From Planet WTF? It's Heat 1 - Mavericks 1, Hip Hop 2.0, and the Year In Films...so far.

           Salutations world! Another day of teaching for this guy, and since handing out exam review sheets is something that I excel at, today should be a breeze. While it's not terribly demanding, it should give me some time to formulate my thoughts and pump out another week's end blog. That's right, it's here, the weekend, just over the horizon - thank goodness it's Friday. I teach today and I serve tonight, then we're at week's end - and we're one small step closer to... school's end. Bring on the summer! I've got a real medley of sports, music and movies for the blog today. We'll look at another miraculous Mavericks comeback in game 2 of the NBA Finals. I'll post this weeks Hip Hop Top 20 countdown for your viewing/reading pleasure. We'll take a look at what's dropping this month in the hip hop world. And lastly, we'll hit the box office trail and take a look at this years movies so far, at least according to their IMDB ranks. But first things first, the BIG farewell.        

          Barring any shenanigans (very possible considering the man involved!) Shaquille "The Big Aristotle, "Shaq", "The Diesel", "Shaq Fu", "The Big Daddy", "Superman", "The Big Cactus", "The Big Shaqtus", "The Big Galactus", "Wilt Chamberneezy", "The Real Deal", "Dr. Shaq" (after earning his MBA), "The Big Shamrock", "The Big Leprechaun", "Shaqovic", and "The Big Conductor" O'Neal will be announcing his retirement today. Because of his recent underwhelming and unproductive stints in Cleveland and Boston it can be possible to downplay or underrate Shaq's rank as one of the NBA's all time greats. But let's dismiss those final two seasons from his transcript, the same way we pretend that MJ never laced 'em up for the Wizards. Do that and you're and left with the picture of a man who was a NBA giant, even amongst a world of literal giants. Shaq is a behemoth in every sense of the word, in the post MJ era of the NBA, the Deisel was the pervading personality of the league, he was larger than life both on and off the court.
        
                His legacy transcends the basketball court, he was a star off the court, a result of his forays into the entertainment world through the mediums of both music and film. Despite both his musically career and acting career being relative flops, Shaq always maintained a level of charisma that kept you tuning in to hear the big fella, year after year, soundbite after soundbite. (And... Blue Chips was dope.)  If anything, his dabbling into the entertainment world served to cloud our understanding of just how truly dominant he was as a basketball player. It's a shame if you remember Shaq as the big goofy guy who had a few misguided attempts into mainstream media. What Shaq should be best remember as, is one of the top 3 greatest centers to ever do it and one of the top 10 players to ever play the game. His name belongs in the rafters in Orlando for putting that expansion franchise on the map in the mid 90's and in the hallowed Staples Centre for the 4 championships he (re: Not Kobe) led the Lakers to. As far as dominating the spotlight, Shaq has always been a class act and brought positive attention to the game,  for that he should be commended. As far as dominating a game, there were none better. Recognize.

             I believe the saying goes something like "fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." So, shame on me, I'm a fool, all the above - I wallow in shame and foolishness. I watched the first 42 minutes of game 2 of the NBA Finals. I watched intently. I watched DWade and Lebron James make countless shots that resembled more of the H-O-R-S-E variety, than of the NBA finals variety. Dallas certainly outplayed the home favourites in the first half, but the duo of Lebron and Wade kept the Heat close with a shooting display that can only be described as "astoundingly rediculous". I scoffed as LBJ and the man formerly know as Flash, (how come no one calls him this anymore? Ironically enough, another moniker placed on Wade by none other than Shaq himself.) continued to knock down shots that I would have shouted out "good defense" after, if I was Mav's head coach Rick Carlisle. (Re: I'm not Rick Carlisle folks.) But as I said, despite outplaying the Heat, the Mavs found themselves tied at the half. I thought to myself the Mavs had a chance to win this one, but they've let it slip away.

                The Heat clamped down defensively to begin the second half, began to execute in a more traditional fashion, scoring in transition off of forced turnovers. The Heat seemed to have survived the first half and now were going for blood in the second half; an approach we have seen them take throughout the Bulls series, and something we also saw in Game 1. Except something went wrong this time around. Way wrong. All the way around. With nearly 6 minutes remaining Dwayne Wade hit a 3 from the corner and it looked as if the game, and for all intensive purposes, possibly the series, was over. The Heat must have mailed it in, so did I. I shouldn't have. After all, it was less than two weeks ago that the Mavs fell behind the Thunder by 15 on the road in the closing minutes of game 4, only to storm back in the final minutes, force overtime, and eventually win the game. But that was the young Thunder, they lacked the veteran leadership necessary to hold off the savvy Mavs I told myself. I remarked that they had been struggling to find offence the whole second half and that the tight half court defence of the Heat made the 15 point lead, impregnable - positively insurmountable- yes, I remarked all of these things in a soliloquy. Stru and I looked at each, and mutually pronounced the game 'over'. We began our end of day preparations. I brushed my teeth, I prepared my iTunes playlist for a soft soothing sleep. I put my phone on vibrate, fluffed my pillow, flicked the lights off and slipped into bed. I didn't give Dirk and his merry men the respect they deserved - for the second time in under a fortnight.

           "Bzzzzz, Bzzzz, Bzzzzzz", I hear my phone buzzing, a msg from RT, probably some hyperbole, a Robism telling me that "...the iRock is packed with beautiful desperate women.". (Keep in mind, I'm near the lucid dreaming stage at this point.) Nope. It's a short msg, all it says, "Goooo Dirk". I'm thinking, "I like desperat....wha....is Rob really cheering Dirk on as he heads for the Miami airport down 0-2? Not likely. I flip my laptop open to ESPN.com, Mavs have inexplicably pulled within 6. I flip to an online stream of the game just in time to see the Mavs force a turnover and score on the other end to tie the game up. Timeout Miami. At this point, I'm flicking light switches "Code Red! High Alert! Stru the Mavs are back in it! Get up!" We watched the finish, watched Dirk effortlessly hit the go ahead 3, only to see the Mavs give one up on the other end because of a defensive brainfart. Then there we were with no shot clock left, just a Dallas possession with a chance to win the game or we're heading to overtime. As I had expected some time earlier, there would be no overtime on this night - I just had the wrong team winning it in regulation. Dirk put Bosh in a blender and scored and easy running lay up for 2 off the class. DWade's final prayer would not be answered. Dallas wins. Hard for me to say what happened, I didn't see it. I figure the Heat thought what I did, that they had already won. They took a few bad shots that lead to easy baskets for the Mavs, the Mavs scored a few quick ones and their confidence grew - as did the size of the basket. With a renewed momentum the Mavs got their playoff mojo back and the rest is history. So it is with great shame that I pronounce myself, last night's fool. A fool who went to bed with a smile on his face.

