For those of you that couldnt sit through the long show, heres a short recap:

The Dixie Chicks took home all the big awards, winning out in every category they were nominated in.

Performances were pretty good overall, The Police rocked big time to open the show, John Mayer and John Legend were great, and oddly, I used to like Corrine Bailey Rae, but after hearing her voice, I'm not quite sure why....but shes so pretty !

Carrie Underwood and Rascal Flatts were superb as usual.

Shakira seemed off, not that I'm a big Shakira fan.  Mary J Blige is always great, and her duet with Ludacris was great.

Cristina was okay, I havent been a fan of hers in awhile.

Who else...Gnarls Barkley was just ....weird...interesting sound, but I couldnt understand a word the guy was saying.

James Blunt....I dont know, his voice seems too....pitchy?  He didnt sound great during his solo either, nerves probably.

Awards for Carrie, John Mayer, Mary J Blige, of course.

The Dixie Chicks performance wasnt bad.

well, lets see. 

After meeting these very nice shaman (shamen?) and four hours in the Scarlet Monastery, I came away with some nice phat lewt (swag for you pirates out there).

My takehome stash included the following:

2x Triune Amulets
Whitemane's Chapeau (essential fashion for any caster)
Hypnotic Blade and Orb of Lorica (a nice alternative to the Illusionary Rod)
a new jewelcrafting design
quite a few greens

Of course, since I'm only 38, I need half a lvl more to wear this stuff, but i'll keep you guys posted.  I'm sure there's more runs in the future, as someone is always in there and needs a priest

Well here we are, a few days are so after creating my cute Dranei priest on World of Warcraft, and we're at the not so mighty level 27.  I tell ya, lvling a priest is slow, laborious work, (at least before 40), so its still a slow climb. 

Those of you wondering where my hunter went, will be glad to know she isnt dead, just well, on permanent hiatus.  Seems I got her to 41 and hunter is soooo boring...its just pet attack, shoot with ranged weapon til dead, over and over.  

Now I'm not saying other classes arent repetitive too, cause they are, I just mean that other classes get somethin out of it eventually.  With hunter, I couldnt see myself doing that to 70 and it still being fun.

Those of you reading this (all 2 of you), who play WoW and wanna join me, I'm on server Shandris, alliance side, named Kaeli.  Its a pretty new server. still low pop, still rare spawns easily killed and nice drops found.  So come on, create a charrie and make the climb with me !  (hey it beats daytime tv)

Well if you've read my earlier review about how nifty looking and lovely sounding the new blood elf starting location, Silvermoon City was, as I roamed a bit in the beta of the World of Warcraft expansion, the Burning Crusade , I finally took a little time from taking down various critters in Desolace to explore a little on the new island known as Azuremyst Isle.

The Exodar, (or Dranei I suppose in the common tongue), have a really pretty lush forest for their home island, not unlike the night elves' Teldrassil, somewhat, however, instead of a wash of purple haze, Azuremyst features more green-ish blue and earthy tones than the hazy, misty amethyst colors of Darnassus and the surrounding elf lands.

Now I havent officially released my inner Dranei yet, (but you'll all be the first to know, when I do), but from the look of some of the quest rewards, it seems hunters get some pretty sweet +agi gear for the early quests.  They can also tame nifty dragonhawks, fiery orange-ish colored bird/dragon things that move in wave like patterns.

The main city of Exodar itself is quite a visual feast as well, colored in glistening blues and purples, like a multifaceted gem mine.  Crystals and thin waterfalls are all over the place and the rocky, maze of a mine like city is a fun place to see, indeed.

Of course, if you do decide to start life as a Dranei, you'll eventually hit an outpost known as Azurewatch, a location overlooking many lush trees, featuring the finest trainers that Azuremyst Isle has to offer (but for the new jewelcrafting skill, you'll have to hike it to the new city itself).

Sure, critics might lament on the lack of new classes, but at least for those who dont mind trying out a new race, theres enough eye candy in both new starting areas to make questing much more fun than work.

Sorry for all you true believers, who come to this blog, only to find.......old news!! 

Its a sad fact that, and you know this if you play World of Warcraft or any MMORPG at all, that its a huge time sink.  It drains your life and your soul like that high level gnome warlock who you just couldnt take down in the battlegrounds. 

