As some of you may have noticed (Lauren), it's been awhile since my last update. You can thank school and life for that. Due to my complete lackage of updatage I have prepared an extra-large update for your pleasure this week. Read on...

I had the pleasure of attending the final game of the WNBA Championship between the underdog Detroit Shock and defending champions L.A. Sparks. The energy in the building was something I've only experienced one time before; the opening US match in the 1994 Men's World Cup held in the US. The entire lower bowl had "thunderstix," these obnoxiously loud inflatable sticks that you bang together. As the intensity grew in the game the arena got louder and louder. We were sitting on the edge of our seats with each shot, each squeal of the ref's whistle, each rebound. With 12 seconds left in the game Deanna Nolan hit a three to clinch the win and the place went crazy. I think I actually had a little tear from all the excitement. We were cheering so fiercely my mom and I each popped a thunderstick. To seal the victory, Cheryl Ford (2003 Rookie of the Year and Karl Malone's daughter) hit two clutch free throws. The MVP of the Championship was Ruth Riley, who scored a career high 27 points in the game. She is not known for her scoring consistency, but she was nearly flawless. And she shutdown Lisa Leslie, the star center for the Sparks. After that game I became a true fan, and will probably end up getting season tickets next year. The real magnificence is that the Shock was the worst team in the league last year, only winning 9 games. No other team in sports history has made a comeback such as this! If you live in the Detroit area, NOW is the time to get on board...I know I am.

The Alias season premiere is THIS Sunday, September 28 at 9. I have been looking forward to this since the acute cliffhanger from last season, when I was left with my jaw on the floor, heart pounding, fists clinching the blanket beneath me, with the repeating words of "OH...MY...GOD" looping through my brain. I stay pretty up-to-date with my spoilers, so I know bits and pieces of what's to come. Yes, I am that much of an obsessive fan. I mean come on, it's the first show truly tailored to my age and interests; young and hip, lots of action, female lead, intellectual, etc.
If you've never seen the show before then now is the time to start watching. Sydney Bristow (J. Garner) has just woken up in Hong Kong two years later in the story. Her boyfriend, Vaughn (Michael Vartan), is newly married, which breaks poor Syd's heart. I hear she kicks his ass pretty hardcore for that one.
The shows ratings have never been spectacular, but they have steadily increased throughout the last two seasons. It kicks ass in my age demographic though. ABC has remained committed to it all these years because of its cult following, and the show has been getting industry recognition as well. Jennifer Garner, Victor Garber, and Lena Olin all received Emmy nominations! And Jennifer Garner won a Golden Globe for her role two years ago.
Again, if you've never watched before now is the time to start! And if you love it, which I know you will, you can rent the complete first season on DVD with the second season coming out in December, therefore you'll be thoroughly caught up in no time at all.

Underworld movie review...Official Site
Allow me to indulge the lesbian in me for a moment...Kate Beckinsale in tight black rubber...YOWSA! Ok, I'm done. Underworld is about a thousand year war between vampires and werewolves (lychans). They have tried to market this movie as a love story, but that aspect is minimal compared to the action and the war itself. Kate Beckinsale was very convincing as a female action hero. Combine that with her dramatic acting skills and you've got yourself a winner. This was a very different role for her considering she became truly famous from Pearl Harbor (she was the only good thing about that movie, except for Jennifer Garner of course). Another good standout was Scott Speedman, the blonde dude from Felicity. That show could have slowed his career because he's gotten pegged as the sappy romantic type, but now he's on the rise as a dramatic action guy. His metamorphosis towards the end of the movie surprised me.
As you know, I love a good action movie, yet I was a bit weary of this one because I'm not too big into the whole vampire scene because quite frankly they scare me. But I enjoyed this movie thoroughly. The action was good, not overdone. And the special effects didn't feel like effects at all, which is a good sign. The cinematography was astounding. From the previews I could tell this was going to be a dark movie, I mean it is called "Underworld." But I didn't get bogged down with the darkness, it was just their way of life.
Negative...
My only complaint is that it rained a lot, which I felt was entirely unnecessary. I mean I get it, it's dark and moody, the gods are raining down their pain on you, throwing lightning to the ground, generating the terrifying sound of thunder...got it!
Overall...
This is a good movie. It was also a movie of firsts; Kate Beckinsales first foray into action, Scott Speedman's first jaunt into feature films, and the director and writers first movie. I would say for all those firsts this movie really kicked some ass. I read today they want to make it into a trilogy, how's that for an impression?

When I was kid I learned about the word "share." Share your toys, share your scissors, your glue, your candy, etc. But in 2003 the word "share" has become a demonized moniker for the downfall of the music industry. File-sharing has become the scapegoat for an industry already headed down the toilet from the moment modern pop music became mainstream; when it became more important to sell records than to produce quality music.
And who is the music industry blaming? Ah yes, the consumers, the ones who put money in their pocket. It's not their fault for raising the price of cd's to nearly 20 bucks, or for mass-producing low-quality music and mainlining it into the hearts and minds of TRL junkies, or even for refusing to transform WITH the internet instead of against it. No, let's blame the 13 year old girl, who has a 5 dollar a week allowance, who sits in front of her computer downloading the latest boy band bullshit because she can't afford to shell out 20 bucks to buy the cd. Or the college student who between classes downloads rare live dave matthews band performances.
They want to call us common thieves, criminals. They want to take us to court and sue us for every cent in the piggy banks we've had since childhood. So I ask you...is it fair to the music industry to download music without paying for it? And I ask them...is it fair to produce deplorable music and charge 20 bucks a pop for it?
The real criminals are the music industry leaders who drive expensive sports cars and take expensive vacations on the dime of the American public, and then bitch about not getting their just rewards when it's THEM who've refused to adapt to technology, and THEM who overprice their cd's, and THEM stealing OUR money.
The victims? Record store employees, the record studio receptionist, the blue-collar assembly line operator at the cd manufacturing plant, and the list goes on. The greed of the music industry has led to its own demise. It's not us, the music-buying public, it's THEM.