You're ruining my Zen thing man! (My review of Tron Legacy)

I was really looking forward to Tron Legacy. The original Tron was one of my childhood favorites. I saw the trailers for the new film and was excited. Then around last week, I became worried when i started to hear mixed reviews. Some said it was just ok. I heard one that said they hated it more than The Phantom Menace!! But I try not to let early reviews cloud my judgement. Let's face it, this is a Disney movie! It's not supposed to be high drama. It's a fun popcorn movie.

So my friend and I marched off to the theater and walked in with my ticket and 3-D glasses in hand. (It had been a while since I saw ANYTHING in 3-D!) The preview for Pirates of the Caribbean looked AWESOME in 3-D! So I thought maybe the reviews were wrong. This movie might be great!

Here is the plot from Wikipedia:

In 1989, Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), an innovative software programmer and the CEO of ENCOM International, tells his eight-year old son Sam (Owen Best) about a new "digital frontier" he has created called The Grid, a virtual domain existing inside the game system. Kevin tells Sam of the two programs helping him, Tron and Clu. Tron keeps The Grid secure, while Clu is tasked with creating the perfect system.

Twenty years later, Sam (Garrett Hedlund), haunted by Flynn's mysterious disappearance, investigates a page that originated from a supposedly disconnected number at Flynn's long-shuttered arcade. Exploring the arcade, Sam discovers a concealed door leading to a computer laboratory in the basement. Attempting to discover what his father was doing by calling up the command logs and reissuing the last command entered Sam activates a digitizing laser which transports him to The Grid.

We spend about 20 minutes in the "real" world. Then we are in the computer! The special effects look great. They really did a great job of updating them for the 21st century. The problem is with such a big gap in time between films, there is lots of explaining to be done. Which is fine. We want the answers. But the story needed a few re-writes. All the special effects in the world can't make up for a bad story.

Once father and son reunite, we find that Flynn has been in the computer for a long time. A really long time. Time goes much faster in the computer than in the real world. And in his time in hiding, he as almost become a zen like master. When Sam runs off to save them both, Flynn has to jump into action and his response to Sam is "You're ruining my Zen thing man!" (the best line of the movie, by far...)

I understood the story, but for some reason, it just wasn't enough. It needed more. And as for the 3D, I really didn't think it added anything to the film at all. But, at the end of the day, it's still a Disney film. So it was better than most films, but after so many good films over the years, I kinda hold them to a higher standard.

And let's face it, who wouldn't want to go into a computer? For the last few years, I've been addicted to Twitter. I could just imagine the addiction if I was in the damn thing!

So unfortunately, I would have to say that this is a wait and rent it film... Maybe the next one will be better?

Bad to the Bone - Megamind Review

I saw Megamind yesterday. It was a roller coster of a good time. Here is the info from Wikipedia:

Megamind (Will Ferrell) is a super-intelligent alien who-- at the age of eight days old-- is sent to Earth from his home planet during a time of crisis. However, he lands in a prison thanks to another infant alien similarly sent from a different planet who eventually becomes a superhero known as Metro Man (Brad Pitt), defender of the fictional Metro City. As a result, Megamind is raised as a social deviant, who is neglected for his destructive intellect, with his fish-like sidekick Minion (David Cross) as his only friend. Realizing that he enjoys causing trouble, and jealous of all of the attention Metro Man receives, Megamind becomes a super villain to rival Metro Man, though he is thwarted on a regular basis. During one of his many attempts to defeat Metro Man, Megamind kidnaps news reporter Roxanne Ritchi (Tina Fey) and uses her as bait to lure Metro Man into the city observatory where Megamind intends to kill him with a death ray. The plan appears flawed enough for Metro Man to escape, but he proclaims that the inside of the observatory is lined with copper, which he says drains his power. Metro Man is apparently killed by the death ray, allowing Megamind to take over Metro City. Megamind is initially thrilled that he has finally defeated his archenemy, but soon grows depressed over the fact that without someone to fight, his life as a super villain no longer has any purpose.

The basic story will be familiar to any sci fi fan. It's Superman's story. But when the "hero" is out of the picture, what is the villain to do?

It's a very interesting idea. I think that it touches on some very basic needs. First and foremost, what is the meaning of life? What makes us happy? And what will we do when we get it all? (Pretty heavy stuff for a cartoon.)

Don't get me wrong. This movie is full of laughs. It's loaded with gags for the kids, but there are lots of jokes for the parents. For example, when Megamind takes over, city hall gets posters that say, "No You Can't" (mocking the famous Obama, "Yes, We Can" poster.)

There are lots of similar 'adult' jokes in there.

The supporting cast is there and they do a very good job moving the story along. But the main focus in on Megamind himself and his journey of self-discovery. And lets face it, anyone with a giant blue head that's as funny as Will Ferrell, can't be all "bad" can they? :)

Made by Betty - from HoodieBuddie.com

Scott Pilgrim vs The Matrix

I know I've been posting lots of mash-ups lately, but this one was just too good to pass up. This one is for the new movie Scott Pilgrim vs the World. It's based on a comic book and it takes the extra step to film the movie like you are reading a comic book.

If you've not seen the trailer for Scott Pilgrim vs the World, watch that one 1st.



Now here's the mashed up version... :)

Inception - A new form of movie trailers?