Well, suffice it to say that with all the new realms opening in prep for the Burning Crusade, I have made a new charrie on Shandris, which is virtually empty at the moment, and have had quite a bit of good luck with rare drops and rare spawn critters.

Why this change, you may ask??

Well I would like a character that I can take safely into the expansion.  Something powerful, yet easy to play, something little....yelllow.....different ....like Advil.

Oh I do have charries, quite a few.  None seem to measure up though, unfortunately.  Let me take you through em, so you know what I'm talking about.

60 Mage:  my first charrie, shes so cute!  Sadly, since she was my first charrie, I grinded all the way to 60, (what a long long grind), and her rep is therefore, horrible.  Her equip is also pretty bad, as I quit playing her when she hit 60.  Various instance blues and greens are all she has.

60 Warlock:  my 2nd real charrie.  She was grinded to 60 as well and as such, her rep is horrid.  Her equip isnt bad though, since I dont raid or pvp, she has some of the best non raid gear out there plus the dreadsteed ....yummy....

60 Priest:  well I finally wised up and quested to 60 on this one, so her rep is nice, just....her equip isnt bad and healing all the time gets old fast.

So anyway, I started a hunter,  and so far shes up to the big 2...5....(25) and doin pretty good, sooo I'm hoping to keep ya'll posted.

Also since Ive been playing WoW off and on since launch, I feel it makes me (and the other 7.5 million people playing), uniquely qualified to write a review on here, so I'll aiming to do that soon, time permitting.

well anyway,

I'm a bit behind in my blogging (gotta love that word).  And recently got the chance to see "Night at the Museum", with Ben Stiller.  I know, I know, the trailers look pretty cheesy, but the movie itself, is pretty cute and has some funny parts.  Dick van Dyke and Mickey Rooney (God, I thought he was dead!), are really good in this, and without spoiling anything, I think its a great movie to take your kids or your younger pets to see, there really isnt much objectionable material in it.  All in all, a nice treat.

Now for the good stuff:  the previews!

Hey good previews are always fun to see too!

From what I can remember, they were pretty good this time.  I saw the Fantastic Four sequel trailer, "Rise of the Silver Surfer", which was a pretty nice scene with the surfer and the Human Torch racing through a crowded freeway tunnel?  (I dont usually watch previews on the net, so this is the first time I see most trailers).

I also saw the Simpsons Movie trailer, with Moe and the bunny and Homer getting smacked between a rock and a hard place, first time Ive seen that one too, definitely funny.

The Spiderman 3 trailer thats been around for months was shown again, its nifty looking, but its old news now.

That's right, the road to 2008 has finally arrived, but to get there, we must traverse the forest of 2007!

Happy New Year to you and yours this season!  I hope all of your resolutions come to pass.

If you're like me, you were partying in your quaint little village in Animal Crossing, Wild World (I really need to review it one of these days). 

I'd never see a new year turn over in the game, (or the prequel for that matter), so it was a bit exciting to see the nifty poppers you get from the mayor and the countdown board, and all the fireworks, lighting up the night sky with pixel shattering goodness. 

Way to go!

I know, the weekend isnt technically over, but I dont wanna go out again unless I have to.

Yesterday I did manage to drag my butt to my friend Eric's house.  (We're just friends).  Its not that I even have fun over there or do anything worth mentioning, its mostly to get out of the house.

In true oddball fashion, I return his copy of Nacho Libre, on DVD, and he presents me with a fresh, shrinkwrapped copy of the same dvd for Christmas, which I admit, I enjoyed, I thought it was pretty funny, as far as Jack Black movies go, but Its really hard for me to watch a movie more than once unless its really really really good.

This is the second movie Ive received from Eric which will no doubt be shrinkwrapped for quite awhile (What About Bob being the other).

This brings me to today.  I didnt want to go out, I really didnt, but I again, hauled my butt out of bed, and headed towards the Del Amo Mall, after a vain attempt to make myself appear presentable.

While passing the pool near the gate to this apartment complex, I swear, there was a large, aged, mostly nude guy reading there, well I probably wouldnt have stared if he didnt look more than a little like Wilfred Brimley, star of stage, screen, (Coccoon), and countless Liberty Medical commercials ("Liberty Medical can save you hundreds on your diabetic testing supples!").  When fake Brimley noticed I was staring, I got the line, "see anything you like?" fired at me.  Yeah, like I havent heard that one before.  I could tell it was going to be one of those days.