Here's a look at the June release list for what's dropping this month in the hip hop world and how that has me feeling:

June 7th
Big K.R.I.T. - R4: The Prequel - Loving KRIT so I'll probably check out what sounds like his latest mixtape.
Ja Rule - Pain Is Love 2 - Stay gone Ja, stay gone.

June 14th
Bad Meets Evil (Eminem & Royce 5'9") - Hell: The Sequel - Anything Em's on is worth checking out, sadly, sometimes that's enough these days. Hope this is dope and that slaughterhouse has renewed Em's career.

June 21st
Pitbull - Planet Pit - This is for club rap enthusiasts. That's not me. Pass.
Lil Wayne - Tha Carter IV - I'll check it out at some point but doesn't feel anything near my anticipation for his third 'Carter' instalment.
Lil Wayne & Birdman - Like Father, Like Son - Not sure what the thinking is with this release date? Not the Wayne album I'll be looking to hear this week. Over-saturation?

June 28th
Beyonce - 4 - Do any girls read this? If so, that's for you. If not, fellas, there will be booty shaking videos if nothing else.
Big Sean - Finally Famous - Finally getting this album out, really hope this date holds up, looking forward to it.

Here's the latest top 20 list, not a whole lot new caught my attention this week, cept J. Cole has been putting out some hot tracks later and the word is that buzz is building for him to drop his first single of what will be his first major label album. I hope these rumours turn out better than the Detox rumours, cause that album is never coming out. Anyway, have at er.

Hip Hop Top 20 - Week 06. 03. 2011

20. 20. Killin' Em - Busta Rhymes ft. LL Cool J

n/a 19.  J. Cole - How High - It's J Cole's game right now. ***Top Debut***

12. 18. All Of The Lights - Kanye West
14. 17. Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
17. 16. That's Life 2 - Killer Mike
10.15. On My Level - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Too Short
16. 14. Make Some Noise - Beastie Boys
18. 13. Dreams Money Can Buy - Drake
07. 12. Red Nation - The Game Ft. Lil Wayne - Watch Jon Connor Do Work on This Beat! Killer.

13. 11. M I Crooked Letter - Rossini Ft. Big K.R.I.T.
11. 10. Disgusting - J. Cole
15. 09. Return of Simba - J. Cole   ***Top Gainer***
05. 08. Capcom - Kid Cudi
09. 07. Wake Up - Wiz Khalifa
03. 06. Dreamin' - Big K.R.I.T
08. 05. Fast Lane - Eminem and Royce 5'9"
06. 04. Eraser - Kid Cudi
04. 03. Roll Up - Wiz Khalifa
01. 02. All Black Everything - Lupe Fiasco
02. 01. American Rapstar - Big K.R.I.T - I've already posted this song so I'll give you another from heater from the same R4 album. Here;s Country Shit remixed with Bun B and Ludacris.

It's been awhile since I touched on anything film related so we'll play a little catch up on the what 2011 has held thus far. Below I've compiled a list of the vast majority of feature films that have received a relative amount of mainstream attention. I've used IMDB because I've found it to be pretty reliable source for films, it's top 250 are all legit and the sheer voting numbers(sample size) lend credibility to the figures, so I'll post those too. It's been a relatively 'ho hum' year to this point. Critically speaking there are only a few complete flops to speak of - Arthur, Priest, Battle Los Angeles. In fact, nearly all of the films to this point lie in  the 'safe to rent' range between 6.5 and 8, with most sitting in the 7.0 to 7.7 range. For instance, right now The Hangover II is sitting at just 7.0, but that's good enough for me, I'll check it out. An a couple of the low scores are brainless comedies that you'd be a fool to expect something momentous - Hall Pass, Your Highness. Good grief, the top score is an animated film about a ninja'ing panda; so no, you're not getting anything life changing, but at least it's been entertaining. That's the way I've felt ab, out many of these movies that I've seen - Cedar Rapids, Hanna, Lincoln Lawyer, Thor, and Unknown - nothing that we'll draw mention in Oscar season but passable stuff. Anyway I'll shut up, here's this years moving rankings to date in alphabetical order.

IMDB Rankings:
The Adjustment Bureau .................................... 7.1 (18, 715)
Battle: Los Angeles ........................................... 6.0 (36, 996)
Cedar Rapids ................................................... 6.9 (2, 632)
Fast Five........................................................... 7.7 (33 982)
The Green Hornet ............................................ 6.2 (35, 050)
Hall Pass .......................................................... 6.0 (9, 230)
Hanna............................................................... 7.5 (9, 195)
Hesher ............................................................. 7.4 (840)
The Hangover II ............................................... 7.0 (19, 052)
Just Go With It......,........................................... 6.3 (17, 883)
Kung Fu Panda: 2.............................................. 8.0 (5, 500)
Limitless............................................................. 7.3 (29, 205)
Lincoln Lawyer ................................................. 7.4 (10, 227)
The Mechanic ................................................... 6.5 (22, 763)
Paul .................................................................. 7.4 (14, 261)
Pirates of the Caribbean On Stranger Tides ........7.0 (33, 049)
Priest................................................................. 5.6 (5,116) (Why I included this, I'll never know)
Rango ............................................................... 7.7 (18, 632)
Rio ................................................................... 7.2 (15, 113)
Scream 4 .......................................................... 7.1 (19,790)
Source Code..................................................... 7.7 (24, 373)
Sucker Punch ................................................... 6.5 (30, 806)
Thor ................................................................. 7.5 (47, 575)
Unknown........................................................... 7.1 (20, 153)
Your Highness .................................................... 6.1 (5.992)

An lastly the latest trailer for end of summer blockbuster Rise Of the Planet of the Apes - This film looks like it's gonna be something special, what do you think? We'll check out some more trailers next week, this will have to do for now.

P.

NBA Finals Predictions, Summer Smile Reasons and Happy Birthday To Me - Now What Have I Learned?

Happy Monday the 30th of May to you all.
Happy Birthday to myself.
And of course, as always, I hope each and every one of you lives forever.

*Of course I began writing this Monday, I finally finished it today.  Busy week with bday dinners, the school athletic banquet and a job interview I had to prepare for Wednesday morning, but everything went well and I'm all caught up, so back to the blog. I wish you a wonderful Thursday and again, I hope that your Monday was as great as mine was.

Business Time.

The NBA Finals kick off tomorrow evening from South Beach, Miami. Which seems appropriate considering this season's title hype got a  kickstart a few months early, compliments of South Beach's own Superfriends last July. So here we are a year later and we're still talking about LBJ, DWade and, on occasion, Bosh. Kudos to the Heat for playing under this immense spotlight all season long and living up to and nearly achieving the hype - they set for themselves. (Only 6 championship to go!) All kidding aside, the Eastern conference champs deserve to be here and have looked like the leagues most dominant team throughout this years playoffs. First they exorcised their playoff demons in an emotional semi final series with Celtics, and for an encore they totally dismantled the leagues top regular season team, MVP of the league and the 2011 Coach of the Year. Peanuts.
That said. Go Dallas.