The phenomenon that is Inception continues to grow. My last post was about how someone re-edited Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure with "Inception Style" music and edits. Turns out it works for every movie!! :)

Here are some of my favorites. But the list on YouTube seems to be endless!!

Star Trek



Dumb & Dumber



Batman: The Dark Knight



300



Toy Story 3



I just had to come back and add Star Wars. :)



Tweet

Bill and Ted's Excellent Inception

This is one of the things that I love to find on the Internet. Mash-ups. Taking two totally different movies and putting them together into a great trailer! If you saw my last post, you can see that I loved the movie Inception.

This trailer combines Inception with Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure! One of my all time favorites from the 80's!! I think it makes it look much more intense!!

Much gratitude and respect to @katalysthq for finding this and tweeting it on Twitter!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M6dYiIbRKM

Big Dreams - My Review of Inception

Sometimes a movie comes along that just grabs everyone by storm. Inception is just one of those films. It's a smart action movie that pulls off the impossible. Instant positive word of mouth with a crazy trailer, has made it the 'must see' movie of the summer.

Leonardo DiCaprio plays "Dom", the leader of a very unique band of thieves. They sneak into people's dreams to steal or "extract" information from people's minds while they are sleeping. But for his final big heist, his job is not an "extraction" but an "inception". His job is to input (or 'insert') a idea into his target's head. Which seems to be much more difficult.

That's where the film gets tricky. In order to complete the mission, they must go deep into the subjects subconscious mind. How do you do that? You enter a dream within a dream, within a dream. To make this even more confusing, time and the laws of physics is different in each of these dreams. (5 minutes of dreams = 1 hour in dreamland) It makes more sense when you see the movie. (Just try not to run out to the restroom or you will be totally lost.)

It sounds like fun, right? Walking around in a dream doing anything? Well, not so much. It turns out that even the subconscious mind can see invaders and will do anything to protect the dreamer. To add even more problems to the already difficult mission, "Dom" is loaded down with his own emotional baggage dealing with his late wife. That doesn't sound too bad, but when your workplace is dreamland, your late wife can show up at anytime and throw a monkey wrench into the works.

Inception keeps you on your toes never knowing where you are going. Director Christopher Nolan has made an instant classic sci-fi film which will keep people dreaming about it for years!!

The full description on Wikipedia.

Official website

Inception at the Internet Movie Database
Inception at Allmovie
Inception at Rotten Tomatoes
Inception at Metacritic
Inception at Box Office Mojo

"Old Spice" Remixed

In case you didn't see the Old Spice commercials on tv, they were very funny. Here is one of the best...

http://is.gd/dyKtj

Not only were the commercials a hit, but they went one step futher, they made close to 200 more short personal video responses to questions submitted on facebook and twitter.

So of course, the internet took those and had to make a remix. Get your dance groove on...

Star Wars on the Subway!

If you have never seen the comedy group, Improv Everywhere, they are great! They go into a public place and perform in front of anyone and everyone! I saw this one and had to post it!! :)




http://www.improveverywhere.com/

Eunice Cannizzaro's Resume

EUNICE CANNIZZARO
EDGEWATER PARK, NJ 08010
ELYSE2323@COMCAST.NET

OBJECTIVE
I am seeking a challenging position, in a progressive company where I can apply my experience in problem solving, my ability to manage large complicated client relationships, and my strong work ethic to help improve the service they provide, lower their costs, and increase the company’s market share so they can achieve sustained growth backed by superior service.

WORK EXPERIENCE

9/2005 – Present Company Confidential Little Falls, NJ
Health & Welfare Technical Lead

At Company Confidential, my role as the Health & Welfare Technical lead is Project Management, managing a group of 4-8 individuals with three main responsibilities to our HRO clients:
 Ensuring smooth and accurate transition through my interaction with the client and multiple groups within the organization (Systems Analysts, Programmers, Payroll, Service Center, etc).
o Setting a technical timeline for each phase of the transition, and maintaining the workflow so that each benchmark is achieved.
o Translating customer specifications so that they are understandable for the programmers, and adjusting the timeline accordingly.
o Frequent conference calls with the customer to update them on progress, and identify problems before they occur.
 Maintaining quality assurance/control for the life of the account.
o Coordinate and perform user acceptance testing.
o Coordinate and manage client testing and signoff.
o Identify research and resolve data discrepancies.
 Manage plan changes, reporting, and billing.
o Update all relevant plan design and plan administration documentation
o Produce monthly client and/or carrier premium billing invoices
o Ensure the accuracy and timeliness of enrollment activity and trending reports
o Perform monthly plan audits for employee and dependent records
o Produce ad hoc reports
o Facilitate status updates and customer queries.
　
2/2004 – 9/2005 Commerce Bank Mount Laurel, NJ
Project Analyst
In this role I was responsible for the development, production, and distribution of a number of executive reports that identified performance metrics, risk analysis, and workflow reporting with regard to banking operations. In addition I maintained the financial databases of monthly statistics, and worked with executive management to ensure departmental compliance.

2/1993 – 9/2002 Mellon HR Solutions Fort Lee, NJ
Resource & Documentation Manager (Promoted 2001)
Based on my success in the Communications department, and my strong sense of customer service this was a new position created to leverage my strengths in the customer service and problem solving role to assist bigger and more complicated customers. I was responsible the development of Resource and Employee profile database for Mellon’s HRO clients. I developed the profile database drawing data from a number of sources (including employee profile, skills, goals, training needs, and current/future assignments), analyzed project resource requirements, made recommendations based on the database, designed and managed recruiting process, and worked to create solutions to overcome lack of resource availability.