I always enjoy going to the mall, (that is, before I actually get to the mall).  Once there, I'm crowded into an oversized shopaholic's worst nightmare, throngs of stores and people, shoved into incredibly tight spaces.  Claustrophobic people need not apply.  All at once, I flash back to Dante's Inferno, wondering when exactly the glass doors of Mall 1 vanished and layers of hell began appearing.  Indoor track lighting seemed to usher me further into the halls of the damned.

I figured Eric would be here somewhere, and I might see him later, so I wander into Suncoast, the best overpriced DVD store around (when you can find what you want, anyway).
Their infamous wall of anime dvds loomed in the back of the store, like the draconian mouth opening to one of the forest dungeons in Zelda, A Link to the Past.  (I tell everyone that the first time I walked in here, I knew nothing about anime, like now, and accidentally stumbled into "The Wall", and was rather close to it, so I looked up slowly, and it seemed to never end, and the next thing I knew, I woke up about four hours later, remembering only my name and the size shoe I was wearing, which ironically, werent even mine).

But "The Wall", would not claim my soul today, as I deftly avoided it, or any anime section, which isnt easy, as I think that makes up like 1/4 of the store.  Well one of the clerks, who could have passed for a geek squad member, asks if he can help me, and I ask if he has, "The Lion in Winter", starring Peter O Toole and Katherine Hepburn, because its a great film and because Eric needs more classics, and because he really needs to stop watching Nacho Libre.  I have personally seen the movie on dvd, so I know it exists (or at least, that I exist, anyway).

Well he tells me it hasnt been released on dvd and they dont have a vhs copy (not that I have a VCR anymore).  And I walk out, wondering if the cute girl behind the counter could have helped me a little more.  (She had blonde highlights and a face like Kelly Clarkson, really pretty).

After passing through the main hall and the remains of Santa's Village, I head upstairs, through Robinsons May, past Brookstone, and the food court, people everywhere, I swear I've seen LAX less crowded than this. 

I pass Gamestop and Macy's, small stores like Hallmark and this one weird calendar place, which i'll come back to, later, to the outdoor pavillion, and finally to the large, 18 theater multiplex, somehow hidden in a corner.  (Its like the old Nick show, Legends of the Hidden Temple, only a lot less fun).

I go to the movies (dont worry, ill post a review here tomorrow!).  On the way in, I pass Eric and his playmate Gladys (they're just friends too.....really close friends.....), and he wants me to hit the food court with them and run defense on Gladys (suddenly hes turned into Red Aurbach and im a defensive tackle).  I , having just passed that way, tell em heck no, there's like more people there than Ive ever seen in my life (even the poor girl who works at Glop on a Stick is flustered with the crowd at her window).  (By the way, shes kinda cute too).

After the movie, I amble out, the film much better than I thought it would be, thank goodness, because for ten dollars, I can find a much cheaper thrill (like buying lots of food and throwing it up).

My ride will be there soon to pick me up, and I realize I still dont have a gift for Eric.  So I make a mad dash for the opposite end of the mall, back past the food court (where the same people seem to be eating, dont they ever move??), past Brookstone and Foot Locker, and Lady Foot Locker, and kids Foot Locker, and I swear I even saw Zebra Foot Locker, down the escalator, two steps at a time!  The poor girls who wear boots (tons of em, by the way), were stuck one stair-ing it all the way to the bottom, suckers...

I find myself back at Suncoast, where I began, and thankfully, geek squad reject is nowhere in sight (probably in the back room with Jaime Pressly's finest films and a fresh hankie from Sears, which is next door).  Not a big fan of buying people movies theyve seen before, I grab M Nyght Shymalan's, Lady in the Water and make a beeline for the counter.  Luckily no one else is in here, this late, so its just me and Kelly Clarkson, (shes even cuter, close up).

Back out I go, fifteen minutes til pickup, sadly the meeting place is, you guessed it, at the opposite end of the mall.  I take off, as fast as my unfit self will carry me, back past Radio Shack and Victoria's Secret (I dont go in there anymore, so intimidating), up the stairs, (Santa's Village is dark now, the elves having been chained up inside the little wooden houses, Santa probably at a nearby strip joint).  Through the halls, past Foot Locker, all twenty of them, and past the watch place, and through Robinson's May, and past brightly lit, oddly named clothing stores, I've never been in, the crowd is thinning now, mostly leaving or going to the movies, most stores close at eight, I believe.  Back past the food court, (Glop on a Stick girl is gone)., past Body Works and Gamestop, and through Macy's, down the escalator, and out past the men's department, and finally home.  Eric got his movie, but I didnt quite leave empty handed. 

