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Since our intrepid editor asked so nicely for something to put
in the opinion section this month, Ive decided to put in my two
cents on a variety of topics. Note: these opinions are those of
me and me alone, so take them how you will. Flames, comments
and other writings can be sent to the e-mail address above.
First, the awards season for Hollywood has started for this
year and there is already heated argument over what will win
which award at which ceremony. Weve already had the music
industry patting itself on the back with the Grammys, and the
Foreign Press Golden Globes (which had the meltdown of the
year involving Liz Taylor.) Next up will be the Oscars, then the
Daytime and Nighttime Emmys and every other little award
show that someone like Fox will air for ratings. Im tired of
seeing all these awards shows on TV because it is just
Hollywood patting itself on the back. I, as Joe Common Man,
could care less about some actor who is getting paid millions of
dollars to work on a movie that takes 30 days to shoot and then
goes home to some place in the suburbs and looks down on us
who actually work for a living.
Second, is the fact that there is a major crisis going on in the
wrestling industry that means the big three may be back to being
the big two. Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW), which
was long considered number two among the big three. It placed
between the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) and World
Championship Wrestling (WCW). It has been well over six
months since ECW lost its contract with The Nashville Network
(Now known as the The National Network) and about three
months since most stations dropped ECWs syndicated show
from their lineups. ECW for five years - survived and even
thrived thanks to support from wrestling fans that enjoyed quality
wrestling. You see, when I found out about ECW, I was in a
funk with the WWF. ECW was a breath of fresh air from the
moment I saw it. I saw things on ECW Hardcore TV that the
WWF would never even risk. I saw guys being put through
flaming tables, guys pummelled with Singapore Canes until the
cane came apart, I saw higher risk maneuvers than some
wrestlers would even attempt and best of all, I saw guys giving
100% every match and fans that enjoyed every moment of it.
Now it is all fading away into the sunset. Ever since January,
ECW has been suffering from money woes and now their locker
rooms are being decimated by wrestlers leaving for the WWF or
WCW, which is a double edged sword. It allows these hard
working men and women to be seen by more people than when
they were in ECW, but they are in companies that cannot fit
them in as easily as they were in ECW. I hate to see good talent
like this go to waste when they have shown a lot of potential
elsewhere. Plus, there are those wrestlers who do not have the
connections that some others do so they have to do independent
shows for minimum pay. I just want to say to Paul Heyman, the
owner of ECW, thank you. Thank you for making me believe
that professional wrestling can be entertaining again, and thank
you for showing me something that I would not have seen
otherwise. If you want to see more of what I am talking about,
talk to a wrestling fan and see if they have any tapes of ECW
shows. If you do not have a wrestling fan available, go to
ECWs web site at: http://www.ecwwrestling.com and go
shopping at their store and see if anything strikes your fancy. Or
you can go to your local video store and rent ECW Hardcore
Evolution to see some of the best matches in ECWs history.
Lastly, I want to rail upon the lack of manners that people
show in the movie theaters that I go to. You see, no matter
where I go, no matter what movie I see, there will be someone
there that constantly talks to his or her spouse or friend and will
not shut up no matter how many times you shush them. I went to
see "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" a few weeks ago, and
there was this woman behind me who would not be quiet every
time something happened. She even laughed at one totally
inappropriate time and that totally cheesed me off. If it was a
comedy, I would understand it, but this is an epic drama. Now
because of her, I have to go see it again (which I find nothing
wrong with because it is an outstanding movie.) Then there was
the time I went to see an IMAX movie, and it was a fully
packed auditorium. There was a mother and her five year old
son sitting next to me. This time it was not only the child who
was talking a mile a minute and making comments, but it seemed
like the mother was encouraging it by not telling the child to be
quiet. I would have left the auditorium, but IMAX theaters are
built in such a fashion that you almost have to be a mountain
climber to get out of the place. I am abhorred at the manners
some people are taught and they are teaching their children. I
was taught that when you go to the movies and the previews
start, your mouth closes and you watch with your eyes, I think
that idea has skipped a generation or two for some people. Even
though they no longer have the little featurette before the movie
saying turn off all cellular phones and pagers and basically saying
please be quiet during the movie, some people think it is a
license to talk all they want. I go to movies for the escape factor
and to sit on my ass for a couple of hours and to be entertained,
and not to hear someone jabber on about the movie for the
whole time I am there.
Now here are some of what I like to call quick hits. They are
little things that I thought were amusing and that some of you
might have missed.
Eminem says he had no idea that Elton John was homosexual
when he played with him during the Grammy awards. Eminem,
has all that bleach you have on your hair finally melted into the
center of your brain vaporizing your common sense? You and a
bunch of Amish farmers are about the only ones who do not
know Elton was gay.
Speaking of the Grammy Awards, the part with Blue Man
Group rocked. I would like them more, but they push the
Pentium III chip.
A couple of co-workers are now addicted to Napster thanks to
another co-worker. I just hope that whole charge thing falls
though, otherwise, they are going to be paying out the nose for
more in the future.
Reality television is slowly becoming stale. Survivor 2 has lost all
its mystique with me; it has become stale, old and all the
infighting is just boring. I just hope that person from the other
Survivor wins her case so we all know that it is a sham.
Temptation Island was doomed from the word go because it
was done by the Fox network. NBCs venture into reality
television with a show on the Mir space station will probably
never get off the ground with the Mir crashing down during the
middle of the month; and ABCs venture, The Mole, is ending
this month. Well at least for The Mole, the attractive woman
lasted to the end. Thankfully I have real reality television,
professional wrestling.
I really want to say more, but I have gone on long enough.
After al, I have to save some things for next month.
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