Outsourcing Benefits Analyst Team Leader (Promoted 2000)
Having succeeded as a team member I was promoted to team leader managing 4-8 team members. As team lead my duties were to oversee the process I did below, while managing the Communications Department project plan, mentoring junior staff, heavy client interaction on site and off, motivate team members, and ensuring that all deadlines were met with zero defects.

Outsourcing Benefits Analyst (Promoted 1999)
Promoted in 1999 to Outsourcing Benefits Analyst, I worked with the client and internal departments to ultimately develop a seamless rollout of system generate fulfillment documentation, voice response system, and web applications. This involved the gathering of customer specifications, the capture of data from a variety of data sources, countless test/trial runs, many modifications, assist team leader with staff responsibilities, and accurately record all activity and results.

Benefits Statement Analyst (Promoted 1998)
Promoted in 1998 to Benefits Statement Analyst, I was responsible for the analysis of individual benefits data and calculations development and execution of computer programs to merge data from multiple sources ( client, surveys, telephone etc), drafting benefit data text, designing print output specifications, testing print specifications, checking and re-checking data calculations to a 100% accuracy rating, working with the client to ensure client satisfaction with the final product, and maintain accurate records for each client throughout development.

Production Coordinator (Promoted 1997)
In this role, I was the point person for print and production for up to 6 clients. I maintained printing schedules, problem solved for scheduling issues, maintained quality assurance on print output, created database of production jobs, and developed protocols and best practices to reduce start-up time on future jobs.

Switchboard Operator
Answer 35 line Meridian digital switchboards, track daily phone problems, take and deliver accurate phone messages, and manage the phone network.

EDUCATION
1990 - 1993 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
1989 - 1990 University of Delaware Newark, DE

COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Microsoft Office 2000, RapidSQL, IBM Mainframe, Clarify, Lotus Notes
References furnished upon request
　

The 100 Best Movie Insults In Under 10 Minutes

This is the latest awesome video going around the net this week. Too many movies to list them all, but it's the best movie insult video that you will watch today. I promise. :)

AT-AT DAY AFTERNOON

I wonder if it would play nice with my dogs...

Star Trek: Tic Tok

You knew that someone was going to do this mash-up sooner or later.

A great video: Star Trek mixed with Ke$ha's Tic Tok!!

Enjoy the Awesome!! :)

Takers Movie Trailer

I saw the trailer for Taken. when I went to see the A-Team. I'm posting it here. The only reason I'm putting it here because I think it's cool to see Darth Vader and Lieutenant Uhura
in the same movie. AKA: Hayden Christensen and Zoë Saldaña! Star Wars and Star Trek people!! #geekingout :)

Here is the plot and cast from Wikipedia:

Takers[3] (formerly known as Bone Deep) is an upcoming 2010 crime, action and thriller film directed by John Luessenhop from a story and screenplay written by Luessenhop, Gabriel Casseus, Peter Allen, John Rogers and Avery Duff, with the based on the book by Gene Brewer. It features an ensemble cast that includes Matt Dillon, Chris Brown, Idris Elba, T.I., Jay Hernandez, and Zoë Saldaña. The film is scheduled to be released on August 20, 2010.[4] The film has been rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, a sexual situation/partial nudity and some language.

A group of bank robbers (Michael Ealy, Chris Brown, Paul Walker, Idris Elba and Hayden Christensen), who specialize in spectacular robberies, are pulled into one last job by a recently paroled cohort (T.I) who only to be pitted against a hard-boiled detective (Matt Dillon) who interrupts their heist.[5][6][7]

Contra Vs. Tetris.

Funny cartoon: Contra Vs. Tetris.

"A Good Plan." My Review of The A-Team

Some movies are made as high art. Some are to made to make a statement. Some are made to tell a moving story. The A-Team is none of these types of films. It's a big ridiculous action-packed summer blockbuster!! And I loved every silly minute of it!!

Anyone who knows the TV Show from the 80's will know the basics. Four soldiers accused of a crime they didn't commit, on the run from the law. This film is the origin story. How they met and how they were set up. No heavy plot to get in the way. It's more like 'Get your guns and choppers and shoot something!' The action is non-stop.

The cast is excellent. Everyone has their moment to shine. Liam Neeson plays the leader John "Hannibal" Smith. Always with a cigar in his mouth and a overly complicated plan. Bradley Cooper is Templeton "Faceman" Peck. He always has an eye for the ladies. Quinton "Rampage" Jackson is Bosco Albert "B.A." (Bad Attitude) Baracus. A tough guy's tough guy, that's afraid to fly. Sharlto Copley rounds out the team as H.M. "Howling Mad" Murdock. Who is just plan crazy. Jessica Biel is also in there. But her and the rest of the cast seemed to have gotten the short end of this script.

But the script and story is really the least of your worries. Don't try to use logic with this film. It doesn't work. It's much more fun to sit back and let the bullets fly. Or tanks. Don't ask. :)

Official website

Mortal Kombat Rebirth Trailer

This video has made it's way to YouTube. It seems to be a new trailer for Mortal Kombat. Normally when I put a movie trailer up, I get all the info. Cast/crew, etc. But this one seems to be shrouded in mystery. I could not find the "official" site or wikipedia page. (If anyone knows what it is, please tell me!)

