Swollen Pickles

Will Ferrell could take a dump in my letter box right now and I'd laugh. He's funny. Wet your pants style funny. I'd been waiting to see Blades of Glory since I saw the first promo. Will Ferrell, spandex, figure skating, all the elements were in place. As the cinema curtains drew back, I was ready to bask in the glory of greatness.

Will Ferrell is Chazz Michael Michaels: an ice-devouring sex tornado. The only skater to win four national championships and an adult film award.

Some personal highlights (which probably tell you more about me than the actual movie):

"Nancy Kerrigan? You an official here? Cause you've officially given me a boner!"

"I swear to God, I couldn't love a human baby as much as I love this comb."

"It makes my hair shine like Orion's Belt out on the ice."

"We're gonna skate to one song and one song only. I'm gonna get you get you drunk. Get you drunk off my lady hump. My hump, my lovely lady hump."

Story wise, it's just a piss take on figure skating and male buddy movies. Two skaters at the top of their game come to blows, hit rock bottom, then have to team up to reclaim their former glory, overcoming ego and adversity along the way. It's deep and touching. Deeply touching.

Don't watch it for the plot, watch it for Chazz, the Ron Burgandy of the Ice.

If you're too much of a tight ass to buy a movie ticket to Blades of Glory, then check out Will Ferrell in "The Landlord" for free.

I love when signage goes bad.

Well, I'm off to see 'Knocked Up' this weekend, perhaps "Pirates Knocked Up Shrek" is the sequel?

I'm a massive guitar whore, so consider the following a public service announcement.

Gibson are one of the biggest names in guitars. They are also quite expensive. Little wonder then that a massive counterfeit market has emerged. So your buying a new Les Paul, but have never had the opportunity to play the real thing before. How do you tell whether or not the guitar you are holding in your hands is the real deal or not?

For one, do the research. Learn how to identify fake Gibson guitars.

Second, consider the price. Does it seem too good to be true? If it seems too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.

One other piece of advice, never buy an instrument sight unseen.  And finally, if in doubt, ask an expert.

John Stamos has lived the high life. First there was Full House, then married to Rebecca Romijn-Stamos, and now the interview that stopped a nation.

Kerry-Anne isn't known for her hard hitting interview style, but maybe getting her guests loaded pre-interview is a new approach to gain some extra information out of them?

Too much time in the garden of life for our little friend.

Well, it has now been well over a week since my HP notebook was sent back for further repairs. Thankfully it's still under warranty. Today I had what could be a minor break through. The repairer will attempt one more fix, if that doesn't work, my notebook will officially be announced dead, or the distant cousin of some old school microwave ovens, and I'll,fingers crossed, receive a replacement.

This has really been an eye opening experience for me. I think I had built up a computer based addiction. I can also say that without a doubt, this has to have had a negative impact upon my whole 'goal' project. I'm guessing I'll be able to confirm this once the month ends.

As my ‘graphic novel’ fixation has increased, I’ve found myself doing an increasing amount of ‘research’ on the subject. This has led to a number of startling revelations. One of the most surprising (for me at least), was the career of Frank Miller.

I’m guessing that I’m not different to a lot of people when I say that my first exposure to any of Frank Miller’s stuff came when I saw Sin City for the first time. After some initial research I quickly found that Frank Miller was not just the guy that wrote ‘Sin City’.

Frank Miller’s characters are tough, dark, broken, morally ambiguous and flawed. I guess this is why I shouldn’t have been all that surprised to learn that Frank Miller has produced stories for major characters such as Batman, Wolverine, Daredevil and Spawn. He was also responsible for the creation, and death, of the Elektra character.

Something else that I learnt was that Frank Miller was responsible for writing the scripts of Robocop 2 and 3. I dare say, they probably weren’t the high points of his career.

So, you’ve seen Sin City and 300, dipped your toe into the pool of ‘graphic novels’ with one of the Sin City stories, where should you go next for your Frank Miller fix? Well, I’m glad you asked, here are some of his more popular and highly regarded works.

Batman: The Dark Knight Returns

10 years since the last recorded sighting of the Batman. Gotham City has begun to rot away. It’s time for Batman to come out of retirement. This story was credited with resurrecting the Batman ‘brand’. Arguably one of the most talked about comics in history.

Batman: Year One

From retirement Batman, to the work experience kid Batman. Year One takes a massive leap back in time to trace the beginnings of Batman as he spends his first year on the job. If you liked the movie, Batman Begins, then you stand a good chance of liking this.

Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller Vol. 1

Frank Miller made his name when he brought the Daredevil series back from the dead. In volume in volume 1 he contributed the artwork. If you've seen the live action movie with Ben Affleck, then some of what you find in volume 1 will be familiar to you.

Daredevil Visionaries – Frank Miller Vol.2

Volume 2 collects issues 168-182 of Daredevil, and these are the issues in which Frank Miller really made his mark.. Frank Miller contributes both the stories and the art. Volume 2 features the Hand as well as Daredevils mentor Stick. Elektra is also introduced in this series for the first time.

Daredevil Visionaries - Frank Miller Vol.3

Volume 3 covers both the death of Elektra as well as the return of the Hand. Without Elektra to help him, Daredevil turns to the Black Widow.

The relationship between Daredevil and the Black Widow is actually alluded to in the Xbox game Marvel: Ultimate Alliance. Just thought I'd mention that.

Elektra: Assassin

Let’s just say that I don’t think Frank Miller ever intended Elektra to turn out the way she did in the 2005 Jennifer Garner movie. Still, I'm a big fan of Jennifer Garner's work...

Wolverine by Claremont & Miller (Marvel Premiere Classic)

An old school Wolverine story, one of the first to delve into what really made the guy tick. Set in Japan, this story also features an appearance by ‘the Hand’.

Here's one for the dog lovers. The prize for the "Worlds Ugliest Dog" has been awarded. Apparently the winner is some sort of Chihahua mix, with a Gene Simmons like tongue.

I'm not convinced that it's really a dog at all! It looks strikingly similar to Spike from Gremlins! So similar in fact that I wonder if the Worlds Ugliest Dog is actually a dog at all. Conspiracy? Maybe!

Random link for today: camping gear.