The BKteN Number 2

So, it's that time again. I'm throwing down some knowledge of what you should all be enjoying. Also, there are many more things, that I am just saving for the right time to put on here. So if you wonder why I neglected something you know I love, it will be forthcoming. Just wait.

1. Self - This is a really tight band who live in Brentwood. They aren't technically together and playing shows anymore, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't check out their music. It is some really fun stuff. I just randomly decided to listen to one of their CDs yesterday, and I'm loving it. The 2 that I have are SUBLIMINAL PLASTIC MOTIVES and BREAKFAST WITH GIRLS. Oh yeah, and also, they have an entire album that was recorded using only toys. It's totally hip, and most of your friends haven't heard of them, so you can look like you're ahead of the curve.

2. Messiah CompleX - This was a big crossover with the X-Men that happened a couple of years ago, and I just got around to reading recently. It is some solid stuff, and brought a new incarnation of X-FORCE into the fold. Here's the basic lowdown on the story: A couple years before this happened, Marvel laid a massive shakeup on the X-MEN, and mutants in general in the Marvel Universe in the HOUSE OF M story. Basically it ended with the X gene being removed from 99% of all mutants in the world, making the mutants an endangered species. No mutants have been discovered since then, so the population has dwindled. Now, as MESSIAH COMPLEX is starting, a new mutant was born, which is unusual in and of itself, not to mention that when she was born Cerebro exploded. So, now, many different factions are looking for the baby, which has been taken. It's an awesome story, and has set the stage for some really cool developments into the X-MEN world.

3. Battlestar Galactica - I refer here to the 2004 re-imagining of the classic sci-fi show. The show just ended a few weeks ago, and overall I was satisfied in how they wrapped everything up. It is a really intense and compelling character drama, that happens to be set in space. It has been praised by critics as one of the smartest shows on television. It's premise mirrors the original, in that there is a rag-tag fleet of humans looking for a mythical place called "Earth" after their homeworld was destroyed by the very technology they created. It differs in that everything seems very modern, and the search for Earth is really a macguffin to the more important telling of how the characters deal with these situations.

4. Secret Warriors: Nick Fury: Agent of Nothing - I would have to say, for sake of a comparison that would easily translate to those of you who don't read comics regularly, that Jack Bauer is the more real world version of Nick Fury. Nick Fury is the most purely good secret agent in the Marvel Universe. Anyone who has worked on Fury's side, and has been in his trust knows that Nick Fury is always right, and would do anything to safeguard the world. This comic series follows a new, secret team that Fury has assembled that is made up of adolescent superbeings. It is only 3 issues old, so it is not too late to get into it. The series begins with Fury learning that the agency he has worked for for most of his life (S.H.I.E.L.D.) is actually a branch of HYDRA, a terrorist organization Fury knows to be his enemy. The writing is solid here, and the last panel of the most recent issue is keeping me on the edge of my seat waiting for the next one.

5. Pie in the Sky Pizza - I've eaten here several times lately, and I must say, their pizza is reasonably priced, and they have 2 for ones on draft every day until midnight. Let me repeat that EVERY. DAY. UNTIL. MIDNIGHT. Plus the atmosphere is pretty awesome. You're welcome.

6. Firefly - This is a television show that aired on Fox for less than a season, and got cancelled. It is unfortunate that it was hot down so soon because as the show had its plug pulled, it was really getting into a compelling story. The whole concept brings together s sci-fi story in space with the wild west. It is some interesting stuff, and the characters are just awesome. This was my first exposure to Joss Whedon's work, and I have not looked back since.

7. Lucky Number S7evin - This is a totally bad ass movie. It's about gangsters and mistaken identity and so much more. The cast is: Josh Hartnett, Bruce Willis, Lucy Liu, Sir Ben Kingsly, and Morgan Freeman. It is totally legit. It is in my top 5 all-time favorite movies. It is worth the hour and forty minutes it takes to watch.

8. Halo Trilogy - I fucking love these games. And not just for the multiplayer like most people. I really do enjoy the overall story of the campaign mode. Something about it just gets me going. I mean, I can attribute HALO 3 with giving me the inspiration to turn my story into a trilogy, so, yeah. It rocks. Seriously though, I love playing campaign mode with friends, so let's do that sometime.

9. Tim and Eric Awesome Show Great Job! - This show, on Adult Swim, can be taxing, I will full heartedly admit. But irregardless, it is hilarious. The show is equal parts really weird and extremely funny. Some of the stuff they do is just awesome. You should go check it out on www.adultswim.com/video. Just go into comedy and then the title of the show. Make sure to watch Brule's Rules. It's John C. Reilly at his funniest.

10. Cherry Watermelon Coke at Sonic - Sonic has this awesome thing where you can add flavors to your drink, for free. That's right folks, free. And you can add more than one. It is pretty spectacular. And I will say that not everyone is manly enough for the onslaught of flavor inherent in this drink. But I am. And it is delicious.

So, there you are.


Here endeth the lesson.