This year the big event was the Beast Wars 10th anniversary celebration. I thought it would be nice to take my son, the budding Transformers fan (my fault), to check it all out. There was a panel where some of the voice actors on the show were present. It was fun to see his eyes light up as we walked in to the room. Gary Chalk was speaking, he looked at me excitedly and said "Dad, that's Optimus Prime!" (Mr. Chalk has a very distinct voice and voiced Optimus Primal in the Beast Wars series. He has voiced Optimus Prime in almost all the other recent series. Even though I'm an old school Transformer fan, he is THE voice of Optimus as far as I'm concerned.) Also on the panel were the legendary Scott McNeil (Rattrap, Dinobot, and many more), and Alec Willows, voice actor for my personal favorite Beast Wars character, Tarantulas (I'm a sucker for evil, back stabbing, power-hungry, mutinous second in commands.)

They had some great stories about the work they have done over the years and each one was very entertaining. They ad-libbed a "scene" where Optimus Primal, Rattrap, Dinobot, and Tarantulas were in a fast food drive-thru. My son was laughing about that for days. Afterwards, they took time to sign autographs and speak with fans, and signed my son's copy of the Beast Wars Season One DVD and a poster he won as a door prize (hand delivered to him by Mr. Gary Chalk himself). The three of them could not have been nicer and more obliging for fans.

To Mr. Chalk, Mr. McNeil, and Mr. Willows, if you ever (by the rarest of chances) come across this. Thank you from one grumpy old cuss. You made my son (he was the very shy six-year old that couldn't do much but nod and grin) very happy, and that's pretty good in my book. I hope you guys will be back for Mechacon 3.0! (Scott, I've got to get your autograph on my Gundam Wing Operation 2 DVD. "The God of Death has come back from hell!")

I have to confess, though. Even going into the fourth quarter, even after the blocked punt, the blocked field goal, the reverse (which the announcer kept erroneously calling a "double reverse"), even as the Saints carried a sizeable lead into the final 15 minutes, I didn't have faith they were going to pull it off. I was just waiting for the dam to break.

As a lifelong Louisiana resident (With the exception of a few years in Texas that I don't like to talk about. Everything's bigger in Texas, alright, especially the assholes.) I'm also a lifelong Saints "fan." Not a fan in the conventional sense. I don't paint my face in Black and Gold, or get all pumped for game day (I do that for the Broncos.) You see Saints fans want their team to win, it would be nice, but we never EXPECT them to. The Saints, by and large, have set the standard for futility in the NFL (Sorry Bengals and Bucs fans.) It took them 20 years to get their first winning record. They've gone through 14 head coaches in their 40 year history. You can count on one hand the number of times they've been to the playoffs. You can count on one FINGER the number of playoff games they've won. Players they have had on the team usually end up going off to bigger and better things on other teams (Jake Delhomme, Super Bowl quarterback, never got about #2 on the Saints depth chart.) I'm not one to believe in curses and luck, but if such things exist, the Saints have cornered the market on them. The ball NEVER bounces their way. EVER. The Saints usually deal it out in the first half, only to have it revisited upon them three-fold in the second. My dad used to call on Sundays "Are you watching the game? They're doing pretty good, huh?" "Just wait," I would reply, "it isn't the second half, yet." The second half always came. My dad doesn't call me on Sundays anymore. I pity every coach that has prowled the sidelines of the Superdome as their head coach, I have worn the paper bag, I reply "Everybody" when I hear "Who Dat," they are the Ain'ts. But they are OUR Ain'ts.

Last night was our Super Bowl. It was magic. It felt like a preseason game because that kind of stuff just doesn't happen for us during the regular season. They could do no wrong (except for Mike McKenzie, who is an overpaid, underachieving bum if you ask me.) For one time in their history, their QB, RBs, receivers, O-Line, and defense all looked competent. In the same game! It was almost dreamlike as they held a 23-3 lead in the closing minutes. Even the Superdome itself, from exterior shots, looked like a special place instead of its usual hum drum appearance. For a while, I forgot about our inept governor and that asshole Tom Benson (who is ready to move the Saints out of N.O.) I was able to float back to my childhood when I was cheering for Bobby Hebert (A-bear!) and Reuben Mayes and Ironhead. I could go back and BELIEVE in a team I've not believed in in 20 years.

