Don't Mess With the "S"

So the summer season is beginning to set in, and once again that means little to me as its business as usual in the working world. Dammit, what happened to the glorious days of summer vacation? Oh well, as I wrote in one of my Daily Free Press columns in college, the Spirit of Summertime must live on. Read about it HERE.

But yeah, I am definitely looking at this summer as a time to finally make some time for the things I've been putting off in the fall and winter. It's going to be a time to get some real writing done. A time to get some decent excercise. A time to try to get together with some friends I haven't seen in a while. So viva summer - I may still be going to work every day like usual, but it's still going to be fun, dammit all.

SMALLVILLE / SUPERMAN RETURNS rant:

Wow, last night's ep of Smallville was perhaps one of the all-around best ever installments of this show. And as a hardcore Superman fan, it was just a HUGE relief to sit for an hour and watch a tale of heroism, villainy, adventure, danger, romance, and excitement. A fun superhero story. Characters you were rooting for. A twisting plot. Great build-up to the next installment. Because as I hear more and more about Superman Returns, it honestly feels like its going to be more of EVERYTHING that Superman fans have wanted to see go away over the last few years. Anyone who's read many Superman comics over the last few years began to notice a trend of a seemingly neverending parade of stories about a mopey, self-doubting, emo version of Superman. A Superman that totally was NOT gelling with the zeitgeist, NOT befitting a time when we yearn for a hero who will kick ass and take names, who will boldly face down his enemies and stand as a moral compass that inspires and awes us. IF you are a comic fan, you probably know of Batman's line to superman in Infinite Crisis #1: "The last time you inspired anyone was when you were dead." Ouch. But it had a ring of truth.

So WHY does someone like Bryan Singer think that NOW is the time to reintroduce the Superman franchise to the big screen with this same mopey, conflicted, self-doubting Superman that so many have wanted to see go away for YEARS now? I want a Superman who is going to save us from the terrorists, who isn't going to take crap from no one, no how.I want a Superman who stands against impossible odds, the most horrible of super-villains, but who never wavers, never doubts. And if there is a doubt, is a hesistation, it is quickly overcome by the strength of his convictions - you know, Truth and Justice.

But once again, Superman Returns seems to be poised to present to us, a nation in need of a Hero, a Superman whose primary conflict is that his wife has left him and that the world doesn't accept him after a long absence. Of course they accept him, he's Superman!

So with all the hype and speculation about Superman Returns, who would have thought that the most relevent, fun, and action-packed Superman tales outside of the comics can now be found on SMALLVILLE?

Yes, the season, and the show in general, has had its ups and downs - it's had eps that made me nearly give up on the show altogether for being so freaking cheesy and wrong - but last night's ep delivered bigtime.

The cast really came through, and of course the shining stars as always were Jonathan Glover as Lionel Luthor and Michael Rosenbaum as Lex. James Marsden as Milton Fine / Braniac makes a great villain, and it was nice to see Jon Schneider back as Jonathan Kent, even if it wasn't REALLY him. Anyways, I am pumped for the season finale, and kudos to the show for coming through at a time when I really wanted to be reminded what a good Superman story was all about. My grade for Smallvile: A

THE OFFICE:

Something just didn't click with me during last night's episode. I was trying to figure out what was off, and I think the problem was actually pretty simple -- it just wasn't funny. Now I know there are those who are somehow as much into the newly-emphasized soap-opera elements of the show as they are the comedy. But I'm not. I don't like the lack of subtlety in the Jim-Pam relationship, or the predictability of it. I don't like Jim's character as a whole. While in the British version Tim and Garreth had a kind of grudging friendship despite how much they antagonized each other, here, Jim is just plain abusive towards Dwight, who despite his eccentricity is probably the most likable character on the show. Whereas Gareth was often the instigator in his relationship with Tim, Dwight is just kind of a hapless guy who never really means to offend anyone. I don't know, I just found this episode to be short on laughs and in this kind of weir, dark area that made me feel detached from the characters. Dark is good when it comes to this show, but something just felt off here, and the emphasis of the plot seems indicative of this show's lack of direction. My grade: C+

NBA:

- Suns! Great game by Phoenix last night - I really had a sinking feeling they were going to lose, but it was great to see players like Tim Thomas step up and make huge contributions in the clutch. I will grudgingly say that Kobe last night was freaking off the hook. The shots he was making were just of the type that only a select few can pull off - those clutch buckets that inevitably go in simply because the player has that intangible, I-Will-Not-Be-Denied killer instinct. But one man a team does not make, and Nash played an amazing game and brought out the best in his supporting cast, which can't necessarily be said of Kobe. Game 7 is gonna be crazy.

- So long Chicago Bulls and my once-favorite-team the Pacers. My heart was just not behind Indiana this year, as the Reggie Miller-less team just did not inspire me to root for them like I used to. Jermaine O'Neal has just not shown me that he is a winning player, and too often he disappears in the clutch. Nets vs. Heat should be interesting though, and I hope that we get some spectacular showdowns between Vince Carter and Dwayne Wade. If Shaq can play like he did last night though, then, well, it's not going to be easy for the Nets.

FINALLY:

- Well that's about it for now. Have a good weekend everyone. Good luck with finals for those in school, and thanks for reading.