The best I could find was a few small bits of rumors on this IMDB page.

http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0005394/news#ni2779307

I hope it's the real deal. It looks awesome! I loved the games and older films.

I'll be sure to post more updates as soon as I find them... :)


6/9/10 UPDATE!!

Jeri Ryan (Who plans Sonya Blade in the trailer.) Confirmed yesterday on Twitter that it was her in the trailer.

"It's not a game trailer. Actually was made for the director to sell WB on his vision for a reimagined MK film."

"I did it as a favor to a friend. No idea yet what WB's reaction to it was. And I'm not sure how you can contact WB... "

Maybe this will turn into the next big movie? Stay tuned... :)

Iron Man is cool. But Iron Baby is Awesome!

This is the big video that was popular this week. Both cute and cool at the same time! :)

A Fist Full Of Metal: Iron Man 2 - My Review

Iron Man is just cool. Plain and simple, no questions asked. Who wouldn't want a suit that gives you super strength, let you fly like a rocket and the ability to put a hole in anything you aim your hand at? No magic, no alien powers. Just a crazy powerful suit. I think that is one of the reasons Iron Man is so popular. Anyone in the suit has the power. But with a super suit, comes super problems for our hero, Tony Stark.

And does he ever have problems. His multi-million dollar company needs guidance, the government wants his suit, a secret spy agency is watching his every move, some crazy Russian with whips is after his head and the very suit that keeps him alive is slowly killing him. That's a lot to pack into a 2 hour movie.

But if anyone can pull it off, it's Tony Stark. A truly flawed hero if ever there was one. The story picks up 6 months after the first movie. The world knows that Tony is Iron Man and all the fame and glory is feeding his ego to the max. Robert Downey Jr. plays the role to near perfection. You can tell he is having too much fun playing this part. Downey is like a kid in a candy store! He makes us cheer for Tony, even when he has laps in judgement. (Watching a drunk Iron Man have target practice during his birthday party is both cool and disturbing at the same time.)

Mickey Rourke plays Iron Man's rival, Whiplash. Covered with tattoos and talking with a thick Russian accent, he really looks like a true evil genius. Every line he says drips of poison and hate. (One of his scenes scared a little kid in front of me so bad, that his parents has to take him out of the theater!)

There is a large supporting cast. Mostly because of the other Marvel Movies that are in our future. This makes the film fun. Always looking for the next reference. But it also makes the movie very dense. But it's OK. Tony's wisecracks keep you smiling and laughing the entire time. And when he isn't joking around, he is kicking butt in the suit. It has lots of great action.

People on Twitter have been asking me a lot about the film. (Really it's because I had Iron Man as my Twitter Avatar pic for over a year. Not for any special reason, I just thought it looked cool!) But I think I will leave the Iron Man suit to Tony. It was a very fun film and I eagerly await the next nugget of goodness from Marvel!

New Trailer: Inception

This is a new film from Christopher Nolan. When you see the trailer, you really don't know what is going on. When you find out lots of it takes place in dreams, then it makes more sense.

Here is the plot from Wikipedia:

Inception is an upcoming science fiction action thriller film written, produced and directed by Christopher Nolan. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio, with a supporting cast that includes Cillian Murphy, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotillard, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy, Tom Berenger, Dileep Rao and Michael Caine. Inception is scheduled to be released in both conventional and IMAX theaters on July 16, 2010.

Dom Cobb (Leonardo DiCaprio) is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb’s rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. Now Cobb is being offered a chance at redemption. One last job could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible–inception. Instead of the perfect heist, Cobb and his team of specialists have to pull off the reverse: their task is not to steal an idea, but to plant one. If they succeed, it could be the perfect crime. But no amount of careful planning or expertise can prepare the team for the dangerous enemy that seems to predict their every move. An enemy that only Cobb could have seen coming.

Trailer on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HilwtqaN4Gs

(You can also see the trailer on the Official website.)

Links:

Official website
Inception at the Internet Movie Database
Inception at Allmovie
Inception at Rotten Tomatoes
Inception Trailers
http://www.mind-crime.com/
http://www.pasivdevice.org/

15 things You Didn't Know About STAR TREK or Maybe you did...

I saw this last week. I tried to copy the pic to my blog, but had some trouble. So at the very least I can send you to the site where I saw it. I think it's that good.... I didn't know all of these, but I did know a lot of them! :)

http://geektyrant.com/news/2010/5/10/infographic-15-things-you-didnt-know-about-star-trek-or-mayb.html

Special Thanks to my Twitter pal Gary, aka @9swords for showing me how cool this would look in his blog! :)

http://zubeta.com/beta/15-things-only-super-geeks-know-about-star-trek/

New Ironman 2 Interactive Trailer!!

Here is the newest look at Iron Man 2! The film opens on May 7th.

Here is the plot from Wikipedia:

The world is aware that billionaire inventor Tony Stark (Robert Downey, Jr.) is the armored superhero Iron Man. Under pressure from the government, the press, and the public to share his technology with the military, Tony is unwilling to divulge the secrets behind the Iron Man armor because he fears the information will slip into the wrong hands. With James "Rhodey” Rhodes (Don Cheadle) and Pepper Potts (Gwyneth Paltrow) at his side, Tony forges new alliances and confronts powerful new forces.