It was great.

However, what the hell was ESPN doing with their coverage? Spike Fucking Lee? Rebuilding New Orleans? And the guys during the post-game? "This is a metaphor for the whole city of New Orleans." It was a fucking football game! Today, people from New Orleans are going to wake up without their homes or jobs. People in Houston are going to wake up to rampant crime committed by Katrina's refuse. People in Lake Charles are going to wake up and wonder why no one gives a shit about them and everyone cares about those people in New Orleans who wouldn't even take care of themselves. People huddled in the Dome, all the condemned houses, that belongs on a news report, not during a football game.

I had to laugh becuase there was a news report on earlier about how this whole spinach deal was affecting people. The report was from a market in California somewhere. They were all real disappointed. One guy said, "I guess I'm going to have to change my dietary habits. There ARE other vegetables out there..." like he was choosing his retirement plan or something. NEWSFLASH: It's fucking spinach!

Pope Apologizes
So the Pope apologized to Muslims for quoting some dude from ancient times. The quote was (and, remember, this was not the pope's opinion, this was the pope quoting some Byzantine emperor from 500 years ago)):

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached."

I'll say it. Muslims, you ARE "evil and inhuman." You're also all insane. ALL of you. Because if you are not the ones causing all the mayhem, you are doing NOTHING to purge your religion of these lunatics. You are standing idly by, and your complacency speaks volumes. Rosie O'Donnell be damned, but you don't have to worry about radical Christians the way you have to worry about radical Muslims.

*ahem* FUCK YOU GEORGE LUCAS!
You vile, swollen, bloated, greedy peice of slime. No, I'm not talking to Jabba the Hut, I'm talking to the man in charge of LucasFilm. The man who brought to screen one of the greatest adventure stories of our time, then proceded to bilk the public that fell in love with that story for every fucking cent he could.

So, George Lucas, after stating that the Original (i.e, 'inferior,' in your opinion, non-special ed. version) Trilogy would never see the light of day as a DVD, you've changed your mind and decided to release the Original (i.e. 'superior,' in MY opinion, non-special ed. version) Trilogy on DVD. Sounds great, huh? No, because:

1) The films are only available individually, not in a boxed set.
2) The original film comes bundled in a two disc set with the 2004 version of the films, which I'VE ALREADY FUCKING BOUGHT!

So, let me get this straight, if I want the ORIGINAL version of the film...the TRUE version that fans everywhere have wanted since 1977 ...the version I wanted when I bought that lackluster DVD set two years ago (I pre-ordered the damn thing for fuck's sake, three months early)...I have to buy a version of the film I already have? Why don't you just go ahead and bend me over and make me buy the Original VHS, the THX remastered VHS, and the Special Ed. VHS while you're at it, fucker? I've bought those, too. You're screwing me is all you're doing.

Yes, this is partially my fault, I could have not supported Lucas' and his Empire. I could have NOT bought all those video games and action figures and movie trilogies. I could have NOT gone to see every one of the special ed. movies on opening day. I could have NOT gone to see every fucking film at least twice. But I did. And now, after I've probably spent more money on you and your Evil Empire than I've spent on my wife, even, you're going to screw me like this. This is complete bullcrap.

Yes I am going to cave and by Episode IV: A New Hope. Why? Well, because:
1) Han shoots first, dammit. Han was a ruthless scoundrel, not some prissy "shoot only after being fired upon" UN soldier.
2) Because Han doesn't have time to fuck around with some fake Jabba imposter that looks like he should be on a Sci-Fi channel movie at 3 am and tell him everything he just told Greedo before burning a hole in the poor bounty hunter's chest.
3) Because we all know that Boba Fett is not some loser that hangs around with Jabba for six fucking years (Star Wars to Return of the Jedi).
4) Because Mos Eisley is a sleepy little ghost town in the desert, not some bustling metropolis. And we'd never heard of Dash Rendar, much less cared that he was seen taking off from Mos Eisley.
5) Because there were only, like, a dozen X- and Y-Wings that attacked the Death Star, not a full squadron. I didn't hear no calls from "Red 28," Red 10 was as high as it got. The rebels are poor, dammit.
6) Because the Death Star didn't have some trendy shockwave-in-space when it blew up. it just popped like a baloon.
7) Because I want my lightsabers rotoscoped and my plastic TIE fighters hanging from wires, not substituted by some flashy CG.