(Ed's update) Game one went much like a rerun of the Heat's latest games. The Heat battled to hang around for 3 and a half quarters and then gave the ball to Lebron James for the final 6 minutes and let him take over. Execution at the end of games is the difference between winning and losing tight ones and at the moment no one is executing quite like Lebron. What a luxury that must be for Coach Spoelstra to have the team huddle up with 5 minutes to go in a 1 point game and simply have to say, "Lebron gets a touch on every trip from here on out.". The Mavs showed themselves to be a worthy adversary throughout the the rest of the game, and Dirk's shooting percentages suggest that he'll be back to making the majority of his shots come game 2 this evening, so it's too early to rule them out - as long as they have Dirk, they have a puncher's chance. For the first 3 quarters of game 1, the Mavs stretched the floor on O and consistently knocked down jumpers to stay in the game. Unlike the Bulls, when the Mavs superstar isn't on, the Mavs have other scorers that can pick up the slack. I don't think this series is over just yet, but someone has to find a way to contain Lebron James in the closing minutes of a game. The Mavs are just the latest team to face that challenge, and if they don't figure it out quick - well... there will be nothing left to figure out for 2011.

Heat in 6

The Summer-ith Count-ith Down-ith
Great weather so far this week, hit a bucket of balls Monday night and looking forward to getting out for another round this weekend. The days are undoubtedly longer and warmer and that's what we're looking for - string em together and let's call it a summer!

Bikinis are totally in this summer.

24. Bikinis - So nice I put it twice. And I'm feeling a tad vindictive this morning to I propose that 1 pieces should be outlawed; if you can't/won't slip into the two, the beach is no place for you! I agree - too harsh. But if you're wearing a one piece, I'm wearing a speedo - exactly.
23. LFO - Summer Girls - "Summertime girls are the kind I like, I'll steal your honey like I stole your bike."
22. 'Devil May Care' Attitudes - I donno about you but I'm just a little more relaxed in the summer. To say I don't give a what, might be a bit strong, but I'm certainly not concerned with too much. 

21. Mussels - Dump about 5 lbs of fresh PEI mussels into a cauldron of beer or wine and let em steam open.M ix a little garlic butter together and you have one of summer's most delicious seafood treats.
20. RCHP - Far as I'm concerned summer means Red Hot Chili Peppers. I donno whether it's their year round summer Cali vibes or what, but cruise to them in the whip, stick em in your ear buds at the beach while the waves roll, or play them in the background at a party. The Peppers are definitely a major sound of my summer. Aside - Is it too much to ask for a new album though? Stadium Arcadium was a double disc, but that was years ago. Heard rumours of a 2011 album, hope they're true.
19. Beer - It's my third but it's a reallllly big list folks, ya work up a thirst, ya know.
18. The song "Summertime" - Originally recorded by Billie Holiday, this rendition by Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald does the epic Jazz tune justice.

Okie Dokie. So I'm 26 years young today (Monday).  Birthdays are all about getting, er, I mean, giving. Yes, giving. I will admit that in my lifetime I've been given so much. Beyond material gifts, trinkets, bobbles and cards I've received over the past 26 years, I've also been granted lots of life lessons, accrued advantageous advice, as well as a little bit of "finding out the hard way". I feel it's time to take what I've learned and give something back - with that said, as part of today's blog, this being my birthday edition, I'm gonna share some of the lessons I've learned that have stuck with me over the years.  Let's count em' down.

26. Miss Vickie taught me the Golden Rule - it pretty much still applies the same way, though in keeping with the times, shouldn't it be the Platinum Rule by now?

25. University taught me, it's better to sing off key, than not sing at all. Same thing applies to dancing. Move. Shake. Sing.

24. Edmond taught me that hard work beats talent. How bout, talent that works hard - sky's the limit. (Should that saying be updated as welll - Heat's the limit?)

23. Life has taught me that Charades, Volleyball,  - four things that people think are lame - are actually a shit load of fun.

22. Nutbrown taught me that "Fully Prepared" is an underrated state of being.

21. Jay Z taught me "money ain't a thang", Student Loans Canada disagreed.

20. Cali Swag District taught me how to dougie. RIP

19. Gord taught me to treat everyone I meet with respect, you never know who you'll meet - and/or when and where you'll meet again.

18. Mrs. A taught me to be careful of the words I choose, it's hard to unsay things and even more difficult to unwrite them.

17. Mike T taught me that sometimes you gotta swim with the sharks. 

16. The economy taught me to spend all of my loot before it isn't worth anything anymore. Was that the lesson?

15. Campbell taught me to start with 2 straight shots, everything tastes delightful from there. Funny how that never made as much sense the following morning.

14. Mr. A taught me that I can't control everything - just my attitude it the way I respond to everything.

13. Shawn Kemp taught me that condoms are cheaper than children.

12. High School taught me that gossip is the most powerful force in the universe. 

11. Coaching taught me that all things are difficult before they are easy.

10. The internet taught me everything.

09. Heath taught me not to take life so serious. RIP.

08. Australian's taught me that Canadian's do have an accent. Take advantage of that.

07. McLaughlin taught me to fess up when I mess up, and to tell the truth - for it's surely the easiest thing to remember.

06. Dave Allison taught me that not all lessons are taught in the classroom.

05. My body taught me that stretching is always worth the time.

04. Dan taught me "...why the fuck wouldn't I try hard?!." So I go hard.

03. Richard taught me it's ok for people to like different things and have different interests, otherwise I'd never get a ticket to anything.

02.The GTB taught me that no matter how absurd something sounds, or is - it can always get a little nuttier - just the way I like it. Screamin'.

01. My mother taught me to be independent because she's only going to continue to bail me out ... for one more year. Every year. Thanks for that.

I know I've probably omitted countless other examples of lessons and tips I received over the years and for that I apologize. Rest assured that without all of the lessons and experiences I've encountered so far I would not be the person I am today - for better or worse ha. Thank you all for your kind wishes on my 'name day' (as they say in "Game of Thrones") and for all the brilliant nuggets of wisdom you've passed my way over the years!

Here is a leak of the new single off of Kid Cudi's new upcoming album titled "Wizard Rock", not getting great reviews to this point. What do you think?

P.

Enjoy the rest of a great week folks!

Choking Bulls and Hip Hop 2.0 Most Wanted

What up party people! The weekend has arrived!

WTF Chi-town!? Up 10 with a little over 2 minutes to go. You have to win those games, even if you're not a championship contender! I guess we can remove the choking dog label from the Heat and stamp it right down on these years Bulls squad. No excuse for that, yeah Miami hit some big shots but it was poor execution and turnovers that lead to those opportunities for the Heat, notably DWade and LBJ. I just sat there for minutes after the game wondering how that happened, how they lost a margin they had lead by for nearly 46 minutes straight. You can be sure Thibodeau and his young squad won't be sleeping right for awhile after that one. Seriously though. So Dallas vs. Miami it is! Despite all the public's hate mongering, and proposed 'chemistry' issues the Heat have put themselves in the position to achieve just what they set out to do back when they paraded around last August, win the NBA Championship, God help us all.