So you want your business on Twitter?

You've heard that Twitter is the hot new, thing on the Internet. Everyone is talking about it. You've heard it's the place to advertise your business, but you don't know where to begin.

You are most likely busy running your business and don't have spare time to be on Twitter anyway. That's where I come in. I can tweet for you! I have been on Twitter for just over one year. In that time I have gained over 19,000 followers. I have become friends with several of the most influential people on Twitter. I've done this by sharing. Sharing little things about myself. Also, sharing helpful info that others would like to pass on to others.

That's all well and good. But what does that have to do with you and your business? My main goal is to drive traffic to your website/business. We can start a Twitter account for you. Then I can 'tweet' your info out. Your website, your phone numbers, special sales, etc. (This can be anything you want and I can change at anytime.) But that alone is not enough.

On Twitter, you are only as good as your last or next tweet. What does that mean? Consistency. Twitter is all about being social. Interacting with others and sharing info and ideas and yourself. We need to give people a reason to follow and 'retweet' from your business twitter account. (I have found that the retweet is the best way to get new followers and get your message out on Twitter.)

What I have come up with is more "tweets" to get people to follow you on Twitter. In addition to your business info, I will tweet a steady stream of helpful info tailored to your customers. Have a travel agency? I can tweet helpful travel tips. How about a hardware store? We can tweet helpful home repair tips! The possibilities are endless! These subjects are very flexible and again can be changed at any time. On a daily basis, I will search Twitter as well as other sites like Google to find new twitter content for you.

Also we can come up with special hashtags (a way to index your tweets) so your business tweets can be found quickly. (Even by people who are not following you!)

While I cannot tweet 24/7 for you, I will be able to consistently tweet everyday for several hours. I will tweet your business info, look for new content, interact with others, follow people back and forward their questions and comments to you. Using this method I was able to help one customer gain over 1,900 followers in just over five months!

You know how your business works. I know Twitter. Let me put my social media skills to work for you. Join the conversation!

Joseph Cannizzaro

Email: joecannizzaro718@yahoo.com
Twitter Accounts: http://twitter.com/dudeman718/ www.twitter.com/cannizzaro718

Law Abiding Citizen Trailers?

Here is a movie trailer for Law Abiding Citizen. It seems like a decent thriller. And I like the cast.

Here is the info from Wikipedia:

Law Abiding Citizen is a 2009 thriller film directed by F. Gary Gray from a screenplay written by Kurt Wimmer, and starring Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler. The film takes place in Philadelphia and tells the story of a man who decides to exact justice on his family's killers, as well as the criminal justice system. Law Abiding Citizen was released theatrically in North America on October 16, 2009.[3]

The movie came and went from the theaters. But watch the trailer and then check out what some people did to it! They took the cast from the popular video game, Team Fortress 2 and it looks very different! :)

Here is the "updated" version! Which one would you want to see? :)

Lady Gaga - Telephone featuring Beyonce (Clean Version)

I've seen the 'dirty' and 'clean' versions of this video. And they are both weird. I'm putting the clean version here. The 'dirty' version is out there if you look for it. But here is Lady Gaga, doing her thing. This time with Beyonce! The song itself is kinda catchy. I like it! What do you think?

Here is the background from Wikipedia:

"Telephone" is a song by American recording artist Lady Gaga from her second studio album The Fame Monster, featuring American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. Gaga originally wrote "Telephone" for Britney Spears; however, plans did not go through, and Gaga recorded the song herself, with Beyoncé as the featured vocalist. The main inspiration behind the song was Gaga's fear of suffocation. The lyrics portray the singer as preferring the dance floor, rather than answer her lover's phone calls. Gaga explained that the telephone addressed in the lyrics of the song, is in reality a person telling her to continue working harder. Musically, the song consists of an expanded bridge, verse-rap and an epilogue where the line is disconnected. Knowles appears in the middle of the song, singing the verses in a rapid-fire way, accompanied by double beats.
"Telephone" was appreciated by contemporary critics who frequently noted it as a stand-out track from The Fame Monster. The song charted in a number of countries due to digital sales, following the album's release, namely in United States, Australia, Canada, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Hungary and the United Kingdom; in the last territory, the song has reached the top of the charts. She performed an acoustic rendition of "Telephone" mixed with "Dance In The Dark" at the 2010 BRIT Awards in memory of Alexander McQueen. It was also added to the setlist of the European leg of The Monster Ball Tour.

Gaga explained that the music video is a continuation of the video for "Paparazzi", and is also shot as a short film. The video features Gaga in a prison, from where she gets bailed out by Beyoncé. They go to a diner where, after a series of events, they kill the guests having breakfast. It ends with Gaga and Beyoncé escaping from the police. Paying homage to Quentin Tarantino and his films Kill Bill (2003–2004) and Pulp Fiction (1994), the video was positively received by critics.

balancing 15 books on head, reciting pi to the 100th digit, and solving a rubik's cube.

Why not? :)

New Trailer for Robin Hood!

Here is the new trailer for Robin Hood! When I first heard that they were going back to do this again, I thought 'oh no, not again'. But after seeing the trailer, I'm very interested!

