle Rayner and other members of the Green Lantern Corps. So fans of Hal and Kyle, as well as other fan-favorites like Guy Gardner and John Stewart are left happy that all of these characters are being treated with respect. And everyone is being treated to an epic story on a cosmic scale, with noble heroes, evil villains, and a lot of fun. Great art too, courtesy of Ethan Van Sciver. Check it out.