That's pretty much it for today but I do have this week's Top 20 countdown for your reading and hopefully eventual listening pleasure.

n/a 20. Killin' Em - Busta Rhymes ft. LL Cool J

n/a 19. Dreams Money Can Buy - Drake
10. 18. 6'7" - Lil Wayne Ft. Cory Gunz
19. 17. That's Life 2 - Killer Mike
n/a 16. Make Some Noise - Beastie Boys
n/a 15. Return of Simba - J. Cole   ***Top Gainer*** ***Top Debut***

14. 14. Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
15. 13. M I Crooked Letter - Rossini Ft. Big K.R.I.T.
07. 12. All Of The Lights - Kanye West
13. 11. Disgusting - J. Cole
09. 10. On My Level - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Too Short
12. 09. Wake Up - Wiz Khalifa

11. 08. Fast Lane - Eminem and Royce 5'9"
03. 07. Red Nation - The Game Ft. Lil Wayne
08. 06. Eraser - Kid Cudi
06. 05. Capcom - Kid Cudi
05. 04. Roll Up - Wiz Khalifa
02. 03. Dreamin' - Big K.R.I.T  
04. 02. American Rapstar - Big K.R.I.T.
01. 01. All Black Everything - Lupe Fiasco

Happy Weekend!!

Counting Summer Down and Some Playoff Nicknacks

Call it lazy, call it busy, call it whatever you like, I had other stuff on the go this weekend so it's been awhile. Was over to the Island for a visit this past weekend. Had a good time, got to see some friends I haven't seen in a while, and we all played a little catch up and what not. Had the brief opportunity to travel back in time, though not literally (despite the presence of one Marty McFly, ironically enough), to the place where we all once came together. Funny how that's what life becomes, an unending series of events drawn out over one continuous time-line, and though we may stop to briefly revisit an old event, memory or friend, we can only go back for the briefest of times before life pulls us back to the current time, reality. I know - Deep. Reality.

The real world has me teaching some more physical education and that's quite alright with me too. The school year is almost up and you can feel the buzz around the halls, kids prepping up on their Alice Cooper, not sure they know the artist but they know "School's out for Summer". I can hear the the shop class students down the hall, busy priming up their paddles with the sweet squeals of frosh ringing in their ears. They've got their countdowns all worked out and for the high schools that means there is only 11 days left of class before exams bring the year to a close. As for me, I've got my own countdown, an EI sponsored summer countdown, but typical me, I've been slacking and it's been awhile since I dropped a little summer countdown knowledge. That drought (ironic because of all the rain?) ends today with an updated countdown, chronicling the entire countdown to date - including the near 15 near new entries that it has taken to get back up to date. So here goes the list to this point, old and new. Enjoy!

Complete Summer Countdown List - To Date:
70. Golf - 103. First time out. Needs improvement.
69. Skinny Dipping - Least fun you can have with your clothes off? Or is that the 'r' word?
68. Watermelon - I prefer mine seedless.
67. Vacation - Preferably paid.
66. Road Trips -"Road trippin' with my two favourite allies..." (RCHP)
65. A Good Toss - Baseball, football, tennis Ball, no matter.
64. Nice Cars - Does NOT include the loud, muffler-less, souped up Civics that cruise Main St. on the regular.
63. Camp Fires - White Rabbits. White Rabbits. White Rabbits.
62. Hot Dogs Over the Open Flame - No bun required.
61. Smores - Whoever first stumbled upon this creation needs a statue. Kareem can wait.
60. Ice Cream - Does the bubble gum flavour still exist. Hands down, worst gum out there, but it's like a scavenger hunt and an ice cream cone - at the same time.
59. Slush Free Sidewalks - What's slush? Exactly.
58. Green - F! Time to mow the ever growing jungle of a lawn. Off the list!
57. Sports - Sounds like an ambiguous number filler to me!
56. Bridge Jumping - Am I yelling?
55. Cliff Jumping - Or am I screaming - like a girl?
54. Longer Days - "Holy Shit, it's already 9?! Fuck! I thought it was like 7!"
53. Sublime's 'Summertime' - "...and the livin's easy."
52. Cottaging - Now that's relaxing!
51. Cold Beer - Don't mind if I do. 
50. Reunions - For friends whose conversations don't begin with "So where are you at these days?".
49. Frisbee - The 'sport' of summer.
48. Bar-B-Q's - Everything just tastes a little better.
47. Summer Concerts - You can have U2, I'll take Arcade Fire.
46. Shorts and Tees - Strictly casual.
45. Summer Kicks - "Back on the scene, crispy and clean."
44. Patios - The Pumphouse have their patio up in what is essentially my backyard, I will be treating it as such.
*** NEW ***
43. Flip Flops - Let em' breathe. Most comfortable footwear since the days of Moses.
42. Windows Down - Cause everyone else secretly wants to hear your music too!
41. Boys of Summer - "Out on the road today i saw a dead head sticker on a Cadillac/ a voice inside my head said don't look back, you can never look back" (DH)
40. Air Conditioning -We all know the incredible feeling of escaping a scorcher. "Aaaahhh."
39. Sundresses - Personally speaking, it's the delicate quality to them that I like.
38. Water Balloons - "Water fight!!"
37. BIF Parties - Sanction! "A spill is not a spill..."
36. Pool Hopping - "Honey, I think someone's in our pool."v
35. Lobster - Great creature. Succulent dish.
34. Washer Toss - The 'pipe' jokes never get old.
33. Cold Beer - Of course! I'd love another.
32. Tenting - Nothing like playing a 6 person game of 'steamroller' in a 3 person tent.
31. Slip and Slide - See Ron.

30. Trampolines -  Surely I could go to the 'youtube well' for some kind of trampoline disaster. I won't.
29. Convertibles - "In the Ferrari or Jaguar, switchin four lanes/ With the top down screamin out, "money ain't a thang." (Jigga)
28. Animals' summer dispositions -  I'm no expert, but it would seem to me that animals would enjoy the summer. Seems natural. Am I right.
27. Bikinis - It wasn't going to not make the list.
26. Super Soaker 3000 - A remarkably safer version of the drive-by-shooting. Pump action.
25. Keg Parties - Nothing gets me going like a chick banging out a 20 second keg stand. Real talk.

I vow to eat every banana on the hand I buy next time. The reign of the brown banana is over. This has gone on for far too long.