Here is the story from Wikipedia:

Robin Hood is an upcoming film based on the Robin Hood legend, directed by Ridley Scott and starring Russell Crowe. It is due for release on May 14, 2010.[2] The film began development in 2007 when Universal acquired a script entitled Nottingham, depicting a heroic Sheriff of Nottingham to be played by Crowe. Scott's dissatisfaction with the script led him to delay filming, and during 2008 it was rewritten into a story about Robin Hood becoming an outlaw, with the position of being Sheriff as part of the story. Scott dropped the latter notion and Nottingham was retitled to reflect the more traditional angle. The trailer was shown in front of Avatar and also in Sherlock Holmes.

It is late 12th century England and Sir Robin Longstride, Earl of Huntington, (Russell Crowe) has returned to his northern English village after fighting in the Third Crusade. Upon arrival, the nobleman and his servant discover the oppression caused by the new Sheriff of Nottingham (Matthew Macfadyen). Sir Robin uses his intelligence and military skills to free his home village from tyranny and corruption in England, by taking back what is rightfully his, and by taking back what rightfully is theirs, to restore justice and happiness to England. Robin must also win the affection of the recently widowed Lady Marian (Cate Blanchett) while leading his Merry Men of Sherwood Forest to victory and fairness. [3]

Behind the scenes of the new Predator Movie!

This is our first peek at Robert Rodriguez's new take on the Predator!! A sci-fi favorite for sure. I had hear rumors about the film. But after seeing this, I am very excited to see it!

Here is the info from Wikipedia:

Predators is an upcoming 2010 science fiction, action and horror film directed by Nimród Antal, and starring Adrien Brody, Topher Grace, Alice Braga, Laurence Fishburne, Danny Trejo and Derek Mears. The film is a sequel to the 1987 film Predator. Producer Robert Rodriguez stated that he named the film "Predators" in relation to how the second film in the Alien franchise was called Aliens. The title Predators is intended to have a double meaning, in that it refers to both the film's alien creatures, as well as the group of humans that are going against them.[2]

The film follows a mercenary named Royce who is abducted by alien creatures known as the Predators. He is released onto an alien planet—which acts as a game reserve—along with seven other humans, who with the exception of a disgraced physician, are all cold-blooded killers consisting of mercenaries and convicts. Royce reluctantly leads the group of elite warriors as they come to realize they have been brought together to this planet as prey for a new breed of Predator.[3] While battling to survive against these creatures, they come across an American soldier known as Noland who was brought to the planet years ago as game, but has managed to survive by hiding from the Predators in a cave. Noland reveals that the Predators have been hunting humans by dropping them on this planet for many years. [4] A cameo appearance was also written in the script for Arnold Schwarzenegger's character Dutch from the first film,[4] although ultimately he ended up not being involved[5].

The Secret Life of Coffee Filters!

Here's another one of those mysterious emails that goes around with free advice. I have no idea if these work or not. But it sounds like they would! Thanks Mom! :)

Better than paper towels and a lot less expensive...Coffee filters....Who knew?!

And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Stores for almost nothing; even the large ones.

Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave.

Coffee filters make excellent covers.

Clean windows, mirrors, and chrome.

Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.

Protect China by separating your good dishes with a coffee filter between each dish.

Filter broken cork from wine.

If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter.

Protect a cast-iron skillet.

Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.

Apply shoe polish.

Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.

Recycle frying oil.

After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.

Weigh chopped foods.

Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.

Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.

Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot.

Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.

Prevent a Popsicle from dripping.

Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.

Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken fingers, etc on them. It soaks out all the grease.

Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers."

As a sewing backing. Use a filter as an easy-to-tear backing for embroidering or appliqueing soft fabrics.

Put baking soda into a coffee filter and insert into shoes or a closet to absorb or prevent odors.

Use them to strain soup stock and to tie fresh herbs in to put in soups and stews.

Use a coffee filter to prevent spilling when you add fluids to your car.

Use them as a spoon rest while cooking and clean up small counter spills.

Can use to hold dry ingredients when baking or when cutting a piece of fruit or veggies.

Saves on having extra bowls to wash.

Use them to wrap Christmas ornaments for storage.

Use them to remove fingernail polish when out of cotton balls.

Use them to sprout seeds. Simply dampen the coffee filter, place seeds inside, fold it and place it into a plastic baggie until they sprout.

Use coffee filters as blotting paper for pressed flowers. Place the flowers between two coffee filters and put the coffee filters in phone book..

Use as a disposable "snack bowl" for popcorn, chips, etc.

Oh yeah. . . .they're great to use in your coffee makers.

New TRON Legacy Trailer!!!!

OMG!! The new trailer is out for TRON Legacy! It looks amazing!

Here is the plot from Wikipedia:

Sam Flynn (Garrett Hedlund), the tech-savvy 27-year-old son of Kevin Flynn (Jeff Bridges), looks into his father’s disappearance and finds himself pulled into the same world of fierce programs and gladiatorial games where his father has been living for 25 years. Along with Kevin’s loyal confidante (Olivia Wilde), father and son embark on a life-and-death journey across a visually-stunning cyber universe that has become far more advanced and exceedingly dangerous.

The orginial was one of my all time favorites. Can not wait for the new one!!!

Ok Go!! This Too Shall Pass! Video

Ok Go is a weird band for sure. You just have to check out their videos to see that. But as weird as they are, they videos are just as great! Their newest is "This Too Shall Pass". I love the video and the title. (It's a family favorite that my Grandpa said all the time.)