But I'm not re-re-re-buying Empire (because I like the re-inclusion of the Wampa and the wide open corridors of Cloud City.) And I'm certainly not re-re-re-buying Jedi. Even though I can't stand "Jedi Rocks" and I prefer "Yub Nub" over that stupid ending you've got now, I don't like Jedi because of the frickin' Ewoks and I never watch it anyway. And unless you give me what I want (a collection of the Original Trilogy on DVD. In a boxed set, or even a single disc sans extras because I don't need fancy schmancy menus or to hear your inane commentary) I am never buying another peice of Star Wars merchandise again. Well, except for Clone Trooper action figures because they are sweet. And Star Wars Battle Front II. Oh, and LEGO Star Wars II, because my son likes that game. But that's it, you greedy bastard.

Of course, this was five years ago and I've already forgotten some of the minutia of the day...exactly what time it was, what news coverage I watched, when I talked to my wife. But I can reconstruct my day fairly well.

My wife and I had just moved to a new city. She got a job teaching and had started school already. I had just gotten a job as a bank teller, but I wasn't to start training until the next Monday. I had just dropped my son off at daycare (we were bringing him for half days to help ease him in to being there for full days) and was driving back home, maybe a mile and a half from the daycare. I had turned on the radio and as they came out of a break, they recapped that they were talking about an airplane that hit the WTC. They were guessing that this had been pilot error. Being a licensed commercial pilot, I couldn't imagine that there was any sort of air route going near those buildings, nor could I believe that the pilot was mistakenly routed into the building by Air Traffic Control. "Something's very wrong," I said to myself.

I turned on the TV as soon as I got home. I think I put it on CNN, I didn't like the way FOX News cluttered up their screen with graphics and scrolling headlines. I watched the coverage for about 10 minutes, all the pictures were of the burning North Tower. I distinctly remember watching as during the live feed, an aircraft comes into picture and hits the South Tower. The talking head on the TV, obviously confused, asked "Are we watching a replay of the crash?" "There's no way," I think to myself, "Someone would have had to have been taping the WTC for some reason as the plane was coming in. Besides, the other tower's already burning." All of a sudden it hits the news anchor and me at the same time, we are under some sort of attack. This is fucking serious.

I'm scared shitless. What's going on? Do I need to go get my son from daycare? Should I go get my wife out of school? Are they going to evacuate schools? Of course, I immediately dismiss this as irrational. The WTC and New York City are under attack, no one's going to come attack a daycare or an elementary school in Roosterpoot, Louisiana. The third plane hit the Pentagon, I went to get my son from daycare.

The rest of the day was a blur. I remember hearing about a plane crashing in Pennsylvania. At first, this was just one of many reports of aircraft off course or being escorted or being shot down. I'm having visions of airplanes just falling from the skies. When my wife came home later that day (I think they did eventually end up sending kids home early, but by that time most of them were already gone. My wife had to stay until all of her kids were gone, I hated that.) She remembers that one of her students came and told her that they had crashed a plane into the WTC, and she dismissed him with a "Yeah, right. Get back to your desk." I talked to her once on the phone, but I told her not to call again unless it was an emergency to keep the phone lines open...just in case.

I don't want to try and write some fancy or clever closing. Those are my memories from the day, and I'll just leave it at that.

