Tag / Star Wars

by jim

iTunes Top 100 Artists: #91-100

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My latest desktop computer arrived in late 2007, at which point I transitioned all of my music off of my laptop. 2 iPods, 2 iPhones, and an iPad later, that computer is still my main repository of music, with iTunes updating its stats every time I listen to something.

Having already gone through cassette tapes and CDs, and digital music, it’s time to roll everything up with the Top 100 artists that I’ve listened to as of 8/21/2013, according to iTunes. Today we look at the the bottom 10, which includes plenty of rock royalty.

#91: Letters To Cleo

iTunes stats: 26 plays

Split across 2 songs, both of which achieved success due to their inclusion on soundtracks.  The band broke up in 2000.

#91: Beastie Boys

iTunes stats: 26 plays

7 different songs make up this total for the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers, who have not been active since the death of Adam “MCA” Yauch.

#91: Bloodhound Gang

iTunes stats: 26 plays

2 songs make up this total for the band known for humorous and off-beat, satirical lyrics.

#94: Ozzy Osbourne

iTunes stats: 24 plays

The bumbling TV dad of reality series fame used 5 songs, including a duet with Lita Ford, to compile this total.

#94: K’s Choice

iTunes stats: 24 plays

5 songs make up this total for the arguable one hit wonder from Belgium.

#94: 2Pac

iTunes stats: 24 plays

The slain rapper makes the list with only 2 entries, including his collaboration with Dr. Dre.

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by admin

Vacation Recap: Hollywood Studios

hollywood-studios-iconAfter spending Saturday morning at Animal Kingdom, we headed over to Hollywood Studios to finish off the day.  Our first ride was The Great Movie Ride, followed by the Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show.  And then, the skies opened up and a torrential rain fell.  The next hour or so was spent hiding out under cover, until time was running out for our Fast Passes for Star Tours.  We braved the elements to head over to Star Wars land for the ride, which, of course, broke down as we were seated.  After switching to a different car and experiencing all that C3PO had to offer, we headed over to the MuppetVision 3D show before a long wait for dinner at Mama Melrose’s Ristorante Italiano.

After dinner, the rains were still coming, which put the evening’s Fantasmic! show in doubt.  While waiting for that, we went on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror… twice.  As the rain died down, Fantasmic! went off without a hitch and it was time to call it a day.

Sunday featured a return trip to the park, where we finished off most of the rides, including the Studio Backlot Tour, a showing of Walt Disney: One Man’s Dream, and the final ride of the trip, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith.  The kids got to meet Phineas and Ferb and Ralph & Vanellope, while we all enjoyed the end of Star Wars weekend by meeting Darth Vader.  As the night drew closer, the kids stayed to enjoy a Toy Story ride while I went back to the hotel to enjoy the pool one last time.

by jim

A Disturbance In The Force

So, word came out yesterday that Disney was buying Lucasfilm for $4 billion dollars, and that a new Star Wars film would be hitting theaters in 2015, likely without the involvement of George Lucas.  After picking my jaw up off the floor, my initial thoughts were not positive.  But, after a little reflection, I think this could be a good move for the future of the Star Wars franchise.  Disney has had recent success with their acquisition of Marvel and their handling of Marvel Studios, especially this years blockbuster with The Avengers.  Last year, they successfully rebooted the Muppets franchise.  Overall, I think they will be a good landing spot for the Lucasfilm properties.

by jim

30 Day Movie Challenge Day 17 – A Movie That Disappointed You The Most

16 years after Return of the Jedi, a new Star Wars movie was heading to the big screen.  It’s hard to describe how excited I was for this.  A big part of my childhood was coming back, and I was young enough to enjoy it and old enough to support that enjoyment.  I bought the new toys, books, comics… pretty much anything leading up to the premiere.

Then, I saw the movie and it was… dull.  Boring.  Had I outgrown the franchise?  Or had George Lucas finally put toys and video games ahead of making a good movie?  To be honest, I’m not sure if I’ve figured out that answer nearly 13 years later.  I can say it did affect my enjoyment of the series going forward.  I did see the next two films, but didn’t buy into the hype (or the toys).  Fast forward to last year, where the entire series was released on BluRay for the first time, and it never even occurred to me to purchase them, either the full set or just the original trilogy.  Not to mention the re-release in 3D on the big screen a few weeks back, which I have also decided to skip.

by admin

30 Day Movie Challenge Day 04 – A Movie That Makes You Sad

 

The sadness here comes in the bitter disappointment of how bad these Star Wars prequels were and how they truly shut the door on what was a large part of my childhood.  Episode I’s sin was that it was boring.  Episode II is simply bad, starting with the “acting” of Hayden Christensen, who seems to have only two emotions: whiny and wooden.