Lebron the Villain

The NBA playoffs continue to roll on and as I write this I'm watching game 5 of the Bulls Heat and obviously I'm still whispering "go Bulls!", but I have to admit the Heat have been the better team so far. I hoped/wanted/longed for the Bulls to win this series, but my honest feeling was after the series with the Celts, the Heat were rolling.The Heat have become much more adept at closing out games than they were during the regular season. They aren't leaving it to the last shot but they've consistently dominated the final 2 minutes of games - as well as overtimes in the past 2 series'. James may have elevated his game to a new level in this series, just as far as dominating any part of the game he chooses - a leading 4th quarter scorer, a dynamic playmaker, a lock down drose on and island defender. Fingerprints everywhere. From what I can see Derrick Rose has met a wall in the Heat's perimeter defence and has fallen into Miami's scheme, which has him shooting a lot of perimeter jump shots. So far his field goal percentage and the Chicago offence has sputtered at times, as a result, the Bulls are looking plenty vulnerable right about now. Despite that, the games truly have been neck and neck throughout the series and I hope to see a couple more. To this point the Bulls, and namely Rose, have struggled in the 4th quarter, a trend the Bulls need to break if they don't want to look back upon 2011 as nothing more than, a learning experience. I have hope for tonight but winning game 6 in Miami will be a tall task. Alas, one game at a time. Go Bulls.





I started out trying to make some kind of Will Smith/ Wild Wild West/Sarcastically Tame joke about the Western Conference Final and now you can try. Hope you make out better than I did. Dirk is having one of the finest runs of his career proving his legacy as one of this generation's most uniquely special scorer's. The man can flat out score and he does it all so effortlessly and efficiently. An interesting juxtaposition from the styles of Lebron, Wade and DRose - fellow remaining megastars. People are being a tad harsh with Durant and Westbrook regarding the OKC "implosion" in the West Final. IMO, yeah, Durant could have made a few more shots and, yeah, Westbrook could have included his teammates more but I think the reality is that Dallas was the better team in this series. Granted, I had heard the "fat lady" doing her sound check with about 5 minutes left in Game 4 and with OKC up 15 at home I headed to bed, meaning I didn't see there epic meltdown firsthand, but from the highlights it looked like more of a storming back by a Dirk led Mavs squad.  Still, KD, 15? That said, Dallas is deep, talented and was at the top of bracket all season long. They have vets who have been there before in the Dallas 06 squad, and Kidd with the Nets in the early 00's. More telling is that they seem to have found some kind of playoff mojo. They're Dirk and his mighty men. A band of assassins who can all fill it up from the outside at anytime - making it very difficult to double down on Dirk. If there is such thing as the 'spirit' of a team, they seem to have it. Maybe the question will be - can the Mav's 'spirit' match the Heat's 'swagger'? Dammit. Go Bulls.


New Top 20 Tomorrow - As in the next time I write. Probably Saturday. Maybe Never. Tomorrow.
P.

Conference Finals Predictions, Anti-Blockbusters of the Summer, and Hip Hop Top 20

RIP

My week long grind is over and I've caught hold of my breathe just long enough to pump this blog out for the masses. A week full of a teaching, a weekend of serving and I'm feeling just about ready for a little break, no rest for the weary just yet though, four more teaching days, then I'm off to the Island for a much deserved 4-day-weekend-steam-blow-off-bonanza. Should be a grand time - Islanders see you soon. I should note I've been saving up my tips, so get ready. Today it's back to the basics, -we're gonna break down the conference playoff finales in the East and West, discuss some 'under the radar' films worth watching this summer, and we'll break out another weekly hip hop top 20 countdown, per usual. As for the summer countdown, I'll do up another entry devoted solely to that so we can play a little catch up. Rest assured, summer is still on it's way. Otherwise, why is it raining so GD much?! On y va! Allons-y! 

Playoff Crystal Ball

The NBA playoffs have been a treat so far, with numerous close games and excited/surprising developments. One thing that always stand out is players who raise their level of play and solidify their names among the NBA's elite, this seasons playoffs that player was Zach Randolph. But the Thunder outlasted the Grizz and the Thunder looked the best they had all series in Sunday's clincher. If Westbrook picks his spots and plays under control the Thunder look tough to beat, why do I feel that's a big if. But you gotta wonder is JKidd gonna try and stay in front of him?  Another exciting development has been how much this season represents a real changing of the guard as old play off stand bys, Lakers, Spurs and Celtics (8 championships in the last decade.) have all experienced an early departure from the big dance. While up and comers, the Bulls and Thunder, have already made a name for themselves. Dallas, a team that has been chilling for so long we can't remember how dominant they were in dismantling the 3 time champion Lakers. Fair or foul, the Maverick's are going to have to deal with the questions about their mental pysche  from here on out. I hope Dirk was only getting started when he torched the Lakers and we're treated to an all time performance from one of the league's finest pure scorers - big, small, whatever - ever. And then there's the Heat, who despite Sunday's letdown, look at times like the playoffs most dynamic team - whether it be in the half court at either end, or in end to end transition with their two unstoppable finishers in DWade and LBJ.  So, who wins?

Eastern Conference
Miami Heat over Chicago Bulls in 7 (4-3)
The Skinny - This one hurts because I want the Bulls to win, I bought a $20 proline and bet on the Bulls in the series. But that's because I bet with my heart, I know it's not good policy but I'm gonna be watching the games and I want to root for the Bulls for 7 seven games so it's worth it, and who knows maybe the Bulls will fuck around and win. I felt the Heat choked the Celtics out without much difficulty and I expect their half court defence will do that same thing to the Bulls at times in this series. The Heat need to attack on the catch, not rely so much on the isolation - the Bulls defence is stellar and designed to funnel defenders into the superior Bull's bigs. However, the fact remains, the Bulls are still very much a one man show. If, and its a very big if, the Heat can scheme up something to contain Rose, the Bulls can be beat in a long series. I hope the Bulls win and I hope DRose is the best player in the series, but I've got a bad feeling the Heat are for real.
X Factor - Carlos Boozer - DRose needs him to do some heavy lifting, he needs to outplay Bosh, significantly.

Western Conference
Dallas Mavericks over Oklahoma City Thunder in 6 (4-2)
The Skinny - It's honestly been quite a while since I last saw Dallas play, so long in fact, that I think we can discount the idea that they're riding any kind of wave of momentum at this time. Hard to imagine that sweeping the Lakers would be a bad thing, and I'd be overdoing it to suggest that it was. But it's hard not to think that the 9 day layoff won't result in some kind of rust heading into game 1. Whereas, the Thunder come in fresh off their best game of the playoffs and solid rhythm to their game, something they've struggled to find to this point with Russell the playmaker vs. Russell the scorer. Durant needs to get touches, if I'm Coach Brooks, I'm stressing that hard. This will be a series of match-ups and I think they may favour the Thunder, JKidd likely will try and keep up with Westbrook at times, but I think Stevenson will see him as well. Durant will likely draw Marion's attention, I don't expect Nowitzki to cover him to much but we'll see. Dirk provides his own formidable challenge on the other end  of the floor. The Thunder don't seem to have a fix for Dirk either so I expect some numbers from the big Germ. I think Game 1 is pivotal tonight, the Mavs can't afford to drop home court avantage because they're rusty coming into this one. I don't think they will. 
X Factor - If Westbrook shares, everyone on the Thunder gets more.