For the longest time, I thought I was a fan of science fiction movies as well. But as I sit here and reflect upon the subject, the vast majority of movies we think of as "science fiction" aren't really SCIENCE FICTION at all. Take for example, some of the most successful "science fiction" movies. Star Wars, for example. While Star Wars does have a sci-fi SETTING, it doesn't actually deal with science fiction. You could apply the story itself to almost any setting; fuedal Japan, medieval Europe, post-apocalyptic America, and the story would still work. How about Independence Day? While the movie was entertaining (until the computer virus part), it was only a disaster movie, and there was certainly no "science" involved (The aforementioned virus.) Alien and Signs (two of my favorites) are simply monster movies. No, I believe that if the story can be transposed to another setting (like with Star Wars) the movie isn't really a true science fiction movie.

To better illustrate my thoughts, some of the movies I feel are good examples of science fiction films are movies like; 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Andromeda Strain, Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report (the previous three are, incidentally, based on books by Philip K. Dick), The Matrix, Donnie Darko, Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

What I want to know is, what has happened to science fiction in cinema? Are films like Blade Runner and 2001 filmic rarities? Considering Hollywood can churn out at least one Adam Sandler or Will Farrell movie a year, and are not afraid to remake movies or 1970's era tv shows, why can't they seem to do the same with good science fiction books (of the non-L. Ron Hubbard variety)? Or better yet, why can't they come up with any ORIGINAL sci-fi movies? Sci-Fi channel does OKAY. Sometimes.

SIDE NOTE: Did any of you hear about the one they did where a black-hole threatened a small mid-west town? HONESTLY, if a black-hole where in the immediate vicinity of say, Las Vegas, the the people in Beijing would need to be worried, too. So would the rest of the Solar System.

With that said, I want to open up discussion for any recommendations. I don't care about the year, country of origin, or subject, as long as its science fiction.

Case in point, a group of illegal immigrant supporters took down an American flag at a post office in Maywood, CA and raised the Mexican flag in its place. If a group of Japanese- or German-Americans had done this during WWII, what would we have done? There was no report of this from the National News Media that I saw. Reportedly, the few people who had the balls to try and stop this were beaten. When the police (who were present during the protest) tried to take the flag down, they were met with bottles and rocks. As it is, WorldNet Daily and a few conservative blogs are the only mention of this action.

As I saw on Mind of Mecia the other day:

Illegal Immigrant supporter:(while holding a Mexican flag) I don't understand how come the American people are not treating us like Americans...

Carlos Mencia: Um...maybe its the flag you're holding! Mexico! Why would you hold a Mexican flag when you're trying to tell American that you love this country??! That's like coming to my house, taking a sh*t on my table and saying "What are you going to cook next?" Nothing!

Unfortunately, neither party in our government is willing to stand up to this problem. They all see these people and their supporters as potential votes, and will do nothing that would risk losing those votes (which is all your Senator and Representative are really concerned about. They could care less about you and our country.) I tell you this, if the Democrat party would come out and get serious about stemming this flow of criminals, I would abandon the Republicans in a heartbeat.

I've also said this before, but I'll repeat it here. There is an INCREDIBLY easy way to fix this problem. It wouldn't cost any more than it already does to handle illegal immigrants now. Are you listening? QUIT GIVING THEM FREE STUFF! This will do two things:
1) It will keep all the freeloaders in Mexico where they can be Mexico's problem.
2) It will ensure that the only illegals that come to this country are the ones who will NOT be a drain on our system. This would probably reduce their numbers SIGNIFIGANTLY since the vast majority of them are freeloaders.

Did you know that illegal aliens receive the following?
Medicaid ($2.5 billion annually)
Free medical care for uninsured ($2.2 billion)
Food stamps, WIC, and free school lunches ($1.9 billion)
The federal government also sends over $1 billion a year to schools to assist them in the education of illegal immigrant children. Turn all this stuff off. Quit granting automatic citizenship to children of illegal immigrants born here, and go back and strip the citizenship of all children this has been applied to. Adopt English as the official language of America, and quit forcing schools to teach kids in Spanish. Quit printing all forms in English AND Spanish. (How much money would this save every year?) If YOU can't speak English, either learn it or pay for a translator out of your own pocket.

We wouldn't have to round them up on buses or anything. Turn off the spigot and the people who live here for the freebies will go home or become productive. We can keep the productive ones, but they need to ensure that they are here within the legal boundaries of the law.