I noticed something else, besides all the boots girls seem to wear nowadays.  The World of Warcraft board game is pretty damn heavy.  I was eyeing it, before I hit the theater.  1000 pieces.  I was tempted to get it just to see how you play it.  It looked like Risk to me.  I hear theres even an expansion.  Maybe if I can get Eric to play it with me.

My love of shopping did get me the following loot though:

Dark Messiah of Might and Magic (Limited Edition).

Star Wars:  Empire at War

Dreamfall:  The Longest Journey

and a few used dvd's, cause 3 for 20 bucks is a heck of a deal on movies.  I picked up Vanity Fair, House of Flying Daggers and Good Night and Good Luck.  Not to worry, I'm sure I'll post more about the phat loot I bought once I give em a run through, for now I'm off to bed!

well its that time of year again!

No No, not for silly resolutions, or to hug family members (heck if its my family, then no time of the year is good for that ....shudder..).

No, its time once again to start a new charrie in World of Warcraft!

Now after making the climb from lvls 1-60 three times already, i can tell you I wasnt looking forward to it, but a few things made it easier.

A nice stranger ....err I mean friend! , offered to climb the ladder with me this time around (and anyone who plays or has played a MMORPG knows how much more fun it is to have someone to talk to).  Well that and talking to yourself in game gets you funny looks.

I'm hoping to post on here, periodic episodes of the long road, not only to entertain people who read this board (yes, all 2 of you), but (and most importantly), so you can all share my pain ("Saw 4 Spoiler Alert" ....and yes, there will be pain...).

Well I started off (again), as a human mage this time (I cant play melee classes, my previous 60s are a gnome mage, elf priest and human lock).  Is it me or do the human faces look like chimps??

Well after selecting a blonde charrie model (just so I could zone out in conversations and then say , "oops sorry, blonde moment!"). my mage was ready to go.  As with all human newbies, I started off in the obscure location of Northshire A
Abbey, a place no horde would want to attack, even if they managed to take over Stormwind.

Well after the introductory quests, (kill wolves, kill 3 different types of kobolds, fetch grapes, ), we got to the good stuff, killing bandits for bandanas.  Why these bandits dont just pack up and leave, after realizing theres a neverending lineup of impressionable newbies out for their head rags, i'll never know.

Bandits safely dispatched, I took on the final quest in Northshire Abbey, taking down Garrick Padfoot.

Hardly difficult for a lvl 5 mage, I found him and one of his look alike cohorts standing north of the grape field.  I had to take both of em at once, but after a few shots of my newly acquired, mana efficient frostbolt spell, they both chilled out (literally).

Next time, i'll entrance you with Tales from Goldshire, aka Noob Central.

We also went to see Charlotte's Web on Christmas Day.

Aside from the theater being packed, there were some notable things about the film, I'd like to mention.  (No Roger Ebert, I dont mean the popcorn was dry).

To start off, there were quite a few guest stars, and they were all wonderful, even though I didnt recognize most of them.  Oprah, Cedric, and even Robert Redford lended their vocal talents to the film and it really made it shine.

Now to those of you who loved the book growing up (as I did), and even loved the film length cartoon, you cant help compare the voices from that, to this movie.

Daktoa Fanning was wonderful, shes so cute!  I dont like Julia Roberts much, but she was great, heck, even Steve Buscemi as Templeton the rat, was hilarious.  (Though its soo hard to beat Paul Lynde for a hilarious Templeton, "smorgasbord-orgasbord-orgasbord!", hehe! from the cartoon).

Even so, its definitely worth seeing for fans of either the book, or cartoon.  They did add a few things, as the book isnt very long, and the biggest difference between the cartoon and the film is that in the cartoon, Charlotte is cute, in the film, well....she looks like....a spider...which is to say....not cute.  Now I get the whole, beauty is on the inside thing, but close up shots of an oogly spider ......I dont know if I would have went that way.  And the announcer who cuts in, narrating (I guess for younger viewers, ) whats going on, but it shouldnt be needed, as its a simple plot to follow, and an endearing story, which is why the book is read by every generation.  In any case, its highly recommended.