Okay, so two weeks back I gave my summer blockbuster preview with the release of Fast Five and Thor. I'm still yet to see Fast Five, but I have heard good things and an imdb rating of 7.7 suggests it has a high quality level of entertainment value at least. But if you're anything like me, you look at your movie collection, specifically at those that you consider to be your favourites, and very few fit the typical blockbuster mould - maybe they lacked the Xplosive budget, were actually concerned with getting the story right or were too gritty to get a PG14 rating the producers covet to up the numbers. Whatever the case, the point is that great movies need not be blockbusters, in fact, often times they're not. Here's a look at a couple of this summers top anti-blockbuster films that I'm most looking forward to. I mentioned Hesher and Everything Must Go last week so don't think I'm counting those out. Here's 3 more to watch for.

Our Idiot Brother: A Sundance invitee, Our Idiot Brother may well follow a fairly predictable indie film formula. But if you're shooting for indie cult success Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks, Emily Mortimer, and Zooey Deschanel are the kind of names you like to have in your credit roll. This movie might not be all that challenging but hopefully it's some indie fun in the vein of Little Miss Sunshine, Adventureland or something of that sort. 






The Guard: Looks to be a very entertaining movie. Don Cheadle is a go to actor of mine. Directed by John Michael McDonagh, the brother of Martin McDonagh (In Bruges), J.M. takes a similar approach reaching out to Brendan Gleeson as well to play in his film here. Let's hope that The Guard shares the sense of humour that we got from In Bruges last time around, if so, expect some sharp hitting dialogue and a thrilling crime comedy. Brendan Gleeson’s deadpan dry wit played very well with Colin Farrell in the younger brother's film it will be interesting to see if he and Don Cheadle can create the same kind of magic this time around..



The Tree of Life: Terrence Malick is know for his cinematic poetry, whatever that is. I know he did Thin Red Line and The New World, neither of which move my johnson. They say you either love his work or are bored stiff, the cast alone is enough to get me excited about this one (Brad Pitt, Sean Penn, Jessica Chastain)and the last time a movie was known for it's cinematography and was heralded as a challenged to the viewer I was watching There Will Be Blood, an it was a challenge I was happy to experience. A mysterious film, the details of what The Tree of Life is all about remain relatively cloak and dagger, but it's stirring up enough intrigue and seems to have the pedigree to make some noise this summer. Feel free to comment below if you can decipher what is going on in this trailer.

It's getting late I'll do an edit tomorrow and add in my top 20 countdown. Until then shout out MC. This one goes out to you.  P. for now.

****Back at it here Wednesday night, watching the Bulls v. Heat game gonna drop the top 20 of the week. Deng just buried an "at the buzzer!" half court heave, after Lebron only showed token pressure. Just sayin. Anyhow Bulls don't look good but they still look hungrier than the Heat and continue to dominate the glass (9 offensive rebounds in the first 6 minutes!) starting to look more like a personnel issues and less like an energy issue. Just sayin. All good things if you're a Bulls fan, and usually I'm not, but I'm certainly rooting for them against the old boys club down in South Beach. Go Bulls. Enjoy the game.

11. 20. Makin' Dough - Obie Trice
n/a 19. That's Life 2 - Killer Mike
n/a 18. See It To Believe It - J Cole
20. 17. Ballin'- Young Jeezy Ft. Lil Wayne
n/a 16. I'm On One - Drake, Rick Ross, Lil' Wayne
n/a 15. M I Crooked Letter - Rossini Ft. Big K.R.I.T. *Top Debut*

 
15. 14. Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
17. 13. Disgusting - J. Cole
14. 12. Wake Up - Wiz Khalifa
18. 11. Fast Lane - Eminem and Royce 5'9" *Top Gainer*
05. 10. 6'7" - Lil Wayne Ft. Cory Gunz
12. 09. On My Level - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Too Short
10. 08. Eraser - Kid Cudi

04. 07. All Of The Lights - Kanye West
07. 06. Capcom - Kid Cudi
08. 05. All Black Everything - Lupe Fiasco
06. 04. American Rapstar - Big K.R.I.T.
03. 03. Red Nation - The Game Ft. Lil Wayne 
02. 02. Roll Up - Wiz Khalifa
01. 01. Dreamin' - Big K.R.I.T

Hump day. It's all downhill from here + long weekend. Peace all.

Grind Week, Blink 182, Miscellaneous "Crap"

What up world! Happy Monday (now Tuesday) to everyone out there getting started on their weekday work grind! Another week of teaching physical education at the local high school  for this guy. This is grind week, 5 teaching days followed by 2 serving shifts. Then I'm off for a couple weekends and a shit-tonne of good times, but for now - I'm grindin'. Let's go!

This tune comes to us all the way from Korea, not really, but DBudd sent it my way from Korea so we'll say that. Despite the fact that the White Stripes have called it a career, Jack White is still a workaholic, channelling his creative juices into great music. Throw in DJ Danger Mouse, of Gnarls Barkley and the Grey Album fame, and you've got a couple individuals dedicated to making great sounds. Check out their collabo here, it comes off of DJ Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi's new album, "Rome", due out next Tuesday.

Ding Dong! The witch is dead! The wicked witch.... no, I'm not getting my munchkin on - but I will share my delight in seeing the wicked witch of the NBA West, the Los Angeles Lakers, get pumped and promptly sent home for their summer vacays on Sunday. Dallas looks pretty good and they'll get loads of rest as the other three series' look like they're set to go the distance. One thing we've discovered, a bit earlier than anticipated, is we do know that there will be a new NBA Champion in 2011. One thing we already knew, but reaffirmed, is that Jason Terry will make his open jumpers. Right P-Jax. Happy Trails.

I'm gonna switch it up for this blog, get off my usual hip hop tip, and take a look at another genre and specifically another band as I use Blink 182 to kick-start this week's discussion. Also, I'll keep the summer countdown going as it's not getting any further away, and we'll get a rundown of all information pertinent to the week starting the 9th of May, 2011 - that means album and film releases and other 'can't miss' crap.