But first, here is one of their biggest hits! Here It Goes Again. Very amazing piece of work...



And here is the latest! This Too Shall Pass! (I wonder how long it too them to set this up...)

Who's on First

I saw this today. I had forgotten how funny it is. It's a classic bit from the Masters of Comedy Abbott and Costello. Alyssa Milano posted it on her @TouchByAM Twitter account today. I watched and laughed and smiled a lot. So I thought it deserved a Blog Post.

It's the classic "Who's on First?" routine. Arguably their best work ever. Here is the history from Wikipedia:

"Who's on First?" is Abbott & Costello's signature routine. They always referred to it informally as "Baseball." Depending upon the version you are hearing, Abbott has a) organized a new baseball team, and the players have nicknames; or, he is pointing out the proliferation of nicknames in baseball---usually launching a variation on St. Louis Cardinals sibling pitchers Dizzy and Daffy Dean, before launching the routine with the infielders' nicknames of Who (first base), What (second base) and I Don't Know (third base). The key to the routine: Lou Costello's unwavering pronoun confusion and Bud Abbott's unwavering nonchalance.

Here it is in all it's glory! :)

Abbott and Costello perform the classic "Who's on first?" baseball sketch in their 1945 film "The Naughty Nineties" first performed as part of their stage act.

Truck vs Pool

Here's something you don't see everyday...

My Resume

JOSEPH CANNIZZARO
EDGEWATER PARK, NJ 08010
joecannizzaro718@yahoo.com
http://twitter.com/dudeman718
http://www.facebook.com/dudeman718
http://dudeman718.blogspot.com/
http://www.linkedin.com/in/josephcannizzaro

OBJECTIVE
I am seeking a challenging position in a progressive company where I can apply my experience in retail management or office/computer work and provide excellent customer/Social Media service.

WORK EXPERIENCE
7/2004– Present Walgreens Burlington, NJ

Assistant Manager/Executive Assistant Manager/Store Team Lead
Assist the Store Manager in the operation of the store and in the direction
of the work force.
Responsible for improving unit sales, profits and image through the overall
development and protection of store assets.
Training and development of store personnel.
Maintain excellent customer service.
Maintain Store Inventory.
Responsible for opening and closing the store.
Daily store operations which include:
o Managing all money in the store.
o Overseeing departments such as Cosmetics, Photo and front cashier.
o Checking vendors in and out.
o Managing the stock room.
o Processing daily store paperwork.

8/2001– 7/2004 Mellon HR Solutions Fort Lee, NJ

Testing Specialist
Day-to-day involvement on multiple projects as tester and data management for system generated fulfillment, voice response system, and web applications.
Test case execution.
Test results documentation.
Data management for the identification and readiness of test participants.
Attend internal meetings as appropriate.
Troubleshooting.

Benefits Analyst
Draft system generated fulfillment, develop programming specifications, develop test case scenarios, execute test cases, and document test results
Create and test system generated package logic
Maintain fulfillment inventories with direction from team management
Work with internal departments on print program, data, and system requirements

7/2000– 8/2001 St. Joseph’s Hospital & Medical Center Paterson, NJ

Help Desk Operator
Level One Help Desk Operator.
Desktop Support.
Perform daily system backups.
Monitor Hospital systems.
Troubleshooting.

5/1997 – 7/2000 PricewaterhouseCoopers Fort Lee, NJ

Site Coordinator
Interface with all departments and personnel on a daily basis.
Monitor and coordinate the courier schedule.
Traffic coordination of incoming/outgoing parcels.
Maintain documentation materials for Shipping Department.
Data Entry/Troubleshooting.

3/1995 – 5/1997 Palmer Video Cliffside Park, NJ

Assistant Manager
Interact with customers on service issues, video recommendations, and bill disputes.
Recruit, interview and train staff.
Manage retail store and staff including scheduling, performance, etc.
Produce sales/earnings report.
Manage inventory/order processing.
Develop store promotions.

EDUCATION

1999-2000 The Cittone Institute Ramsey, NJ
Help Desk Analyst, GPA 4.0, Attendance 99%

1989 - 1993 Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ
Bachelor of Arts, GPA 3.0, Dean’s List –Spring 1993

COMPUTER EXPERIENCE
Proficient in Microsoft Office; Windows 95/98/NT/2000; Internet Explorer; Lotus Notes, Social Media, Twitter & Facebook.

References furnished upon request.

Old Spice Commercial

Here's a commercial that was on this year's Super Bowl. It's for Old Spice Body Wash. It's funny, but after you watch it a few times, you see that the entire spot was filmed in one shot! Check it out...




Here is a video that explains the making of this spot.

Why people don't walk cats.

Sorry for the lack of new stuff lately. Here's a funny video to make up for it. :)

Animation of Sully into the Hudson!

Watch this cool video of Captain Sully!! :)

100 Years Ago

Here's another one from my email in-box. This one came from my Mom! :)

What happened in 100 years?

Show this to your friends, children and/or grandchildren.

THE YEAR 1909

This will boggle your mind, I know it did mine! The year is 1909. One hundred years ago. What a difference a century makes! Here are some statistics for the Year 1909 :

The average life expectancy was 47 years.

Fuel for the 1909 Ford Model R was sold in drug stores only.

Only 14 percent of the homes had a bathtub.