*Emo Warning set to Amber*
Summer of 1999, I had just cleared a place on my wall for my newly minted middle school diploma. I was preparing for the big leagues of high school, fast buses and loose women, I had a new sound in my ear. I'll admit I wasn't there for their 'old-sound' of  Buddha or Cheshire Cat. I can't even say it was Dude Ranch, arguably their finest album, that put me on Blink. I think I speak for many, when  I say, it was "What's My Age Again?" in the summer of 1999 followed by  "Adam's Song"  and "All the Small Things" that started my love for the music of Blink 182. Blink exploded on the scene in 1999 with their mock boy band parody music vids and their toilet humoured energy - a perfect escape for 9th graders everywhere. While their music steadily crept closer to the mainstream middle re: "pop", over the years, achieving greater polish - sparked by cleaner riff-driven melodies.However, it was their early work, most notably Dude Ranch, that has resonated with me through the years. Maybe I'm just refusing to grow up but I find the subject matter still strikes a chord, pun pardoned. And then sometimes, you just can't go back. While they recently have reunited for tours after a couple years hiatus, the group has moved in different directions - with each member embarking on a multitude of other side projects. Maybe it was just the right place and right time for what I felt was the right sound, they may never rekindle then magic they found at the turn of the new millennium. So without further ado, Blink 182, top 25 songs, as voted by me. This one goes out to the fellas who were in Aussie with me. I know we never banged out a definitive top 25 list, but we definitely have had this discussion at length, possibly over a game of drinking jenga! Enjoy.

Blink's Best (My Opinion)
25. What's My Age Again - "...the state looks down on sodomy"
24. Anthem - "I time bomb"
23. Enthused  - "I swear, I'll act enthused"
22. Easy Target - "Southern California's breeding mommy's little monster"
21. Dysentery Gary - "Fuck the guy tho took her and ran away"
20. Boring - "Boring, alright."
19. Please Take Me Home - "Oh no it happened again, she's cool, she's hot, she's my friend."
18. Dumpweed - "She's a dove, she's a fuckin' nightmare."
17. The Party Song - "She wasn't wearing underwear, at least I prayed..."
16. Pathetic - "I think it's disgusting, believing and trusting."
15. Dick Lips - "I know I've seen you trashed, at least one time."
14. Aliens Exist - "I'm not like you guys."
13. Voyeur - "The lonely guy I am, I wait for her to change."
12. Don't Leave Me - "Let's try this one more time with feeling."
11. Untitled - "It's not a change of taste, I was the one there last night."
10. Anthem Part 2 - "Young and hostile, but not stupid."
09. Man Overboard - "Time keeps moving on and on and on..."
08. Stay Together for the Kids - "If a stupid poem could fix this home, I'd read it everyday."
07. Stockholm Syndrome - "An empty heart. (replaced with paranoia.)"
06. Give Me One Good Reason - "Give me one good reason, why we need to be like them."
05. Going Away To College - "Why does it feel the same to fall in love or break it off?"
04. Mutt - "He pauses shaving and tells himself that he is the bomb."
03. Lemmings - "I wanted everything, I got it,  and now I'm gonna throw it away, I'll throw it away yeah ."
02. Dammit - "Well I guess this is growing up."
01. Apple Shampoo - "...but some good things must end"

Rain isn't snow, and with that the in mind - the summer countdown continues.

Pool Party? Not exactly.

44. Patios - This morning I went out my back door to see about a half dozen wooden table tops and benches strewn about Orange Lane, the Pump House is putting its summer patio together. This quickly reminded me how much important a part of summer patios are. A patio changes the game, makes eating in the summer a much more all encompassing affair (a drinking affair). What's better than a warm breeze on the patio while enjoying a nice cool cocktail. After hours a patio can be a cool getaway from a packed dance floor - summer is all about the patio.
43. Summer Bars - This one kind of ties into the last, a lot of exclusively summer bars are reliant on their laidback patio friendly atmosphere. Throw in the novelty that they are only open a few months of the year and their appeal heads skyward. When I think summer bars, I think of PEI and how much fun that place is during the summer months. Isn't it so much better to go to the bar in what you want to wear and not have to worry about checking your jacket, mittens, scarf, ear muffs, tuque, boots, long johns, thermal underwear, you get the point.
42. Pool Parties - It is no secret that the kid who has the pool is the coolest kid all summer long, one caveat being - have pool - must throw party.
41. Jet Skies -  I'll let Daniel Tosh share with you what he thinks of Jet Skies, know that I second that emotion.

What's new and exciting for this week? Well not a whole lot is the answer, but there is still NHL and NBA Playoffs going on to keep your sporting appetite under wraps. As far as new CD's some good Canadian content out there as both Sam Roberts and Sloan drop new albums this week. Two bands I have seen live and have enjoyed at different points in my life. For me, the music edge goes to Sam Roberts on this one. His live concert in the rain and mud over 5 or 6 years ago for the Festival of Lights in Charlottetown was one of the best shows I've been to in my life so he -hands down - takes that one. As far as films go, some funny ladies do their best "hangover" impression in "Bridesmaids" and so far reviews are quite good. It is possible that this female driven comedy could match the hilarity of the Hangover? Seriously, I'm asking, "is that possible?" What's more, there's a set of indie flicks set to open - "Everything Must Go" and "Hesher"  both come out this week. I'll be doing a "we're not 'blockbusters', we're just the best movies of the summer" report here real soon, both of these films will be in that mix. For now just check out the trailers. Have a great week all! P.

 

P.S. Shout out to Denmark. I donno who is in Denmark reading this blog, but the audience statistics suggest I have a following in Denmark, and for that I say ,"dank je wel"!

Blockbuster Season, Osama Passes, Countdowns!

Professional development day - aka, a supply teachers long weekend. I still work tonight at the City Grill, but it's another short week for students around New Brunswick, I donno if you remember it being like this when you were in school, but there is something like only 2 weeks, in which the students have 5 school days in the week, over the course of the final 7 weeks. I know that sounded like some kind of algebra problem but this blog is a product of this professional development day because I've been a bit too busy otherwise. I know it's been some time since my last post, but it has been a rather busy last week. For example, yesterday I taught during the day, coached track and field after school til 5:30, went home - had a peanut butter sandwich and put my feet up  for a half hour. Catch my breathe, and I'm heading back to the school for 7 to open the gym for the high school boys basketball team which wrapped up at 9.  A long day, and I didn't feel much like writing when I came to the end of it. Also I've been in teaching Phys Ed all week, an though I greatly enjoy it and it's great to be working, it doesn't leave any down town for writing or formulating ideas like some other courses I've covered in recent weeks. I'm busy teaching the kicks the soulja boi dance and evaluating their 'boot scootin' boogies' - Ha, I know.

Anyway 'nuff excuses, much has happened in the past week, we had the Canadians de Mont Royale meet their demise, the once seemingly invincible San Antonio Spurs also saw their season end- does that mean the end of their 'dynasty' as well? Tim Duncan didn't look like his old self getting outmatched by Gasol in the first round, and no not Pau, it was Marc making Duncan look aged in the first round. Will the Celtics and Lakers be the latest to see their seasons fade? Some of this feels so old, it's irrelevant - in our information age, in which we're fed new interesting stories by the hour, each day. This was a big one from this past week. This video is nice.

Yep, Osama Bin Laden was killed this past week, too somewhat disturbing hysteria. However, I will say I think we always knew if the Americans ever caught Bin Laden, his punishment, was assuredly death. I just like the comedy in that video, ha the Hip Hop Obama. There are some beauty one-liners.

Happy Belated Cinco De Mayo  to you all, we're in a new month and usually May marks the beginning of the summer blockbuster season. This year the champagne was popped prematurely with  the opening of Fast Five coming out this past weekend - breaking records for an opening weekend in April. So with that jumping off I think it's time to take a look at the summer blockbusters that will follow it in the coming dog days of summer. I missed last weeks hip hop's most wanted countdown, so i'll be getting back to that. Also the summer countdown continues - this time it feels a little more appropriate with all the good weather we've had this week, though it seems some showers are rolling in, just in time for the weekend. So we've got a little wrap up, some tunes, some movies and, another smorgasbord of reasons why summer cannot come early enough! Let's get at it.


I started to write about this summers blockbuster movies and I was looking for clips when I stumbled upon this summer movie trailer. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so I'll humbly allow this video to do the talking on what films to look forward to for this coming summer season.

Some pretty epic looking films in there - X-Men: First Class, Captain America, the new Harry Potter. A few dud looking ones, Pirates of the Carribean: On Stranger Tides, Green Lantern, Transformers: Dark Side of the Moon (IMHO). And a few that I'm not real sure on, but I'm intrigued enough that I'll want to go and find out - Cowboys and Aliens, The Hangover Pt. 2, Super 8. I went to see Thor, I thought it was pretty good, I liked the depths they writers took to explore the science fiction side of  story, I don't want to say too much because I  know many will want to see it. I give it a 7/10. As for the other big blockbuster out there Struan has already seen Fast 5, and he recommended me seeing it, saying it was wild. That leaves me feeling that if you go in there expecting a non-stop action adventure from Fast 5 ,than your expectations will be fulfilled and then some. I'll probably see that at some point, I'm not the biggest fan of the full throttle action adventure genre, but I do admit they are the best to see in the theatre atmosphere. Whereas, I might prefer an extended 3 hour drama from the comfort of my own home, just sayin. What I find surprising is that I am kind of looking forward to seeing the new Harry Potter- yet I have never seen or read any of the series to this point - maybe a marathon is in order. But yeah if I were to rank my top 3 picks for movies I'm most looking forward to seeing, it would have to be. 1)  Hangover Pt.2 - I donno if it will be as funny as the first but I'm expected a lot of the same and I'll be quite happy if that's what I get. 2) Cowboys and Aliens - The western sci-fi genre has exactly been an easy genre to pin down with top quality films, that said I'm waiting with bated breathe to see what comes of this film. And lastly my 3rd selection would have to be X-Men: First Class. The previews look promising and I though the premise behind the film to be a story line worth checking out, and the X-Men films have yielded pretty solid results in the past.   

We'll keep the summer countdown running - I feel like I have about a dozen days to make up. But that's a good thing - times flying, summer we'll be here before we know it.

Here goes ten more reasons to love summer, numbers fifty four through forty five.
54. Longer Days - While I can't say that the our summers intensity or length can compete with that of the summer I experienced while in Australia, I will say that I came to greatly appreciate the hours of sun that we enjoy after dinner. Despite being summer, the sun would set between 6:30 and 7:30 most every night that I can remember, while I was down under. I love that there is enough time to push for 18 holes at the peak of our summer. Some of those sunny evenings find just the right temperature and carry their light til near 9:30 making for great east-coast summer nights.
53. This song.

52. Cottaging - It's getting to that time of year when people get out to
their cottage and take down the boards off the windows, make the necessary repairs the harsh winter has dealt, clean out the cobwebs and prepare themselves a summer retreat away from the noise pollution of the city suburbs. Cottages often make for some of the summers best house party locations, often hidden away, these make for the best party moments of the summer.
51. Cold Beers - Nothing beats and ice cold beer after a good sweat on a warm summers day. Nothing.
50. Reunions - Summer often marks the return of students from university to see friends and family they've been away from. Often weddings are held in the summer and provide a great opportunity to bring people together. Here's to summer occasions that bring us closer together with those that we've spent time apart from!

49. Frisbee - You need warm hands and good weather to play Frisbee, therefore it is a summer sport where we're from. The great thing about Frisbee is that its never the person who throws the Frisbee that has to go over and retrieve the Frisbee after it was come clamouring unexpectedly in on an elderly set of sunbathers or too close to the nesting area of an overprotective mother of what seems like 8 children. You can 'go fishing' with your frisbee tosses, I prefer to to see an  awkward, "I'm so sorry, we were just tossing..." with mine.
48. Bar-B-Q's - The summer BBQ season is well under way and it adds a whole new element to my versatility as an amateur chef. Whether it's steaks, kebabs, or scalloped potatoes a BBQ is a great way to kick your feet up. enjoy a cold beer, and have some great eats.  
47. Summer Concerts - The summer concert series traditionally begins with Coachella in April, and this year was no different, Kanye West, Arcade Fire and Kings of Leon headlined a show that had a line up that likely won't be topped. That said,  Arcade Fire will be coming to Moncton as part of the U2 show later this summer.
46. Shorts and Tees - The most comfortable outfit going.
45. Summer Kicks - There is nothing worse than getting your sneakers out too soon. The slush and winter grime will ruin even the nicest pair of crisp summer kicks. The slush is gone, the rains have cleaned up the sidewalks, even the grass around is drying up - it's time to get the summer sneaks out.

And lastly I wanted to get back to my Hip Hop's Most Wanted Top 20 List, which I had let slide for a week.

LW TW Track Artist
n/a 20. Ballin - Young Jeezy Ft. Lil Wayne
n/a 19. F5: Furiously Dangerous - Ludacris Ft. Slaughterhouse
n/a 18. Fast Lane - Eminem and Royce 5'9" (Can't help but think Nate Dogg should be on this hook. RIP.)
n/a 17. Disgusting - J. Cole
17. 16. My Last - Big Sean Ft. Chris Brown
19. 15. Show Goes On - Lupe Fiasco
16. 14. Wake Up - Wiz Khalifa
10. 13. Phone Numbers - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Trae The Truth and Big Sean
15. 12. On My Level - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Too Short
08. 11. Makin' Dough - Obie Trice
12. 10. Eraser - Kid Cudi
06. 09. Black and Yellow (Remix) - Wiz Khalifa Ft. Snoop Dogg, Juicy J, T-Pain
11. 08. All Black Everything - Lupe Fiasco
07. 07. Capcom - Kid Cudi
09. 06. American Rapstar - Big K.R.I.T.
05. 05. 6'7" - Lil Wayne Ft. Cory Gunz
03. 04. All Of The Lights - Kanye West
01. 03. Red Nation - The Game Ft. Lil Wayne 
04. 02. Roll Up - Wiz Khalifa
02. 01. Dreamin' - Big K.R.I.T

That's it for this week. Quick shout out to all the wonderful mothers out there as this weekend mark the passing of Mother's Day.

                                                      I love you Tricia Diane Budd!