Only 8 percent of the homes had a telephone.

There were only 8,000 cars and only 144 miles of paved roads.

The maximum speed limit in most cities was 10 mph.

The tallest structure in the world was the Eiffel Tower!

The average wage in 1909 was 22 cents per hour.

The average worker made between $200 and $400 per year ..

A competent accountant could expect to earn $2000 per year, a dentist $2,500 per year, a veterinarian between $1,500 and $4,000 per year, and a mechanical engineer about $5,000 per year.

More than 95 percent of all births took place at HOME.

Ninety percent of all doctors had NO COLLEGE EDUCATION!

Instead, they attended so-called medical schools, many of which
were condemned in the press AND the government as 'substandard. '

Sugar cost four cents a pound.

Eggs were fourteen cents a dozen.

Coffee was fifteen cents a pound.

Most women only washed their hair once a month, and used Borax or egg yolks for shampoo.

Canada passed a law that prohibited poor people from entering into their country for any reason.

Five leading causes of death were:
1. Pneumonia and influenza
2. Tuberculosis
3. Diarrhea
4. Heart disease
5. Stroke

The American flag had 45 stars..

The population of Las Vegas, Nevada, was only 30!!!!

Crossword puzzles, canned beer, and iced tea hadn't been invented yet.

There was no Mother's Day or Father's Day.

Two out of every 10 adults couldn't read or write and

Only 6 percent of all Americans had graduated from high school..

Marijuana, heroin, and morphine were all available over the counter at the local corner drugstores. Back then pharmacists said, 'Heroin clears the complexion, gives buoyancy to the mind,regulates the stomach and bowels, and is, in fact, a perfect guardian of health'
( Shocking? DUH! )

Eighteen percent of households had at least one full-time servant or domestic help..

There were about 230 reported murders in the ENTIRE ! U.S.A.!

Plus one more sad thought; 95 percent of the taxes we have now did not exist in 1909

I am now going to forward this to someone else without typing it myself. From there, it will be sent to others all over the WORLD - all in a matter of seconds!

Try to imagine what it may be like in another 100 years.

IT STAGGERS THE MIND!

Thinking Things Through

I thought I would try something new here. From time to time, we all get these email stories/jokes. I think some of them are funny and maybe deserve a chance to be posted here. This one came from my good friend Loren.

(FYI: I have no idea if this is true or not. But it's still funny.) :)

If you've ever worked for a boss who reacts before getting the facts and thinking things through, you will love this! Arcelor-Mittal Steel, feeling it was time for a shakeup, hired a new CEO. The new boss was determined to rid the company of all slackers.

On a tour of the facilities, the CEO noticed a guy leaning against a wall. The room was full of workers and he wanted to let them know that he meant business. He asked the guy, "How much money do you make a week?" A little surprised, the young man looked at him and said, "I make $400 a week. Why?" The CEO said, "Wait right here."

He walked back to his office, came back in two minutes, and handed the guy $1,600 in cash and said, "Here's four weeks' pay. Now GET OUT and don't come back." Feeling pretty good about himself, the CEO looked around the room and asked, "Does anyone want to tell me what that goof-ball did here?" From across the room a voice said, "Pizza delivery guy from Domino's."

SNL Hamm and Buble

This is the one video that made me laugh out loud from Saturday Night Live last night. The host was Jon Hamm and the music guest was Michael Buble.

Not sure who thought of putting them both in a skit, but it was a good idea!

Mmmmm..... Bubbly Ham! :)

Funny Hitler videos?

I have recently found several videos online about Hitler. These are not endorsing him or his evil deeds, (nor to I). But these videos are meant to be funny. They take footage from the 2004 movie Downfall and change the subtitles. Some of the videos are re-edited with other footage.

Since only the subtitles need to be changed, these videos can be made really quickly. For example. Hitler responds to the iPad. The Apple press conference was yesterday! And the video is out today!

Here is a good history of the videos from Wikipedia.

Thanks to YouTube and other video sites, parodic clips from the 2004 film Downfall have proliferated internationally.[8] They are subtitled with references to Hitler getting angry about Australian Rules Football, Windows Vista, online gaming, gridiron football, Xbox Live, the downfall of Morris Iemma, the Vancouver Canucks signing of Mats Sundin, Malcolm Turnbull and other events. The phenomenon started in English but has spread to other languages including Dutch, Spanish,Portuguese, Malaysian, Bulgarian (It was used to ridicule Bulgarian president Georgi Parvanov for being a State Security agent during the communist dictatorship and for being a poacher[9]), Romanian (for the 2009 presidential election), Croatian (comments about frequent affairs in the government). The most frequently used clip is the scene where Hitler receives news of the advancing Red Army vastly outnumbering the forces commanded by Felix Steiner. However, other clips from Downfall are beginning to appear with subtitles. Some of the parodies turn on surrealism and intentional anachronisms to make a comment on present day subjects, especially the everyday prevalance of failures of computer and internet resources, while other parodies centre more on humorously interpreting events in the bunker on April May 1945. A further driver of the jokes would be collective memories of the overall poor standards of subtitling and dubbing internationally in cinema during the mid twentieth century, especially with low budget films such as the sword and sandal genre or eastern martial arts movies, including poor synchonisation and comically inaccurate translations.

Here are some of my favorites. But the list of them on YouTube seems endless. :)